Hello from Lafayette!!
oh boy - I feel like the days have been going so slow! I just got transferred to the other side of the state, and it's like a whole new experience here!! My new companion is a Sister Allred and she's going to find out if we're related. She knows that she's not related to James Wesley Allred, but she doesn't know much about her family history... but I'm SURE that we're related somewhere! She's the youngest of 9 kids, and the 8th to serve a mission!! She's pretty amazing, and we get along super well... almost too well if that's possible!! We've talked about everything under the sun and it's only been 6 days!! As much as I grew to love Sis. Oliver, it's so nice to not have to explain things in super simple english, I can just say whatever and it makes sense most of the time!! Her dad died when she was 16-17, and her mom has had to work really hard for the family. She is just pretty much AMAZING!!
It's so weird to be in such a big city. We cover an actual ward... so much for having the goal of memorizing everyone's names, i'm still going to try my hardest, but there are about 300 people!! I've met some really cool people - Mormon's are just plain amazing!! It's so neat to be able to go into a member's home and feel the spirit and love there. There is one family in particular (the SMITH's ;) that I just really hit it off with. Sis. Smith was a music major at first, but then she changed to being a school teacher. When I stood up to get something I saw the old Sense and Sensibility and so we got into a long discussion about the best movies. she'd never heard of Elizabeth Gaskell before, so she was so excited to look her up and read the books and watch those fabulous movies. It was so funny - the first time that i had a member meal here it was left overs and it was really gross!! I don't really care what people feed me, and I usually love leftovers, but sister allred and I both didn't feel so good after that meal!!! Luckily the meals have been SO much better since then!! Oh, and the funny thing is that it seems that whatever I'm craving they serve (except in the case of the leftovers :). Sis. Allred and I were talking about our favorite foods and I told her that my favorites were pizza, ice cream and mashed potatoes (not together though!). And GUESS what the smith's served us!! Pizza and Ice Cream!! Then, the next meal appointment I had been craving a BLT and they served them!!! Someone at the MTC said that missionaries prayers are answered really fast and that certainly seems to be the case with meals here!! Isn't that weird!?! Just like we've learned... if we can keep our energy high and be full of gratitude then amazing things happen!! I've been smiling an unbelievable amount and learning to love so many people so quickly that I think that's why... anyway... if sher's reading this you'll understand :)
It's so weird, but missionary work here is SO different!! We have a ton of potentials and so most of the day is spent with trying to contact them, and the HUGE list of media referrals that we have!! We've hardly done any tracting and that is so different! But the tracting that we've done has been insane!! The first day that we tracted here (I think we've only tracted twice!!) we knocked on the door, and the lady started yelling at us and said that we were a cult and that she was praying that we would see the error of our ways and change religions. It was C-R-A-Z-Y! Then yesterday we were tracting in a really nice area and this lady seemed to be listening pretty well, and then all of a sudden her eyes got really big and she started telling us how wrong we were and how she didn't believe in our mormon heaven, and how she KNEW we were so wrong and how we just conviently changed our beliefs and how we didn't believe that Jesus was the Christ and on and on and on!! It's really hard to know what to do in those situations, because I was SO ready to just leave, but Sis. Allred was trying to explain our REAL beliefs and it just seemed that the spirit was leaving more and more. It was really uncomfortable and I hope I don't have too many more of those experieces... but I've already had quite a few!!
on a different note - We have some pretty cool investigators. Janna and Tom had been investigating the church a couple of years ago and then they got into anti stuff and stopped. THEN - Sis. Allred and Sis. Reed tracted into her (they only live about a block away from us, and they'd never seen us!) and she opened and said "oh, I know ALL about you!" - you never quite know how to take a phrase like that!! BUT it was really neat because the started investgating again and they have a baptismal date set for OCT. 10!! They are some of the most hillarious people that I have EVER met and when we were riding home with them from somewhere they were just keeping me in stitches!! They are our only progressing investigators, but we have some others that are pretty neat as well. We also have an amazing ward mission leader and some amazing missionary-minded members as well. One of them commited US to ask her at the next meal we have for a referral, and she committed herself to have one!! The members here are wonderful!!
I'm sure that you'll be wondering this so I'll answer now. I don't really know any of the other missionaries in my district very well, but there are 10 of us in this general area!! On sunday I saw 4 of them at church because they cover some of the other wards, and the spanish elders cover the whole stake so we see them quite a lot. I can't seem to remember all of their names, but when I get them down I'll tell you more about them!!
Sorry, but I feel like this is a very blaugh email... i can't really think of anything interesting to say and I'm feeling like a very blaugh missionary too... it's just one of those days!!
well, I have about 15 mintues left... so here is some more blaugh information for you! jk... ;)
We actually don't live in an apartment here, we live with MEMBERS!! It's taking some getting used to, but they are an amazing family!! Both the husband and wife are returned missionaries and sometime I'll have to tell you their story. Sis. hansen is thai and they have the most ADORABLE little girl ever!! She is 13 months old, and sis hansen is pregnant with another baby, and due in october!! We share the kitchen, but we get the HUMONGOUS master bedroom which is our bedroom, gym, study hall and living room. We also have a gigantic bathroom and a very large walk in closet. It's just about as big as my apartment in new castle!! the hardest thing about living with members is that I don't have much control over how the house looks... and you know how hard that is for me.. especially with the kitchen (i'm sure you're all just laughing because you know how my bedroom looks 1/2 the time!!)! But I'm getting all the ocd-ish nature taken out of me, because I can't let it bother me!! There is no way that I can clean it up because it is all their stuff, but I'm doing my best to not let it bother me!! not that their house is mess, because it's not, but it's not spotless either.... just lived in... anyway - I feel like that paragraph was a total ramble!
well, sorry that this wasn't a very exciting email... I'll try and have some more interesting things to say next time!
Like I've said before.. it's amazing how much you learn to love people in such a short period of time!! Sis. Allred said that I seem to have a talent for loving people, and I think that must be something that has just come since being here, because as you know that's always been kind of hard for me. But it's really cool!! Missionary work is AMAZING and it's such a cool feeling to be striving to be about my Heavenly Father's buisness!!
well, I better sign off... have a fantastic week my fabulous family!!!!
love you all more than I can say!!!
Sis. Alex Smith
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