Live Nativity

Merry Christmas to All

Dear Family and Friends,

My Christmas gift to you all is my testimony of the Book of Mormon.  There is so much power in this book, I can’t even think of opening it’s pages without picturing light emanating from the book.

One of the historians who writes in the Book of Mormon shares his desires for this history (Mormon chapter 8).  I read it and can feel his plea to us to embrace this record.  This prophet-historian, Moroni, has just witnessed the destruction of his entire people.  He is sickened by the sight of so much blood spilling over the face of the earth and a people, who had once had the light of the góspel, lying across the plains, their dead bodies providing food for wild beasts.  Moroni realizes he has been preserved and remains alive, although very alone, solely to complete this history and he begs us to read it.

I too, beg you to read, not just for curiosity, or for obligation, but for inspiration.  The Book of Mormon is God, talking to you personally, touching your heart like he can in no other way.  The book has touched my heart, and continues to do so every single day, even though I read now in Spanish!  Dive right in!  Read Alma Chapter 5, Read Helaman Chapter 5.  They are two of my favorites. 

The Book of Mormon brings us closer to Jesus Christ, helps us understand Jesus Christ, gives a greater desire to follow Jesus Christ, and shows us how to follow Jesus Christ.  This Christmas, if we truly worship the son of God, we must seek to better understand and follow his teachings.

With much love,

Hermana Smith

Gifts from caring parents

One of the mothers of a missionary in our mission made 200 pillow cases for our missionaries for Christmas  It was such a good idea.  Something they really needed, and beautiful too!

Missionaries Perform

For zone conference each zone (11 in total) performed a number.  They sang songs, they wrote skits.  They were so creative and fun!

We love the mission!!

Contacting the grinch

With some of our kids

Happy Hermanas

President Smith designed these shirts as a Christmas gift for the missionaries.  Who knew he was such a clever artist?  This elder is acting out the joy of the missionary on the shirt.

Why Just Being Good Isn't Enough

Why Just Being Good Isn't Enough

When The Savior came to the Americas he mentioned baptism at least 100 times.  (3 Nephi, especially ch 11 and 12)  I have been pondering this fact.  Why was he so insistent that these people be baptized?  Why not just encourage them to repent, and that’s the end.  Why not just tell them to be good, to be obedient, to keep the commandments and leave it at that?

Because he wanted to bless them!!!  He loved them.  He craved the opportunity to show his love to them.  He wanted to send the Holy Ghost to be their constant companion, to comfort them, to bring them joy, to illuminate their minds, to bring all things to their remembrance, to strengthen them in hard times, to help them feel His love.

He couldn’t do this unless they agreed to be baptized.  Baptism is a covenant, a contract, a binding agreement.  Our part of the agreement is to be obedient to the commandments, and Christ’s part of the agreement is to bless us with the Holy Ghost.  But he can’t keep his part of the agreement if we don’t have a contract!

Baptism is essential for each one of us who wants to receive blessings from The Savior.  Baptism is an ordinance essential for salvation, and baptism makes it a whole lot easier to keep the commandments because we are then entitled to the gift of the Holy Ghost.

TV Program about the Church

 Elder Welch read Mosiah 3:19 while on the TV talk show about the church in the DR.  He was a superstar.

Our assistance with the talk show host who wanted to grill our elders about the law of chastity.  They responded with Mosiah 3:19.

We bumped into friends we knew almost 40 years ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  They were here because Mark Tanner was one of the first missionaries here in the DR.

Delicious nativity!

Cacoa pods in abundance

Tis' the Season

The zone leaders and hermana leaders from each zone share their report for the month

Making a Point

President Smith takes a minute during Mission Leadership Counsel to talk about talking with everybody

Measuring success

Explanation of the numbers: 

1: zone 

2: goal for month

3: baptisms as of the 28th

4: baptisms resulting from references

5: baptisms performed by members

6: references from members

7: reactivations

8: companionships baptized

9: baptisms scheduled for the rest of the month

10: goal for December 

11: number of persons contacted in the month

Object Lesson

The point was, there's no time to waste.  The fastest spinner won!

If you're looking for something to be grateful for.....

Two areas of missionaries have been without water for the last several weeks. In one area the water tower was struck by lightning and in the other neighbors were tapping into their water source and after 1 1/2 hours of pumping water every day it would suddenly disappear!!

Our thanksgiving

Patriotic missionaries

Two of our favorite trainers

26 new missionaries!!!

Old and lovely

The cruise ships parked behind the old fortress protecting the city is rather incongruous, but if I were to decorate, I think I'd choose the crumbling wall.

Lighthouses talk

'Nuf' said

To cry or laugh?

We arrived at this house to do an interview an discovered the "pet" chicken, tied to a post with a string around its neck, was dead.  The children didn't notice it until we pointed it out and suddenly the 10 year old boy started wailing as if his heart would break.  They only paid 5 pesos for the chicken (alive).  The mom had planned to eat it anyway, but the 10 year old didn't know that.

These awesome elders are completing a family!  Mom Dad and all three kids were baptized.

How to be a missionary

Two of our zone leaders were asked to share a little about missionary work when the member opened his call.  The secret, they all agreed, is love the people, love the country, love the work and you'll never be homesick

Noche de Hogar

We were invited to our first Family Home Evening where a member was going to open his mission call.  It turned out he was called the same mission where Mikan served, Brazil Salvador Sur speaking Portuguese

Exceeding Faith

This tiny branch had only 4 members coming to sacrament at the beginning of last month.  The elders worked like crazy to re-activate and bring new people to church.  Last week there were 29 people at church!

A peaceful resting place

This cemetery was built into the side of a hill.  It was one of the prettiest cemeteries we've seen, with natural plants and flowers growing everywhere.

Urgency to baptize

The zone leaders in San Pedro had an activity to help their zone recognize the importance of baptism without delay

Standing behind the promise

Each member of our wonderful Leadership Counsel signed their name to their zone's promise for the month.  The promise is the sum of the number of people each  companionship feels the Lord has prepared in their own area.  Each zone leader brings their zone's promise to Consejo de Lideres and we then know what the promise is for the whole mission.

Peace and Quiet

Usually when we teach on a patios it is right on the street and cars, motorcycles, and trucks blast by creating all kinds of noise and distractions.  This patio was in back of the house, although shared by many houses that surrounded it, it was cool, quiet and a great place to teach.  The little girl in the photo is the younger sister of the person the hermanas are teaching.

A Balancing Act

The zone leaders created an activity to help the missionaries in their zone learn how to keep all their balls (people they are teaching) in the air.  When they have too many people to teach themselves, they solicit the help of the members, and they go out with the members.  That way they can teach twice as fast.

All for Nothing

All those pallets are for the Oktoberfest celebration this weekend.  The event will take place in the park across the street from our casa.  So much work, booth after booth built, painted and decorated just to sell millions of different brands of alcohol.

Super Prepared

These faithful hermanas baptized two members of this family this weekend, and will baptize the others soon.  Note the furniture covered in plastic.  It's not new.  It stays that way!

Fun to give

I've decided I like the welfare system here in the DR.  Those who are handicapped and can't work, actually work really hard.  They walk in the streets all day every day and come up to the window of your car while waiting at lights (always long, long lights) and you put money in their cup.  The thing that I really like is seeing their gratitude.  It doesn't matter how much you give, a little or a lot, they are grateful.  Even when we choose to give granola bars or food, they are happy.  One day I gave a little boy a bag of M & M 's and you would think he won the lottery.  I've never seen such a big smile.  I hope he comes back!

Fill the font

The zone leaders find lots of ways to animate their missionaries.  This day they had a relay that included filling the font one cup of water at a time.

In the garden

This stained glass is in one of the chapels of a really old cathedral here in Santo Domingo.  I was impressed that the subject was the Savior in the garden of Gethsemane.  So often the stained glass pictures the Savior with the cross.

9 baptisms

New leadership

Elder Gavarett, of the Area Presidency arrived in the country last week and he came to our mission to do a mission tour this week.  He emphasized how effective family history work is to retain new converts.

20-5=15 more missionaries!!

Such potencial

We passed this abandoned monastery the other day. It was so beautiful we wanted to restore it.

Paying it forward

One of our marvelous zone leaders was a member for a year before he came on his mission. He carries the photo of the missionaries who baptized him to share with his converts.