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 

 

January 26, 2015

Yes I know Heavenly Father loves me...

Well this has just been a great week full of little tender mercies all over the place! It started off with interviews with our president tuesday morning and it was so good to get some advice from him and feel of his love for his missionaries. He really inspired me to use my talents. The first thing he said to me when I walked in was how impressed he has been with my attitude towards the mission and how I always seem to be happy...and I started to think about that and I realized its true! I really am so happy in the mission. And I hardly have time to think about myself and so Im never sad! (except the fact that I cant be home to hold my new baby niece, but Ill just have to stop being selfish and get over it). Anyways I am really trying to use the advice he gave me and I witnessed some miracles because of it this week. I want to be like the sons of Mosiah who said they couldnt stand the thought of one soul perishing. I am trying to have that outlook in my mission. I am learning to develop charity because charity is what brings the true desire to save Heavenly Fathers children.

After interviews the APs told us they were going to drive us back to Guemes and check our apartment with Hermana Chaparro. Well let me just tell you how embarrassing that was because 1) we had no time to clean and prepare 2) there was elders in our apartment ·) one of the APs is really cute (yes Im still allowed to think boys are cute) and he had to see our messy apartment. So that was pretty exciting. Whoops!

Tuesday night we had splits with the sister training leaders and one of our new sister training leaders is one of my friends from my zone in my other area! She came here and it was a blast! It was fun to actually know the sister training leader. I learned so much from her and she helped some of our investigators so much! We got permission to baptize Fatima!!!!!!!! Shes the 13 year old whos mom is inactive but she really wants to be baptized! Well gracias to the spirit and hermana Anderson, we got permission. We are planning her baptism for the 7th of Feb. We really had miracles with her and her mom this week. One day we went to buy a pizza from her mom and she asked us if we could find someone to give her baby a blessing because she was sick. Well since we live next door to the bishop, we asked him to come with us to give her a blessing. And let me just tell you the bishop is an amazing person. He invited everyone who was there to come in and he explained the priesthood and how he was going to give her a blessing like Jesus did in ancient times. and afterwards she asked if we wanted to stay and so we used it as an excuse to teach her a lesson with the bishop and it was the best lesson ever! She has a ton of doubts about joseph smith, but we taught and testified and at the end I asked the bishop to share his thoughts and he said some pretty powerful words. He said a line that my companion and I will never forget because the spirit was so strong when he said it he said "I testify as a bishop...." I dont know why but it just hit us so hard! BOOM SPIRIT! Anyways I want the bishop to be with us in every lesson haha.

Also this week we went to visit a recient convert who is 10 years old but she is just amazing! She wasnt home, so we asked her mom if we could teach her. Well I know this is her time to hear the gospel. During this lesson, the spirit was just shining through her eyes and she really opened up to us.  It really was a miracle because every single lesson we have with her daughter she prayers for her family to accept the gospel. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers, especially the prayers of his little children. She told us that she is scared to pray because she is scared to recieve her answer, and I felt impressed to say that shes scared because she already has recieved her answer, and she said....I think youre right. Anyways if she continues to progress we are going to baptize this family because the sister of this member was also about to be baptized and the day of her baptism she left crying and didnt feel ready. Well I think we are going to see a miracle with this family and Im just so happy for Brenda because she has been praying for this day!

Well I just have so many good stories and no time to tell them so I guess Ill have to save them for later!

I know this church is true and I know that there is power in prayer! I am so happy to be apart of this great work!

Love you all!

 

hermana stewart

 

January 26, 2015

 

I can boil water on my head!

 

so heres a crazy story for ya! so I have been having headaches...they really never stopped. and everyone here kept telling me that its insolation from the sun and that the heat of the sun is trapped in my head. I thought that was weird. but they all told me I needed to try this thing where I had to use some time of cotton material and with a glass of cold water it would take all the heat out of my head. well I doubted it but guess what! I boiled the water! hahahaha it started bubbling and we were all amazed! I guess the sun is super strong here! anyways theres a cure for ya if you have headaches from the sun...which I dont think exist where we live because the sun is totally different here 

 

 

 

 

January 19, 2015

The gospel is for all ages!

Well this week I have a little more to say than last week thank goodness. You guys probably thought Im not doing anything out here in Argentina! haha

So we found this 86 year old man a few weeks ago with 1 leg! Hes so funny to teach because we literally have to yell and he just looks at us so confused. The poor thing doesn understand our spanish, but hes trying. I always just want to laugh when we are teaching him because we have to speak so loud and so slow. When we teach people how to pray we always write out a model of a prayer like this...

dear heavenly father...

I thank thee for...

I ask for...

In the name of jesus crist amen. 

Well when he prays he doesnt add his own words he just reads it exactly how it is written and i tried to explain that he can put his own words but he doesnt get it. Its kind of funny. I invited him to be baptized and he said yes (It might be because he didnt understand real good haha) but I called our district leader afterwards and said "Elder how can we baptize and 86 year old with 1 leg?" and you wanna know what he said to me? "in the water!" well thanks for your advice elder! haha so yeah we will see how that goes.

Speaking of old people, I dont remember if I told you about Encarnacion she just turned 90 she lives all alone and shes blind! I sent a picture last week! Well shes just my favorite she just is so happy and loves to have us come visit. She cant walk so she sits in her chair all day long. Oh also did I mention she doesnt really have a house?  WEll shes just amazing. Anyways one day we went to sing happy birthday to her for her 90th birthday and before we left she asked us to pray for more life! she cant see and doesnt have a house and yet she wants to keep living! she loves life. It amazes me. Well a couple of days later, one of the members told us that the police were outside her house and we were so scared that she had died! we were so scared when we got to her house and clapped outside her house that she wouldnt be there, but we heard her yell "come in!" it was a huge relief. Anyways shes still living and we are just trying to help her get over her fear of water so she can get baptized. 

So theres my stories with the old people now for the young. It seems we only have really old people and kids/teenagers listening to us but they are all super great so it doesnt matter. Our huge obstacle right now is getting permission from parents. WE found a 13 year old girl last sunday who is just amazing. Her mom is inactive and has been for a really long time. She got ofended in the church and now wont come back. Well we found her daughter and she told us that before we came she thought god didnt exist, but now she knows it and wants to be baptized. shes just the most mature 13 year old I know and her prayers are jus amazing. she sincerely is trying to find her testimony. anyways we had a miracle and her mom gave her permission to come to church with us yesterday! one day we had an appointment with her and that day it was super hot in the morning, but after we left lunch it started HAILING! literally ice cubes falling from the sky within seconds.yes the weather here is absolutely insane. So all of the sudden its a flood! We were soaked to the bone and the wind was blowing like crazy! It was seriously a tropical storm. So we basically SWAM to make it to this appointment. when we got there she opened the door and I said "sorry we are a little late we had a little trouble" haha she was so surprised that we showed up just for her. But it was worth it because the spirit was super strong in that lesson.

So we also have a teenage girl that is 15 and is just progressing like crazy. In the first lesson she said "I know its true" and before we could invite her to be baptized she said she wanted to be baptized! Well the next lesson she told us she has to wait until she is 18 because her mom wont give her permission. We were super bummed, but she has a strong desire to read and pray and so were gonna keep on working with her and her parents. 

Theres a huge difference here in Guemes than in my first area. The people are alot more tough! In Aguaray there really was only the Catholic church...here there is every kind of church you can think of and people here have their strong beliefs. They know the bible really well and are much more educated than the people in my other area. We got told off quite a few times this week. Someone told us that we preach lies that was interesting. Another yelled at us to find God because we dont know who he is. Also yesterday a group of guys threw waterballoons at us! its a true spiritual battle here! Ive never been faced with these things before but its really helping me to strenthen my testimony. If anyone is being converted its ME! I know its true and Im fighting so hard to help others know it too. The fight against satan is SO real, Im learning that real quick, but the truth will not be stopped. I know that we as missionaries have a power that no one else has. People can yell and me and try to weaken my testimony, but they dont know that they are actually strengthening it. I just know its true! 

Well that was my week! I know this week is a crazy one back at home! Best of luck to dallin in his preparations to leave next week and josh and alexa with the baby!! I cannot WAIT to get pictures! I know shes holding on a little longer so she can help me here in the mission field ;) 

I love you all so much!

 

con amor,

hermana stewart 

My Selfie with President Hinckley

 

January12,2015

Miracles do happen! People

 

 

So I just opened up an email saying that one of my investigators in Aguaray was baptized saturday!!! I have never felt such joy in my entire life! He kept telling us that he would get baptized at the end of the year but we never believed him....and he wasnt lying! So Im basically on cloud 9! 

Honestly nothing really exciting happened this week...can you tell that im finally used to everything? my letters are probably getting pretty boring. Except the fact that we had transfers....nothing changed haha. Im still here in Guemes with Hermana Despain. It was really interesting news because we heard a rumor and one of the elders in the Office told us that they were going to close our area and only have 2 hermanas here in Guemes. So we were for sure thinking we were leaving! So we spent yesterday saying visiting all the people we wanted to visit and taking pictures. I went to say goodbye to my grandpa tito just in case, and he gave me a little present it was so nice! but yeah nothing happened so thats a little embarrassing. haha Anyways I will be here for at least one more transfer. Which is good because we are setting some high goals to have a baptism this transfer. Actually my goal is to have a baptism on my birthday because my birthday is Saturday and the day before transfers...it will be the best birthday present of my life! So yeah im praying and fasting for this one!

Im sorry I really dont have much to say. We are just teaching away...and walking more than Ive ever walked in my life! We have seen some great miracles in some of the inactive members that we have been focusing on this last transfer. Yesterday we had 2 of the families in church. Our goal for this transfer is to have these families in the church every sunday until we leave! 

Well yeah I will try to write a better letter next week, Im just getting so focused that I kind of forget what happens! I love you all! 

 

love,

hermana stewart

 

December 22, 2015

 

Oh its a wonderful time of the year!

 

This week was crazy great! Im just loving the mission more and more every single day! Its getting harder and harder but I´m learning the love the challenges! Im completely exhausted at the end of the day and theres not a better feeling than that of coming home at the end of the day and being able to look back on all the good we did. Of course I am FAR from being the perfect missionary, but everyday im trying so hard to be better so that I can become the missionary my Heavenly Father wants me to be. Last monday we had plans to have family home evening with a family and 2 investigators. We had it all planned out and had made these ornaments and everything. Well we had an appointment with our investigator Mirna before FHE so we went there first and had a GREAT lesson. I absolutely love her, she accepts everything and loves to learn. Shes reading the book of mormon too which is a miralce because we have a hard time getting people to keep their commitments. She just needs to come to church and shes going to be baptized. Well we were super late for FHE. So we literally RAN all the way to the house. Everyone was staring at us...im sure its a funny sight to see 2 white missionaries run. We got there only to find out that our investigators never came! I was pretty bummed, and it started to rain, so we had to walk all the way home in the pouring rain. I am actually loving the weather here right now. We have had alot of rain and cold days! im not complaining because I HATE the heat!

So ive had some funny moments with my "grandpa tito" this week that lives next door. He had asked me a couple of days before why we dont pray to the mother of Jesus, and so I had found some scriptures in the bible and one night I was feeling fearless and approached him and some of his neighbor friends that are alot younger. I called them all to repentance haha. I read him the scriptures and explained to him why Jesus Christ is who we need to worship, not mary. And then I was feeling even more bold and I said "do you believe in the bible?" and of course he said yes and I said then you believe in the 10 commandments right? He said yes. And I said "then you are breaking 2 of the 10 commandments because you have idols and you worship them and other gods. I think I got him there! haha I told them all I was calling them to repentance and they laughed. But I dont have fear with him because he will always be my buddy. He told me I am a granddaughter to him. A couple of nights ago we couldnt get into our apartment because our key wasnt working. Well he hobbled over to help us out. He was trying to open our door for almost 20 minutes before the other hermanas showed up. And then 10 minutes later we got a knock on the door and he said he was still worried about me and my companion and that the next day he wanted to go with us to get a new key. haha I love him so much! He sometimes knocks on our door just to give us candy. 

speaking of candy, Im getting fat ;( just to warn you before you see me in 4 days! the other day we ate at the relief society presidents house and she gave us 8 pieces of pizza! I wanted to die! she wouldnt stop serving us. and the worst part is here, after we eat they always have soup. So yeah expect to see me about 1000 pounds fatter. haha

Thursday we had a christmas conference with 3 zones in salta with the president and his wife.it was so great, except I got called on to speak in front of everyone! there was over 100 missionaries and I was the one that got chosen. I wasnt prepared at all and I was SO nervous, but I made it out alive. I spoke about the different names of Jesus Christ. The conference was SO good and we ate really good (once again im getting fat). Afterwards we played white elephant. im really sad because i had opened up a beautiful nativity and someone stole it from me at the last second! But it was really fun to play with everyone. 

Friday we also had a christmas dinner activity at the church. It was great because it was for the inactives and our investigators. We were allowed to invite 5 investigators. When we showed up I was in shock at how beautifully decorated and planned out it was. I love that I am serving in a barrio and not a rama right now! 

So our investigator Brenda that we found lasat week is progressing! we set a baptismal date for the 10th of january. During one of our lessons this week, I had the thought to ask her if she would like to learn how to play the piano. She got really excited and said yes. So saturday she met us at the church and I am teaching her how to play (all those years of teaching piano are paying off!) Its a little hard to teach in spanish, but she is learning really fast. Im excited to use my talent! And we used it as a time to give her a tour of the church. Im going to make her a cardboard keyboard to practice at home and we are going to be teaching her every saturday.

Well that was my week and I cant believe how fast time is flying by. Its true that time flys when we focos on others. This is the hardest thing I have ever done, and even harder when we dont see the fruit of our labors, but I know that my heavenly father is proud of me. I might never see the fruit but I know its there. I love being a representative of Jesus christ! and for the opportunity I have to experience things that I couldnt have experienced and other time or place in my life.

This christmas season is the most special of them all. I have 1 gift to open christmas day, but really I have SO much more this christmas. I have spiritual presents waiting for me this christmas :)

I couldnt ask for me!

i love you all!!! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

hermana stewart 

 

 

December 15.2014

 

I kind of hate mondays because we have NO time to write and I get here and forget everything that happened during the week. It stresses me out. I guess thats why we get to live together forever as a family so I can tell you all my stories after the mission right? 

So this week we had 2 miracles. We honestly had days and days of not teaching, no one was home and we just werent having success. But one day we were looking for a house and we knocked on the door and a lady came out and we asked if this man we were looking for was home and she said that he doesnt live there, but she invited us inside and turned out to be AWESOME investigator! I know that heavenly father had his hand in that one. She has an amazing heart and we are going to help her to some type of service here for christmas. Also yesterday we had a similar situation. We were trying to find a house of a contact that we had in the street, and we knocked on this door and a 16 year old girl came out and when we asked if Alejandro was home she said that an Alejandro didnt live there. So we introduced ourselves and asked if we could still share our message with her...she seemed to hesitate for a second but finally said yes. Well we started teaching her, she told us she liked to sing so we sang a hymn and I know she felt the spirit. As we got talking, she started to ask about repentance because she feels alot of guilt. then she started to ask us about baptism, and so we taught her about baptism and invited her to be baptized and she said yes! Its interesting how heavenly father helps us find those that are looking for the truth. Now the trick is getting them to church. Thats the part that we really struggle with here! they all want to be baptized but dont want to come to church. Yesterday we had a miracle in the church as well. Saturday night our district leader asked us how many investigators we had planned for church and we told him 3. Well none of them showed up and we even went to pick one of them up and she wasnt home. Well i was pretty bummed, but come to find out 3 members brought their friends to church! and they are in OUR area! so we had 3 investigators in church! haha And now we have new investigators to work on with friends in the church so it should be easier to help them out! 

Really nothing much else happened this week. We walked alot and talked with a ton of people but are having a hard time getting in the houses. I love my new area, but it is harder because its more of a city and so its hard to find people at home. They are always "busy" but I always tell my companion that Im not going to get discouraged because we have the truth and so nothing else matters! I know that if we are doing our part and working hard we will have miracles even if its just something small. 

This christmas season is really different than any other christmas. I am so grateful for this time in my life to ponder and think about the TRUE meaning of christmas. ITs really sad here because everyone thinks its just a day to drink and party. But as i have been studying more about the birth of our savior, I have come to the point of tears as I think of how grateful I am for that day of his birth. Not only am I grateful for his birth, but Im grateful for his life, and his sacrifice for me. For his perfect example. Most importantly, I know he lives today! I am trying so hard to help these people realize what christmas really is. Its going to be really hard to be away from family and friend this christmas, but I coulnt ask for a better christmas than to teach the people here more about their Savior Jesus Christ. 

I hope that all of you who read this find time to think about him! 

 

i love you all and wish you a merry christmas!!

 

hermana stewart