17 baptisms this weekend in one ward

Zone conference theme

A Thought About Stars

Many of you know we climbed to Everest Base Camp right before we came on the misión.  Base Camp is 17.6 thousand feet above sea level.  It’s really high.  One night during our journey, we left our habitación and looked up at the stars.  It was like we were standing inside a planetarium.  There were stars everywhere.  We didn’t even have to look up to see stars.  They were straight ahead on all sides, brilliant, and abundant.  It was truly a spectacular and very humbling sight.

            I was thinking what it required to see such beauty, and see such light.  I realized we had to get far away from civilization where there is a lot of light pollution.  The lights that men make through electricity obscure the light of the stars.   When we have gone camping, and been away from the man-made light pollution, we often see a beautiful sky full of stars.

            As beautiful as is the sky when we go camping, the view at 17.6 feet was beyond our imagination… truly breathtaking.  I realized to witness the light of Christ in our lives, we have to first get away from the things of the world, and we do this through repentance.  However, to truly receive all the light Christ has to offer, we need to climb the high mountains, go to the temple, make covenants and that’s where we really see the light.

A gift from an Hermana. It's real!

Teaching with some awesome hermanas

Nothing gets wasted here

Friends from the USA

We got to attend the baptism of the niece of the wife if the doctor our son works with in the states.  The doctor is from the Dominican Republic and his niece learned about the gospel while visiting him. When she returned she took the lessons and was baptized 

Getting a toe

So much to celebrate!

320 !! That's how many baptisms we had in the month of December.  Such a great way to start off the new year.  The mission has been striving to reach over 300 baptisms forever, and it's such a miracle we surpassed the goal in the month of December when 1/2 of the country flees their homes for vacations.  We have so much to be grateful for--consecrated missionaries, a receptive people, the true gospel of Jesus Christ restored again upon this earth!!  I can't express a part of what I feel.

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.