Hey Mum!

Yeah. The baptism was crazy.  But she's good! We have been teaching this week! In fact, we have three (sort of four) investigators at the moment.  I'll tell you about that in a second.  The water was knee high... cause.. I don't know. I really don't. Policy? Something stupid.  I definitely think it should've been higher, and have told the correct people that.  P Days are the best! We have like a little crew that we go and play all kinds of sports with. Uncle Rick's emails were awesome! I've already replied to them. I've been to most of those areas.  Not Leicester or Tipton, but I have been to Walsall and Aldridge. Did you know that I've spent a lot of time in England?  Like two months and a week or so now.  I'm approaching my three month mark in the mission though.  Nuts.  It feels like yesterday that I said goodbye to everyone.  But I think about everything that's happened and that's a ton of stuff, too.

Church sounds like it was good!  Those are fun speakers.  I'm happy for the Ogdens too.  That'll be a huge blessing.  It's nuts that Lexi will still get home before me. Haha.  Oh well.  It's going to be hard to believe that she even went for me!  Except that she'll know like Tagalog or Cebuano haha, I guess that'll be a good giveaway.

A bunch of people asked if we could call our dads yesterday. Nope! It would be pretty hard to get him.  He usually kept his cell phone turned off anyways.  Haha, luckily, I've got a direct line, straight from my knees.

Did you see Eli in the N Mass? He leaves for Canada on Tuesday, probably.  That'll be way cool.  He'll probably start writing me again, cause he'll be all alone in the arctic tundra.  Haha. Nerd.

I love hearing about the fam, they all seem to be doing well.  I don't put any names in the temples, but I pray for everyone every night and every morning, and I hear missionaries have some pretty good sway with the Lord. I'll put in a good word.

The car keys are gone. Forever. I don't know at all where they are.

I'll try to send some more pictures today.

Okay, so on to my week.  One of these times, I'll just be able to get on and say Hey Mom! Everything is going well, you already know everything about England! Love you, I'll talk to you next week. 

On second thought, I think I'd probably get a call from President if I did that.  You'd be calling him giving him all sorts of grief.  Which would be passed on to me in a timely manner.

Right.  My week.

So Monday we came to Lichfield and played a ton of basketball. I wish I had my planner with me, but we're already in Lichfield again.  So I can't give you a good play-by-play of this week.  But Tuesday we did a lot of good stuff, and ended the day going out with the Kings, because Brother King goes out of town for business and we might be gone when he gets back.  So they took us out.  We love them.  they're awesome.  Then Wednesday, we did an exchange, so Elder Shepherd came over to Tamworth and Elder Lewis went to Walsall.  That'll be our last exchange with those two elders.  It was good, but Elder Shepdawg is kind of an awkward kid, and even though he's been out for over a year, I kind of felt like the Senior Comp... oh well. We went and got three potentials.  Not super solid ones, but potentials nonetheless.  We taught Wendy though! Wendy is one of our new investigators and she is AWESOME.  She was taught a while ago. Like a year and a half ago.  By Elder Boehme (Bay-Me) and that's Elder Lewis's trainer, so they're in contact, and I guess Wendy was in contact with Boehme and told him, to tell us, that she was ready to learn again.  And she IS! Woooo! So we introduced the BOM again to her and talked about the promised blessings in the Introduction and Moroni.  And we teach her again on Wednesday, where we'll be teaching the Restoration.  I honestly think she'll get baptized sometime next transfer.  She's probably about thirty five.  She's got a sixteen year old daughter that doesn't care about the gospel, and that's okay.  we'll get her eventually, but Wendy is solid.

Then Thursday was uneventful.  We have district meetings at the mission home (cause it's in our district. Before you ask, only our district has meetings there, everyone else does it in a chapel in their district.)  D. Mtg. was good.  Elder Lewis is a good leader, and a cool companion.  We ate at the Robbins' that night, and I think sister Robbins reminds me a lot of you, Mom.  She's awesome, you'd like her a lot. 

Then Friday.

Bleh.

We had an appointment to go teach Joe, (the college-kid) and we went over and talked to him for a minute, but he had work, so we didn't get to teach him.  He's reading the BOM though, and says it makes sense, but it hasn't converted him yet, haha.  We're going to try and teach him this week.  But he didn't know when he was going to be off work.  So he gave us the "I'll call you." I hope he really does.  If not, he's too good to just forget about, so we'll call him and get a teaching appointment.  Sometimes, we have to be annoying. But anyways, after that, we didn't have much to do, cause we had planned on teaching him for a while, and then contacting in the area.  So we rode around to some less actives in the area.  In the rain. Not just pitter patter, or mist-rain.  Chuckin-it-down rain.  But the crappy part was that it was on and off.  Sunshine, and torrential downpour.  So we would take off our waterproof stuff when it was sunny, so that we didn't get soaked from sweat.  Cause that happens.  You are NEVER dry in England. Ever. Anyways, I got caught in the crossfire while we were talking to a less active.  We were talking and didn't have our rain clothes on, and then it started coming down in buckets, so we moved under her patio-roof thing. There wasn't much room though, but Elder Lewis and her got all the way under. And.. the front of me got under.  I was soaked. Through the garments.  We literally have to put all the stuff in our backpacks in plastic bags so it doesn't get ruined by rain.  Anyways.  We got our rain stuff back on, and I swear... I've never really known why people say "it was uphill both ways" because in my head that's impossible.  Not impossible.  We found it.  And rode uphill, in the rain, the rest of the dang day.  But we ended up getting a bunch of appointments with less-actives and dry mormons.  (Dry mormons -- Long time investigators. Dry, or not baptized. Get it? Haaaa.)

Then Saturday was good. It took a lot of effort, cause everything was against us that day, but it was good. That's all I have to say about that.

Sunday was sweeeeeet! We got to church, and then were introduced to a member's neighbor, who apparently feels the need to start coming to church.  Thank you Heavenly Father.  Her name is Kirsti, and I think she's about our age, but she has a four year old son.  She's way cool, and the ward totally just completely welcomed her in.  She left her son at her Mom's house this week, but she's excited to bring him next week.  We've got an appointment to teach her the restoration on Wednesday.  And.. she's absolutely Golden.  It's so awesome.  So awesome. She'll get baptized next transfer.  It'll be the best thing ever. So that happened.  We had some dessert with the Kings, and then half way through call ins last night, we got a call from President.  We told him about our miracles that week, and he was excited, then he asked if he could talk to E. Lewis alone, and so they did, and Elder Lewis is going to be training another greenie his next two transfers.  He was okay with that! He just doesn't want to go Zone Leader.  So I'll get another brother.  But that does mean that we'll be seperated a week from wednesday when transfers happen.  That's sad, but I'm also excited to see who I serve with next! And now, I don't even know if I'll be staying in Tamworth or not, President said he hasn't decided who's going to stay and who's going to go.  So, I'll find out next Monday, probably after I email you, but I'll be able to email wednesday or thursday next week as well, to tell you what happened with transfers.  So that'll be good.  Tell everyone that if they're going to send me post, that they should send it to the mission home, cause I don't know if I'll be in Tamworth  in the coming weeks.

Okay.  So the funny story of the week.

I think this was on Tuesday, we went and met with Allen.  Our sort of investigator.  He's... well.. nuts.  Every time we've gotten in to his house, he tells us about himself the whole time, and then cuts the meeting short saying that he wants to hear about us one of these times.  This was that time.. almost.  So we got there, and he let us in, cause he's nice to us.  Then immediately had me go sit in this chair and stare at some of his art, and he told me to just forget everything that had happened this week, and clear my mind.  I just sat there, not really knowing what was happening. Then.. he told me to get up, and go sit back down in his living room.  Elder Lewis, I guess, didn't get the privelage. (sp.?) Then he actually let us talk about us! Elder Lewis went first and told him all about his life, then he turned to me and I told him a lot about me, too, and then at one point he said STOP!

I..  Just want... to let you know... that you two.. are soo... Christlike.  With the pauses being like ten seconds each.  And then he went on to warn us about how people were going to try and control us, and take advantage of us.  So of course after he was done, I started to say, Wow, that's a huge compliment to us, cause we try to be representatives of Christ himself.  and I was about to say something else, but right then, he stood up and said, Well! I'm going to bed! And walked out of the room and.. I guess, to his bed. So we saw ourselves out.  Hahahaha what a weirdo.  Allen is nuts.  This was at 4:30 in the afternoon, he doesn't work night shifts or anything.  He's just crazy. 

We love the crazies.

Haha well, I love you! I hope you have a great week this week! If you want to draw me another picture, it would probably make my day.  Your drawing of Hank did.  I had a feeling that all the drawings would make my days.  OH! So saturday I got another package in the mail from Houston and Megan.  They sent me some more cheetohs and some other american food, and said happy birthday and Houston sent me a drawing he did of a WWII Algerian soldier.  It's reeeeeally cool looking.  I love those two.  They're quickly pulling ahead for favorite cousin awards.

Alright! I love you!

-Elder Smart