A Christmas shared on Skype

Our favorite gift this year was to be able to talk to Dallon on Skype for two hours on Sunday.  He called us on Christmas Day to wish us a Merry Christmas and set up the call for Sunday.  This is the first time that the missionaries are allowed to use Skype and it worked great.  It was awesome to be able to see that he is healthy and happy.  We also got to visit with his companion, Elder Opazo, and other missionaries in his District.  We laughed a lot and cried a little and it was wonderful.  He asked for a USB cable, a SD card converter, and a blanket.

Christmas in Chile is celebrated on Christmas Eve and they open presents at midnight.  Dallon says that the only thing that would make his mission better is to have his family there with him.  He is having the time of his life.  He told us his pension address and we were able to find it on Google Earth.  Today we received a short email from Dallon that was just a response to some of our questions.  He said he was being rushed because the other Elders wanted to go make pasta for lunch.  We'll have to remind him that our emails are more important than pasta!

"About the blanket.., yea, I sleep with three wool blankets right now.  They are really skinny and I would rather just have one of my own.  I am not cold and I am well taken cared of."

The mission Christmas party was really fun!  I like hanging out with all the greenies and meeting a ton of missionaries.  I think the older missionaries enjoy it more because they know everyone and a lot of them are good friends.  I think next year will be more fun in that respect.  It was still great to go to Santiago and stay overnight.  We got to all get up and play sports together.  Our district is getting really close.  They had me play futbol americano with them and I totally made a touchdown! ha ha  It was cool.  Gatherings are a lot of fun and I really enjoy them."

"They don't have food stands on the street.  I wish there were pastry stands on every corner! ha ha  There are little neighborhood stores everywhere, so it's not hard to find food when you want it."

"Elder Opazo told me that my family is really awesome and that he gets real nervous when he talks to you.  He really loved all the gifts you sent and I think it made him feel special.  Just to see how excited and grateful he was for the things he received, was a cool gift for me.  Thanks again."

"Elena Salinas, the lady from the red apartments, continues to be so interesting.  It turned out that her boyfriend, that she had been living with, left her last Tuesday and she was so sad when we showed up last night.  She was celebrating Christmas alone.  We shared a bunch of scriptures and celebrated Christmas with her.  I definitely think that the Lord sent us there for a reason.  I hope we can do for her what the Lord intends.  Maybe it is to help her through the hard times and give her the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I just know we were sent there.  It was cool."

"I'll send Christmas pictures next week.  I had a blast staying overnight with all the Elders.  It was definitely a Christmas I will never forget!  I spent Christmas Eve with an amazing family and it was so humbling to eat with them and experience how others celebrate Christmas.  I'll have to tell you about it and send pictures.  I'll keep my eyes open for the packages you sent.  Thanks for all that you do for me.  I am so grateful for the family, blessings, and experiences that I have been given.  I hope that you will have a great New Years.  You are always in my heart."

Elder Dallon Smith

The following is part of a video that Dallon sent home to us for Christmas.  He is showing us around his pension and interviewing Elder Opazo.  He also sent a video of the beach and a special Christmas Eve devotional where they read about the birth of Christ from Luke in Spanish and bore their testimonies.  It is a treasured gift.

Feliz Navidad!

Christmas is Dallon's favorite holiday and he is enjoying spending it in Chile this year.  He is having a great experience and loving all of the festivities.  Good news is that he and Elder Opazo will stay companions for another transfer and they have 4 baptisms the day after Christmas!  He also tells us that he gets to Skype us for Christmas!  We are all so excited!

"It's almost Christmas!  I can't believe I've been here in Chile for this long.  It's been surreal being here during Christmas time.  I  love all the cool experiences I have had this past week.  It's times when I can look back and see the big picture, that I realize I am so lucky to be serving a mission here in Chile.  Ha ha, I love it!"

"Yesterday there was a really big stake Christmas activity full of choirs singing and orchestras playing Christmas music.  It was so much fun and I loved hearing all the familiar songs in Spanish with lots of people singing who were excited to be participating.  I loved meeting all the people that came and seeing how much the people loved celebrating together.  There is no doubt that Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday.  It is the best!  There are a lot of really talented people here.  The whole stake center was packed and I'd say that half were not members, so it was a great missionary activity as well.  We were able to pick up a couple referrals.  I love how the church here focuses on missionary work.  I think they should do it in every ward and every stake.  There is one member named Hermana Luna.  She is like fifty years old and was a missionary about 30 years ago.  She is still a missionary to this day.  She goes and gets referrals and is so involved in the missionary work, even though it is not her calling.  She is soooo cooool!  I hope I am like her when I am 50.  They combined the ward choir with the stake, so it was cool to see our members representing our ward in the choir.  I told the Wilchez family, who is like the most talented family in Chile, that I was in High School Musical 3 and they basically told the whole stake!  After the activity, I had about 15 people come up to ask me about the movie.  Ha ha, it was funny.  They were all mad that I didn't participate in the choir, but Elder Opazo and I didn't know that the missionaries were invited.  All of the other missionaries were in it, but I enjoyed watching anyways.  It was really fun and a great experience."

"I had a cool little Christmas miracle that was special to me.  At the beginning of the week, Elder Opazo and I had finished knocking every single apartment door in our sector.  We were stoked.  Anyways, we had an appointment cancel in the apartments, so we were walking away from them to go contacting at some houses across the street.  All of a sudden, I had a strong prompting that I needed to go back and reknock the red apartments.  I was arguing with myself trying to determine whether it was a spiritual prompting or not.  I stopped in my tracks twice before I finally decided to tell Elder Opazo.  I called up to him and told him that I felt like we should go back and knock the red apartments again.  He replied exactly what I was thinking, "we already knocked those doors".  I told him that I just felt like we were suppose to go there, but felt a little confused as to why.  He said we should go.  I said lets just knock this street and then go back and try the apartments again.  So we continued on.  When we were knocking at the first home, a lady came out of the red apartments and crossed the street to walk over to us.  She said that we had contacted her door the other day and her husband had answered because she had been sleeping.  She told us that she was interested in what we had to share and asked if it would be alright if we came over and taught her that night!  Elder Opazo and I looked at eachother in shock.  We went to her apartment that night and she was waiting for us.  She was so receptive to the message of the restoration and could not wait to hear more.  We left her with a Book of Mormon and she couldn't wait to read it.  At the end of the lesson, we ended with prayer and she looks up and asks, "Why did you come to my door?  Out of all the doors,why did you come here?  Did you have a sign or something?"  Elder Opazo related our story and she looked at me and said, "So you're the one."  I'm not sure what that meant, but it felt good that the Lord had used me.  I know it wasn't a coincidence.  The Lord will always use his servants if we try our best and be as prepared as we can and are always obedient.  It was fun to be a part of this cool little miracle."

"I went on divisions with Elder DeLong.  We had a good time together and it was fun.  We met a lot of cool people in his sector.  He is from Minnesota, played football, loves video games, plays guitar, and went to BYU before his mission.  He showed me a bunch of pictures from his mission and it was fun to get to know him better and see how he teaches people.  He is a pretty cool missionary.  He only has four months left to serve.  Unfortunately, I slept at his pension again and got bit by a whole bunch of fleas!"

"Elder Opazo and I found out this morning that we will be companions for another change!  That means that we both will be able to see the fruits of our labors and have 4 baptisms next Sunday!  It will be so cool and I am excited!  Also, I will be calling you on Skype, so have the computer ready!  It's going to be fun to talk to you all.  I have to cut this letter short, so I can have time to set up a Skype account.  Christmas will be a little sad because we don't have any appointments for now.  We'll just be walking along the hot streets of Chile looking for sad people like us. ha ha  Hopefully we'll find something to do.  It's fun to see all the Christmas lights and fun things about Christmas time here.  I really love their drink.  Instead of egg nog, they have cola de mono, which is like coffee milk.  It's delicious!  I could drink it everyday of the year!  ha ha  I love it!"

"I'll be missing you on Christmas day, but I know that everything is going to be great because I will get to talk to you!  I have a Christmas activity on the 23rd that's going to be a blast!  I'll have to tell you about it.  Thanks for everything and have a fun Christmas.  I'll talk to you soon!  I hope you enjoy my Christmas surprise...ha ha!" 

Elder Dallon Smith

The Zone

Elder Smith and Opazo enjoying P-day at the port.

Feeding fish to the Sea Lions

Divisions, Commitments & Fleas!

Dallon tells us this week that he can listen to instrumental movie soundtracks.  Already he is asking for an ipod chord and wants to find a way to download music.  He enjoyed a few firsts this week with a companionship division, baptismal commitments, and fleas! 

"The church announced that they are going to build a temple in Conception, Chile, but for some reason they were going to wait to start building it.  Then the earthquake hit, so everyone said that it was revelation.  The problem is, after the last earthquake, they still say that they are going to post-pone building the temple.  It is freaking everyone out because they think that there is going to be another big earthquake before they start building the temple.  I'm not worried.  I know my Mom's prayers are stronger than earthquakes."

"This week I went on my first changes or companion divisions.  I went with Elder Nielson who has only been in the mission for 4 months.  He is from St. George, Utah and is a stud!  We had a blast together.  Divisions are when you spend the whole day with another Elder and stay over at their apartment and then reunite with your companion the next day.  Elder Nielson talked a lot about his home and how he loved Monticello, Utah.  His dad passed away when he was 8 from a nerve disease and he has two siblings.  He was involved in choir during high school and went to BYU Idaho before his mission.  He is really cool and we had a blast.  The only problem was that their pension had fleas so I got bit a couple times.  It is not fun because flea bites itch!  There is another new Elder here that has tons of flea bites.  I feel so bad for him.  The cool part is that I can speak just as well as Elder Nielson, so I got to participate a lot more in contacts because I didn't have a native speaker to rescue me.  It was cool to see how Elder Nielson communicated with the members even though he didn't speak the best Spanish.  I learned a lot from him.  I think I might have divisions with my district leader, Elder DeLong, on Thursday, so hopefully that will be fun as well.  Elder Opazo surprised me with a Christmas tree when I got home from divisions. ha ha  It's tiny and we decorated it really funny, but it brings us much joy.  It's cool to be spending this Christmas season with Elder Opazo.  He just goes and sits on the floor and watches the lights on the Christmas tree at night.  It's great."

"My favorite part of the week was that we got two baptismal dates!  We committed Guillermo and Norka to be baptized!  It was so cool!  I am getting better with my Spanish everyday and so I'm getting to know them better.  They have been to the states once because they have a daughter in New York.  They are in their 70's and have a really good spirit about them.  Guillermo wanted one of us to baptize him but the mission usually likes to have a member do the baptism so that they will have a member friend.  They had us over for lunch the other day and it was fun to be with them.  All four of our baptisms are scheduled for Dec. 26th.  I hope I'll be here to see them all baptized, but I think I'm going to be transferred.  It is just a feeling."

"We had a Noche de Barrio activity this week.  I thought that it was going to be great but it turned out terrible.  We were suppose to watch the nativity and Elder Opazo would give a talk and I would share a spiritual thought.  Well the person in charge changed everything and had us all watch a video of President Monson translated into Spanish for a minute and a half and then I was suppose to give my thought.  I had only prepared something for the nativity, so I got up and struggled to get a different point across in broken Spanish.  It was so embarrassing!  They also had asked me to play the piano and at the last minute, had another person do it and I had to lead...I don't lead music...ha ha  It was horrible!!  The piano player could hardly play too, so it wasn't very fun.  The man that planned it then got up and told the ward how horrible we all were and that  we all need to be stronger.  I'm glad we didn't have many investigators come because honestly, I'm not sure I would have wanted to join the church. ha ha  So what happened to the Christmas activity?  Good question...I have no idea?  Anyways, the refreshments were really good and we had fun talking and visiting with everyone afterwards." 

"I also had a cool experience that brought back good memories.  Remember all the times I would get in trouble growing up?  Well, I guess I learned something good from them.  We are teaching a girl named Maria who is adopted.  She is 10 years old and is a little tom boy.  She is really kind and is always taking care of her handicapped sister Rocio.  She has a big heart and has a desire to be baptized.  When we went over to our appointment, she was really mad and wouldn't participate in the lesson at all.  We found out that Maria had gotten into trouble and had been on her bed the whole day.  The situation was a little awkward.  Her mom was cussing her a little as we were teaching.  The spirit wasn't there and the whole time I am thinking..."Don't worry Maria...I've been in your shoes!" ha ha  Anyways, all of a sudden, I had a prompting in the middle of the lesson to ask Maria to do me a favor.  I asked her to go give her mom a hug for me.  So she goes and hugs her mom and just starts bawling.  Then she went and talked to her father and got everything cleared up.  After about 10 minutes she came back and felt better and the lesson went great.  It was cool.  I guess I'm thankful for you getting mad at me back in the day?  Wait no...I love you Mom and Dad. ha ha"

"Yesterday we had the primary program at church.  It was so good!  It was identical to the ones at home with kids running around and parents trying to help them participate.  Some kids got stage fright and others said funny things.  It was great and I loved it! ha ha  It brought me to tears at one point.  I felt like I was back home for a moment."

"I've talked to President King quite a bit.  He is really cool.  I hope someday in the future I'll have an opportunity to get to know him better.  Sister King is really nice too and always does practices with Elder Opazo and I.  It's nice when she is with us because we get to do the practices in English and all of a sudden, I take the lead in our companionship. ha ha  Elder Opazo definitely speaks English better than I do Spanish.  He always wants to try speaking English and I want to speak Spanish, so we just end up speaking English most of the time.  Elder Opazo was in the mission office for 8 months before our change."

"One thing I love about Chile is the bakeries!  I think I'll come home fat. ha ha  I've been working out every morning and I'm so sore!  How can people like working out and suffering all the time?  I'm trying to be obedient and hopefully I can gain some muscle and fat over here! ha ha"

"There was a picture of temple square in the Liahona.  I hope you go see the lights and enjoy it for me!  Have a great Christmas and we can cover everything when I call home on the 25th!  I'll be thinking of you."

Elder Dallon Smith

Elder Smith and Elder Nielson during companionship splits.

Elders Hans and Frans - We're going to pump you up!

Festive picture with a member at the ward Christmas party.

One Month Down and Pressing Forward!

The Christmas holiday is approaching and Dallon received his package in the mail this week.  Homesickness is showing a little but he's trying to stay focused on the work. He mentioned that he isn't suppose to look like a tourist so it is hard for him to take pictures in public.  He sent some of his P-day at the beach.  He can't believe that it has already been a whole month.

"This week was really hard.  It was the first time that I said...Whoa, I still have two years of this ahead of me.  It was still good but I got a little down.  I guess I just wasn't working hard enough.  The hardest part of the week is when I'm sitting in Sacrament meeting and my mind starts to wander about home, because I only understand about 25% of what's being said.  One thing that I am grateful for is that the Church is the same in every country.  I feel at home when I am there.  I just miss my family.  I realized how much work I have ahead of me and how much I need to improve on.  I was reading in Alma and came across chapter 26:27.  I felt like it was just for me.  I know it was an answer to the prayer in my heart about what kind of missionary I want to be.  I also read my patriarchal blessing.  There is so much in it that I didn't realize.  I love my patriarchal blessing.  Even though it was a harder week, it was still full of progress and success."

"There is a boy named Nicholas.  He is absolutely amazing.  He is a handicapped boy that just keeps saying he wants to be baptized in the LDS church.  He is small and has stunted growth and he can't speak.  He knows sign language, or a form of it, and he is always happy.  His smile is one of the best things I've seen in Chile.  His family is split on religion, but he is adament about going to the LDS church.  He has a truly amazing spirit.  The problem is his mother won't bring him to church because she doesn't have her own testimony."

"Another family we are teaching is the Familia al Faro.  They are super poor and sell bread to make money.  They have a son named Bruno and we just committed him to be baptized this week.  He has a strong testimony and really wants to be baptized.  The family has two hellion twins about Calli's age.  They go crazy every time I am there and it makes me miss Calli so much."

"A funny story is we were teaching a member menos activo and she had a picture of a whole bunch of naked women bodies with no heads on her wall. ha ha  Oh my gosh, it was so funny.  Elder Opazo and I truly had to choose the right and not turn our heads to the left.  Who has a whole bunch of naked all over their family room walls?  I almost bursted out laughing in the middle of the spiritual thought. ha ha  Oh man, good times."

"Christmas in Chile is so strange.  It's hot but people still have Christmas trees.  It's funny.  I love that they put up lights and have Santa Claus everywhere.  It's just not quite the same without snow and hot cocoa. ha ha  That reminds me; I can call home on December 24, 25, or 26.  I can choose which day to call.  Let me know which would be best.  I can't wait to talk with you all, but I'll be sad that I'm not with you.  Oh, I got your Christmas package safe and sound!  I saw all the Virgin Mary pictures you put on it. ha ha  I really think it helps.  I want to especially thank you for the presents that you sent to Elder Opazo.  Thank you for serving my companion.  When he was younger, he didn't have Christmas because his family was in a strict branch of Catholicism.  He didn't grow up with Christmas and his family still never really celebrates it.  He loves Christmas.  He was so grateful for the presents and I will never forget the look on his face when I continued to pull presents out of my box for him.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  That is a Christmas present that I will never forget.  He is so excited now and wants to go buy a Christmas tree, so he can put our presents underneath it.  I love it.  The sad part is that we might not be together on Christmas.  We have changes on the 20th...so hopefully we'll stay together.  If not, than I think we will open our presents early.  Anyway everything was in it and the chocolate was a gift from heaven. ha ha  I loved getting the package but I was sad that there wasn't a letter with it.  One thing that you could send that would make me love you forever is a plan of salvation that is laminated.  I want it small so that it can fit in my bag.  Maybe if all the pieces could fit in an envelope or something.  I know that I would use it a lot."

"Elder Opazo is really a cool guy.  He is a convert of three years.  He was the first to join the church and was kicked out of his house for it.  His mom and dad are divorced.  His dad is really rich because he supposedly sold videos he captured of alien sightings to the government and to NASA...weird right? Anyways, Elder Opazo converted his little brother and then left on his mission.  Four months ago his mom was converted to the church.  He didn't even know that she was investigating, so it was a present that he will never forget.  He is really smart and learned English in like 4 months!  He wants to study medicine.  He is really nice and we get along great, except when he tries to correct my English! ha ha"

"This last week we had another meeting with President King.  He asked me to play the piano.  I tried to play, "High on a Mountain Top", and totally screwed it up!  It was so embarrassing.  Luckily, I redeemed myself by playing, "Nearer My God to Thee", for the closing hymn.  I wish I would have stuck with the piano!  The worst part was that there were 4 zones all meeting together and I did terrible...man...that sucked."

"Last night was fun because all of the Chilean teams were playing soccer so there were lots of parties!  I got to eat steak with BBQ sauce!  Oh man, it was heaven on earth. ha ha  We went to the Stake President's home and he gave us tons of food and desserts!  It was truly heaven on earth!"

"I'll try to answer all your questions in our phone call in about 20 days!  I want to read all the emails but there's too many. ha ha  I only have time to write the family and some short messages to everyone else.  Anyways, I love you all soooooo much.  You are always in my heart.  Be happy and I will try to do the same.  Thanks for everything!

Elder Dallon Smith

Zone P-day at the beach.

We knew there was something cool about Elder Opazo.

Looks like a tough mission Elder Smith!

Inside Dallon's pension

Week 3 in Barrancas and an Earthquake!

We were surprised and concerned to hear that Dallon experienced his first Chilean earthquake.  He is fine and said it was a somewhat cool experience.  He is working hard and playing hard also.  He shares about a new challenge that he's been assigned and tells us about some of his investigators.

"Two nights ago I experienced my first earthquake in Chile!  It was crazy!  I woke up at four in the morning and everything was shaking.  I was half asleep, so I wasn't too scared.  I was just thinking... is this a dream?.., for a full 30 seconds.  I then thought... Oh shoot, I'm not wearing any socks and what am I going to do if this turns into a really bad one?  ha ha  It was fun and scary at the same time.  Earthquakes are more scary than I thought because they are loud.  I forgot that along with the rumbling of the ground, there is a lot of other noise too.  Anyways, it was a first time experience for me here in Chile.  It's funny that everyone likes to talk about what they were doing when the earthquakes hit.  Most of the stories are really entertaining. ha ha  It reminds me of when Mom freaked out when she saw a mouse in the pantry. ha ha"

"We are working and playing hard.  We went to the beach today and had a blast!  We played football and I'm proud to say that I scored two touchdowns!  Booya! ha ha  It was fun.  We had a BBQ that lasted until really late in the day so I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to write.  We tried to go last week, but we couldn't get permission from the mission president in time.  The beach was beautiful and a little cold this morning, but I loved it!"

"The ward found out that I played the piano and have started to have me play during sacrament meeting.  I guess that Elder Stephen Kapp Perry served a mission here and they all tell me about how he used music to reactivate a lot of people in the church.  They have also asked me to help organize a Christmas choir.  I am a little scared because my piano skills aren't the best.  I hope that I'll be able to do all that they want me to.  We have been talking to a lot of inactive members and they said that they are excited about participating in a church Christmas choir.  Oh man!  Pray for me that I'll be able to help these people sing Christmas carols!  I'm just going to do my best with what I have.  Tell Jacob to start piano lessons again because it will be such a benefit for him when he serves his mission."

"This week was really hard because we had a lot of appointments cancel.  We ended up doing a lot of contacts and found 14 new investigators, which lead the zone this week! ha ha  I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life and they say that this is a small sector!"

"The big news here this week was a bus traveling to our area from Santiago got in a huge accident.  It rocked the community and everyone was upset about it.  I think everyone here knew at least one person that passed away.  It was really sad.  It was a little scary for Elder Opaso and I because we always travel to Santiago on that same bus and route.  It was just a freak accident, but it still made us nervous."

"There are two scriptures that have really helped me this past week.  They are Alma 17:11 and Alma 56:47-48.  These scriptures remind me of what I am here to do and the person that I want to be.  I love reading the scriptures.  My testimony of the scriptures has grown so much in the past two months.  I LOVE THE SCRIPTURES!  They have comforted me and made me realize all that I have.  The Book of Mormon is amazing!  I feel the spirit every time I bear witness of it.  I know that it truly is the word of God and I have no doubts.  The Book of Mormon is powerful just by reading it.  It's like a key that unlocks a place for the spirit to be with you all day."

Dallon answered some of the questions from our letters:

1.  "No, I hardly have time to write people back.  I can only write on P-days and since we've had activities every P-day, I haven't been able to write."
2.  "At night we return to our pension at 10:00 and plan for the next day until 10:30.  After that, we are able to cook and write in our journals or whatever else we want.  That hour always goes by so fast and it never feels like I have time to do anything.  It would be nice to have time to just relax and listen to music."
3.  "I have been really tired because we are working ALL DAY!  I have never slept so well in my life.  It's funny because the days just slip away and all of a sudden it is P-day again.  The days seem long but the weeks are super short."
4.  "At the pension, I basically eat bread, cereal, milk, eggs, Nutella, juice, cheese, and jam.  I eat a lot of toast!  I still don't understand all of the money here but I am starting to.  I am starting to understand how much I can buy every week.  I get hungry at night because we eat a HUGE lunch at 2:00 and then we don't eat for the rest of the day and the whole time we are walking and exercising, so I get hungry at like 6:00 and can't eat until 10:30."
5.  "I am never worried about my safety.  Except for when crazy dogs are attacking us. ha ha  I don't think we are in that bad of a sector, so everythings been fine."
6.  "Elder Opaso is great because he wants to work and we get a lot done.  He always tries to correct my English! ha ha   I'll say, "nothing is impossible" and he says, "Nope that is not correct.  It is, impossible is nothing."   I'm usually right and he gets mad.  We fight over the the dumbest things.  We don't really laugh together that much because half the time we're just trying to figure out what the other one is saying. ha ha  But we have the spirit with us and have a good time together.  I can't believe I'm almost half way through having him as a companion."
7.  "Some of the people we are teaching are:
Guillermo and Norka.  They are an older couple that have a lot of interest in learning more about the gospel.  They have been coming to church for the past couple weeks.  I really want to see them both baptized.  We have a cita with them this Thursday, so hopefully we can commit them to set a date.
Sandoval Encina.  This is a family that we found and are teaching.  They are really cool and promised to feed me empanadas!  I hope the Lord will be with them and the Holy Ghost will testify to them of the truth.
Diego.  He is about 12 years old and has a desire to be baptized.  His mom is a member but his dad is not.  He has a strong testimony and is learning really fast.  I love teaching at his house because they have a big Christmas tree just like ours in their family room.  It reminds me of home.  He is really cool and an example to me because of his strong young testimony.  It's been cool seeing his faith grow."

"Well anyways I have to go.  Sorry that I can't finish.  I hope you are having  a wonderful holiday season.  I am jealous!  I am sad to hear about Boise State and am in mourning with you all.  Thanks for the examples that you are to me and for all the support that you constantly give.  Keep me and the people of Chile in your prayers.  I LOVE YOU!"

Elder Dallon Smith

Week 2 in Barrancas

Dallon had a little cold this week.  Luckily it didn't last too long and he is grateful to be able to breath normally again.  He still hasn't received any letters from Dear Elder or pouch.  Hopefully he will get some on Wednesday when the district leaders visit.  He says to mail everything to the mission office address.  It costs $.98 to mail a regular airmail letter to him and takes about 7-10 days.  This is easier for him to read at his leisure and he can write back during his free time.  He had an interesting and full week that he shared with us and also sent some fun pictures.

"This week was full of dropped appointments and disappointments.  We did a lot of walking and my knees are sore, but it was cool because the whole time I'm thinking...Wow, I'm a missionary! ha ha  Finding contacts isn't the funnest thing to do, but I kind of like it because I know what I need to say in Spanish.  When we are teaching lessons, I sometimes want to say something, but I just don't know how.  I feel bad that I can't help Elder Opaso more.  I hope the Spanish will come quickly and that I will be fluent soon."

"We also met two little boys that want to get baptized.  They are both around 12 years old and are such an example to me in many ways.  One boy just knows that it is right and wants to be baptized even though his Dad isn't a member.  He is super receptive and already has a testimony.  His name is Diego and he is awesome.  The other boy is Nicholas.  He is handicapped and uses sign language.  We talk to him while his Mom translates.  He can't say much but he signs with his hands that he wants to be baptized in the Mormon church and not Catholic.  It's amazing.  It truly touches my heart to see a poor family with struggles have the gospel penetrate their hearts.  I can't really explain it.  It is a cool experience to meet people who actually want to be baptized.  I think in Utah we get use to going on to the next step; like when we turn 8, we get baptized.  These people gain strong testimonies before and then choose for themselves to be baptized."

"In church yesterday, I met a lady from Payson, Utah that was here visiting her family.  It was fun to speak English with her and talk about home.  I also played the prelude music for Sacrament meeting.  I'm practicing so that I can start playing during the main meeting.  I got a little disappointed because I really couldn't understand the talks.  I know a member of the high council mentioned me in his talk.  I'm not sure what he said but I think it was good! ha ha  Then in Elder's quorum the teacher used me as an example of the gift of tongues.  It makes me feel good that even though I can't speak the language, I am still affecting people.  It makes the everyday of struggling to learn, worth it."

"I have had a lot of cool experiences, but for the most part, I just realized how hard missionary work truly is.  These are real people with real problems.  I wish I could express to them every feeling in my heart.  I know I am affecting lives but I can hardly speak the language.  Everyone is always surprised at how much I can say, but at the same time, I probably only catch about 35% of what they are talking about.  People say that Chile has the fastest speakers in the world.  If only they would slow down a little for me! ha ha"

"Well I got bit by my first dog this week!  We were contacting and had just found and made an appointment with a really nice lady.  We backed away to go around a fence and Elder Opaso tripped over a dog.  The dog got really mad and started barking like crazy.  The whole time I'm thinking...Ooooh shooot, Elder Opaso is gonna get it!!  All of a sudden, this crazy dog attacks me!  Then his whole gang of two other black dogs came out of nowhere and got me from behind.  One of the dogs bit me on the calf!  My luck that Elder Opaso would make a dog mad and I'm the one that gets punished! ha ha  Well, we made a swift escape and the bite wasn't bad.  It didn't even bleed.  It hurt though! ha ha"

"We got to go to Santiago for a "Greenie" meeting.  It was a blast!  I got to ride the Metro for the first time and went to see the University in Santiago.  I met up with all of my "Greenie" friends and spoke English again! ha ha  It was fun.  We all had a blast together and I realized how grateful I am to have Elder Opaso as my companion.  A lot of the other missionaries are truly struggling with their first area and companions.  It made me realize how easy I have it and how blessed I've been.  The Lord is really taking care of me and I am so grateful that I am here.  The only problem Elder Opaso and I have is that we get in arguments over the dumbest things; like whether or not the word "plasted" exists in the English language or if one door is larger than another! ha ha  It's alright and it really is the least of my worries."  The Metro was an experience that I will never forget.  It's an underground subway and there are billions of people cramming into these super long trains.  Anyways at the "Greenie" meeting we got to eat pizza!  I don't think I've eaten that much pizza in my life!  It was good! ha ha  I met a lot of my friends and we had a great time just talking about our first week in the mission."

"The food here basically consists of chicken, rice, vegetables, soups, etc.  Not too flavorful, but I did have jello with condensed milk that was delicious!  I get to see the ocean everyday!  It's really cool when it mists.  The weather is so strange.  It will be really hot outside, but the wind is super cold, so it is a weird experience.  It's like cold hot. ha ha  I'm not too use to it yet.  We are going shopping today so, hopefully, I can buy some super delicious groceries!  I haven't used any of my own money yet, but I just might...because I get a little hungry out here at night. ha ha  We are also going to the beach, so I will be sure to take some fun pictures to send home."

"It's good to know that you are all doing well.  You are in my prayers every day.  I love and miss you all!  I hope you enjoy the pictures.  I only have time to send a few."

Elder Dallon Smith

Elder Opaso, President and Sister King, Elder Smith

The port city of Barrancas, Chile

On the bus with Elder Opaso and Elder Smith

The name says it all!

The First Email from Barrancas

Finally news from Dallon!  It was the longest week of our lives.  He is so happy and our hearts are bursting with joy.  We must have received the wrong information from the Mission Office because Dallon is serving with Elder Opaso from Concepcion, Chile in an area on the coast called Barrancas.  He says that he is in love with Chile!

"This experience has been absolutely amazing so far!  My adventure has just begun and I LOVE CHILE!!!  My companion's name is Elder Opazo.  He is a native of Chile from Concepcion.  He also speaks exceptional English.  The Lord has blessed me so much this past week and my heart can hardly handle how grateful I am.  It feels like I have been here for a long time but then I remember that it has only been a week. ha ha"

"My first thought when I arrived in Chile was wow... this place looks a lot like Utah.  The mountains are all snow capped.  We arrived at the airport and had a blast trying to navigate it with broken Spanish. ha ha  All of the travel gate ladies were asking me for my name because they thought I was really good looking. ha ha  It was really funny among the missionaries.  Everyone here in Chile says that they want to trade eyes with me.  It's funny because I can almost count on it every time I meet someone new.  Anyways we finally made it through the airport and I was the first one to leave and meet Sister King.  She is so funny and sweet.  We all crammed into a 12 passenger hippie van and rode off to the MTC.  Chile is so beautiful.  I wish that you could see it.  The temple is so small and short that I felt like I could touch the Moroni! ha ha  We had lunch at the MTC cafeteria and then had orientations along with an interview with President King.  President King is awesome!  I hope I get to know him a lot better over the next two years.  In my interview we talked a lot about everything.  He asked me about my testimony and about how the church had been in my life.  He told me that a testimony like mine was exactly what the people of Chile needed.  He also said that I would be playing the piano a lot!  Which I'm excited for, yet at the same time, a bit nervous. ha ha  After that he asked me if I would be alright with a native missionary.  I told him I would do whatever he was inspired to do and I would get along just fine.  He was really cool."

"After the interviews, President King came in and told us that he had prayed to know who our companions should be and that it was apparent to him who we should be paired with.  He then began naming off the names of companionships.  My name was one of the last.  He said...Elder Smith...Elder Opazo, and then looked up and smiled at me and said, "You're going to the coast!" ha ha  I was the only one out of all the new missionaries going to the coast!  I was so excited and everyone was jealous."

"After that we went out to the temple grounds and I met Elder Opazo.  He was way cool to me and he spoke really good English and Spanish.  He is definitely a blessing in my life.  I don't know if I could have had any other companion.  He helps me out so much!  We all soon piled into vans and cars and went and dropped everyone off all over the city.  I wasn't really sure what was going on, but I got to see a lot of Santiago, including the crazy drivers! ha ha  Then we went back to the mission office to pick up Elder Opazo's stuff and headed to a big bus stop.  Elder Opazo worked in the mission office for 8 months of his mission and he has been out for 13 months.  He is a convert of three years and after the earthquake, the rest of his family all joined the church.  He is so cool and is an example to me in many ways.  I don't know if he's the best trainer because he hasn't really taught me anything yet, but we are getting a lot done and I feel safe here.  We traveled on the bus for about an hour and a half to our sector, Barrancas.  Little did I know that this is a sector that Elder Opazo and I are re-opening!  I was surprised that President King sent me to open a sector for my first assignment.  On the bus, Elder Opazo bought me a super eight and peach juice and told me about his life.  It was real cool."

"This week has been full of work to re-open the sector.  We had to go and meet all of the leadership of the church in the area and start finding investigators and updating everything.  It's been a lot of work, but it's been fun too.  My Spanish is actually pretty good.  Everyone is always saying that they can't believe I've only been here for one week.  Elder Opazo says he is grateful for me because my Spanish is so good.  I told him to stop trying to make me feel good about myself, but he said he was serious and that I talked better than some missionaries that have been here for a year!  I didn't believe him and told him that I hope not because I want to be a lot better than this in a year! ha ha  The next day we had a district and zone meeting.  All the missionaries couldn't believe that I was new and that I didn't know a lot of Spanish at the MTC.  It makes me feel good.  At the MTC, everyone was so much better than I was, so if they think I'm good, then the missionaries that were in my district must be phenomenal! ha ha  When I first got here I felt like I couldn't understand anything.  Chileans talk so fast, but I am understanding more and more everyday.  The Lord has blessed me so much this past week that my heart is bursting with gratitude."

"Yesterday, I had an amazing experience at church.  There are about 40 - 50 members and it was fast and testimony meeting.  President Galvez asked Elder Opazo and I to bear our testimonies.  I was scared but did it anyways.  I told them that this past week I had met many of them and that they are incredible people followed by my testimony of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and temples.  I also told them how I was really impressed that they were members who were stronger than me because there were only a few members in this area and my whole life I have had members all around me to help me be strong.  I probably made a lot of speaking mistakes but I know that the spirit was there.  Afterwards, the 1st counselor got up and talked about me his whole testimony.  He said that this church was a church of miracles and that I was living proof of that.  He told the members that I had only been here a week and that they could see the gift of tongues happening right in front of them.  The members here are absolutely amazing!  They are so humble.  I love them already!  I have realized this week just how much the Lord has blessed me.  Back at home we have soooooo much!  Remember to be grateful for our chapel and our home.  I can't believe how blessed we are.  Even the richest people here, don't compare to what we have."

"The coast is beautiful and my pension, or place where I live, is great!  It's like a little Chilean Seaside!  All of the houses here are small and feel like a basement.  I live in a really nice pension where sister missionaries used to live.  It looks a lot like a cabin inside.  I love it and have never slept so well in my life! ha ha  One thing about being close to the coast is it's pretty cold.  I have been wearing sweats to bed with three blankets.  We get to wake up at 7:30am, instead of 6:30, because in Chile they stay up later and we go to bed at 11:30pm.  We get up and exercise for about 20 minutes and then get ready for the day.  We have study and companionship study and then go to lunch at a member's home.  Afterwards we come back and have language study hour and then leave for all our appointments along with Permaneced, which is a program that reactivates the inactive members.  President King told us to focus on restoring and rebuilding the church here, more than baptisms.  Luckily, we are doing both and already have three progressing investigators that are on their way to being baptized.  We get home around 10:30pm and have time to relax before going to bed."

"Barrancas is not really a beach town.  It's more like a port town.  There's a lot of small houses that are pretty run down.  They are made of cement.  In some places it looks like Greece.  Oh and there are mean dogs everywhere!  They fight eachother and have dog gangs.  It's really strange. ha ha  None of them have bugged us much. 

"I don't have a lot of time but I love it here.  I am learning so much and love that I'm actually making a difference now.  Every day is an adventure and I'm in love with my mission right now.  Of course, it's only been the first week, but it's still amazing!  The members here do all of our laundry and cooking.  The food is kind of bland and they eat a lot of vegetables, but I've eaten everything and am full usually.  We eat huge lunches and at night I get a little hungry, but that should change now that I can go shopping today!  One good thing is that they have Nutella here but it's super expensive.  I bought a bottle and went through it in one week. ha ha  Yesterday we ate artichoke that we dipped in vinegar.  It was interesting.  The bread here is pretty good though."

"I love you all and am grateful  for all your prayers.  Tell Tori I scored my first soccer goal against the natives in Chile today!  ha ha  The coast is amazing and I ask that you pray for the people of Barrancas."

Love you, Quedense! Elder Dallon Smith 

First Day in Chile

We were excited to receive an email from Dallon and also one from President King with this picture.  The Elders were greeted at the airport and then taken on a small tour of the city of Santiago.  They ended at the mission office where President King interviewed and gave each Elder a priesthood blessing.  They had a nice luncheon, met their trainer and left for their new area.  Dallon's trainer is Elder Cannon from Logan, Utah.  His first area is slightly southeast of the mission office called Los Cerillos.  He said that the mountains have snow caps on them and reminded him of home.  He also mentions that the city looks modern and fun.  He is so excited but very tired.  It was a great beginning.

Hola Chile!

We received a call from Dallon at 6:30 pm last night from the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas airport where he had a three hour layover.  He sounded happy and well, although he told us that he had a little cold all week.  He also said that he got to perform in a quartet for Sheri Dew at a devotional at the MTC on Sunday.  She visited with them and complimented them on a beautiful performance.  The music director told the boys that it was the best quartet that she had heard at the MTC.  He is sending a video clip of the performance to us in the mail.

A funny thing while we were talking to him, he would stop to dig for pocket change for another elder who was using change for his phone call.  We thought, what an act of brotherhood and it's wonderful to know that they were taking care of eachother.  Dallon was in a group of 10 elders traveling together.  There was another group of 20 traveling at the same time.  He said while he was waiting around at the airport, a couple people approached him and asked him for directions in Spanish.  He was able to understand and respond to them in Spanish.  He was so impressed with himself.

It took him about 20 hours from the time he left the MTC to arrive in Chile.  He got there this morning about 6:30 am our time (10:30 am Chile time).  We are excited and waiting to hear from him and his Mission President.

MTC Week 8

Dallon got his travel plans!  He will be leaving next Monday for Chile.  He leaves the MTC at 11:30 a.m. for a flight out of Salt Lake at 2:35 p.m.  He will head to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas and wait for a three hour layover.  He then will fly out of Texas at 9:10 p.m. and arrive in Chile at 9:50 a.m. Chile time.  It is going to be a long day, but he is ready and excited.  His letter is mostly about getting everything ready to leave.  This may be his last email until he arrives in Chile.

"I have scheduled appointments for a haircut, dry cleaning, orientations and so on, so it's going to be a busy week.  There is so much that I need to do!  This week is going to fly by.  I am so excited to get out there and teach.  I am amazed at how much I can say in Spanish.  I want to share it with real people now and start contributing to something.  I do love my experience at the MTC, but I am ready for a new chapter to begin in this adventure."

"The past week was great.  Elder Nelsen and Elder Scott came and spoke to us.  It was so cool to hear what they had to share.  Elder Scott spoke about following the spirit.  I want to be following the spirit all the time!  I want the experiences that are possible by following the spirit.  Also our quartet was selected to sing at the devotional next Sunday.  I couldn't believe we got picked!  It is pretty competitive, so we are all stoked!"

"Halloween was great!  My district loved the Krispy Kreme donuts you sent and devoured them. ha ha  We had a fun time here too.  We went trick-o-treating in the dorms and I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time.  One of my good friends, Elder Menendez, dressed up like a muslim, Elder Peterson was a pirate, and I was Elder Hill.  All the sisters said I looked like a Ken Missionary doll.   ha ha  It was probably because I parted my hair...?  Elder Menendez is a really big hispanic elder.  He is absolutely hilarious and watches out for me.  He is great!  We also have a new elder in our district.  He is Elder Huntsman.  He went to Waterford with Sara and we know a lot of the same people.  It has been fun talking with him about home.  He and I have become great friends.  I sure am going to miss a lot of missionaries here."

"This week we are doing a mock experience called "a week in the field".  We have to teach twenty lessons and we don't have class anymore.  It is fun but I would rather just get out there and teach, than pretend to here.  ha ha  But I am enjoying every last minute that I have here.  There is a sister at the temple that loves me! ha ha  Her name is Sister Larsen from Spanish Fork, Utah.  It's nice having someone there that is excited to see me every time I go.  Today was the last day that I will see her.  She gave me her address.  I thought it was cool that out of all the missionaries that volunteer at the temple, she asked me to write.  I think a lot of the time God sends me his love through others."

"I have had lots of people write me but I don't think I will have time to respond to everyone.  It makes me feel bad.  I also really want to write a letter home to my brother and sisters.  I miss them so much.  I hope I'll be able to find some time today.  If I don't have time, tell them I'm sorry I couldn't respond to their letters.  I want to, it's just really hard to find the time, especially this week.  I just want you all to know how much I love and are grateful for you.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly phenomenal.  We are so lucky.  Don't ever doubt.  I KNOW that Heavenly Father loves you.  He has made it known to me in so many ways these past couple weeks."

"There's not a lot of really interesting stuff in this letter, but I'm about out of time.  I am glad sometimes when I get to see you in my dreams. ha ha  Speaking of dreams, I haven't slept very well because we got new roommates.  I think I jinxed myself last week.  They snore like crrrazies!  Luckily last night, I hit the exhaustion point where I just passed out, so today I feel great!  I am so excited to get out into the mission field!  I think about you often and am doing my best every day."

Love, Elder Dallon Smith

MTC Week 7

Dallon is mostly responding to our letters this week.  He shares that his days are really busy and seem to go by so fast.  He is working hard and enjoying the friendships he's made.

"After 6 weeks we're still learning lots of Spanish and are now applying grammar rules.  I still have so much I need to learn but without a doubt, I have already learned a lot.  I am not the best teacher but I can get my point across.  Elder Peterson is a really good teacher and knows how to use scriptures really well.  We always get told that he has all the doctrine and I've got the burning testimony.  We're a pretty good team and I'm glad that he is able to answer some of the hard questions that I don't know.  It's cool seeing how even in "mock lessons" the spirit is there.  I just want to get to Chile and start learning and making a difference.  I'm grateful for my experience in the MTC but I am READY!  Elder Peterson and I have been getting along great.  It's funny how the Lord helps you to see people in a different light.  Our experiences  together helped us to help a companionship in our zone.  We were able to share how we are so different but that we can still get along.  The Lord truly works in ways you don't expect.  I love it when I can look back and say "thank you for that Heavenly Father".

"I am enjoying the MTC.  I have made some really good friends.  Being a zone leader has truly been a blessing.  The missionaries are calling me "cayado" meaning brother-in-law because they all want to go home and marry Tori. ha ha  It's just a joke but they always call me family and go out of their way to do extra cool things for me.  I feel so blessed for the people that the Lord has placed in my life."

"I went to the temple today and had an awesome time.  I had a Spanish temple worker talk to me for a whole hour and take me into the baptistry.  I have gotten to know a lot of people at the temple because Elder Peterson and I always go and do service there on Tuesday mornings.  We fold clothes and stuff.  Anyways they have been talking to me about the movie "Secretariat".  I thought it was funny because you guys also mentioned it in your letters.  I want to watch it when I get home. ha ha"

"I had a really scary experience this week.  I was called to the front office!  It made me have an anxiety attack because usually you get called there when there's a problem at home or something bad has happened!  I was freaking out and just praying that my family was ok.  They made it sound really urgent and that I needed to get there asap!  We ran down there and it turns out that Lauren had dropped off a package for me at the front desk!  Boy, was I relieved!  ha ha  So I am extremely grateful that you are all well this week."

"oh, thanks for the scriptures.  I love the book of Alma.  I also love what I have been told over and over again here at the MTC.  You don't have to be the smartest or the best at the language to be the best missionary.  I love that because I've seen the Lord use me even though I am not the smartest missionary in my zone.  I love this gospel and I love serving a mission.  I am hoping to get my travel plans this week.  I actually had a nightmare that I came home!   Thanks for everything and I love you all so much!"

Elder Dallon Smith

MTC Week 6

The email this week came later in the day.  Dallon and Elder Peterson are busy as zone leaders from the crack of dawn til lights out.  Dallon is beginning to look forward to getting out into the mission field.  His experiences are becoming more meaningful.

"My weeks are just getting busier and busier!  It's been fun to have so many different opportunities to serve.  I am super tired today because we had to wake up at 5:30 to get everything done that we needed to.  Only in the MTC do you wake up that early to do laundry!  ha ha  It's crazy."

"Being a zone leader has been a blast for the most part.  I think Elder Peterson and I are just ready to get out in the field.  One moment you are feeling confident and good and then the next you are feeling the spirit and calm.  The next thing you know you are sad because you realize that you have so much to learn and do and you never feel like you'll ever be good enough.  It's interesting how everyone handles the switch of emotions but for the most part everything is still good.  This last week flew by.  It feels like I just wrote the other day.  Sorry that my days are so boring! ha ha  We really are doing the same things over and over and over and over again."

"Our quartet auditioned and did great!  The sister told us we would probably get an invitation to sing at a devotional.  We'll see what happens but that would be really cool!  As soon as you send back my sd cards, I'll get a recording of us singing.  The people in the quartet with me are Elders Mace, Mortenson and Carter.  We've had a lot of fun.  We practice for an hour almost every other day and while we are practicing, Elder Peterson goes to play the piano with one of the other elders.  I am helping him learn how to play "Nearer My God to Thee".  He's been doing really well."

"This week we started speaking strickly Spanish.  It's been difficult but still fun.  My Spanish is definitely improving but I want to learn it all right now. ha ha  I've definitely had to work on patience.  It seems like that's what I've had to learn the most here.  Patience.  Patience with the language, companions, leadership, everything!  You always have to be patient and being patient all the time can be hard!  I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn patience.  Man, it is intense here in the MTC.  We are constantly being told how to be better.  It's cool too because it helps you realize how much more you can achieve and at the same time, I'm thinking, "Holy cow, I've got a lot to do!".  ha ha"

"Teaching in the TRC is always a blast.  It's funny because our Spanish struggled so much in the beginning lessons and now, slowly but surely, we are becoming better teachers.  I love teaching in the TRC because it makes time go by so fast and it's a time when you can actually see how much you have improved.  I'm definitely not the best teacher but I have learned a lot and getting much better.  I'm also glad because my first week here, one of my biggest concerns was being able to teach with Spanish.  Elder Peterson was so much better than I was.  Now I think we are about even.  It's been cool to see how much I have learned and I love teaching.  Even though it's only pretend, you can still feel the spirit testifying of the truth.  I love that.  I know that the things we teach are true because I have an overwhelming feeling of peace.  I love that I get to feel that way every time I teach.  I also know when I am in tune with the spirit and when I am not.  Elder Peterson and my lessons are so different when we have the spirit with us and when we don't.  I know that when we have it, we aren't trying to convince people that what we are saying is true, but we are inviting the spirit in order for the investigator to find out for themselves if it is true.  It's cool to see how much of a difference there is.  I know that I have the spirit when I open my mouth and the words in Spanish just flow out.  Of course, it is still broken Spanish but I get the main point across.  We have learned a lot about using the scriptures this week.  I love studying the scriptures and applying them to my life, as well as, to the investigators."

"Last Wednesday I had a really cool experience.  Elder Matt Ross left last Wednesday, but the night before, he came to my room and just talked to me for an hour.  He was nervous about the next day and was just telling me a bunch of funny stories.  He is such an awesome friend and it was hard to see him go.  Anyway, that night he left at curfew around 10:30 and then came back and asked me to give him a blessing.  I wasn't expecting it but I told him I would if he really wanted me to.  He said he did so I said a quick prayer and then proceeded to give him a blessing.  That blessing was one of the most amazing experiences I have had so far.  I know that the words came from somewhere else and that my thoughts were directed by the spirit.  I know that Elder Ross is going to be a great missionary in New York.  The words that came to my mouth were definitely not my own and they were so powerful.  Matt left the next morning at 5:00 and then the next day I got a letter that he had left for me about his blessing.  It was an awesome experience."

"I am learning a lot and being here is definitely beneficial.  I am working hard for those people that need the gosple.  I can't believe that I have already been here for more than a month!  I am nervous because I still have so much that I want to know how to say in Spanish! ha ha  I know I'll be fine if the Lord is with me.  Not going to lie but serving a mission is so much harder than I thought it would be.  I thought I would be ready for everything but it's hard here in every way; emotionally, physically, socially, etc.  MAN!  But I know I'm progressing and that's what I love."

"Let me know how you are doing.  I miss you and want to hear from you."

Love Elder Dallon Smith

MTC Week 5

Well, Dallon is over the half way point at the MTC.  He will be leaving for Chile on November 9th.  He tells us that Elder Matt Ross and Elder Mark Hanni will be leaving to their missions tomorrow, October 13th.  He had an eventful week and was just made a zone leader.

"On Sunday, Elder Peterson and I were called as zone leaders.  I was surprised because we had a meeting with the branch president and thought that it was about Elder Peterson getting released as a district leader.  Instead, low and behold, we were called as zone leaders!  President Hollister and President Dennis said that we were natural leaders and that the Lord had great plans for us.  It's been fun because we are over the biggest zone in the MTC, so we get to know a lot of elders that come through here.  Unfortunately, it does take a lot of time.  We are in charge of all the districts and orientating all the new elders.  We have responsibilities that we have to do every day, but I think it will be worth it.  I need all the blessings I can get with this language!"

"My Spanish is improving day by day, slowly but surely.  I finally feel like I can express myself.  I still have a lot of work to do and it is coming along.  I know that I will be fine but I want to learn everything now so that I can be an effective missionary faster.  It is frustrating because I have so much that I want to share, but can hardly find the words to say it in Spanish.  I know the Lord is blessing me and I am only saying what he needs me to say right now.  If the Lord needs me to be able to bare my testimony in Spanish to someone, then he will provide a way for me to do it.  Speaking Spanish is fun but it's also tough.  I just want to know it and not have to work so hard for it! ha ha  But hey.., faith without works is dead, right?"

"This has been a fun week because I've been able to play the piano a lot.  Me and three other missionaries in my district have prepared an acapella version of  "Lead Kindly Light" to sing at firesides.  We have an audition on Thursday, so wish us luck!  It is so awesome!  I love music.  In regards to your question about whether the gospel speaks the same way to me as music...OF COURSE!  The music is only a vessel in which I can feel the spirit strongly.  The gospel is what truly makes me happy.  The gospel is truly amazing!  I don't know where I would be without it.  I know this just sounds like missionary talk, but I want you all back home to know that this work is important to me and that you are all important to me."

"This week  I had an experience where I followed a spiritual prompting that I thought was so strange.  I was told to write a quick note to an elder about how he was a good example and that he was going to be such a great missionary.  I was thinking the whole time that this is so weird.  Why would I randomly write a sentimental note to someone?  But something inside me told me that I just needed to do it.  I hurried and wrote one in Spanish.  It was really short; probably about 5 to 6 sentences.  Anyways, he was reading his scriptures so I just went and put it on his desk and then went back to mine.  Man, it was so awkward!  I didn't know why I did it.  Then I saw him read the note and he just started to cry.  Later he came to see me and told me that what I wrote on the note was an answer to his prayer.  He said that he was reading a scripture and was asking himself a personal question when I gave him the note.  I thought it was so cool and I was glad that I followed the prompting.  It just feels good because I don't have to know Spanish real well or be some heroic missionary in order for the Lord to use me as a tool to help others.  It's nice to know that you can help make a small difference in another person's life."

"I love it here!  I have made so many friends.  It's funny because everyone wants to get to know me because I am really good at volleyball and foursquare. ha ha  Gym is by far one of the funnest things in my day.  The MTC food is still pretty good, surprisingly.  Though I do miss my momma's cookin!  I use sauces to mask the flavor all the time.  I love using Chilula sauce on everything!  It's delicious!  MMMMmmmmm! ha ha  Classes are still really long.  We have two classes a day that are around four to five hours long.  It makes for a long day and we are all crammed into such a small room.  We all love eating because we get to escape from "school on steroids"!  The other part of the day we have five hours of personal directed study.  This is where you have to decide what you need help with and then motivate yourself to work on it.  Some days it is hard to know what to do and others it's like you don't have enough time to do everything that you want to."

Well, I'm outta time.  Man, I miss you all so much and pray for you every night.  I love you all and thanks for everything that you do for me!  Talk to you soon."

Love, Elder Dallon Smith

Elder Hanni's and Elder Hill's Testimonies

Dallon was able to see Dillon and Mark before they leave the MTC for their missions.  He recorded their testimonies.

"I just did the coolest thing! I went and snuck into Dillon and Mark's building and got their testimonies on film!  I barely caught Dillon.  He is all packed up.  Man, I am so stoked!  Their testimonies are AMAZING!  They are so good.  I'm going to send them home so their families can have them.  I don't want to lose them!  I'm praying that this makes it home.  Talk about tender mercies!"

MTC Week 4

Conference was the highlight of Dallon's letter this week.  It was a wonderful experience for him and seems to be all he can talk about.

"This weekend was thee best weekend at the MTC ever!  Conference was honestly an experience that I will never forget.  It was so nice being able to leave the MTC compound.  I got to see our hometown again!  It made me miss home so much.  I miss just driving home from Provo and it felt like I was dreaming on the bus.  It was funny because Matt and I were sitting next to eachother, so it felt like we were just coming home from a high school choir performance.  Matt and I are not the same height, so to sit next to each other at the conference center he had to stand a little on tip toe and I had to bend my knees.  We're conspirators! ha ha  We were so lucky to be able to sit by each other.  While I was backstage, I was able to meet Elder Quintin Cook of the twelve apostles.  Cool right?!  He looked at me and said, "hello".  I wish the Prophet would have come backstage!  Seeing Dad and Jake honestly made my night.  I noticed some missionaries pointing and asking one another, "who is that?".  I looked up and to my amazement it was Dad and Jake!  Dad, Jerone, and Riley Richards were waving their arms and Jake was doing some kind of dance that reminded me of cousin Tayler.  I was so excited and wanted to run up and give them all a huge hug!  It was cool to get to see my family.  I wasn't embarrassed one bit.  We were told not to make a fool of ourselves on the stand and only wave.  It was tough.  It was so good to know I was in the same room as my family."

"General Conference makes the MTC more fun.  Usually we have classes all day on Saturday, but I got a break from everything and left for downtown at 1:30 pm.  I loved it!  We were gone for half the day.  It was so much fun.  We left early so we weren't able to watch the second session on Saturday.  I would say that my favorite talks were President Uchtdorf's about pride and Elder Holland's about counting your blessings.  Overall, they were all good and it made for the best weekend I have had so far.  On Sunday night we had a fireside all about music.  If there is one thing that I have learned here is how much music affects my life.  I love the power and the spirit that music brings.  I know I always have a prayer in my heart because I am constantly singing in my mind.  Music gets me through the day and makes things bearable."

He expresses his love and gratitude to his family. 

"Just wanted to thank you all for being such a big part of who I am today.  There are so many things that I am grateful for and I know that none of it would be possible without the parents I have.  I can't imagine life without you.  I wish I could fly home everyday and then come back and do the Lord's work.  Having a supportive family at home makes all the difference for me.  I am so jealous that you get to be together all the time.  My favorite memories are of us just being ourselves and hanging out.  Thank you so much for your testimonies that you let me build upon to find my own.  There's one thing I know that I won't ever be able to doubt, that I do have a testimony of this church and the gospel.  I know that Heavenly Father lives and loves us and wants what's best for us.  Ma and Pa, thank you for sacrificing so much for me.  I've learned so much about what really matters to me, YOU.  I love my family more than anything in this world.  Thank you for never giving up on me and always directing me to choose the right.  Please know that I am grateful for all that you do and have done for me.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect family.  Doing sealings in the temple taught me so much about how important my family is.  I miss and love you with all my heart."

Elder Dallon Smith

Dallon sings in the MTC Priesthood Choir!

Elder Matt Ross singing beside him just like the old days.

Videos from Dallon in the MTC!

Dallon shows us around his room at the MTC and introduces his roommates.

This is why they don't get a lot of free time.

Dallon gets ripped!

MTC Week 3

This week's email was a lot of Dallon being reflective.  It appears that things have settled into a routine and not much is new to share.  He says the weeks fly by and before he even realizes, it is p-day again.

"Hey, can you believe that I have officially been in the MTC for as long as Dad was!  Not going to lie, but I am a little envious to think that he got to leave for his mission about now.  Well, this week has been really fun and eventful but it still consists of the same roller coaster emotions that you go through. The good news is we got through our first TRC lesson in Spanish.  It was really cool.  I don't think our Spanish is all that great but the investigators got the jist of what we were talking about.  We taught a family from Argentina, so that was cool.  We have some good times here even though it is one of the most stressful environments that I have ever been in.  Spanish does get on my nerves almost every day.  I always just have to remember that I can only speak what the Lord would have me say and if I do my best, that is all he asks of me."

Dallon shares a visit with a counselor from his Branch Presidency.

"Elder Peterson and I had a meeting with  Brother Hollister this week.  He told us a lot of cool things like how we both have stood out as leaders and that among every group the leaders are always evident.  He said that Elder Peterson had some good leadership qualities, but then focused on me and said that the branch presidency had noticed my good attitude and happy countenance.  They said that I lit up the room and promised that I would do amazing things on my mission.  I was so grateful for what Brother Hollister told me.  I feel that it was an answer to my prayer this week."

He gives us an update on other missionaries.

"This week we had a few districts leave and our roommates moved out to Mexico.  They were a hoot!  You'll see them in my videos I'm going to send home.  I also see Elder Matt Ross everyday at choir practice.  It is definitely the highlight of my day!  Just he and I hanging out like the good old choir days.  He leaves in two weeks and Elder Nate Monson left or is leaving today I think.  Elder Jake Roper still comes by to visit sometimes.  He's been fun to have around.  I think we all just like having familiar people around us.  I hardly see Elder Mark Hanni or Dillon Hill, but I'm trying to get a hold of them to get their testimonies before they leave!"

"I have met so many amazing people here at the MTC.  I am close to all the Elders in my district and have already had a couple sister missionaries ask for my address.  So... if you get any mail for me at home be sure to tell me! ha ha  I also have met an Elder here that is going to the same mission as Elder Ben Brockbank (Baton Rouge, Louisiana).  I was glad to be able to talk to him for awhile.  Both these Elders are truly remarkable people and there is so much I wish I could learn from them.  There are many awesome people here.  It pushes me to want to be better every day.  I'm thankful for that."

We asked what his p-days were like?

"Thanks for the socks!  I don't know why but I just started running low.  I am also fine with wearing church clothes every day.  It doesn't bother me a bit.  I am always comfortable and I never have to decide what to wear. ha ha  It's the best!  P-days are definitely the most stressful!  We are running around doing a thousand different things and it feels like there is never enough time, especially since p-day ends at 6:00pm.  It is not my favorite day.  I will send you a copy of my schedule so you can see how absolutely packed it is!  We never have to decide what to do because every minute is planned out.  Today I have to get a haircut because it's required to be in the conference choir.  I might look crazy but at least I'll be there!  I am really excited!  Being a part of this choir is such a blessing.  I hope you are able to see me.  I don't know exactly where I will be, but I'll definitely be looking up at the middle of the balcony!" 

Dallon's final comment.

"All in all, everything is fine!  I think about you often and about the love that Heavenly Father has for all of us.  We are so lucky to have the life that we do.  I have had it reaffirmed to me over and over.  I am so proud of everyone!  Love you all and have a great week!"

Con mucho amor, Elder Dallon Smith