Photos

Baptism!!!

When we tried to unplug the font from the outside, the chain broke... So someone had to get in and unplug it...  Haha it made for some good photos!

Me, and 3:00 in the morning.  Who needs sleep, right?

Just us from Chinique waiting to go to the temple at 3:30 in the morning.  We were dead, but it was so worth it!

Temple

TEMPLE!

Temple!  This time with somewhat of a photographer´s view...  haha

The Temple!  (With special guest: Elder Stuart)

Look what I found!  I was so happy when I saw it!

The sign says not to jump...

So what do I do?...  Jump, naturally!

(When I go back there, I´m going to throw some trash as I jump, just to make it that much better.)

We made Chinese Rice for Elder Glass´s birthday.  He´s the one on the right, or better said, the only other Gringo in the room...

Our Quiché Zone, right before changes.

Making the United States proud on it´s birthday.  Definitely walked around Chinique with my nation´s pride flowing behind me!

´Murica!

Just one of the regular paths in my area, just at night...  Not the most cheerful place ever...

Man, look at that group of powerhouses...

No big deal, just a Liahona that we found from 1981!

Elder Berrios and I.  He just left this change to Huehue, and it was sad to see him go.  He´s a great guy, and I learned a lot from him!

Us with the Muñoz family, and a member family!  We made baleadas, which is basically a burrito with a twist from Honduras.  Way fun

The morning view from our house.  Also the morning of my 1 year mark in the mission!  Man, Guatemala is just plain beautiful...

ONE YEAR BABY!

You know, just burning a shirt on my one year mark in the misison.  No big deal.

The aftermath of my craziness the morning after!

Just me being weird.

Trying to call home, but the stupid operator wouldn`t let me... ;)

Another week in Chinique!‏

    Hello Family!  Hope that you all had an awesome week this week!  Things are just going great here in Chinique.  I have really grown to really love this area now (I guess that`s what happens when you are in an area for just about 6 months... haha)  But seriously, I feel like I know just about every person here.  We walk down the street, and I`m just about saying hi to everyone!  And the best part is that most of them are investigators that we have dropped... ;) Haha but it`s been great!

     Well, the biggest thing for me this week was:  EMERGENCY CHANGES!  Yep, I`m no longer with Elder Aguilar.  He had to go to Xela to go finish training someone.  So now I`m with a new comp!  Elder Tufiño from Ecuador.  He only has three months in the mission, so he`s still pretty new, so I`ve had to adjust a little bit for that.  But he`s a great guy, and wants to work hard, so I feel like we are going to get along fine.  It was a bummer to see Elder Aguilar go, because he was a great teacher, and I learned a lot from him.  But he was needed somewhere else!  So I`m working on showing Elder Tufiño around!

     We have super pilas investigators in the Muñoz family.  Angelica (Mom), Henry (14), and Amary (11) are there names.  They are way awesome, and progressing so much!  We had a lesson with them on Saturday, where we invited them to baptism, and they accepted!!!..  They all want to be baptized, and since they are super prepared, we put a baptismal date for July 27, which is this Saturday.  Angelica and Amary accepted it, but Henry was a little hesitant.  We encouraged him to pray about it, and we are going to pass by today to see how it goes.  But how awesome are they?!?

     Something even more amazing about them.  The father/husband is super anti-mormon, and doesn`t like them accepting this church.  But they are still doing everything that they can to go to church and eventually be baptized.  They are so awesome in the face of that much adversity!  I really look up to them because of that.

     So, something really cool, remember about Milset? (Well, I`m going to call her Milady now, because she likes that name better...)  The investigator that fought with a member?  We had dropped her a little bit ago, but we saw her in the street this week, and she basically told us that she wanted to listen to us again!  So we had a FHE with a member family with her, and she confessed that she is really influenced by her dad, who is really evangelical.  So we are visiting her now, and trying to clear up some of the doubts that have been "shoved into her brain."  

     We helped an investigator decorate a float car for a parade in Chinique this week.  So Dad, I`m already practicing to help you out when I get home! ;)

     So since our shower is busted, I`ve taken a cold bucket shower every day for about a week and a half...  So count your blessings!  Haha but the weirdest thing?  I`ve actually come to like them a little bit!  Haha I`m turning into a Guatemalteco!  I`m gonna come home and be scared of hot water!  Haha

     So it`s been a preatty eventful week this week, (Seems like it was for everybody!) and I`m hoping that this next week will be just as eventful and very exciting!  This really is the best work that there is, and I love being a part of it!  

     Love you all, and Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Alma 32:16.  A great scripture for those who feel the desire to be baptized, but don`t feel ready.  It was great for us this week!  (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for sending it to me so long ago!)

Over the Hump!

 What`s up Family!  How y´all doing?  I hope that you all had a great week this week!

     Well, I finally made it!  I`m officially over the hump!  How crazy is that?  This year went by so fast it was crazy!  I just hope the second year doesn`t go by even faster, like everyone says, because as soon as I realize it, I`ll be ready to come home!  It`s just so crazy to think about.  One whole year away from everything that I`ve ever known for 19 years, to serve the Lord here in Guatemala.  Sounds crazy, but I`ve loved every minute of it, and I`m planning on loving every minute that I have left!

     Things are going good here.  The family that we are really focusing on is the Muñoz family. (The family that came to church a while back)  I´m 100% sure that they would have been baptized already, if it wasn`t for the dad of the kids, who is so gung ho about them joining the church.  But they are willing to join the church no matter what, so we just need to make sure the dad won`t cause too many problems...  haha

     Not much else happened in the week that was really big to mention.  Just a lot of visiting people, and definitely a lot of contacting.  You know, after about 5 months of being here in Chinique, I really think that I have knocked every door in the city.  I walk by a door, and I know who lives there...  I think that shows that I`ve been here a bit too long.  But hey, it`s great here.

     I just need to thank you all for all the support and love that you guys have sent me this past year.  It definitely has been one of if not the biggest years in my life, and I am so grateful for all of you helping me out!  I`ve learned so much, and I hope to learn a ton this next coming year!  Thank you all so much!

     I love you all!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Alma 33:23.  Loved this scripture when I read it this week.

A Great Week!

   Hello Family!  (And yes, all you guys on the mish are my family!)  I hope that you all had a great week this week!  

     This week, well, it started out a bit rough!  Haha we had our investigator Isabel, who`s baptismal date fell last week, talk to us again saying that she does in fact want to get baptized!  We were super stoked!  The only thing that she had to do is tell her husband, because he is sort of against us Mormons...  Well, bad news is the next day, she had changed her mind, because she was too afraid to talk to her husband.  It was a bit rough at first to know that someone isn`t going to get baptized soon because of that little reason, but that`s how life goes!  We are still going to keep in contact with her, but I don`t think that much will happen with her for a while.

     My companion and I set a goal for finding 10 new investigators this week, which is stretching a little bit for here in Chinique, where there aren`t that many people.  But we busted our butts, (can I say that as a missionary?  Meh, who cares!) and we reached it!  We found a lot of new people to teach this week, and we are going to be super busy these next weeks with all of them.  (Hopefully!)

     I felt like this week Elder Aguilar and I worked the hardest that we have as a companionship. And our hard work payed off!  This Sunday, we were sitting in Sacrament Meeting, a little sad because all of our investigators bailed on us (because it was "raining..."  What an excuse!)  As the meeting was about halfway done, we saw a family of four walk in that we didn`t really recognize.  They looked a little familiar to me, but not much.  Well, of course, after the meeting ended, I went over to talk to them.  And they totally recognized me!  They introduced themselves, and I realized that they were a family that I had contacted when I first came to Chinique!  I had given them a Restoration pamphlet, but they said that they didn`t really want much with us.  So we left it with them and left.  But whaddayaknow?  They ended up coming to church ON THEIR OWN about 4 months later!  So we are definitely going to hit that up.  

     Seriously, that was such a miracle that happened, but I really think that it was a result of our hard work this week.  Hark work pays off kids!

     So this week ended on a real Spiritual high, and I loved it!  It really made me appreciate the mission a ton, because I really am changing for the better!  I love this work, and it`s crazy to think that I`m almost halfway done!  What happened with my time?  But I`m loving every minute of it!

     I love you all so so much, thank you all for the support!  Keep up the work!  Until Next Time!

     - Elder Stuart

     P.S. Read D+C 79.  Amazing section for missionaries!

     P.P.S. America`s Birthday is this week!  Make it proud!