Ozark, Alabama

The big metal pig is still in the circle. ( A friend of mine who grew up down the street and graduated with me, served her mission in the area Parker is in right now and wanted me to ask him about the "pig in the circle.") I don't know the significance of it, but you can tell her it still is. Our address is

   750 East Broad Street

   Ozark, AL 36360

 My new area is quite unique. We are fixing our small house, and putting in carpet, and doing all other sorts of stuff. It is a little distracting from the work, but it needs to be done. We are going to be finished with it by next week hopefully. My new companion is Elder Helmandollar, he is real cool, very fun to be around. The challenge with him is keeping him on task and making sure we do what's most important. He is getting much better in the few days we spent together. I am really enjoying it. The Branch here is great, there are 120 average, but there aren't enough priesthood holders to make it a ward just yet. We are hoping to have a part of Fort Rucker coming to our church, that'll make it a ward. Fort Rucker is an Army base, There are helicopters everywhere. We passed Apache's taking off and landing just barely, I wished I had my camera on me to take pictures. I'll get some good ones of them though.

 It is starting to get freezing cold! We wore our long sleeves, sweaters, and suit coats yesterday. We talked with a recent convert outside at the end of her driveway, because here parents are anti, and I was still cold, I couldn't imagine what she felt like. She is a strong individual though.

I have a favor to ask of Ashton, if he will send a cd with Tiao Cruz for piano burned on it, and other super good piano music. That would be awesome! Also have him download Nearer My God To Thee by Vocal Point, y'all will love it!

 About college, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I do know I'll have to choose, the fence can't hold me forever. I can try for scholarships, and if I get them and I don't want them it won't matter right? So can I try to gain scholarships for multiple schools, then choose? So I'm thinking BYU, UVU, or Utah State. Not UOU..... But if I have to I will. I'm still discerning though. I'll have my answer next week for sure. Gives me time, and a chance to fast.

 If y'all can send a harmonica as well that'd be sweet! But just think on it. :) Sorry, Christmas is coming up and it's a natural habit to ask, if there is anything y'all want, let me know, and I'll see what I can do!

 

Love all of you, and hope Halloween goes grrrrreat! Take pictures!

Well, good and bad news, I'm transferring to another area. I'm leaving Eufaula and going to Ozark! My new companion is Elder Helmundollar. I do know who he is, and it's going to be quite a trip... I hope all will be well up here. At least I will have the opportunity to say bye to the members, unlike when I left Chipley. I welcome change though, gives me another change to improve, and to see how much I learned to help the new area.

The trip sounded fun! I'm sure looking out the bottom was pretty scary. (He is referring to the Educator's Airlift and looking out the bottom of the tanker:)  How did y'all get invited to that? How many other people were there taking the tour? And y'all got to eat the mash that the soldiers get, that sounds good! And if it was a real good meal, they did that so you wouldn't think they were torturing the soldiers! :) I don't know about Air traffic controlling, I don't know if I could handle the stress, and being gone a lot. But who knows? I could end up doing it.

That's a bummer not being accepted, I don't know how it's like, but it must be rough. (Jameson didn't get accepted to BYU and Coree didn't get accepted to WSU's nursing school:( I know that I'm going to make it into Harvard anyhow so I don't have to worry about those low class schools! :) just kidding.

This past week was good, we confirmed our baptisee, and it was a close one too, she didn't show until right after the sacrament song started, I thought she wasn't going to make it. We think that she was trying to get her family to come to church and wasn't able, that's why she was late. But it's alright. It was the Primary program as well, so it was funny to see. I wish I could take pictures to show you all the funny stuff happening. Saturday I was finally able to use my knowledge of building. We took down a porch of one of our members, and rebuilt a section of it. I was in charge of bulling out the nails on the good boards to reuse them.... it was lame. I did at one point have to hammer in nails, but the hammer I used had a small head, and I missed the small nails many times. They now have circular imprints on their porch! Afterwards, we drove past the chicken festival, didn't have time to go in sadly, and went to another home to help them put up drywall in their home. I got to do some mudding! That was pretty fun, and they were very appreciative.

Elton Owens is the man with the dog in the video. He helps us out a ton, and is super friendly. We see him practically every day. He is always willing to drive us places.

I haven't heard about Romney's stand up comedy, you'd think it'd be something I'd hear about out here. Well, I did send in my ballot, and I voted for lots of people that I didn't know, I hope that there are many more people in their right mind to overpower all my bad votes. Many people come up to us and ask us if we are voting for Romney, even the people who reject us at the door when tracting say, I'm voting for Romney! It's pretty funny. "No, I'm not interested and I don't believe in what you're talking about, but I'm voting for Romney...." I should record some of them.

Haven't sent the card, I'm waiting to get into my new area to send it. This will be an interesting week! We'll see what happens.

Love ya'll and be safe! Elder Smith

I did get Bro Peterson's letter, a while back actually.... I had intentions of writing him, but I got caught up in the work, plus the selfish side of me took over so it was easy to put it off. Writing takes time, and there are other things I could do, and he didn't really say much on his, but I know I need to write him. Funny 'ol Peterson. I have written Jackie back, and haven't heard from the Howells. That's pretty much who I'm writing to. I write to Javi over email, but that doesn't count does it... And that lady didn't write me, the name does sound familiar though. (Anitra Martin, a lady that used to write to all the missionaries but has passed away)

That dream of yours worries me. (I dreamt that Parker was beside me as I was trying to open the door to our home and I was so excited to see him but felt bad that no one told us to pick him up at the airport. THEN I realized that he was home 14 months EARLY!! So when I finally got him away from the family, we sat down and he was about to tell me why he was home and the dream ended!!) It would worry me a lot more if I was missing a limb! I had an interesting dream too, but it was about me killing an evil murderous witch with an ax, she came back to life and I woke up. It makes you wonder at times like these, did Joseph have weird unmeaningful dreams as well as the important ones? Well, I hope that both dreams don't symbolize anything.
The baptism went well, and I got some good pictures! Got a good one of Bryden, I'm going to send it home soon so y'all can see it. She still had her nose ring in, but we are going to talk about it Tue. We now have no progressing investigators, so we have to work on some of the new investigators so that we can help our area. We have a couple that look promising! We ran into mice trouble. I heard from Elder Lane that they used to have mice, but I thought they were gone, until one day I was catching up in my journal. So I was sitting there and out of my peripherals I saw the papers moving. I thought it was because of the air conditioner. I then heard a rustle and looked and saw a flash of brown. I just stared, partially out of unbelief that there were mice in our apartment. I saw him jump out of our trash onto my companion's study table, thank goodness, and then onto the floor and into a hole that I suspected was a mouse hole, but wasn't certain. We got out the mouse trap in the drawer, but a pecan and some peanut butter on it, and fifteen minutes later heard the padded snap of the trap. I took pictures of the mouse, because it was still in the process of eating the nut even though it was dead. I erased the picture because I knew it would've ruined my missionary slide show in the future! Future prospects are going to be watching, if you know what I mean! The funny part about this story happens later as we were sitting at the table in the other room and heard another thump and then scurrying. We went back and looked, and another mouse was trapped in the garbage can that we barely emptied with the dead mouse. This was later in the day, when we were doing our night planning. We were wondering about where we were going to get more mouse traps, I guess mice aren't that smart, just leave open trash cans and they will trap themselves! Don't worry, our apartment is clean and nice, that's why the mouse had to jump in the trash to get something!

A week and a half is transfers again, we'll see if I stay or go. No matter what though, I know it's where I'm supposed to be!

Good to know everything's alright, and that trip you and Dad are going on sounds awesome. Hope y'all don't crash, everyone knows famous stars always crash! :) (The Educators Airlift)

lOvE you guys, and I pray every night for y'all, so be safe!

Elder Smith

October 8, 2012 Letter To Dad

That stinks that you didn't make it, we were wondering how often Motab has tryouts, and what happens to the veterens when somebody else gets in? They sound very lengthy and hard, the process I mean. They really don't mess around with choosing people. We had a recent convert tell us that he was looking for an older me in the choir, I had to tell him that you weren't actually in it yet. I can't imagine how much work, along with all the other things you do, you would have to go through to get it all done. Think of it this way, God wanted you to try out but not make it so that when you actually have time, you know what you need to do to get in! Remember, mysterious ways....haha. I've definitely seen some of what he's done out here!

General Conference was the bomb, I really enjoyed it! I even stayed up for all but two talks in Sunday's last session. I can't wait to get next month's Ensign, it's going to be sweet! There were lots of inspiring talks. It seemed many were directed toward building people up to take care of themselves and to wake up and do work!

Spiritual gifts.....well if I start naming them off I would lose humility! The chain effect of that will probably make me lose many gifts... just kidding. I never really thought about spiritual gifts. I have learned to love people, and that doesn't come easy when you live in the ghetto where Obama is completely covering some buildings... but I need to look over some of the specified spiritual gifts in the scriptures and I'll get back to you. I've gained more since being out here I can tell you that much.

Thanks for all you've done for me Dad!

ELDER SMITH

October 8, 2012

We have been mindful of the elections as well. Whenever we pass people we think would vote for Obama, Elder Blain says, vote for Romney, good thing the window is up! I heard about the amazing debate, and got to see a little of it at Pizza Hut when we ate with members. I hope that he will continue to do well, who knows what will happen, or when it will happen the next time! By the way I already sent in an absentee ballot, just sent it in today, can't be procrastinating when our future is in jeopardy!

I spent some time on that letter, (referring to a letter/birthday card to his friend, Lexi) first figuring out what I was going to do, then actually doing it. Thankfully we have a key to the church's library. I do realize that I didn't get her a card though.... did she make her quota of 92? It's weird to think that she isnt' a teenager anymore, it's even more weird to think that I only have a month and a half left! Well, I still can't grow a full beard yet, that is when I'll decide that I'm an adult....

Conference was amazing! I really enjoyed Sunday morning's session, but all of Saturdays was good also. Elder Holland is the man, he really rallies people! The announcement was cool too, Dad was right when he said that I'm going to be the last of the older generation of missionaries....in a year or less. It will be weird seeing younger missionaries. They will really have to be prepared also because their MTC time is shortened as well, hopefully they will take it more seriously than I did, or they will have to have a rude awakening in the field!

This past week went alright, nobody was home and so our numbers weren't great. But now we have this week to look forward too! Our baptism is this Sunday and she asked me to baptize her, so I'm having my baptism pants that you sent me hemmed, so I can walk... Thanks again for the pants! We will have to focus more on some of the other investigators now that she is going to get baptized. I know God will help us stay busy, and make the best use of our time.

Funny story for this week. Yesterday we were leaving our dinner appointment, and planning where to go next, because every appointment canceled for that night. We got a voicemail, because in the house there is no reception, that asked us if we could give a blessing to two little girls. We couldn't deny them blessings so we hurried across the street and down some to their house. We knocked, then walked in where the two girls were sitting on the couch with shorter hair which was wet. They didn't look sick, or hurt, maybe a little down but that was it. They told us they needed blessings for lice.... haha, I first thought, can you give a blessing for lice? Apparently this was their second time getting lice removed from their head, and she was afraid of sending them back to school and getting it again! We pulled out the oil, and had them sit, and proceeded with the blessings. I really didn't know what to say, but something came and I said it, I wanted to say something more, but the spirit didn't, so I ended it. It was funny, but I'm grateful to give service when I can, for those who need it. I was thinking that this must be what a parent feels sometimes with the blessings he gives.

Thanks for the encouragement, and hope that things continue to go well at home! You don't even know how jealous I am about the Avengers....

LOVE Elder Smith

Did you know that trees stay green here? When the time comes they just fall off, and new green ones come in. If it wasn't for the cold mornings, I wouldn't know what season it is! Thanks for the compliments, I should've got more pictures of it, but I'm finding out that my picture creativity is dumbing up a bit. (Referring to the ghillie suit adventure!) I need to get back at it!

 The area continues to improve, and our BCD is getting ever closer. Our bishop wants us to move it to another day, we are going to talk to our investigator and see what she wants. Maybe we won't, who knows? It is on the 13th, our lucky number! It feels weird being in charge of the area. I am finding that the old routine is starting to fade, and we will have to find another one real soon! I mean that by people we are visiting. Things are starting to slow down a little bit, but we are still doing ok. I have a cool story about our investigator. She is going through big changes in her life. She doesn't have any problems with the big commandments, except looking modest, as in her piercings. She's regretting the day she'll have to take them off, especially her nose jewel, or whatever you call it. But this past week, after we taught a lesson, we were talking to her about it. We were pressuring her to take out her tongue bar, and she did for the lesson. When she picked it up after the lesson, I jokingly asked her if I could see it, to pretend to throw it, and she handed it to me. When I made the motion, I asked her if I could. She said she didn't care.....I was caught off guard. She gave up the ring, she didn't have any more either. So, we left, showed only a few people the bar, not too many, because it was a little weird that I kept it, and went to Elton's to get rid of it. We taped it to a rock, and slingshot it into the woods! It felt great, my companion thought it was dumb that I was doing it, but I know how big it was for her!

 A few more months and I'll be able to skype y'all! I will most likely be in another area, but we'll see.

 

 Thanks again Fam! Love y'all and talk to ya next week! I will remember to send a card to Lexi....

 

Elder Smith