Nov 28, 2016 Thanksgiving, Cool Pics, and Views

This week has been a good one! Thanksgiving was such a good day! We
had a big Thanksgiving party with out Branch! Lots of food!!! I love
Korean food so much now. Before I left on the mission it was alright,
but now I am just addicted to kimchi!!! It was my first time really
having some real American food here :) also.....We now actually have a
new investigator, Roy!!!!! The sisters just invited him off the
street, and he showed up! He is really interested in learning more!
That was a really great moment from this week! He came to church
yesterday which was so great to see. We had a lesson with him and he
wants to read the Book of Mormon for himself. He has a lot of
potential right now!

Also we totally took some cool pics this week! :D
So I'm sorry for the short email but I hope all the pictures make up for it!
Love you all!!!

Nov 22, 2016 Fast Week!

Well I'm just going to apologize now, but I don't have much to talk
about! This week flew by so quickly! Elder Kim had a birthday on
Saturday and that was really fun! The sisters bought 2 big pizza's and
a really nice cake! Honestly this week just went by so fast I don't
even know what happened haha :)

I am having a lot of fun on my mission! I have learned a lot at this
point being in a trio! I have learned that obedience is key! Not only
obedience but exact obedience! You can still do things by being
obedient, but it's when you are exactly obedient that the blessings
come! If you are exactly obedient in life to your covenants with God,
to the commandments, in a church calling, or for me in missionary
work. Then you are showing God that he can trust you.  And once you
show that will and obedience he will bless you with so many
opportunities.  So I challenge all of you to do your best, to work
hard and be obedient!

So I have learned a lot about the scriptures as I have been out on the
mission and I've also learned some mind blowing things (but that will
be saved for later discussions ;) ).  Maybe some deep doctrine things
that aren't so great but hey it's all fun ;) but no, I was reading in
the scriptures today and I read in 3 Nephi 26:

6 And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part
of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;
11 Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the
plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith
of my people.

People ask I need more or there are more things that I can know.  I
mean shoot everyone here in New York literally just worships the
Bible.  They worship the Bible more than they do their Savior Jesus
Christ.  We ask them, who are you actually reading and studying about
as you read the Bible? They honestly love their Bible more than they
do the Savior.

And as I have been here I wanted to know more, learn more, and for my
language know everything... this Korean language is honestly my
biggest trial right now. But of course as the Lord said in 3 Nephi "I
will try the faith of my people."

He is for sure trying me! I would do anything to know this language
right now!!!!! Wow it's frustrating at points, but I know it is all
for a reason!!

I love you all and I love your support and words of encouragement!
Have a great week!!!!

Proselyting 





















Elder Brenkman is Chinese speaking, but ordered a Korean name tag. LOL!!



Elder Kim's birthday



SUPER MOON!!!

The District

Nov 14, 2016 Meeting, Meetings, and more Meetings

Well this week was a little rough because like the email says...
meetings! This week we had District Meeting! I like District meeting
because we learn a lot and it's fun to be with our District.  The
sisters in our district have a lot of success in finding on the
streets.  So Sister Yu taught us how to teach on the streets more
effectively and how we can ask for referrals.  It was powerful and I
think our companionship needed! :)

We had a zone training meeting with our zone.  There are 25 of us.  We
learned a lot from our zone leaders and that was really focused on
what we could do to achieve some of our mission goals!

Then we had mega zone conference which combines our stake zones which
is about 3ish zones.  It was great because President Reynolds (mission
president) is there for those ones.  He gives us so much encouragement
and insight! This meeting was an all day thing with lunch and
everything. From this I learned that I truly need to ask referrals
from everyone! Members, investigators, and less-actives. Referrals are
key, we want to have trust with our members and truly care for them.
This is not about baptizing your friends this is about loving people
and caring for their happiness and their salvation.  Some members are
afraid to refer friends thinking it will hurt their friendships... it
won't. As members of this church we are all missionaries we can give
others and our friends the joy we feel being members of this church.
It is our duty to share with them this gospel, because we truly love
them.

This week I learned Love.  I already emailed my sister a little
message about love that I will kind of talk about here.

In missionary work I have to love the people!  And that applies at
home also, you have to love your neighbors and your friends and the
people who hurt you or are mean to you.  You have to love everyone! As
a missionary if I don't love these people the work is so slow, people
can tell if you truly love them! And so for me I have to show that
love and really care for their lives and their families.  This mission
and even our membership in the church is about how we can bring others
unto Christ. And that's where all the Christlike attributes come in,
we have to be a Christlike example for others! "

I love you all!!!!!
Elder Smith

Nov 7, 2016 This Week in the District

Well this was a very long and busy week!  I hope everyone's week was
great! This week I said goodbye to my first trainer Elder Lee, he is
now in Washington probably taking lots of naps, this work is hard!
Elder Lee was honestly so great and worked super hard every minute
until he left! He helped me and showed me that this work and this life
is not about us. Even though throughout life we may think that we need
this or that, but it is always about Christ our Lord.  He has given so
much to us and because of him we can return and live with God and our
families forever.

This week we had a couple couple lessons with a investigator, member,
recent convert, and less active.  They are all so great and we see a
lot of potential and faith in all of them.  It is so great to be here
in New York to be learning and speaking this language! I am surrounded
by natives who help so much with the language! :) Elder Kim my
companion is so awesome and helps with the language so much. Also
Sister Kim came this last week from Korea and she is so helpful with
the language also! :)

The new district is awesome of course!  Everyone is very ambitious and
works super hard.  We are seeing a lot of progress in the Branch, but
the Branch is still weak and some lack strong testimonies.  There is a
lot of work to do.  We have to get the members to be invested and want
to do missionary work.

For all of you back home I just want to tell you that the best
mithe members do not support the missionaries and can
not trust them, then the work in that ward/branch is slowed
incredibly. So as missionaries it is our opportunity and privilege to
love our members and to show them that they can trust us.  I know
there are some things in every ward and Branch that make members doubt
missionaries.  Forgiveness is always real though, people and
missionaries can change.

I love this work so much, and I love being in New York!  I am also
preparing for this winter lolol :D it will be a rough winter here.  It
is already getting super windy and cold.

I also went to the ocean this week and got a couple pictures as we
were proselyting at a park.

Happy Halloween!!! Last Day of the Transfer!!

Happy Halloween everyone!! Wow today is the last day of the Transfer
and our District is so new now.  Elder Lee is done with his mission
and is going home, and Sister Fitt just got called out to go to a
different area, she is done in February.  So now our district consists
of 2 trainers and 4 trainees......  Sister Yu has been out 6 months
and Elder Kim has served in Korea and has only been here for 4 months.
So they are now the Veterans.  Sister Hilliard has been here for 11
weeks Elder Ha and I for 5 weeks and we get a new sister tomorrow.  So
yea we are a district full of rookies!

I'm honestly so excited for this next Transfer! I will now be in a
Trio with Elder Ha (MTC companion) and Elder Kim from Korea!  Since we
are all new I know we will learn so much in this next Transfer as a
District. We must trust in the Lord we know that as we seek for
revelation as a district we will receive answers!

This week I lead the pool!  I had to do all the planning and
activities for the week.  It was super hard and I have so much more
respect for senior companions now!! Elder Lee is going home.  Even
though he was only my trainer for 5 weeks, he has been such a huge
influence on me!  Everyone in the district says I am the new Elder Lee
hahaha.  He is so great it will be sad to see him go.

I'm sorry I don't have much to say!  I will send more next week when
we have our district.  I'll tell you all how it goes!!

Love you all!!
Elder Smith