Poptun!

Well my new area is poptun... and it is a pretty great area!  It doesnt come even close to Cubulco... but it is still a great area..  so it is pretty exciting... the only problem is that here was one of the 6 branches that we have here in peten to become wards... and so that Peten will become a stake and not just a district... but the only problem is that the attendance here was about 120... and then it just dropped like 8 months ago.. so it was ready to become a ward.. .but now it isnt.. so that is our goal here... to get the attendance back up to 120 because now it is at like 48 last week.. so we have got a lot of work to do.. Because this is now the last branch that we need to get ready for Peten to become a stake.. or in other words if we get the attendance back up and everything else stays good... we are going to have our second stake in the mission... so we are super excited for that!  

So we have got a lot to do.. and the biggest problem that we have is that all six of the missionaries here (me and my companion and 4 sisters)  are all new to the area... or in other words nobody knows anything about Poptun here other than the fact that it is in a hole... so we have a lot to do... and my companion is Elder Morillo.. he is from the Dominican Republic.. so he is now my second companion from there and he is super funny so we are going to see how this all goes with him..

So this week was just a lot of walking around and trying to get to know the people here and looking for people who want to hear the gospel... but next week is going to be much better!

Love Elder Stuart

Photos!

Just my goodbye lunch here in Cubulco.  There is a picture of Elder Nombrado and Elder Gomez... Elder nombrado is going to peten with me but he is going to a different area... and Elder Gomez is staying here in Cubulco....

Changes!

Well they finally kicked me out of Cubulco...  It is super sad for me to leave this place... I really grew to love it! I had been here in this branch for a total of like 11 months.... That is a super long time... and it was so hard for me to say goodbye to the people here yesterday... That is one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do...  But I am going back to the Petén which is kind of exciting but also a kind of sad because it is super hot there right now.. but I guess that I will get used to it.  I am going to a place called Poptun.  Luckily it is the coldest part in the peten, but it isnt cold... It is probably like summer temperatures in utah.. so yeah it will be fun though!  Also I think that it will be my last area in the mission.. (that is so weird to say).  

But anyway about this week in Cubulco... we were able to help it progress here a little bit this week.  The biggest problem that we had while I was here is that I was the only leader here in Cubulco... there were no callings for the members here...  because we couldnt give callings to the Group especifically... but we finally got permission to give some callings out to the members here in Cubulco and they were super excited to get their callings.. so hopefully for the new group leader here it will be a little bit easier for him because there are now callings here.  So that was probably the biggest this that we did this week, is that we had to teach these people what is their calling and how to complete it and all that to prepare the way for the new Elder that is going to come to Cubulco.

Also I am a little bit sad to leave here.. because we finally got the people to start to progress here, and the baptism of Tereso (who got baptized last week) was a big step here in Cubulco.. and there are about 10 more people that will be baptized here in Cubulco in May and June... so I am a little bit sad to not be here for that, but I will be excited to hear about their baptisms in the future!

So that is about all for this week...Love you all!

Love Elder Stuart

Fotos and the week summary...

Well This week was good and a little bit stressful... We were able to have a pretty good week... mainly because all the baptizms went through successfully.  We baptized a guy named tereso and his family.. it was a pretty great experience.  He is such a great guy and will be a great member here in Cubulco.. Maybe he will be the person to get this place going strong...  So we are super happy about that.

Also as shown is these photos we also helped a less active member to chop down a tree.. so that he would go to church.. so that was pretty great also!  We are just going along pretty smoothly here.  

Also we are now in a trio.. because Elder Barahona ended up going home.. because he had appendicitus and his appendix exploded and that was why he was throwing up blood.. so they did surgery on him last monday and yesterday he went home.  So I am now back with Elder Gomez.. .and his companion Elder Nombrado.  Elder Nombrado is samoan.. he is a super good guy elder nombrado... We get along super well..  So that is pretty fun!  But I think that that is about it for this week...

Love Elder Stuart

Wedding and the baptism!!!!!

Alright...

Alright... well here I am again....  this week was a a good week....  We are going little by little to help Cubulco to keep going strong!  Although this week my companion got sick.. seems to be the going thing for the new missionaries... they always get sick, but I guess he will get over it soon.  But he had to go to coban today to go to the doctor...  so I stayed here in Rabinal with Elder Vargas and Elder brito ended up going to coban with Elder Barahona because he also had a doctors appt. in coban... so I am here in Rabinal until tomorrow night. 

But this week for work was a pretty good week!  We are preparing a family to be baptized this weekend.. so we are praying a lot for him that he and his family can get baptized!  He is doing good, and he is super ready... but he just needs to keep strong because he used to drink and since we found him he hasnt drunk, but we are just hoping that he can keep strong until his baptism... and for his whole life!  So yeah that is about all that is happening with us for this week!

Love Elder Stuart

Conference and Photos

This week was a pretty busy week...  We were excited for conference, and it all turned out pretty good... Usually here in Guatemala the internet is super slow... and we have struggles usually seeing conference, but this time it worked super well!  So we were able to learn a lot and have a great time letting our investigators know who is the prophet that he has the power to talk to God and receive revelation for the whole world!  So we enjoyed that a lot... we were able to have some success with that and we are hoping to have a good couple of weeks here... 

Other than that our week here was pretty slow... because here it is called holy week... so there are a bunch of Catholics and their wicked traditions... so that was kind of a bummer.. because there is literaly nobody in their house.  So yeah not much to say this week just that I am busy and I will write more next week!

Just some pictures of us here in Cubulco.. doing service and here are the other elders... waiting for us... to start church...  

Going strong in Guate...

Hey well this week has been a very interesting week!  We had to go to coban (5 hours in bus) to pick up my new companion on monday... that is why i didnt have a ton of time...  But his name is Elder Barahona...  He is from Honduras and 20 years old.  He is new so we are having a good time helping him get used to the mission! Then after that we got to Cubulco on Wednesday at like 9:00 A.M.  And we started to work... It was a pretty good day and then thursday we had to go back to coban for a meeting on friday... so in other words we werent in Cubulco for basically the whole week... so that was a little bit frustrating but we did have a pretty good time working for the 2 days that we were there.  We had a lesson with a person named Lorena and her family the other day.. and it was a super powerful lesson!  We taught her the importance of going to the Church that Jesus Christ has established and not to any other church... because the people here all have the belief that it doesnt matter which church you go to they all teach "the word of god" so it was a pretty good lesson becuase she finally could understand the importance of going to the church of Jesus Christ...  So that was a pretty good lesson that we had this week. 

Other than that I am just excited to still be in Cublco! Taking advantage of the last few months!!!!!! 

Love Elder Stuart

Another change!

Well this week I dont have a ton of time... but I guess that I will just send you guys a little message.  So this week we had changes, and it turns out that Elder Gomez wont be my companion anymore... but we will still be in Cubulco!  They opened up a new area in Cubulco!  So that is pretty cool we are going to see a branch pretty quickly there now... with 4 missionaries there.  So we are pretty excited for that!  So I will be getting a new companion this week so I am super excited for that!  We are just super excited to see the change here in cubulco with four misisonaries!  So yeah I guess that is all for this week, but I promise to write more next week!

Love elder Stuart

(16 Mar 2015)

Photos!

Eating food after doing a service project with a member.

Also riding on the back of a bus from Cubulco to Rabinal

Stressful week!

Well this week was kind of a full week... but a week that turned out to be a pretty good week.  It was all going pretty smoothly until friday.  We were planning a movie night here in cubulco for saturday and all the preparations were going good...  And then on friday we got some news that one of our investigators that is going super well in his progress started to drink. So that was kind of a bummer so we spent a little bit of time with him on friday night so that we could help him to get undrunk.  Also it is in his house where we have church so that was kind of a bummer because now we had to stress about how we were going to have church in a drunk guys house.  So then we just decided that we were going to not worry about that and continue planning for the movie night.  We had everything well planned and then at 5:20 it started to rain and our movie was going to be at 6 in the park, or in other words, outside.  So at that moment we were just a little bit stressed... we had plans for about 300 people that arent members to go to this activity and if it were raining nobody would go.  So we were just kind of bummed.  But we continued with faith... and everything just so happened to work out.  The rain stopped at 5:55 and then everyone started to come!  By 6:20 there were about 150 investigators sitting down in the park watching the movies about Jesus and The Restoration!  It was a huge success!  So that was all super good!  We are excited to see how the results are from this actividad and to see if we can get a little more excitement here in cubulco!  Then for church on sunday it was super weird.  The investigator was still drunk saturday night but we just felt like that we should go to his house at like 8 in the morning sunday to see if he was ok...  Andwell we got there and he wasnt drunk!  So that was super good!  But then a weird thing happened... after all the members left church we decided that we were just going to talk to him for a little bit to see what was happening... and the minute after all the people left church it was as if he were drunk again... he started saying dumb things and all that crap, which was kind of sad to see.. .but at least he was good for church, so that was kind of a blessing!  But we are going to have to see what we can do about that to help him to change that.  But that is all that happened this week!  All is well here! 

Love Elder Stuart 

Funeral!

Well this week was a week full of firsts...  First thing is that this week I had to direct a funeral...  That was something that I was never expecting to do in my mission.  One of the members died this week in a motorcycle accident... It was a pretty sad experience.  He was 27 and he got baptized in 2011... but he was inactive for about 3 years... or in other words since his baptism..  But he died on sunday at like 1:00 am and so we had to prepare everything so at 5 we could do his viewing.  It was a pretty cool experience... he was the only member of his family... but his wifes family was all member, but all of them were/are inactives but her brother...  so it was a really good missionary experience to have the opportunity to talk with all these people that dont know about the plan of salvation.  We sang some hymns (like 10) and me and the first counsellor talked in the funeral.  I also had to direct the funeral.  So that was just kind of a very interesting thing to do.  I believe that this was the thing that had to happen so that cubulco could receive the last little bit of preparation to blossom.  It is sad that not very many people repent until it is to late, or until something big has to happen to them or to a loved one... but the good thing is that at least they change.  So that was a pretty sad sunday.

But on a good note... we also were able to work a little bit with Marcos (the husband of lucia) and help him a little bit more to progress.  The problem is is that he drinks so we are helping him little by little so that he can get rid of this addiction.  The future for him is looking a little bit better than it was 3 months ago.  Also we are getting bigger and bigger as a group here in cubulco!  I am just so excited to see the progress here. 

Other than that not much happened this week... but all is well here in guate...

Love Elder Stuart

Hello

Well this week was kind of a long week.   ON wednesday we got a call saying that my comp had to go to the capital to sign his visa... so we were out of work wednesday thursday and friday...  So that was kind of a bummer... but we are doing good.

On saturday we had a visit with Lucia, who got baptized like 2 months ago, and we were talking with her husband, who doesnt really want much... and we taught him about the preisthood, and it was just a great lesson so that he could recognize his potential, and he liked a lot thinking about how he could hold the preisthood to bless his family... but then he got a little disccuraged about how he doesnt feel worthy to hold a power so big...  so we talked to him a little about repentance, and how he can become a better person... and we are hoping that he can take the steps necesary to be baptized soon.  

Also we were able to talk to a guy named bacilio... who is living with a woman.  They havent wanted to get married for a lot of time, but we have been teaching them a lot and focusing on them a lot so that they can get married and get baptized... and we are so close.  She is now ok with ggetting marrried and him too... but the only thing stopping them is that she is pregnant and she doesnt want to be pregnant in her wedding picture... so that is kind of a bummer... but it is something little so we will see if we can convince them to get married within these couple of weeks..  

But other than that all is well here in Cubulco!  Love you All!

Elder Stuart

This week in Guate...

This week was a pretty good week here in the mission!  I just absolutely love where I am at and I wouldnt rather be in any other place right now.  But anyways this week we were able to have 23 people in church again... and everyone is super excited right now in Cubulco...  there are 4 groups here in Guatemala and President Curtiss said that Cubulco is the example for all the other groups.  And it is the one that has been around for the least amount of time.... so that is some great news!  We are just loving the work here in Cubulco!

One thing that I learned this week is about the importance of doing things in the way of God... not our way..  Some people like to think that they have better ideas of how things should be in church and that one thing, or another, should change.... and it just doesnt work like that.  Our Heavenly Father is so intelligent and so prepared that he has a plan for everything.. not just for us, but for the church, for the world, and everything else that we can Imagine... And when people want to change that plan, it just doesnt work.  We have to do things his way, not ours.  It is something that we have put to the test here in Cubulco.  It is amazing how well it works to follow in God´s plan.  Through strict obedience, comes rich blessings... the blessing that come from following the plan of our Heavenly Father is Eternal life, and immortality... what other blessing could we ask for... 

I have now completed 18 months... and to be honest it makes me super sad... I am not ready to go into the world and leave this spirit that I can feel from being here, doing what God wants me to do.  It literally is the best time our my life.

Love Elder Stuart  

Changes... NOT

Well this week was the week of changes and we were a little bit nervous to have a change but we didnt.. so that was all good.  Another six weeks here in Cubulco!  Also something interesting is that Elder Brito, my trainer, is going to be in Rabinal again!  He already had 7 months there and he will be going back but this time as branch president!  So we are super excited for that again... although this time I will be in Cubulco not in Rabinal with him.. but we will be close!  So we are super excited for that!

As for the work this week it has been super busy like always!  But we are doing good... working hard, and progressing in every aspect!  Inculding this week we had 4 members pay their tithing!  That is basically a miracle here!  That is one of the difficulties that we have been having to progress to become a branch but now they are getting the hang of it too!  So we are just super excited to see the progress of Cubulco!

Also as with the investigators.. we have a ton of investigators that are going good and that want to get baptized the only problem is that here (because we arent a branch) they have to be super prepared to get baptized... and we personally have a rule that we arent going to baptize a person until they attend church 5 times in a row.. and it is a little bit hard... and we have a lot of people who want to progress, but they just dont attend church sufficiently... but we will see how that goes... 

But in other words all is great!  Super excited for another 6 weeks here!

Love Elder Stuart

Hello...

Well this week was an interesting week!  We were able to have a good week in church this week again!  We had 26 people there so that was super good!  6 of the people were investigators!  So we were pretty excited!  It was pretty great!

Also this week we have been trying something a little different this past couple weeks.  We have been helping the members to become super spiritual and become more and more converted in the church.  The thing is is that the members here, they dont really know a whole lot about how the church works... they just go.  Which isnt to bad, but they dont do things 100% correctly, so about 3 weeks ago we wanted to change that, now that they are basically all going consistently... and we would tell them ¨hey you should do this¨ and things like that... but it wasnt really working and we were a little confused why..  so last friday (10ish days ago)  we took a new approach...  we just told them all to read their scriptures... and learn for themselves what the church really is...  the only thing that we were worried about was that they dont read their scriptures here so we were a little worried that it wasnt going to work...  BUT IT DID! We were a little bit shocked but it was awesome!  Every single member here in Cubulco read their scriptures every day this week personally and as a family!  And during sunday school we just kind of had a little testimony meeting about the scriptures and everybody was shocked how much they learned!  It is something so easy that so many people dont do... and when they finally do it they figure out how easy it really is... so we are excited for that... and it worked really well.. because all the member have now found a family of investigators that they are teaching that they are going to help baptize!  So that is just super great!

So that is all but yeah.... bye

Elder Stuart

Good week!

Well this week was a pretty good week!  The biggest thing that happened this week is that 2 members that got baptized a year ago from next sunday...  Are going to go to the temple to be sealed as a family!!!!!  It is so great!  It was great to see/hear about this because when I was here in Rabinal last year... I helped teach them sometimes... becasue every once in a while I worked in this area (Cubulco)...  So that was super great to hear!  I am wanting to ask permission from President Curtiss this week to see if I can go with them... Which would be really cool... but we will see..  So that is going to happen in February!

Some other good things that happened this week is that in church we were able to have 4 future melchizedek (spelling??) priesthood holders in church and 1 deacon.. and they have all come for like 4 weeks straight... so that means that we are progressing!  And the thing that we need to become a branch is priesthood!  So if we keep this up we are going to be a branch in a short amount of time!  So we are pretty excited for that!  

So yeah overall this week was a pretty good week! Cant wait to see what happens this week!

Love Elder Stuart

Another week down!

We are back for another week of writing!  Well this week was an interesting week here in Cubulco!  Church this week was a pretty good week!  We were able to have quite a few people in church which was pretty good... but the only problem is that all the investigators and less actives that had been going for like 2 or 3 weeks decided to not go last week... and all the new people that we found went... so we were still missing a lot of people which is kind of a good thing.. which means there is a lot of room to progress... but a little sad because we could have had a lot more than the 27 people that we had in church!  But we are hoping for a good week next week too!

As for me and Elder Gomez... we are doing great!  We are getting along pretty well.. and he is starting to break out of his shyness.. still isnt quite there.. but he is doing a lot better than he was when he started the mission!  So we are doing good with that!  

And lastly I have really come to recognize the importance of goals in life!  I absolutly love putting goals now!  It is something that if you dont do it right now... you should because it really helps!  But anyways that is all...

Love Elder Stuart

New Year!!!!!!!

This week was a pretty good week here in Guatemala.  We were able to have a good attendance in Sacrament meeting!  We had 23 people there!!!!!!  We are growing so quickly here in Cubulco!  We are looking to have at least 6 potential melchezidek preisthood holders before april so that we can become a branch!  We have just got 3 to go!  And we have dates set for baptism for 2 of them and another one who is almost reactivated! It will probably just take him like 3 or 4 more weeks to get reactivated and 3 or 4 weeks to baptize them!  So we are looking pretty good!  We will have the goals met by march so that we have a month of consistancy and then we are going to present the group to the area to see if they let us be a branch!!!  I am so happy to see the progress of the group!  When I was here in Rabinal last year there wasnt a single member active in Cubulco.. and when I got here this year there were 4!  So I am super happy to see the progress of my area!  It is super great!!!!!

then also as for the other parts of the work it is all going smoothly!  So me and Elder Gomez are doing good!  Not many problems as of right now!  

Love Elder Stuart

Photos!

Jeffrey's camera has been broken, and after a few attempts of getting a new one to him, he finally just went and bought his own, so we now have pictures again!

Our Christmas party as a District...  In one of those pictures you can find Elder Gomez.  But yeah that is it...  

2 of the houses that we visited and there are some of the pictures of the food we ate.. and those are the people that we ate with... that man is and Investigator... 

And the other group is basilio, Erika, and Luki (our baptism from 3 weeks ago)...  and also where the picture is with Basilio is where we have church!  so that is the capital!

Christmas night at a members house!  We opened presents and everything!

Us walking out to the baptism.. and we walked a long way... and all those people walking are the members from Cubulco!  We walked about 1 hour into the mountains... to find this river looking thing to baptize her!  There is me her, and my companion!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! VERY IMPORTANT!!! READ ALL OF IT!!!!!!!

HELLO MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!  Well we have entered into the Christmas week!!!  I hope that everyone is enjoying their Christmas season!  Things here in Guatemala are going great!  We have some good things going on here in Guate!  Especially in Cubulco!  This week we sadly had to go to church in Rabinal which is like 30 minutes in bus, but we were able to get 17 people to church including one of the investigator families that came and that we are hoping are going to be baptized on the 3rd!!!!  They are super awesome!!  They have been to church every single week since we got to know them which was like 5 weeks ago... but sadly it has now been confirmed that the dad (Marcos) is leaving for the United States on the 1st of January... which is really sad for us and his family... and honestly we dont really know why he is going because he is going to miss his family a ton, because unlike many guatemalan men, he actually cares and loves his family a lot!!!!  So we are super sad to see him go... but we are hoping that he will be able to continue listening to the gospel there and that he will be baptized!!!!  But as for his family... they are super great!  His wife is named Lucia and his son misael who is 6 and his daughter maibely who is 3.  So they are super great and also Lucia has a sister named maria elena who is also going to get baptized with Lucia!  So we are super excited for all of them!!!!!

For the other parts of Cubulco all is well and we are having a lot of success these past weeks, although it has been the Christmas season and all the people are leaving on vacation.. we have been able really strenghten the members that are here... so that after the Christmas season they will be able to strengthen the members who didnt really come to chruch during this season... so we are a little bit excited for the month of January!  And the whole next year!!!!  

As for me in this year and a half (not quite but on my way there) in the mission I have really come to love my Savior a lot more and this really have been the best 16 months of my life... I just want to share with you guys my feelings, (I know it isnt common from me but we are at a special time of the year) about the gospel.  Recently I have been studying a little bit about the difference between the flesh and the spirit.... and how we need to put of the flesh of our body (not literally but theoretically) and let the spirit take control of the things that we do... this includes when we do something good that we dont really want to do we have officially put to one side our wants and let the spirit take over...  Or in other words if you want up sunday morning at 8 and you dont have the desire to go to church YOU GO...  Because that is officially when you have put off the flesh and are following the spirit, which always will tell you to go to church it doesnt matter what the circumstances are.  So when I came into the mission I came for many reasons of the flesh... ex. to learn a new language, to get to know a different place, to figure out how to talk to people and many reasons more... and my reasons of the spirit were few... Obviously I wanted to serve Christ or I wouldnt have come... but I have come to realize that to be successful in the mission it takes a lot more than just a desire of your heart... it takes a desire from your spirit.  For those that are going to serve a mission learn that, now!  And I promise that your mission will be 29387 million times better!  

I have learned so much over these months.. but the thing that I believe that I learned that is the most important thing... is how to be happy... DOESN`T MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCE OR WHATEVER IS GOING ON IN OUR LIVES WE NEED TO BE HAPPY AND FOLLOW CHRIST!  The scriptures teach us that we cannot have happiness if we are men of the flesh.. or as they put it ¨the natural man¨ cannot be a happy man...  We must be completely enveloped in the spirit to have joy... but it also tells us that to have a perfect joy we must have a body... and so in other words our spirit must be so strong that the flesh doesnt interfere with our spirit but it is still present.  Or like the common phrase we must be in the world, and not of the world... the same goes for our body/flesh... we must be in our body but not of our body...  To obtain joy!!  

So in this Christmas season dont look for other things that are of the flesh to make you happy or to bring you joy... let your spirit take over and bring you this joy...  To finish this long email... I want you guys to look at the difference in matthew 5:48 and 3 nephi 12:48... basically these 2 chapters are word for word the same... basically.  BUT there is an important difference in these two scriptures that explains a little bit of what I was saying... it has to do with the resurrection of Christ and the difference between him before the death and after the death... I hope you can figure out this difference and what it really takes to have a true joy this christmas season... and how important it is that Christ died, AND RESURRECTED for us...  so that one day we might be able to have a perfect joy like him....  I am a joyful person these days... but not for the success in the mission, not for the christmas season... but because I have understood the true meaning of having joy and learned how I can have this joy!  

I love you all and this is my testimony of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints.. I know that it is the true church and that through this church we can have joy... and I share this with you guys in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love Elder Stuart

P.S. Sorry for the long letter.