Wk 27 - Dang pigs.

Companion: Elder Brumfield
Area: Mansfield

bowling on pday!

crazy how many water tanks there are!

and-cool scare crow

Alrighty, well I hope ya'll had a great week because I sure did. It felt kinda long but fast all at the same time. Kinda crazy! Anyways, we had exchanges last week again and Alycia is progressing!

So Friday we had exchanges with our District leader. I went to Clearfork with Elder Winn. We had kind of a cool dinner with members. We got there a little early and both parents were out side. The mom was feeding the cow and some goats while the dad was chopping some fire wood! haha It was kinda cool. We went and helped the dad and I got to use an ax and be the log splitter! haha It was kind of a fun experience! They had a wood stove. It was pretty cool. 

Later that evening it was pretty darn cold. We went to visit a less active and they weren't home. We were sitting in the car when a couple walked pass and we jumped out and stopped them. They seemed pretty interested so we added them on facebook. Right as we went to write the names down a cop comes flying around the corner! Jumps out of the car and was like "well we just got a call saying that two guys dressed up were talking to little kids" hahaha! I was like "awe man, both of these guys are older than me! hahahaha" He just started laughing and checked our ID's and let us get on with talking about Christ! hahaha It was pretty funny and a good story! haha 

Anyways exchanges were pretty good. we set up my hammock in their apartment. shout out to Elder, well now Philip Hopper for having the anchors already there! haha! Good day!

Hammock time with Elder Winn

I've slept in it like the past 3 or 4 nights! haha!

On with the juicy spiritual stuff. We got a scare this weekend because Alycia's boyfriend didn't come home after work for a couple days so we couldn't meet with her. Thank goodness we had facebook where we could video call and she could ask us a bunch of questions. Then she wasn't able to come to church and we were very worried. Then come Tuesday we had another lesson set up. Again he didn't come home on time so she was like "I need my Bible study!" so she got one of her neighbors to come and he was looking for a church so we're gonna start meeting with him too! Apparently she's been inviting a bunch of people to come to church because she loved it so much the first week she came! It's such a blessing to see the Change in people. She can't keep a smile off her face since the first time she came to church. She keeps saying how grateful she is because her kids are behaving a lot better and actually listening! It was so awesome! She's been praying for her husband to change with them because his father was a preacher so he's kinda stuck in his ways. We hope and pray he opens up and we can meet with him as well! 

Experiences on the mission are amazing! 

I love you all and am grateful for ya'll! Have a good week!

Love Elder Smoot

Wk 26 - Howdy Howdy!

Companion: Elder Brumfield
Area: Mansfield

Senior couples pic! 

Elder price on the right is in our district

Car selfie after service

Selfies by the pond with geese

Assistant's Apartment

Studies selfie

Elder Barnes last pday

Temple with Brother Messer

To start off it was a pretty solid week! We got smart phones and even better finish to the week we got to spend some time in the Lord's house today for pday!

I don't really remember what happened at the end of last week but Sunday was awesome! Alycia and her 3 kids came to church!!!! They loved it! Alycia was going through a hard time and had a very spiritual Sunday School and she still wants to keep coming and meeting and preparing for baptism! After primary her kids came out and were like when are we coming back? haha! It was so awesome to see the spirit work through them! 

We also got to do some more service for Brother Keck in the ward who we poured concrete for a couple weeks ago! We finished that job and cleaned his son's Llamas stall and that was by far the worst smelling poop and the wind was blowing it up into our faces! haha it was terrible! 

Yesterday we had an awesome zone conference! We got smart phones and one of the coolest things we talked about was the trust that the Lord has in us. We watched a cool video with Elder Bednar in it and he talked a lot about it. It made me realize just how special it was that we have this opportunity to learn how to use technology properly!  One of my favorite things he said, and Ill try to quote, was "at home you thought you knew how to use social media, but I promise you, you don't. You will have to re-learn for the purpose of serving the Lord. That really hit me as lately we've been trying to fulfill our face book use for finding people to teach, it's very weird, but it's awesome! I love it, it makes the work all new and exciting! 

We also had the chance to watch the broadcast of the first presidency. What amazing men and how privileged we are to live at a time of prophecy. They are called of God. I get to stand as a witness of that everyday, what a great blessing!

Yesterday after Zone conference we had a unique, cool experience! We got to go to the Assistants area and we were supposed to work with them for the night but we went on exchanges with the Zone leaders instead because they had to go interview someone for baptism. However, Elder Armstrong and I stayed in their area while Elders Brumfield and Adsit went into the zone leaders area. We were given a name of a less active who moved into some duplexes but it was a whole neighborhood of them and they didn't know which house it was so we needed a miracle to find her. We knocked one door she said she didn't know her and she wasn't interested. Saw a guy with his dog and talked with him for a while but he was new and did not know her. We knocked a few more and by this time we were frozen. We knocked on another door and the guy goes oh yeah she lives three doors down, so we went and she swung open the door with pepper spray then realized it was the Elders! haha! So some how we found her. She's a single mom so we had to stay outside and we set up a time for them to come back and she was awesome! She was wanting to come back but just needed a little push!  We set up a time for them to come back and meet! it was such a cool experience!

Even better morning at the temple! We met Brother Messer there from the marble cliff ward to go with us! It was his second time through and he was able to use one of the temple names. When he sat down he looked at me after a little bit and said " Do you know what I just realized? The name they just gave me is the name of my biological father that I have never met. I knew his name and birth year because of my grandma." That was all he knew. They had the same last name and he was never able to figure our his family history. He was still able to take his name through on a random Wednesday when some missionary made him promise a month ago he would take the day off to go with him. That was an amazing miracle and because of that my testimony has grown so much today.

The Lord's loves each of us! 

Have a wonderful week, 

I love you all! 

Elder Smoot

Responses: 

*Happy 6 months! 

 Haha yeah six months went by pretty fast!  but I still have quite a ways to go but that's okay!

*I sent Tayton a new case for his tablet and a selfie stick so he would take more pictures of himself! (I asked if he needed the instruction video to put on the case!)

 Thank you so much! I loved it! The case is awesome! No I didn't need a video for it! Haha! I'm a millennial! Hahaha!

Selfie stick is sweet! Used it a lot til my camera battery died and haven't had time to charge it! Haha but I got some good pics!

*How is the apartment you live in? Is it gated like your last area?

No this apartment isn't gated in but it has a little fenced in patio but our gates broken but it's pretty safe from what I can tell! We usually get our mail withing hours. 

*did you get to watch President Monson's funeral?

Yes we did it was so awesome and I really enjoyed his daughter's talk as well! That's so cool! He's a great guy! 

*Were you able to watch the press conference on Tuesday?

We did watch most of that as well. We stopped in the middle zone conference to watch it but didn't see all of it! But it was good so far. 

*How often do you have interviews?

Interviews once every transfer. 

*How big is your district and zone?

District is two wards, 4 companionships and a senior couple, the Prices. They're awesome! Our zone goes clear down to Powell and worthington which is where our zls live where we slept last night. Idk how big but we're pretty spread out!

Wk 25 - Grounded on the Mission!

Companion: Elder Brumfield
Area: Mansfield

Wedding pics! (Tayton missed Jade's wedding-but I sent him
a tie so he could match!)
I was there! It was like 0 degrees I swear! my cheeks are bright red

Gabes. pretty much Ross on steroids.

Selfie during studies.

weekly planning at our church building!

Quite the eventful week if you ask me! Starting with last week we had five new investigators and a good story that comes with it! haha!

two different days at Raemelton

we moved 60 bails in about an hour

On Saturday we were out and about trying to find people to teach. We went and knocked this apartment complex and it was freezing. 7 degrees with windchill. We knocked and knocked. We met some cool people, a guy that's been to our church in the past with his ex. He said maybe later because he had people over. Anyways, we knocked on this one guys door, he was awesome. We talked and he agreed on everything, Elder Brumfield asked if we could come in and share it. He said yes but give me five minutes I gotta clean up. So we waited on his door step freezing. Five minutes pass. Five more, so we knock again, another five, we ring and knock, NO ANSWER! Since we were numb and it was time to head home, we got in the car and wrote "God still Loves you" on the pamphlet and went, put it on his door step then doorbell ditched him. We hope he read that pamphlet and was able to feel God's love.

Monday! This is where the whole "grounded" thing began. We went to the district leaders apartment for exchanges Sunday night and woke up Monday with freezing rain warnings. We got a text saying that our cars where all grounded till further notice. Great. So Elder Cox and I went out together, we walked three miles to the church in the snow. it was a blast. haha It was a good day and we got the cars back at 1 and finished the day strong.

Exchanges!
The man the myth the legend, Elder Cox

Pretty awesome miracle on Tuesday. We got a Bible request referral a few days ago. We reached out to her on facebook and set up a time for Tuesday with her husband. They live in a trailer park with three kids. Pretty young couple, Alycia and Andrew. We had a wonderful lesson and they seemed to really like and feel good about what we said. So we extended a date and they excepted! It was so spiritual and powerful! 

I love this work and the beauty of the restored gospel! Thankyou for all of your support! I love you all! God Bless.

Love Elder Smoot! 

our apartment you've been asking for!
promise it's cleaner! we're just in the middle of deep cleaning

kitchen front door area

downstairs Bano and laundry room

Headed up the stairs

our room at the top of the stairs

(I'll get you more next week when we get done cleaning!)

our closet with no light

our study room, but we use the table down stairs most the time.

and our upstairs bano!

Wk 24 - Weekly!

Companion: Elder Brumfield
Area: Mansfield

Parr's son Ammon. He's our favorite! Haha!

We ate at red lobster yesterday it was so good! 

Well not much of an exciting week but that's probably the earliest I'll ever go to bed for new years! Hahaha! we got to go and eat with the Parrs on new years and play some games just like Christmas! Ate some pizza and of course had a great time!

We found a new investigator named Brandon out in the freezing weather! He's my age and is about to get ready to head off to college! It's so crazy to think that if I didn't chose to serve the Lord I'd be in college! Haha I'm so glad I made the right choice! He's pretty cool. He wrestled and played football. We're supposed to meet with him this week. 

We had a chapel tour with one of our investigators who is preparing to be baptized on January 27th. His name is Charles and he's awesome! He has a wife and two little kids but he wants to investigate the church and make sure he knows it's right before he brings his family. I can respect that. He's awesome and we are very excited to keep meeting with him! 

We have been able to do a lot of service at Rae Melton. The horse place that gets to work with special needs kids. It's an incredible place! We clean a bunch of stalls, move a bunch of hay, fill a ton of water troughs. The place is so wonderful and it's so nice to be around horses! I love it! Eventually if we're still here we will get to help out with the classes when they start back up! It'll be awesome! 

Well it's absolutely freezing here. We fixed Darren's exhaust and I'm pretty sure I was 10 seconds away from getting frost bite on my fingers. It's currently snowing outside which is awesome! The cold comes in the wind! It's bad!  but we do our best to stay warm! 

Anyways hope you all have had a happy new year and have been able to create a vision for 2018! It's so important to set goals and have something to strive for! 

I love you all thanks so much for the support!

Love Elder Smoot!