I Love Christmas Season!
    Mom thank you so much for the gifts. I never know what to expect in the mailbox, haha!  It hasn't been that long since I last emailed so not much has gone on. But it's a great time of year with Christmas getting close.  It really doesn't feel like it since it's still warm here and there's no snow, but there's a lot of houses decorated with lights so that makes it fun.  It's weird to think that it's December and we're still outside in shorts and a t-shirt on pday haha. This week we have been working with Dottie a few times, an investigator, and I got to give her pet parrot a bath last week, that was fun haha. It stood on my arm and I held it under the shower for awhile. It's a funny bird, it talks to you and dances around. But Dottie is moving tomorrow....as usual with our investigators ha. They always seem to move, but that's alright because the Lord is watching over them.
    I'm sorry to hear about Morgan's ankle, I hope it heals fine with no problems. And Dad yes, I'm getting along great with Elder Barton, we work well together. He's really  A.D.D. though so he gets really distracted easily, but it's funny sometimes so we work it out. We run stairs almost every morning for workout at the softball field next door, there's about 90 stairs in a row, so that's fun as well haha.
    With the Christmas season coming up I wanted to share a thought. This comes from Ether chapter 12. I love this chapter, it's all about Faith. Throughout the chapter, the word faith is mentioned over 30 times and it gives many examples of people exercising their faith throughout the Book of Mormon. Such as verse 13 that states "it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth", this of course was when they were being held prisoners and prayed for their lives, then God answering their prayer.  The challenge I extend to all who reads this is to go through and study this chapter, then make your own list of things that you have done because of faith. Such as, it was by faith that I  . . . . .did this or that.  As you do this, I know your faith can grow to see what the Lord has helped you through in your life and what he can help you through in the future.  I have done this and it has strengthened my faith in what I am doing here.  It's by Faith that I left home and came on my mission, and it's by faith that I continue everyday to do the Lords work.  That decision has blessed my life immensely and I wouldn't take it back for anything.  I'm so grateful for what the Lord has done for me and for the faith that I have in Him.  May you all be blessed this season as you remember Christ's role in your life and what he did for us.  I hope all is well this next week.
Love Elder Smith