Smythe, Jackson PT

Hello again! We spent a lot of time this week knocking doors and inviting everyone to church. We saw a lot of miracles, and God is here working with us. On Saturday, we had a church tour with our friend Keshawn and his fiancée. We showed them and their kids around the church and then had a lesson by the baptismal font. They both accepted dates to be baptized in February; it was powerful. Our friend Summer told us she was going to be at church and even confirmed with us 10 minutes before it started that she would be there. We never heard from her again until 6 pm that night. She messaged us that she was, in fact, there and that she even brought multiple friends. She left her phone at home so she could fully give her time to the Lord. We had a meeting yesterday in Bentonville, and it was good to get to see everyone and be with President Collins and his wife. We talked about how to be better leaders, and I couldn't stop reflecting on how much I have learned from the people that I love...

Hello again! Cannot believe another week already went by. Time is flying. It rained a lot here this week. I seriously am so grateful for my mission and the happiness that I feel while serving. On Saturday evening, we were out knocking doors, and we got a notification that we got a referral from someone who wanted to meet with us. We called him immediately, and he told us he is not a part of any religion and that he was looking for a church he could join. He came to church the following morning only to tell us he had gone a couple of times in Mexico and that now he feels more ready to fully join the restored church. From early Monday morning to Tuesday evening, it rained nonstop. All day long on Monday, Elder Hess and I were knocking doors in the pouring rain. We were so wet, and we had seen nothing but rejection. Around 8 pm, we were continuing to knock, and I turned around and looked at him and said, "the Lord will bless us for these efforts." At the very next door, we met t...

Hello! For Pday today, we had the opportunity to go to Bentonville and visit the temple. It was a powerful experience, and I am grateful for the knowledge that families can be together forever. It has been a freezing cold couple of days, but we were still able to witness miracles. Interestingly, we didn't even have church because of the weather. Instead, we helped our friends watch General Conference. We have a few friends who are progressing to baptism on Feb 4 and Feb 17, which is exciting. We were locked inside on Sunday and Monday, causing me to reflect and study a lot. The scriptures say: "..many of the rising generation would not understand the words of King Benjamin." King Benjamin taught us to 'put off the natural man' and to 'accept the Atonement of Jesus Christ.' It's sad that so much of the world can't understand that because they choose not to. I'm loving life and am cherishing every second of my mission. Love you all, Elder Smythe

Hey everyone. We had such a good week. 17 of our friends were all able to be at church. It was so powerful to see them feel the spirit and get to partake of the sacrament. We had some good exchanges the last couple of days too. I got to be with Elder Fife and Ashcraft again. Our friends are all doing well. We should have another baptism here in a few weeks, and then there is a Marshallese family we started teaching that is going to be baptized in the first week of February too. I have felt a lot of joy lately and am simply loving being on a mission. We knocked a lot of doors this week and didn't see anything crazy, but consistency will pay dividends in the end. Our member told us of a story that happened last week. When our friend Henry was baptized, our member was with him in the bathroom. Our member shared with us an interaction that they had together. He said that as soon as Henry got changed and dressed in his new white shirt with his first-ever tie, he had a different look abo...

Hi everyone! Another week quickly flew by. It felt long at some moments and short at others. The transfer officially ended, and another one started. I only have five more and want to do everything I can to work as hard as possible. When I first got to Fort Smith, Elder Campbell and I were teaching a lady named Eloisa and her 9-year-old daughter, Jessie. Eloisa used to be a big drinker, smoker, jobless, and struggled with just about any problem you could name. Since she began to come to church and to work to get over all of these bad habits, her life has changed drastically. Her daughter was baptized a month and a half ago, and on Friday she had the opportunity to be baptized as well. As we were sitting outside after it was over, she looked at us and said, "I feel clean. I feel optimistic. We did it." Nine weeks ago, Elder McAvoy and I were praying for a media referral that would be interested in being baptized. A day or two later, we found our friend Henry. He has a wife and ...