2 Years Out!

     Hello Family!  Man, what an amazing week this week.  I´m so blessed to be finishing my mission like this, feeling like one of the happiest missionaries in the world!  I was kind of scared about getting so close to the end, but then one of my friends gave me the advice to just continue on like any other week in the mission, and it would be great.  And it has!  I love the mission so much, and I`m going to take advantage of the little time that I have left.

     Well, the best part of the week:  Paloma was baptized on Saturday!  And man, what a special baptismal service we had.  We put a lot of effort in making it really memorable, and although we were really tired Saturday night, it was all worth it.  She is going to be one of the best members here in San Francisco, and I won`t be surprised if she goes on a mission as soon as she turns 19.  (Which is in about a year and a half)  She was so happy in the baptism, and that means that we all were too. :)

     To make the baptism something really special, we spent all week getting everything ready, and setting everything up on Saturday.  I can dare say that this was one of the best prepared baptisms I`ve had.  We filled and heated up the water, baked cookies in the morning, cleaned the chapel, bought everything necesary, and just basically got everything ready.  And all the members loved it.  We had about 50 people in the baptism, which was a lot more than we expected!  And at the moment of the actual ordinance, the spirit was so strong.  Amazing.  After everything, we just felt so good and spiritual.  This probably will be my last baptism in the mission, and I couldn`t have asked for anything better.

     We found some really special investigators this week.  Cata and her daughter, Santa.  They`ve had some problems lately, with a divorce, financial problems, health, anything you can think of.  But I can`t imagine a happier little family.  They have so little of what the world regards as important, but they don`t let it bother them.  It breaks my heart to see them struggling so much, yet they always find a way to make some food for us, or give us something to remember them by.  But that`s just how they are.  I hope that I can be so loving like they are.  They are also progressing really nicely!  They came to the baptism on Saturday, and are looking forward to our cita with them on Tuesday!  

     We went to the temple again. :)  The temple closed down this week for maintenence, and will be closed until after I leave, so my group went to the temple for the last time!  And while inside, I just felt such a confirmation that what I have given the Lord these last two years have been worth it.  I know He has accepted my sacrifice.  And I will be forever grateful to Him for the opportunity He gave me to serve a mission, especially here in Guatemala.  The temple is such an amazing place, and I can`t wait to be able to go whenever I want!

      Last Friday I hit two years in the mission.  Can you all just think of how long that is?  That is two amazing years of straight up missionary work.  Non-stop.  It`s been amazing, but surprising that it`s all coming to a close so quickly.   I find myself thinking about past experiences in the mission, and realize that it`s true:  These really are "The Best Two Years" as everyone says.  I couldn`t trade this time for anything, and I keep thinking what a privilage it has been to be a missionary.

     Well, as of now my last full week in the mission is about to begin, and I´m set to be one of those missionaries that works until the very end.  It´s the least I can do with all the blessings that I have received while being here, right?  Right.  So here´s to an amazing last week in the mission!  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Alma 29:9

Happy Independence Day!!!

     Hello Family!  And Happy Birthday America!  What a beautiful place we have to live!  After being in Guatemala for just about 2 years (I love the place, don´t get me wrong...), I´ve really come to appreciate how much I love the good old United States of America.  There really is no other place like it.  We have so much to be grateful for, all the rights that we have, and we really need to realize how much that really affects us.  ´Murica.

     Alright, things are going smoothly in San Francisco el Alto.  First things first, with Paloma.  Man she is just so great.  We were thinking of the best way to put a fecha with her.  Now, it´s some scary business to just let an investigator choose their baptismal date, but when we thought about doing it, we felt the confirmation that it was the right thing to do.  So we went with her, and she had told us a little bit about being baptized on the 12th.  When we asked her to choose a date, she said, "I know that the 12th is the date for me!"  Wow, we were so relieved that she didn´t put a fecha for like months in the future!  She is so ready, so we are going to make the 12th a really special day for her.

     I want to tell you guys a little bit about an investigator named Luis.  He is the husband of a less active member in the ward.  He has visited with the missionaries for so long now, no one even knows when they started to go with him.  But, we´ve lograred some really good progress with him!  We´ve got a different kind of confidence with him.  With all the other missionaries, they told us they were really good friends, but just that.  But I feel like we´ve established a relationship with them that shows that although we are really good friends with the family, we are there because we want to help them progress spiritually.  And it´s working!  They came to church this week in who knows how long!  It really was a miracle.  All the members were excited to see Marleni (The less active wife), and even more stunned to see Luis come to church!

     And that´s not all!  Wow, I still really can´t believe it!  In Gospel Principles class, we were learning about the scriptures.  (We were teaching the class)  So we divided the class into groups, and had them explain about the scriptures.  Luis, Marleni, and another member we assigned to teach about the BoM.  When it was their turn to talk, Marleni gave a powerful testimony about the BoM, regardless of not having gone to church in years.  And then Luis stood up, and invited the whole class to read the BoM, because it is really important for all of us.  Elder Jerez and I were just sitting there with our jaws on the floor listening to him.  We are progressing with them really well. :)

     This week we had a Multi-Zone conference in Momos; basically the get-to-know-you for President Smith and the missionaries.  But it was a great conference.  In the mission, Momos and San Francisco are generally accepted as the hardest zones in the mission.  But when President Smith talked to us, he said something really awesome.  Something along the lines of: "When we are in the most dificult moments of our lives, that is the time where we really learn to grow and depend on the Lord.  Don´t ever lose hope, even when everything looks to be going wrong.  That will happen, especially here in these Zones.  But if you always look to the Lord, and search for ways to grow, you will leave these areas as better, more mature, and more confident missionaries.  I guarentee it."  And I know that it is true, because I´ve seen it in my mission.

     I´ve decided to really deep study PMG before I get back, and I´m learning so much, even with almost 2 years in the mission.  Which just reminds me always that there is never a point where we are going to know everything, where we are going to be perfect in something.  There will ALWAYS be something to better.  There will always be room for some improvement.  But if we just think, "I doing it good enough, I´m good,"  we´re done.  But if we always think that there is something better we can do, we will do it.  There is always room for improvement.

     Something that I´ve realized as of late.  Dad has been talking about this recently, but I like it a lot.  We never have to feel like we don´t belong, or that people around us are better than us. Each one of us has something special, and we can always do something the Lord has called us to do.  Dad shared with me this quote from Tiger Woods: "There may be a lot of players out there that are more talented than I, but none will out work me."  And it´s true.  In a missionary´s eyes, maybe there are other missionaries that are better than teaching, or better at making people love them, or better at organizing things, etc.  But if we work our hardest, and give it our all, we are the best in the Lord´s eyes.  We have to give it our all.  Omni 1:26 (our whole souls).

     If you have made it this far, I commend you.  I just have a lot to write recently... ;)

     Guys, I´m learning so much.  This last change has taught me so much, I can´t even believe it.  The decision to bring me here to San Francisco was really an inspired one.  I could have ended my mission in Huehue fine, probably with more baptisms, but the Lord wanted me to come here to San Fran to learn so much about how to be a man, and advance in life.

     On Friday, I walked around with an american flag tie.  Without shame or anything.  I love my country.  All the people were looking at my tie, and some even commented on it!  Wearing those stripes and bars with pride!

     We came down to Xela today, so I aprovechared my tiempo buying some souveniers for home!  The best part of buying stuff here for me is definitely bartering to lower the price.  I just find it as a game, to see who can best sweet talk the other.  It´s so much fun, and I´m super bummed that I won´t be able to do that in the States... Could you imagine?  Going to Costco or something, and when I go to the cashier, I start saying, "Can I get this for 3 dollars instead of 5?"  I just thought about it, and it made me laugh!  

     Wow, I think I´m done.  I hit two years this week on Friday.  July 11th, 2014.  That date seemed so far away when I started, and now we are here.  It´s crazy how fast the time crept up on us.  But that life I guess.  We´ve got a limited amount of time to do what we need to do, and when the time is up, we´ve got to be happy with what we did.  If we gave it our all, there will be no regrets...

     I love you all so much.  Thank you for always writing me, supporting me, loving me, and all that jazz.  I know I couldn´t have gotten here without all of you.  I love each and every one of you so much.  But, even more than that, I love this Gospel.  It has brought a wonderful change in my life, and I hope that it will never go away.  Jesus Christ is my Savior, and He loves me so much.  He is always there for me, and for everyone who looks for him.  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. DyC 20:31

Photos!

This is a way the people here grind up corn.  Just crushing it on a good old rock.  So of course I had to try it out!

A cake we made for some investigators!  It turned out really well!

We went to the temple this week!  We reached our goal as a Zone to go, and it was so great.  So needed.  I can´t wait to go to the temple as often as I want!

The little baby of Margarita when we went to go make dinner for them.  So cute!  

Some of the cutest Guatemalan kids ever.  Seriously.  I want my kids to be just like them!

We made hamburgers for the 1st counselor in the Stake, and he loved it!  He was so happy, and it was really special for us to see him like that.

Just more of Guatemala!  Man I love this country so much!

The family of Becker and Alvin!

Oh my goodness, this was so funny.  So it was a less actives birthday on Sunday, so we made a cake for her.  Well, the tradition here is that after they blow out the candles, the take a bite, and someone shoves their face into the cake.  Not too much, just to cover up the mouth.  The thing is, this member was being dificult, and didn´t want us to push her into the cake!  So we all tried shoving her head in, me using my both hands, and this is what happened....  JAJAJAJAJA!  We were all laughing so hard!

Exception Week!

     Hello Family!  How are you all doing?  I hope that you are all doing exceptional.  Not just good, not even great, but exceptional.  We have the greatest joy ever in our lives, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  There really is no reason ever to not be just bursting with joy!  We have the great Plan of Happiness!  How great is that?  Just making sure that you all remember to be happy!  ;)

     This week was kind of hard for us in San Fran.  Just so you all know, San Francisco is a really famous market place, and people come over here to work and buy all the time.  The hardest thing about this pueblo is that a lot of people come here to work and sell during the week, but they don´t even live here, so it´s hard to find people to teach that actually live here.  So that´s been a challenge for us here.

     We are working really hard with Paloma.  She was supposed to be baptized last Saturday, but when she went to her sister to ask for permission (She´s 17 and her sister is her guardian), the sister took her to go talk with a pastor... Great.  So she backed off for this Saturday.  We were really bummed when that happened.  So we went to go talk to her to see what happened.

     She basically told us that she wasn´t so sure about being baptized, because she wasn´t sure that she had recieved an answer.  (Just so you know, she comes to church every week, goes to early-morning seminary, and is even doing her personal progress.  She´s that pilas.)  But we talked to her about her answer, and how the Holy Ghost answers our prayers.  Well, she has told us that she feels great talking to us, and knows that she needs to be baptized.  And when she talked with her sister, she felt doubt, confusion, and such.  So I asked her, "Where do those feelings of happiness and joy come from?"  She said God.  Then I asked her, "Where do feelings of doubt and confusion come from?"  She said from the devil.  I then asked her, "Now, Paloma, what does that tell you?"  She just sat there and smiled.  She told us that she was going to talk to her sister and tell her for sure that she has recieved an answer, and that she wants to be baptized.  That was quite the exerience for me.  Words just came out without even thinking about them, and I know that the Spirit helped me with her.  So now we just need to wait how she feels, but it´s very probable that she will be baptized this Saturday.

     We´ve found a new investigator this week named Alejandrina.  She works her in San Fran, but lives in an aldea about 40 minutes away called Tierra Colorada.  The good thing is that it is still part of our area!  Jaja we taught her the restoration, and she loved it!  She understood everything, and more importantly, she understood what it means for her.  She even came to church this week!  We have really high hopes for her, so we just need to keep teaching her.

     I´ve learned something really important about teaching here in San Francisco.  A lot of the people here can´t read (which happens a lot in this mission...), so we need to find the best way to teach those people.  And something that we do wrong sometimes is giving them all the answers.  In all teaching situations, we need to let people figure it out for themselves, or they will never really retain anything.  So many times we go visit someone, and they say, "I don´t really remember what you guys taught me last time..."  And that just shows us that we need to really focus on not just teaching the lesson, but making sure that they really understand it.

     I´m learning so much here, and with so little time left, I really need to make sure that I am doing all that I can to take advantage of the time that I have left.  I that´s what I´m going to do!  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Jacob 7:5

San Francisco!!!

Hello Family!  Here we are again.  I´ve been running out of ways to start my emails, because if my count is correct, this is P-Day number 101 for me.  That just blows my mind on how much time that really is, and realizing that all that time I have been a missionary of the Lord.  And I love it!  Being a missionary has been such a blessing to me and to so many other people, I just love it so much.  I can´t get enough of it!

     (By the way, after writing all of this, I realize that this is a long email.  So if you don´t have time to read it all, don´t worry, I completely understand!)

     So, seeing as I had changes in my very last change, I´m not in Huehue anymore.  I am currently writing you all from San Francisco!!!... El Alto.  Jaja just so you all know, my new area that I am in is called San Francisco El Alto.  I love it because I am close by my very first area, Momostenango!  It´s a pretty famous place, because of the market that happens every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  It´s kind of rediculous, but it´s fun to just be in that environment where there is commotion everywhere, and people bartering left and right.

      For the area itself, we are in a very small ward here.  For example, we had an attendence of about 40 people this week, which was pretty good for us.  So now I´m going to need to get used to a smaller ward, with less people.  But I love it.  We are part of the Momostenango Stake, which I absolutely love.  (I just have such a connection with Momos, I don´t know why...)  The ward has been pretty down recently, because there hasn´t been much success here for a long time, but that´s why I´m here!  To get things going!

     My companion´s name is Elder Jerez, who is from Guatemala City, which means that I will finish my mission having a Latino comp my whole time, which has been awesome!  Elder Jerez is great, he has about 18 months in the mission, and we are getting along really well.  He also loves to cook, which is great for me! (But not for my return missionary form...)  We are getting some new ideas to get San Francisco going, and we are both really excited to be working here.

     We had a really good week this week, just getting to know the members a little bit.  And for the little members that are here, they are all really nice and special.  This is a really tight ward, which makes the work better.  (That´s probably because more than half of the ward is made up of one family, the Álvarez family.  You´d be surprised how often that happens here...)  And although I´ve only known them for just less than a week, I already feel a connection with them.  And I know that they are going to be happy to help us out.

     We´ve got a 17 year-old investigator named Paloma who is really pilas!  They had been teaching her for some time, she had come to church a few times, and they had talked about baptism a little bit, but nothing was set in stone.  So this week we focused with her, and had a really spiritual lesson on Wednesday about the Plan of Salvation.  She really understood everything, and at the end we really focused on what she needs to do now to be able to reach all of her potential.  She said that she was willing to do anything, so we extended an invitation to be baptized on the 21st of June, and she accepted!  She´s really happy and excited about everything, and we are planning that Saturday will be a really specialy day for her.

     We had such an amazing spiritual experience yesterday.  We are teaching a family of 4 where the mom and the two daughters are all active, but the mom is living with another man.  When I got here, I thought that he was the dad of the family, because they all get along so well.  But, long story short, Mirza (the mom) is still married to another man that left her to go to the States (Scumbag).  About 9 months ago, she went to go live with this man, Baltazar, to have a man in the house.  But they can´t get married because Mirza is still married to this man in the States who doesn´t want to give her the divorce.  Mirza and the kids go to church all the time, and Baltazar sometimes...  So that´s the story.

     On Sunday, we went to go talk with them, and we sang "O My Father," which I believe is now my favorite hymn.  We talked to them about eternal families, and while talking, I felt the impression to tell them to just think in silence for about two minutes and just think about what living with our families for eternity means.  Man, that has probably been one of the most powerful manifestations of the Spirit I have ever felt.  Firstly, because I was thinking about my family, and how special they are to me.  But then I noted that Mirza was really feeling the spirit, so I invited her to share what she was feeling.  To make it short, she shared her desire to be an eternal family with Baltazar and the kids, and gave us some really good news.  Her current husband had just advised her that he was willing to give her the divorce.  Just out of the blue!  She has been working and talking with him for YEARS to be able to get to this point, and now she will be able to progress.  She was so happy, because that means that she and Baltazar will be able to be married!  She then turned to Baltazar and asked him, "Do you want to be an eternal family?"  He said yes, and he was willing to do anything to make that happen.  Miracles happen guys.  So we are going to see if the divorce can happen before I leave here.

     Last thing.  Being here in San Francisco means that I am currently a Zone Leader, which means some resposibility.   This has been a Zone that is struggling a lot, in success and morale.  So, seeing as President put me here as a Zone Leader with just 6 weeks left tells me that I have something to do here.  Something in the area, or helping the Zone out, I don´t know, but I know that I have to be my best to be able to fulfull the Lord´s will.  

     Whew, that was a long email.  But I just wanted you all to know how I´m doing, and what I´m thinking.  I love the mission so much, and I am learning so much from being here.  I´m honestly so scared that I´m so close to being done.  I don´t want this to end.  But, the end in inevitable, so I just have to do my best to finish off strong.  I love you all so much, and I wouldn´t be the person that I am today without all of you.  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. DyC 121:34-46

     P.P.S.  Happy Father´s Day!

[16 Jun 2014]

Crazy Week!

 Hello Family!  Well this week has definitely been on of the most eventful weeks that I´ve had for a while.  We had a lot go on, and I´m really happy about all the work that is going to go on here in Colonia!  We´ve got a lot set up here, and I know that June and July are going to be really special months here!

     Unfortunately, I have changes...  Yep, this week there are changes, and they are taking both Elder Pagán and I out of the area, something that we are really bummed about.  So apparently they are going to put Hermana missionaries in Colonia, so they are going to take us both out.  Needless to say that we were both really bummed when that happened.  We had worked so hard to get a lot of work here, and now they are going to take us out.  But I feel really good about my work in Colonia, and I know that I left my mark there.  I know that I will leave this area better off than it was before.

     Our biggest investigators are family members of a member in our ward.  Her sister, Roxana, and Roxana´s four children have been coming to church recently.  One of the kids is a member already, but three of them aren´t.  Yesterday, we had a very powerful and spiritual lesson with them.  We taught them the doctrine of Christ, and watched a Mormon Message called "A change of heart."  (Go look it up!)  Man, the Spirit afterwards was so strong, and Becker and Alvin, two of the kids, expressed their desires to be baptized!  We didn´t even have to invite them to do it!  They want to do it!  So this 21st of June they will be baptized.  Their older sister, Ceci, still isn´t sure about all of it, but I have a really good feeling that she will follow her brother´s examples.  Roxana has some problems with her husband, so she will have to wait for a little bit, but she´s really pilas too.

     We are also working with Merlin still.  Something that I have really realized while teaching her is the importance of teaching the doctrine clearly and simply so that others can understand.  There have been various times where she has said during a lesson something like this, "The missionaries taught me this before, but I didn´t realize how important it was until now."  She is progressing really well, and I have a good feeling that she too will be baptized in June.

     Argelio, a recent convert of about 4 months, is another person that we are working with.  He´s Luis and Esvin´s step-dad.  The thing is that the family has been coming to church little by little.  First Argelio was baptized and his wife.  Later his son.  And then we baptized Luis and Esvin.  Now we are focusing on the last two people in the house: Nancy and Saida, Argelio´s daughters.  Something I´ve learned from teaching them?  Focus on the head of the household.  Every time that Argelio has been strong in the Gospel, we have success there.  Every time that he slacks off a little bit, they don´t come to church.  So we are focusing a lot on making sure that the head of EVERY household is strong in the church, and they are being able to help out in the spiritual progression.

     Like Jeffrey said in his email, members are the most important part of this work.  Without their help, we are done for.  We have been seeing a lot of good things happen in this area because of the help of the members, and I know that the Lord is really hastening his work here in Guatemala.

     Our Zone this month have been calling this month a "Month of Miracles."  We are really focusing on the point of, "If God has performed miracles in the past, why not now?"  We are focusing a lot of being the tools in the Lord´s hands so that he will be able to work miracles through us.  And we have been seeing those Miracles.  I have recorded a good lot in my Journal, so I´ll share those when I get home.

     Basically, this week has been really great.  And to top it all off, I´m officially older!  21 years old...  When I first started the mission, I never thought this day would come, and now here I am.  I had a good birthday, with some members making me a cake and others giving me dinner.  All in all, I enjoyed myself!

      And now, I am officially going to start my last change in the mission.  I´ve been thinking a lot about how I want to end my mission, and I am going to give it my all to the Lord to make sure that He is proud of what I am doing here.  I know he is, but I just want to give that last push.  So here goes nothing!  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. 1 Nephi 13:37

I LOVE THE MISSION

     Hello Family!  I´m going to try to reiterate what I´ve been feeling recently:  I LOVE THE MISSION.  Every single part of it.  This is an experience like none other, and I´m so happy being a missionary.  I´ve never been in a situation like this where I have been able to learn so much in such a short amount of time.  It´s absolutley incredible.

     Things here are going great.  This week in all of Central America there was a whole week focusing on the family.  Every night, there were actividades in the church, talks about how to strengthen the family, and just opportunities to spend time together as a family.  And we had a lot of success!  A bunch of the members brought their family members that aren´t members, and they all loved it.  We got a bunch of new investigators from it, and it was all just from members talking to their family members about the gospel.  

      That just makes me realize how easy missionary work can be, with all the success that we had.  It can be so easy as to just talk with your family and close friends on how the church really focuses on the family.  A lot of families loved this week, and we are hoping to bring together more families because of the Gospel.

     By the way, on Saturday, there was a Cultural Night, where a bunch of members put together talents.  And what did Elder Pagán and I do?  Comedy skits....  booya.  Everyone loved us, and I just loved acting again.  I´ll show you all the videos when I get home!

     Our most positive investigator right now is Aura.  On Tuesday we had a really important lesson with her about baptism.  She had a fecha for the 17th of May, this last Saturday, but in that lesson, she said that she wanted to pray to figure out when she should be baptized.  We were kind of worried at first, because we should be the ones to put the fechas, but then we just felt like we should let her have two days to pray about it.  When we went back on Thursday, we were really anxious to know what she was going to say, and if she was going to say a fecha super far away.  But when we asked her, she said very confidently, "I need to be baptized on the 24th of May.  Is that alright?"  Nice!  That´s a for sure fecha that´s not too far away, just this next Saturday!  I know that the Lord knew He was going to give her that confirmation, and that´s why He told us to let it go.  The Lord really is in charge of this work.

     Just to end off, I want to stress with you guys the importance of the BoM again.  It really is the key to this work.  In PMG, it talks about how we need to be creative with the way that we handle the BoM, and especially here, where about half of our investigators can´t read.  But it really is the key to success here, and we need to always make sure that we are focusing on the BoM.  Read the last paragraph of the introduction of the BoM, and you´ll see why this book is so important in missionary work.

     I love you all so much, and I wish  the best for you all!  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Moroni 9:31

Change

     Hello Family!  Guys, I´m enjoying the mission so much, just to let you guys know.  Being a missionary has been my life for so long, I don´t even want to think about anything else.  The only thing on my mind all day every day is preaching the Gospel.  What else do I really want/need?  Being a missionary is perfect.

     Our main focus as of right now is Elena, Aroldo, and their family.  They love the church, and are going every week to church (besides Aroldo).  Aroldo has got some problems, and they aren´t married yet (kill me), but we´re not too worried about it.  They´ve got the desire to learn, and that´s the most important thing.  With that will come the desire to change, and we know that it´s possible for them.

     Also, I´ve got two really cool stories about Elena.  On Wednesday, we had just gotten to Elena´s house, when some random lady came up to us, and said "Mis hermanos Elderes!"  Elena said that she was her neighbor, and she presented herself as Aura.  Then she said that before, she was reading the BoM and talking with the misisonaries, but then she moved and lost contact with them.  And Wednesday was the first time that she had seen missionaries for 9 years.  Wow.  She´s reading the BoM again AND came to church.  We are fairly sure that she will be baptized this month.  Miracles happen guys.

     Then, yesterday as we got to Elena´s house, she said "You guys can give blessings, right?  My friend is really sick, and I want you to give her a blessing."  Man, that kind of faith from an investigator is incredible.  So we went to the friends house, and I gave the blessing.  That is probably one of my favorite things to do.  I feel so much power when I give blessings, because I know that I have the authority to do it.  The Spirit was so strong there, and I know that we left a lasting impression there

     We have been working with a lot of Menos Activos recently.  After the conference with Elder Clarke, I really understood the importance of getting less actives to church.  Baptizing one man and reactivating one man are basically the same, because in any case, the church is benefitted, and the man is in the true church.  It can mean the world to a less active member having someone care for them.  Most of the time it is one small thing that happened, and we can be the means to help them come back to church.  We´ve got to retain everyone.  It´s a huge problem here in Central America, and it means a lot.

     More than anything, the mission has been a huge blessing for me to see who I really am, and who I can become.  I´ve learned so much in the misison, and I know that I am a different person that what I was before.  I see the world so much differently, and I feel like it is a good thing.  The mission will always change someone.  We just have to let it change us for the better, and not the other way around.

     This is the life.  I´m so happy to be here, serving these people that I love so much.  Life is so good.  Until next time.

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Alma 5:13

A Special Week

Hello Family!  Just to let you all know now, this week was one of the best weeks I`ve ever had in the mission.  No, I didn`t have the best numbers or anything extraordinary, but with everything that happened in the week, it was just special.  I`ve learned so much as a missionary, and this week I`ve definitely learned more.  One of the best moments of my mission.

     Yes, I`m writing on Tuesday instead of yesterday, but you`ll all see why soon.  And if the letter is too long, just skip to the end, because it is the best part.

     So this Saturday Luis and Edwin were baptized!  Nice.  My first baptisms in this area, and they were good ones.  The service was really special, something that seems to be lacking here in Guatemala.  But it was incredible.  These two have made some really big differences in their lives, and we were able to see the result of it.  They were so happy the whole time, and they kept saying afterwards, "I`m baptized! I´m baptized!"  So happy.  And we also had a total of 17 investigators in the service!  I was amazed in how many investigators came.  And they all said that they loved it.  (There were more investigators than members, but that`s beyond the point...)

     Their confirmation was also really special.  The Bishop really made them feel welcome in the ward, and some temple missionaries that were there gave them ties for next week!  They were really happy about the support of the ward, as was I.  They are now saying that they can`t wait to go on missions one day, and that`s my hope for them. 

     We are still working with Elena and Aroldo.  Aroldo is kind of rough, because he`s kind of hard-hearted.  He accepts us and everything, but we just need to get into his heart.  The rest of the family is doing great.  They went to the baptism and church, and they are loving it.  We just are going to keep going with them and make sure that they always have that excitement.

     We`ve also made some progress with Antonia, who I had mentioned a couple weeks back.  She is the sister of a member in the ward, Hermana Paz.  For years she`s listened to the missionaries and all that jazz, but this week was something special.  After about 18 years of contact with missionaries, she came to church for the first time.  Ever.  The whole Paz family was shocked.  But I´m not really.  I´ve had a lot of impressions that now is her time, and we are here to help her with it.  I´m sure that she will be a member of the chruch this year.  I know it.

     The reason that I am writing today instead of yesterday is because yesterday, Elder Don R. Clarke of the Seventy came to our mission to have a conference here.  He is the assistant Excecutive Director of the Missionary Department of the Church.  And man does he know how to do missionary work.  If I learned anything about him, and General Authorities in general, it`s that they have a much higher vision of missionaries than we all do.  They know what missionary work can be, and they want us to catch that vision.  Elder Clarke taught us a lot of things, and it really made me want to finish my mission off the strongest way possible.  That man is incredible.

     It`s been a great change here in Colonia.  Changes are this week, but Elder Pagán and I are staying together, just like we thought.  So we are all charged up and ready to convert even more people here in Colonia.  I love being a missionary so much, and I honestly wish I could be one for much much longer.  The Lord lives, and is hastening his work.  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. DyC 49:24.

Photos!

Look at all of this wood we chopped.  Took us a little over a half an hour with both of us going at it.  I´m definitley going to miss doing this when I`m not here anymore.

Us playing jump rope with some investigators.

Just some classic Guatemalan kids for you guys.

My main man Elder Keele hitting his two year mark.  So we celebrated!

These are about half of the corte ties that I`ve gotten during my mission.  I don`t think I`ll ever wear a normal tie ever again.

General Conference Weekend!

Hello Family!  This week was incredible, to say the least.  My very last General Conference in the mission.  It´s been so weird to think about how fastthe time has gone.  Four Conferences, four areas.  It really makes me regret not having payed much attention to Conference in the past.  It´s basically like the World Series (Super Bowl, sorry, I´m a baseball fan...)  for us missionaries, and we get it twice a year.  Yeah boy.  It is absolutely amazing.  

     (If you´re short on time, and don´t want to read my analysis about Conference, jump down the the specifically marked paragraph.)

     All right, let´s get down to business.  General Conference, and what I liked.  First off was Elder Holland´s talk.  And, as always, he did great.  He explained a lot about what we as missionaries feel in the mission field.  About how challanges will always come, but there are more important things to do in life.  We must always have the desire and the courage to do what is right in the threat of opposition.  Also great on Saturday Morning was Elder Andersen´s talk.  That talk is really needed down here in Guatemala.  We need to always focus on the things in life that make us stronger, and always welcome opposition in our lives.

     Priesthood Session was absolutely incredible.  I loved every single talk.  One that really stood out to me was Elder Hallstrom´s talk.  Please go look it up if you have time.  I really enjoyed it.  Also, President Monson´s talk about courage was really good too.  We must always have the courage to do the right thing (or not do the wrong thing), no matter how small the thing may be.

     Elder Ballard´s tlak was much needed in the mission.  That chapter in PMG is one of my favorites, all about following up on comitments.  So important.  Most of the things we do in life will require follow up, and probably not even just once, but many times.  We need to learn this principle, and do all that we can to live it every day.  

      President Packer is such a powerful man.  He may be getting old, and I may not have gotten much from his talk this Conference, but this I do know:  That man has got one powerful testimony.  Amazing.  He really does know the Lord, and I know it to be true.  Just from his testimony, I learned so much.  We all need to strive to make our testimony that strong.  Wow, it just blew my mind how sure he was.  

     So yeah, that´s what I liked about General Conference.  I loved all of the talks, but those were the ones that kind of stood out.  

     *This is the specifically marked paragraph!*

     Other than Conference, the work here has been great.  We had many investigators in Conference this week, so we are just waiting this week to see what they thought, and work on getting them to church next week.  I really think we can, and there is a lot of work to do here in Colonia.

     Luis and Edwin are still good for the 19th of this month.  We are really excited, because that can mean turning their lives around for good in this early age. (13 and 15)  They like everything, and are coming to church, so now we are just making sure this is something that they really want to do, and make sure that they know what to do when we eventually leave the area.

     We had a really touching experience this week.  While with a member going to a lesson, she told us about her aunt who had before listened to the missionaries, but said that she never felt anything special.  The member, Nidia, was kind of reluctant to go, because the aunt, Antonia, has rejected missionaries recently, but we convinced her to go, so we went.  When we were there, she told us that she had been sick for a while, and Nidia said that we could give her a blessing.  And I was honored to give the blessing.  During the blessing, I felt the Spirit really strongly, but didn´t think much of it.  But when I ended, Antonia left the room, leaving us with the others in the room.  Long story short, when we had left, Nidia told us that Antonia had left because she was crying, and Nidia had never seen her aunt listen to a blessing like that.  Antonia seems really pilas now, We are excited about the change that happened.

     With that last story, I feel like we all need to realize something that we all have.  A divine potential.  For example, I felt normal during the blessing, but I know that Antonia was feeling heavenly hands, and hearing heavenly words.  All us of can do more that we really thing, we just need to go and do it.

     To close it off, today for P-Day we went to a beautiful place called Laguna Magdalena.  So surreal.  The word I would chose to describe it would be mystical.  Going there just made me think how amazing God really is.  He has all the creations before him, and we are able to be a part of it.  God really is all-powerful.  I´ll send some pictures shortly.

     Man, now I just feel like I´m rattling off some things...  so I´ll stop now.  I love this work guys.  There is nothing like it.  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     1 Nephi 19:9

Picking up the Work!

      Hello family!  Here we are in another P-Day in Huehue!  Man I love this place.  Huehue is so cool you guys, not even kidding.  I really have been blessed having been able to be in every major city in the mission.  So when I have the opportunidad to come back to Guatemala, I´ll be able to get my way around.  I´ve still got to know Huehue a little bit more, but from what I´ve seen so far, I love it.  Definitely the best mission in the world.

     As for the work in this area, we´ve got a lot going for us.  Last week was a bit slow, just because we were getting used to the area, getting to know all the members, and just getting a feel for things.  But this week we worked really hard, and we got a lot done.  For example, we were able to teach the most lessons with member present that I´ve ever had.  We´re also working on getting a lot of new people to teach this week, with this week a number of 18.  This area is a great one, and now we are seeing the benefits of working hard.

     We had a really spiritual lesson this week with a less active family.  They just got baptized this February, but have since stopped going to church.  So we went with them to see what´s going on.  And it was amazing.  (Just part of the family is a member, not all of them.)  We went over the Docrtine of Christ, lesson three in PMG and probably my favorite lesson to teach.  Everything was great; they were listening very well, and making great questions.  But the best part was at the end.

     I felt the spirit really trying to tell me to put a fecha with the members of the family that weren´t members.  So I went to work.  When we finished the lesson, I basically said, "Luis(nephew), Edwin(nephew), and Katy(daughter), you guys need to listen to what we have to say."  We had just seen Luis and Edwin once before, and just met Katy that same day.  But the Spirit really guided me on what to say.  Basically I explained the importance of baptism, and invited them to be baptized.  The Spirit was so strong there, so it didn´t really surprise me much when they all agreed to be baptized on the 19th of April.  Really, that was one of the most spiritual moments in my mission.  After the lesson, Elder Pagán said to me, "Wow, I´ve never heard you talk like that before.  That was powerful."  Miracles happen guys.

     Sorry if my explination doesn´t make much sense.  I was trying to put in what I had to say and wanted you guys to understand, but reading it again it just looks messy.  But I hope you all understand.  Lo siento.

      Throughout my mission, I´ve heard so many people say that we as missionaries are like angels for them.  And I´ve been realizing this week how true that really is.  There are so many members and just people in general that have the mindset of, "Man, those missionaries are just so perfect."  Sometimes we as missionaries don´t really feel that all the time.  But we have to take into account how true that really is.  All the things that we represent.  For a lot of people, we are the guardian angels that give them this happiness, and that is what we are supposed to do.  It is always really humbling to hear someone say that we are angels.  It always makes me want to do better.

     We watched the Testaments this week with a less active family.  Let me just tell you guys that that movie is the best FHE movie ever.  It´s really just a silly movie, with action, love, war, great one-liners.  And then at the end, BAM, the spirit just takes over in the last 3 minutes.  We Jesus Christ comes to the Americas, man, it is so powerful.  Afterwards, we had some 4 year-old little kid say, "Mommy, I want to see Jesus like those people did!"  So innocent, but yet so powerful.  And we will all be able to see him again.

     As a side note, they´ve asked me to play the piano in church again.  So that makes every single area I´ve been in, I´ve played the piano in Sacrament Meeting.  Something that I had really taken for granted.  One of the quickest ways that I start to feel the spirit is through music, and being able to make that happen is one of the greatest gifts I think that I have.  God knows every single one of us, and what we all need.

     Alright, time for me to finish up. This has been a really long email.  But a good one in my opinion.  This is the Lord´s work, there is no doubt in my mind.  We are his servants, called to do his work, and there is no other place I´d rather be.  Until next time.

      - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Matthew 10:29

Changes!!!...Oh Wait

      Hello Family!  This week there are changes!  And guess who has changes?!?..  Not me.  Jaja it´s been really weird for me.  I´ve been in Chiquilajá for 5 changes now, which is about the maximum for the mission.  But I guess I´ll be here for 6!  Go figure!  It´s a great area, I love the members and everything.  And, because we thought that I was going to have changes, we got a lot of people prepared for the supposed new guy that was going to come in.  But now I´ll be able to work with them, and it´s going to be great.  Although I´m the second missionary in years that has been in an area for more that 5 changes, I´m stoked.

     Our most progressing investigators so far are Lorenzo and María.  They are the nicest older couple you will meet this side of Guatemala.  Just amazing.  They only have one problem though... They know that this church is true.  They´ve prayed about it, and they know.  They are just afraid of leaving the church they are attending now.  They feel like they owe it to the church they are going to, because they´ve been going there for so long.  We´ve been trying to explain it to them that they owe it to God if they know this is the truth, but they don´t seem to understand.  We´ve also shared Matthew 13:45-46.  It´s been kind of a real test for me, becuase we can´t seem to make them understand.  But they know, and I´m sure they´ll act.  We´re just going to keep working with them.

     We had a really good lesson this week with some new investigatores named Lester and Ingrid.  They are a couple who have had a lot of contact with missionaries, and when they said that they had heard the message before, we wondered how we were going to go at the lesson.  But we just decided to go at it really slow, and make sure that they understand every little detail.  It was really slow for me, but I felt the Spirit stronger than in other lessons.  We made sure to ask a LOT of questions to make sure that they understood.  And we were getting responses like, "Wow, I didn´t realize that before." or, "That makes a lot of sense."  Follow the spirit, and you can´t go wrong.

     Which brings me to my next point.  I´ve been studying a lot in Ch. 10 of PMG about asking inspired questions.  We had been having a lot of problems with teaching investigatores, and the next lesson they had forgotten almost everything.  The good thing about questions is that we can let the people teach themselves.  When we ask a question guided by the spirit, they tend to think about it more, and they get more out of it.  It´s not enough, I´ve realized, to just teach the doctrine, and ask if they understood.  We need to do better, and the Spirit can help us to just that.

     We got hit with a stroke of bad luck this week with some investigators.  With Jorge, who was planning on getting baptized at the end of this month, he´s going to have to go to the capital for a sickness that he has.  So he´s going to be gone for some weeks.  Also, Antonio´s going on vacation for two weeks.  So that´s two progressing investigators gone for a while.  But we´ll be sure to get back with them when they get back.

     A lot of things this week have made me realize how much I love the people here in Guatemala.  They are so loving.  They are so quick to accept total strangers, let them into their house, and make new friends.  It really makes the work here a lot eaiser.  And I´ve basically been living with Latinos for 20 months, and I´ve been loving it.  I´m thinking that maybe this culture will inpact what I will do later in life, but we´ll see!

     So yeah, I´m still here, but excited to work with all the people we´ve been finding.   The mission is amazing, and I couldn´t even think about being anywhere else.  This really is the Lord´s work, and I am a part of it.  Let´s hasten the work!  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Ether 12:4

Changes are Coming!

  X´be´ij Wachala´al!  I recieved some emails this week with some Q´eqchi in them, so I had to start off with some K´iche´ for all you guys!  Although I bet none of you will have any idea of what I said, just look how I usually start off my emails, and you´ll figure it out!

     This week has been a really good week for us.  We started off the week with two big goals in mind:  Find at least 15 news this week, and extend a baptismal invite to all of our progressing investigators that we have.  And that worked miracles.  We accomplished every single one of our goals.  Found exactly 15 news, and invited everyone to be baptized.  Now, not everyone accepted to be baptized, but it helped us see who was going to progress and who wasn´t.  And some people did accept a fecha!  When you put hard reaching goals, and you do everything you can to reach them, miracles happen.

     Our most positive investigator now is Jorge.  He´s accepted to be baptized on the 29th of March.  He´s basically ready for everything.  He accepts a lot of the doctrine we give him, and when he doesn´t understand, he asks questions to understand.  And they are really good questions.  He couldn´t come to church this Sunday, but when he told us that he couldn´t, he was apologizing like mad!  He promised us to come every Sunday from now on.  He´s looking really good, we just need to keep going with him.

     Also, we went with some old investigators that we had.  They are an older couple that live pretty far away.  Crazy how it happened too.  This week we got a random phone call, and turned out to be the man, Lorenzo.  He just asked how I was doing, and when he figured our that I was still here in Chiquilajá, he invited us to go with him.  And when we went, they were so receptive!  They remembered a lot of our message, and they are eager to learn more.  I am conviced that if they come to church, they´ll for sure get baptized.  (They also accepted a fecha for the 5th of April, but they need to come to church for that to happen.)

     By the way, Antonio is just rediculous.  He´s not taking us seriously, and it´s been really frustruating to me.  And it´s also effecting Cindy.  She didn´t come to church because he didn´t want her to.  We really need to talk serious with them, but they are going on vacation for about two weeks.  Great...  So things are slowing down with him, but we are going to keep at it.

     They are the people that accepted to be baptized.  We really tried to have everyone accept a fecha, but we didn´t have too much luck.  But we´ve got some progressing investigators that are looking good, and I´m sure we´ll be able toput more fechas this week.

     Also, I´ve been enjoying a lot contacting recently.  Like, a lot.  There are some really amazing things that happen when I find myself contacting.  And, for me, I guess I´ve kind of made it a game when the people aren´t interested.  I try to make them change their mind as much as I can.  For example, there have been people that say they don´t want us to visit them, and 5 minutes later, we have an appointment with them.  Could you call that manipulation?  I guess.  But it´s for a good cause!  Jaja

     I´ve been really working on making my studies more efficient.  I gues Elder Welker, my comp from the CCM, was thinking the same thing recently!  Jaja but for a while, I´ve been studying to strengthen my testimony, be more sure about things, etc.  But recently, I´ve been trying to focus on what my investigator needs.  Really praying about their needs, and how I can help them.  It´s been incredible.  My studies just seem...  better.  I´ve been getting a lot more out of my studies, and that always helps.

     Talking with my comp this week, I´ve realized that there is a point in every convert´s lives that they change from a convert to a member.  And it´s a very needed change.  For example, a man named Pedro that has been baptized a little over a month is already a member, because he´s magnifying his callings, and really just plain pilas.  On the other hand, there is a convert her named Martha who has been baptized since August, but she is still a convert.  Why do I say that?  Because she doesn´t go to church every week, she´s not sure about what she´s doing, etc.  And we need to help the people make that transition.  it is so important, becuase it´s the difference between active and inactive when their testimony is tried.

     Hoo, I hope you all understood that last paragraph...

     Well, that´s about it for now.  I´m thinking I´m in my last week in this area, becuase changes are next week.  But you never know.  But in case I do, I´m going to go out with a bang.  Until next time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Read 1 Samuel 10:8, and then 1 Samuel 13:5-14, and think about the importance of Profets/Priesthood.  And if you want, D&C 98:14-15

Scriptures!

 Hello Family!  How are you all doing?  I hope that you all have had an amazing week.  Being out here on the mission really makes me learn how to appreciate every little moment that I have, so I´m hoping that you all are making the best of everything.  Life (the mission) goes by way to fast, and if we don´t take advantage of everything that comes at us, we will miss some amazing moments.  Romans 8:18

     On that note, I´ve been trying to find out the best way for me to finish up the mission strong.  And what I´ve realized is that there really is nothing special to do.  I just have to keep doing the things that I´ve always been doing, and the things that are expected of me.  I´ve seen way to many missionaries that waste their last couple of months, and I´m set on making sure that that doesn´t happen.  Alma 37:6-7

     We have been working a lot with Antonio this week.  Right now he is at the point where he just needs an answer about the BoM, and he´ll be baptized.  He´s coming to church off and on these weeks, and we like that a lot.  We just need to make sure that he´s feeling the spirit everytime he is with us.  If that goes as planned, he should be baptized the 15th of March.  We are just really focusing on making sure he always feels the Spirit.  John 15:26

     We found some guy this week named Jorge.  He´s the perfect example of someone who is just waiting for this Gospel.  We found him by stopping by a store because I wanted to talk to the lady there.  But she just blew us off as usual, but then Jorge came out to attend us.  Basically, he´s been looking for a church for a while, and when we taught him the Restoration, he ate it all up.  The thing is that he left town for a week, but this week, we´ll get back to teaching him.  Alma 16:16, D&C 123:12

     Also, this week we really focused on finding new people to teach.  We are really making sure that if people we are currently teaching don´t want to progress, we have something to fall on always.  And there are a lot of great moments that come from trying to find people to teach.  Everyone here is a child of our Heavenly Father, and they deserve to know the truth.  John 10:14

     As you can see, I´ve been trying to put references to every paragraph that I write.  I´m really happy of how much my scripture knowledge has grown in the mission, and I want it to keep growing.  It´s been a really humbling experience for me to realize how little I knew of the scriptures before the mission, so now I´ve made a goal to know them even more.  D&C 93:36

     That´s about it for this week you guys.  I hope that you all have another great week, and for those of you that are out in the field with me, love every minute that you have to be a misisonary.  There really is no other time like this.  Until next time!   

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. If you aren´t full of scriptures by now, read Helaman 10:4-5

¡Xbe´ij watchalal!

¡Hola Familia!  Man oh man what a good time it is to be a missionary now.  I´ve been doing a lot of reflexion this week, and it´s incredible for me to realize that I´m a missionary.  I´ve been remembering all the times when I was little where I thought "Man, those missionaries are so old and so great."  And now I´m one of those missionaries!  We are in the time that we need to hasten this work, and I am a part of it!  The Lord is asking us to do all that we can to spread this gospel to all nations, and I´m in the heart of the work.  What a blessing.

     Well, after that paragraph, it´s kind of rough talking about this week.  It wasn´t the best week in the world; more than anything everything just went by really slow.  We had been spending so much time on Cruz that we kind of neglected the other parts of the work, so we are suffering from that now.  Not gonna lie, it´s been kind of frustruating for me spending most of the week trying to pick this area up again, and not watching it happen.  But I feel like that is one of the biggest reasons that I came to this mission.  To work on my patience.  And I feel like I am doing a lot better.  Tht doesn´t mean that I´m perfect yet, but I´ll get there!

     We do have one really good prospect.  Antonio, Cindy´s husband, is now listening to us.  Cindy has been baptized for about a month now, but she´s on fire!  She wants to do everything possible for us to baptize Antonio.  And she´s super pilas too!  Jaja for example, this Friday we went to teach Antonio about the BoM, and basically she taught the whole lesson.  She´s got a super strong testimony, and she´s gonna be the key factor for us to baptize her husband.  If we keep going at it, I feel like I could baptize him before I leave this area.

     This week was Stake Conference, and of the four hours that I went to, about 3 of them were all focused on missionary work.  I don´t remember that happening when I was back home, but now missionary work seems to be sneaking up in every church meeting that I go to.  The Lord really is wanting us to pick up the pace.

     This week, I´ve been focusing a lot on my BoM study, and I´ve slowly been realizing more and more how important this book really is.  I know for a fact that it is true, and it is the word of God.  This week during a lesson, we had one investigator tell us that he wanted a dream telling him the BoM is true.  And before I knew it, I was testifying to him that in my 20 years of being a member, I´ve never had any manifestation, dream, voice, or anything of the sort telling me that it was true.  It´s just been year after year of studying it,  and I know that it is true.  There is no doubt of any sort in my mind.  

     Well, that´s about it for this week.  We are going to be working hard this week to get a lot more investigators to teach, so that we can pick up the work here.  I just want you all to know how much I love being out here.  The trials, the work, the culture, the language, the Spirit, and so much more.  There is nothing like it.  Until next time!

    - Elder Stuart

     P.S. 1 Nefi 6:5,  and try replacing the word "write" for "do".