Hey guys! Holy cow am I glad it's Thursday! Okay so to answer some questions for you from your last emails! My district is 8 people! Super small but everyone's is tiny! There are between 50-60 missionaries here total, not sure how many are going to Barcelona but i think the majority are going to Madrid or Malaga. This group (mine) in the mtc right now is the biggest they've ever had over here. We are the first group to come directly from North America over here! (what he means is they are the first group to do the 9 week training in 6 weeks) Pretty cool. They told us when they picked us up from the airport we have a lot of work to do, and we need to be ready to probably be senior comps and such pretty quick out in the field. P-days are great! Every morning we go to a temple session, it is so wonderful. The Madrid temple is AMAZING. Marble and granite everywhere. The entire temple square is made of it! We also have "expeditions" in the afternoons to sightsee some of the city.
During the week we get to have physical activity every day for an hour so yes I play a lot of basketball! About 4 times a week. It is great! I've lost 8 pounds since being here and suddenly can just jump out of the gym! I almost broke a backboard at the stake center haha..nothing like a 2 hand slam! It's fun and it's fun just dominating everyone ha ha. Bball is great because it just makes me feel like I'm at home again! My companion, Elder Cluff is cool, we get along well. The names of the other elders in my district are Elder Calvin Wiley, Elder Dylan Cluff, Elder Jace Ellsworth, Elder Austin Anderson, Elder Zack Frederick, Sister Brooke Benson, Sister Ashley Hopkins.
During the week we get to have physical activity every day for an hour so yes I play a lot of basketball! About 4 times a week. It is great! I've lost 8 pounds since being here and suddenly can just jump out of the gym! I almost broke a backboard at the stake center haha..nothing like a 2 hand slam! It's fun and it's fun just dominating everyone ha ha. Bball is great because it just makes me feel like I'm at home again! My companion, Elder Cluff is cool, we get along well. The names of the other elders in my district are Elder Calvin Wiley, Elder Dylan Cluff, Elder Jace Ellsworth, Elder Austin Anderson, Elder Zack Frederick, Sister Brooke Benson, Sister Ashley Hopkins.
Tell Big B I'm proud of him for the temple and mish and all! Good stuff. My schedule is pretty basic! Up at 630, breakfast at 7, class and study till 1, lunch till 2, class and study till 4, phys activity at 5, dinner 6, class again 730-930, then bed at 1030. Packages and letters only take about a week to get here so it's great! Write me lots, I love getting the letters! This week has been good, better than the first week. Things are getting a bit easier, I'm getting used to the schedule and such. Still hard being away from home, and there of course are tough times, but I'm okay! I love you guys so much and miss you all.
In response to some of your questions this week: We haven't studied much with the scriptures! A lot of language which kind of stinks...but when we have time, yes we study the Book of Mormon! We also have experiences teaching fake investigators, it is interesting! Pretty tough teaching in a language you don't know...but pretty cool too. Nobody in our district got much progress or committments, as for me? I got 2 baptism committments haha. This week we get 2 new ones so I'll see what I can do! At the park proseliting, it is great! The first week I had 25 contacts, 2 referrals, and handed out 3 books. The second week, much more stubborn people haha but about 30 contacts and gave out 2 books, and a ton of cards and such. Just planting those seeds you know! My district is great, we are all great friends now. Laugh tons and enjoy the days as much as we can! We keep each other sane haha. Yes I got your easter package! it was GREAT!!! So glad to have some good candy and letters from my lovely parents haha.
Anyway I love you guys a ton and miss you all, keep me posted on all the goings on at home and with the family, I love hearing all the details! I print off your emails each week and try to respond to them as well as I can in the short time I have, so next week I will respond more to this week's emails okay?! I love you so much.
Love, Elder Smith
PS Easter Message. Hi! So I'm sad I couldn't be with you to enjoy Easter, but I did have a thought to share :) I was reading in D&C 40:40,41,42,&44 and it really just stuck out to me. We are little children. Right now we cannot bear all things, we must grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth. But we don't need to be afraid: Christ is our shepherd, He is in our midst. He has overcome the world. We are they that the Father hath given Him, and none of us shall be lost if we build upon his rock, we shall never fall.
How comforting to know that when our burden gets heavy, when our trials are difficult, when life seems overwhelming or too much to bear, Christ is with us, and we need not fear. With Him, we can overcome everything, He overcame the world. Christ is with us, we have built upon His rock, and we will not fall. We will not be lost. What a perfect message and wonderful knowledge that we need never fear. We are God's children, He loves us more than we ever could comprehend and if we build upon His rock we shall never fall. Happy Easter:)
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