Smythe, Jackson PT

Hello everyone! A lot has happened in the last few days, and as per request, I'll make this one a little longer. As I mentioned, I was transferred to Fort Smith, Arkansas, and I'm with Elder Campbell again. It's so much fun. I watched a couple of awesome missionaries go home, but I'm grateful I'm still here. We got to go to Bentonville yesterday, so I saw all of my friends. We are teaching a lot and are going to be baptizing our friend Alfredo on Sunday. He has been coming to church consistently for a month and lives 30 minutes away. His mentality is, "I already came from Mexico, what's 30 more minutes for the true church?" We taught a guy yesterday from Ecuador. He's been to church for the last couple of weeks and he can't wait to be baptized. His family will be here soon, and they are excited to join the church as well. A year ago, he was kidnapped and held for a ransom of $70,000. He showed us a folder with all the photos and videos of what ...

Hello again! Pdays are permanently on Wednesdays from now on. Transfers are this weekend, and after 6 weeks in Berryville, I was transferred. I am sad to leave the people we are teaching, as many of them have been progressing quickly. However, I am going back to be companions with Elder Campbell, which I could not be more excited about. We had Jesse's baptism last weekend. It was powerful. His entire family came, and then his mom has started to come to church with him every week. It has been cool to see a 13-year-old kid lead by example like that. He can't wait to go to the temple as soon as possible. We have been teaching a guy named Mack. He used to smoke 3 packs a day and has been going through a lot. He had been against the idea of quitting smoking, but we did a workshop with him. He handed over $200 worth of cigarettes, and in the last 6 days, he has not touched a single one. It was a powerful experience to see the joy that has come because of the gospel in his life. He wi...

We have been working as hard as we possibly can. The Lord has been so involved and has magnified our imperfect efforts. We were able to help 8 of our friends accept baptismal dates this week. One of whom is our friend named Ryan. His wife is a member, and I mentioned them last week. He was facing some doubts and concerns and finally voiced them to us. I offered to give him a blessing, and at the end, he said to me "you said something I've never told another living soul." He is going to be baptized on September 10th. They were all able to be at church yesterday. We have a baptism for a 13-year-old named Jesse this Saturday. He has been coming to church for a month by himself. Keep him in your prayers. He can't wait. I'm loving life. It doesn't get much better than this. Love and miss you all, Elder Smythe

I officially hit my 1-year mark as a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This week, I looked back on the last year of my life and all of the experiences that I have had. I will forever cherish this year and the spirit that I have felt. I can't wait for the next 365 days. Time is going by too fast; I am panicking. We had another good week in Berryville. We had a family come to church and a few of our other friends. I have never been so tired or worn out. I also got to go on exchanges with my trainer, Elder Burns – happiest of reunions. That family we are teaching was going through a rough time. The mom asked me for a blessing, and at 9 pm on Saturday evening, we gave her one. The spirit was so strong, and she was extremely emotional. As we stepped back from her, her three daughters went running into the arms of their mom with tears in their eyes. The husband stood up and joined his daughters and wife in a family hug. The spirit flooded the room, and they ...