FINALLY!!! :)

Hey my fabulous family!!! :)
It has been so long since I wrote... almost 2 weeks!! That's crazy! So, as you'll find out by this email... preparation day is TUESDAY!! It's been almost two weeks since I had one, and it's good to get a break!
First to answer questions...
*Oh, sister Jones... I couldn't agree with you better... I don't have to use lotion or anything and my skin feels great, but as I was washing my hair today it felt like barbed wire. YIKES!! I'm hoping that my hair will continue to adjust to the humidity.... it's constantly pulled back with gel and everything... so I look kind of respectable!
*I'm glad to hear that mat/mac are recovering... I've been praying really hard for them!!!
*And how exciting about the goats!! I've been praying really hard for them too!! "Praise the Lord!" as the people around here would say.

Okay, so about mailing... oh, I don't know how I even survived a week without mail!! It's definitely been a defining and trying week. I thought that I told you before I left that I just wanted mail sent to the mission office... but oh well, here is heads up on how to do it in my mission.
1) ALL MAIL GETS SENT TO THE MISSION OFFICE - they send out mail the same day that it gets in and it usually gets to us the next day.
2) PACKAGES - packages are the one exception. Packages stay at the mission office until zone conference (which is every 6 weeks here), when the mission president and wife bring it. SO, if there is nothing perishable that is the best idea. Just to give you an idea when zone conferences will be, my first one is next monday, the 27th.

NOW... on to the fun stuff!!!

MY FABULOUS trainer is a SISTER LYNN OLIVER. We make quite the contrast since she is 5' 2" and from the Philippines! She has been training me very well, and I love her a LOT! I haven't even had to cook once since I've been here, and I'm trying a ton of new philippino foods... they are DELICIOUS! Especially the one she made me last night, a sort of rice soup with ginger and lots of pepper in it. It was HOT, but really good! A lot of the people here have a hard time understanding her, so I have to translate back and forth. Pres. Corey told me that she was really shy (which is true), but she has a great ability to approach people and testify to them. I'm learning a lot from her.

The area that I've been assigned to is "the hillbilly capital" to quote a member... I got my wish of being in the country, and it isn't ANYTHING like I expected!! I've had extreme culture shock... Indiana isn't ANYTHING like "mormon-ville" utah! I've been learning that it isn't any good to compare, because there are hardly ANY similarities!! The area that Sister Oliver and I cover is SEVENTEEN CITIES!!! Can you believe that!?? It is a huge area, and we only have one tiny little branch (a member called it a TWIG!) of about 50 active people. We do a lot of re-activation here because there are about 200 members, but only that many active. We also spend a lot of time with members, and I've grown to love them a lot! One older couple, the Rigney's told me that I should just consider their home mine... and they gave me a box of tissues because my nose was sore from toilet paper. Another member is the one who brought us here, Sister Finley and on the way here from Indianapolis, she bought me some medicine (about $30 worth! - partially herbs, she's kind of like us, and guess what... they have trader joe's here... at least in Indianapolis!!!) to help me to get better! And at church on sunday, in Relief Society, they prayed that I would get better... it's really nice!! Since the branch is so small, we have to teach sunday school (gospel principles) every other week, so we got to teach this week. It was great fun... I think there were 7 people there!

Oh, and before I forget, I'm on the mend, but something happened, and I'm under watch by the doctor and mission president's wife. I'll tell you a little about it so you don't worry, really DON'T WORRY... it's all under control. My cold was pretty much gone, but so was my voice! It hasn't really come back and it comes and goes... (and mom, I HAVE been taking iron and supplements). So I was going to call Sister Corey if it didn't get better within the week, and on the weekend I spit up blood which really concerned me. So we called Sister Corey, but we couldn't get her, so we went to visit the branch president (who lives across the street) and he had no idea what to tell us, but his son-in-law (who also lives across the street - safe neighborhood!!) came over and they gave me a blessing. After that, we tried Sister Corey again, and she told me to call the Dr. who is over our mission (and 10 others) and tell him what was going on. I did and he told me that if i were old, that he would be concerned, but he said that everything would most likely be okay... but that I'm supposed to rest my voice (that is REALLY hard to do as a missionary!!), to not sing at all, and to take EXTRA rest in addition to the 2 hours we are supposed to have (we weren't really even getting lunch or dinner somedays... whoops!). But he said that he wasn't really worried, but that I needed to be careful, or that I might loose my voice for a LONG time. So, like I said, don't worry, I'm on the mend... just praying a lot and having faith that Heavenly Father can continue to work miracles in my life!!!

Yikes, I only have 17 minutes left... and I haven't really even told you anything!! Here are some really quick facts about the town I'm in... NEW CASTLE. It is a ghetto town, and a lot of people are out of jobs because they had a lot of plants that have shut down because of the economy. New Castle is #1 in the nation for drug use and teen pregnancy!! Don't worry, we're super careful and remember that we live across the street from 2 great families. :) It's really been a shock to see how people live in other places than Utah. I've had a really hard time not judging people and learning to love them, not matter if they have a cigarette in their hand and tattoos all over. But, I'm learning my lesson, and I'm getting used to the smell of cigarette smoke. Funny story really quick.. I guess that the missionaries have been working with a less active member for awhile to try to get him back to church and to stop drinking and smoking. So, we went to the apt. building where he lives and had a short lesson in the dining room downstairs. That is the first drunk person I have ever seen... and it was quite interesting! He introduced himself to me twice, which was really funny to me! Anyway, we asked him if he had any questions about what he had been asked to read, and he said "do you think that God can forgive me, i'm killing myself!" He was sobbing and we told him that Heavenly Father loves him no matter what and that it really was time to change his life. SO, Sis. Oliver asked if we could throw away all of that stuff in his room, he said yes, so we went upstairs and picked up all of his cigarettes and beer which we poured down the sink, and then we told him that we would pray for him, and he went to take a nap. To make a long story short, we were downstairs trying to find another member, and we saw him going somewhere, so we tried to follow him, but lost track of him, only to see him a couple of minutes later with a HUGE sack of I bet you can guess what!!! We ran after him, and Sister Oliver asked him to let us see what was in the bag, and the look on his face was (as sister oliver says) "precious!" He was totally shocked to see us, and then a lady came up, and told us that it was none of our business and took him upstairs to bed. Whew, as you can tell from that story, it's been one humdinger of a week and one interesting place that I live in!! I only have a second left, but just know that I am safe, loved by the members and loving them, working hard (but not too hard... dr's orders), learning to love the area I've been assigned to, and learning to love the life of a missionary!! I have to go, but I'll write and tell you more about what has happened... it's been a REALLY hard and life-changing week. But, I'm learning lots, and learning more and more to rely on the Lord for EVERYTHING, from safety and protection, to words to say to people and everything in between!! I love you all and pray for you everyday!!!

Love you!
Sister Alex Smith