Go Blue:)

I am loving it here so much. We had another awesome week.

On Sunday, our friend Alfredo was baptized. It was a powerful experience. He was so prepared, and he can't wait to baptize his wife and son here in a couple of weeks. The spirit there was so strong. We had 15 friends at church with us, and they were all able to be there for the baptism as well.

On Thursday, we got a media referral from a lady named Christina. Usually, the referrals never pan out, but she ended up responding to us. She reached out, and we had to set up a phone call with her. She lives 45 minutes from the church in a tiny little town. For 45 minutes, she poured all of her emotions out about how she was recently diagnosed with cancer and she got here from Cuba not long ago. She drives 3 hours round trip every day for chemotherapy and is only free on Sundays. All of her family is still there, and she talked about how alone she felt and how she needed help. She hadn't really ever grown up in a church. Sunday morning, after the 45-minute drive, she showed up at church with her husband. She was emotional the entire time and kept mentioning that she felt like she was at home. One of the coolest experiences of my mission.

Yesterday we were out knocking doors when a woman from Vietnam answered the door. She spoke no English and immediately pulled out Google Translate to talk to us. She told us her husband passed away 2 years ago. She told us she was Buddhist and that it wouldn't make sense for us to talk because we can't speak her language. On her phone, we typed, "we can tell you how to see your husband again." 3 seconds later, she invited us in. No hesitation. For almost 30 minutes, we taught her using a translator, and she begged us to come back this Sunday with a Book of Mormon so she can learn and read about Christ and find the way to peace and hope in this life, and in the life to come with her family.

I am loving life. Jesus Christ does live.
"No one has failed who keeps trying and keeps praying." -Elder Holland

Elder Smythe




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