A Preparation Week!

     Hello family!  Sorry I`m late this week, but it is because we have a multi-zone conference in Huehuetenango tomorrow, so we have to be here in Quichè to spend the night.  So that we wouldn`t lose so much time traveling and being out of our areas, the Zone Leaders decided to change P-Day until today, so that we could have more time to work in our areas.  And for that I was really grateful!

     First things first, about our most positive investigator, Jimmy.  He was all ready to get baptized this past Saturday, but as we were teaching him during the week, we noticed a change in his parents.  They started listening more and participating more in the lessons, so we decided to postpone the baptism until this Saturday, where it would be possible for Jimmy and his parents to be baptized on the same day.  The only problem is, is that his parents, Miguel and Stefany, aren`t "married", so it causes a problem.  (Believe it or not, this happens a lot in Guatemala...)  People can`t be baptized if they are living with a partner, so we have to work on getting them married this week (which we have talked about with them), and hopefully we can have a wedding this Friday at the chapel, and the next day have a baptism!  It`s a bit of a long shot, but it is possible!  

     Also, we have been preparing for an activity that will happen this Saturday in the morning.  We are going to have an "open house" at the chapel, so that people all over Chinique can come to the chapel and spend about 15 minutes figuring out what we do during our reunions, and if they want to learn more.  This week we have been handing out invintations like crazy, so that hopefully the whole town can come!  It should be a really good way to find new people to teach, so here`s to it all going according to plan!  

     This week in my studies, I have been focusing a lot on some of the questions that are most asked by our investigators, and trying to find the best way to find them in the scriptures.  It has really been a huge help for me to have a basic knowledge of the scriptures, but it makes me wish that I would have studied them more before my mission.  So for all those that are preparing to go on a mission, really strive to study the scriptures and PMG [Preach My Gospel] every day, so that you will be that much prepared when you enter the mission.  Granted, you still are going to learn a TON, but it can`t hurt to learn more, right?

     In our district meetings, they have been focusing a lot on bringing our investigators to church with us.  One time I was talking with President Bautista about it, and he said that apart from baptisms, our most important statistic that we should focus on is investigators that come to church.  The reason is that if people come to church every week to learn more about the gospel, they will have a firm foundation, friends, and all sorts of good things.  That is why we have been really trying to bring people to church with us, and inviting members to help us out.  It really is a joint effort;  working missionaries with members, and I love it!

     That is just about all that I have to say for now, but this next week should be huge, with a multi-zone conference, an open house activity, and a baptism!  So I hope that you all have a great week, like I am bound to have!  I am so stoked always to be a servant of the Lord, and I have a really good feeling that this week will just strengthen my testimony even more!  

     I love you all so much, and thank you so much for writing me every week!  The Chruch is True!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S.  We have been talking a lot about friendship this week with our investigators, so I figured I`d share John 15:13 with you guys, one of the best scriptures about friendship.  It just shows how much the Lord loves us and wants the best for us! 

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!