Wk 40- HAPPY NEW YEAR!! :)

Area: Bata
Companion: Sister Oquias

a White Christmas

Baptism of Bhea!

Outside the mission home on Christmas Eve

Sister Smoot & Sister Oquias

Sister Solemone & Sister Smoot

In Camilla walking home :) just on a bridge!

Villanueva with Rico :) love them!! 

Hello Family!! Happy New Year!! :) I love you all!!

This week was good!! We had a zone conference on Christmas eve and it was amazing!! I loved it and loved learning about what we can do better!! :) We learned about the blessings of tithing and how it truly does help us so much!! We are promised to have food on our plate if we pay tithing. It's an incredible blessing! We will always have enough! It's a huge blessing from our Heavenly Father. I love the blessing of paying tithing!!

We also had Ernesto and Princess come to church! It was awesome! And Bhea got confirmed!! I love the experiences here! I love how much the church can grow! It's so important to l.ose yourself in the work. On Christmas day, I got to see you!! I loved it!! Thank you :) and I got to see someone take the first big step in their life! She said she wants to serve a mission! She is amazing!! I loved it!! I love this gospel and all the miracles that happen! This week i didn't write in my journal! I am not doing so good I am sorry!! so I can't remember everything but i'm going to catch up this week it's one of my goals :) haha i'm going to be able to write in my journal so i can tell you about all the little miracles that happen everyday!! 

Yesterday, a baptist that is getting money for his education from his church as long as he goes to church actually came to church on sunday!! I didn't expect it because he goes to church every sunday afternoon so he can go to school. He knows it's true, we just are going to try to teach his grandma so we can help him more :) He's 12 years old and is amazing! He's Rico, we teach him at Villanueva's house :) This GOSPEL IS AMAZING AND TRUE!!

We have baptisms lined up for 2 on Jan 11 and 1 on january 18. We have another one for January 18 but she just has to ask permission from her parents. She's come to church twice now :) I didn't even know she was there last week, but my companion saw her but didn't tell me because we hadn't taught her yet. We have a few more we need to give dates for hopefully for January 25. ! Miracles happen everyday!! I love it!! :) 

Anyways! I am excited for this week! I want to feel hungry once! These people like to feed you especially on holidays! But It's awesome! I love the people here and how much they are turning to their Savior!! :) I love you all!! 

Love, Sister Smoot :)

Wk 39- MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!!!

Merry Christmas in the Philippines

The BIG SPIDER!! It scared me! They said they don't do anything...
 but i don't know... it was kind of large.
They said it eats the bugs... 

Love You!!

This week has been wonderful!! Other than our investigators didn't come to church. :( Ernesto and Princess were so close!! Princess lost her desire to come to church, I don't know why, we even went to get her after church had started and she just said no.  But her dad had some excuses, but we went and taught him again last night, and he is doing better :) He feels bad and we moved their date to Jan 11. 

Bhea is on Christmas!! We went to teach her Saturday, and reviewed the Baptismal Interview Questions. She was so tense and we kinda laughed with her mom and tried to help her calm down and she started crying, I was like AH! It's ok!! Don't worry! They won't be hard. She was worried because she couldn't remember a few things, but we were just trying to see what she remembered! She was so scared, but we helped her not to worry and she was fine on sunday :) She is so cute and amazing! She told us she wants to be a missionary one day :) She's so cute!! :)

Benji and the big group. We have some people progressing there, but it's hard with a big group to focus people so we have to help them get comfortable wit us individually so we can help them :) 

We did splits last night also. :) We reached our goal of 30 member present lessons and got 13 other lessons this past week. :) that's all to investigators! I love this work so much and can testify that God can work miracles!! I love it!! :) 

We also had Exchanges earlier in the week! Sister Oquias was so nervous, but she did amazing! She is so cute! I am so happy for everything I have learned from her! she acts like she doesn't know what she's doing then she goes out and I feel like I am just following her! She is amazing! I tell her that too and she laughs and says no!! I can't do it without you! It's amazing how much you learn from your companions! I love it and I am so grateful she is my companion right now :)

This work is amazing and sorry it's short! I am really running out of time! :) I love you so much and am so grateful for everything I have in my life and this chance I have to be a missionary! Also this Christmas, I love helping people and focusing myself on the VERY TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS :) It's incredible what Jesus Christ did for us and that he was born here on the earth because Heavenly Father loves each of us :) I love helping people who don't have much focus on the true meaning of Christmas :) i love you all!! :) MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! :) 

Love, Sister Smoot :)

Wk 38-

Bacolod North Zone

Okay, well now that i am crying and can't remember what has happened this past week haha I'll try my best :)
(We had to tell Jenna that we had to take our cat to the vet to be put to sleep :(  She was just so old and shutting down- Jenna was so sad and said April was one of her best friends)

This week has been really good! Sister Oquias, I have learned a lot from her and all she does! I am so grateful to be her companion! She's a sweetheart and loves being a missionary!! :) 

Something that has been big that's happened in the past week is that sister oquias had an idea that she did with her old trainer of singing to people that didn't have time for a lesson. But we pray, sing and share a short like 30 second message about Christ and how it's important around Christmas season and close with prayer again. Haha It's a wonderful thing because they feel the spirit and we can help them become closer to Christ. It's also helped us on the days we don't have many teachings go way up!! It's amazing how the spirit works! 

Well, let me back up, we had zone conference, and they shot our zone goals up a ton, which I was like wait, wow! But I felt like we could do it, I didn't know how, but I knew we could. I just said yes we can, and then the five minute lessons came and it's helped a lot!! 

As for baptisms coming up, we have Bhea on christmas and it was amazing last sunday her mom! (a less active) actually came to church!! It made me so happy! She was just coming with her aunt, who is in YW, and now her mom is coming too! She's the one that I had an amazing experience feeling like I needed to go to country homes and then needing change for plete and she said she was a member (her mom who owns the store) and then we were introduced to her daughter who had come to church before! which i had seen her but didn't know she wasn't a member! But she is 11 and is so ready for baptism!! So Christmas day is her baptism. :)

We also have Ernesto and Princess for Jan 4! I am so proud of Ernesto, he finally stopped smoking his last 1 cigarette and coffee on saturday!! I am so happy for him! He came to church by himself and he even got a blessing from the Elders. It was a really cool experience!! I am so excited for them! Also, last sunday we had someone sister neis contacted when she was here and was on exchanges come to church! It's another Less Active and her grandson wants to be baptized! They only taught him once and everytime we went back they weren't there! But we hadn't tried to go to them for a month or two and then they showed up at church! He wants to be baptized and he had a baptism date from the last time they taught him, but we went to his house yesterday and he has a baptismal date for January 18! :) I'm so excited and I love how miracle happen when you work hard and just continue! There is no relaxing in missionary work! You just keep going!! :) 

I love this work and love the miracles that happen! I will try to do better and write more in my journal so i can tell you more mom! But just know I am loving this work and even though, things happen at home and it's a challenge for me here, half way across the world, I know it's just to test my faith. I need to be strong and continue. Leaving behind everything at home and just be here as a missionary. I love you! I am so grateful for my time I have here and know I am where I need to be! Have a wonderful week!! :)

Love, Sister Smoot

Wk 37- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! :)

Area: Bata
Companion: Sister Oquias

Sister Lisaca is talented at cutting out letters!

She puffs up like Matt does!

Sister Lisaca's last night at FHE with Benji and the group! :)

going to Abkasa

New companion Sister Oquias

Beautiful view of Abkasa

HELLO!!! It's still hot here.. the weather hasn't changed, but i'm glad it changed for you! I feel like it changed inside though after seeing all those pictures, i feel cold! My ears and arms are literally cold!! So happy you're all doing well though!! :) My new companion is sister Oquias! She is amazing! From the batch of Sister Siervo and she is the one that she went into a trio with. We pretty much switched trainees, so I'll be finishing her training. 

This week has been good, I got my new companion and still here in Bata. :) So happy I am here though! i am falling in love with the people and I've seen people cry because my companions leave and I'm still here! :) I love the people here so much though! I want to be able to help them be baptized and see them be baptized before I leave! but there is a time for everything and I know things will happen if I am exactly obedient and do the things that I am suppose to!! :) 

We have Ernesto and Princess who are amazing!! Princess hasn't wanted to come to church and missed 2 weeks but she actually came yesterday, with 2 of her friends!! It was awesome! Ernesto is also down to 1 cigarette and 1 cup of coffee a day, we are so close!!! Just going to pray and hope he can stop! I know he can do it! He's come so far!! :) He's truly incredible how much I have seen him change. :) We had to move their baptism to Jan. 4. 

Last night, we also have our Recent Convert, Richmont. One of his friends, who's 12, named Rico, We just gave him him a date of Jan 11. He didn't come to church yesterday because Richmont was going out of town and didn't want to come alone especially for the first time, but we'll work on that. :)

We also have Bhea who is amazing! The one I told you about where i felt like we needed to go to Camilla. She was going to be baptized on December 21 but we can only teach her on Saturday and Sunday and she's not very excited  for Christmas, so we decided ask her if she wanted to get baptized on Christmas and she said yes :) She's very excited! And hopefully we can get her mom coming back to church. She does want her daughter to be blessed in church also. :) Bhea's little sitter, so that's cool! :)

Those are the set baptisms right now, but we are definitely getting back up there and having more faith in our vision. January will be an amazing month and just continue to go up from there! Just to continue being focused on what we are doing here and have a wonderful experience!! Time flies and I don't like it going too fast, but it happens like that when you work hard. I don't want to waste any time, just work work and work. 

This week though I also got a little sick, had a fever and was dizzy and broke out with a rash, but it is pretty much gone, just felt a little weak for a few days and Friday, we didn't go out at all, i was going to try, decided to sleep and woke up 5 hours later! I was like what?! I didn't feel that tired, but i am ok now! Just a little stop for a second but back to work now :) 

I love this work! I love being a missionary and I am so grateful for all of you and for the support and many examples i have in my life!! Thank you for everything!! :) I love you all!! :)

Love, Sister Smoot :)

Wk 36- It's DECEMBER!!!

Sister Nielsen (MTC comp),
Sister Hogge- (came from Tacloban; knew her in the MTC)

Heading to La Carlote to Sister Lisaca's home

Sister Lisaca's family

twinners!

Thank you so much for all the pictures and everything!! I'm not going to lie, it's been a little bit of a rough week. I didn't get to bed at exactly 10 30 every night so I've been a little tired. Even 10 minutes does a lot! let me tell you!! It's also very critical to be getting out and using all your time wisely. I haven't been a leader in being on time, I was always a follower here on the mission so far. Now it's my turn to set that example and that's something I've realized. I think after having a companion that got a little homesick, it made me a little homesick, so I started slacking as a missionary. DON'T DO THIS. I learned the hard way. 

Put your whole heart into your mission! It goes too fast to think about home. This is something I realized, but God is always there for you and is so merciful in everything you do! We do have blessings though still... Ernesto is still coming to church! I need to follow up with him, I think he's struggling a little with word of wisdom, but he feels a lot better! We just need to keep encouraging him!! And pray our hardest and everything! It's kind of sad to see how your investigators kind of struggle because of your rough week. I don't like seeing it. It's something I am learning a lot from. But Heavenly Father still helped Ernesto to Church, even if it was Stake Conference at a further location! He is doing awesome though!! We also had Bhea at church! The daughter of a less active that i told you about who we were led to. We went to teach her Saturday about the Book of Mormon and she already had it downloaded on her tablet. She is amazing and is only 11 years old!! She is amazing! 

I can not tell you that even when your whole self isn't here, you still get blessed. I am excited to repent and return back to the way I was before, and just get better from there on out! I'm excited to put my life in the Lords hands and be his servant! Time goes too fast to let anything be wasted!! I love this work, there is nothing greater! It's my favorite thing ever!! 

The Lord also has tender mercies. I had a unique chance of going to La Carlota with Sister Lisaca yesterday to get her more clothes, because her mission is extended here in Bacolod, not with me, she will transfer tomorrow with a different companion until January transfer. She has truly been an incredible companion! I have learned so much from her how to love and serve and be patient na gid!! I love her so much!! But we went to her home and I met her family and saw her house and everything and met her friends! She lives in a Branch where elders are assigned. It was really cool to be able to share with them about Jesus Christ and how he has atoned for our sins and trials and everything! We can overcome anything hard through him!! I love my companion and so happy we were able to be companions for this past month! She is incredible and the companion I needed gid this past month. :) 

Thank you for everything you do for me! I am happy to be here as a missionary and happy to be able to repent daily! I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and for everything he has done for us!! I am happy I can continue to become more like him. Be humble, be loving and just be the missionary that God wants me to be. Thank you for your support!! I am excited for this week and for the new adventure it brings, even though I am sad to leave Sister Lisaca, it will be a new growing experience. :) 

I love you all!! Thank you for your support and help and strength!! :)

Love, Sister Smoot :)

Wk 35- Happy Thanksgiving!! and Happy Anniversary last week! Sorry I forgot to tell you

At the ruins with my District!

With Barbie :)

Family!!!! :) I love you all so much!! I hope Mom and Dad had a wonderful Anniversary!! I love you both!! And I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I want to see pictures too :)

This week has been really good! It was really busy though too! So a few things that i can remember that happened... :) 

So Ernesto is still doing wonderful! His daughter is Princess and they are super cute!! Ernesto will be done smoking on the 28th! he's so happy :) He will be baptized December 28th and Princess will be baptized with him. We had to move her date, because she didn't come to church, but Ernesto still did! Our Recent Convert Rodolfo is their fellow shipper and Princess use to be the one going to his house at 8 in the morning ready for church saying when are we going. Last sunday it was ernesto at 8 30 saying ok lets go! Haha but Princess didn't come, because it was the primary program and she didn't want to come and not be a part of it. She forgot to go to the practices :( kind of sad, but she said she'd come next week! We just pray for them :) They are amazing!!

Then Saturday I am sitting in Personal Study and I keep getting the thought, we need to change our schedule and go to country homes. Which Country homes it's far, we usually have enough to do to not go far, we usually go to country homes and abkasa on sunday, but saturday i felt like we needed to go, so we changed our schedule and went out there. 

We first started trying to go to our referrals, which one we hadn't contacted yet.. but neither of them were home, so I said ok lets go check the less active we met last week! She wants to bless her baby in church. She tried to get her husband to listen too but he had too much to do and left town. Anyways, so we went to her little store and sat down to share with her and she calls over her daughter! She has a brand new baby and then she said this  is my daughter, she's 11 and hasn't been baptized, but has been to church with Girly (the less active's sister who is active). Girly is in YW's. So we ended up teaching her and then we met her niece who is less active! It was incredible! It's someone who is completely ready for the gospel. 

Then that night, we went to the back of pinetree, (super muddy) and taught the big group of people. After we were about to go home. I thought it was 8 but it was 9! AH! our cerfew is 9 o'clock well 8 30 no later than 9. But i felt like we needed to go to one more place and me thinking it's only 8 was like ok lets go! We went and taught a less active who hasn't wanted to come to church. We also taught Rohello, who's wife passed away a few weeks ago, and also their grandson christian. The less active, Efren's, wife had just recently went through the temple. She wants to be sealed. Efren does too, but he's shy of his word of wisdom problem. I'm pretty sure they were all drinking a little before we got there, so we had a little interesting lesson, but sister was there and i couldn't tell if they were drunk or not, but it was an interesting fast lesson when we realized it was 9. Anyways, i don't know what we said, but all of them actually promised and came to church on sunday! When they said they would, i didn't think they would, because it had happened before, but they showed up!! I was like wow! I'd been trying to get him to come to church since before i got here! It was amazing!! I was so happy! Then Ernesto is at church and it was a cute primary program! AH!!! I loved it so much!!

I hope it kind of makes sense, but it has been an amazing and exhausting week! But we keep going with the atonement! It's amazing!! :) I love this gospel and I love this work!! thank you for everything you all do for me!! :) Have a wonderful week! Love you!!

Love, Sister Smoot