Oct 28, 2013

 

P-day lake day! Can’t swim... So an epic picture will do.

 

I don't have much time this week to write, p days are getting shorter and shorter every Monday.

Oh! I have a black eye...

And it’s really bad...black all around and nice long blood stripe in my eye. One day my companion had the great idea to play hide and go seek tag in our house (kinda like 123 bumble bee with a base and everything) One elder was counting and we all scattered. after he was done counting I thought he went into one on the other rooms to search, so I ran out of the bathroom to the base (which was the sink) but when I ran out of the bathroom he was right there, at the exact moment he tried to tag me on the shoulder I slipped and fell on the ground. So instead of tagging me on the shoulder, he tagged me in my eye. Literally 2 of his fingers went into my eye; and I’m pretty sure he touched my brain. It’s been a week and it is still ugly... what shame.

I have learned my lesson, never listen to the ideas of my companion’s haha!

This Sunday I gave my second successful talk in church. For me it was really difficult to choose a topic. My focus was on the ward here in Quillon, what they need, and I could share to help them, to lift them up, to encourage them to continue on in the faith. So I chose to speak on charity and service. Not only did I talk about that on Sunday but I wanted to live the words I wanted to say. This past week I have put all my efforts into to serving others and demonstrating my love for them through action. I have learned so much this week of the power of charity. We receive so much blessings when we serve, but what is more important is that we can be the blessing for someone else. I am a strong believer in miracles, I have seen so many simple and powerful miracles in my life especially in the mission. I have been a miracle for others this week, and it feels great! The Lord will work through us to help others if we just let him in.

There is no greater service then helping in the salvation of man. There is no greater miracle then a change of heart.

Pray to touch hearts, pray to be a miracle for others.

I love you family and miss you a lot, but trust me there is soooo much work to do here, so sorry but I think I will stay here in Chile for another 22 months..

Oct 21, 2013

This week has been such a great learning experience for me. Through the mission work and through my own personal studies I have more fully realized my potential as a missionary, and more importantly my potential as a Child of our loving Heavenly Father.
 I started off the week a little down on myself for lack of success in our work. Every day we had great plans to teach, to find, to visit members and less actives. But then throughout the day nothing would end up working out the way I wanted it to. And THAT was the problem. It doesn't matter what plans I make, it doesn't matter what I want to do on any given day. This is the Lords Work and he wants me to do it his way. Because there is no other way that leads to the Salvation of his children.

Trust in the lord and he will support you in your trials and afflictions (Alma 36. 3) trust in the Lord and he will lead you where you need to go. Trust in the Lord and he will tell you what to say and when you need to say it.

Our potential as children of our Heavenly Father can only be reached through your savior, redeemer, and big brother Jesus Christ. I have only seen a glimpse of my potential, but that is enough to keep me hungry for more.

But more importantly I have more fully seen the potential for the people here in Quillon. Everyone has a divine potential and as missionaries we are here to help people, realize that and strive for that themselves.

I love this work.

This week we had a huge stake activity in Quillon with the single adults. It was great to help other people see and participate in the    missionary work. All of their single adults divided into companionship's and were missionary's for the afternoon. Knocking on doors, handing out pass along cards and teaching to everyone they saw.
 As missionary s ourselves we were in charge of training these single adults on how to be a missionary for an hour or so before hand. Stuff like what to say, where to go, how to teach.
 I was pretty nervous for this at first because I was going to have to teach a class all by myself to adults in limited Spanish and experience.
But it ended up just fine. I am enjoying teaching classes and lessons in Spanish.

We also had a ward activity called La Suerte De La Olla, where everyone brings food from different parts of the world and we all pig out for an hour or so. It was awesome.
 I made guacamole, or tried to because I gave been craving it lately and it turned out to be a success! Plus 10 for Chef Stewart!

Oh also a BIG thanks to the YSA Paradise Foothills ward in Scottsdale AZ for all your letters! Yes I did receive them and love all of them... even the ones of those people I don't even know... it was nice.

Love you!

Oct 15,2013

 Well Ladies and Gentleman, I am legal! My visa stuff is completed and my Chilean ID is on the way! I am officially a Chilean citizen for a year (kinda).

As happy as this is the experience was horrible. We had to go to some governmental building and wait for like 2 and a half hours in a small room that smelled like rotten asparagus. It was like 10 times worse than the DMV. Definitely not looking forward to that in a year when I have to renew my id.

For some great news, WE HAD A BAPTISM this past Saturday! Estefany was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How great is that.
 She asked me to baptize her and I was a little nervous because her name was like 10 words long... but I got through it.
I am so happy for her decision, there is brightness about her now, I felt it, she feels it, and her family noticed it. Now her mother is more interested in hearing our message.
I am excited to see the blessings that the Lord has in store for her and her family. She is a leader, and I know that many of her friends and family will follow her example in the future.

Apart from the baptism however, we have had just about 0 successes. People always say the week of a baptism is very hard, and that is so true. But my companion had an intense weekly planning session, and set goals and plans for this week. Now we have just have to follow our plans, follow the spirit, and stay diligent.

I have learned that if I demonstrate to the Lord that I am willing to put in all of my effort, he will bless me with those people he has prepared to hear of his gospel.
I always this of this promise, if we give our all to him, he will give all that he has to us.

I fell off my bike 2 times in a row Wednesday night...I don’t really want to say more about the matter.

The church here in Quillion newly defines a newlywed, nearly dead ward. A lot of our converts who now hold the priesthood is ancient, so the sacrament portion of our meetings is quite slow. It’s like a retirement home line up. One is in a wheel chair, so he is pretty quick with a missionary helping him, but our other new convert just has a cane, but can’t use the cane while holding the sacrament tray. He nearly fell during the meeting and dumped half the tray of water on my suit. GOOD THING ITS A WASHABLE SUIT... score for Elder Stewart

Then all of the parents in the ward think is a good idea to just let their kids run wild around the church like it’s a McDonald play place...but always the spirit somehow his way into the meetings, maybe He is louder here in Chile...Not sure

Everything else is just grand here in Chile. Spanish is improving; we cleaned our house, AND JEFFERY R: HOLLAND IS COMING TO OUR MISSION NOV, 10!

Love you family and friends! Thanks for your emails and your updates. Email me if you have any questions for me and I will answer them in my next post

October 8, 2013

 

Dinosaur rodeo. That’s how we do it in Chile.

 

Our zone leaders wanted us to always be thinking of baptism and our new goal of 8 baptisms this month they asked us to sleep in our baptismal clothes...

I guess it working because we are going to have a baptism this week!

 

Okay how great was general Conference? I loved every moment of it. And I DID listen to it in English! Honestly I probably would have understood all of it but I just can’t stand the Spanish voice overs, their voices don’t match the people talking, and their lips don’t move with the words. I can’t stand that. 

Thank you all for sending me your conference notes (soo moms idea, I can feel it) I enjoyed reading what stuck out to you all during the conference. Many of the same things I have in my journal. I want to go over them again though and see how I can better apply those principles I learned into my teaching here in Quillon.

Also I am so glad to hear that you all listened to general conference, because here next to no one went. For the first session we had 2 people come, next we had 4. For the Sunday morning session however we had a great turnout of about 10 or so. I was so bummed out about this. I have received so much help and spiritual strength from this conference and I wanted that so much for our ward and our investigators. 

While taking notes I realized how related all of the talks were, and how one talk seemed to build on principles of another. 

I especially loved some of these key phrases, principles and scriptures that were repeated throughout the conference

Humility. God will lead the humble by the hand. The humble are the teachable. How to receive power. Through humility, obedience, hearkening to the voice of the spirit. Learn of me, for I am meet and lowly in heart... 

Obedience and decisions. Each day is full of decisions, each decision determines our destiny. Live what we teach. Small decisions may have far reaching and eternal consequences... make the decision to do what Christ has told us to do. Lay down our weapons of rebellion and become agents unto your own selves.

A grateful person is rich with contempment

Have faith not Fear. Fear is the opposite of faith.

Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

(I didn’t site my sources for all of these points listed above, but I promise all of it was in general conference. If any English teachers are reading this...I’m sorry)

I particularly like the promise that M. Russell Ballard said to us. If all members pray, reach out to just 1 person between now and Christmas. All will feel the love of Christ more abundantly in their lives. We have listened to the will of God, now I urge everyone to study it and do it. Listening is only step 1. There’s about a million other steps after that. So start climbing

This week was full of many trials. I think the Lord is testing my Patience, pretty much everything that we planned for this week, didn’t happen. Many appointments fell through, a couple promising investigators fall off the map (and one literally fell and went to the hospital, he was an older man but he is doing better now) and I got a new bicycle! And it broke and I almost fell off it into the middle of the road.

Also I lost 3 kilos of bananas

...well actually that’s the story. I lost 3 kilos of bananas (that’s like 30 bananas). I left them on the bus on the way back to Quillon from Chillon after our zone class. The bus ride is about an hour, so naturally I'm passed out for that whole hour. And when we got to our destination I just got off the bus and went on my merry way. It was only after the bus started driving off I remembered. I literally turned around dramatically and screamed ¡My Bananas! But I was too late. I was distraught.

Whoever is out there eating my 3 kilos of bananas I hope you’re happy.

Also something very strange is happening to me.

Many of my friends at home thought I was going to change, become a different person because of the mission. And it’s true. My eyes are turning green. I realized it this week and I don't really know what to think about this. But that’s fine because I don’t have much time to think about it. I just wanted to let you all know so you will recognize me in 2 years.