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 :)