Changes!

    Hello family!  We are getting closer to Christmas every time I talk to you guys!  It´s been really special to be able to really feel the real meaning of Christmas this season.  I love the gifts and stuff, don´t get me wrong, but really focusing on Christ makes this season really worth it.  And how much better can it be when I am lost in the service of the Lord?  Not much.  So let´s see how I´m doing.

     Changes were this week.  Elder Calero is gone, and now I´m with Elder Josec.  He´s from Perú, and really funny.  And another cool thing is that he is also my Grandson!  (O sea, Elder Mar, my son (the Elder I trained) is Elder Josec´s dad.  How cool is that?)

     The most important person we are focusing on is Wosvelí.  He was set to be baptized this Saturday, but there were some complications.  On Wednesday, we were finishing up with him by passing off some commandments.  But when we came to the Law of Chastity, well, long story short we figured out he isn´t married to his "wife" yet...  (You´d be surprised how big of a problem that is here.  Especially because his "wife" is a member...)  So we had to push the baptism back until the 28th of december...

     But something really special is that I´m going to have my first marriage/baptism in the mission!  We are going to have the wedding in the afternoon on the 28th, and immediately afterwards he´s going to be baptized!  I´ve heard that is really special, so I´m stoked to be a part of it!  He´s a little nervous, but he´s participating in the ward and everything, so it´s going to be a really special day.  Christmas Baptism!!!

     We´ve also got another baptism set up for January!  Martha is a recent convert who was baptized in August.  All of her family was baptized besides her husband Cruz (who was in the States) and one of her daughters Sharon (who´s 16 and got pregnant...) The cool thing is that Cruz is now home, and Sharon had her baby.  So we decided to talk to them when they got back, but they didn´t want anything to do with us.  Bummer.  But when we had an activity at the temple, they both came, and ever since then, they´ve loved the church.  They´ve come to activities, and they came to church this week!  They want to be baptized, and we are going to work with them for January!  Miracles really do happen, especially when a temple is involved!

    We´ve got some other good looking prospects that are liking the church.  We just need to bust our butts to make sure that they progress as much as they can.  

     Not much else for this week.  Just looking forward to Christmas!  I´m gonna miss all of you guys, but I´ll be home for Christmas next year!  Meanwhile, I´m gonna enjoy my time here in good ole Guatemala.  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Jacob 1:19  Gotta be dilligent!

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!