Mission Log - December 26, 2017 - T11, W2 - Merry Christ-MAS

Feliz Navidad from New Mexico!!

It's pretty "chile" here!

What a joy and a treat is it to be able to spend this magical time of year in the full-time service of the very One we celebrate.

I am humbled and honored to have spent this whole year in His service.  One of my favorite parts about what we share is, of course, the Book of Mormon.  It's unique, refreshing - it's the unfiltered word of God, what do you think? :)  It teaches us about His true nature.  If you take another look at the Christmas story in the ancient Americas, a profound example of His love is found in 3 Nephi 1.

Remember Samuel the Lamanite prophesied that Christ would come (Helaman 14) and gave signs, including that there would be a day and a night and a day with no darkness at the time of His birth.  About 5 years later, the wicked Nephites determined that the believers would be put to death on a certain day if the sign did not come to pass.  We read in 3 Nephi 1:

9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.
10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.
11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets."
    - 3 Nephi 1:9-13, emphasis added

That response from Jesus, the night before He has to leave for His grand Mission, is incredible to me.  He was about to embark on the most important earthly journey anyone had ever undertaken!  His to-do list must have been a mile long, as well as farewells, last-minute instructions from Heavenly Father, and packing spiritually, yet He took the time out of His sacred schedule to respond to Nephi’s prayer, and assured him that the signs will come to pass and his family will be alright.

Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers. Maybe not in the exact moment or way we want, but He ALWAYS answers.

I love all of you so much!

Also, in Spanish, "mas" means "more"... so Merry CHRIST MAS!

Love, Love, from Heaven above,
Hermana Smurthwaite

Mission Log - December 18, 2017 - T11, W1 - Temple Baptisms and Gratitude Conquers Pride

Dear loved ones,

What.  A.  WEEK!

This week, we had the opportunity to go to the Temple to do baptisms for the dead with one of the recent converts in the branch!  Norma Saenz-Rico, who recently celebrated her 89th birthday, asked​ that we accompany her because she can't actually do baptisms - she can't be immersed in water.  But she can do confirmations!  We were overjoyed to help her do the work for her ancestors.

There was a very sweet spirit in the temple.  The youth from Volcano Cliffs ward, the English ward we share the building with, happened to have a temple trip that very night!  We had the unique opportunity to see Fabian, the only young man in our branch, enter the temple for the first time! 

In addition to the above mentioned, we saw many miracles this week!  We finally got in contact with Walter Guerrero, a less-active man in our ward.  When he answered the door, I recognized him!  I knew his parents, the Guerreros, from 12th ward.  Almost a year ago, I had met Walter at a Christmas party at their house!  We talked to him, and not only is he planning on returning to activity, he's excited about his calling as a ward missionary and asked if he could come to lessons with us!

We saw the Perez family again and shared with them the Family: a Proclamation to the World.  We invited them to do family prayer every night and we're seeing a lot of progress with them!

Something I learned in a penetrating way this week was that Gratitude is the balm for stung pride.  As many may know, I'm prideful - I've been trying to work on having more humility, and it seems that whenever I get comfortable, another test comes along. :)  I have added minutes to my prayers of just thanking Heavenly Father for blessings - and although my pride has been hurt many times over the past week, instead of defending myself or talking back, I have "experimented on the word" if you will, and did the exact OPPOSITE of what I felt like doing.  For example, I apologize when I feel more like justifying - I've really been trying to stay positive when I felt like being bitter.  And you know what?  IT WORKED!  I felt the Spirit comfort me and give me a spiritual back-pat.  Somehow, I can be told something over and over, and yet I re-learn it once I try it for myself.

It's the same with anything.  As it says in John 7:17, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of his doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."  Try it, and you'll see!  Try reading the Book of Mormon - try praying - try going to church every week - try paying tithing - "and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)

Love,
Hermana Smurthwaite

Mission Log - December 11, 2017 - T10, W6 - Elder Renlund Visit and Tumbleweed Harvest

Que tal from Albuquerque!

Whew!  What a week, what a week!

This week, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Twelve came to speak to us, the missionaries.  I had the opportunity to shake his hand, and during part of the conference, he opened up for questions.  It was really an amazing time, but they said not to transcribe any of it, unfortunately.  But here is the picture!  I'm right behind Elder Renlund, four rows back. :)

This week, I had a profound experience while rendering service to a neighborhood plagued with tumbleweeds.  I wasn't in a talking or socializing mood, it being early in the morning, so I grabbed a pair of gloves and a rake and fairly HACKED at those unsuspecting bushes.  To my surprise, they came up easily; with very little effort, bushes that reached my waist came up easily, like giant, prickly cotton balls.  I was swinging away like a merry old golfer, when I looked behind me to see my companion.

To the idle onlooker, she appeared to be doing nothing, just chipping away at the rocks I had already cleared.  Upon closer examination, she was actually cutting down the much smaller, much more stubborn weeds.  I was reminded of Doctrine and Covenants 4 and the image of the harvester.  Some lucky missionaries get to the really big, obvious, golden investigators first - they open their mouth and thrust in their message, and they harvest a TON.  People see them and think, wow, what a successful missionary.  Missionaries like my companion, who have to come behind these lucky reapers, are often judged for appearing less successful than others, even though they work just as hard if not harder than those who came before.

I considered the uprooted bushes we'd unceremoniously dumped into the road. I thought to myself, if we don't get these bushes into bags, they'll roll in front of a car and be dashed to pieces.  As the thought crossed my mind and we brought out the trash bags to start stuffing, I thought of those who are newly baptized, recent converts.  They have a testimony, but they are still new and need guidance and protection from the breezes that would blow them into danger.  That's why the church focuses so much on having them go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead, and prepare them for more sacred covenants.  The temple is the "bag" - the safe place we gather them into so they don't get run over by temptation, doubt, and pride.

As we stuffed the surprisingly poky plants down into the fast-ripping plastic bags, and the sharp stickers got into our gloves, shoes, and clothing, I was reminded of the crown of thorns that our Savior wore.  He wore it without grumbling or complaining.

Sharing the gospel isn't easy.  There are tough little weeds, prickly thorns, sore muscles, and hard days.  But once we gathered all the weeds into the bags, it was so rewarding and so worth it.  I know that there are people all around us that are just waiting for the gospel.  As we thrust in the sickle and share the Book of Mormon with them, we actually feel the Spirit more in our lives.

My brother, Janson, and the family actually are great examples of that.  A while back, Janson shared the Book of Mormon with a neighbor and actually gave him a copy.  Now, that same neighbor is taking the missionary lessons in our house!  My family are amazing and great examples to me of member missionaries, and it's blessed me on my mission to have them to look up to! :)  Love you, Family!

That's all for this week. 

Con mucho cariño,

Hermana Smurthwaite

Mission Log - December 4, 2017 - T10, W5 - Missionary Lifeguards

Bueno from Albuquerque!

Whew!  What a week, what a week!  What a GOOD week.

This week, a family made the very important decision to be baptized.  The Ramos family is very special and we were so happy to see them progress, help them answer their questions, and develop a relationship with the Savior.

As we witnessed the four of them enter the water and come out clean, one by one, the Spirit was very strong.  I thought of an article I'd read in the Ensign called "The gate called Baptism."  He made this observation:

"Baptism is not just the gate through which we enter the Lord’s Church and subsequently the celestial kingdom; it is also the gateway to the precious, indispensable, and ongoing process of becoming “perfect in Christ” (Moroni 10:32, 33) that each of us needs and wants....In simple terms, we may call this ongoing process conversion."

My most sincere desire for all the people I meet is for them to start or re-start the conversion process and essentially "get back in the boat" that is Jesus Christ's church.  The hardest thing about being a missionary is that sometimes people look at us kind of like annoying lifeguards with the little whistles - "Breeet!  No splashing!  No running!  Read your scriptures!  Do your prayers!  Breeet!"  As they float in their inner-tubes, loosening their life-jackets, they can't see the red on the horizon that means a storm is coming.  Conversion, to me, means listening to the lifeguard - even though it's annoying to be told what to do; it doesn't mean you can't swim.  It just means be careful.  Listen to the Lifeguard.

Safe swimming!

Love, Hermana Smurthwaite

Mission Log - November 27, 2017 - T10, W4 - New Area, Small Branch

Dear wonderful frijoles,

Whew!  What a week, what a week.
This is my new companion, Hermana Page:

(Yes, it's COLD!)​
She's from Boise, Idaho, but she was born in Guatemala.  We actually came out at the same time!
This week, there were many reasons to be grateful.

Day 1
First of all, my new companion and I successfully located our new apartment.  There were remnants of Elders - a Nerf gun here, a pair of slacks there.  We cleaned it out and tried to bring order to the place.  We acquired a map at a nearby Walmart.  We then had dinner with a family of Investigators that've been coming consistently to church for over a year now.  We heart-attacked many people that night!

Day 2
Ready to take on the day.  We stopped by the Miera Family by request.  She was recently called to be the Relief Society President - she was very excited that there were now Hermanas in the branch!  She took us to meet three people - Hermana Greaves, Sandra, and the Huerta Family. 

Hermana Greaves wouldn't sit still - instead, she took the three of us on a grand tour of her house, showing us her dog and the newborn puppies, her back porch that she'd built, and the carpet she planned to pull up.  For a woman with cancer, she sure has a lot of energy! 

Sandra wasn't thrilled to find missionaries on her doorstep, but when she looked past us and saw Hermana Miera, her face lit up!  She simultaneously shook Hermana Mieras hand and pulled her into the apartment.  That's the power of member missionary work!  If we were alone, we never would have contacted Sandra - but Hermana Miera knew Sandra!  It was a beautiful thing to see. 

Then, finally, we went for a quick visit to the grandma Huerta.  We planned a Family Home evening with her.

We were shocked to discover in our correlation meeting with the President of the Coronado Branch that we'd been missing a page of the ward list!!  Luckily, we were able to print a new copy. :)

Day 3
We literally "lost ourselves" in the work today.  The dirt roads of Rio Rancho show up on Hermana Page's GPS, but there are no street signs out there in the wilderness!  After popping by the Branch President of Bosque's mansion for a quick meeting, we headed up for the hour drive to Thanksgiving dinner.  And what a dinner it was!  There was turkey, ham, yams, and of course, chile, limon, and agua de coco. :)  The member told us that everything was gluten free and sugar free.  We felt very grateful to be a part of that dinner!  It was fun because we were assigned to the kids table.  They have two tiny little kids - and boy, could they talk! :)  We then went for a visit in the home of the Bake's.  They just recently returned from a full-time mission in Guatemala.  It reminded me of my grandparents, who also served a mission in Guatemala! :)

Day 4
The spirit of missionary meetings is definitely different up here in Albuquerque.  The missionaries in my district here are wonderful - very upbeat and positive.  They motivate me to be more prayerful and faithful about the work.  And because there are less missionaries here than in El Paso, the other sisters were so excited to have us here.  One of them told us that she'd never had other sisters in her district for her whole mission!  We then tried eggplant casserole - not bad!  We then tried by a member and met her neighbor, Kimi.  She was very nice!  She told us to stop by anytime.  We then tried by a man named George - he told us he wants the lessons again, even after a year without seeing the missionaries!  We felt so proud to be able to tell the branch mission leader that we have more time now to focus on Bosque.  He said, "Hmm. Good job, Hermanas.  Here's some more people for you to find." :)

Saturday
We went to help out a family that is moving out of the branch.  In a branch of 14 people, one family leaving makes a huge difference.  We had dinner with the Quipse family.  The Quispe boys are the only two youth in Coronado - the older one, Carlos, is planning on serving a mission!  We also stopped by an investigator family named the Perezes.  They have been investigating for a while, and the mom is a member.  They are a young family - her boys are 13 and 15, so we plan on inviting them to a Family Home Evening with the Quispes.

Sunday
8 HOURS OF CHURCH!!  Being a missionary is the best. :)  We're lucky that the two branches meet at 9 and 1, so we're able to attend most of both of them. :)  Bosque had a farewell dinner for the Andersons, who are moving out.  It was a great turnout- almost everyone in the branch was there!

It has been fantastic. More miracles to come next week!

Love, Love, Love,
Hermana Smurthwaite

Mission Log - November 20, 2017 - T10, W3 - Living Alma and Transfers Again

Dear Wonderful people,

Whew!  What a week, what a week.

This week, so much has happened!  On Monday, we met the Perez family, and they are so awesome!  They are a part-member family, so the Dad is not a member, but the Mom is.  We read Alma 32 and talked about the seed of faith.  (The kids decided it was a watermelon seed. :)  Hermana Burrell commented afterward that it felt just like a family home evening back home. :)

One thing that I have noticed during my time up here in Albuquerque is that it is COLD!!  On Tuesday, before zone conference, all the missionaries were outside doing routine vehicle checks - checking the tire pressure, brake lights, horn and whatnot - and it brought me back to those college days at BYU Idaho because my hands were freezing!

During the conference, two men power-washed all the engines of the mission vehicles.  During a break, we brought them ice-cream sandwiches, talked with them, and found out that they weren't members.  Then one of them, Bruce, told us: "I've been waiting for three months for them to send somebody to my house!"

That evening, we had dinner with the Andersons, a young family heading out to Utah next week.  We're helping them move next Saturday.  Then, after we saw the Andersons, we went to go see the Andersons (confusing, no?) who are a golden investigator family!  We walked in on them doing their daily exercise, then proceeded to have a very spiritual lesson.  They have very different religious backgrounds, but as we listened to them, the Spirit took over and we read 1 Nephi one with them.  One of the wife's main concerns is that when she goes to church, she feels like she's not going to make it to heaven, because of commandments she hasn't yet kept.  It was so awesome when the Dad said to his wife, "Look, honey- in verse 14, it says the God won't suffer those who come unto Him to perish.  There's your answer!"

Of course, some crazy things happened this week - we were asked to give service as costumed advertisers for a restaurant (we politely declined); Hermana Burrell's aunt and uncle happened to be traveling in Albuquerque and took them out to dinner while I was on exchanges (NOT allowed, but Hermana Burrell didn't know); and we found the living Alma!  (pics below)

I'll explain: we met a woman on the street named Alma.  I was excited - "No way! Your name is ALMA!?"  I flipped to Alma 32:28 and showed her - "Look! It's YOU! Alma!"  She was very excited.  The very next day, she invited us back for pumpkin pie.  She had told her husband and her grown daughters about us. 

"I just had this great feeling last night when you left!"  She exclaimed.  "That was the Holy Ghost! How do you feel right now?" We asked her.  "I feel good! I feel knowledge and understanding," she said.  "THAT's the Holy Ghost!"  As we shared the message of the Restoration, and told her of the first vision, she got teary.  Finally, as we told her of the Book of Mormon, I held it out to her.  Her reaction was the best I've ever seen - "For ME?!" She gasped.  "Yes, for you!"  "My first book of Mormon!" she said, looking at it eagerly.  "You know what you need to do now," we said.  "Yes! I'm going to read it!" "And pray." "And pray!" :)  The best.  The Book of Mormon speaks for itself - just like Tad R. Callister's talk this past conference.

SO, as many of you know, the most dangerous zone to be in as a missionary the COMFORT zone.  I have learned many things as a missionary, but more recently the skill that I've been able to practice the most is packing.  You guessed it! I'm being transferred again.  Unfortunately another missionary is going home, so her companion will be coming to Bosque and Coronado with me while Hermana Jackson and Hermana Burrell will be staying in Valle del Norte.  Sad to leave - excited to pinkwash!

Love, love, love,
Hermana Smurthwaite

1. The living Alma

2. My most recent mural

3. Tacos from home :)

Mission Log - November 13, 2017 - T10, W2 - Albuquerque, Trio, and Urgency

Hola from ALBUQUERQUE!!

Whew!  What a WEEK, what a week!

This week I received the two craziest companions in the mission field!  Hermana Jackson is from Delaware and we actually knew each other before the mission - we went to the same mission prep class at BYUI.  And Hermana Burrell is from Tremonton, Utah, and she's been in the field a fresh two weeks now!

We are covering 3 stakes, which is to say, 3 Spanish branches, the largest area (geographically) in the mission.  The Valle del Norte branch is the largest, with 30 active members and about 80 less active members.  The Bosque branch is the second largest, with about 6 active families and 1 investigator family that goes every week. :)  There's something very special about that branch - everyone is so loving and inclusive.  This is silly, but I wish all church units could be that small, so everyone could know each other and be super close like that.

The smallest branch is the Coronado branch, with about 3 active families and 13 families total.  We haven't gone to their branch yet, because it's at the same time as Valle del Norte, but we'll go next week, for sure!

Many crazy fiascos happened this week - Hermana Jackson got really into studies and dressed as a Pharisee:

And we accidentally chucked the keys in the dumpster when we were taking out the trash:  (I was the only one who could climb in and get it :)

I love this quote from Jeffery R. Holland:

“… if I come to your mission, and I don’t think you are working hard enough, forgive me if I seem to bear down.  A mission is not casual; it is not something we do if it is convenient; it is not something we do if it is comfortable…. I want you to embrace, savor, and cherish every single minute of it – the good times and the hard times, the companions you love and the ones who test your faith.  I want you to enjoy all of it, to learn from it, to grow from it, and to know that it will never come again.  Plan now for the stories your children will hear and ask to hear again about what you learned on your mission, about how much you loved the people and the land…. We cannot guarantee heroic results.  You are going to a wide variety of missions and to a wide variety of peoples, where interests, cultures, needs, politics, materialism, and a whole host of factors will play a role in your success.  We can not and you can not guarantee heroic results.  But every elder and sister in this room can pledge heroic effort.  I ask you to do that.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Provo MTC, 18 January 2000).

He is right - this moment is so short!  And I think this could apply to life, not just to the mission - the time is short!  Even though it might seem long sometimes.  I never understood that before my mission - but now I can feel a sense of urgency.  I feel like I need to MOVE!  And not tomorrow, but NOW!  Every second counts.

Love, love, love,
Hermana Smurthwaite