Tiempo (time)

Went to La Ceiba this week for interviews with Pres. Klein.  He is the best by the way.  He reminded me that we are here not only to invite, but to help the people- Awesome.  
I got a package full of mail, and a new dictionary, which pretty much just made my month.  So amazing!!
Oh, i found out my mission account was hacked by someone in Puerto Rico.  Pray for him please, if he was in so much need that he stole the lords money, he needs blessings and your prayers.

I'm going to answer some frequently asked questions...

I'm teaching a ton of people right now, but its kind of sad, because we have to drop a ton of people too. For example, we were teaching this guy, then we found out he has killed people, so we had to back off him, super sad. 
Everyone has challenges here, not only the really poor, but also the narcos (drug traffickers), we have to drop most of them too. 

Danielito (little stud) is not a member, but the brother of Yelarin (one of my recent converts) he is 5 years old, too young to baptize -____-.

My sister plays the harmonica.

My companion (aka Neymar) is super cool. He is 20, and lives in Rio de Janeiro. Its actually really funny, Everyone calls us Chocolate and Milk (you can figure out why) and together, ChocoSula (brand of chocolate milk here in Hondo).

One really cool story quick: We are teaching this familia Mosquito.  Mosquitos are like native Hondurans but they dont speak Spanish they speak Mosquito which is like a Caribbean island language.  Anyway, they do speak Spanish too, but in one of our lessons, I prayed in Spanish, then the Mom prayed in Mosquito, then My comp prayed in Portuguese, then I prayed again in English. That was really cool. 4 Languages, 1 God.

I've actually been kind of really angry lately, because these people here just wont read!  We give them the restored gospel of Jesus, and they just tell me, Oh... Uhhh I didn't have any time this week, I had to go to Ceiba, uhh, I had to wash a ton of clothes... Ok well, you dont have 5 mins to read a little bit out of the book of mormon, or the pamphlet we gave you?  It might just change your life.  But then what President told me really hit me, dont just invite, but help them too.  So then I started asking what we could do to help, and some of them told me that they cant read.  Which is really sad to me. There are a ton of people who cant read, so now, we are reading with those who can, and teaching those who cant read, how to read.  Its really is a humbling experience.

Anyway thats it except photos
These pics are as follows:
My Comp celebrating after getting investigators to church, pointing towards heaven in thanks.


Goliath.

Tie dye and the house that caught on fire (belongs to Jehovah witnesses).

Con Amor+
Elder Smart
Sent from my iPhone

Ladrones (thieves) and 6 months

Bueno. 

This week has been a trip. 6 months... Dang.

But other than that, my new comp is a stud. He is from Brazil. He is all about work work work, so we are always out and about slingin' the word of God. Its pretty sweet, no puedo mentir (I can’t lie).

But not much has happened this week except for citas (appointments). Seriously. Lo siento (I’m sorry), but its the truth.

We did see this drunk guy pass out. It was like 1 in the afternoon, which is weird because that means he was quenching his thirst all morning... anyway, he’s right next to us, and he’s walking all weird, and we tell him buenas, and he smiles, points at us, then literally falls flat as a board in the gutter. Elder Oliviera and I run over to make sure he is ok, but he’s out cold, so we moved him to the dirt (I say dirt, because grass doesn't exist in Hondo) and told him adios, and left. I dunno.

We had english class on Wednesday that Elder Sheperd and I taught, that was cool as always. Then on Thursday we went on divisions, I was with Elder Guadamuz, which was pretty cool. He only has like 5 weeks left in his mission, so he pretty much has teaching the doctrine down to a science. But we were at one lesson, and we were sitting on this bench that was made out of sticks (better than what we usually have) and all of a sudden, the bench snaps in half. I guess we are just full of the spirit or something... you tell me.

We were supposed to have a baptism this week, but the lady left for Tegucigalpa the day before, so that didn't happen, then she called and said that her family will kick her out of the house if she gets baptized into the ¨mormones church¨. So she said we couldn't come back…which is too bad. 

But, we have other plans coming up. Taught a class on repentance on Sunday to all the investigators in attendance. It went pretty smooth.

Valentines day was a sad one. But then I realized that ya need to forget that stuff to function on the mish. So I figured I'm in a serious relationship with the gospel for 1 and a half more years and then I can deal with mujeres (women).

Oh ya, my mission account got robbed too. Estoy pobre (I’m poor) for now. But its all good. I think I'm disappointed about not being able to buy peanut butter more than anything. It will be fixed in like a week, so its swell in all. There’s always Danielito to cheer me up.... Catrachito.. He is also in my pics from this week.

I appreciate your prayers as I know all the other goonies living here in the jungle book feel that way too.

Todo es bien (all is well)

Con Amor+

Elder Smart

P.S. Here are the answers to what Mom needs to know:

1) how is your health - skin rashes etc. 

I always have rashes. Something new always shows up on my body every day, and I just think to myself...mehhh. Whatever... normal

2) how is your new companion

100 times better. We are killin it. Such a difference. And he doesn't speak much English. About none at all. But that’s fine. I feel way comfortable speaking Spanish, so its chill. He speaks Portuguese too.

3) how are you emotionally 

I’m doing swell. Sometimes I feel quite baggy, but its whatever. Usually only at nights when I pray, cause I pray for you guys, and then it reminds me that, oh dang, I haven't seen them in a while. But I'm good.

Brazil

Hello all. This week has been a swell semana (week).  I can’t lie. It rained all week... Again. but...

Changes were this week, so Elder Vera and Elder Montes left. In exchange, we got Elder Olibeira, My comp, and Elder Sheperd. Elder Olibeira is from Brazil and is my comp. And Elder Shep is the comp of Elder Guadamuz. We all get along really well. The only thing is that my comp has kind of an accent. It’s really cool, and everyone is always talking about us, because we both look like a pair of famous soccer players, apparently, so everyone comes up to us and asks where the next game is. It’s kind of funny, but it’s all good. 

Other than that, guess who I saw in La Ceiba when I was picking up my new comp¿  None other than The Elder Larsen. Ya my comp from the CCM. He is now in the zone next to mine. Wow I haven’t seen him in a while. We’ve both changed so much. It was way cool seeing him again!

Me and Oliveira have been killing it lately, I can’t lie. We have contacting down to like an art. One other thing that all of us are supposed to do in our mission is while we’re out working, to always have a Libro de Mormon in our hand. It really helps a ton, cause you’re like sitting in the bus or getting something from the pulperia (grocery store), and the people see the book, and they always ask, “Hey gringo. What’s that you got there, or like, Hey... What’s that book?” And then we start to tell them about it. It’s really easy, and we place a ton more now, which is what Presidente Klein wants.

Elder Olibeira has this saying that he always says: ¨We can’t look to the left at the pulperia de pecados (store of sins) or to the right a la tienda de tentaciones (shop of temptations). We have to always look straight ahead, to the straight and narrow.¨

I really like that. I’m super stoked for this change and I’m ready to help destroy the adversary.

Oh ya I got a ton of Christmas cards this week!! That was cool. Thanks to you all, you know who you are.

Oh ya, here is a picture of Danielito, the coolest kid in Honduras. I wish I could adopt this little stud or something. 

And a La Ceiba Sunrise.

Thanks for taking an interest in my life here in the Jungle Book.

Con Amor+

Elder Smart

Febrero esta aquí (February is here)

So, not a lot happened this week.

On Tuesday, someone tried to break into our house during the night. He was some drunk guy that just kept trying to open the door (which was locked), so I'm not sure whats up with him, but he didn't get in. We watched him through the window. It was weird. 

On Wednesday we got a sweet new investigator. Her name is Blanca, and she hasn't been baptized in any church, which is extremely unusual in Honduras. She is super cool and really likes us. I have high hopes.

Thursday was divisions with Elder Montes. That went well. He'll probably be changed this week. (cambios (transfers) are this wed). Oh ya I'll probably be changed too, or get a new compañero.

Saturday we played soccer with the youth, like always, and it was super fun.

The only downer of this week, is that after sacrament meeting on Sunday, which was really cool, because some of the less active members bore their testimonies.

Anyway, someone hung them self behind where we hold church (church is still outside).

No one knew who it was, but there is kind of like a field behind where we meet (its pretty big)

So we didn't find out until sacrament meeting was over thank goodness ( it was very sad)

But hey, the plan of salvation is real. Which is exactly what Hermana Blanca is interested in hearing

Then we went to Ceiba today for p day, to hang out with the other missionaries.

Elder Royer is also the other missionary in my pics. He goes home this week. He is a stud. He really killed it out here for his 2. Im going to miss him.

The lord is in all things and I see his work everyday out here in the jungle.

His hand is in all.

Con Amor+

Elder Smarty