Just Another Week in Guatemala!

   Hello Family!   Here we are, just another week passing by!  Crazy to think how much time has passed!  But I`m hoping that it will slow down a bit, because I want to make the best of my short time here!  It is so weird, because with 8 months in the mission, I should feel a little old, but I still feel so new!  I feel like I am still starting out, but my time is going fast!  So let`s just make the best of it!

    

     We had just another regular week here in Chinique, just the regular missionary stuff going on!  Not really anything really exciting, but hey, I have the chance to teach the gospel to everyone here, so I guess that alone is exciting!  We have some investigators that are progressing and everything, but the hardest thing for us is to get people to come to church.  In an interview with President Bautista a while back, he said that one of the most important stats for us is investigators coming to church.  Becuase once that they make that commitment, we can work on everything else.  For instance, we have this one family, Miguel and Stefany with their son Jimmy, who are really positive when we teach them, but when it comes to attending church, there is always something that comes up.  So what I am hoping for is that once they start to gain a testimony about the truthfulness of the gospel, they will want to come to church on their own!  So we are gonig to work hard for that!

     Something really crazy really fast;  So it isn`t 100% sure yet, but the Coban mission will be taking parts of nearby missions to even everything out, and one of the most probable zones to leave this mission and go to Cobàn is Quichè!  So the zone I am in right now could probably be a zone that Jeffrey could work in!  How crazy is that??  And even crazier, there will be some missionaries that leave this mission to go to Coban...  So there is a chance that me and Jeffrey could be in the same mission!  I guess we will find out more about that later!  

     Another thing that I am hoping to complete before the end of my mission:  I am going to try and read my entire set of scriptures (the quad) by the end of my mission.  It is going to take some time, because the bulk of our study is focusing on our investigators, but with any free time that I have, I am going to read all the scriptures that I own!  Wish me luck!!

     Not much else, hopefully there will be more to report on next week!  We have made some really good goals for this coming week, so I`m thinking that this week will be the best week yet in Chinique!  As always, thank you all so much for your support, and I love you all!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

 This week is Galatians 5: 22-23.  We use this a lot when we explain how the Holy Ghost works, and it really is a great scripture!  And I, being a complete idiot, forgot my camera cable at home, so expect double photos next week!  Love you!

OH MY GOSH!!!!‏

    Hello Family!  Okay, first things first, WHAT THE HECK?!?!?  JEFFREY IS COMING TO GUATEMALA!!!!   I CAN`T BELIEVE IT!!!!  But seriously, what?!?!?  I don`t even know what to think right now!!  I am just so happy right now!  Jeffrey is coming to Guatemala...  wow.  That is really all that I can say right now!  I can`t wait to talk to him about Guatemala!  Not only will he be speaking Spanish, but he will be speaking the same Spanish as me, and know the same culture and everything!  This is seriously blowing my mind.  I can`t even think straight right now... so good thing that it is P-Day!  Wow...  How cool is that?

     Well, enough of me freaking out, I`ll tell you guys about Chinique now.  Well, unfortunately this week was more boring than last week.  I think just because it was the first week, and I was getting to know everything that it seemed like last week was so jam packed.  But now I am getting into the hang of things, and just furthering the work of the Lord.  We had to go down to Quichè (which is our Zone Center) three times this week, which takes a lot of time out of our schedule, so we didn`t have as much time to work as I had hoped.  But when we were in Chinique, Elder Riera got really sick, so we kind of had to slow down and not work as hard.  But thank goodness we still went out and did something!  But yeah, this week was sort of slow, so I am hoping that next week will pick up!

     So we had an investigator family of 6 come to church this week!  How awesome is that?!?  We had just been visiting them every so often, and yet they came to church!  It is a lot better than the investigators that we have that have baptismal dates set...  Not one of the investigators that have dates came to church.  So yeah, I`m thinking that some of the dates will fall, but we are hopefully going to put baptismal dates for that family that came to church!  I am so happy for them that they decided to finally come to church!  And a family too!  So hopefully that goes according to plan! 

     Like I said, this week was kind of boring, but we do have some things set up that should make this next week really exciting and jam packed of lessons!  So wish me luck!  I can`t thank you guys enough for writing me every week!  Every P-Day, I always want to give even more of me because of your emails.  Thank you so much for inspiring me, and I hope that I am able to do the same for you.  I want to be the missionary that the Lord wants me to be, and you guys are helping me reach that point.  I love you all som much!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. The scripture for this week is 3 Nefi 19:1-3.  We can relate this experience to us in our day, but I am going to let you guys study it and see what you learn!  Love you!

Photos!

This is a big Catholic church that is in Quichè!  It is in the center of everything in the city, and I just had to take a picture for you guys!  

On our same adventure trip, we found a mini waterfall!  Not as big as the waterfall in Pancà, but hey, I`ve had waterfalls in all of my areas so far!...   which is a grand total of two!  Haha

This is my district!  We have (from left to right, back to front) Elder Riera (my companion), Elder Berrios, Elder Salgado, Elder Cruz, Elder Carter (my district leader), me, Sister Calderon, Sister Cornejo, Sister Mejia, and Sister Folland.  Also, I don`t remember if I told you, but Sister Folland was in the Guatemala MTC with me, and she is from Bountiful!  She went to Bountiful High, but I don`t know her.  So if you guys know any Follands, let me know!

I got a package from Cole Davis this week, and he sent me the Pokemon Gym Badges!  So I am definitely using them on my backpack right now.  I don`t know if you can see them really well on this picture, but I hope that you can!

All of us four misisonaries in Chinique went to go exploring with some investigators, and we found these caves!  Apparently, it was a hiding spot for some criminals a while back, and they hid all of the stuff that they were stealing in these caves!  Cool, huh?

Start of a New Area

      Hello Family!  What a week, that`s really all I can say!  My first mission transfer in the field, and I survived!  Haha but really, it has been a pretty interesting week trying to get to know a new area with new companions and new members, but I`ve been working to get to know where I am in the world!  And it has turned out to be a pretty good week!

     So, first things first, my new area is called Chinique!  It is in the Zone Quichè, and you can actually find this city on the map! (Just for you Dad!)  It is a little village/town place, with a population of about 800 people.  Not gonna lie, I was afraid of being sent to a big city, because I love working in the small cities and the Aldeas (like Pancà), but Chinique is just perfect for me!  And my new companion is named Elder Riera, from Honduras.  Also, we split the city with two other elders, Elder Cruz and Elder Berrios.  Not gonna lie, my first couple days in Chinique were a little rough, but I was expecting it to be like that, because it was my first transfer!  I didn`t really know where I was.  But now I kind of have a feeling of where people live and what we can do, so I can help out now!  

     The missionary work here in a city-type place is a lot different than Pancà ever was.  In Pancà, I think that I knocked a total of about 5 doors in 6 months.  (Probably because they don`t really have doors... haha)  But here in Chinique, we only have two active member families that live in the city, so we spend a lot of time knocking doors.  And it has turned out to go pretty well!  I am learning a lot about how to work in the city now, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn so much here!  There actually is an aldea right to the north of us that we go and visit about twice a month, so when we visit it, I will be sure to let you know how it goes!

     We have also been super blessed with the success that we are having!  When I got here, we didn`t have anyone with baptismal dates, and as of now, we have two baptismal dates for the 23 of March!  And one of them was with a lady that we found my first day here!  How awesome is that?!?  So the work is going forward like none other, and it makes me realize now more than ever that I love this work!!!!!  I am so proud to be a missionary!

     So a pretty fun-filled week for me and for you guys also, from what I hear in your emails!  Glad to hear that you are all having a blast, and thank you so much again for writing me every week!  I love you all!!!  Until Next Time!  

    - Elder Stuart

     P.S.  The scripture for this week is Mosiah 16:9.  Jesus Christ is our light, and we are so blessed to have him in our life.  I choose this one, but I actually was reading all of what Abinadi taught.  So if you have extra time, read from Mosiah 11 until Mosiah 17.  (Abinadi is such a boss!!!)

Photos!

The city of Chinique from our house!  Like I said, it is just a little town, but I love it!  It`s not too big, and not too small.  I am stoked to work here for the next little while!

The Close of an Era

   Hello Family!  Well, as you can see from my title this week, it is now my time to have changes!  I`m leaving Pancà!  Well, I actually left it already, because I am going to stay in Momos for the night, but you get my point.  After being in Pancà for just about 6 months of my life, it is time for me to go!  Not gonna lie, I am a little nervous about changes, seeing as I have been in Pancà my whole time in the mission field, but I know that I can trust in the Lord, and that he has chosen a place for me to go.  So we will see how it goes!

      This week has been a little sad for me!  Every time we went and visited a member family this week, or just anyone that I have gotten close to these past six months, I had to tell them that I wouldn`t be here anymore.  It made me realize what an impact those that I have taught have had on me.  Especially one of my recent convert families.  It was the family that can only speak Quiche, so when I told them I was leaving, they didn`t understand as well at first, but when they realized what I had said, they looked so sad!  It was sad to see them for the last time, but I was so grateful for the opportunity I had to get to know them and the opportunity I had to bring them to the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  What an experience!  

     Oh, by the way, Elder Mar is going to train in Pancà!  I hope that I taught him enough about what I know that he will be a good trainer for a new missionary!  

     I want to share a way cool story that happened to us this week.  So we have been visiting this family who everyone but the dad are recent converts of the missionaries before me.  But, as it turned out, when I got here all but a 20 year old girl had gone less active, so I have been working with them to bring them back to church.  Usually when I went there, the dad would always leave, or say that he had something else to do, so he wouldn`t listen to us.  But about 2 weeks ago, he stayed in the room with us, and listened to our message!  I was super stoked when he stayed in the room.  So the next week, we planned an activity to do with them to unite them as a family, and hopefully get them all to come to church, even the dad.  So we did the activity with the whole family, and during the lesson, the dad told us that the reason he is listening to us now is that he has seen the blessings of the church in his family, and he wants to help his family the best he can.  I think that he came to realize that the gospel of Jesus Christ really is the best thing for that!  So we have been focusing on him a lot this past week, and I really think that he will accept the gospel later on!

     A really funny thing real quick.  Elder Mar had to go down to Xela on Friday for a trainers meeting, but the problem was that there wasn`t a truck that was going to pass by for sure Friday morning.  So we were sitting in our house Thrusday night, wondering what we should do, when the thought came to mind that we could walk to Momos..  I mentioned it to Elder Mar, just being funny, but with a hint of seriousness.  Well, one thing led to another, and on Friday morning, we woke up at 4:30 in the morning and walked to Momos!!  In 2 hours and 50 minutes we got to Momos!  It was a blast!  Now I will always be able to say that I walked from Pancà to Momos!  It is a good thing that we did too, because we probably wouldn`t have got to Xela on time!  But I am so stoked to always be able to say that I walked that!  Crazy, I know, but a blast!

     I don`t know, just looking back on this week, it really made me think about how incredible my time in Pancà has been.  I have seen the attendence in Pancà go from about 65 people when I got here to arrive at 105 this past week.  Like Dad has always said to me, he can`t even find Pancà on the map!  And yet there are people who are willing to walk all that way to get to church and receive those blessings that come with it.  I have always been blessed to live no further than 5 minutes away from a chapel, and yet there are people that walk more than 2 hours to get to their chapel.  It just shows that the determination of the members here is simply put, incredible.  I really am going to miss Pancà!

     Well, tomorrow I should find our where I am going for my next area!  I will be sure to let you all know where I am next week!  But until then, take care!  Thank you always for your support, and know that I love each and every one of you!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. The scripture for this week is Alma 26:1-3  A really good missionary scripture, and I really like the question at the end of verse two:  Can ye tell?  Can we tell the blessings of the Lord in our lives?  If not, we should look harder, because they are always with us!

Quite the Week

    Hello Family!  Well, as you can see from the title of my email, this really has been quite the week.  But it sure did make for some good stories, so here I go!

     First things first, I didn´t tell you last week because I didn´t want to scare you guys, but we got robbed last Thursday.  A bunch of our stuff was missing, the biggest thing being a USB and a speaker that I had bought to listen to church music.   We wanted to try and find out who had done it without getting a bunch of people involved.  We honestly had no idea who did it, until this Saturday. 

     Also, the miracle family that I told you guys about a couple weeks back, well, the dad just died this week...  We knew he was in the hospital for something, but we didn´t know that it was so serious!  So yeah, one of our investigators passed away this week...  and we don´t really know what to think about it!

      It seems like Satan is really working in Pancá, and now it is our turn to do our work.  We know that these things happen, and we are trying to see it in a good light.  With the family that stole our stuff, it seems like this would be a really good opportunity for us to talk about repentance, and how one of the first steps to repentance is baptism.  So you never know, it could turn out good for us!  And with the family where the dad died, we can help them get their affairs in order to gain their confidence, and then talk about the Plan of Salvation, and tell them that they have the chance to see him again as part of their family.  So even though some things happen, I am always trying to see the best out of it, and see what I can make of it!

     On a happier note, this month is going to be the month with the most baptisms for President Bautista, which is about a year and a half´s worth of time!  I don´t know the exact number, but hey, that is a really good thing!  Even though I didn´t contribute to it, as I would have liked, it is still way cool to see that the work of the Lord is going forward!  I love you all, and thank you for your support!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart 

     P.S. The scripture for this week is Alma 37:37.  We should always have the Lord with us, in our thoughts and actions.  

Photos!

This is in the back of a big flatbed truck.  We were walking back home, and we saw some members loading up all this plant in the flatbed, so we stopped to help.  They rewarded us with a ride back to our house, which would have taken about an hour to walk!  Totally worth it!

The Zone Leaders in Momos are moving houses, so this morning, we all helped them move!  It was like we were the Elder´s Quorum Moving Crew, but as missionaries!  But yeah, you can see all the mattresses that they have!  I guess that is what you get when you actually live in a city!  Haha

We made hamburgers!  A Less active family invited us over for dinner on one condition, that we would show them some food from the States.  So we made the classic, hamburgers!  They turned out really good!