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 

An Awesome Week!

     Hello Family!  Sounds like everyone had exciting weeks, so I´m happy to put my name on the list also!  It´s been a great week for us, and I´m super stoked for the weeks ahead here in Chinique!

     First off, the Muñoz family.  They are so awesome, I´m so proud of them!  They are already talking like they are members!  So we had a tentative baptismal date with them for the 27th (which would have been cool for being Jace´s birthday), but they were a little hesitant.  So we pulled out a calendar and looked at dates to be baptized.  We said that the 27th was this Saturday, so then we looked at the next coming Saturdays.  We said something about the 3rd, and Henry, the one who was the most hesitant, said that he´d be baptized on that date...  I was stunned!  Haha but it was a good thing!  Amary said that she was good for the 3rd also, so then Angelica just said "If my kids are willing, I´ll do it on that date also."  How cool is that?  It has been so cool to see them grow and progress!  So they are ready for this Saturday!  I´m so stoked!

     We found an awesome little family this week.  A young couple with a 2 year old girl.  We knocked on their door, and they let us come back the next day to talk to them.  The wife has many family members that are members, and the husband has listened to missionaries before.  The cool thing was that they were really excited to listen to our message!  They were participating and everything, it was a really great lesson!  

     We´ve also experienced many blessings this weeks with our other investigators.  Many have been making progress, and others are working on the steps to be progressing.  It has been so great to see, and I love it!

     I don´t know why, but I´ve found yet another new love for the work.  Even though there are many people that reject us, the few that accept to listen to us, and the even fewer that are baptized really make up for all of it.  I guess by really struggling for a couple of months has really put it into perspective for me.  I only have this short time to be a missionary, and there is not going to be another time in my life that is the same.  That´s why I love it!

     Something really cool that my good friend Elder Cappellucci said this week that I really liked: "You can´t share a 3 week testimony."  You can´t really study the scriptures and pray really hard for a day, and then slack off for the rest of the week.  It doesn´t work like that.  It is continual work to be the best that you can be.

     We have really been focusing on members helping us out this week.  I don´t know why, but Chinique is one of the roughest areas in the mission to work with members.  So everyone at home, go watch the broadcast "Hastening the Work of Salvation," and find something that you can do to help out the missionaries at home!

     There are just times when I am walking down the road and just think to myself, "Wow, I really am in Guatemala."  It´s crazy ya know!

     I´m loving the Nashville Tribute Band´s CD "The Work."  If you haven´t listened to the songs, and I mean really listening to them, do it now!

     Well, that´s just about it for this week!  I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be here, and I love it!  I also love each and every one of you so much!  Thank you all for your support.  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. I´m gonna send you guys a quote from Joseph Smith.  It´s from the "Wentworth Letter," the letter that Joseph Smith wrote that contained the first appearance of the Articles of Faith.  Here it is: "The standard of truth has been erected;  No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing;  Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear;  TIll the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.