ELDER MILLER SMITH

What’s going on fam!!

Sorry I’m writing early, but I have to because I’m leaving the ranch for 4 days. Last week my comp was made district leader. The funny thing is he is only district leader over me.  haha. It’s because we were driving to Uruapan every week for district meetings and that was 2 hours there and 2 hours back.  So it is going to save the church a lot of money by us not going every week and just having our district meetings in the ranch with just the 2 of us because we are the only missionaries here. haha. So, It is tight but not really at the same time because we won’t ever see any other missionaries only at zone conferences, which are every 3 months or if we have changes. Yeah, we are out in the middle of nowhere. The only contact we have with other missionaries is by phone how funny huh. But anyway my comp is going to Guadalajara for 4 days for a training, well all of the leaders are.  I am going to Uraupon and I am going to be working with a missionary up there in his area for 4 days.  It is going to be sweet but it’s hard at the same time because we have to leave our area for 4 days, so we won’t see our investigators for awhile.   I know that the Lord will bless them while we are gone so everything will be alright.

Mom, I have a little job for you to do ok?  This is what I want you to do. I want you to go find your very favorite picture of me and you or of me.  When you pick out this pic this is what I want you to do.  On the back write this whole scripture on the back Alma 56:47 and 48, and then put this picture in your scriptures or on your bathroom mirror or wherever you would like. Oh and make 2 of them and you keep one and you send me the other.  Ok, cool cool 

Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death;
and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they
did upon their lives;
yea, they had been taught by their mothers,
that if they did not doubt.
God would deliver them.

And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying:
We do not doubt our mothers knew it.
Alma 56:47-48

This week not a lot happened that was too exciting.  We have been catching a lot of iguanas that has been pretty fun.  We catch them and give them to the little kids and they love them. It rained a ton this week.  I was so soaked and freezing.  It was like 80.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I’m going to die when I fly into Salt Lake next year in the dead of winter. I don’t even like to think about that just thinking about that makes me shiver.  haha.  This week a number of people commented on my Spanish and asked if I was from here like somewhere in Mexico.   I said haha no. They told me that I speak just like a native.  Pretty wild right. I pretty much have all the basics now I just need to work on my grammar and I need to know more words but its really coming along. It is fun.

Something that I have really realized this last week is how we have everything we need in this life to become like our Heavenly Father. We have the correct path. We have the scriptures, we have prophets and apostles, we have everything. It is possible for us to become like God and to return to Him but there is one thing that impedes us from doing so. What is it?  It is agency. God gave us the gift to choose its part of His perfect plan.  But with choosing God has promised tonz and tonz of blessings and we can receive these blessings if we do our part. Everything revolves around this "DO YOUR PART" if we do our part we will receive blessings beyond our own understanding. I have so many thoughts on this but I can’t express all of them right now, because my words are weak in writing but they are becoming stronger and stronger each week.   This is what is so important in this work.   If a person can do his part he or she can gain a testimony of this gospel.  It is a promise from God.   It is such a beautiful thing to see someone act for them selves and then to see their excitement when they receive an answer to their prayer that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ the only true gospel on the earth.  Oh I love it.

Family I am here for a reason.  Sometimes I don’t think so but then I hear one of my investigators bare testimony and its in these moments that I know that I am supposed to be here and there is no other better place that I could be.   Also it’s in these moments that I know that my Heavenly Father loves me.  I have no doubt in my heart.  I am a child of God and He loves me personally and knows me personally.   I can feel his loving arm around me when I really miss you guys and I have felt him pat me on the back to let me know that I am doing a good job. What a great work that I am involved in.  I love it.

Love Elder Miller


gotta go mom, there is work to be done and I gotta go catch a bus.  Find that pic mom and keep it close to you.  Know that I am a modern day 2000.  I love you mom.

Elder Miller Smith

Family!!!

I am still in the ranch and I’m still with Elder Aragon.  I was so stoked for no changes, yeah its super dang hot here but I am getting used to it and it doesn’t bother me to much anymore. I really love this area and I love the people here. I am really starting to get along and just fit right in with my ward and its just the best thing ever.  When I first got to this area there was about 50 to 60 people who would attend church. Not very many people.  But through our diligent work Elder Aragon and I we have seen the fruits of our labor we are now having consistently 90 to 100 people every week in church. It is just so dang awesome. I am so grateful to be with Elder Aragon for another change here in the ranch. The other elders in our zone always poke fun of us because we are so young and because we are out in the ranch which is 2 hours away from everyone in our zone. haha.  Elder Aragon is 4 months younger than me, here in Mexico they let them leave when there 18, so he is for months younger than me but has 3 months more than me in the mission. So the other elders poke fun at us but the thing is we are baptizing more people than anyone in our zone right now. So we don’t really care because we are doing what we are supposed to be doing and we are being obedient. Elder Aragon and I "DO WORK"  That’s what we like to do and that’s what we are going to continue to do. Apatzingan or the ranch has a lot of potential and this last week we found a lot of cool new people, they are chosen ones that have been prepared by the Lord.  This change is going to be full of work, lots and lots of work and we are going to bring Gods children back to his path. Lately we have been doing a lot of experimenting in our work.  My comp loves math.  If he could do anything he wanted he would do math problems.  He loves to solve things.  So we have been working really hard on how we can contact better, teach better and all sorts of stuff.   By doing this we have been finding more people to teach that are cool but also are unity has been growing more and more. I have been studying diligence a lot the Christ like attributes.  A diligent missionary is one that is steady, consistently, earnestly and energetically doing the work of the Lord.  Boom I love that, its from Preach my Gospel. Also,  I think a diligent missionary is one who is always always always searching for a better and more efficient way to do or to accomplish something. ah!!  I love this work.

Yesterday I baptized a little girl named Michelle.  Oh how excited was she!  It is sad though, she is 10 years old and has no support from her parents, they are inactives and have some problems. But this little girl is brave and strong.  She takes her little sister to church every week by herself.  Family, know that I would not ever baptize for a number. This little girl has a testimony of this gospel.  She reads the Book of Mormon everyday and prays. She finds comfort in reading and attending church. As I thought about this, I thought about Shanise Gilliams in the ward at home and how the ward has been so good to her and really made her a part of the ward family. Michelle needs this ward, I talked to the bishop and they are going to do everything they can to make her a part of this ward family.  She is brave and I know that she will be strong in the church even though she is 10, she acts a lot older and understands many things.  The bishop promised her that if she was faithful, her parents would return to the church.

We had the young men in our ward sleep over at our house this week. Three came. Friday night all the way till Sunday they were with us and also the ward mission leader. They did everything that we do as missionaries. We did divisions and went and did work just like any normal day but we had young men with us. This was an awesome experience for them, and really showed them what missionary work is all about. What a good weekend.

Brady Happy birthday this week ya old fart. haha You aren’t getting any younger bro so .... life is a farm so farm it.

You guys saw my twin brother cam. ha that’s good, I love that kid and I miss him a lot.  Me and him were inseparable there for awhile. We did everything together. I really look up to Cam he is a great kid and a great example to me. I know with all my heart that if he servers his mission with everything he’s got his family will be blessed beyond measure. He truly is my brother. Tell him to read alma 17.  How great the joy of Ammon was when he was reunited with his fellow brethren. Thats going to be us after our missions camshaft.  Serve with all your heart might mind soul and strength.  love ya bro

Kel my wart is gone thanks and thanks so much for the pictures.  I loved them.

Family know that I am doing the work of the Lord and it is a beautiful work that changes lives. Truly changes lives for the better. And I get to see it first hand everyday of my life, in myself, my investigators, the members here and you guys.  I’m going to continue doing work, its in my blood and its a passion. I am becoming the man that the Lord needs me to be no doubt in my mind. This gospel is true, Jesus Christ lives and his gospel is on the earth today.

love you with all of my heart

elder miller smith

ps dad I know I asked you last week but can you send me my priesthood line of authority, I would really appreciate it thanks pops you are the man

for mom only

Mom really quick. This last week, I was helping my comp with his English during our language study. He was working on words that rhyme and he had a question. I helped him and then I was like oh "my name rhymes too." He knows my name and then I was like "bake, cake. rake, lake, jake and snake" Mom when I said the last two, it just hit me hard and all I could think about was you. For 6 months nobody has called me snake. Before my mission you always did always. This brought back so many great memories that I had with you right before my mission. I spent so much time with you and I loved it and I really miss it. My comp went upstairs and I just broke down, I couldn't help it. I cried for a long time. Sometimes missionaries have these moments. Mom, I am a mommas boy and I really miss you a lot but I am here for a reason and I am going to stick it out. Know that I love you so much and that I am your little warrior.

 

Elder Miller Smith

Elder Miller Smith

Hey family what is going on back in H town? haha

Another week has passed and gone here in the inferno of Apatzinranch. I have had a lot of feelings over the past couple of weeks.  A lot of deep pondering and prayer. I am in that point in my mission where I really need to make a decision in who I want to be.  Who I want to become. Yeah,  I can be a missionary who only goes through the motions and just serves his mission,  or I can actually become a MISSIONARY.  This is what I want to be.  I truly want to be a modern day warrior like Ammon. So, I have been working on this the past week.  Obedience to everything. One that is very hard for me is waking up.  I hate waking up in the morning.  But this week, I have been out of bed right at 7.  My whole mission I have never slept in, but I have got up at like 7:05 or 7:10 not a big deal right?  Wrong this is not being obedient. If I want to change and become the man that the Lord wants me to be, I need to show him that I want to change.  As I try to do so, He will see my effort and He will help me change.  Through Him I know that I am going to become that man I should be. There is no doubt in my mind, no doubt.

Last night, I had a experience I will never forget never. We were with one of our investigators. His name is Jesus. We found him last week and he has just been progressing a ton. He has already read all of the first book of Nephi and understands it, amazing. We were always so excited to visit him and to watch him progress. He has been on drugs his whole life but really has a desire to change. I cant tell you everything about him though, I will after my mission because it’s not safe for me or him. But last night we were teaching him. We were teaching the 3rd lesson everything was going great until we got to baptism and then everything just went down hill. I can’t express in words how the rest of this lesson went because my words written are really weak.  They are not like my spoken words. But he has some different beliefs and expressed all of them and then started criticizing us and told us that we were only kids and we knew nothing of things that were spiritual and that we were men of no faith. He said a lot of this stuff because we asked him to ask God if these things were true, like the Book of Mormon.  He thought it was wrong to ask God and that God would give us the answers even if we didn’t ask. I was saddened that this son of God who thought he knew so much of God and things spiritual but believed that it was wrong to ask God for answers. He kept and bashing on us. In this moment, I was totally overtaken by the spirit.  I was filled so much with the spirit that I was just like quivering, and didn’t know what to say.  But I knew if I opened my mouth I would.  I did and in that moment I was given power beyond my own ability. Jesus was in mid sentence and I told him to be silent in command form. Then the words just flowed out of my mouth after this. He was struck silent by the spirit and couldn’t speak. I felt like I was just sitting there but my mouth was moving and talking. I was being used as instrument in the Lord’s hands.  I know and the spirit was speaking through me and these words were very strong and direct. I don’t know the exact translation but I told him he was a son of God and God wanted to help him but he has to do his part. The arm of the Lord is always extended but we have to reach out for it. Then I told him that he was full of pride and that if you can’t go to your Heavenly Father and pray for help because of our own pride, then damn you to hell. I spoke for like 5 minutes straight this is just a little summary.  I have never been so overtaken by the spirit in my life.  This experience I will never forget.  I know that sometimes you need to be very very direct with these people but only if you are prompted to. 

Yeah my times up.  I love you guys a lot.  with all of my heart. 

Next week I don’t know when I will email because I might have changes. Crazy how fast time goes by.  It feels like yesterday that I got here in Apatzingan. I know its because I have been working hard and been busy at the Lord’s work.

Mom can you send me a gospel principle book in English? I have one in Spanish but I want one in English.

Dad can you do me a big favor. I want my line of authority but I don’t have it.  Can you research this for me and send it to me? I would be so grateful.

Thanks love you guys  

Elder Miller Smith

It has been raining here so much.  You think it would bring the temp down a bit and it has it’s a little bit cooler but its actually worse when it rains.  The humidity here for some reason is horrible.  We are always just soaked in sweat.  When it rains we sweat even more.  It’s good I really like my area here in Apatzinranch (Apatzingan).  The people don’t want anything to do with us but we still talk with everyone we see and invite them to come unto Christ.  We don’t find very many people through contacting but through our efforts there the Lord blesses us in other areas,  like with Hugo.  

Elder Miller, Hugo, Elder Aragon

We baptized Hugo on Sunday, he is a stud. Hugo was looking for the church and happened to run into a member in our ward.  This member referred him to us and two weeks later he entered into the waters of baptism. The Lord works in mysterious ways. There is always a blessing from him but it just might not be the one we were looking for. Always look outside of the box, don’t zone in on one thing.  Be open to all the blessings that our Heavenly father wants to give us. It is sort of like the little thing with the dots that dad used to show us where there are a certain amount of dots and you have to connect all of them with a certain amount of straight lines.   If you aren’t thinking or looking outside of the box you can never connect all the dots.   You have to go outside to connect them all.   If you don’t remember ask dad to show you this example.

So yea lots of rain this week, funny story.  Friday night it was just dumping.   We still had 2 hours of work so of course we were out in the rain with no umbrellas or jackets because this storm came out of no where.  So I am just soaked and I mean soaked from head to toe and my shoes are just full of water and oh yea I’m wearing a white shirt.  You know what happens when white shirts get wet.  haha Well let’s just say Elder Aragon and I tied in the missionary wet t shirt contest.   But anyway, we were walking down the road and on every street there was about 4 inches of water just a ton of water.   I’m walking by  a huge puddle probably like 8 inches of water.   A taxi comes driving down the road and thought it would be funny to veer into this puddle.  Before I knew I couldn’t see anything and I was just buried in a wall of water. Elder Aragon was in front of me and turned around and looked at me.  He thought I was going to get mad and start yelling but I didn’t.   I had a great big smile formed on my face and I started laughing.  I said "Elder this is what it is all about" hahah hahah memories

Pops I went to the museum today and learned a little bit about the Independence of Mexico.  My comp really likes history so we went to the museum and he was just like a little kid in the candy store with a big smile walking around and taking pictures and stuff it was funny.   My comp is a goof but I really like him and we do work!   That’s what I like.

Can you guys tell budge, bruce and brian thanks for the emails they were a great help. Those guys are the best.   Tell budge that he is right, everyday that passes is one day closer to snowmobile season and tell him that he has to take me in the first or second week I get back.  haha.

Brady and Kel that’s tight you guys went camping. And the stars,  I miss seeing the stars.   Here you can’t see them because there is to much smog.   But I bought a hammock from this guy for like 10 bucks and rigged up a little thing on my roof where I could hang it.  I like to go up on the roof at night and ponder and read my scripts.   It is relaxing and a place where I can feel comfort but yeah there isn’t any stars.   That’s alright, I can still remember the stars up AF Canyon.  Brady when you and I went sledding and you and I just talked for along time that night in the silence under the stars---that was great.   I also remember the stars on Johnson Ranch with dad and grandpa and Brady with the elk screaming in the background.  Memories they are great and they are great here.  I am making a lot and remembering a lot.   This is a unique time in my life. I feel so far away from you guys but yet so close. I feel very happy but then again I feel so sad and depressed. I feel so strong but I also feel so weak.  I feel like a man but at times I feel like I am a helpless little boy. I feel fearless but then again I have fear. I am confident in this language but many times I question what the heck the person just said. I am filled with words from the spirit but other times I am lost.  I can walk for miles and miles other times, I don’t think I can take another step. I am filled with compassion and love but at times,  I’m upset and angry.  When is this ever going to end but dang I wish it would never end.  Missionaries go through many emotions here in the field. I am right now and I will be throughout my mission.  These are the "Good Times" as Allan Jackson says and this in this time of my life.  If I am always looking for the positive and love, searching and trying to become more closer to my Heavenly Father and my brother Jesus Christ I will become the missionary and man that Heavenly Father wants me to be, and the Warrior that mom thinks I am. I am nothing as to myself but with the help of the Lord,  I can be anything, anything!! I am a warrior of the Lord!!! I am his Elite!!  I truly believe,  if I put everything I have into this work my heart, might, soul and strength at one point in my mission or multiple times in my mission I will catch a glimpse and may even see what I was like before this life.  What I was like when I was in the presence of my Heavenly Father.

I love you guys so much.  Always know that I love you and I am your little warrior.

Elder Miller Smith

Oh mom there is a lady here in our ward that wears a missionary tag every week to church and it says "mother of a missionary."

I think you should get one of these. haha

Oh and I think,  I am becoming a Mexican because the other night it got down to like 80 degrees in our house and I woke up just freezing my butt off.  I know weird huh, 80 is like dang hot but I’m starting to become one of them. I am trying to be a part of there culture.   It's great.

Pops, I found your new cutting saddle.  This saddle is so sweet!! I think it is at least the design---look how big the horn is.  Just know that you have a connection no.  WHO? your son  ha ha