Time Flies!

 Hello Family!  Well, I don´t know what it is, but time is going by WAY to fast!  I have already been here in Chiquilajá for a change already!  Changes are tomorrow, but neither I nor Elder Calero are leaving.  So we are going to be together for another 6 weeks.  I´m stoked for it, because he´s a good guy, and I feel like we can both learn some things more from each other.  That´s what the mission is for, right?  Right.  

     So yeah, we had a pretty unexciting week this week.  Just another week of being a missionary!  So see you guys next week!...  Not.  Jaja but really, nothing really happened thinking right now, but I´ll find something to write about, don´t worry!

     I´ll tell you guys about our best lesson this week.  It was with a 25 year old lady named Esperanza.  We taught her about the Restoration last week, so we decided to follow up on the BoM.  And she loved it.  I felt so good during the lesson, and I felt the Spirit working through me to tell her what she needed.  Wow, there just aren´t words to really express the feeling you feel when the Spirit works through you.  But it is really something else.  So we ended the lesson, and she seemed really excited to read it.  But the thing is, we have a lot of people that say that.  But it was true!  We left, but my comp forgot something in the house.  So we went back, and the door was open and we saw her reading!  YES!  KEEP ON READING!  I loved it!  So we will see how that goes.

     We kind of had a rough week with Carla, who came to church last week.  She was out of town the beginning of the week, and when we passed by on Friday for a cita that we set up, she ended up having to leave.  So we ended up passing Sunday morning to take her to church, and the problems continued.  The light and water went out for all of our part of Xela, so they had been without light/water since Saturday afternoon.  And she basically told us that she wouldn´t go with us because the light was out...  Curse you Satan!  Dang it, that was a hard blow to us, but it happens, and we just have to keep going strong.  We´ll go back with her to see how things go.

     Elder Calero baptized a grandma and her daughter before I came.  So now we have been really trying to bring the whole family into the church.  And we made a lot of progress this week.  We ended up going 7 of us to see the sights of the temple!  There is a special spirit there, and we wanted them to feel it.  So on Saturday night, we made our way up there.  Well, we made a big mistake.  We didn´t take in account of the Relief Society meeting that same day, so when we got there, the gates were closed because of said meeting.  But we didn´t go all the way there for nothing!  So we sat down on the grass and just talked about the temple with them, with the temple all lit up in the background.  And man was that a good talk!  

     The temple really is a special place, and I feel really bad that I didn´t take full advantage of being in Utah, where according to the members here, "There are temples on every block!"  Which is somewhat true.  But I am going to really make the temple bigger in my life when I get back!  And all of you that can, go to the temple!  Always have it in your sights!

     Guatemala is weird, just saying it now.  I think that I´ve gotten so used to it though, because I don´t really see how it is weird.  But I had the sudden thought come to me one day.  I was standing in an old beat up school bus, jam packed with people, squished between an old man with about 4 teeth and a cowboy hat, and an old corte lady that only speaks K´iche´, with a chicken in her hand.  And then it hit me, wow, that´s just weird.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of it!  Classic.

     Guys, the scriptures are awesome.  Really make it an effort to read AND study them every day.  That is one thing that I love about the mission, the time to study.  There are so many words of comfort, happiness, excitement, it just has it all.  Especially the BoM.  Wow, what an amazing book.  I can´t get enough of it!

      GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!  WOO HOO!!!  Be stoked.  Prepare yourselves to be absolutely enlightened by living profets!  

     There y´all go, my week in a nutshell.  Not really the best week in the mission, but it´s a week in the mission, so it´s special.  Really though, I don´t think we realize how great of an opportunity this really is.  And sometimes I forget it too.  But there really is no greater work, and no other work that brings so much satisfaction.  Hope on.  Journey on.  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     D y C 30:6  I really am serving among the Lamanites!  

Another week in Chiquilajá!‏

     Hello Family!  I hope that you all had a good week this week!  We had a fairly interesting week this week, so I´ll try and let you all know about what happened.

     Well, first things first, I´m finally out of a trio.  Elder García is leaving for his mission tomorrow.  So now it is just going to be Elder Calero and I.  Which is going to be nice, because working with three people on the mission is just weird.  Also, Elder García had kind of lost his desire to serve, because he wasn´t in his own mission.  But now he´s excited to go, and I´m happy for him.  I hope that he will find that desire again in is own mission!  But now I´m just back to a regular, two-person companionship.  (Thank goodness...)

     Well, here in Guatemala, especially here in Xela, September is by far the hardest month in the mission, because it´s independence month here.  (Independence day is September 15 here.)  Also, there is this huge fair that comes to Xela for about 3 weeks.  So basically everyone is partying, celebrateing, waking up in the streets, and all that fun stuff.  So our leaders have really stressed on starting now so that we can baptize in September.

     Which we have been taking to heart!  We have two sure dates for the 21 of September.  One of them is Wendy, the granddaughter of Martha, the recent convert.  Another one is a young man named Brando.  They are both willing to be baptized, so that´s good.  The only thing we need them to do now is to come to church continually.  They both weren´t able to come to church this week, because Wendy´s great-grandma got really sick, so they went to go visit them, and Brando´s mom didn´t give him permission to go...  So that sucked, but we have talked to both of them, and they said that they are planning on coming next week for sure.  

     I haven´t really realized the importance of member work until I got here.  In Momos and in Quiché, there really weren´t enough members to work with us, and even less who were willing to help us.  But here there are a lot more to help us out.  And we have really been trying to stress member lessons, because there really is nothing else like them.  You can have two strange people, one of them a Gringo, and the people don´t want to hear anything from us.  But when we bring someone who lives walking distance from them, it makes them think that we are actually normal!  It´s great working with them!

     On wednesday we had a Multi-Zone Conference with all the zones from Xela.  President Bautista talked to us, and I don´t know what it is, but I always feel so pumped when he talks!  It´s always good for us missionaries to reclaim the excitement that we had at the beginning.

     Not much else, happened this week.  Just keeping on working for the Lord!  I love this work, and we just need to work hard to make us all happy!  Haha I love you all so much, and thanks for all the support!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Abraham 2:16.  Think about it a little bit... ;)

This Week in Chinique‏

     Hello Family!  I´m just chillin here in Chinique still!  It´s been great, I´ve been loving my time here in the mission these past couple of days.  (I think it´s because of the Muñoz family lifting my spirits.  They are so awesome!)  I´ve developed a new love for the work, and I love it every time that it happens!  It just makes the work that much better when you are out here!  Like Dad always says "Learn to love work."

     It´s been a great week this week.  I´m still with Elder Glass and Elder Vasquez in a trio.  Although we have been getting along really good, and we are working hard, there is something about trios that I don´t really like...  I don´t know what exactly, but yeah.  Changes are this coming week, and I´m fairly sure that I´m going to another area, so not much more time in a trio!  

     Okay, something way cool happened this week.  A convert of just a few months ago was baptized with one of her sons.  They have two other sons that are at the age of baptism, but she has been hesitant having them be baptized, because the dad isn´t really a fan of it.  But we went to go visit her this week, and out of the blue she told us that she wants them to be baptized as soon as possible!  We were stunned, because we didn´t say anything about it, but she wants it done!  So maybe they will be baptized this Saturday, but if not, it´s going to be soon!  I love the mission just for that!  MIRACLES!

     We have been focusing a lot on our recent converts that we have, because a really sad thing that happens here is that the members here don´t really know exactly why they are going to church, so when something happens to challenge their testimony, they fall away.  So we are really making sure that it doesn´t happen to our converts, especially the Muñoz family!  That family is something else!

     We have really been trying to invite everyone of our investigators to baptism, and having them accept a set date.  It´s crazy, because PMG says that we should try and put one in the first lesson that we have with them.  I have always thought that it is way crazy and way too fast, and they will feel pressured.  But I realized that PMG is inspired, written by the Apostles themselves, so I´m thinking they probably know what they are doing!  Haha so we are trying that out, and I´ts been good so far.  We put 4 baptismal dates that people accepted this week!  It was awesome!  We are thinking that maybe half fall through, so that means that 2 people can be baptized soon!  We´re gonna work to see it though!

     So this Saturday, a Gringo came to Chinique!  He visited a lot of people in Chinique, but we never saw him.  But it was way cool to hear a bunch of the members talk about him, and the impact that he had on them.  It just shows how much missionaries can impact the lives of others!  We just have to make it happen!

     Man, I wish that I could send videos home to you guys.  We made a "music video" of one of the Nashville Tribute Band songs, and recorded it.  It was so dang funny!  Elder Vasquez was just rediculous!  (Spelling?  I can´t spell anymore...)  When I get back home, I´ll share with you guys all the videos that I have!

     We had an awesome lesson with some less actives, Luis and Margarita, this week.  So powerful.  They had been having a lot of problems with their marriage, and they were thinking about separating.  So we shared a lesson with them about love and how they can love each other.  All in all, and the end, they hugged and Luis started crying...  Wow, what a moment.  I´m definitely going to remember that feeling for a long time.  Nothing is as powerful as love guys!  Remember that!

     Really, I´ve been enjoying a lot my time as a missionary recently.  I don´t know what it is, but I love it!  I hope that it never ends!  

     I love you all so much, and thanks for everything!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S.  Alma 26:27 

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!