Father's Day

Hey everyone! Well first just want to throw a shout out to my my dads haha. Thanks for all you do for me and the examples you have set for me and have lead me in the right path. Showing me the way to learn and for setting the example for both serving missions and giving me the chance to experience what you have experienced. I am really grateful for that and now to be out here serving a mission just like you guys did and you have taught me how to become a better missionary and a better person and a better father and husband one day! (Well still got a while till that happens haha don't worry) But i really appreciate you guys and for being worthy priesthood holder and to use your priesthood. Thanks again for all you do! and and other dads out there that might get this email what a wonderful example you all all for your kids.

Well this week went pretty well we were able to accomplish a lot of our goals and we got two more baptismal dates. We also finally had a ward activity that went really well that we had like 5 investigators go to. I feel like that ward is now gaining trust of me and my companion now. They had some issues before with the older missionaries so we are really starting to work with them a lot and go through them to get new investigators and to get them to help with investigators. Like this week my favorite member named Edgar came with us to our investigator Jacob. Man Edgar taught the whole lesson, it has been hard for Jacob to open up to us. But Edgar had him wrapped around his hands and Jacob just let it go and talked and expressed his concerns. I have faith that in not that long he will get baptized. They just need to get married first and they are not going to do it till like September so that is a little frustrating. We have a family night with them today and Edgar and his family are coming. We went to Edgars house last night and he taught us for like 2 hours how to become better teachers and how to teach to Mexicans it was really good i learned a lot.

Man i just am really happy now i have never felt this kind of happiness in my life. Serving others there is no other thing like it, you just get this such good feeling. I am just really lucky to be out here, and to be serving the lord. I love the book of Mormon is so true, i love this church and i love you all thanks for all that you do for me and i hope this week goes good for you love you so much. Peace

Elder Taylor Smart

haha oh ya one thing i forgot haha i gained back 7 pounds this week. after having bikes and just sweating like a pig i was down to 140 but this last week gained 7 back impressive huh?

Week 7, Newark, Deleware

Well how is everyone doing? Well its now officially summer time, and man its felt like summer time for sure here. It's been up into the 100's here this last week. Plus we didn't have a car!!!! Remember how i said it got hit a few weeks ago well they had to fix it this week. We were supposed to get it back this last Friday but they haven't gotten all the paper work done!! Ahh!! It's frustrating. We need a car to do missionary work in this are so it has been pretty darn hard we basically were in two apartment complexes all week. Plus we called the whole ward this last week and no one came out with us!! Hispanics work a lot during this time. Well just got good news the people just called and our car is done so we get to go and pick it up soon!! hooray!! So good news there. But it was so funny we would get to peoples houses and just be drenched in sweat so they like let us in because they felt bad. We took three showers a day and all of them were cold showers haha. Felt sooo nice.

Well everything is going great with Elder Dopp he is actually a way cool kid and we can just joke around a lot and have fun while working super hard. Its nice and we have taught together really well. We had a cool lesson this week that was super funny and spiritual at the same time. We went to go and teach this guy named Ruben he is an older guy from Mexico. We really wanted him to pray we taught him all we could about praying. Also he told me he wants to take me to Mexico to get a wife haha I was like sorry, can't!! haha he is a funny guy and he found out my name my real name so he wont call me Elder Smart now. But anyways he kept saying he couldn't pray he doesn't now enough he needs to learn more before he does it and we told him we were not leaving till he said the prayer. We honestly sat there Kneeling until he said the prayer for 30 minutes he finally said it and it was such a good prayer! Persistence pays off. We are going back to teach him tomorrow.

Well i hope everyone has a good week. I am going to re commit myself this week to be exactly obedient and jsut work hard. I really want to develop a christlike love for the investigators we are working with. Oh also we ahve been working with this family for a while now and yesterday they came to church!! it was so awesoem to see them there. You never know when popel willl come. Well love all of you guys hope everything goes well. Miss you all but there is no other place i would rather be. Be safe choose the right and the Book of Mormon is so true its blue.

love,

Elder Taylor Smart

Start of Transfer 4

Hey Everyone,

Well i hope all is going good here, just living the life as a missionary. Well its the start of another transfer number 4 out here in the field, only 12 more to go. haha Hmm well I didn't get a new companion, because Elder Spear will be heading home tomorrow.

My new companion is Elder Dopp, he is another Cherry hill missionary that came here when the Cherry Hill mission was dissolved. But he seems pretty cool we will see how this transfer goes. But her is from Boise, ID and has like 1 and 1/2 transfers left so I most likely will be killing him too!!! haha i guess i just love getting put with the missionaries that are going home. But Elder Spear was companions with him before I heard some good things about him. I don't really know a whole lot a bout him yet although he does have a girlfriend that speaks Spanish to. (Ellie has got to learn haha jk) well he has two sisters and ya he went to BYU before his mission. That's about all i know for now.

Well this week is going to be super hard. As all of you we got hit a few weeks back and tommorow is when we ahve to take our car in to get fixed for a whole week!!! you know what that means we are without a car for this whole week! We luckily have bikes, but is going to be impossible to see all our our investigators becuase of how huge our area is. What a great way to take over an area right?? We will see what happens I am going to need a lot of water right? its super hot here and humid we are just going to be drenched with sweat. But we will see what happens right, maybe members will just help us out a ton.

Also this week we were able to work with members and our branch president because it has gotten to a point where the lack of member involvement is killing the missionary work. So we were able to sit down with all of them and told them what needs to be done, There is just a pride thing going on with a few members in the ward no biggie but still it's a great branch I hope to see the work grow and continue which I think it will. We really don't have any new investigators really just trying to work with the ones to get them baptised which could take some time. But love this work. We had Zone training this week and this lady came and spoke to us about how she works so hard to bring forth more people into the church and she knows like all the members she is an amazing lady. Her husband passed away last year she says that's her motivation for all her work and service. That's what right now is my motivation, my family and my eternal family that i can have one day. there is a definition of a missionary that says- A missionary is someone who leaves their house and family to help bring others that eternal happiness, or something like that.

Well love you all have a good week,

Elder Smart