Sunday, April 27, 2014

Photos!

We helped to build a house... 

and this is a shirt that I found here, so I had to take a picture....

At the birthday party of a kid named mahonri...  he is one of the funniest kids Ive met...



Easter

This week was a little slow, but good.  We were able to recognize many things as a companionship that we were doing good, and not.. and we are working hard to keep up the good work that we had from the last change..  I admire my companion Elder Falcon for the missionary that he is today...  He didnt start off his mission the way that he should have and it was until he had 21 months that he realized how big of a mistake that he had made, for the things that he did... and he is working the hardest he can to make up for this that he had done.. and well he is one of the best missionaries that I know.  He works super hard, and knows a lot about the gospel..  Also he is one on the only Latinos that can speak fluently in English.  So yeah I just wanted to put that in there to let you know how my companion is doing...

But with this week we had some good things happen...  We were able to find some people that are pretty interested, that we hope will progress...  Also we have been able to work hard.  We had a lot of lessons taught this week, one of the highest I had had in my mission, and we were able to help a lot of Less actives to church also...  So yeah it wasnt the best in the world with helping our investigators to church and stuff like that because of Easter here, which is super big for the Catholics, they have like processions the whole week and stuff like that.. So that was a little rough on us, but It was still a good Easter week!

Im am just really greatful for the time that I have had to be a missionary, and every day I recongnize a little more the importance of my calling... It really is one of the greatest things in the world and the oppurtunity that we have to serve the lord in the best in the world...  This is one of the things that me and Elder Falcon were studying this week, is our courage to share the gospel.  And we found some good Scriptures.  One of them is Romans 1:16, and the other is DyC 24:12.  So yeah those are my scriptures for you guys this week, and rembember that each one of us can share the gospel!  Thanks for everything!

Love Elder Stuart

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Photos!

My district.... and a cake for the two that are going home!!  They finished this week, and yeah the cake was disgusting just in case you were wondering...




The entrance to the cave,
 and elders Falcon(my comp) and Cordova... 
and a little river... in the cave...

Me and elder Wilson... and a more photos of the cave... 



Me climbing on a members house, to see if they were home... oops...

Me, Elder Falcon (in front) and Elder Cordova in back with the Perez Family, who is literally the best family in the world

And us waiting for our changes...

Changes, but not really....

Well this week was changes... but I´m going to be staying here again in Los Campos 2...  so yeah but im super excited for that, we have some good plans for this area the next change!  But yeah this week was pretty crazy...  First off on tuesday, we had a little windstorm, that had the same effect on Utah like 3 years ago, but wasnt nearly as strong...  But the houses here are hardly built, so yeah there were roofs flying off and trees falling down, stuff like that...  So we thought, well this is a great opportunidad for service, so we were walking in the street in the pouring rain looking for service...  and at first we were using our jackets and stuff to keep us dry, but then we had the idea to take off our jackets, brilliant right, and have our white shirts showing.  And well actually it was a good idea, because there was hardly anyone in the streets but the people that were in the streets recognized us as ¨the mormons¨ and well we ended up finding 7 new investigators that day with like 5 lessons taught, which is a ton...  And also we had one of our investigators that wasnt really too interested, that we helped, that now is super interested, and she says that she wants to get baptized this saturday... So we are hoping that she will follow through with it, because she is kind of flaky, but yeah we are hoping for her...  So yeah that was a pretty great experience..

Also this week we were able to find some super interested in the gospel.. IT was great!  And almost all of these people came from references from the members... Like the people that we helped with service are great, but they listen usually for like 2 or 3 lessons, and they dont progress, but the people from references are great!  WE got a reference from a member that we literally just passed by his house for like 2 minutes just to get to know him and put another appointment... and he was awesome, he said that ihe is going to go to church and he wants to get baptized and stuff like that... So yeah That was pretty great!  

Then today we went to a cave for pday that was pretty sweet!  It was like a 15 minute hike through the cave to a point that was hardish to reach, like crawling through little holes and climbing up rocks, and crossing rivers, but the end was awesome... we had everyone turn off their lights and it was literally so black, pitch black..  And that just reminded me of Life and enduring to the end...  The hike wasnt hard for the people that were prepared, or the people that had the desired to get the end results. but for those who just thought stuff like, ¨oh this is just a cave its not that cool, or I dont want to hike im tired¨  didnt get to see the end results...  And well they missed out... They did everything except for enduring to the end... They went to the cave, they payed to enter the cave, and they started the journey, but they didnt finish...  It is like some people with the doctrine of Christ... They have faith, they have repented, they have been baptized, and they have received the holy ghost, but if they dont endure to the end, they wont get the end results...  Also the same example with Bubba Watson in the Masters this week... He was able to keep his head up and endure to the end, and ended up winning... He didnt let the fact that he was down 3, get him down... He just kept going at his own pace and won...  So yeah sorry for those who dont understand that about golf... but yeah That is my little spiritual thought for this week...  Hope you liked it...

Love Elder Stuart

Photos!


Me riding in the asistantes car when we had divisons, and that is elder kumpf in the passanger seat....


 Celebrating a birthday of a recent convert!


Divisions

This week was pretty interesting!  We had divisions again, but this time I went with the Elders that are usually in the office... so that was quite the experience.  I went to be companions with Elder Kumpf, who talked to mom on the phone... and Elder Bashaw, who is my grandpa in the mission, went to my area for the day...  So yeah we got there at like three and we went to work in their area, and it was actually a pretty slow day, but we were still able to have some success and find some new investagators..  But when we do divisions we usually do if for 24 hours, and no less...  so I went to the offices the next morning for like 2 hours and it was so weird...  We were doing all the finances for the mission, and Hna. Curtiss, Presidents wife, brought cookies... So yeah It was a little bit different missionary work, just sitting in a chair, doing finances and eating cookies for 2 hours, then I went back to my area... which I was super greatful for...  It is so much better to be working in the field than in an office...  

And for General Conference this week... IT WAS AMAZING!!  Sadly we didnt have many investigators go, because we had to travel like 15 minutes in a bus to get there, so yeah they didnt really want to go.. But we did have 2 people that did watch it and now they want to get baptized...  IT is amazing the power of the Prophet and the Apostles....  This guy that watched it really didnt want much of the church before he saw it... He was staying at a members house for the weekend(his cousin) and so he decided to watch it, but the sad thing is that he doesnt live in oure area, he actually lives in Quiche, which is by Jonnys first area...  But yeah so that was great to see the change in him, but he wont be able to get baptized because he literally lives in the middle of nowhere...  But we are going to work on that...  And the other investigator that watched it wants to get baptized too... So yeah that is pretty amazing the power of them....  

So yeah this week was pretty great... But the next week will be even better!!!  Until next time!

Love Elder Stuart

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Photos!

We were helping clean out a water tank of a member, and well I had to take the opportunity to pose for this foto, then my comp took a foto of his face.




This is from the divisions that we did, and in there area there is a little runway, that obviously isnt to occupied so we took pictures...


My area!  There are a lot of hills....










Divisions again...

This week well Im not quite sure what happened... My mind is kind of blank right now...  But yeah we had a decent week this week, I think but i honestly dont remember..  But yesterday in church we were able to take three investagators to church with us so that was pretty great!  So we did divisions again with the other area Los Campos 1(Im in Los Campos 2) and I went over there again...  This time it was a little bit different, because I went with Elder Veliz, who knows a little bit of queqchi, and we taught a lot of people in queqchi, well actually let me rephrase that, he taught a lot of people in queqchi, because I dont know it...  So yeah but that was pretty fun becasue I was able to watch him teach and learn some new things.  Then we were able to put two dates for baptisms in their area.  So that was pretty fantastic.  

And in our area we have 4 new people that have a goal for baptism on the 19th of April, so we are working really hard for that...  We are really excited for the work that we are going to be having in this area..  But I hope that I dont leave it.. Because I might be leaving here in two weeks, but who knows right...  But yeah this week was pretty good...  We are having some of the most success in this time that I have had in my mission, but it is the only time that I havent really had baptisms, so that is a little weird, but I hope that the success will come within this next month for this area.  Because this area wasnt really progressing when I got there, and it is still a little slow, but I think that it will pick up in a month or so..  But yeah thanks for todo.

Oops that last line was spanglish, but You understand... Right?

Love Elder Stuart

Photos!


We ate lunch at a recent converts house, and this is Carlos... He is awesome, He is a recent convert from December and he already knows a ton, and leaves with us!


Also another day we ate These.  They are called enchiladas, so when I heard we were eating enchiladas I was excited, then I saw this, and I thought ¨This isnt an enchilada...¨ But yeah it is just a tostada with beets and a piece of a hard boiled egg, and and little piece of an onion, and chili...  Gross


We went to go do service with this family that is going to get baptized, and we went to go chopear (Im not sure how to say that in english but it is when you cut down a bunch of weeds with machetes...)  So this was the path to get there!  Super beautiful..



This is us chopeando, well actually just me, but yeah im chopeando, like a boss...


Stake conference...

Well this week was pretty great!  We were able to talk with a family of 5 that we were teaching, and they said that they wanted to get baptized!  so that was pretty great to hear!  So we took them to church, but it was stake conference, and we had it in two different buildings, and the building that we went to they were broadcasting in to there...  so we were watching it... Kind of...  It didnt really work, and we were thinking that this would be perfect for them that they would learn more about the church and reinforce their decision to be baptized...  but the projection didnt work, so we saw nothing of stake conference, so that was very disappointing for us because we didnt know how our investagators would react, so we visited them later that day and they said that they understand and they still want to be baptized.  So that was great to see the faith of them that it didnt matter the technical stuff that happened but the still wanted to get baptized so that was great!

Also this week we were able to have a conference with three zones of the mission, and the president talked with us... It was pretty great!  I learned a lot!  It is crazy how much that the people/leaders of the church know and the spirit that you can feel from them.  They are so powerfull, and also we heardd from the temple president.  He also was great!  So this week was pretty great!  Not much else happened this week but it was pretty great!

Love Elder Stuart