Wk 70 - THANK YOU!! :)

Area: Gardenville (Tangum ward)
Companion: Sister Herrera

 Sister Herrera teaching a dog the law of chastity haha she's so funny :) 

sister Josephina one of our recent converts whos husband Robert has a baptismal date for AUG 10. 

                                      Tatay Nonoy's Birthday :) We sang his favorite song, 

Ako Anak Sang Dios. or I am a child of god :) as well as happy birthday 

The Leysa Family!! :) They are the best!! :) Brother Leysa takes us home everynight and we teach them every tuesday and have FHE with them every Friday :) As well as Sister Ann Tan Who was just baptized with her family. She worked with us this day :) Love it!! :) 

Family!! :) 

AH!! I love seeing how you are all doing!! It's really amazing to see how much everyone grows and everything that's going on!! :) 

our house!! :)

it's a really nice house! I love it!! :)

our house!! I work on sending the pictures of the house now :) 

our bedroom

our bedroom and outside our front door inside our gate :)
 behind us there is a turtle of bishops in the water :)

outside our front door :)

This morning, I was a little late to get on, because we had someone come to our window and ask for sili (like a small pepper) that was planted out front. Its Bishops peppers because we live in the front half of his house. Then we ended up sharing with him and he asked where our church was and everything :) It was kind of funny but cool experience. Then I took pictures of the house for you :) hope you got them all!!

this was a path with no people so we took a picture :) 

we have houses close to the seaside 

we will try to take a picture of for you and this is the sea side too from a distance :)

more of the path :) 

This week has been wonderful and I'm sorry I don't have much time. I need to go but this week has been good! I'll send less pictures next week and write a longer letter for you :)

I feel like the weeks go so fast and the same things are happening alah!! haha :) Robert is still progressing which is amazing!! We had a little bit of a rougher week this past week our key indicators were lower than last week alah! But this week they will shoot back up :) I know we have the help of the Lord and I am so grateful for everything God has given us!! 

I am grateful for my companion as well! Sister Herrera is amazing!! I really have been blessed with companions in this mission :) I love it so much!! I am grateful for you, family, and everyone in my life :) You all really have helped me so much and I am so grateful for your love for me and I can see it :) 

I know I am not the best letter writer but i can email people back easier but it's short. We don't have a post office in our zone but I will have to get permission to go to it. 

Anyways, I'm trying to do better!! I love you all and thank you to everyone who has written me!! Especially since Christmas as well!! I thought about it and I haven't written really anyone back alah!! I'm so sorry!! Forgive me but know i appreciate it and am so grateful for you!! Sister Shumway, our family and cousins :) The Hope and Miller family for your packages at christmas and everything! I am so blessed with everyone!! As well as the Polar Express :) Thank you thank you thank you!! As well as the christmas cards I have received!! (blackhursts, spinders, hopes) 

Anyways, know and let the know I love them all!! :) Keep being amazing and thank you for your prayers and everything!! :) 

Love, Sister Smoot 

square bananas!

fruit!! 

marang :) and papaya :) 

Wk 69 - Another week of the BEST WORK EVER!! :)

Area: Gardenville (Tangub ward)
Companion: Sister Herrera

zone training!! :) this is our zone

The Sister Smoots!

my beautiful companion!! :)

it wasn't carved! It looked like the yellowish part of the apple but somehow they made a picture on it!! I don't know!! It was just in a pack of 6 apples i bought i bought it because of that :) haha i thought it was cool!! 

this is the front room of our house at different angles.
I went to keep taking pictures but my camera died and i am not sure where my camera charger is..
I need to look for it :) I'm pretty sure I have it somewhere :) 

Family!!

This week has been good!! A little up and down and I'm sorry I don't have a ton of time, but I just want to tell you a few things that are good. 

We have a couple referrals from a couple of our recent converts that are starting to progress :) It really is true when  they have someone so close that actually referred them to the missionaries, They actually seem to want it more and be a little more interested. I love it so much!! Hopefully next week they come to church with them :) 

Then yesterday the other sisters had a baptism (cute and funny story). We went through the whole program and at the end they announce the closing song and closing prayer,  we sing and then the sister (who is an older lady) goes up to give the closing prayer and we all close our eyes and we hear "maayong aga brothers and sisters" which means good morning brothers and sisters then she starts baring her testimony and crying of how she remembers her baptism. Then Bishop kind of stopped her after a minute and said can you pray for us? It was kind of funny but so cute!! She was so full of the spirit she wanted to testify also of what she was feeling :) She was, i believe, the aunt of the brother who just returned from being less active last month, received the priesthood last week and baptized his wife and two children. It was so incredible to see! I love it :) 

We also sang at the baptism, us 4 missionaries and in sacrament. It was kind of a cool experience. We sang a childs prayer at the baptism and then love at home in sacrament meeting. We sang the last verse of love at home in ilonggo as well. I love the hymns in Ilonggo they are cool. :) 

Anyways, the work is still going and I love seeing people change their lives for the better! Especially Robert who is in Iloilo and was worried about missing church but He is incredible and still doing wonderful :) They also went to church in Iloilo :)

Well I love you family so much!! Keep up the amazing work!!  :) I love you all!! Keep being amazing!! :) This work is real and the church is true!! and as the Filipinos would say, I know the book is blue :) But for me, I know the Book of Mormon is true!! :) It helps me everyday!! The Atonement is so real and true as well!! I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. :) Have a wonderful week!! :)

Love, Sister Smoot

at our family home evening. this is the rat the cat killed :) 

 it was kind of big and it wasn't dead yet it was still breathing and trying to stay alive a little wiggly ;) haha you didn't think i would?? haha before but that rat was kind of big you can't really tell in the picture but it was bigger... and it wasn't even bad!!!

and the cute family singing for our opening hymn :)

yeah... one of my glasses broke a few weeks ago... oops! i decided to try to wear them again

We did dishes in buckets because we didn't have much water coming out of our sink :)
yes- same bucket we do laundry in! 

 this is a Guava!! yes i did my make up on Sunday! haha proud of me? :) and it tasted kind of like bubble gum?? i don't know it was a different fruit haha but good!! 

 it was good :) i know i opened it and i was like is this okay to eat? and she was like yeah! that's how it looks! and I was like okay! and yeah it was good i told you it tasted different because i wasn't expecting something like bubble gum it's like chewy like bubble gum and has that kind of a flavor...