Starting off February

Hello Family!  We are in February already...  Time is going by way too fast!  Jaja but seriously, I feel like I just blink, and we are already done with another week.  Kind of scares me...  Tomorrow I´ll be completing 19 months in the mission.  It´s weird to think that I´m one of the old guys now.  But that just means that I have to set the example, and hope that others can be edified by my example.

      Which reminds me of something.  When Elder Cook came here to the mission, he noticed that most of the missionaries here have less than a year.  And he said something really important.  He said that we shouldn´t depend so much on experience/time in the mission, as much as we should depend on inspiration.  And it´s true.  Someone can know the scriptures like the back of their hand, and in which situation they should use them, but without the Spirit, it won´t have that good of an effect.  He really stressed that we should follow the promptings of the Spirit ALWAYS, and that sometimes it´s better to just talk inspiredly than use scriptures.  And when an Apostle of the Lord says something like that, you´ve got to obey!  And this is something that you can incorporate in everyday life.  Follow the Spirit.  

     And what´s so great about that is that we put that into practice this week.  We´ve been working with Cruz, the husband of a recent convert for a long time now.  He´s come to church a couple of times, and he knew that he needed to be baptized, but he just didn´t want to take the step.  So this Friday, we passed by (saying a prayer right before because we knew that we needed the spirit) ready to commit him to be baptized.  

     When we ended the lesson, we were ready to extend the invitation.  I felt the spirit telling me that we just needed to be direct and really commit him to do it.  And when I was inviting him, I didn´t even realize what I was saying.  It was one of the rare moments in my mission when the words weren´t mine.  By the time I realized I was done talking, he said, "You´re right, I need to be baptized.  And I´ll be fine to do it this Saturday."  Wow.  That was one of the most powerful moments in my mission.  So he´s set for this Saturday.  We just need to make sure that he´s set for it.  But seriously, wow.

     Well, if you havent realized yet, I´m really late on this email, so I´m going to have to cut it short.  But I´ll be sure to try and make some more time next week.  Love you all!  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Alma 27:27

And because time is so short, pictures will come next week.  Love you all!