Malta | week 16

 The Grotto

 Malta

 Their trash at 8am...

 The trash at 10am... haha!

1.12.2015

As you can see from some of the pictures, we have had some pretty fun pdays the last couple of weeks. It blows my mind how much there is to see in such small places as Gozo and Malta. Last week we got to go to two grottos, an old watchtower, some ancient temples, and a windmill. The temples were 5600 years old, and we read a lot of interesting history behind it. Today is Elder Orfilas birthday so we are going bowling and out to dinner at today. One of the benefits of serving in Malta is awesome pdays for sure. 

This week our friend Brian actually took us to a bay near his house I had never been to before where we had a lesson. We had a really funny experience on the way there. There was a really narrow street lined with stones on both sides towards the bay and a girl about 20 years old was driving towards us. She had to reverse about 200ft so we could pass, and she was having a really hard time doing it. I started laughing, and Brian said in a really serious tone, "stop, thats the worst thing you could do for her confidence." 2 minutes later, we passed her and he started cracking up, "she was so nervous." When we got there we read from Alma 32 together talking about faith to achieve some of his spiritual goals for the new year. I remember my dad always use to tell me how the gym was packed for the first 3 weeks of January and then back to normal around the first week of February. We explained that Alma 32 explains how we can refrain from being that guy. It was a really good night.

On Saturday we also got to visit with Fastus and Claudia. They are a married couple with 3 kids, but Fastus lives here in Malta and she is living in Denmark. Fastus is not a member, so we have been visiting them the past couple weeks and teaching some of the lessons, and he is so nice to us. On Saturday they bought a bag full of oranges, apples, carrots, and cachi (an italian fruit) and made us each like a liter of freshly squeezed juice, and then he pulled out some fish he just bought from the market. I ate 3 full fish with the skin and everything. It took some time to get the bones out of my teeth after, but it was so good. The fish here is really growing on me. She is taking the kids back up to Denmark this week to start work and school again. We knew it will be hard for them, so we decided to show the Mormon Message, "Mountains to Climb" There little boys were being really rowdy the whole time we were there, but immediately went silent while President Eyring began to speak. We explained to them how little children are so close to Heavenly Father, and really receptive to the spirit. It was incredible how they listened to a prophets voice for 5 minutes without talking once. After it finished they were running around and loud until we left. 

Overall, it was another solid week. We found a new girl to teach this week for the first time in a couple weeks which was really exciting, but unfortunately she is too busy to see us until February. She is studying at the university to be a religion teacher in malta, and she committed to read from the  Book of Mormon. Sometimes Im not the best teacher, I just hope people read the book. Its words are so much more powerful than mine. 

Have a good week. 

Anziano Smith

Malta | week 15

(photos all from previous weeks!)

1/5/2015

Today we have a very busy pday planned, so I don't have much time to write. 

Our New Years Eve/Day celebration was nothing special as we were in the apartment the whole time, but the rest of the week was eventful. I was able to do an exchange with Anziano Carr for the first time which was a great experience. He is from Missouri and has been on his mission one transfer longer than me. We visited Paul and read Alma 32 together talking about developing the faith to keep Gods commandments. He came to church Sundaymorning after working the night shift Saturday night and into Sunday morning. I think that was the third time in five weeks he has done that too. He is probably teaching us a lot more than we are teaching him. Its gone that way a lot on my mission. 

This week the senior couple went up to Rome to get some paperwork done, and they brought back our mail from the mission office. I got a couple of letters for Christmas, and they brightened my week a ton. I know that a couple things people have sent still havent gotten here, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who wrote something or has prayed for me or anything. I have felt the love and prayers of other people so many times on my mission that has kept me going, and it means the world to me. This week we met with a man from Nigeria who left everything to come and work here in Malta. He is working all day, renting a room in an apartment, and doesnt have any family or friends here. I asked him why he doesnt go back home, and his answer really humbled me. He said that he could go back if he wanted, but he could only make enough money to support himself, but if he came here he could save to send his nieces and nephews to school and put food on the table for his family. He said that he could not do what he was doing right now if it were not for his great love and care for his family. I could really relate to that, and it touched me. It is amazing what the love for our family can move us to do. I shared that while teaching young mens class this week in church. The lesson was titled "Why is Jesus Christ important to me?" At the end of the lesson we watched the Bible Video "My Kingdom is not of This World" and I invited the Chati and Damyan to think what the love of the Savior moved him to do for them, and what they can do in return for him and set some goals for the new year. I encourage everyone to do the same. 

Happy New Years,

Anziano Smith

Malta | week 14

12/29/2014

I could not have asked for a better Christmas this year. We spent time mostly with the Hancocks (new senior couple here) and also several of our members. On Christmas Eve night we went over to the O'Keeffes home and watched Ephraim's Rescue and ate a wonderful dinner. It was the 4 of us missionaries, Brother and Sister O'Keeffe, and Mina a member from Egypt who is in Malta for about 2 months for work. It was really cool because the movie (about the pioneers) started of in Preston, England which is where the O'Keeffe's are from, so it was really special for them to learn more about the history of the church in their city. Regardless of where you are from though, that movie is incredible. It certainly made me want to be a better missionary. It also made me want to stop complaining about any challenge I face, cause they faced so many greater ones. 

On Christmas Day, we spent most of our time with the Hancocks making food, watching movies, and then skyping home. There is seriously nothing better than talking with the family. After I talked with my family, I thought of the lady in Ephraims Rescue who crossed a river with her son on her shoulders and the river was deeper than she was tall, and when she got to the other side she testified that a miracle had happened. It made me think that being away from my family for this long is something I couldnt do anywhere else but the mission.  That in and of itself is one of the miracles of missionary service. 

We were also able to watch the First Presidency Christmas devotional with Chati and visit the Allen family for a meal. One of the highlights of the week was visiting Mater Dei (a big hospital near our house) on Sunday after church. We have visited a really nice lady named Maria 2 or 3 times since I have been here who is a long-time friend of the missionaries. About 10 days ago her mother had a heart-attack, and we visited her in the hospital Sundayafternoon. Maria has visited her every afternoon from 12 to 4, and her sister every evening from 4 to 8. It is one of the greatest expressions of love I have seen. They were both really busy during the holiday season with family and friends but they have taken 4 hours out of each day to be with their mom even though she is in good care. We read Mosiah 4:26 with her which is about ministering to the sick and afflicted "according to their wants," and that is exactly what they were doing. 

Malta is a really special place to me, and I will never forget this Christmas...or the one last year in Caserta. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here with my awesome companions, members of the church, and all of the others I have come to know here. Hope everyone else had a good Christmas and will have a good New Years!

Presbiteru Smith

Malta | week 13

12/22/2014

This week was nothing short of amazing. When I wrote home last week I was sitting in the mission office in Rome, and those two days I had in Rome were two of the most special days of my mission. 

First of all, Francesco is way to nice. We met up and went out to lunch, and he gave me several things for Christmas. I was with Anziano Carr and Hancock, and it was the first time for both of them in Rome so Francesco showed us his work and some of the touristy places nearby. 

Afterwards, we headed back to the office where I met up with Anziano Hatch, and we were companions for the next 2 days pretty much. He is in a trio with the other 2 assistants right now, and since they were down in Sicily he was staying with Anziano Stevens, a senior missionary who is working in the office. Anyways, that Monday night I wanted to go out and work with Anziano Hatch so bad, but he obviously couldnt get around because of his foot. We had to drive to Termini though to pick up a missionary who had to go back home to the north to renew his visa, and his train didnt get in until 930. We got their around 845, and we just sat down somewhere. Over the next hour, 3 people came over and approached us and started conversations. That literally never happens. It was such a powerful witness to me that God gives us according to our desires. 

By the time we dropped off the other missionary at his apartment and got to where Anziano Hatch is staying with Anziano Stevens, it was 11. Our key wasnt working to get in the apartment and so we had to ring the doorbell and wake him up. That night was absurd. 

Being able to stay with Anziano Hatch and Stevens was such a blessing. Anziano Stevens told us that he was an Elders Quorum President twice, a Bishop Twice, a Stake President for 9 years, he sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for 6 years, he was a sealer in the Salt Lake Temple, and he has 4 degrees from the University of Utah. I dont know if I have ever met a more well rounded man who has lived a fuller, happier life. On Tuesday night the 3 of us ate dinner and talked for about 3 hours, and my perspective on the person I want to be after my mission completely changed. All night I was learning, and we laughed and cried together. Hatch and I were also able to call Daniel and Antonio in Caserta, and they are doing incredible. Antonio was baptized about  6 weeks after I left Caserta, and a couple months after that Daniels cousin got baptized. Now Daniels parents are taking the lessons. I remember when we met them on a Friday morning. We always to weekly planning on Friday mornings in the house, but after we said the opening prayer, we both felt that we should go visit a sister in the ward. We went and taught a lesson to her and her son, but nothing special happened. On the train ride back we met Daniel and Antonio. That was the first Friday morning of my mission I wasnt in the house doing weekly planning. Im so grateful that Heavenly Father can prompt his children to do certain things, if we are just worthy and willing to listen. 

Tuesday night I wrote this in my journal: As I was praying tonight thinking of what to ask Heavenly Father for, I had a stupor of thought. There was nothing to ask Him for, because I was at complete peace. When we feel his peace, we dont need anything else. 

We also had an incredible specialized training at Rome 2 that afternoon. There was a sister missionary serving in Rome 1 who shared some counsel that really touched me. When President Eyring came to the Vatican for marriage counsel, he visited the Rome 1 ward, and gave a promise to all of the missionaries. He said that as we tell people who we truly are (disciples of Jesus Christ), those who are being prepared to recieve the restored gospel will recognized us. The day after we got back we had a lesson with a Maltese man named Raymond. He is the nicest man I have met my entire time here in Malta. I could write a lot about him, but suffice it to say, he is awesome. When we started the lesson I followed the counsel that President Eyring gave, and it changed the whole lesson. There are no more humbling words I could ever say than telling people I am a disciple of Jesus Christ called to teach his gospel. Following the counsel we recieve every 6 weeks at zone conference reminded me of Naaman who had to go dip himself in the River Jordan 7 times, so he could be healed. It was so simple, and he didnt understand why, but when he humbled himself to do it, he was healed. I have seen the same thing by following the counsel of the leaders of the mission. 

Aside from the amazing moments of the week, we have had some awkward ones too. This week our hot water went out, and the guy we called up to come check it out couldnt fix it either. Elder Burkhart invented a new way to take a shower that has been quite interesting. We boiled a bot of hot water, mixed it with some cold water, and used a big pasta spoon to pour the water on us. On top of that, I sprained my ankle Thursday morning and had to do that hopping on one foot. We are going on day 4 of that, and it is getting old fast. I dont think the guy to fix it is free til after Christmas either. Its all good though. Second interesting experience of the week was getting a haircut from a guy who only spoke Maltese, and I had to take my glasses off and couldnt see a thing. I had no idea what he was doing with my hair. After the haircut I was so scared to put my glasses back on and see what he did. It wasnt too bad though. 

This week finished with some awesome lessons as well. One of which was teaching Paul with our friend Chati. Chatis testimony at the end of the lesson, was so powerful. He said, "I know that as you keep saying your prayers, reading your scriptures, and get baptized that things will go well for you my brother. They have for me, and I am not who I used to be." I will never forget that. Paul has a baptismal date for the middle of February, and he is very excited about it, and so are we. 

After this week I have a new favorite scripture in the Book of Mormon. It is in Ether 2: 24-25, and it says, "For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" 

It made me think of my mission. I know that every storm of rain, wind, and wave has been sent because God loves me and is blowing me towards the land of promise. But the most beautiful thing is that we can always of light even when we are swallowed up in the depths and that is only possible because of the Savior Jesus Christ. His love and care are constant, but we have to ask in faith for that light to be shown to us in some way.I truly do know that we can be happy every single day of our lives as we remember him and follow him. I hope everyone enjoys the Christmas video by the church, "He is the Gift" and really does think about that during this upcoming week. Merry Christmas!

Presbiteru Smith

Malta | week 12

12/15/2014

I do not have very much time to report on the week, but suffice it to say that things are going excellently. We just arrived in Rome this morning for our specialized training which will be tomorrow, and it has  been such an incredible day. Right now I am sitting in the mission office with Anziano Hatch, and it has been such a blessing to be able to see him and catch up. He injured his ankle down in Sicily, and is now up in the office in Rome. I could not write enough about the example he has been for me or the influence he has had on me if I could write for the rest of the night. When I first heard about his injury, I was puzzled cause I knew he is one of the most valiant missionaries in the mission. Talking with him and others about what he has experienced the past couple of weeks has taught me that his strength and ability to be an instrument in the Lords hands has not decreased, but it has increased. He has had an experience that most would use as an excuse, into an opportunity to teach many pepole, including many doctors who have operated on him. It is one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen in my life.

 

This past week we had a great Christmas Party at the Church in which about 40 people came out to. We left early cause it did not end until around 11. Unfortunately our sacrament attendance took a hit due to the late party. Lesson learned for the future. It was a really spiritual Sunday nonetheless. President De Carlo told us that he recieved an email from a man in Tunisia who met the missionaries on mormon.org, and wants to be baptized but he cant because he church is not in Tunisia yet. He asked if he can fly to Malta to get baptized. He talked about the gospel and how it will sound in the ear of every nation, kindred, and toungue, and this could be the first man from Tunisia to join the church. It is so incredible to see the gospel spread to fill the whole world.

 

Things continue to go well down in Malta. We are very excited for this Christmas season as we have planned with our members and friends some very good times. Im grateful for the opportunity to experience two Christmases in the mission field because it has really taught me to make Christ the center of season/celebration. One of the many lessons I plan on carrying over after the mission. Have a wonderful Christmas season back in the States!

 

Presbiteru Smith

Malta | week 11

Azzures Window 

Boat ride to Gozo

Regan, Chati, Anziano Rivera, and Dayman

12.8.2014

This morning we took Anziano Rivera to the airport. He went up to Rome, and tomorrow he flies home. He finished really strong here in Malta, and he will definitely be missed. We will always think of him when we walk through the skatepark from now on as we look at his final mark he left on Malta. That would be a giant Book of Mormon graffiti. No worries, graffiti is allowed in skateparks here. We will see if any fruits come from this soon. 

Last Monday morning I had a really humbling experience. We went over  to Simons home and visited with him and his wife Elena. Elena was having bad back pains, and Simon suggested that she should recieve a priesthood blessing. She was reluctant at first, but then accepted the offer. Ok, this next part may sound gross, but it taught me an important lesson. Before I went into their home, I picked a scab on my finger and it started bleeding. I washed it off really good when I first got inside, but then I had to wash it again before I put my hands on her head to give her the blessing. It was a really spiritual experience, and she began to cry after the blessing because of the Spirit that came. It was a reminder to me that the only way we can ever invite the Spirit is if our hands and our hearts are completely clean. Just like I would have never layed a bloody finger on her head, I can never act in Christs name if Im not clean. It was a great motivation to me to always stay spiritually clean so I can serve in His name. 

The second really humbling event of the week was getting to hear the story of one of our Phillipino members this week. We cannot meet her at her house because she is a single lady, so we met her in the food court of a mall near her house. She ordered us food before we got there, because she knew we wouldnt let her buy anything for us. Then she told us she invited 2 of her friends to meet with us who would be there in 30 minutes. We asked her why she was so nice to us/engaged in missionary work even though she didnt even know us well at all. She told us that when she was a teenager, her 7 year old little brother had Lukemia, and her father used all of their savings to fly him to the best hospital in the Phillippines. He had prayed that if it was possible, God would take his life instead of his sons life. Long story short, 2 days after he flew his son up, he was murdered by some drunk men, and his son ended up being one of the only Lukemia survivors of the hospital. The next week she, her other brothers, and her mom flew up to see their brother, and visit and forgive the man in prison who killed their father. She told us that her family always taught her to share her blessings with everyone, especially the missionaries. It was one of the most tender moments of my mission by far. Then we taught her friends. Great day. 

So this week we were at Maltese course, and we were reviewing the progress we have made in our time here. As I compared my progress in Italian after 3 months to my progress in Maltese after 3 months I learned an interesting lesson. I remember learning Italian was one of the most stressful things I have ever done. I felt inadequate, not smart enough, and I messed up time and time again. Maltese on the otherhand has been different. We have been studying more the like the way we studied in high school. We have memorized words, studied grammar charts and so on. I have written it down and recited it back, but I havent been trying to use it other than in the class really. It hasnt pushed me out of my comfort zone, and because of that I have barely learned any Maltese at all. I realized that the growth I have made personally on my mission has been much the same. I have grown the most when I have fallen, made mistakes, and been taken out of my comfort zone. The difference with the mission is it is teaching us how to be like Christ instead of learning a language, and we will never fully achieve that goal. It is a constant process that will take much longer than 2 years. Im so grateful for the opportunity to serve full time for two years. It is teaching to be like Christ like the MTC taught me Italian-by immersion and making mistakes. Instead of earning a grade (like school style of learning), we are growing by his grace and mercy. I know that is true because I have felt his help in so many ways each and every day. 

Presbiteru Smith

Malta | week 10

Regan and Anziano Burkhart with Mount Etna (volcano) in the background

 Volcano!

 Regan at Thanksgiving dinner

A picture Regan sent home of one of his best friends Francesco (in the middle)

12.1.2014

After spending 3 days in Catania this week, I know why so many missionaries always say that Sicily is their favorite area. I loved everything about Catania. The best part by far was being able to see old friends. Some of them I hadn't seen since the MTC and others in just a couple of months, but it is always so good just to be able to talk and hear about others experiences and how they are doing. 

My second day there, I got to do an exchange with Anziano Fossa. He is from Venice and goes home next week. I didn't even know that he was going home next week until I asked. He was working like he was in the middle of his mission. It was the best example to me of someone who endures to the very end. We got to go and help a lady prepare her stuff to move back to Nigeria next week, and we also got to teach a less active family together. It was a great lesson about repentance, and I learned a lot from Anziano Fossa. He was a great teacher. That afternoon we went to an American family's house who lives near Mt. Etna for Thanksgiving lunch. I seriously lucked out on being in Catania at the right time. There were 40 Americans from the military base there who prepared a Thanksgiving lunch big enough for probably 100 people. They were so nice. There were the 4 Catania missionaries, 4 Malta missionaries, the 2 assistants, and a senior couple all invited. That night I got to teach English Course in the Catania church which was fun. It was the first time I taught English in forever, because we dont have it in Malta, and the sisters taught the course when I was in Rome 5. 

Zone Conference the next day was the bomb. Anziano Romano and Fossa are the zone leaders,  so they were responsible for the conference. Each zone conference, they are allowed 3 euro a person for lunch which would have been around 120 euro. Instead Romano cooked by himself for 40 people using 35 euro, and it was really good too. It was a dish he learned from a member-dont know what its called in English. It was quite impressive. The conference itself was one of the best I have been to. Every transfer, the messages are exactly what I need to hear. Im so grateful for the leaders in this mission-both the missionaries and the Waddoups. I seriously couldnt do it without them. 

We came back to Malta Saturday morning and had a miraculous day. We got to meet with our friend Paul for the first time outside of church. He is originally from the Congo, but he just moved here a couple weeks ago from the France. The night before I slept on the floor of the Catania apartment, and I woke up at 5 to leave for the airport without taking a shower. My clothes werent really clean either. We met with Paul 2 hours after our plane got in, and right when we met with him, I wasnt tired or anything. We had a great lesson, and he committed to read the Book of Mormon, and he came to church Sunday. I cant forget experiences like that. When the Lord needs us to be somewhere or do something, we strengthens us so we can do it. Saturday afternoon we found 2 new people who agreed to meet with us again. In both occassions we applied what we learned from our leaders at zone conference. 

Sunday was a really special day in church as well. Anziano Orfila and I teach young mens which just consists of Damyan for the moment. This week we taught the lesson on work and self-reliance. At the end of the lesson we watched the video "A Work in Progress" about Tyler Haws. It made me think of all the things I have worked for in my life. I especially thought about basketball, school, and scouting.. None have been nearly as rewarding as serving a mission. None of the other things have been nearly as challenging either. Not only is it worth it, but it is one of the greatest blessings of my life. I know that the blessings we receive from the Lord always outweigh any effort or sacrifice we make for him, and on the mission we leave everything behind and give all we have. Basically, I could never thank the Lord enough for all he has done for me.  

Sincerely,

Anziano Smith