Elder Tayton Smoot: Wk 4 - Week one in the field!

Companion: Elder Woodworth
Area: Marble Cliff Area (downtown Columbus)

the selfies are in the ghetto sketch place. and the whole time there was a helicopter flying trying to find someone on the run. Good times.

The canopies in the front yard was a group blasting music yelling into the
microphone preaching I guess haha sketchy neighbor hood

The ones from the building are the tallest building in Columbus, on pday just went there

This is my comp he loves to eat cake and sometimes ramen.
Will eat an occasional egg when I make It!

He has been out 23 months and has also grown soo Much!
He's quite Tall!

It's been a while but glad I got to call you at the airport!

Last week was cool we got to see Elder Bednar in person which was amazing! So cool to see his glow and hear his testimony! Huge blessing! He's amazing!

Had to say bye to the New York and Idaho missionaries tuesday at 3. Then the next day it was our turn. We got up at three and I got showered went to the bathroom twice and by then I had five minutes to make sure everything was all there and to get dressed and be at the bus at 3:30am! Good times! Haha got to the airport called Mom and Dad it was so good to talk to you guys! Then some how I got to fly first class and get breakfast and unlimited drinks with chairs that laid back awe it was amazing! Haha only 3 other missionaries got to do that out of 27 haha felt Pretty blessed! But got on the second flight it was only 35 minutes which was nice!

We met our mission president and wife there. They are amazing people! Went straight to OSU campus and went out with someone experienced and got to go place a book of Mormon! We contacted a few then gave a book to this Asian man, he was way dope, nice guy! So that was cool. Got everything else like paper work and stuff done and went to the mission home! We got to ride in a travel bus the whole time, not like a huge one but a little one. But we got to the mission home and that thing is pretty! Lots of beautiful trees and green grass every thing! Very nice house. They had like 20 bunks down stairs for elders! We ate and had a testimony meeting! We saw a couple fire flies! I was Amazed! I went into their back yard and was watching for some bugs with another elder and we hear something in the brushes and I was looking at the top of the bush when a stupid possum came flying out towards me on the ground and scared the living crap out of me! I legit screamed until I realized what it was! Haha never seen a wild one before! It was crazy!

The next day we went to a church, got our bikes and met our trainers, it was like Christmas after some meetings! Haha but my comp! His name is Elder Woodworth he's a pretty cool guy! He's from Caldwell Idaho and been here 23 months so I'm gonna kill him off!

We are in the Marble Cliff area which is down town Columbus. Not gonna lie I thought where we were staying was ghetto but we went down town yesterday and that was some where I don't want to go again haha but I will if the Lord wants me too haha. Haha my comps been in this area 2 transfers before I got here, he got his bike stolen a couple of weeks before I got there but he got one from the mission to finish it off.

We have a sweet Sweet blind ladies named Beth who is gonna get baptized on Sept 2nd. she's so sweet and read the book of Mormon through a Brail translator and she keeps up in class through a Bluetooth on gospel library from her phone! It's so cool to watch.

We met another man from Liberia, his name is Antony. He's 27 and he's a hard worker, he heard things from missionaries back home then he heard rumors from friends here and wanted to find out for himself. I met him at the library and taught the first lesson, he said he was gonna come to church. He was gonna meet us at 8pm at the library a block from our house. We went over there and there he was. He told us before hand that if he liked it he would come for the next couple of months for sure, and if he felt the spirit he would see if he should be baptized. I connect with him very well and after he told me he loved it and was gonna keep coming and he felt the spirit so that was something he was going to consider while he reads the book of Mormon! I Hope he is able to feel the spirit in his life and come to Christ!

Its been a really good week but it has felt like I've been out here forever! There is a lot of homeless and wasted people out here haha we watched a couple super super wasted guys try to fight. one couldn't even stand the other one barely could but he got one down on the ground and stared at him trying to figure out where to punch because he was so gone. Haha and that was in the nicer part of town!

But although it's hard it's worth it. Losing your self in the work is very very important and what I'm currently striving to do!

Well until next week

love you guys!

Questions:
*where do you keep your bike?

we keep it in the basement locked up in our complex. And I'm in one of four areas that don't have cars out of about 40 areas haha my comp got his driving privileges taken away and My comps tire is popped and he loves walking

*is it just you and y our comp in your apt?

they don't have any apartments where two companionships are