My tag . . . worn with pride!

Dear Family & Friends,

Well, I’m glad to hear that you are all doing fine! I hope Julia had a fun time in Costa Rica, I really was planning on trying to see her but I couldn’t with transfers—oh well. It sounds like Nick is doing good in the MTC. I can’t wait to get a FREE Subway sandwich from Spencer when I get home. Landon, I hope you and Dad have fun at Camp Tracy and Pirates 4 is one of the first movies that I will watch the night I get home! Dad . . . thanks for all the information that you sent me. The church building is a really big house and yes, it has everything like a computer, printer, MLS and all the forms and everything. I also have both the instructional manuals for bishops and stake presidents.

Being Branch President has been pretty easy so far (it's now been 5 days ha ha). I haven’t had to do too much yet. Yesterday, it was Sunday and we went to a Priesthood Conference. A man in our branch got the Melchizedek Priesthood and I had to give a talk in church, but that was about it. So the branch has an attendance of about 15 members. Our number one goal is to get attendance up to at least 30 members. The branch is actually very old and there are a lot of less active members. From what I have heard there were a few missionaries and leaders in the past who did some things and for that, the progress of the branch was stopped and last year they were even thinking about closing the area. So we have a ton of work to do.

As far as investigators go, we are teaching a man named Jimmy. He has a baptismal date for the 25 of June and he came to church yesterday. We are also teaching a lady named Maritza and her 5 daughters. There is a recent convert named Orlando and he is Maritza’s brother, and we are also teaching another one of their sisters named Gerardina.

Basically we will be working to reactivate the less active members, find, teach, convert and baptize more investigators, keep the active members involved with activities and stuff like that, etc. The youth have a temple trip next week. Also, I am in charge of 4 sister missionaries and the ZLs are in my district. BTW Elder Sirrine is in my district and he is one of the ZLs, so basically we have been the same zone for like our whole missions and finally we get to go on divisions and do fun stuff together on P-days.

Well, I love you all. I have almost started my 20 week countdown (ha ha) and my D&C reading countdown (You start at section 138 and read a section every day until I get to section 1 and then I will be home!!!!) I really don’t care what you send in my package, but make sure there are a bunch of family pictures.

Love Elder Smith

Ps. I did pull out some money because I had to do some cleaning in our house and there was no food!