hola!!‏

how fast the time is flying...it seems like every email im saying "hey can you believe its almost..." MAY!!!!
wow how crazy. when people ask me how long ive been out now i say just under a year. i know it seems like yesterday i left. today i was reading in my journal from the MTC...how time has flown. i miss my little MTC district but it is so cool to hear from them because they are doing amazing!!!! 2 of them have trained and others have leadership positions. the mission is such an experience...there are ups and downs and each day changes.
well i did something ive never done before...TRACTING FOR 3 HOURS. that was fun...i have a beautiful farmer's tan to show for it. as anyone whose served a mission knows tracting is not very effective but it shows your heart. we had like 2 lessons that day but the next day we had like 7. it was incredible how the Lord blesses us. i absolutely LOVE being full-field though i miss my VC sisters. its nice to be able to proselyte full-time.
ive been having a lot of fun with sister bingham. she works really hard and is really bold. we are praying for miracles and to find a family to teach because she's never baptized a family and we want her to go out with a bang. i know there is a family waiting for us we are just trying to find them.
this transfer we are doing something interesting as a mission...its called training blitz. it means that for 2 days we have another missionary proselyte with us and help us to improve. then the next week we go out with a companionship for 2 days. so sister bingham will go out with a companionship and so will i. the idea is to train the whole mission and to improve our ablities. it should be fun. so next monday and tuesday we have someone coming with us and then the following monday and tuesday we leave our area and proselyte with other missionaries. thats means my birthday will consist of tracting with sister parkus and sister colgan...that's who im assigned to. it should be fun. so the next couple p-days will be on wednesday so dont worry about the late emails...just dont forget to write.
im trying to remember if ive had any funny things happen lately...i cant think right now but im doing well.
i hope you all are safe and happy. remember i love you all.

hna brittany smith

P.S. - tender mercies

I thought I would share just a glimpse of the "tender mercies" Brittany experiences. One of her recent converts, Luis, has consistantly kept in contact with her as she continues to serve in other areas. He was one of her baptisms in her first area. Here is a little glimpse of the bits and pieces we get that I call "golden gems"...

mom and dad-
i forgot to tell you an amazing thing that happened. last night i saw my RC luis and he comes up to me and says "i got my patriarchal blessing tonight im from ephraim." i was like WHAT!!! i seriously almost cried because he is progressing in the gospel. he said that the patriarch said luis's blessing was like none other he's given. he said you have something very special. i know luis was one of the people i promised long ago i would find...and look here we are and he's doing amazing. on the days its hard luis lugo makes my mission worth it. i cant wait for you to meet him one day. when he goes through the temple in a year i plan on coming down for it. i cant wait!!!
i love you both.
brit

transfer #7...WOW!!‏

im sure you are all dying to hear what is happening with me this transfer....

well i will be recieving a new companion tomorrow named hna bingham. she is from blackfoot idaho and will be going home at the end of this transfer. it was a big suprise because usually president doesnt move people their last transfer but well here we go.
that means that i will be starting my full-field this transfer. im so excited to be immersed in the work everyday and not have to worry about the VC. so AWESOME!! dont get me wrong i love the VC but i also need a break. i meant to bring my address to email so you could sent them directly to my house but the mission will forward them to me so dont worry about it.
this week has been pretty good. we have found some new potential investigators. are investigators we do have right now are kinding having troubles...i dunno what is going on but now we can work extra hard with them. im excited! i am a little nervous that my new comp will be trunky seeing as she has a boyfriend waiting for her in idaho...i understand i will be excited too but i hope we can just work hard.
we met this really interesting man yesterday...sis lopez approached him first and i guess he was like call her to him but she felt like she should just stay where she was...well them i go up to him and he starts yelling "see she's not afraid of me, am i that scary." he was drunk i think because i could smell alcohol on him. he was just odd. well finally i just said have a good day and we walked off...he was yelling "my blood is on your hands, its your fault my soul is lost." all because sister lopez was keeping the rules because if she had gone up to him we wouldnt be able to see each other. i know she was following the spirit and if she had moved further something bad wouldve happened. we have to follow the spirit always!
i had a funny experience or two this week...first of all i went on exchanges with sis collett on friday. it was so fun! we were out contacting people in the morning at this apartment complex. as we were getting out of the car i saw this guy and i was gonna go talk to him. well next thing i know i turn around and he is totally in his undies changing his pants...in the middle of a parking lot. smart?...i think NOT....GROSS...i think so. well i decided that was a good enough excuse not to talk to him. weirdest experience ever.
well to top that off earlier in the week we went to teach this man named lucio(before i tell the story i have to say sorry to Paul...you'll see why) well we taught what i thought was a lousy lesson 1 then he said a prayer which was really great. it was sincere and he really did a great job. well we were on our way out and as always we shook his hand...well sis lopez shook his hand first and next thing i know he is kissing her hand. at this point i know he's gonna do the same thing to me and i was like NOOOOOOOO...so awkard. so anyway i shook his hand and yes he did kiss it. i left just wanting to laugh so hard and at that moment my district leader called...so funny. anyways so sorry Paul my investigator kissed me. it was not a fun experience though.
i tell you the weirdest things happen to missionaries. i mean who else has people yelling at them about their salvation and kissing their hands. i guess im just lucky. well the work will go forth. i am loving life and i just cant believe that time is flying so fast. i hope you all are doing well.

remember i love you and share the gospel. there are people waiting to hear we just need to find them!!!

hna brittany smith

transfer # 7 here i come...‏

Hola!!!!

well its another week down...i cant believe how fast the time is going. I think time goes like double on the mission. The easter pagent is done...it was way fun but very tiring. As always i ran into a few people i knew...i guess arizona is a popular place. I saw 2 people i use to work with at the health center and tyler morin from home. It was really nice as always to see a familiar face. The protestors were crazy this week. I guess they came from slc after conference. On saturday night we were outside during the pagent and they were screaming during the pagent. HOW RUDE! Well its not a big deal because people just want to know why people are so against us. Opposition in all things right. I didnt have any conflicts with anti this time...which i was glad for they just give me a big headache.
We have had some interesting experiences this week. For example yesterday i was talking to this man who didnt believe in Jesus Christ so i was testifying about him and he says(and i quote) “ i just think my heart is too hard for that right now.” i think thats the most honest answer ive heard in a long time. People's hearts are so hard right now and i dont really know why. It seems to be in our area...its kinda strange. The Lord is trying so hard to humble His people but they will not. I feel like the Savior's second coming is close and we have so much to prepare for still. Ive learned an important lesson this week. That is we need to respect everyone's believes even if we dont believe in them. I think of the article of faith that says we believe in freedom of religion basically. If we respect theirs they will respect ours. We cant help everyone to come unto Christ their hearts are just too hard and we can only do so much.
This is week 6 of the transfer meaning that saturday we will know what changes there will be. I think i will be staying another transfer but who knows with president bassett. I will be starting my 7th transfer!!! wow. Our investigators are doing ok. We are just trying to get them to act. We can teach only so much and then they have to act on the things we teach. They have to pray they have to read.
Its kinda of funny we continue finding people for the english missionaries. Its funny because we will go to church and see the people we talked to days earlier. Its all good we're just waiting for the Lord to open up the windows of heaven and let the miracles overflow. It will happen we just need patience. I am doing well. I hope you all are enjoying spring weather instead of snow...i sure am. I cant wait to hear from more of you next week. Oh my easter was good sister lopez and i sang in the branch with a member who comes out with us a lot. It went pretty well even though sister lopez pretty much had no voice. I havent sang so much in my life. Next week we are singing in another sacrament meeting. Crazy crazy life.

Well have a great week and write back soon.
i love you
hna brit

Happy Easter!

hey all!!!
what an amazing weekend we have had. conference is like a vacation for missionaries...it recharges our spirits and inspires us to go forth. i cant believe i only have 1 conference left on the mission. we watched all 4 sessions from the VC which was nice it was pretty quite. i absolutly loved elder holland's talk on the atonement...its one i will have to go back and read again and study. as always elder bednar was one of my favorites...he talked about baptism being a step to the temple. you know without the temple covenants baptism doesnt mean a ton. we are just like every other church saying "you need to be baptized" but we know there is more then just baptism we must endure to the end and we must recieve the ordinances only avaliable in the temple. i just love going to the temple it helps me to relax and to feel that peace i need. i hope you go often...those who are endowed. when the temple is close it is easy to make up excuses not to go but we just really be making excuses to go attend the temple. i know when i get home i want to take advantage of the temple i will have so close in rexburg. there is no excuse for not attending the temple when its right down the street. of course i loved L. tom perry's talk about missionary work. it is similar to what he told the ward mission leaders and stake presidents when he came to speak to us. missionaries are "under used teaching tools." i cant wait for the ensign so i can read the priesthood session it is my favorite!!! we really do have a living prophet today on the earth and we are not lost. they talked about the economic hardships that are going on in the world today but we need not worry. the Lord is in charge here. just like one of the speakers said in conference if we are keeping our temple covenants we need not fear the Lord will take care of us. it is evident we are at the bottom of the pride cycle for sure. the Lord is humbling his people and to be quite frank i think it will get worse before it gets better because people who should be humble are not getting the message. its actually been really hard to find people to listen to our message...interesting. but i know the Lord is preparing people for us to teach. i had interviews with pres bassett yesterday. he is a inspired man for sure. i feel like he can look right down thru my soul. he just told me dont get discouraged. im working the hardest i can and i just hope my efforts can help someone. the easter pagent is going on the rest of this week. its a beautiful display. if you get the opportunity one day (after i get home) you need to see it. we've had a great turn out and only expect more this week. there were 2 days in spanish and those two nights the VC was full after the play. spanish people come in but the americans just leave. how rude! the transfer is coming to an end way soon. next week is our last full week...CRAZY!! i may be heading full-field but who knows. it is definatly heating up here in AZ...it will probably hit 90's today. incredible!!! maybe the Lord will have mercy on me and send me north for the summer...i hope so. i havent had any crazy stories that i can think of this week. though the protesters are showing up to the pagent...im sure we'll get some anti in. some of the anti are from a church called "concerned christians" which are ex-members of the church. they dress up like amish girls...weird but i guess i dont look much prettier in my jody dress...ive decided im the most unstylish person on earth but i dont care it keeps more creepy men away. someone just has to have pity on me when i get home and dress me...that's all i ask dont let me be ugly. well i love you all! have a great week and take the counsel we got from the prophets today. conference means nothing if we dont change.

hna brit