April 25

April 25, 2016

Just another week! We taught some way cool people who are on the path of progressing. We are excited for them. We taught some crazy people who make great stories but not great investigators. We also had some times when we didn't teach at all.

I have been thinking a lot lately about faith. Faith is really the key to conversion and a desire to believe. People will only progress if they are willing to exercise faith, and they will only gain more faith by exercising the faith they already have. Most of the people we teach who don't progress don't have enough faith to keep their commitments, but faith is one thing we as missionaries can't give people. They have to grow it themselves. 

I really like the comparison of faith to a seed in Alma chapter 32. We have to nourish it and help it grow. In Malagasy there are two words that can be used to say grow. The first is mitombo which simply means to grow. The second is mampitombo which means to cause to grow. We have to work to increase our faith or else it will die. We see members of the church all the time who have let that faith wither away and die, which is really sad. Luckily, thanks to Christ's atonement they have the opportunity to regrow it.

Well that's just a little thought I've had. I'm finally going to a lemur park today so expect some good pictures next week! I love you!!!!

Word of the week is finoana which means faith.

This is a message we received from the mission office April 21.

Dear Parents of Madagascar Missionaries-

Some of you may have heard about the cyclone that passed through our area a few days ago.  We wanted to let you know it missed Madagascar completely, skirted Reunion and  Mauritius.  All missionaries are accounted for  and safe, and we sustained no apartment damage.

Thanks for your support.

April 18

April 18, 2016

Elder Liao has been sick this week, but we still went out and visited some people most days. We have a good amount of people to teach, but most aren't very mazoto (diligent). However we started teaching a family this week we met a few weeks ago that is already progressing! It is way cool. Hopefully they come to church this week

Really though not a lot happened this week. I would say I am now functional in Malagasy but still not fluent. I can get around though. It's usually hardest when people talk about things other than the gospel. Because pretty much all they teach you in the MTC and with the study helps is how to talk about the gospel.

Way cool that Kyle got his mission call!! Way excited for him!! Tell him congrats!! I am also way excited for mothers day!! I should be able to call pretty early Monday morning my time!! I get to do it at my branch president's house!! You will probably get to meet him and his wife!! They are both returned missionaries and pretty good at English. They also have two adorable little girls. the youngest is less than a week younger than Dakota!


I love you!! Sorry this email is short.

Wesley & Corey with the same friends!

Wesley & Corey with the same friends!

April 11

April 11, 2016

So conference was great!! I got to watch it in English after all, which is good because while my skill is improving I still would not have understood much.

I learned a lot. I felt like more than half the talks were meant just for me. A couple things I felt the speakers really focused on were humility, families, temples, and God's love for his children. I was especially impressed with how often they talked about the importance of families and the temple. President Uchtdorf had some really funny lines. The one in the priesthood session was absolutely great!! I am grateful for living prophets and apostles who receive revelation and guide us. I read an article from a Liahona recently that talked about how while the book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion it's not the foundation. Our church is founded on prophets, apostles, and Christ (who is the chief cornerstone). I am truly grateful for the love and encouragement they shared in general conference.

Other than general conference not much to talk about. Elder Liao has been a bit sick, but he has been pushing through it. This morning we played soccer which was way fun! I've realized I'm not very good though.

Afterwards Elder Liao went to try and buy some cleats for the next time, It is way hard to find shoes my size here. Everywhere we went all I asked was what was their biggest one, and they were all too small, I finally found a pair that was only a little small, but they worked. Meanwhile Elder Liao who is rather short got to pick and choose. Malagasies are not very tall.

Well I love you all! I hop you have a great week!!

Word of the week is kodas which means cleats!

Elder Corey Smithson

April 4

April 4, 2016

Elder Liao is pretty cool, he is coming up on the end of his mission. He is from Minnesota but his parents are from Taiwan. It's kind of weird instead of just vahaza [White] we also hear sinoa(shnoo) [Chinese] all the time too. It's kind of interesting.

I'm way excited for conference!!! I'm jealous you already got to watch it!!! Ill get to watch it this weekend. Most likely I'll watch it in Malagasy and then watch it in English on my own some other time. I am very grateful for living prophets and apostles who guide Christ's church. Their testimonies of the living Christ are the basis of our belief. Everything else is just an appendage.

This week has been pretty hard. We did a lot of talking and walking and not a lot of teaching. We had two days this week where we didn't teach any lessons. That doesn't happen very often here in Madagascar. Most missionaries I know have had one, maybe two days their whole mission where they didn't teach a lesson.

Side note; Sundays are usually the hardest day of the week for me. I always get my hopes up that people will come to sacrament meeting, but then they don't and I get kind of sad. When the sacrament comes around I begin to feel a lot better because I remember Christ and his sacrifice. It is such a privilege to get to take the sacrament every week. I wish I could help every less active we teach understand that. The sacrament is the main reason we go to church on Sundays, to renew our covenants with our heavenly father.

So there isn't much else to say about my week except yesterday. Yesterday had some ups and downs. A lot of people who said they would come to church didn't. On the bright side, one lady did!! Then after church we had 11 appointments planned. We had set up splits with our two active young men however one of them didn't come to church. So afterwards I asked a recently returned missionary named Fr Pascual if he could help us. He is awesome!! He finished his mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in October and got married a month or so ago. Fun fact about his wife I believe Wesley taught her. and he should know Pascaul. They used to be in Ampifilo I believe. Next week I'll have a picture. She says she has a picture with Wesley! Anyways he has a bicycle and that is how they get to church (its a 30 minute ride she sits on the center bar). So she came with us since she didn't have another way home and there wasn't time for him to go drop her off and come back. It was actually quite fun going with them. Of the 3 appointments we were supposed to go to together, only one was home. They are planning on going to the temple though just as soon as he finds a job and can save enough money for their passports. I'm way excited for them.

So it turned out that of the 11 times we had planned with two possible back ups, we taught two of them. It was a little discouraging. Right as our last one fell through we were ready to just go home and break our fast when this lady walked by and stared at us. Luckily Elder Liao noticed and he started talking to her. She thought we were Jehovah witness or bible teachers like a lot of people here do. She very quickly invited us into her house just around the corner. She lives with her parents and her husband (her husband wasn't there but here parents were), they were very accepting and interested and accepted a time for us to come back every Sunday at 6. It was way cool, I have never talked to someone who has seemed so ready for the gospel as her family. Elder Liao and I are really excited. We were absolutely shocked. I could not have asked for a better end to the week. Elder Liao commented about all the things that led to us being in that spot at that time and it is pretty miraculous. A lot of things had to fall through for us to be there right then, but it was way cool, way worth it!!!

Well I love you!!!

Word of the week is fotoam-bavaka which is how we refer to church services on sunday. literally it means time of prayer.

Random, not don't know if i already told you this but when asking people where they go to church you literally ask them where they pray.