Wk 65 - baptism week!!

Companion: Elder Regis
Area: Talchuano

So this past week yes it finally happened!! the 3 kids got baptized! it was a sweet experience and i love the sweet spirit there. I had a good experience with the branch president that was directing the baptismal service. As we watched the video and we were waiting for some people to change the president of the branch looked a little stressed and worried. there has been some troubles in the branch but i felt like i should go up and thank him for what he is doing. I got up and went to the stand and thanked him and asked him if he needed help with anything. i saw as i talked to him his attitude changed and he asked me to give him a blessing the following day. I gave him that blessing and it was a blessing that i am not quite sure what i said but i felt the spirit really strong. It was a good experience that i was able to have this past week. I sure do love this sector and who knows maybe i have a little time left in this sector who knows but i am thankful for the time i have had in this sector. 

My companion as well was able to have his first baptism in his mission so that was a cool experience that he had as he baptized his first person in his life.

thanks for writing me every week. i guess i can say i take advantage of that privilege i have to have a family that writes their missionary every week. I just know some elders that their family doesnt write them every week! 

but just know i love you guys and have a wonderful week.

elder smoot

elder watts who plays football at air force
and he is a good friend of mine who has the same time in the mission as me.
he is in my district.

Wk 64 - disfrutándola

Companion: Elder Regis
Area: Talchuano

time here is going by really fast and it is crazy to see all the things that change. mom i am sorry this week i wont be able to send pics because i think this computer has a virus! so i am not going to put my card in it! but today we had an activity of the zone. it was way fun! we went to the beach and the waves were really big today. we rented a bus to take us there.

this week we have 3 baptisms on saturday!! i have pics of the kids on my camera but i think you will have to wait until next week!! but they are way excited and they love to study the things we leave for them to study. 

it is crazy we are going into the 5th week of this transfer! it looks like in all the pics you guys took and that i got tanner didnt smile in any of them!! haha he is like i was before the mission!! haha;) 

oh and this past week we had interviews with president and you can see pics and the blog of the mission of the interviews. 

I am so grateful for this gospel and i love it so much. this really is the most important thing in my life is to have a testimony and live these standards and to share this happiness that i have with everyone. I hope you have a great week!

elder smoot

District Leader training

Wk 63 - Pasándola bien:)

Companion: Elder Regis
Area: Talchuano

sorry this is the only new pic i got this week

i am feeling better now so no worries!!;) it was a thing that lasted a few days but now i am good!! 

i am loving it here. It is just so awesome to see elder regis start his mission and see the changes he is making. Last night we had a funny experience here. As i am sure you know mom there are a TON of dogs here that are wild and some dogs just bark at you look like they want to kill you. my comp and i were walking home last night and it was dark and there was a black dog that started coming at us but i just take my back pack off and it just stays there but my comp just took off running and it was so funny! i could see how scared he was and i just couldnt help but laugh. he kinda broke down a little saying stuff like i am so sick of dogs!!! and some other things but i just couldnt help but laugh. it is just some things that you will go through as you start your mission. but i am enjoying my time with elder regis. 

another time we were walking we have to walk through valleys to get to parts of our sector so in this part of this valley there are dogs that just dont like missionaries or i dont know what it is but it gives me a chance to practice my aim throwing rocks to keep them away. its just like every time we go by that place my comp gets behind me and i pick up a rock and this time we were walking and a dog that had bitten a missionary before started coming up on us and i chucked this rock and drilled it right in the face and the dog ran away crying. it was a sick! i thought to myself (strike!!!) haha 

reading the letter matt wrote me made me remind myself about some things my comps have said to me. i have had some comps tell me that when i sleep i say things in spanish and its pretty funny! one time my comp told me i was like teaching a lesson and another time i just said bacanpo. which is like cool with po at the end. i have found myself like forgetting some words that you dont use all the time in english. It is kinda weird at times but i will get it back no worries!! 

i love you all and be sure you guys are reading those scriptures every day because they are so cool!!! seriously! 

have an awesome week!!!!!!!!!!!

elder smoot

Wk 62 - puro ponerle

Companion: Elder Regis
Area: Talchuano

chillin with some ponys

this past week was sick. it rained on wednesday alot and on saturday. the winter is starting to end and the sun has finally come out a few days so i guess thats a good sign. On saturday it rained the whole day and i got super wet because it went through my jacket and sunday after church i started to feel really bad. today i still feel kinda bad but its all good!! i think i just got a fever. i have the chills at times and heat flashes. i am just gonna go home and sleep it off. that is what the mission nurse told me. we had a zone activity today. some kids played soccer but i just played ping pong in the church because i dont feel too good. 

this past week we had a conference from all the missions that are close to concepcion and sister briggs was there so we got a pic! it still is weird to see people you knew before your mission in your mission. 

i talked to a sister missionary today that knows mark sheffield. i feel really close to him but i still havent seen him!! maybe one day!! 

I really am doing good i just need to feel better real soon! haha love you guys and i will see you all soon!!;)

elder smoot

questions/answers:

*when does it start getting warmer for you? this month it will start getting warmer and it did this past week!

*what do you teach every week in district meeting? 

 i choose the topic and i just see what was the weak part of the week and prepare a class

*how many elders are in your district? how bout your zone?there is my comp and i and 6 others. 2 sisters there. there are 10 in the other district and our zone leaders so like 20 in the zone

Wk 61 - LOvin la vida de la misión

Companion: Elder Regis
Area: Talchuano

Elder Smoot and Elder Regis

 Talchuano Norte Zone with Pres. and Sis. Arrington right before transfers.

So as you guys know i got my new comp elder regis from bountiful utah. he is way chill. this past week just went super fast to be honest! it has been way cool. 

so monday last week a story happened that was so funny!! so when my old comp he was saying bye to some members and one of our zone leader finished his mission last week so the other zone leader was with us. elder gonzalez was with us and so we were in a trio and we went to a house and the while we were saying bye she gave a meat and elder gonzalez ate it and started choking like it was stuck in his throat. i was freaking out and i hit him in the back and the meat came flying out and stuck and the side of the table cloth. i didnt know whether to laugh or like check him if he was all right. it was crazy like he was like almost dieing it was crazy. he like turned to me and i just smacked in the back and that made him cough it up! it was an experience that you see in the movies a lot but i actually lived it! haha you guys will get to know elder gonzalez i think one day! you will think back on this story too!! haha

so with one of our investigator alejandro, he went to church this past week and has baptism date for the 22nd of agosto. which is pretty cool! as well there is a lady that has been coming to the church for a long time and i thought she was a less active but it turns out she is an investigator and i didnt even know who she was. she wants her 2 kids to be baptized so my comp and i are going over there to talk about that today. she cant be baptized because she isnt married and is living with the father of this kids. so hopefully we can help her understand what she can do to be able to be baptized too. so we have some good people that have good desires to follow christ. 

this past week was way sweet and i am excited for this transfer.

elder smoot

questions/answers:

*did you see Caitlin Briggs? (a friend from high school that arrived in Concepcion this week)

yes i thought she was gonna hug me at first!! haha it scared me and she said JAADE! i was like yeah my name is elder smoot! haha it was pretty funny she is pretty cool!

*hows being a trainer plus district leader?

it was a little stressful the first week because he doesnt understand spanish yet so i had to translate some things at times but it was kinda fun too. i have to teach a class for an hour too every week as a district leader.

* tell us all about your new companion! 

His name is Thomas Regis and he is from bountiful utah and he is like 6 4 and a half and he graduated in 2014 too his birthday is in May like mine!