February 2, 2015

I found "the one"

This week has been another life changing week and one I can never forget. I remember my MTC mission president told me in one of my interviews with him that there is someone waiting for me in Argentina, and until now I honestly doubted it. I knew my CALLING as a missionary was important, but it never really clicked that ME being a missionary was important. I knew that missionary work was important that everyone needs to share the gospel, but until now I never realized that I can do something that other missionaries couldnt and that there really was revelation from the prophet and apostales when they called ME to the Salta Argentina mission and when my mission president called me here to Guemes at this time. I found that person. That person that has been prepared for me. I am not saying that I have more power than other missionaries, because that is far from the truth, but I now know that our Heavenly FAther has given us certain talents so that we can bless the lives of certain people that other cant. Im not going to go into much details of what happened this week because its ver personal and I almost feel like I couldnt explain it if I tried, but this person has and will always have an extremely special place in my heart. In the middle of our lesson she said that lots of missionaries have entered her house to teach her daughter but she never wanted to listen, but now something is different and she knows its true. Yesterday she didnt show up to church and I was super bummed. But in the middle of sacrament meeting, the other hermanas came over to me to tell me that one of our investigators was outside crying. my companion plays the piano so I had to go out with one of the other sisters, and when I saw her outside the sacrament room doors, I lost it. I ran to her and just hugged her and she hugged me for the longest time. She said that she had wanted to come to church, and that something happened in her family and she lost her temper and that she was ashamed to enter the sacrament meeting, but she had walked all the way to the church to talk to me! i asked her what I could do and she asked me to just hug her, and I did. I have never felt such power and love in a hug. It was a very sacred experience for me.

I found a quote this week that I love! "by becoming the answer to someone elses prayer, we often find the answer to our own." How true it is! I cant begin to name all the answers to old prayers that are now being answered as I am serving a mission. Im starting to wonder why I didnt do this earlier ;) Six months of this mission thing has changed me completely. In ways I never thought possible and Im so glad that I have been led to this place. The experiences I had had and the people I have met are so extremely personal to me that sometimes I feel like I cant even explain it to you guys. The scriptures are so true that say that if we lose ourselves in the service to God, we find ourselves. I am definately finding myself here in Argentina.

Well heres a short overview of my adventures this week: 

1) we got caught in another huge tropical storm, this time hail the size of golfballs! It really does exist! this time we were super far from our apartment so we quickly found a members house! They gave us clothes to change into and when the storm calmed down we had to go to a meeting at the church and we showed up looking like MONKS! no joke! And the other hermanas were worse because the member that had given them clothes is alot older and bigger. We were dying laughing and the bishop asked us what the heck we were wearing haha

2) the sudden change in climate made me SUPER sick. And I was in bed all day thursday! It was the worst! I never want to be sick again on my mission because I felt so guilty and lazy as a missionary in my bed! And its even worse with a companion. I felt so guilty that she had to stay in the apartment with me all day. But lucky it was like the 24 hour flu so I was able to get back to work the next day and we made up for the day that we lost.

3) Fatima is still progressing and is looking forward to her baptism SATURDAY! I have never prayed so hard and am still praying that everything will work out because satan likes to work hard on our investigators that are progressing. Yesterday we went to pick her up for church and she was still asleep which was really weird and I spent 20 minutes trying to convince her why church is more important that sleeping haha and she finally came and at the end of church said it was worth it! 

4) have I mentioned that living next to the bishop is awesome?! hes the most amazing bishop ive ever met! one night he knocked on our door and handed us ice cream that he had bought for us just for the heck of it! We devoured it! ice cream in argentina is heavenly!!

Well thats my week! I hope that you are all doing well and doing your individual part in the missionary work. Remember to preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.

 

love you!

hermana stewart