Sunday, May 25, 2014

Photos!

I was kind of a slaker on photos this week, but this is a picture of a drink that we drank at a members house... It is bats blood...  But it was super good that i couldnt stop drinking it... so yeah that was pretty great, but my comp wasnt a huge fan....




Me and my companion bought a ton of this stuff called corte...  It is the same material of Jonnys ties... but we still havent sent it to be made into ties... so yeah...
 

But yeah sorry there arent a ton of photos...



Another week in paradise


Well another week has already passed... The time just flys by here... but yeah things are going good here... Unluckly (not sure if I spelt that right) we had a little bit of bad luck this week... We were going to have a baptism on this past saturday, but well he drank coffee so he couldnt get baptized..  We thought that everything thing was good but when we passed by on thursday he told us that he had drinken coffee... because he is living in the house of a less active, and well this less active gave him coffee, and he drank it.  So yeah that was a bummer... but I believe that he will still be baptized some day... but not today... 
 
Also we have had a good time together me and Elder Falcon, everything is going good with us, but he will be leaving this next week so I am a little sad, but a little happy to be getting a new companion... I always like having the change of companions it is pretty fun...  So yeah but I hope that I will be staying in this area...
 
But yeah I am super excited for this next week I am ready to work for this next week, we have some good plans for ending the mission of Elder Falcon, and he is super ready to end working like chuchos... (Guatemalan slang for dog)  But yeah we are super excited for that...
 
And back home that is a super crazy week that passed, I hope that all is well and that you have fun!
 
And my scripture for this week is, well its a chapter, but I want you to read Alma 5... It is a little harsh, but it is my favorite chapter in the book of mormon... so yeah read it...
 
Love Elder Stuart

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Photos!

Us helping a member and her son paint the railing...  It was pretty great, but I stained my tie...  oops....  more pictures next week ran out of time...


Mothers Day!


This week was pretty good!  First off it was great to be able to talk to you guys!  I cant believe that 9 months has already passed!  But it has gone by way to fast!  I just want to let you all know how great the mission is... It is literally the best thing that I have done in my life... It is so great and I have learned so many great lessons from being here... 
 
But this week was a little slow again..  First off we had a conference with an Elder Ochoa... He is in the presidency of the area and he came to talk to us...  He lives in Highland Utah...  so yeah Im not sure if Grandma knows him...  But it was great he talked to us about repentance...  It was great..  And also we had mothers day... so it was a little hard to find people this week...  But mothers day was great here... They celebrate it here on saturday the 10th... It always falls on the 10th here... so yeah on saturday we celebrated it here...  And we got fat!!!  We ate like 80000 times...  Literally every house that we went to gave us a huge plate of food... so yeah it was pretty great!  But i was so full I could barely even walk!  So yeah that was great!
 
But we are teaching a family that is super cool, that is looking for a change in their lives... It is great experience for me to be teaching them... And it has really taught me how important the family is and how greatful I am for my family...  Our family is literally the best!  But anyway back to this other family.. the dad is a drunk and well he wants to change... but his family has always been that way... His dad was a drunk, his brothers are drunks... and he wants to make the change... and for that his family has kind of put him as the outcast... He stopped drinking hardcore a few years ago to focus on his family... and for that his family rejected him... who know why, that is one thing that I dont understand.. but it just goes to show the power of satan...  So we have been talking with them this week a lot about the importance of living to the standards of the church and how it can help their family... And he is really looking for this change in his life...  But it is really cool to see the courage of this man to try to make that change that he is making in his life to be a better person...  So that is something that I loved this week is that this experience showed me how important are the families and how great our family is!!!  I am so greatful for the opportunity that I have had to live in the gospel my whole life to have these blessings as a family!  I know that families are the center of Gods plan and that we can live with our families forever through the gospel of Jesus Christ!!  Thanks for all that you guys do for me!  Love you all!!!
 
Love Elder Stuart
 
P.S.  my scriptures...  Alma 43:47   3 Nephi 18:21.... Families are important!!!!!!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

The Book of Mormon is Key

This week was an interesting... We had a lot of success in finding new investigators... That is the great thing about my area right now... we can find tons of investigators and teach tons of lessons, but at the last moment when the people want to get baptized, well they dont end up doing it... whether for laziness and not wanting to go to church, or just a lack of understanding...  or things like that....  But we have faith that the new investigators that we found this week are going to progress... This area is one of my favorite areas, of the two that Ive had... in my mission and I have learned a lot of lessons from it.. One is patience and the other is that people have their agency.... Bummer right...  But It is something that we cant really control as missionaries... We can visit the people a ton, but if they really dont have this desire to be baptized and do the things necesary to be baptized... well they arent going to be baptized...  But yeah it is something that I have learned a lot...  And It is something that Elder Falcon taught me a lot is that we need to baptize converts and not just people... Because a lot of missionaries baptize just people and these  people become inactives in like 2 days... and that we need to focus on baptizing the people that are going to go to church on their own without help....  It is a really great lesson that I have learned in this area....

Also something that I have learned this week is that the scriptures are important...  The book of mormon is the key of our religion!!  IT IS IMPORTANT!    For those that arent currently reading it... READ IT!  You can learn a ton from it!  I have learned literally a ton this week from the scriptures.  One thing that I found that was interesting is the story of Nehor and Amlici in the book of Alma...  And well they went to war with the Nephites because of the church... And this happens a lot in the book of mormon... and there are many times where it says that the nephites put their faith in Christ and won the battles...  This happens a lot with us in the church, and when it gives a description of Nehor it says that he had studied and worked hard to bring down the church but he failed...  We need to prepare ourselves spiritually so that we can overpower (teach the truth) to the people who arent members of the church... And the only way that we are going to have sufficient knowlege to do it is through reading the Scriptures!  So that was something that I learned this week that I wanted to share with you guys!  And that includes my scriptures for the week!  (Alma 1 and 2)!  Good luck!!!

Love Elder Stuart

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Photos!

We cleaned our house deeply this week,  we worked a little to hard that we forgot to clean... Oops...  




Me and Elder Falcon at Elmers house, a member. 


Hello


This week was pretty good... It seems like every time I write my mind goes blank about the things that we did throughout the week... but yeah I guess that Ill try to remember.. The big thing that happened this week is that we were able to confirm a date for baptism for the 10th of may... and the only thing that this investagator has fear of is that one day he might not have the same desire to follow Christ, and/or he might move to an area in Guatemala that doesnt have a Chapel...  So he is super excited and we are helping him a ton to recognize that...  It helped me realize how important the 5th part of the doctrine of Christ is, Enduring to the End...  I have already talked about that a lot in letters in the past, but it really is one of the most important parts of the our lives...  And in my personal study I was able to find some good scriptures that I liked a lot about that...  In D&C 42:78 it says something like, every member of the church needs to follow the covenants of the church and the commandments... So that is a great responsibility... and also in Moroni 18:9 and 10 it tells us that by completing the commandment/covenant of baptism that we promise to be witnesses of Christ at all times...  So we as members have made a covenant to be a representative of Christ at all times, and in all things, and in all places...  So that was something Interesting that I found this week...  

Also this week It has been super hot... Which is kind of a bummer... But a kind of funny/embarassing story that happened this week is that we found a less active man and his wife and family who arent members, so he is the only member... and we went to visit him...  And we entered the house, and the wife sat us down and said, Ok perfect you guys can help me teach my son on of the lessons that he needs to be baptized(they are adventists) so then she said a prayer to start and taught a whole lesson to her son about faith in front of us, then finished with a prayer, and told us thanks and told us to leave... Im pretty sure we got out about 5 words in total...  So yeah she got one lesson with member, and 2 new investigators....  Which was us...  So yeah that was quite the experience...  

But yeah this week was much better for the work, it had been a little slow, but it is starting to pick back up again so that is good...  Me and Elder Falcon are working really hard to get this area back to life....  And it took us about 4 months but it is finally start to get back up to normal...  Which is really good...  And that reminded me of a scripture that is in Mosiah 21 verses 15 and 16... so yeah you should read that... it  is a good one.  para todos los chambones que no van a leer, it talks about how God will always answer prayers, but sometimes he is a little bit slow to answer us, because we were slow to remember him... so yeah we need to remember him always!  Ok I think that is all...  Thanks!  LOVE YOU ALL!

Elder Stuart