One Foot in the Grave...

Oi Familia Tudo Bem!
   Well it has been a great week here in the CTM.  Still super rainy, still super hot, and I still LOVE IT!  It has been a great week full of Zone Conference in Oshawa and the opportunity to continue working with our investigators and help them to come closer to Christ and work towards baptism.  It has been a blast this week serving here with Elder Herculano with some great times and some super cool miracles.
   First super cool thing was this Thursday we went to Zone Conference in Oshawa with the North York, Oshawa, and Kingston Zones.  It was a super cool experience and one of the best Zone Conferences that I have been to on my mission.  It was sad that it was my last one but it was so great to see so many of my friends from the mission. We focused a lot on the importance of opening our mouths to share the gospel with everyone as well as working with the members to find more people to teach and to help those we find to progress in the Gospel.  It was a great conference with some great instructions.  The part that I liked the most was the Testimonies at the End.  At every Zone Conference they have all the Departing missionaries share their last testimony at a Zone Conference.  It was such a strong spiritual experience. I was the second to last to go and the spirit that I felt it was so sweet.  I know that I love my mission and the opportunity that I have had to serve. I shared a scripture that has been one of my favorites ever since a companion showed it to me a long time ago.  Shout out to Elder Madrigal.  It is in 2 Nephi 1 Verses 30-32.
30 And now, Zoram, I speak unto you: Behold, thou art the servant of Laban; nevertheless, thou hast been brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and I know that thou art a true friend unto my son, Nephi, forever.
31 Wherefore, because thou hast been faithful thy seed shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in prosperity long upon the face of this land; and nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or disturb their prosperity upon the face of this land forever.
32 Wherefore, if ye shall keep the commandments of the Lord, the Lord hath consecrated this land for the security of thy seed with the seed of my son.
I am grateful for all of the true friends that I have made from this mission and I am so grateful for the many things that I have been able to do and the miracles that I have seen throughout this experience.

   Other than that it has been a great week we did a lot of baking of cakes and cookies for a few birthday parties as well as we contacted the coolest less active member that said that he would take us to Niagara falls next week for the long weekend.  We are excited for the next week and the many ways that we are going to help the lord's children find their way home.  We are going to keep going to the end!

On to Questions,

1. What was the highlight of this week?

Zone Conference

2. What was a struggle this week?

Baking a cake.  Way harder than it should have been. 

3. What did you do to work with the members this week?

We baked so many things to help through two different birthday parties this week.  One for the group and one for a less active family in the ward. 

4. What was the best part about ESL classes this week?

We had like 6 new students from Brazil. 

5. Did you adventure into any new areas this week?

I returned to Oshawa. 

6. Have you found any new food places you like?

Nope I need to do that when I have Money again. 

7. What are you looking forward to this week?

Meeting with our investigators and Canada Day!

8. What are your pday plans?

Zone V. Zone Sports. 

9. How are your investigators this week?

Doing amazing.  We are hoping to have a baptism on the 16th

10. Have you eaten anything lately that you never thought you would try before your mission? What?

Nope nothing really.  Sorry.  It is pretty boring around here. 

Loves,

Elder Smith

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Oi Familia Tudo Bem?

   I just want to say Happy Fathers day to my dad and all the other wonderful influences that I have had in my life.  I know that I am where I am today and am doing the things I am doing because of my friends and role models that have influenced me in all the decisions that I have made.  I know that I am far from perfect but I am thankful for all the help that I have received to help me become the man that I am today.

 It has been another great week pack full of exciting new developments and more blistering hot weather.  I have been a little smarter with sun and my sunburn has pretty much all cleared up so almost good as new!  It has been great trying to get all that I can out of these last few weeks and leaving it all out here for the Lord. 

   This week started off great we set up an appointment at English Classes with this super cool and super humble couple from Sao Paulo.  They have been here for three weeks and came to study English.  They came to English class their first day here and we have been talking to them after class for about two weeks now.  We finally went over and taught them on Wednesday and the spirit was so strong.  We taught them about the restoration and invited them to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. They both said that they would, that they both believed in God and that they wanted to do whatever they could to follow him.  We asked them if they would be baptized if the spirit told them that these things were true and they said that they would.  That once the spirit tells you something is true that you need to follow it.  There is no way to run from God.  It was super cool. 

   Other Highlights this week.  We started working with a family that I was teaching a year ago and they have got some things figured out and have recommitted to working on getting married and Baptized. We had interviews with President and Sister Shields which were super cool. I know that it helped me a lot at least.  We had a much more successful volleyball activity than soccer this week.  We had 5 investigators and a new convert show up. Then Sunday we had the highest sacrament meeting attendance I have seen in the group we had almost 30 people show up this week. It was super cool!  We are excited for this week and to see the blessings that our Father in heaven has in store for us!

On to Questions...

1. What was the most outstanding thing that happened this week?

This week we had probably the most spiritual companionship study that I have ever had on my mission. It was such a sweet experience to just open up and to truly listen to each other. To feel the guidance and the bond of the spirit and to testify to Elder Herculano the importance of always following that spirit and striving for it.

2. What would you most like to show your family in the CTM?

No Idea.  Probably Toronto and Kitchener because I pretty much only know those parts. 

3. What memories did you make with the people, members, investigators or other missionaries you worked with this week?

We had a pretty fun Volleyball activity.  We had a pretty great time with the other Elders last night.  We had the missionary equivalent of a party.  Put on some EFY music and played basically camping games.  pushing each other over and the likes. 

4. How are your ESL classes?

Busy as ever.

5. What are your pday plans?

Elder Herculano wants to get a haircut.

6. What did you do for Father's Day

We had a Barbecue Saturday Night with some of the members and the Primary gave everyone presents and cake after church. 

7. How is the weather? Did you find some sunscreen and air conditioning this week?

hot, humid, rainy, the usual. We do have air conditioning and I have it running full blast all day.  so our apartment is nice and cool.  other than that still no sunscreen. 

8. Do you have any plans for an integration night? Or more soccer at the park?

Integration night no but we played volleyball this week and jury is still out as to soccer or volleyball this upcoming Saturday. 

9. What are your goals for this week?

Get people to church. 

10. What is the funniest thing about Elder Herculano?

He is a very funny guy.  One of the funniest things I think though is that for how outgoing and hilarious he is.  The second we are in a large group he just stops talking. I think it is pretty funny. Especially since the hermanas now are just convinced that he hates them because he never talks to them.

Well that is all for this week.  I love you all!

Loves,

Elder Smith

I Am Burning!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oi Familia Tudo Bem?
   Well it has been a great week here in Canada.  Summer has come out in full force with temperatures in the low 30's and so much sun.  It has been interesting to see the different reactions between Elder Herculano and I.  Elder Herculano is loving the weather soaking in all the sun getting an even deeper shade of tan every day.  Throwing open all the windows in the apartment doing everything he can to spend as much time in the sun.  Then there is me trying as hard as I can not to melt into a large puddle of Elder Smith.  Hiding in all the shadows and shutting all the windows so that our poor air conditioner doesn't have to work any harder than it already has to.  It is pretty interesting.
   We have spent a lot of time figuring things out and thinking outside the box this past week. We have made some pretty solid plans to work with members and to make our time effective. We have worked a lot with our investigators trying to help them to keep commitments and continue to progress towards salvation. Other than that we have also been trying to find new ways to find people to teach.  Elder Herculano and I thought about it for a long time and we have planned a weekly Soccer match at the park.  This week we played for a couple of ours and were able to find a couple pretty solid potentials but it wasn't as great as we hoped.  We are excited for this week though and we are hoping to get a better turn out this week.  I am also hoping to not get such a bad sunburn this week.  After two hours in the sun I was the same color as a Lobster.
   Other than that, I can definitely say we are giving it our all down here.  It has been a hard week but a good one. We have been blessed as we have worked hard and this week we had a new investigator that just walked into church for the English ward this week.  Her friend was investigating with the Chinese Elders and invited her to come to church with her. It was super cool because this was the only week that we were there for sacrament because we had a pass off lesson with the Zone Leaders from a YSA that we had contacted on the Street earlier that week.  It was just another testament that the Lord puts us in the places He needs us.

Well onto questions...

1. What was the best thing that happened this week in Toronto?

I don't know we had some pretty great weather that was really nice. 

2. How are your investigators doing?

We have seen some great things happen with some and seen some difficulties with other but it is going well. 

3. What are your pday plans?

We were going to go to the zoo however they decided to go on strike again so it is closed until further notice. So now we have no Idea. We are going to hang out with some of the other Elders and figure out something to do. 

4. How do you plan to change things up this week to add to your success?

We have the soccer activity, we are also going to call some former investigators, and potential investigators. 

5. Have you been keeping up with your exercise regime post accident?

Usually we just go to the chapel and play sports now.  I am not liking it as much. 

6. How are your ESL students? Do you have some that are regulars?

We have some solid regulars and we usually have quite a few new show up every week. 

7. What did you do for service this week?

We helped the people at the food depository and that was it really. 

8. How was the first week of your transfer? 

hot and pretty good.  It has been interesting meeting all the new people. 

9. Who is in your district/zone this time around?

Elder Kenneth Gomez, Elder Anthony Martín Leyton Rivera, Sister Emma Burnett, Sister Samantha Griffes, Elder Leonardo de Abreu Herculano, Elder Samuel Smith, Elder Arn Jared de Guzman Bagtas, Elder Jacob Callister, Sister Emily Jennae Livingstone, Sister Nelli Vorimo, Sister Dajhanna Mari Cruz Zarate De La Cruz, Elder Sander Burton, Elder 이 준현, Elder Alex Chee, Elder Kendall Munsey, Elder Parker Davis, Elder Berrett Robison, Sister Madeline Giles, Sister Audrey D. Nelson, Elder Jaxon Fillmore, Elder Luke Jackson.

10. What are you looking forward to this week?

Some Cool Lessons and more great weather.  Also Sun screen. 

Loves,

Elder Smith

Running through the 6ix

Oi Familia Tudo Bem?!

   Well another transfer has come and gone and we are staying here in the big city.  This will make a year in total in the city that I love. Elder Herculano and I will be staying together and the rest of the Zone is getting a big mix up.  Elder Herculano and I are the only companionship not getting changed up in the Zone and I couldn't be happier.  We have been seeing so many miracles and the work just keeps picking up pace.  

    This week has been crazy.  We had a pretty normal start to the week.  Monday I had the most painful haircut of my life.  We have an investigator from Brazil who went to cosmetology school there and is working as a hairstylist in a Portuguese salon here.  I asked her if she could cut my hair because I figured that it wold be cheaper if i went to her than if I went anywhere else.  It ended up being free which was good.  Because after about an hour of her "practicing" on my hair and then her boss "fixing" my hair with my ever so helpful companion making jokes about how ugly my hair was and laughing hysterically.  Followed by after she washed my hair her going crazy about all the black heads on my face.  She then proceeded to try and forcibly remove all of them as Elder Herculano was eagerly cheering her on in the hunt for more pimples to pop.  I didn't know I had that many pimples until she started going on a popping spree.  Needless to say I am glad that it was free because I wouldn't pay for that treatment. 

   That was only the start to an interesting week though.  I have decided now that Wednesdays have been cursed.  Three weeks ago car accident, two weeks ago emergency room and then this week...  This week on a wonderful Wednesday afternoon Elder Herculano and I were separated by fate and a fast moving subway car.  It was probably one of the scariest moments of my mission. I told Elder Herculano that we were getting off at the next stop and when that stop came I logically got off the train.  Elder Herculano on the other hand thought that I had meant the next next stop and so he was looking for a seat and in the hustle and bustle we got lost.  I was about to get on the next train we needed to take and felt something was missing.  Lo and behold it was Elder Herculano.  So I start running around like a mad man trying to find him and when I get up to the street to see if he had walked out the phone rings.  It was our Zone Leaders calling to remind us about the temple trip the next day and asking if we were excited.  I had to regretfully inform them that while I was excited i was uncertain if Elder Herculano would be able to attend seeing as he was currently lost in downtown Toronto.  This started a frantic sprint by me to the next station to try and find him while sending other missionaries to other stations to try and head him off.  Happy ending though, a member from the Don Mills ward found Elder Herculano at the first station where he had returned and we were able to meet back up at the chapel.  It was probably the scariest hour of my mission hands down.  

   Other than that the rest of our week was super good we had a fun temple trip on Thursday and then we had a pretty great weekend with our ESL Party and finding a bunch of new investigators. We are looking forward to this week now and hopefully nothing bad happens on Wednesday!

On to some Questions...
1. What was the highlight of your week?
Spiritual, Temple Story for the rest of time Wednesday.
2. Did you have any challenges this week that were unexpected?
See above plus the difficulties of busy city life and trying to meet with investigators.
3. What was the most delicious thing you ate this week?
I don't know probably spaghetti that I made on Tuesday.
4. What was your best appointment  this week?
We had a really spiritual lesson with a new investigator on Friday that was cool.
5. How are your investigators?
Doing well just really busy.
6. What are you looking forward to in the coming week?
Meeting with investigators also we organized a soccer activity this Saturday with all of our Brazilian potential investigators.
7. What are your pday plans?
We are going to an obstacle course.
8. How is your weather?
Hot and rainy.
9.  How are your ESL classes?
Everyone is Brazilian it is awesome.
10. How are the members?

Doing well we have been so busy that we haven't been spending as much time with them lately.  We are working on it though. 

Loves,

Elder Smith