I hope I will be able to take advantage of every last minute of that time that I have here

Hey there peeps!
Well there really isn’t too much to say, since I was able to talk to you guys yesterday about what is going on over here with me. I am feeling a little bit better today, but whenever I have been walking my nausea, headache, and stomach pains increase. So that is rather annoying. I really just can’t wait until they figure out what I have. We shall see what happens! The nurses are setting up an appointment for me to get everything done. I am not quite sure when it will finally be resolved, but everything will turn out alright, whatever happens. I just don’t want to leave this mission, even if it means working in the office until I finish my mission. Next change starts the time of my last 6 months anyways, so I will not mind being in the office at all.

Pres. Watts got here last night. I will be able to see him in the office later this afternoon. Pres. Torres leaves tomorrow. So crazy to think that I have a new mission president now. When I first entered the mission and found out when the Torres' would go home I thought about how much time I would have in the mission....Now the time is here and I have a little more than 7 months left of my time serving the Lord. I hope I will be able enjoy and take advantage of every last minute of that time that I have here.

Crazy that Jake is getting old like that, he will always just be the chubby little brother to me, no matter how old he gets haha. And even dating the girls now, that’s weird. And Allison is all old and crap too. What is up with that? When is she going to Florida? Congratulate her for me on her new church assignment.

Hahaha I can’t wait to see this trophy that Brian made and all the pictures from this year's edition of our family Tank Wars! Get some good videos of it for me too ok?

"How Firm a Foundation" is a good one. Here in Q'eqchi'-landia we sing that hymn all the time. However it is called Kawaq lee Paab'al. It’s a favorite among the qawachins (the old guys).

Well I really wish that I had more to be able to write you all but that is about it. I am just chillin in the office everyday. Maybe what will happen is that I just become an office elder, just like dad! We'll see what happens with everything I guess. I will try and keep you updated the best that I can. I love you all and I hope you have a great week!!
Stay Strong
Keep the Faith
Love Elder Jordan Smith

I have definitely not improved since last week.

HEY THERE!
Well this week really nothing happened again. I returned to my area. I have only been able to work a few hours a day taking rests in between and things like that, so the work hasn’t really been able to progress. So that is kind of frustrating. I was going to have to wait another week until I go back to the capital, but I got a call today saying to come back tomorrow! Because Hna. Torres thinks it is better for her and Pres. Torres to be able help me take care of it now than to have the new Pres. and his wife help. Because they will be all stressed out and won’t really know how to help as much. So I am headed back down to the capital tomorrow morning to visit with a real doctor. Haha. So we will see what happens, because I have definitely not improved since last week. When I went to the doctor in Cobán he thought it was my appendix....but I did a urine and blood test, and it came out negative for anything for the appendix. The doctor in Cobán said maybe an obstruction in my liver or my gall bladder. But who knows. I need to get like an ultra sound or something to figure it out completely. The doctor said its nothing too serious, it just needs to get taken care of and I will be good to go. It definitely could be a parasite... but don’t you think I would at least have diarrhea or something like that? And the pain is on the right side of my stomach, not really near my actual stomach at all, so it is super weird...who knows. I am going to a really good medical facility tomorrow to get it all done with. But I think everything will be perfectly fine once they figure out what is going on...So no need to worry.

Sounds like you guys had tons of fun in Colorado! Ha it’s crazy to think that Turek and Larsen and all those guys are home now. I have thought about doing that with all the corte and the huipils (blouse) but it costs a lot. It’s like almost 50 dollars for each thing of corte and it makes maybe 2 skirts, if not only 1. But I will see...maybe. I do want to do it though. But I will definitely get some ties made, for the 3 of us to be matching. I can go in on that with other missionaries because one corte can make like 20 ties...Oh but something better....I am going back to the cap, and if it's possible I am going to try and get a tailored suit made with a vest and everything. They are super nice and only like 100 bucks. So if I do that, could that be my early birthday present? But I will let you know if I order it ok?

I’m glad that you are feeling better mom! And I really like the pics you sent, they are super awesome. Well I love you and I really wish there was more news to tell you. But that’s all for now. I am sending some pictures of the house we live. It’s definitely the nicest out of all the places I have lived in. And it’s really really big.





But anyways, that’s all for now, I will talk you next week! Have a great one!
Keep the faith
Stay Strong
Love Elder Jordan Smith

Wherever we serve we must do it with honor

Hey there crazies!!

I will start off where I am today. I am in the Capital! Why you may ask? Long story. So Wednesday afternoon I started having some stomach pains and Wednesday night it got super bad! I was shaking with pain and I was almost at the point of tears. I wasn’t able to sleep and it was around 2 in the morning when I got up to get some Alka Seltzer, it did nothing. I woke up my companion and he was able to give me a blessing. The pain immediately decreased and I was able to get to sleep. I am so grateful for the power of the Priesthood. So the next day, I still had minor pains. And when we left to work, it just hurt more and I got all nauseated and got a headache and all that yummy good stuff. That kinda went on for a few days. So I called the mission nurses on Saturday to see what I should take or what I should do. They told me to go see a doctor in Coban. Which is the reason why I had to take money out. He is an internal medicine specialist. So I went in with him and after checking me out he determined it had to do something with my liver. So he sent me to get a urine and a blood test so that he could tell exactly what was wrong. I went and got that done and returned with the doctor. He said that something was wrong with my liver, but couldn’t determine exactly what is was from the tests I got because the things that were abnormal on the tests should have affected other things as well he said. So he told me I needed to go the Cap to get some more tests to be able to determine what I needed. So I came down to the cap. We left Coban at 3 in the morning and I went in to see the mission doctor, Dr. McArthur. He didnt do any sort of test and didnt do any check up and barely took a glance at my previous test results and just said it was something with my stomach and sent me on my way to go back to my area. I didnt really like that and didn't trust it at all, neither did the mission nurses. So then I talked to Pres. and Hna. Torres. She didnt really like what Dr. McArthur said, but she told me to take the medicine I had to buy that he prescribed to me, just in case. But she said to just rest here for a few days and if the pain still persists to go see a gastrointestinal specialist. So here I am! Just resting here in the mission office! Ha long story huh?! But as you see I had to buy numerous things that I definitely didn't have mission money for. So I had to use personal money for all of it and it got reimbursed so it’s all good. (Note from Mom: Can I please ask all of his family and friends and blog readers to please remember Elder Smith in your prayers. We know he is in the Lord's care and in good hands. We hope he will be able to resume his work soon.)

So after my long crazy story, I will answer your questions....

I really love both the Q'eqchi language and the Q'eqchi people. The people really are amazing. They truly are Lamanites. The members know it and the non members only need to be reminded. The language is amazing too. Just how it is so descriptive in how things are done and it is just so similar to the old languages such as Greek, Hebrew, and Egyptian. It’s truly amazing!

Tanchi is good, for the short time that I have been there. The branch is great and has numerous returned missionaries that really help us a lot! About 65 people attend church every week. The best thing I like about Tanchi is the members for sure. They are just awesome and they help you sooo much with the language as well. One of the members in our branch helped with the editing of the Book of Mormon in Q'eqchi' and also read parts of it for the Book of Mormon on tape. They are really great humble people and they love the missionaries. Also nobody yells Mormon or Gringo at us. Everyone knows we are missionaries and there is almost no persecution at all here. It is fantastic!!

Ha my shirts? Well awhile ago I got them altered. They were giant sized on me and super uncomfortable. So now they fit nice and good. And yes those perfect pushups are great! Love them! They work you nice and good! And yes I weigh about 170 pounds right about now!

I have not had the chance to see Bronson yet. Since I had to come down to the cap on P day, and they had a zone activity that we had to miss. But I will see him soon! Hopefully! I can't wait!

Elders Bishop and Cheney, Hatch (from my group) and Lemus, and 2 sisters are in our district. I am not district leader. I was going to be but they closed the area of Chicojl which was part of our district before. But since it got closed, we got put in the other district where Hatch was already the DL. Elders Jensen (from Canada) and Fernandez are the Zone Leaders here in Coban right now. For the week of last change it was Jensen and Jennings.

That’s crazy that the Mavs took it. Yeah it is good to see those guys finally get that ring. I think the Heat will take it next year. It did take Wade, Bosh, and Lebron like 30 games to start clicking a little bit. So after some more experience of playing together they will be able to work the ball around and play together as a team. We shall see though.Yeah hopefully the Jazz will take Jimmer, who else do they have that they can put at point?

Ha that’s super funny that Tanner's comp's name is my name. That would have been super crazy if he was coming to this mission! There is another Elder Smith here now as well who just entered the Polochik. Crazy huh!? Maybe I will have another Elder Smith as comp in the future haha.

We seem to always receive all of that persecution don’t we? (Referring to the news we sent him about the new "Book of Mormon" musical on Broadway.) It’s just as bad out here too. It just shows that we have the truth. People are driven by Satan to fight the truth. That is why other groups of people don’t get persecuted as much and as often. They aren’t trying to live God's standards as much and there is not the truth with them. I know that there will be more and more of these types of things until the end...And we know what happens then...

I agree 100% of how our missions are. Wherever we serve we must do it with honor. And do our duty with our might until time is up. And when time is up, take the things you learned and apply them into real life and we will see huge and great changes and blessings that will occur in our lives.

Yes I know how much you love me haha. And yeah I am doing really well, besides my current stomach pain, but it’s all good. It will all get worked out soon. I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week!

Nekexinra. Kawaq eech'ool. B'exkanab' chixpaab'ankil lix taqlahom li Yos ut texosob'tesiiq! Cheerilaq eerib! Toj li jun chik xaaman....Mexxuwaq chiwix.
Les amo mucho. Que sean firmes. Nunca dejar de obedecer los mandamientos de Dios y serán bendecidos. Que se cuiden. Hasta la próxima semana. No se precupe de mi.
I love you all. Stay strong. Don’t ever stop obeying God's commandments and you all will be blessed. Take care! Until next week....Don’t worry about me.

Keep the Faith
Stay Strong
Love
Elder Jordan Smith
(Sorry if my Spanish isn’t that good. You can have Larsen or Turek translate my Q'eqchi' and correct my mistakes. Haha.)

Even through all the hard times, we receive blessings that outweigh the trial by so much! Plus I have HOT water now!!

HEY YOU ALL!
Yeah we emailed early last week because of the long trip we took to El Estor. I had to get back to our area that same day which is like 5 hours away.

I actually have felt relief with my head and all my stress. It got pretty bad, but now I am doing so much better. Thank you all so much for your prayers. Last change was a long one, but it wasn’t that bad, it was just stressful.

Oh and remember how I said no changes? Ha well about 5 hours after that I got a change. I left on Tuesday morning to come here to Tanchi! So I have been in a trio for this last week with Elder Legua and Elder Lainez.

Legua goes home with Turek and all them. So I am now going to be here with Elder Maxwell Lainez. He is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He knows English pretty dang well! Another crazy thing with changes is that the zones of Polochik and Senahú are going to be combined! So there are going to be a lot of changes happening with those areas. Crazy!

I am now in the zone Cobán and the area of Tanchi. It’s where Schone was for 9 months! There is more Q'eqchi' here than there is in Tucuru so I am really happy about that. And being near Cobán means better food! It is really cold here though. I wear a hoodie every day to study. It’s funny though. I am super used to the heat I guess because I am freezing to death and it is always around 70 degrees here! But I still feel like I am going to freeze over! But you can see your breath at night, so I guess it still is fairly cold even though it gets to like 60 to 65 at night. It would be rough taking cold showers here but luckily we have hot water!! WHOOPIE!!! It’s been a super long time since I’ve had hot water . . . ever since I left the Capital forever ago! But the crazy thing with our water is that it is rain water. So if it doesn’t rain a lot, we don’t have water! Good thing we are in the rainy season and it has rained every single day! So I don’t think we will have too many water problems. The members here are really great too! Members left with us to teach 3 times last week! That is 3 more times than I had in all my 6 months in Santo Domingo. It’s really good. I feel that we are going to be able to find success here. I really like it and am grateful to be able to work in this area.

Yeah I am thinking that I could train next change, so we shall see if I get Tanner's MTC comp.

That’s sweet about Aubriel’s engagement and Mandie’s wedding. Will I be getting their invitations too? I hope so. Seeing Nick Roberts' invite was sweet. I didnt know who he got married to. But when I got the invitation I thought it was neat, because I remembered they had dated before he left.

That’s sick about the NBA Finals! I hope James, Wade, and Bosh can pull it off!

Yeah I definitely know that trials are for our benefit, it helps us grow and become better, always. And then the Lord still blesses us with more, its amazing how good God is to us all, that even through all the hard times, we receive blessings that outweigh the trial by so much!!!

Tons of missionaries are going home this change. 26 I think! Crazy right?! I think we just got like 33 new ones though to make up for it! And no I don’t know when the President Torres leaves, but since you said the new President comes on the 26th, then I would guess the 27th. They only have 3 hours to talk to each other and then that’s it! Well that’s all I have for you guys for today, but have a fantastic week!
Love you!
Keep the Faith
Stay Strong
Love Elder Jordan Smith, aj Q'anjorin