Service Rendered

Two more Sundays is how we like to think about it.  Our family loves the people of Chile and will always be blessed for the love and care they gave to Dallon over the past two years.  Our hearts will eternally be full of gratitude.

"I began this week by killing a chicken with my bare hands! haha  It was so crazy!  I killed it, feathered it, and ate the whole thing insides and out.  I am the man!  Elder Holton took a video of it, so I can relive it after the mission. haha  It felt cool and I did it all myself!"

"I feel like I am cramming to get everything done.  It's been a whirlwind and I can feel the end getting closer and closer.  Tuesday we had district meetings.  It was fun, but the missionaries keep teasing me about going home.  They are making sure I know that I am dying and treat me like a dead man walking. haha  It stinks because I get it everyday now, but we have a good time."

"Thursday was temple day.  That was when it hit me for the first time that I am really going home.  I got to go do a session at the temple.  I am grateful to be able to end my mission with some of my best friends.  Elder Smart and I stuck together the whole time.  We talked a lot and have plans for after the mission.  A funny thing is his mom wrote and told him that Danielle Cottle was over at his house!  I guess she goes up there every summer and they are good friends.  Danielle talked to his mom all about us and it's funny how small the world really is.  Anyways, the session was really great.  We had a lot of time to reflect on the mission and all that we have learned.  I was really happy to be able to do the whole session in Spanish without any help.  The temple workers were so proud of me and kept congratulating me. haha  Then we went into the Celestial room and while I was praying, it truly hit me.  I felt the emotions so strongly as I gave thanks to my Heavenly Father for the best 2 years of my life.  I felt peace and know that God is proud of every one of his missionaries.  I felt good about the service I had rendered.  Afterwards, President and Hermana King talked to the six of us Elders alone.  They told us that they loved us like their own children and that they wanted us to continue in paths of righteousness.  They thanked us for serving an honorable full time mission and Hermana King began to cry.  I felt that they were saying good-bye to us, which made it clearer that this was it and I was going home.  We hugged eachother and I was so sad and so happy at the same time.  These contradicting feelings are not fun to deal with, but it was an experience that I will never forget.  The brotherhood that I've felt with the Elders and the love of God are feelings I will always remember."

"Elder Holton and I went to McDonalds afterwards and stayed the night with the office Elders for Concilio the next day.  Concilio was fun and I got to see everyone.  They all took pictures with me and said their good-byes.  I'll miss these Elders so much."

"Saturday we got Luis all ready for his interview which he passed yesterday.  That kid is going to do great things in the church.  President Arancibia is going to baptize him this coming Saturday, so we are excited for that.  We also have Andres who will be baptized on the 18th by the President of the Young Mens.  We will be preparing him this week for his interview.  We also have Diego, who is our 9 year old genius.  I never met a 9 year old that is so smart and converted.  I've been sharing with him for almost 5 months, so we are hoping that he is able to get baptized on the 18th as well.  There are a few other people that we are teaching, but they will most likely get baptized after I leave.  I'm still grateful to be able to share a lot of the gospel with them."

"Yesterday I shared my testimony.  The whole ward knows that I am going home and that's all they want to talk to me about.  It kind of stinks because they want to know if I'm going to come back, what I'm going to study, if I miss my family, etc.  It is constant talking about home and having people acting sad around me.  I don't really like it, but I understand.  I'm just going to keep working hard until the last day.  I love the Chilean people so much.  There is nothing that I can change now and I truly worked every moment of the last 2 years.  I know I did the best I could and that feels good.  I have come to know that even though I love them, my life now has a different path and in the end, I'll be able to see them again whether in this life or the next."

"That's awesome that you got to hang out with Elder Tialavea.  He is so cool and I love him a lot!  We had a good time together and the mission is not the same without him.  I'm excited to see him.  I've been blessed with some really incredible companions.  It's funny though, because a lot of the time you truly don't appreciate them until they're gone.  I've had the best mission ever!"

"I know that I have changed a lot and that I will continue to strive to have more attributes of Christ.  I think more than anything, I've just been humbled to see that I am far from perfect.  I have tried my best to be patient and to continue to change and become a better person.  I have a strong relationship with my Father in Heaven.  I know that he loves me and listens to me.  I know that what I have taught and learned over the last 2 years are eternal truths.  I can never deny the things that I have felt and answers that I have received.  I know this church is true all the way to my very center.  I have worked hard and been changed for the better.  I'll even learn more in my next mission in life."

"I'm proud to be a missionary.  I'm happy to be where I am.  I am grateful for what I've gone through and I'm anxious for what is to come.  It's been such a special journey and such a blessing.  I will be home soon, but I have a few more things to finish first.  I love you all very much!"

Elder Dallon Smith

The prize kill!

 happily preparing supper

August Concilio

 

Families Are Forever

19 more days!  Dallon's homecoming is just around the corner.  It is so hard for us not to think about every day.  Dallon is trying not to be distracted by all the talk around him.  We are thankful that he is busy.  It is also comforting to know that the Lord's work always moves forward and that there are no lose ends.
 
"This week we had a great experience because we were able to go to the temple!  It was the coolest experience and we had such a blast!  We were able to take 9 of our converts and 3 others that had recently been baptized right before I got here.  We filled a bus so full that we had to stand up the whole way to the temple.  We were singing hymns the whole time.  It was so cool and the spirit was so strong.  Everyone brought their own temple names and it was cool to watch them go through the whole process.  I got to see all of them in the baptistry dressed in white tunicas.  I wish you could have seen how awesome it was.  The memory will be something that I will never forget.  I got to do the confirmations and was a witness.  It was so cool to see their happy faces and feel their testimonies strengthened.  All the work the past couple months was so worth every minute.  Yesterday we had to watch a video about family history and all of my converts were already prepared and gave testimony.  I love temples and family history!"

"It is official that Elder Holton is going to kill me and that I will be dying here in Talagante.  Everyone is fighting eachother to feed me before I leave.  I will be eating pizza, lasagna, chicken, and french fries, every day before I come home.  I am so spoiled here, it's rediculous. haha  We should have 2 more baptisms too.  Luis will be baptized on the 11th.  He is such a stud, I can't even tell you.  He wants to be baptized and already has plans to serve a mission in a year.  I'm glad I got to know him and I know that he will do great things.  We also have Andres who we are hoping to baptize on the 18th.  He is Marina's son.  There is also a couple that we are working with to get married, so that the wife can be baptized.  We are hoping for the best.  I know we can have great success these last three weeks."

"Elder Opaza just sent me an email!  He is such a cool guy.  I love him and I am so grateful for the mission that I have had.  It's been a blessing to be able to serve.  I've had such a great mission.  Don't worry, I'm not getting trunkie.  I actually feel good about everything.  I'm sad that I won't be able to say good-bye to anyone.  President won't let us because of some scheduling issues.  I'm sad but I'm actually not very good at saying good-bye anyways.  I hope that one day I'll be able to come back."

"On Thursday, I will go to the temple again with the six of us that are going home.  I'm on death row.  I know I'll be home before I know it.  I'm trying to prepare myself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for all of it.  I have complete trust in the Lord and I'm not afraid of what is to come.  Everyone is sure to remind me daily that I am an old missionary.  They always ask how I am feeling and give me pep talks about not getting married right away. haha"

"I'm totally updated every day on the Olympics.  Everyone is going insane about them and I am so mad that I am missing them by 2 weeks.  Everyone is talking about some Brazilian gymnast who was ranked first in the world and in one second he fell or something and lost everything.  I also heard that China is beating the United States in medals, so we better kick it into gear!  I love the Olympics!  I'm glad you're all doing well.  Stay strong and I'll be seeing you soon!"

Elder Dallon Smith

Eternal Path

Dallon is being told that he "smells like death" because he only has a month before he dies in the mission.  The anxiety of coming home is becoming more present with each passing week.  There is a feeling of urgency to finish all loose ends. 

"Everyone is starting to get ready to have me leave. haha  It's distracting, so I am glad that we still have a lot of work and I don't have time to even think about being trunkie.  The mission is having me start writing about my mission and my future goals.  It's hard to think about what I want in life.  I haven't thought about those things for the past two years and now it just feels weird.  A lot of the members want to talk to me about marriage.  Most of them tell me not to get married fast and that I'll be throwing away the best part of my life if I get married quickly. haha  It's hard to know or decide what I am suppose to do after the mission.  At the same time, I feel like after everything I have learned on the mission, I am probably more prepared than I think I am.  I am on the path to eternal life.  The spirit will help me to know what I should do.  At least we have that promise, so I'm not too nervous.  I guess I'm more sad than anxious.  I wonder what the Lord has in store for me?"

"This week we really don't have much to report.  We worked hard and have been teaching a lot of people.  We have 5 people that could potentially be baptized before I leave, but at this point, I feel like only 2 for sure are going to be baptized.  I've been so grateful and amazed by the converts here.  They are active and faithful members of the branch.  The other day I was watching them do their family history and I just had a peaceful comforting spirit come over me.  It was incredible to see them be active members of the gospel.  They all know how to fulfill their callings and they have their own testimonies.  I am excited for Thursday.  I'll be in the temple with a lot of my converts and all of their ancestors.  I think that will truly be the last hurrah of my mission.  I love them all so much!"

"Manuel asked me to participate in the circle when he received the priesthood.  He's doing so well.  I wish you could see how much this grandpa has changed.  It's inspiring to me.  Change is possible in all people.  We also have been teaching a lot of younger kids.  One girl is about Tori's age.  She drinks, smokes, has piercings, and lives a loose lifestyle.  She is popular because those things are cool here.  It has been hard to teach her because how do you break someone away from a world that is constantly being shoved at them?  I realize how lucky we are to have the gospel at a younger age.  Utah is so sheltered compared to this place.  There really is not a childhood here and it makes me sad."

"We had a special capacitation this week.  I went to Maipu and saw a lot of my buddies again.  Elder Rubert gave me a tie and had me sign a whole bunch of stuff.  He is set on getting together after the mission.  He is really funny.  I saw some other missionaries that are going home and we are all freaking out! haha  I'm glad I'm not doing this alone!"

"Yesterday we gave a blessing to a pregnant lady in the hospital.  Priesthood blessings in an emergency room are intense!  I think a lot of people look at us and think that Mormons are crazy, but we have the power of God, baby!  So it's not so weird for those of us that know that."

"My testimony of the church has grown so much.  I've been marking up those little scriptures, that you sent me, with all of my missionary scriptures.  I'm going to use them after the mission.  I know that I'll be able to have more opportunities to bring others to the knowledge of this absolutely incredible gospel.  I have learned so much!  I never would have been able to learn the things that I know if I didn't serve a mission.  I wish that every young man would serve a mission and feel what I have felt.  I don't want this happiness to end."

"Well I love you all very much.  I'm so proud to be a missionary of this church.  I'm so happy to have the gospel in my life and I am grateful for the family that I have.  Thanks for everything.  I'll be talking to you sooner than it feels. haha"

Elder Dallon Smith

Bus ride to the Santiago Temple

Heart is Full

Blessings are abundant in Talagante.  Dallon is so full of love for the people he has met and taught.  He will get the opportunity to attend the temple with many of his converts to do work for their ancestors.  It will be one of the most special experiences of his mission so far.

"It is getting fun to read your letters and know that I will be seeing you all soon.  It's starting to hit me here in Chile.  I've only got 4 or 5 more Sundays left and then I am home.  I do have mixed feelings about it.  I feel that there is a lot waiting for me.  I also feel sad to leave a lot of things here, but I feel that I have served my time as a full time missionary and that the Lord is proud of me.  I know that my mission in Chile will end, as the Lord wants it to end, but that my mission on earth has only just begun.  I think the Lord will lead me to many other of his children and that I will be able to help them in the future.  I'm just trying to learn every lesson that I am suppose to here so that I will be ready for anything when I come home.  I think more than anything, I will miss the light that you feel as a missionary.  No matter where you go, it's like you're so important and what you say comes directly from God.  It will be interesting to see how people take me when I don't have my name tag on anymore."

"The ward is starting to freak out that I will be leaving shortly.  It kind of helps with investigators because they start thinking that they need to get baptized or else Elder Smith won't be here when they finally do make the decision.   However, I'm coming to the realization that I will have to leave a lot of things undone.  I'm sad, but at the same time, I know the Lord has a purpose in all things and that if these people really are suppose to be baptized, they will be.  I'm happy for the role that I have played in the conversion of many people here in Talagante.  It's definitely been my favorite sector. I hope that I'll be able to return.  I'll miss being their missionary."

"This week was just full, full, full, of work.  I'm really excited because we are kicking trash with family history.  We have 13 recent converts that all have accounts with Family Search and are taking their ancestors to the temple on the 26th.  That is unreal!  What missionary has taken his converts to the temple with their own family names?! haha  But seriously, I am so excited to be in the temple with a lot of my converts.  It is going to be such a great experience and I am so stoked!  It has been really cool understanding Family Search.  I think all of their ancestors are grateful that we are getting them to the temple.  It has been a really spiritually uplifting experience."

"We have a few investigators that are progressing really well.  We are preparing Tomas for his baptism on the 28th  He is really excited and is going to primary activities.  His Dad is really grateful and it has been cool to teach him.  I think I am a professional kid teacher.  Maybe I'll be good in the primary after the mission. haha  It's been fun to see that God always gives me little kids to teach.  They are like little gifts from heaven.  I like teaching them in a way that they can understand.  I truly hope that every kid that I have taught will become great leaders in the future and serve missions.  I hope one day I'll meet some of them and be proud of them.  I know the Lord will take care of them and guide them in his path."

"The 17 year old I told you about that just came up and basically said that he wanted to be baptized, is Luis.  He is such a stud.  He put his baptism date for the 4th of August.  I'm almost positive that he will serve a mission.  He's awesome!  At the end of the first vision lesson, I asked if he had any questions?  He just said that he was so grateful that we two chose to sacrifice two years of our lives so that he could learn and feel what he was feeling right now.  It was so legit too, because we had two young men with us that bore their testimonies about the Book of Mormon.  What they did blew me away.  The youth in Chile are so strong.  When I was 16, there was no way I would have been able to say the things that they said.  One of the young men had the first vision memorized word for word.  It was absolutely incredible and for a moment I had an out of body experience where I just felt like this was all just too perfect.  I was with three soon to be missionaries.  One first receiving the gospel and the other two testifying of gospel truths.  It was a miracle that I will never forget."

"There are six other investigators that are all doing really well.  I hope that I will be able to see them make their baptismal covenant.  That would be legit!  We have a lot of work in front of us, but I like it this way.  We aren't losing any time.  It's funny that after being in a sector so long, you start to realize why changes are so necessary.  In this ward, I have 10 converts and it is hard to continue to please all of them at the same time.  You want everyone to feel special and know that they are special to you, but it's hard to give each one special attention.  I don't want any one of them to think that others mean more to me.  Every single one is special to me!  All my converts are way active and are doing so well.  Yesterday, Tity gave a talk in sacrament meeting on obedience and did a great job.  One of the counselors from the mission was there and talked about a lot of the things that she shared.  It was cool.  It's awesome to be able to feel so proud of the people you have shared the gospel with.  My heart is full when I see them move forward with faith and participate in the church.  In the beginning you never see them going to church or becoming a member, and then just a couple months later, they are up front bearing their testimony of the Book of Mormon and they know without a doubt that the church is true.  It is just incredible.  I love the mission so much!"

"Time.  There's just not enough of it.  There is a lot of pure work every day, but we are also having a good time.  I am looking forward to be with you all again.  I miss and love you very much!"

Elder Dallon Smith

Carlitos knows missionary work is exhausting!

Singing at Zone Conference

Light at the End

Each week is full of wonderful experiences.  Dallon is going full speed to the end of his mission with four weeks to go.  It is interesting to know by his letters how he is being prepared to return home. 

"What a week!  We were running all over the place.  It started with a zone conference.  I was sad because I knew it would be my turn to give my last testimony.  That basically marks the end of the mission in a lot of ways.  I thought I was going to get all emotional, but it actually wasn't that bad.  Luckily, a lot of my friends in my group go to my zone conference, so I was able to hear their last testimonies too.  I was eighth and knew what I wanted to say.  When I got up I kind of had a mini flashback of my mission.  I realized that I had worked hard and had truly given all that I could.  I felt proud of myself and felt pure joy as I bore my testimony.  I was grateful for every hard time, companion and experience that I had experienced in the mission.  I just felt good, like there was nothing I could change, and that I was ready to take the next step in my life."

"Zone conference was fun.  I got to talk to Elder Britt, Elder Gomez and Elder Camus.  It was good to catch up with them and we had a good time.  Elder Gomez got to hear my last testimony and tried to thank me for everything.  He said that he is the missionary he is because of me.  I thought that was really nice of him to say.  I've been so proud of the missionaries that I've been able to train.  Elder Holton and I gave a class on talking to everyone.  A lot of the missionaries said that they liked our class best.  We tried to be as entertaining as possible.  President King told me he really liked the stories and experiences that I shared.  That was cool."

"We also had concilio.  It was fun and Elder Smart was there with me.  We stuck around eachother and he had me laughing so hard the whole time.  I also got to see Elder Britt and Elder Mackie again.  We had some good food and it was a good meeting.  We also were lucky because Tity and Andrea took us to concilio way early in the morning, so we didn't have to stay over night the day before.  It was a blessing."

"The day before concilio, we went to the wedding of our two little grandparents.  It was funny to see two old people getting so nervous to get married. haha  We all went together in a van and the wedding went really well.  Elder Holton was the testigo or witness because Manuel wanted me to baptize him.  It was really fun and I'll definitely always remember it.  Then on Saturday, we had Manuel's baptism.  He was so excited and got there early. haha  The baptism went really well.  We did a musical number again and Andrea gave a talk on the Holy Ghost.  It was really cool.  Then I got to baptize our Tata.  He had to kneel in the font because he has back problems.  It was a little different, but I got it done in one dunk.  When he came up, he gave me a huge hug and told me that he loved me like his own son.  It was really cool.  Afterwards a bunch of the institute kids came out and started teasing me and saying I was like Juan the baptist. haha  They said that everyone can't believe how many baptisms we have had recently.  I really feel like the Lord is blessing us a lot.  It's insane!  Yesterday, Manuel's family made us a huge barbeque.  They had tons of meat.  I was so stuffed and they just kept it coming. haha"

"There is this kid that is 17 years old that came up to us two weeks ago and said he wanted to be baptized.  He has come to church twice and finally we were able to teach him last night.  He has already read the Book of Mormon through Jacob and has already developed a testimony.  He is basically walking himself to the font.  We were able to put a baptismal date with him.  It's pretty cool just how prepared he is.  He went and found the Branch President and talked to him about the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity and committed himself to have an interview with the President every week.  He is so anxious about everything that it kind of freaks me out!  I am hoping that everything will work out for him and that it's not too good to be true."

"We also have a little kid who is 10 whose parents are divorced.  His Dad is a returned missionary and his Mom isn't a member.  Last night, we had a super spiritual lesson and his Dad just broke down and said that the gospel was the best gift he could ever give his son.  He felt so heart broken and ashamed.  I started getting emotional too because it was such a tender moment that is rare in life.  I was amazed when his son said that he wanted to be baptized.  We committed him for the end of the month and his Dad will be baptizing him.  His Dad isn't inactive, but can't take his son to church because his wife has him on weekends.  Now they are making arrangements, so that he can bring his son to church every week.  We are going to make sure that he is totally ready for his baptism."

"I renewed my temple recommend with President King at concilio.  It was good to talk to him and he was really kind to me.  He told me that he was grateful for my leadership and that it was making a big difference in the mission.  It made me feel good and was real cool."

"It has been a fun mission.  There is still so much work to do and I am going to work my butt off as I sprint to the end.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it just feels right.  I won't stop trying to be a desciple of Christ after the mission.  I am far from perfect, but I have come to trust so much in the spirit and I know that I won't be starting my life alone.  I trust that everything will work out.  I know where I've been and I know where I'm going.  I'm still a normal person, but I will admit that I'll be changed in other ways.  I'm excited for this chapter of my life and I'm excited for the next chapter too.  I feel like I will be with you in just a couple weeks.  I might try to send some stuff home.  It's weird getting ready for all of this.  Have a great week!  I love you!"

Elder Dallon Smith

Elder Smith on the Farm with Manuel

July Concilio

July Zone Conference

Active in the Gospel

Dallon is anxiously engaged in doing missionary work.  He hopes to be able to see all his current investigators baptized before he comes home.  He has also developed a desire to do family history and encouraged us all to get involved.  He shares that it is important to our own salvation, as well as, our ancestors.  Dallon also answered some of the questions we asked him. 

"My days are pretty crazy.  They are all the same in schedule.  We wake up at 7:30 and pretend to do exercises. haha  It's pretty pathetic because we are so tired in the mornings and it's cold!  We take an hour to get ready and basically each take 15 minutes to shower.  Then we start our studies with an hour for language, personal, and companionship study.  As a zone leader our studies generally get all mixed up with extra stuff we have to do.  It feels like there is always something that makes us lose our studies.  I don't like that about being a zone leader.  It throws off my groove. haha  We usually leave for an hour and try to contact some people, then we eat lunch, come back to the pension for a half hour to rest and prepare for the day, and then we leave again.  Luckily we have a lot of citas with investigators that are progressing, so we are running around all day sharing the gospel.  We come home around 10:30, plan really fast and start calling the district leaders.  By 11:30 we finally go to sleep.  We wake up the next day and do the same thing, over and over and over, day after day.  It doesn't really feel the same everyday because things are always changing.  Elder Holton and I have been having fun.  We've really been blessed with people to teach."

"What do I snack on?  I eat Doritos with cream cheese all the time. haha  Everyone makes fun of me because I basically survive off chips.  I'm never really hungry and when I want a snack, there is no way I am going to cook something.  I need time to relax and take advantage of it when I can.  I actually found out that I've lost a bunch of weight.  I don't know why because I really do eat a lot and healthy too.  I get exercise and am always working and on the go.  Maybe it's the stress, but I don't think it's anything to worry about.  All the hermanas get mad at us because we don't eat a lot compared to the other missionaries in the past."

"I've actually loved every single one of my companions and I'm grateful for the lessons they have taught me.  I think companions are the hardest thing in the mission.  It sucks being with one person all the time, even if you like the person.  Sometimes the only blessing you secretly want is time to breathe on your own! haha  I think your companions are the ones who really end up changing you and you can learn so much from them."

"Before I come home, the only thing I really want to do is to baptize the people that we are teaching.  I don't want to leave any of them behind and I want to see them through their whole process.  I just want to finish the mission well and love these people to the end.  I've already come to the realization that although I might not be the best missionary, I have done the best I could.  There are a lot of things that I would have done differently if I could start all over again, but I'm grateful for the experience that I've had and for the things I've learned.  I'll be sure to give Jake a lot of tips before his mission.  I wish I could have known some of these things before my mission.  There is so much that I could have taken advantage of to prepare me better."

"This week we had a capacitation about family history.  We are really focusing on that and it's gotten me excited about it.  I love family search and I can't wait to open my own account and get started.  It's so interesting and the programs that the church has are incredible.  There are so many of our ancestors that are waiting for us to do our part.  After the mission, I hope that I'll have time to do family history.  I think it is the coolest thing.  We need to understand how important it is to our salvation as well as theirs.  If we do family history, we will be active in the gospel and not just active in the church.  We are working with it and some of our recent converts are going to go to the temple at the end of the month to be baptized for their ancestors.  Everyone is so excited and the spirit is really strong.  It's going to be awwwwesome!"

"We also had leadership capacitation.  I got to see a lot of my buddies.  I'm not going to lie, but it can be really boring because we talk about the same things every time, but it is always good to see my friends.  Elder Smart is getting trunkie and talked to me the whole time about what we'll do after the mission.  It's crazy to think about!"

"Andrea's baptism was really awesome.  She had changed so much and was so ready.  Her family all came, except for her mother, but they were all really touched, I think.  I'm hoping that we can send the Elders from her ward to teach her family.  That would be Elder Salines and Ramirez.   Elder Holton and I sang, "How Great Thou Art."  We changed it up and sang a verse in English and even had a key change on the last verse.  It sounded great and the spirit was so strong.  I also overcame my fear and played the piano for everyone.  It is a lot harder to play when everyone is singing, but for the first time, I played flawlessly without a single mistake.  I felt so proud of myself. haha  The baptism went great and a lot of investigators came.  I was so happy for Andrea and all the people who got to be a part of it."

"Our next baptism is Manuel, our dear Grandpa.  He and his wife are taking us to their wedding on Thursday morning.  They are so excited and they have their sights set on the temple.  Manuel told us about his past and all the stuff that he went through.  I love older people so much because they are more humble and can accept the gospel because their pride isn't in the way, so they can feel the spirit easier and recognize answers.  Manuel and his wife, for some reason, have a strong connection with me.  They call me their son and Manuel asked me yesterday if I would baptize him.  He wants us to call him "Tata", which is like saying Grandpa.  I hope that my abuelito converts will be great missionaries, even beyond the veil."

"Time is flying by.  All my buddies are getting excited for after the mission.  I'm excited too, but I'm also sad.  I'm just glad I will be working till the end of my mission and have a lot of people to teach.  I feel so blessed.  Elder Holton is a great friend and I'm sure we'll be friends after the mission too.  Anyways, I love you all very much.  Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe and to encourage others to do the same.  If you do this, blessings will come.  I promise because that is what has happened to me.  I miss you all and pray for you every day."

Elder Dallon Smith

Andrea's Baptism Day

Elders with Tity and Andrea

Andrea with Elder Smith

Elder Smith in Talagante, Chile

Sprinting Towards the End

The end is in sight and Dallon is beginning to reflect back on the past two years.  He has worked hard everyday, set and met his goals, and been overly loved and blessed throughout.  He is so grateful to be a missionary in the Lord's service. 

"Wow, it's amazing how fast time is flying.  I really cannot wrap my head around it.  It feels like I just wrote you a couple days ago.  On Tuesday we had changes.  We traveled to Maipu and it was good to see a lot of my old friends in the mission.  It was also somewhat sad that we had to leave other friends behind.  Elder McBride is now a zone leader with Elder Birch.  I was able to see some old families from Rinconada that have the tradition of dropping off the Elders.  It was really cool to see them again.  We took a picture with all the Elders that have served in Rinconada.  A few families were mad at me for not writing, but I seriously have no time to write at all."

"I am so grateful for the families that I have gotten to know on my mission.  I have been thinking a lot of that this week.  It's incredible to me that the Lord has given me almost everything that I could have wanted in the mission.  I realize that in the beginning of the mission, I had a lot of hopes and a few of them I was really unsure if I was going to be able to reach.  The first one was a goal that Elder Opazo inspired me to make.  He told me that if he could get 24 baptisms on his mission, he would feel successful.  I thought that was an interesting goal and cool to have a baptism every month.  I just barely realized that I've already surpassed that goal.  I'm really not the type of person to care about numbers, so I never was counting.  It is cool that the Lord led me to many people whom had already been prepared."

"Another thing that I wanted was to be able to serve in all parts of the mission.  I got to serve in the coast, city and now country.  I've also never had a companion that hasn't wanted to work, which was one of my fears in the beginning.  I have worked hard every single day of my mission.  I've never had problems pulling any of my companions out of bed in order to get out in the field.  Now that I can look back and see where I am on this journey, I can count my many blessings.  It's awesome to see how far I've come.  I think that you are totally right, Mom.  This mission doesn't end.  I'm not worried because my mission will keep moving on.  I'm going to keep setting goals, keep working hard and keep strengthening my testimony, while also trying to help those who I encounter on the path.  The mission is flippin' hard and I won't lie.  There are times when you are blinded into feeling alone or thinking that things might never be better, but with the gift of the Holy Ghost, you have a constant assurance that things are going to be ok.  That life is hard, but that is what makes those few moments of joy, so worth it."

"We have almost a completely new zone.  We have Elders Van Dyke, Felipe, Mercau, Salines, Manzano, and Burk, that all recently started here in Talagante.  They took out the hermanas and brought in two elders.  We are a complete elders zone!  We are going to take out the trash! haha  We are doing really well and I have high hopes for the change."

"Elder Holton and I are doing well.  He hasn't been feeling well, so we might be staying in the pension a little bit more this week.  We have a lot of appointments already planned out, so it shouldn't be too bad.  This last week we taught 30 lessons.  That's a lot!  We placed 5 baptismal dates and 4 of them came to church.  Andrea passed her interview and Elder Holton will be baptizing her this Saturday.  She is really cool and the changes she has made have been incredible to be a part of.  She is truly converted.  The greatest gift of the mission is to see someone's full conversion.  Almost all of my converts are still active and it is awesome!  I love the mission sooooo much!"

"I haven't been cold because everyone takes care of us here, so don't worry. haha  My electric blanket is heavenly.  I've been sleeping like a baby.  I've been eating really well too.  The sisters in the ward fight over giving us lunch.  There is always at least 8 back up plans if one falls through.  We even have a waiting list. haha  I don't think I've had to be hungry my entire mission.  I'm grateful for that."

"I think that I am in the prime of my mission.  I know how to invite the spirit.  I know when someone is ready and I know how to solve a lot of people's doubts.  I can teach so much more clearly and I present it in a way that they can understand.  I won't lie that I'm the best teacher or have the best Spanish or know a lot of the doctrine, but I feel like I am a missionary of Preach My Gospel.  I teach from the heart and I know when they understand.  I've been grateful for the missionary that I've become, even though I'm not a scriptorian or deep doctrine master.  I feel like I present the gospel in a clear and easy way.  I can teach old people or little kids and help them all to receive answers to prayers.  It's been truly satisfying and there are miracles every day.  Sometimes at night, I just lay there thinking, why is the Lord so good to me?  I have loved being able to break down my walls and let people in.  Although, that has helped me to see a lot of my own faults, insecurities and weaknesses.  My greatest treasures are the relationships that I gain in my life.  Relationships are great and you move on through life continuing to make more relationships and learn more lessons from others.  I'm sprinting towards the end.  I won't give it up 'til the last second.  Les amo muchisimo!"

Elder Dallon Smith

Elders who served in Rinconada

Elders Mackie, Smith & Smart

Elders Smith, McBride, Holton, & Ramirez

MTC mates: Elders Smith, Cummock, and Birch