April 21, 2015

WOW MCKAY!!!!! YOU’RE GOING TO COLORADO SPRINGS!

You better start studying the word of wisdom, because you will be teaching that a lot over there...

I wish I was there to see you to open the call. The Lord has picked that mission for you! There are people prepared and waiting for an Elder Stewart to teach them the restored gospel. Go get em, raccoon.

On a side note, are there raccoons in Colorado? Because that would make you like 10 times the raccoon you were before...

Ahh I am so excited for you McKay. The mission is the greatest. So many miracles.

For example

This past week we also had a family home evening with a less active family. We were teaching a doing an activity where everyone had to right a little note to God. And then we compared that to the scriptures that God also has written notes to us through his prophets and they explain exactly what He wants us to know.

During the activity we asked the mom to share what she wrote in her note. And as she was explaining, something really weird happened. In mid-sentence she stopped, as if listening for something, jumped up and gasped in shock, tears filled her eyes as she said,” talk to me talk to me!”

We were very confused at first, but then she explained to us that she had lost her hearing 5 years ago in one of her ears, and as she bore her testimony of God,( which she hasn't done vocally in about 5 years as well) she heard a pop and she could hear perfectly again!

It was a special moment for her and for the whole family!

AS a mission this week we all got together in Chillan for the special conference with Dallin H. Oaks. For those who don't know he is one from the quorum of the 12 apostles, and he visited Santiago this past week and spoke to all the missionaries in the country.

Friday afternoon we embarked on the 2 hour bus ride to Chillan with the other 18 people in our Zone and split up to different houses of the missionaries in Chillan to stay the night. We went to the house of my old zone of Chillan Viejo and we got to hang out with some old friends! Elder Lake my MTC companion and Elder Miller, who was in the same zone as me months ago. (He lives just outside of Seattle, I think that his family is in the same stake as Scott’s family) that night we had a house party with a disco ball, laser lights and the best of EFY and mo-tab.

At the start of the conference the next morning, there was so many difficulties with the broadcast and the sound system. The conference was starting and we could not hear or see what was going on. President Arrington and some other missionaries who were good with technology were fumbling with cords and pushing lot of buttons, for a good 15 minutes, but without any real progress...

The problem was getting pretty serious this was a battle. Technology vs. An apostle of the Lord. Finally president turned too looked at us, and said “it looks like we cannot fix the problem, but I know the Lord can. So of you could ask him that would be great”

Instantly all of the 200 missionaries in the room bowed their heads and began to pray to ask for help so we could listen to Elder Oaks.

Not even 2 minutes later the screen lit up, and the blurred and muffled sounds emitting from the speakers evolved into the crystal clear voice of the announcer.

Elder Oaks spoke on the importance of our calling as missionaries, that we are called to serve full time so we need to be focused on the mission at all times.

He explained

-to reach full conversion one needs to not only do and act, but feel and desire. The only way to know what is true is through the Holy Ghost, which testifies of Christ.

-That the sacrament meeting and the ordinance of the sacrament should not be taken lightly. That it is a chance every week to be spiritually renewed and energized. He also said that in the upcoming conferences we would be hearing a lot about that topic (so be prepared)

-he gave us a special promise. He said that if we are exactly obedient with the mission schedule and in our personal and companionship studies, we would be led by the spirit to people that will receive a true conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It was a really good conference.

After the meeting, because we live so far away the mission gave us extra money for lunch, so our zone went out to eat at Donatello’s a very fancy pizza and Italian restaurant. We ate a lot of pizza that day.