Be Still

Hey everyone!
Sorry I didn't write last week. I'll give a quick update. Things are going well here. Elder Hess is doing awesome, and we have seen a lot of miracles lately.

Henry and his family are still looking good for their New Year's Eve baptism. His wife and daughter went to Fayetteville Sunday morning to visit a friend. He showed up to church by himself and then drove up later. He said he promised God he would be at church every Sunday.

A couple of weeks ago, we prayed as a companionship so that we could find a family of people from an island so that Elder Esera could teach them before he goes home. After a few days of praying for this, we had a free hour in our schedule. We drove to a street that Elder Hess wanted to tract. When we got there, I realized I had knocked on it 4 weeks prior. We decided not to and began to drive away. At the very last house, we saw a family get into a car and leave. The mom was still on the porch, and I noticed her dress. We slammed on our brakes and ran to her porch. She told us she was from the Marshall Islands and moved to Fort Smith one week ago and is looking for a church. We were able to go over and teach her, and she is looking to be baptized soon.

We went on exchanges yesterday in Mena, Arkansas. It is around the size of Berryville. I had flashbacks all day long. As we were leaving the apartment, we said a prayer and asked God to guide us to a family of 4. We asked that we would be able to know that it was the chosen family because the mom would be wearing a blue shirt. I was with Elder (Brandon) Kutchinsky, and we knocked on doors all day long. Towards the evening, we knocked on this woman's door. She opened up and began to speak to us. Her name is June, and she is 60+ years old. She told us she didn't have a church and was looking for one. We continued to talk to her, and she expressed that she would like to be baptized soon. She accepted a date right there for January 28th. She happened to be wearing a blue shirt. She also mentioned to us how she raised her 3 children as a single mom. We were both in shock.

In December of 1833, the Saints in Missouri were suffering great afflictions and tribulations. Christ gave them this counsel: "16 Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God."

God lives. Jesus the Christ is your Savior. I love them and love their work. Elder Smythe







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