Surprise Transfers (Mar. 2)

Hey so suprise!

This week was going mas o menos but honestly we could tell that something was off.  Then on Saturday morning during companionship study we got a call from the APs and Hermana Patrick looks at me and goes ¨This is it, I'm going to Blas, I've had a feeling all week¨ and I didnt believe her because transfers aren't for two more weeks but we answered the phone and sure enough they told us that Hna patrick was going to San Blas Islands and that I would be getting a new companion here in Santiago and that we should be in Panama as soon as possible.  Patrick packed like crazy and said goodbye to a few people and by 3 we were on the bus to Panama to pick up my new companion.  We knew we were getting changes, they just came a couple weeks early!

My new companion is the Hermana Contreras from Guatemala and she has almost 5 months in the mission.  We have only been together for about 36 hours but I can already tell that I am going to learn a lot this transfer!  First off I am going to really get this whole Spanish thing!  And then I am going to learn how to be bolder in all of my teaching...Hermana Contreras is BOLD and the members and investigators are already responding and I really hope and think that it will be a good thing for Santiago.  More than just knowing the language, Latinos have a real gift for teaching and making people listen and understand so I hope a little bit of that will rub off on me during our time together! 
    This is something completely new and completely different!  Missions, I´ve decided, are super uncomfortable.  If you feel comfortable on a mission then you aren't doing it right.  As soon as you feel comfortable- with a companion, with the language, your knowledge of the scriptures, with teaching, contacting, working with members- The Lord is going to give you something to push you out of your comfort zone again and show you where you´re lacking so that you can cry and be scared and then do whatever it is you´re being asked to do. Sounds terrible right?  WRONG.  It is the best and everyone should live life this way because all of these things are preparing me for all of the good things to come in my life and all of these things are preparing me to be HAPPY, not just right now but for eternity!  Do something that makes you uncomfortable (in a good way, obviously) this week and know that I am right there next to you, except I´m in Panama. 

Love you, miss you,

Hermana Smith