Elder Ammon Smith, 28 August 2011

Hey family,

 If you really want to know, I had a great bday. My comp and I went down to Veszprém to see an old investigator of ours get baptized. It was an amazing thing to see. The youth in Veszprém got me a gift and sang me a song. Guess what they got me, a cap gun hehehe, I loved it. We have been having so much fun with it. It's just what I wanted because at home you can get a handgun when you turn 21. So I thought that it was perfect for me. The day after my birthday we were invited to go to one of the member's homes. We made the cake you sent me and we made lots of other foods. It was so good! Thank you so much!! I didn't get to eat to much because my comp ate it all but o well I still have the cookies to make. While at the member's house we did something I thought I would never do. They have a bee farm for honey and well, yeah, we put on all the clothes and a mask and went outside and played with the bees, haha. It was so much fun!! After that I drove their tractor hehehehe. 

So we got transfer calls this week. I'm staying and getting a new comp, his name is Elder Miller. He is coming from the mission home, he was working in the office there. So I already know him a little. Some of the sisters I was in the MTC with, will be going home this transfer. So 2 will be going home and the other ask to stay another transfer. It's weird to see them go home. I got a wedding invite from my trainer, my first comp. It's so funny that he is getting married. I hooked him up with the girl he is going to get married to. 

Yesterday we had a concert. We sang songs about the restoration. I sang "I stand all amazed" with the guitar. I used the book that dad gave me. Everyone said it was good. So I guess I did ok.

Today is my comps last Pday in Hungary, so we are just going to do what ever he wants to. All I know is that he wants to go out to get some mexican food. 

   

Thanks for the birthday gifts. I loved everything. I had a great birthday! 

Have a great week!

Elder smith

Elder Ammon Smith

21 August 2011 - Happy Birthday!

Hey family,

Happy bday mommy. Sounds like you had fun with the girls. I got the box you sent me! Thank you very much for all the good stuff. How did you know I needed new shoe pads? Thank you for the new ones, they are very nice. I have been using the bath puppet you got me as well hehehe. You're right, my birthday this week is going to be awesome. We are going down to Veszprém to see one of the people that Elder Austin and I found, he is going to get baptized!!! What a great birthday gift!!! 

This week was a lot better. My comp and I had a very nice talk and now everything feels different (for the better). We were not really home too much this last week. We were in Budapest, Pécs, Székes and then Budapest again. So, It's really nice being home today. We were really tired from all the driving lol. This is the last week in the transfer. This was the fastest transfer of my mission. We get phone calls next, finding out where we are going. So I'll let you all know what's going on next week.

I think it's so funny that you are getting a new truck. Maybe you can keep the old one for me hehe. I really miss camping with the family or just with friends. I can't wait to be able to do that again. Our work here in Duna is going well, we have lots of people to meet with. We are going to have a great week. You want to know why??? Because every day this week we have about one feeding program lol yummy!!!! The yoga is going great, I feel a lot better because of it. My spin is getting a ton better as well.  I think by the end of my mission, if i keep doing yoga, my spin will be back to normal again. Thanks again for the box and the the yummy cake, I can't wait to eat it. I have already began to eat the sunflower seeds, they are really good and the twirlers, well there almost gone. I ate most of them while driving last week.thanks for the shirts and socks they are also being used. 

Have a great week Love you all.

Elder Smith

Elder Daniel Smith, 18 Aug 2011 

So I haven't gotten my travel plans yet. I guess you will just know next week, um I guess I will call your cell phone so expect that. Uuuuumm so I have spent like 56 dollars that I need paid back since the time that I got here. It was for shirts, garments and an alteration. Hey, when I write you, can you please write me back like immediately so we could chat a little????????? Spanish is coming along very well and I have a lot of funny experiences being a zone leader.  For example, as zone leaders you sit up on the stand our branch president Stephens was giving a great talk...... and then he farted. No one below the stand heard it and idk if the other councilors did but me and my companion did and it took us way off guard. I didn't smile until after a whole minute, when I realized he really just did fart, then I started bawling really bad and everyone saw during the closing song. Luckily he did it near the end of his talk but I don't think he even knows he did it. I left and was getting the cry laugh going. i still laugh whenever I think about it, so funny. Hey write me back!!!!!! ummmmmmmmm

here's my attempt at my testimony is spanish.

yo se que mi padre celestial restaurado la iglesia otra vez en la tierra. yo se que el libro de mormon es verdadero. yo sento el espiritu much aqui en la CCM. el espiritu santo ayudarme a venir a cristo y testificar de la verdad. jose smith fue un profeta, el libro de mormon fur traducado por El. jesu cristo es nuestro salvador y por medio su expiacion puedemos ser libre de nuestro pecados y ser libre. Amo mi familia mucho, el plan de salvacion es real y familias son las eternas. 

There's much more I could say, maybe translate it??? haha if it comes out right. I'm running out of time. Thank you so much mom and dad and nathan, jessica, nana and papa, everyone!!! who supported me and encouraged me to go on a mission.  Ilove you all sooooo much. Tell nathan I love him a lot. He helped me and encouraged me a lot. Him and Ammon were good examples.

k love you all bye!!!!!!!!! I will send a letter

Elder Daniel Smith, 17 August 2011

Okay yeah I finally got the package but very late, got it on Monday I think. It took forever to get here.  Uuuummmm no se hum, I loved the package. We're getting our travel plans today. I can go to the temple today. Last week I was sooooo sick. We've trained two new districts and still have some more training to do. We trained one last week and another yesterday. Hmmmm what do you want to know? Idk if I can call you or not in the airport. I have a lay-over or something. You already gave me a phone card a long time ago. Never used it, hopefully it works. I will email you again with the travel plans.... goodbye.

Elder Ammon Smith

15 Aug 2011 - Papa is good

Hello family,

That's awesome that papa is doing great. I prayed so much this week for him. I'm so happy he is doing well.  I didn't get a letter from you this week so I don't really know too much about what is going on with each of you but I'm sure everyone is just fine. 

My companion and I are doing good. We have been going to many different cities, helping the other missionaries. I really enjoy this new opportunity I have had as a zone leader to serve more and to see how the work differs from city to city. It's not always easy work but it's worth it. Within our own city I feel that we could be doing a lot better. I've been kinda down lately because I felt as if we've hit the breaks a little bit. I respect my companion, he is just dwelling too much on home (how things will be and what he's going to do) and it really is a big disturbance to the work. I would like to see more out of our work but I don't' think it is going to happen, I can only do so much. (I'm a really hard worker and sometimes the missionaries don't like that.) Through time, I've been able to learn more about what it means to be a companionship. We sometimes just need to meet half way and respect each other and how they work. I think that is why it's a little different this time because I have seen my companion work in the past, before we served together, and I noticed that he was a hard worker and now it seems as if he is working under his capacity. I'm telling you all this because I have seen 2 different kinds of missionaries when they are in their last transfer. The one who kinda lets himself get tired and becomes different for the worse. The other is someone who works even harder who gives it more than he has ever before. I don't want to see myself fall into this trap. The last transfer missionaries are the most powerful and Satan knows this and he works harder on the older missionaries because of this. It's really sad to see missionaries fall into this trap. We have some very good investigators right now. We are working with a lot of in-actives and it's great seeing so many investigators and in-actives in church. Don't misunderstand me, our work really is going great. The leader here say they haven't seen the work go so well for a very long time. I just feel that we could do even better, well I know we can do better. 

So mommy, I told you about the investigator that is getting baptized who is pregnant. I was wondering, if it's not too much, if you could send her some cute little baby clothes, it looks like she is going to be having her baby in December. There is not a father for right now (he was a soldier from America). She met him when she lived in Spain. I don't think things worked out as she had planned.  So if you could, it would be nice.

EVERYONE have a great week.

Elder smith

Elder Daniel Smith, 10 August 2011

K so yeah, weight is weight, I can lose it quick. I lost 2 pounds and can lose 1 every gym day if I just run. Yeah so at the temple I had the greatest feeling. I prayed for Aaron because I have been wanting the feel him and I had the most amazing feeling come over; so much peace and joy! I think he gave me a side hug cause I just had  so much warmth. I love and miss him and I expressed that in the temple.

btw I never got your package.... I hope to get it today!??!?!  Ammon said he's gonna send me more ties haha. I've almost spent all the 100 dollars I brought with me, sad but I needed stuff. You can get on my account and see what I recently bought using the card. I got shirt alterations, um probably will do that one more time. I sent you in the last letter how much I needed back. Hmmmmm well luv you all. My faith has grown so much here. Spanish is a struggle but it's coming along. Uuummmm write me back in the next five minutes!?!?!?

Elder Daniel Smith, 3 August 2011

Dear Mother and Father and Nathan,

Nathan, I'm so sorry about the beetle (to be honest as I can be) I totally forgot to pay or do something about the headlight and I never knew about the oil. I don't know much about cars but we took the car in often and they did the check-ups. I'm wondering why they wouldn't have done anything. I love you Nathan, you're in my prayers you and Jessica.

Okay, so here's some news, me and my companion are the new zone leaders. Now me and Ammon are zone leaders except his is more legit, I forgot to tell him that. Our leaders said they prayed and were inspired to pick us. Wow, I'm so grateful that the Lord trusts me enough to lead. We are to also be the perfect examples for everyone else. We're not supposed to be goofy and I'm pretty goofy but I pray for help in this new non calling leadership thing. WOW crazy huh!?!?!?

We got a talk from Gerald N. Lund on Tuesday, soooooooo goooood!!! Oh so good, it was about faith, I took allot of notes.

I've bought some things and I still dont know what youd pay me back on. i spent 6 dollars on two garment tops total. and $13 on a new white shirt. i also left campus a few weeks ago to get my sleeves tailored.

we go to the temple at 215??? last week was great except i brought my patriarchal blessing and i guess thats not okay. i told other people it was okay as well. we then got awkwardly talked to that nothing like that is ever allowd in the temple. i still dont understand why not. why cant i bring something where god is talking to me in the temple? where i could maybe recieve insight or revelation???????????

i was thinking about Aaron the other day and i realized how as a kid it really started off some of my testimony of the plan of salvation and that god cares about us allot. just allot of church things. i was just thinking and thought you might like that.

hmmmmmmm we still teach investigators all the time. i screwed up so bad yesterday. my companion and i were teaching Mario who been gone for two weeks and we were talkng about the restoration and then my companion switched to me to give me a turn and i told him our purpose and said "mario will you prepare yourself for baptism?" he was like, i ve already been baptized as a baby. i showed him moroni chapter 8 had him read some verses and i asked him do you believe the book of mormon? he said "well some of it i guess i kind of do". i told him to pray about it then he will know if he should get baptized. idk i screwed but it still worked out???? it was just to soon for that. i like to ask that question once they have a testimony of the book of mormon. our other investigator crecencia is getting baptized soon.

im not sure whether you guys get my letters or not. ive been sending some every week. maybe even multiple. you should let me know please!!!!

i want some letters from friends not here but hand written or through dear elder. i cant reply at the mtc to emails.

well all is well. im in good health whileeveryone else is getting hurt. my roommate and i gave a blessing to his comp. he feels better. : )

the food is the only thing making me not healthy. i weigh 136? 135? i lost two pounds one day when i ran two miles haha. i tried it again and only lost half a pound! POR QUE!!????

language is good were finally getting a good language study plan down. well love you all and the pups.

Ammon Smith, 31 July 2011

HEllO!!

As you heard we had a hard first week. This last week everything turned around, the work here just took off.  We saw so many amazing things happen. We were able to put one of our investigators on a baptismal date.  She is an amazing person and she will be getting baptized while she is pregnant; so 2 baptisms for one person haha just kidding. We had a total of 12 investigators in church this last week!! (I have never seen so many.) The church meetings were also very good. The spirit was there and all investigators enjoyed themselves. It still rained a lot this week and it looks as if it is going to start to rain here soon. Last week we went back to Veszprém hehehehe. We went on splits with the elders there. It was fun going back so soon. I really miss that city but I am really enjoying the new one that I am in. 

Tomorrow we are going up to Budapest for zone conference. I will be giving training on, sharing your testimony while working outside, kind of a lesson for on the street or stuff like that. After that we are going to go as a zone to Budapest Castle and we will just be having fun up there all day. Every summer we have a mission field trip so that is going to be taking place tomorrow. 

I'm sorry I stopped telling stories, I'll try to do better. So I will tell you all one now! My companion and I were driving down the street when a group of guys waved us down. I stopped the car rolled down my window. One of the guys walked up to the car and asked us for our number and said he wants to meet with us. So we said ok hold on let us write it down, then he said I'll just get in the car. I was like ummmmmm no! but he got in anyways. While in the back of the car he started looking through all of our stuff and taking things, it was really funny. You won't believe what happened next!!!!! he stoled a book of mormon!!!!!!!!!! haha.  After that we gave him our number and he got out of the car and we drove off. He never called but it was a good story.

   

Sound like Dan is having a good time and y ou all as well. If it doesn't rain today we are going to try and go whipping.

Thank you for all that info about hair, my comp will really like it thank you very very much!

Have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Smith