October 27, 2014

Sorry this email might be all over the place. usually I write out the things I kind of want to say before I email but I didn´t have time this week! things here are getting better and I am slowly starting to adjust to things! 

Tuesday after our district meeting, the zone leader pulled me and my companion aside and asked if we wanted a blessing because he kept getting a strong feeling like we needed one! Oh my heck I was so happy! I have been wanting a priesthood blessing since I got here but havent wanted to ask for one. So I got my first priesthood blessing in spanish and it was so awesome. the spirit was strong! the power of the priesthood is real! And the best part was after, we had a miracle that day!! Our investigator Maximo, has been listening to the missionaries for 14 years, and he comes to church every single week. His grandson was the one that we baptized a couple of weeks ago. Anyways that day, we went to his house planning to visit his grandkids (we had kind of dropped him because he said he needed time) Well his grandkids weren´t there so we ended up teaching him. He started asking us about tithing because he wants to pay it! WHAT?! Not even the members here pay tithing and our investigator wants to pay tithing?! We started asking him why he wants to pay tithing and why he goes to church every week but doesn´t want to be baptized. And I felt like I needed to ask him if he had a testimony of the book of mormon. He thought for a second and said "no I dont have a testimony of the book of mormon, I dont know if it is true" I know it sounds weird but this is a good thing because we FINALLY figured out what it is that is hindering him from getting baptized. I told him that everything that we have taught him and the other missionaries have taught him all lies on if the book of mormon is true and without a testimony he wont ever progress with the gospel. So we committed him to read and pray to know if the book of mormon is true. The sad part is he texted us the next day and told us he was admitted to the hospital because he was having problems breathing. But yesterday he text us and asked if we would visit him in the hospital so after church we went to the hospital which real quick, is the most SKETCHY hospital I have ever seen! I hope I never have to go there! haha it was so scary. Anyways the fact that he texts us and wants us to visit him is a miracle as well. He is finally progressing and once he gets out of the hospital we are going to help him prepare for baptism! 

Also we had another miracle this week because our investigator Hermana Beruti, the lady that speaks another language, is progressing slowly. Before, she would HARDLY talk during the lessons and she is really hard to teach because she learns so slow. Well we visited her and she opened up a little and began to cry and tell us the things that she is going through right now. We were able to pray with her and invited her to pray that night for those things. The next day we went to visit her and she was smiling (which she never does) and said that god answered her prayer. She also went to church with us yesterday and brought her little granddaughter and I think she liked it. The only problem is she doesn´t understand much. We literally have taught her how to pray 7 times, but i think she is starting to understand so its worth it! And to see her be relieved from a little bit of pain was so worth it as well.

So this week I found out something crazy! my companion is really 31! what?! haha she literally could be my mom! its a little awkward knowing she is 10 years older than me, but at the same time its cool because she made alot of sacrifices to be here. I think it helped me appreciate her a little more.

Saturday we went and made pizza with Hermana Sixto (my grandpa here) and it was kind of sad because before we were talking if we should drop him because he literally know EVERYTHING and we spend alot of time at his house and yet hes not progressing because he needs to get a divorce and here its really hard to get a divorce hes been working on it for years. Anyways we asked him if we could help him and really there isn´t anything we can do. So, we have to drop him. It breaks my heart because I LOVE him, and now we can only pass by his house and check up on him. But I am praying really hard that one day he sends me a picture of him in white. He really wants to get baptized, but his divorce is taking forever. But it was fun to make pizza with him! 

Yesterday was the primary program and I was thinking that no one would show up because we hardly have anyone at church, but there was a TON of kids and it was so cute! Usually the kids come in their dirty clothes and are all dirty, but during primary, the primary president did their hair and dressed them in dresses and white shirts and ties. It was so great! and our cute little convert, got up and bore his testimony. He is really strong in the church he loves it! And his cousin, natali, also loves the church! she wants to be baptized too but her mom wont give her permission. But both of them gave talks and bore their testimonies. And what killed me was the songs! Ah the spirit was strong I wanted to cry. Actually I did cry, because there is a family that was baptized a couple of months ago, and the mom came to church and I was sitting by her and asking her how she was doing, and she started to cry really hard. I asked her what happened and she told me that her husband was drunk the night before and hit her. I was FURIOUS! The poor thing. There seriously is so much pain here its pretty hard to handle. Theres really nothing we can do but teach the gospel and pray for them. It breaks my heart. 

My adventure of the week: the cut the water again! But we haven´t had water for 4 days now and dont know when we will have water! I haven´t showered for 4 days! And it gets hotter and hotter every single day...so you can imagine that I look real good right about now. All I want is a shower! But what really is hard is seeing people who live here not have water! We had a little bit stored up, but there is people who have nothing. In fact yesterday I had a little bit of water at church in a waterbottle, and one of the members asked me if her daughter could have a tiny bit of my water because she was so thirsty! I gave her all of it because I felt so bad! Its terrible!!! When or if we get water I´m going to save as much as I can because apparently this happens alot! 

well this was my week. Tomorrow we have divisions again with the sister training leaders but this time I am going to stay here in our area. I´m really nervous because I still dont feel 100% comfortable with teaching and I dont know our area very well. But we will see how it goes! I am pretty nervous because my companion knows the new sister training leader and she said that she doesn´t have alot of patience and she probably wont talk much during the lessons. I´m pretty nervous I dont know why. 

well I love you all! thanks for the love and support as always! 

con amor,

hermana stewart 

 

We had family home evening with this family and two of their neighbors who we are planning on baptizing soon! we taught about Lehi's dream and they drew all the parts of the dream. it was really fun!