Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Still Loving Life!


Well its good here and starting to get cold.... ish. ha ha I'm loving it here and having alot of fun. As for the pic i'll see if i can get it sent. I'm scared to use my cheney upload in case i take more pics. By the way,  i am glad I'm here. I wrote a story in my missionties letter. I'm kinda bummed to know i probably wont get a letter from deid this week. ha ha But that's ok. I'm glad to hear that things are moving on. Its weird to think its summer cuz the days are getting really short. Here at the ctm this week my Portuguese has got a ton better. I'm understanding more but i still cant speak well. But i managed to explain to my Argentinian the story about me riding Chris's bike. ha ha He called me muito loco. ha ha I'm sure you can guess that one. I have an Argentinian and a Brazilian in my room. Its great. I put a long story in my mission tie letter to deid. I was gonna send it to you but it was long. I'll try and type it out. The other night we were talking as roommates bout the spirit and Elder Mackay has some pretty crazy stories, and i was kinda feeling inadequate to my call, which i am, but i was wondering why i couldn't have some miraculous stories like that. And i was thinking long and hard about myself and my relationship with the spirit, and i remembered a time back home when we took the sacrament to sister holt and she was asleep so we left but i had a strong impression to go back but i was only 16 i think and i wasn't the driver so i didnt say anything. So i will never know what would have happened and it made me sad and i was trying to explain to elder mackay why i felt the way i did. And me and him were walking alone at this point and i don't know, but i told him that i wanted an experience like Saul had on the road to Damascus to build my faith. And i felt the spirit so strong that my vision kinda blurred. I don't know how to explain how i felt. But Elder Mackay just told me that he admired me for my faith, and said that he probably just needed a stronger witness to soften his heart. I hope as you read this letter that you feel the spirit cuz otherwise i feel i'll just sound silly or it wont make sense love ya
Elder Smith

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Hello Family and Friends!


Hey Family- (and All)

                Today we went to the Temple. J   I’m riding the bus back to the MTC. I had a very spiritual experience @ the temple.  And I’m very thankful that we are blessed to have the Church & Temples on the earth today. And I know that if you all will attend the Temple often, as I have for the last 4 weeks, that you’ll feel the love of our Father in Heaven, and you will feel Muito Feliz. (Very Happy). I’m thankful for all of you and I think about you every day. I know that if you pray often and read your scriptures, that you will be blessed beyond belief. I can’t wait to come home and see the great people that you can and will become by following the Church and keeping the commandments. If I have learned only one thing so far, it is that enduring to the end is the easy part. If you stay close to the Lord and family, and have faith, any obstacle is easily overcome. So if you miss me, go to the Lord. If you don’t miss me still go to the Lord. There is nothing in the world that can make you happier.  All is well here. It has its ups and downs. J  I don’t know how long it takes for mission ties to get to you.  Did you get my letter in email last p day?Tthis lds mail thing isn’t too great.  I wrote you all letters like 3 or 4 times and your just barely getting them weird.  Any way last night we had a little fun and we wrestled.  ha ha We pulled the mattress off the beds and lined our room floor it was fun i only wrestled Elder Macky and i won! I stacked him up. ha ha He is built like me but he has no technique- crazy thing is were the same height and width and within 5 lbs. ha ha Also meu companheiro e assistante presidente ha ha. (His companion is Asst. to the Mission President) . When he got called the branch president pulled us out of our district meeting and he thought we were in trouble and when he pulled us away from people my companion caught on and thought i was gonna be the dl and our dl would be AP ha ha His face was awesome when the branch Pres asked him to be ap. ha ha. The language is still out of my reach but i overheard a security guard talking to a 6 year old and i understood most of it ha ha I’m hoping the guy with my scripture case is done its leather I’ll try and get some pics of it and send i think I’ll use my picture upload at cheneys like my last pday which reminds me meu brasileros (not sure i spelled that right) but my brazillian roomates shipped out early this morning cuz they’re only here por 3 seminas (weeks) so we dont have Brazilians right now.  I wish i knew what was up with this mission ties thing cuz i sent a ton out hmmm.  It's fun at night cuz when we take showers we all sing together ha ha and the car majority is Volkswagens.  ha ha I seen more dodge trucks than Datsun’s and I’ve only seen 3... Maybe um I’m trying to think of stories to tell you guys and I’m sorry i can’t think about many. my typical day is i wake up at 630 and we get dressed we go down to breakfast which is always oat less porridge and grilled sandwiches after that we go to class and study, then our teacher shows up and teaches us a little bit of grammar, and then he acts like an investigator, then i go to lunch, and then back to another class, and then dinner at 4 and then we study until snack which is at 9 and we stopped going cuz they stopped givin us choco milk ha ha    Love, Elder Smith

PS: Jakes talk was Great! Loved it and all the pics!  I might send some of my poems ha ha. My companheiros think I’m a genius. Ha Ha…. Some Things never Change. :-)

Base Camp, This is BlackSmith-over and out--. Ha Ha (Mtc Joke)

Thursday, May 10, 2012

No Mothers Day Call :>(


Dear Dad, Sounds like a ton of fun. I’m kinda jealous of your projector- I always wanted one & all the work your doing- Since I’ve got here the only thing I fixed was my companheiros speaker and that wasn’t that great. I’ve been wanting to build something for awhile. It’s kinda crazy to hear what people say about me, but I’m sure they said the same about you when you left. Lately I’ve longed for my future though I know I need to enjoy my present. Tomorrow my p-day is cut short. L, but it’s for a fireside. I hear one of the area seventies is coming, but when it cuts your p-day an hour and half shorter it’s a little disappointing, but I’m sure it’s worth it. Things here are good, but Portuguese is ROUGH. I’m gaining quick but I can’t even read some of the words you have mailed me. This week our Professor told us that he is only here to teach us to teach, not to teach us Portuguese! Rough Right? But I can almost carry a conversation now, but I’m a greengo (sp) Anyway I’m working hard to keep the spirit with me to help me learn and teach. I will try to take some pictures to send you, and think of some stories, but things move so fast I just cram useful things and retain it, so stories slip my mind though I can say that I’ve seen over 100 of the volkwagon vans that are very prominent aqui (here).

Love Elder Smith



Dear Mom, I Love you and Dad so much. I started to choke up reading these letters and hearing how fast things are moving. And you know me, I never cry J. EVER… But I feel that will change. I’m glad to hear all the great things going on, and it’s weird to think people think that highly of me. J I love Deidra’s parents, they’re so great & very nice people like you said. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! You will not get a call. Sorry but Elder McLaws Mom was right. My list of demands is this: a copy of the picture of the red truck by grandmas door or similar if possible. I just wanna show people my interest in carsJ. I know it’s probably selfish J , a picture of my white truck would be nice, preferably the one on facebook with my nice tires on it. I really miss my guitar & can see my callouses going away. It’s so crazy to be here. Every night I dream of home and I wake up & I’m here. It feels like a dream. Even though I’ve been here for 3 weeks, I’ve just started dreaming of speaking Portuguese.  I Love You, and I'm glad you raised me:) . I would write you a song, but... no guitar. :) I think I wanna try and learn the chords on Piano and play some songs that way, but that would just be for fun. Anyway, We regret to inform you that your son will not be calling on Mother's Day, during his stay at the MTC. :( Don't cry, it's just the rules. Just remember I Love You. Anyway, there is more which I can write but it sufficeth me to say I Love You.:) ha ha.
Happy Mothers Day- Elder Smith

For Everyone, Thanks for the letters, & I love my great big family & all my cousins & my many gifts from the Lord! :) Love Elder Smith

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Short Notes, and Chicken Hearts

Hows it going today we have a fireside so my pday is cut short.... today was good we had a really good session at the temple. sorry i dad i could see the walmart but i am not allowed to go over there today was fun we ate out at a brazillian barbeque it was pretty good but i decided it would have been better with some a1 sauce i ate chicken hearts ha ha it was pretty good but it seems that braziallians like there food salty so i think it would have been better with barbeque sauce. The humidity doesn't bother me anymore and hasn't bothered me for over a week but I'm started to miss the small things like fixing things making them better and the stars..... you have a city that reaches beyond the eye can see from the 6th floor then you don't get many stars... i can count them on one hand... in portuguese. portuguese what a crazy word that inflicts such fear and such hope in missionaries ha ha the language is coming but i feel like i am in no way ready for the field but that's why i am here for six more weeks its crazy to think I've only been gone for 3 weeks it feels like forever but then again it went by SO fast so time is a crazy thing here at the ctm. I'm sorry i don't have much to offer the blog i promise ill try and take more pics but life here at the ctm is pretty crazy i wake up at 630 normally we get ready quickly and hit breakfast at 7 we then have study time and morning class til lunch at 12 and.... sorry its 340 and i have that fireside at 345 i think so i need to wrap it up...quick anyway love you guys sorry for the short scattered topic and unfinished story and i love you mom i wont be able to call for mothers day i wrote you some other letters so bye     :( or caio

We were quite sad to see we would not get to talk to Tyson on Mothers Day. As always, please feel free to share any of your letters from Tyson. What you see above is what we received from him... A Man of few words like his Dad I guess....

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Week 2. Short and sweet.

thats crazy!!! im glad the world is moving without me it almost sounds better! you and sam might be in better shape than me. ha ha im about 10 pounds heavier but im up at 75 pushups a night! my roomate elder mackay is built almost exactly like me. ha ha were within a pound of each other and within an inch. hes my pushup buddy. :)  hope i can get pics to you sometime. their more strict today than usual. i aint got the package yet because i left my certificate in the room. my box number is 21 district 16c. i drew a pic on my desk of my district it was pretty good. i wanted to attach it but ya...... i bought a new quad today in english. ha ha the scrpture quad is the only quad i can have. ha ha it was 70 ai but thats only like 35 dollars so im excited. we go to the temple every p day its great very pretty! i keep watching the timer drop down its kinda a bummer. im picking up the language quickly but not quickly we taught in portuegues one day and i could barely understand the questions they asked me (if i even understood them at all) in i always said desculpe, eu nao falo portueguese muito bem. ha ha so you can translate that. i love letters and almost dread emails hard letters dont have timers. :) sent it yesterday through irma(sister) menezez shes my teacher and shes kinda a hippi ha ha :) ill try to email you later...... maybe get some pics so love you :) elder smith :)

Elder Smith seems to have a pretty short time to write and read his emails. He did send a couple of pictures along with his short note this week, so I will put them on here as well.


This is a little drawing that Ty did thast shows the Elders in his District... Your guess is as good as mine


This is a picture that shows the view out of his room at the CTM. He is on the 6th floor. Looks like the sunsets are beautiful there.