Christmas Miracles!

Mom!

 

I loved hearing from y'all as well! We had an Amazing week with many miracles! Starting on Wednesday. We went out to work like we do any day, hoping to be let in. We were tracting on Christmas, and so many people before were so shocked that we were going to be knocking doors on Christmas, but we did, and we were blessed so much. We taught three lessons with in two hours, and set up a couple of return appointments. I learned that as we sacrifice to show the Lord we are committed he is going to bless us. And he did. Then talking to y'all was so much fun. It was the fastest 40 minutes of my life, but I loved it. You really don't realize how much you miss your family until you are away from them for six months. It was great! That night we then ate dinner with the Hill family who had invited their non member friends, so even though we were having a great time, we were still able to do missionary work, and hopefully we planted some seeds with that family. I really think that Christmas day was probably the best day of my mission so far, mainly because I was sharing the message of why we celebrate Christmas.

The next day was my six month mark. I can't believe I have already been out for six months, and I have seen myself change so much. I can't wait to see the progression that I will make in the rest of my mission. The mission has been the hardest thing I have ever done by far, but it has also been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. It has gone by fast and slow at the same time, and I plan on making the most of it. That night we also taught Melvin. He is a Pentecostal pastor. We knocked into him awhile ago, and have taught several times. Normally pastors don't want anything to do with the Church, but he is showing a real desire to know if what we are saying is true. We taught him about the Book of Mormon, and he said that if he knew it was true than he would be baptized and come to our church. It was a very spiritual lesson, and the surprising  part came at the end. I don't know why, but randomly at the end of the lesson, Melvin started speaking in tongues. We don't know why, or what he was trying to say, but we did know that the spirit was working on him. It was a great lesson, and if he reads, he will receive his answer.

Friday and Saturday were the two most stressful days of my mission. We had lots of appointments planned, and members to come out with us. There was so much to plan for, and so much going on, that it was so stressful. People were canceling or not home, and other people made us reschedule for other times. It was a hard two days, but in the end we had taught 8 lessons in those two days. Great blessings come when things get hard.

The next day started off stressful as well. We woke up, and I called Luis Gandara who said he would becoming to church. He said he was still coming, so we got ready for church and began our personal study. Half way through our study, we got a call from Luis saying he was at the Church. We hurried there to find him, but he wasn't there. So, we called him and he said he was doing some other things, and then he would come later. It is very hard to understand his Spanish though, so we weren't really sure if he was coming or not. When the meeting started, he wasn't there. To add on to the stress, I was asked to speak last second. That wasn't really a problem, but with the other things going on. After I had given my talk and sat down, Luis came in. He stayed for the rest of Church, and really seemed to enjoy it, or at least we hope so. We had the Spanish group in with the English members for sacrament meeting, so he had to listen to a translation, but I think he still enjoyed it. It was another great miracle for the week.

As well at Church this week, someone brought their friend who he had met two days earlier at the store. This man is really looking for a change in his life, and just so happened to talk to a member of our Ward. His name is David, and we have a lesson with him this week. He has had a rough life, but he is showing a lot of potential. I hope we can help him out. What an amazing miracle!

On top of all of that we taught 20 lessons this week! This has been a goal that we had set when I arrived in Sherman, and we finally taught 20 lessons! The Lord is really blessing us here, and I really don't want to leave. I love this area!

I love you and I hope you have a great New Years!!

Love

Kyle

Enjoying being a Bilingual Missionary!

Mom,

 

Y'all had a very crazy week it sounds like. I hope y'all are getting excited for Christmas! It should be great! I loved the pictures as well.

 

I am doing great! We have had some big changes this past week with teaching English people now that we are bilingual missionaries. It is definitely keeping us busy, and I love it! It is really nice to actually have things to do and people to see. We also had set two baptismal dates with some English speakers last transfer, which we get to keep now, since we are the English missionaries. I love it!

 

This year for Christmas we are going to keep on working. We are going to go to dinner with the Hill family, and we will Skype around then if that is OK. We are going to do some things with them, and they are going to try to have some non-members there, so that will be great. I am so sad, that I am going to be missing the fish on Christmas morning though. For the rest of the day we are going to be working like normal. We will be knocking for a while, and then we will try to visit some of our investigators. Every time we tell any one that we are knocking, they always respond, "Really? You can't be serious." But to tell you the truth, I am so excited to be sharing to gospel on Christmas. Christ is the reason why we celebrate it, and we shouldn't be ashamed to share our message with others. So we will knock.

 

The weather this past week was incredible. We didn't wear jackets or sweaters all week except for some nights. It even got up to 70 degrees one day. I wish it would be that temperature all the time. The past two day were really cold again. I still don't get how it can be 36 degrees, and yet it feels like 10 degrees. The humidity I guess. I am not exactly sure how the next week will be, but there definitely won't be a white Christmas here in Texas.

 

We are still waiting on a time when we can Skype home, so when it comes today, I will either have the member send you a text, or I will email you. It should be after 5 though is my guess.

 

I love y'all so much, and I am so excited to talk to you on Wednesday.

 

Love

Elder Stewart

Things are Slow in Sherman!!

Mom!

I love my ugly sweater picture! It is really nice. I am not going to lie, this week was really slow. We taught so few lessons, and we lost contact with almost all of our investigators. I don't know why, but we just can't seem to reschedule appointments. Almost all of our investigators will say, "Y'all can come back whenever. Then when we try to pass by again, they aren't home. It is really frustrating. I feel at times that I am not doing anything, because we don't have any progressing investigators. It is hard to want to help people really badly, and then to have them not want what we are offering.

 

We did have some fun things happen this week however. We had our ward Christmas party this Saturday. We invited all of our investigators and everyone that we talked to all last week to the party, and none of them came. We had a great time though as we sat and talked with the Luefevers in our ward. (They are the family that sent the picture of me with the cake. And I don't know how to spell their last name.) I would have to say, that they are definitely one of my favorite families in the ward. She also invited our family to a baseball game when we come back and tour my mission.

 

The highlight for me this week was last night when we taught our recent convert Roberto. He is such a good kid. I was telling my companion the other day, how I hadn't really seen a change in him, because he was ready for baptism before we taught him. Last night however, he was telling us some great stories, and I have now seen a big difference in him. He told us a story of how one day his Dad wanted him to drive him and a friend to a bar. He did so being nice, but then his Dad asked him to come in with them. Roberto came in to the bar, and had what he said was just a terrible feeling. He felt so comfortable, and decided to leave immediately. He said that the moment he stepped outside, he felt so much peace and happiness return to him. He left the bar without his dad and friend, because he knew he shouldn't be there.

 

Thank you for all the presents, and yes I am opening them all when I should. I have been craving Subway for a long time, so good call on that one! The tree unfortunately hasn't come, so I don't know what you are thinking about that.

I still don't know the exact time on when we are planning on calling, but we are allowed to skype, so if y'all can set that up, that would be great. If not, we can do a phone call. I am getting really excited to talk to you too!

I love y'all so much!
Elder Stewart

 

 

 

Another Weather Delay!!

Mom,

 

This week has been crazy. We started off this week with the goal of teaching 20 lessons. The first three days, monday through wednesday, were so good as we taught 3 lessons each day. But, then came Thursday, which is when the ice storm hit. The ice storm was crazy! It started out as just a little bit of rain, which slowly started to freeze on cars and roof tops. Then by about 5 or so, the rain became freezing rain, which pretty puch looked like hail. By the end of the night, the streets were a little frozen, and we weren't thinking it would be a big deal, because the last freeze warning we had was nothing. When we woke up the next morning, it looked just like Utah does after a good snow storm. I thought it was great, the only difference being that everything was ice. It was difficult to just walk around let alone drive. So, yeah we stayed in doors for four days.

 

We kept hearing about how bad ice storms were, and we just kept thinking oh we are from Utah and Idaho, it won't be that bad... but it was bad. Most of the town shuts down for the day, and everyone stays inside. We noticed a pattern as well in all the stores, that when ever there is a bad storm coming, stores will be out of bread, milk, and beer. And while shopping yesterday, that is very much the way it was. Luckily we were able to return to work yesterday.

 

To keep ourselves entertained, we did a lot of studying. I also found my new favorite pass-time: reading Jesus the Christ with a bag of Doritos. Then we got creative and began playing battleship by hanging a sheet across the room, and using a volleyball and paper boats. It definitely helped the time go by.

 

I am staying for another transfer here in Sherman with my companion Elder Duce. We are excited to be able to continue working here in Sherman! I don't really need anything for Christmas, and I will just go ahead and decorate the tree that we already have. I will send you pictures next week. I would actually love some sweats for Christmas, that would be great!

 

I am glad to hear that Eric had a great time on his mission. I would like to go to a mission homecoming, now that I have experienced a mission myself, but I guess that will have to wait until I get back.

 

Because of the storm, we really haven't been able to do much with the Robles family or Efraim. So I will keep you posted on them.

 

Thank you for everything, and I hope you enjoy these pictures! I love you!!!!!!!

 

Kyle

 

 

 

Hi Dad

 

I am just going straight to answers this week:

 

1. How is the weather.

The weather now is cold (this kind of cold is a lot different than the one back home) and slushy. The weather the past weekend was crazy! It was hard to just stay on your feet when we went walking outside. Ice storms are crazy, and a lot different than snow. I think the ice made me miss the snow even more. But I will live.

 

2. Have been able to work or are you stuck inside.

We were stuck inside for four days. Four long days of studying and finding crazy ways to entertain oursevles--we hung a bed sheet up in our room and played battleship using paper boats and a volleyball. I had some great spiritual moments, that actually really got me motivated to continue going, although returning to work after a few days off has been hard.

 

3. Are you still in the same area.

Yes! I am still here and my companion is still Elder Duce! I am excited to continue serving the people of Sherman, and I am so excited to see what we can accomplish this transfer.

 

4. How are the investigators doing (any progressing)

Well right now Efraim and the Robles father are progressing. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to teach them for a while because of the storm.

 

5.Are any of them coming to church

Efraim did come to church last week, and this week we actually had to cancel church because people were iced in. Our area is very spread out, and their are a lot of members that live in the middle of nowhere.

 

6. Tell us about Sherman - what is it like.

Sherman is a very small town, actually a lot like Waxahachie, my old area. A lot of the members like I said live way outside of the town barely in city limits. It is nothing like most of the areas here in Dallas, because finding the hispanics is a little more of a challenge. I still love this area though! It is also very green, or was very green before the ice. Everything except for the grass. It is never green.

 

7. How do you spend your time. Is it mostly tracking?, referrals, Members, Service. Tell us how your typical day goes.

We tract all the time. Every day. Our spanish group really only consists of about 10 active members that come regularly, so we can't really find a lot of referrals. We do have a few refferrals though.

 

8. What kind of car do you get to drive? Do you have so many miles that you can drive each month.

We drive a 2014 toyota corolla which we got brand new only 2 weeks ago. It is so much fun, and the sound system for our Mormon Tabernacle Choir is great!

 

9. What experiences did you have this week.

We studied, studied, and studied. I honestly can't remember much more about this week, but I can say that I am well rested, kind of, and ready for the new transfer!

 

10. Can you share how you have changed in the five months ( not just the twenty pounds.)

Wow... I have changed a lot in the past five months. For one, I am a lot more bold and outgoing. I really love trying to contact everyone, and I LOVE teaching the gospel as a missionary. My companion says that the one thing he has learned from me is how to be more bold. I would say that is one of the biggest changes so far. A lot of this probably came from the time after the first transfer. I kind of let my trainer do what ever, and after that I told myself that I wasn't going to let that happen again. The other and more important transformation that I have seen is my testimony and relationship with my savior. I was thinking back to that moment this last transfer when I had the 11 dropped appointments. I thought about how the day after that was probably one of the best days of my life, because I felt closer to Jesus Christ than I ever have before. At the point where I felt the lowest on my mission, I had to rely and remember that I can't do anything without the help of Jesus Christ. Not only that, but every time that I testify of him, my relationship and testimony of him grow. Another change that I have seen sometimes, is a harder work ethic, probably because of what I am working to do. There is nothing like knocking on doors all day every day, which I have done my whole mission, which will help you work harder. I have had to try and find ways to make it fun. Whenever I remember why I am working, it motivates me to keep going.

 

I love Grandpa's comment about your buttons popping off, and I am happy that I could make you feel happy. You and Mom have done so much for me, so I don't know why I would ever want to disappoint you. Thanks for all your love and support!!!!

 

Love you!

Kyle

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Mom,

We have had a great week this week, and we are starting to get so busy. We had a great time Thanksgiving. We ate with the Jackman family in our ward, which was just like Thanksgiving back home. We then went back to work, tracting most of the day. It was hard at first, but holidays really are a great time to work. So, we did. I also did receive the package you sent, but not the tree yet, so hopefully it will come today when we are in the apartment. We also already had a tree in the apartment, so now we will have two. Or maybe give the old one away to one of the other missionaries. We also have transfers coming this next week, so I decided to wait and see if I am transferred. I really hope not!

 

I am glad that you had a lot of contact this week. Sister Larsen approached me after the baptism and out of the blue said, "What is your mom's address?" I thought it was a weird question, but then she told me why, and I thought it was a great idea. I knew you would love it! Then at dinner on Friday, they thought of sending you pictures of us eating, and I knew you would love that too. I am grateful for all you have done for me, and I hope I pay you back a little.

 

 I also must say that when I saw that Sister Larsen said that I taught with the spirit and power and authority, I was so happy. If you look at my mission scripture, it is about teaching as with the trump of angels, and that has been one of my goals as a missionary. To be Bold! I have always been a quiet person, but as a missionary sharing the gospel which I love so much, I know that I don't have to be quiet. I am actually really Bold with people, and I love talking to everyone. Our president has challenged us from now until September to contact 12 people a day. I have taken him up on that, and my companion and I have contacted more than that every day. We are being bold.

The investigators, are all starting to show a little interest. Like I said before, we had a great week this week, and because we are contacting so much, we are so busy. We found some investigators this week, who are so interested in our message. Now we just have to wait for them to start reading, and attending church. I am excited to see what the next couple of weeks will bring. I LOVE this area, and don't want to leave! Things are really starting to pick up.

 

We have had some great lessons this week! On Wednesday, we found a family from Mexico the Robles family, that had only been here about a year. They have really thick accents, and at times, it is really hard to understand them. The parents are in their upper 40s, and they have four children. They are struggling a bit with adjusting to a new way of life hear in America, but they are very interested in religion. We taught a great lesson that day, and came back to teach another lesson this Saturday. The second lesson was great! We taught with the spirit, and resolved almost all of their doubts. When we said the first vision, I felt the spirit as strong as I ever have in my mission. It was great, and I know they could feel it too. We also taught a lesson to Efraim. Efraim is a 40 year old man who has been taking lessons from the missionaries for about a year now. He has not progressed very much, but we had another opportunity to talk with him this week. We began asking inspired questions, and at one point I asked him, "Why do you keep inviting us over?" He then responded, "I love how I feel when you come." Because of this answer, we were able to commit him to come to church, and to read from the Book of Mormon everyday. And, he came to church yesterday. I am so excited to see him progressing now! I hope he will continue.

 

I also had another great experience last night. It was 7:00, and we were deciding whether or not to continue, or go home, because we hadn't studied all day. We decided to pray and ask for guidance. At the time neither of else felt like we had received and answer, but we decided that to knock would be the most effective use of our time. I then had a feeling that we should knock next to a street where we had lots of success. We went over to that area, and began knocking. The second door we knocked, was the home of James Walker who unfortunately, we can't keep teaching because he speaks English. This was one of the best lessons we taught. He had talked with missionaries about nine years ago, around the same time of year. Nine years ago, he was doing and selling drugs, and was really at the lowest point of his life. The missionaries had only taught him one lesson, but because he listened to them, he changed his whole life. He began going to church (not our church), and over time stopped doing all the bad stuff he had been doing. He was now happy and at peace, all because the missionaries had taught him one lesson, and left him a bible. So at the beginning of the lesson, I asked him to share his story with us. He did so, and the spirit was so strong, that I invited him to be baptized, before we had even explained the priesthood or anything. He said he already had been, so I said we will explain why we are asking again at the end of the lesson. At the end of the lesson we invited him again, and he said that if God gave him an answer to do so, then he would for sure. This experience was a great testimony builder to me for multiple reasons, one of which is that the spirit speaks so quietly, that at times you don't even know you are listening. We found this man, at one of the only times during the week that he is home because he is so busy. We didn't think we were following the spirit, but in the end, we were lead to where we needed to be. Great Experience!

 

I am so happy right now, and like I said before, I really don't want to leave this area! I love the members, and I love the investigators. The work is really picking up here, and it would be hard to leave all that we have accomplished here. I am excited to be teaching people this holiday season. I love sharing the gospel, and I don't know of any better way to spend this time of year, then by helping others come unto Christ. It will be a great time to find people, and get people interested in our message.

 

I love you, and missed having y'all around for Thanksgiving, but It wasn't too hard for me. I am glad to be doing what I am doing.

 

Love,

Kyle

A Weather Delay!!

Hi Mom,

Well my first baptism did go through, and it was quite the experience. We didn't really know how to use the font, and so the water was well over 100 degrees for the baptism. We'll just say that he was baptized by water that felt like fire, and then by fire. Besides that, it was actually great. I was excited to see the change in his life, and his reaction. Honestly though, I didn't do much. He was ready for baptism before I even got to Sherman, and probably before my companion even started teaching him. The Lord blessed us with being able to meet with him.

Unfortunately, none of our other investigators were able to make it. We invited almost everyone, but no one came. There were however about 30 members there, most of which were his friends. He has a great group to keep him active in the gospel.

As for the rest of our investigators, we aren't having much luck with scheduling return appointments still, because of their crazy lives. They are all willing to let us come in when ever we are in the area though. I hope we will have more success with that this week.

We had some other things happen this week as well. On Wednesday we were asked if we could teach seminary right before mutual. It was a great experience. I do know now though a little about how Dad feels after every talk he gives. I wanted to say something to help all of the youth, and I don't know if I did so. The spirit was very strong, and this really strengthened my testimony on the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

The other big event, was that our President sent out a weather warning, because of the possibility of ice on the roads. He said that we shouldn't drive unless we absolutely had too. So, we didn't really do much the past two days, and this is why I am emailing y'all on Tuesday instead of Monday. It wasn't much fun, and by the end of Monday, we had just about gone Crazy. I am glad that we can go back to work now though.

If Eric has any good stories from his mission, can you write them to me?

I love you Mom! Have a great Thanksgiving!

Kyle

 

Hi Dad,

 

This week was great! We taught a lot of lessons, and found a good amount of new investigators. We even had the chance to teach seminary.

 

Answers

1. How did the Baptism go?

The Baptism was very interesting actually. We filled up the font, and the water was way too hot. So, he was baptized by water that felt like fire, and then by fire. He was definitely clean in multiple ways after that baptism.

 

2. Who did the baptizing?

His name is Eric Martinez, and he is a good friend of Roberto.

 

3. Were there a lot of members from the ward?

There were a lot of the youth from both wards at the baptism. Probably about 30 people came in total.

 

4.  Tell us all about it.

The rest of the baptism was a great experience for Roberto. I was excited for him. My companion and I didn't really do much to prepare him for baptism, he was ready before my companion even started teaching him. We were very blessed to have found him.

 

5. How is the work coming?

The ward group is still really small. We have about 10 members that come regularly, and all the other members work on Sundays, or aren't interested much in coming to church. We did however receive a lot of help from the English ward members, and I love all the members here!

 

6. Where are you going for Thanks Giving?

We are going to the Jackmans for dinner. They are an English family in the ward. It should be great!

 

7. Are you enjoying your experience?

I am starting to really enjoy the mission life. At times it is hard to want to go out and work and find people, but I really like teaching people, and being with the members. I have learned and grown so much already, that there is no way I want to stop. I want to keep giving it my all, and I will come to love the work more and more as I do.

 

8. How has your testimony grown?

I can't even describe how much my testimony has grown. I have learned so much and grown so much, mostly from the trying experiences. My testimony on the Atonement of Jesus Christ is really what is grown the most. When ever I feel discouraged, or like I don't want to continue, I rely on the Atonement to carry me on. I am So grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ in my life.

 

9. What kind of service are you doing in this area?

We are working at two more food pantries. In one called Share ministries, we are so loved and appreciated by the people there, and I have come to love everyone there as well. There are some great people here in Texas!

 

10. What experience did you have this week? 

We didn't have any really big experience this week, but we did have a chance to teach Seminary last Wednesday which was so much fun. Our topic was Mosiah 3, the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I love teaching about the Atonement! I also know a little about how you feel after giving talks in knowing if you did a good job or not. I wanted to help the youth know more about why the Atonement is so important in our lives. Afterwards you just never know if you did a good job or not. I had fun though, and the spirit was very strong!

 

11. Now that you have been out what should I tell the priests that will help them be ready?

To help the Priests get ready, they should study the scriptures daily! The scriptures are a great tool in missionary work, because it invites the spirit a lot more than us missionaries ever could. If the Priests will read daily from now until they go on their missions, not only will their knowledge be greater, but their testimonies will be as well. The other thing that I would suggest, and this is probably the most important thing they can do, is use and learn about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They should try to remember Christ all the time, and use the Atonement. I can't think of a better gift that we have than the Atonement, and if we find out why it is so important, our desire to share it with others will grow so much. When we see the blessings that come from the Atonement, and the help we can receive from it, we will do all we can to share it with others. When we start to appreciate the Atonement more in our lives, we will start to Love others more, make better choices, and try all we can to come closer to Christ. As missionaries our purpose is to invite and help others come unto Christ, but we can't help them come to Christ if we aren't there first. If they will do this, they will be great missionaries! I know that the priests will be great missionaries if they continue striving to do the best they can. I have loved being in the same quorum as all of them, and have learned a lot from their testimonies. Let them know how grateful I am to have been with them growing up.

 

Thanks for the letters you write. I love reading them weekly. Good luck with everything getting so busy, and I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving break. I love you!

 

Kyle

Another Week in Sherman

Hi Mom!

 

Things were definitely a little disappointing last week, but I have never felt so close to my Savior before. I grew so much from that one experience, and learned so much about how to use the Atonement in my life. I know that it is a trial that I must face in order to become the missionary God wants me to be, and I am going to continue working harder and harder.

 

Nothing really big happened this week, but I love serving the Lord, and I am so happy! We did teach a lot of people, and right now we are just trying to find the people who God has prepared. The weather here is Amazing! I love it so much. It is a little chilly in the morning until about 10, then the rest of the day just feels great. It is definitely a lot better than the summers here in Dallas.

 

The Sherman area is great! I love the members here. We are receiving so much help from the ward, and we love it so much! I feel that we are going to start finding some great investigators here as well, and I am excited for the holiday season.

 

The highlight of my week was a comment that one of the members made in the English gospel doctrine class. We ate with them Friday, which was so much fun! Then on Sunday the member made the comment to the class, "All you have to do is sit down and talk with Elder Stewart for 5 minutes, and you will know that he is a servant of God." He made the comment in explaining how the youth are being prepared early. I wasn't actually in the class, but the sisters in the ward told me about it. It made my week.

 

I am so jealous of Chase and Dad. I miss going to the games, but I know that I will go to many more, so I am not too worried. I am glad y'all are staying busy. I love you too, and thanks for all you do!

 

 Kyle

 

Hi Dad,

 

I am really jealous about the whole two BYU games in one day thing. That sounds like so much fun, but I know there will be many more games for me to watch in my life time. I am really excited about the basketball team. They should be fun to watch. Thanks for keeping me posted!

 

Answers

1. Sherman is actually a lot like my last area Waxahachie. It is a smaller town with lots of farm land everywhere. We are having an easier time finding people to teach here though which is great.

2. It is OK. Don't worry.

3. This week was really good. Nothing really big happened this week, but it was our best week of the transfer so far. We taught lots of lessons, and found new investigators. We just need them to keep commitments now.

4. We found 9 new investigators, but we didn't set up very many return appointments, because Hispanics work all day every day. There answer every time when we ask when we come back is, "If you are in the area you can come over, and see if we are here." It is a little frustrating at times.

5. I wouldn't say I am getting chubby, but I have gained 20 pounds so far on my mission. So...

6. The other missionaries here are great. There are two other sets of sister missionaries here, and we all get along great!

7. I don't think I really need anything. I am doing pretty good. Thanks for all your support!

I love you Dad! Good luck during this busy time of year for you!

Missionary Work is Never Easy!

Hi Mom,

 

This week was a trying week. We have had more dropped lessons than I have ever had any other week. I am enjoying myself still. My companion is still great. He is very quiet with investigators, but not with me, so we have a great time. I do still love this area, but it is a little difficult not to be discouraged at times.

I had quite the experience this past week. We had been working hard this last week, and scheduled 11 appointments this Saturday. So, when Saturday came, we started the day very excited for the number of lessons we might be able to teach. As the day went on, each lesson dropped one by one, and by the end of the day, we had taught 0 out of 11 lessons. Wow, talk about discouraging. It was by far the longest day of my mission so far, and I almost cried at the end of the day. The next day I didn't feel much better, until I listened to a talk by Elder Holland, about why missionary work isn't easy. Here are a few lines of his talk... "Missionary work is never easy, because the salvation of souls is not a cheap experience." "When you feel discouraged remember that someone much greater and much better asked if there was an easier way, and for him there wasn't. So maybe there won't be an entirely easy way for you either." "At times the Atonement carry you more than it will carry your investigators." And my favorite. "When you are rejected or spit upon or mocked you can hold your head up high, because you are a representative of Jesus Christ." We at times have to feel what he has gone through for us to call ourselves his representatives. When ever we feel discouraged we can remember that we can be walking examples of the Atonement to other people, IF we use it to carry us through are hard times and live worthily of it. When ever I feel like stopping or quitting, I remember the name of Him, over my heart, and that gives me enough of a desire to keep going, keep pushing, in order to finish what I started out to do.

Yes! Haley is going to Preference. That will be fun for her, and she will have a great time! Good luck with your tests and the rest of the school year!

I don't really need anything right now. I am just trying to become the missionary I can be day by day. I did receive the package, and I loved it. Thanks again for all your love and support. I love you!

Kyle

 

 

Hey Dad!

 

The transfer was really good, and my first week in Sherman was great! The last week however was testing, but I learned so much from it. Tell Chase that he only has a year if he wants to get his Eagle faster than I did. I hope he can do it. Thanks for the BYU updates. I look forward to them each week.

 

Questions: (From Ron)

1. How is Roberto, is he progressing?

2. How is the new ward?

3. Do you have a car, and have you even been on your bike?

4. How many investigators do you have?

5. Do you get to play ball in the new area?

6. What food have learned to cook that you like?

7. How is the Spanish coming - do you feel comfortable with it?

8. How is your companion - do you guys get along?

9. What experience happened to you this week?

10. How does the Spanish group in a ward work - Do you translate sacrament meeting, or do you have your own meetings?

 

Answers

1. Roberto was progressing before he started taking the missionary lessons. He is very ready for baptism, and I am very excited for that day.

2. The new ward is great. A little different, because we now eat dinner every night with English speaking families, and eat American food, but I am really enjoying the members here.

3. We do have a car since our area is so big, and I have used my bike twice in my other area.

4. We have 12 investigators, but Roberto is the only solid one.

5. No, unfortunately. There only sisters here. Everyone else in our district is at least 40 min. away.

6. I have learned how to make Papusas, which are really good, but I haven't tried to make them myself.

7. I feel very comfortable teaching, and comfortable talking to just about anyone. Now I just need to work on understanding better, and expanding my vocabulary.

8. My companion is very quiet, but we get along great.

9. I had quite the experience this past week. We had been working hard this last week, and scheduled 11 appointments this Saturday. So, when Saturday came, we started the day very excited for the number of lessons we might be able to teach. As the day went on, each lesson dropped one by one, and by the end of the day, we had taught 0 out of 11 lessons. Wow, talk about discouraging. It was by far the longest day of my mission so far, and I almost cried at the end of the day.

10. We have our own meetings, which are very small. It is like a Sunday school class for sacrament meeting, and at times we don't have Priesthood, because there aren't enough men there.

I love you Dad!

Kyle

 

He Finally Sent Pictures!!

Hi Mom!

 

I already LOVE this area. Sherman is the best. The ward here has been so helpful to us already, and I have only been here less than a week. This week was probably the best week of my mission so far. And my companion is great. Very humble, and I am guessing he will be my favorite companion so far.

This area is actually a lot like my old area in Waxahachie. It is very spread out, with lots of farm land. Also, just like Waxahachie, it is one of the biggest areas in the mission. My area goes up to Durant, Oklahoma. There isn't a Spanish ward or branch here, just a Spanish group which is part of the English ward. I am excited for the rest of this transfer and the rest of my time here in Sherman.

The ward is fantastic in this area! We taught probably 3 times as many lessons with a member present in my first week. Most of which were with a kid named Jason Rodriguez who leaves on his mission this Wednesday. He reminds me so much of Esteban. Pretty much everything about him reminded me of the way Esteban acts and talks. It was great to get to know him before he left. His dad is actually the Bishop of the ward here. He is bilingual, which really helps us Spanish missionaries out.

We had an amazing miracle happen my first week here as well. On Saturday morning, during our coordination meeting with the ward, we set a goal to begin teaching 20 lessons a week. So to do this, we needed to find more families to teach. So we set a goal to find four new families before our next meeting. The bishop sent out an email to as many people as he could to fast for us yesterday in reaching this goal. Then we went to work. We tracted Saturday night and had no luck. Then after the fast Sunday, we went out tracting again. We knocked on several houses, before someone finally let us in. This was the first new investigator in this area in a while. We taught a great lesson then left. We had two other potential houses to try that night, and both of them let us in. So we found three families in the space of three hours. It was great! I have really learned on my mission that it doesn't matter how hard you work or how many people you talk to, if you don't include the Lord. We included the Lord last night and this weekend, and amazing things happened. So when we work hard, talk to everyone, and trust in the Lord, Miracles will happen. I am so grateful for the chance I had to witness this miracle!

On top of all that, we have an investigator named Roberto who will most likely be baptized on the 23 of November. I am so excited for that day!

Thanks for the update! I hope Haley starts feeling better. You definitely don't have to worry about me. I am doing great. And here are some pictures...

Kyle

 

 

 

Hey Dad!

 

I really love my new area. I can tell that this transfer will be great, and the next couple as well for as long as I stay here. I am so happy to be here! On top of that, we have a baptism coming up on November 23 that is so solid. His name is Roberto. He is 17 and a Junior and High school, and he really wants to be baptized. Hopefully we can start teaching his family as well.

 

Questions from Ron's email

1. What is your address

2. How is your new apartment (is it just you and your companion or do you live with other elders)

3. How is your companion

4. How is your new district

5. Was it hard to leave your other area

6. What were transfers like (did you have members move you, buses, do you all go to one place and then split up??)

7. How is your leg?  (stay away from the sleepy looking dogs, they are the sneaky ones) (did you have it looked at)

8. Are you excited about your new area?

9. Are you going to send pictures?

10. Do you know that we miss you and think about you everyday. 

 

Answers

1. (I took his address off for safety, if you would like it email me and I will send it to you. khcstewart@comcast.net)

2. The new apartment is a big step down from my old one. I found out that I was really spoiled at my first area with the apartment there. And it is only my companion and I.

3. My companion is great. He is very humble and wants to work. His name is Elder Duce, from Napa, Idaho. I am very excited to work with him this transfer!

4. My new district is also great! This district is actually a Spanish district, so we have our meetings in Spanish.

5. It was hard to leave my other area, especially since I didn't say goodbye to anyone, but I love my new area.

6. We had our Branch President take us up to a church where all the missionaries meet. Then we all split up and go to our new areas.

7. My leg is just fine, and no I didn't have it looked at. Do you think I should? It isn't hurting or anything.

8. Yessss!

9. Yes

10. Of course

 

Thank you for the great example you have always been to me. I really have loved having you as my leader through all of Church growing up. I love you so much!

 

Kyle

 

Transfers! A New City and Companion!

Hi Mom,

Well, transfers are tomorrow, so I hope you haven't sent the package yet, because I am getting transferred. I will be going up to Sherman, Texas, and my new companion will be Elder Duce. I actually don't know anything about him yet. I now know how hard it is to have to leave an area, and to make it even worse, I was very sick yesterday, so I didn't have the opportunity to say goodbye to anyone. So much for pictures. I will send some of my district and stuff like that next week.

This week has been very eventful. On my birthday, we went on exchanges, so no I didn't really do anything really special. Exchanges are great though. Actually that night after the exchanges, my companion and I went over to Mary's house, and like always, she made us food. Which was great! I am going to miss her a lot! We should be going over to her house tonight though, and I will send pictures of her and her family. Then on Friday, we were out tracting at a trailer park. We came to one house with a dog sitting under a tree about 10 feet from the door. Me, being as fearless as I am, didn't really care about the dog and decided to go knock on the door anyways. I walked slowly passed the dog staring it down, until I got close to the door. The dog didn't even flinch. When I had gotten to the door, I slowly turned around to knock, when the dog ran up behind me and bit me hard on the leg. I turned back around to kick it, and the dog ran away. This dog was a genius. It didn't come after me until the moment I turned around, and when I turned back around to face it again, it ran back away. Then to make the story even better, after he bit me, I limped away back to the street as the man of the house comes out. I then go through the whole door approach as if nothing happened, and the man had no idea. My companion just sat there laughing as I was trying to get us into this man's house. The Man said he couldn't at that time, so he closed the door and we walked away. The moment he shut the door, my companion burst out laughing again. He thought it was the funniest thing ever. It really wasn't too bad for me, just a little painful. And now I have a pretty good battle scar, which again I will send you a picture of next week.

Saturday we had transfer calls which was very stressful, because I really don't want to leave this area, but I am excited for something new. We will see what happens.

Then I woke up Sunday morning and felt so sick. So, we stayed home all day sleeping, watching church movies, and my companion cleaned the whole apartment. It was terrible. Being sick isn't fun, but especially when there is missionary work to be done. I am luckily feeling better now though.

I will send you my new address, once I found out what it is. I love y'all very much, and I hope that you continue having a good time.

Love Kyle

Hey Dad!

 

Well first of all, I am getting transferred tomorrow to Sherman, Texas. I don't really know much about it other than it is North of Dallas. I am excited, but also very sad to be leaving my area. I now know what everyone was talking about when they say it is so hard to leave an area, but I am still excited for something new.

1. For my birthday, we actually went on exchanges, and we also went over to Mary's that night, which she always cooks us food. I love Mary, and she will probably be the person that it is hardest for me to say goodbye too.

2. My branch is doing so good. I love all of them as well, and unfortunately, I don't get to say goodbye to any of them.

3. We haven't done much to try and receive referrals from them.

4. The other Elders in our district, are so much fun to be around, and I loved the 3 months I had to get to know them.

 

5. What does meet as a Zion mean?

6. Sister Durrant is very nice.

7. This week, you can continue to pray for Jesus Hernandez if you want. He is so solid, and I hope will be baptized this next transfer!

8. It is getting a little colder here, but it is still up in the 70s. It is so nice! I love the weather right now. I have also heard that it will be like this until December.

9. Going to Sherman.

I am very excited for this next transfer. I have learned so much this last transfer, and my Spanish has improved so much. I can now understand most of what is said, and say just about anything I want to. Really now, I just need to work on expanding my vocabulary. I feel so blessed to be able to learn Spanish.

Thanks again for the BYU updates, and for all the spiritual thoughts. I love your thoughts of the week. Thanks for all your love and support!

Love,

Kyle

A Funny Story!!

Hi Mother,

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, and the packages, I loved it! I especially love the coat, it looks like it will fit me perfectly, or at least I really hope it will. I am now going to be a normal 19 year old missionary. Oh well. I am very glad that I was able to come out on my mission early, and not have to worry about school. The timing now will be perfect!

I loved your story about sitting next to Kassie's mom in the concert. I am glad that Haley is doing well and loving choir!

This week again was a little slow. We had so many dropped appointments. It is a little discouraging at times, but at least we know that we are doing our part. We do have some solid investigators though, and I really hope that they will come around. Again, nobody came to church this week, but we had some people tell us that they will for sure be coming next week, and if they do, they will be our first investigators who actually come to church. We also have an investigator named Jesus Hernandez, and he is doing so well. He is our most solid investiagator. The first time we left him a Book of Mormon, he read 3 Nephi 11 all the introduction and testimonies, and the first four chapters. He has a really tough background, so he really needs the gospel in his life, and I really hope he will continue to progress, and be ready for baptism some day!

The change in weather is really nice, and I have seen a glimpse of how cold it will be in the winter with the humidity. I am very glad that you sent me all the winter stuff, because I am definitely going to need it.

I am missing all of you very much as well, and I wish I could spend tomorrow with you too, but I am glad I am able to serve the Lord. I love all of you very much, and thank you again so much for the love, support, and birthday packages.

Love, Kyle

Hi Dad!

 

I am so grateful for such great parents! I love reading your emails, and thank you so much for the packages! I am happy to represent our family and Jesus Christ as a missionary. I loved hearing President Monson's announcement also, and I love being able to say that I am a missionary.

 

Being a missionary is a great thing, but I sometimes get discouraged. I know that I am doing what I am supposed too, and that I shouldn't be disappointed, but after all our investigators aren't home, and then others drop us, it can be hard not to be. I guess I just really haven't seen any results yet, so I don't know if I am helping. All disappointment aside, I still know that we can baptize here, and that we can help bring others closer to Christ. Right now, we just need to find the people who need this gospel in their lives.

 

Answers

1. We do service at a food pantry, and also at a thrift store. I have met some of the nicest people ever at these places, and so I am more than happy to help them out when they need us.

2. We are definitely working hard, and trying to have fun! I am always dead tired when we come home each night, so hopefully that is a good sign.

3. We don't play basketball on Preperation days, because the English elders in our area don't want to, so we just relax all day.

4. We lost a lot of our investigators this week, but the few we still have are very solid. We received a refferal about 6 weeks ago for a man name Jesus Hernandez, and he is progressing very well. He read five chapters and all of the introductory stuff inbetween visits. He works every day 12 hours a day, so the thing we have to worry about the most is church attendance for him, but we are so excited for this man, and we can't wait to see him progress.

5. Yes! We found Mary's records on Tuesday! Now we are going to start working with her husband, and hopefully he will follow her example.

6. We did, but it wasn't a good time. We are going back by again this week.

7. I actually had interviews with my Mission President this week, and he is doing really well! His birthday was yesterday.

8. I have a better funny story now from this week. We were tracting one night, and knocked on a door in the middle of town. A little boy, five years old, answered the door. We heard a voice from with-in the room say, "Let them in, Luke!" The little boy, Luke, told us to come in and when we did, there was an old man who was about 58 sitting in a recliner that looked as old as he was. When we first saw him, his feet were already a little above his head. He began to try to get up, and as he swung himself forward to straighten the recliner, it actually went a little backwards. He repeated this until all at once the recliner fall all the way to the ground, and he is just sitting there almost upside down. I said to him, "Do you need some help?" and his response was, "No just give me a second." So we sit their awkwardly, as we watch him flip himself over backwards. He was definitely now a young man, and when he finally got up out of the chair I am pretty sure he was sweating. We again just kind of sat their awkwardly as he tried to fix his chair, then we did our door approach and left. As soon as we shut the door behind us, we began to burst up laughing. It was one of the funniest things we have seen so far on our missions.

 

I am still doing good. I am happy and I just figure if I keep working hard it will all get better. I hope it will. This transfer has gone by so much faster than the last one. I feel like it went by twice as fast, and I have heard that it just gets faster from here on, so we will see how it goes.

 

I love y'all so much and miss y'all a lot. I miss my BYU and golf buddy too. Thank you for your help in preparing me for a mission! Have a great week!

 

Love

Kyle

This week was so tiring and so long!

Hey Mom,

This week was so tiring and so long! Then my companion got sick on saturday, and we left the apartment late, which means that we weren't able to get 74 hours in. We also thought we would get a lot done this week, but it was our slowest week of the transfer so far. It was really difficult to be working so hard, and to not have much happen. It made each day seem so much longer. Instead of teaching lots of lessons, we tracted all day long with only taking a few breaks. We are really hoping that the blessing will come the next couple of weeks. At least this week, I could honestly say that I have never worked harder on something in my life.

The baptismal dates that we have set are all in November spread through out the month. We are working hard to try and get all our investiagators progressing, but there is always the challenge of them not being home when we schedule our return visits. At times I wonder if we are doing something wrong since we are both new.

All challenges aside, we are still really happy all the time. Honestly the only disappointment and sadness that we have comes from our investigators not being home or not progressing. We are still working hard and loving it. We are still just waiting to see some success, and we know that it will come.

Honestly I am not really missing anything from home. I would love some pringles though. Please! And everything else that you were talking about sounds good. I would like a long sleeve sweater vest as well if possible. Thank you for your support.

I have been trying to keep in touch with all my friends on missions. They are all doing really well now. It is crazy to think that we were all in high school five months ago, and now we are all over the world. It will be exciting to see them all when they come back from their missions.

I am glad y'all had a great time in St. George this week with all the family. I love all the pictures that you send, and I promise that I will start taking more pictures, and hopefully send some next week. I am doing really well out here, and I love being a servant of Jesus Christ.

I love y'all very much!

Kyle

Hey Dad!

 

Don't worry about not writing last week. We didn't have much time to email last week anyways. And sorry I haven't sent any pictures. I promise I will do better from now on.

Answers:

2. Unfortunately, none of our investigators are coming to church except for Mary. She has been so solid, and we are thinking that we won't find her baptismal records, so honestly, she could be baptized with in the next two to three weeks if we don't find her records.

4. My companion and I are getting along great.  We are really good friends, and we are starting to work really well together.

5. The weirdest thing I have eaten was actually at a Mexican restaurant, that a member took us too. He said he loved the Menudo. I had never heard of it, so I decided to at least try it. My companion and the member knew what it was, and told me they weren't going to tell me, so I ate it. When I had finished it, they then told me that menudo is cow intestines, and it honestly wasn't all that bad. Wasn't amazing, but it wasn't bad.

6. Nothing funny has really happened to us while tracting. We have been kicked out of about five different apartment complexes. Actually there was one day this week where all our appointments fell through, so we decided to go knock some doors in that trailer park. The first door we knocked, we were let in by a 40 year old man. He told us he wanted to wait for his wife to come before we taught him, so we just sat their and talked. When his wife opened the door, she had this really weird look on her face. She recognized us, and asked her husband why we were there. When we started talking to her to get to know her, she told us she had already been baptized into our church 18 years ago. Huh? So we began to ask her more questions, and we found out that she never really had a testimony, nor did she really know much about the church. She was baptized because her neighbors were baptized, but since then has become catholic. Very weird situation. Then after this conversation her husband said he never knew that she had been baptized. We will see what happens there... We are currently trying to find her records.

7. I can't really pick one time where I felt the spirit the strongest, but probably one time when I or my companion were saying the first vision. It is amazing how strong the spirit is when those words are said, and how it impacts the people being taught.

9. My money is doing great!

10. This week was really tough actually. Not a lot happened. We did though, teach a referral we received from Salt Lake twice this week, and he has such a humbling story. He was married somewhere about 6 years ago, and had a baby. His wife then began cheating on him, so he took the girl and left. He has been to Utah, and is now living in a tiny apartment, with almost no furniture. He works every day for a lot of time, and for every minute he isn't working, he is taking care of his daughter. It strengthened my testimony, or more made me so grateful for the family I have had and for the gospel in my life. I also realized how much I love this man, and I don't really know him very well. I want him to accept this gospel so bad!

 

I am honestly still doing fantastic out here, and I am so grateful for your love and support. I love you very much! How is the ward doing. Has anyone moved in yet? How are the Priests doing?

 

Thank you for always writing me! Have a good week!

 

Kyle

Conference Weekend

Hi Mom,

This week has been so good! We are being so blessed for our obedience and willingness to work hard. We are finding lots of people who are ready for the gospel. We set 5 new baptismal dates just this week. We also have 4 progressing investigators, and some more that will be coming this week hopefully. I have definitely learned the importance of being obedient and the importance of working hard.

Also, this next week to challenge ourselves a little bit, we are going to do what we call a 74 hour week. This pretty much means that we leave the apartment at 10, don't take any breaks for meals during the day, and return home after 9. It is going to be deadly, but we are excited to do it! We are really hoping that we can get a lot done this next week, and find lots of new investigators. If we do this, then maybe we won't have to go tracting all day long. We will see what happens...

I loved this conference weekend! Missionaries like to compare conference weekend to the super bowl, and I would definitely have to agree with them. It was so much fun to take a break and listen to the prophet. Conference has never meant more to me than as a missionary. I was able to think about what my investigators needed, and what I need to change in order to help them get there. Also, to make the weekend better, we decided to make breakfast before the Sunday morning session. This made watching conference away from home not so hard. And watching it at the church, really wasn't too bad. It helped me focus, and stay awake. This weekend was probably one of the best weekends of my mission so far. I loved it!

I am not in the need of anything to seriously right now, but winter is coming, so I need two more long sleeve shirts, a jacket, and coat. Besides that, I am doing good. So, I am not sure if you want to send me that stuff, or if I should just buy it myself on a Preperation day or something. I loved the package that you sent for conference. The bear claws have never tasted so good.

As for my investigators, we have taught this lady named Lupe Gabriolarosa a couple times in the past, and then stopped because she was always gone. Well, this monday we started teaching her again. She was very interested in the message we shared, and understood it all very well. It was very powerful lesson. At the end I began extending the baptismal commitment, and before I could finish, she was nodding her head yes. It was incredible! When we came back the next time that week, she had read in the Book of Mormon, and was still very interested. We invited her to conference, but unfortunately, she didn't come. I am still very optimistic about her though. She is probably our most solid investigator at the moment.

We then set baptismal dates with Laura, Henry Gutierrez, Roque Ricl, and Margarito Ricl. We are so blessed!

Thank you so much for all your love and support. I am really starting to be happier all the time, and I love teaching the restored gosplel. I am still very excited to see what we can do this week!

Have a good week!

Kyle

Another Good Difficult Week!

Hi Mom!

Happy Birthday!!!!!! I didn't realize that I was going to miss the big 40 while I was gone. I just want to say Thank You so much for all you have done for me in my life. You have helped me become the missionary I am today, and I love you for it. I am so thankful for your love and support to me. I think about y'all every day of my mission, and you and Dad keep me motivated to work hard and keep pushing forword even during hard times. I love you!!!!!

Another good difficult week. Good, because I am still loving it, but difficult, because of our investigators. We have been finding investigators with out any problems, but the hard part is helping them progress. At times, we can't even get back into their house after teaching them because they are always busy and what not. It has been hard for me, because I want to help them so bad, and we just get rejected all the time. I am still loving it though. Preach My Gospel says that a successful missionary is someone who is obedient, dedicated, follows the spirit, testifies, etc. but it says nothing about baptizing and all that. So I may be disappointed that people won't hear our message, but I am not dissappointed in myself. I know that I will be blessed if I keep improving myself everyday.

We are definitely still working hard. We found more investigators this week than last week, and taught a single lesson to 13 people. Whoa! I am excited to see what we can accomplish this week.

I still love hearing about life at home. This week seemed very eventful, and it is amazing how you leave the family for only 3 months, and it begins to grow and grow. At this rate, it will be twice the size when I get home.

Thanks again for all your love and support! I really am beginning to love my mission!

Elder Kyle Stewart

 

 

Hi Dad!

Another good week. We are still having no problem finding investigators, now the problem is just getting them to progress. We have some ideas that we are definitely going to try some this week.

 

Sounds like the day of service in the ward went really well! Y'all did a lot of stuff, and I wish I could have seen it. It is funny how when I was home, service was always boring, but after doing service everyday for the past 3 months, I would love to have participated in the day of service. Must have been great!

 

Answers:

1. I am still doing great. I am having a hard time trying to know what to do with our investigators, but that is probably just because of our inexperience. We are still working hard, and we will grow so much from this!

 

2. How are investigators are doing:

 

Martinez family: Taught them one time. There is four people living here, none of which are married. The Mom has a son that lives with her and his girlfriend, and then the Mom is living with a boyfriend. We haven't seen them since, but they have baptismal commitments.

 

Linares Family: Some of the nicest people I have met. There is a couple with two kids. They are not married. This is probably one of our most solid families. Haven't been able to teach them this week because they were sick.

 

Alcaraz Family: Married couple with two kids. We have met with them a couple times, and we just need to give them a desire to keep commitments.

 

Maria/ Regino: Not married, but are living together. Having problems with eachother, and the Word of Wisdom. Regino is our only progressing investigator.

 

These are our main investigators, or at least the ones we have met with most.

 

3. None of our investigators are really progressing except for Regino, and that is a weird situation with him and his girlfriend.

 

4. You can pray for the Linares family and Martinez and Maria/Regino

 

5. My companion and I are still getting along. We are beginning to work really well with each other.

 

6. We will be watching conference at the church building here in Waxahachie.

 

Thanks for all your love and support, and if you have any ideas on how to make investigators progress let me know.

 

We also had an interesting experience this Wednesday. My companion and I started our day off at 1:00. We went to an appointment that we had, and when we got there, he canceled on us. So, we began to tract, and we tracted all day long. Every appointment that we had scheduled for that day had fallen through, and we weren't having any luck. By 8:00 we were exhausted from standing all day, and were ready to be done. We knew however that we couldn't quit, so we decided to say a prayer. We prayed for one lesson that we could teach that night, and then decided to go somewhere else. When we got there we knocked on 4 doors, and had no luck. Again came the thought that we should just go home and call it a day, but we decided we weren't going to leave until the very last minute. Finally after trying about 3 more houses, we were able to teach a lesson which went pretty well. It was a great testimony builder to me that if you work with all your might, and pray with faith, then your prayers will be answered. I know that God is always waiting to bless us in our lives. All we have to do is ask.

 

Thank you again for all your support! I love you and hope everything goes ok.

 

Kyle

Things are getting better!

Mom!

Sorry I haven't sent any pictures, but that is because I haven't taken any. So, I will try to do better. I am glad to hear that everything is still going well at home, and I wish I could have been there for Brooklynn's amazing serving, she must have done great. And tell chase that I am rooting for him. Good luck with your tests this week, I know you will do great!

This week has been a thousand times better. My companion and I get along good. And the best part is he is willing to work. And the spanish, really hasn't been a problem at all. Both of us are able to get the gist of what others are saying, and we are still able to teach with the power of the spirit. Really, the only time I still worry about my spanish, is when we are talking to members, but even that isn't very bad. My companion also wants to be obedient, which has made this week so much easier. I am just so happy now, and love to get out and work. We both decided that because our spanish isn't great, we are going to need Heavenly Father's help, and through our EXACT obedience, we have received so many blessings. Some of which were finding 14 new investigators in only 5 days, and setting 4 baptismal dates. We have taught some very powerful lessons. I have seen the difference in the spirit that we teach with, because we are being so obedient. I can't wait to see what will happen the rest of the transfer with this kind of success.

We had an amazing lesson that we taught last night as well. It was in english, because they were bilingual. The husband of the family only speaks spanish, so this is why we were teaching them. We shared the first vision, and we could just feel the spirit so strong. Afterwards, I asked, "Can you feel a difference from how you felt before I said those words to when I was saying those words?" One lady answered, yes, it sent chills through my body. We helped her recognize that it was the spirit. We continued with our lesson, and at the end extended a baptismal commitment, which they all said yes too, with out any objections. They were wanting what the gospel had for them, and I loved it. By far one of the best lessons I have taught so far!

Thank you Mom for all you have done for me, and for all your love and support. Thank you also for all that you have done for me in preparing for a mission. I am loving it so much now that I am actually working hard and not wasting time.

Love you very much!

Kyle

Hi Dad!

Wow! A companion with no experience just like me, and yet, we are doing great! He is willing to work hard and wants to be exactly obedient like myself. And wow what a difference this has made. We went from finding an average of 6 new investigators a week, to 14 new investigators in only 5 days. And last night, we set 4 baptismal dates. I can already see how great missionary work can be, when you work with all your heart might mind and strength. This week was incredible!

Questions:(from Ron)
1. How is the new companion?
2. How is the language are you able to communicate?
3. How are your investigators?  Are they progressing?
4. Are you enjoying the people? (Tell me about some of the branch members)
5. Are you Happy?
6. Have you been able to do some fun things on P-day?
7. What have you done to serve your companion this week?
8. Do you know what an amazing son that you are?
9. Have you remembered that you are a son of God and that this is where he wants you to be?
10. Have you prayed and asked for help and guidance in your missionary efforts?

Answer time:

1. We get along good, and we both have our hearts focused on the work.

2. Our first day together, we decided that we were going to need some extra help with our Spanish, so we said we were going to be exactly obedient in order to have the spirit stronger with us. Because of this, we have had so much help in lessons. Our Spanish has been just fine, and we really haven't had to worry about it. It has strengthened my testimony that if we are willing to humble ourselves before the Lord, that through our faith, he will make our weaknesses into to strengths. We have taught some powerful lessons, and I really hope that we can keep it up.

3.The Linares family is doing really well, and we found some great people this week, who I think will begin progressing this next week.

4. I love my entire branch! First of all my branch president is such a great man. He is white, but speaks Spanish. Then there is the Leon family who are not doing great financially, but are the one of the nicest families I have ever met. These are my two favorites, but the whole branch is great.

5. I am so much happier now. I shared a spiritual thought this week of Alma 41:10 I think which is wickedness never was happiness. When I was with my old companion there were times where we would go back to the apartment early, which was fun at the time. I was never happy though. Now that I am working hard all the time, I am not necessarily having "fun" but I am so happy, and most of the time, missionary work is fun. I love it!

6. Not really. I don't really want to do much on Preparation day anyways, because I like to just relax for a little bit.

7. I am just going with the flow with my companion. Today is his birthday, and I am making dinner and stuff for him and the English elders. It should be good!

8. I definitely try to pay you back in some way, and I know that the best way is probably through obedience and working hard. I am so grateful for such a great Dad and Mom, that it makes being a  son really easy.

9. Yes

10. Absolutely! I have prayed for help every day, and I have never had my testimony strengthened more of the help we can receive through the Atonement than when I needed help during my first transfer.

I love my mission now. I am grateful for the terrible trial I had during my first transfer, because I have grown a lot from it. I am so excited to see what we can do this transfer, and I feel that at least two baptisms will happen. Thanks for all your Love and support. I love you so much!

Kyle

A New Companion!!

Hi Mom

I love all the pictures you send me. I really like seeing the family, but also really like seeing the house and yard and mountains.

Tell Chase I am rooting for him. I hope his team can some how find a way to beat all the 9th graders, that would be great.

The weeks for me keep getting better and better. The meeting was held in Colleyville in the Fort-worth mission, so for a little while, our mission was completely empty. After the meeting, we stopped by Dallas Cowboy stadium and the Texas Ranger stadium on our way home. These stadiums are huge. As for the meeting, it was really good! I loved the spirit that Elder Nielsen has and for the chance that we had to hear him testify of Christ. I could tell that he had a perfect knowledge that Christ lives. We talked about the Atonement in missionary work. And no changes were actually made.

I am staying in Waxahachie this next transfer, and my companion will be Elder Schroeppel from Orem. He came out the same time as I did, so I am very nervous about our abilty to communicate in spanish. At least now, we will be able to learn a lot faster. I am very excited to see what happens!

Love,

Elder Stewart

P.S. sorry this email is short, I wrote a big one to Dad.

 

Hey Dad!

 

Answer time:

1. Elder Nielson's visit was great! When he bore testimony of Christ, there was no doubt in his mind that Christ lives. It was great to feel of his spirit, and hear what he had to say. And now I can say that I have shaken hands with an apostle.

 

2. They didn't split the mission, I guess it was just a rumor.

 

3. Transfers are tomorrow, and to make my mission really interesting right from the start, my new companion came out the same time as I did. I am staying in this area, which will be a great blessing, but my new companion and I will definitely struggle a bit at least for the first few weeks. His name is Elder Schroepel from Orem Utah, and he is the senior companion. I am nervous because of the Spanish, but also very excited for a companion that wants to do things the right way. (I have already met him before, so I know who he is.) It will be a great blessing though in the long run, because I will now learn Spanish much faster that I will be forced to use it. I am very excited!

 

4. I am doing a lot better. In some ways I feel like I wasted my time a bit this transfer, but I definitely learned a lot. I am just really excited and looking forward to this next transfer.

 

5. The investigators are doing ok. We haven't been able to go back to the Alcaraz family since I set those dates, but I am planning on seeing them this week with my new companion, and getting them to church. We met a new family this week, Raul and Mirella ( the ll makes a y sound) Linares. They are probably the most solid investigators that we have so that is great. And Mary came to church again yesterday.

 

6. My Spanish has been really slow the past couple of weeks, but with my new companion it should be coming a lot faster.

 

7. For service, we give service at a food pantry in Waxahachie, and a place like DI called Heaven's attic, it is a really small store though. Then every Thursday, we have breakfast with our President, and help him with his yard.

 

8. For study we have one hour of: Personal, Companion, language, and what is called 12 Week (training program for new missionaries)

 

9. The spiritual experience that I had, or rather the great experience I had this week was with the Linares family. We found them on Monday while they were working on their truck. We went over to see if they needed help, which they didn't, but we were able to teach them the first lesson. When we said that we have a prophet on the earth today, he said, "Really?" He was amazed, and wanted to learn more. We taught them again Thursday, and Saturday. On Saturday, we also had a fiesta with the branch that we invited them to. They said they wouldn't be able to come, because there one year old son wasn't feeling great. About an hour into the party, they showed up. It was great, and they were able to meet the whole branch. After the fiesta, we gave them a tour of the church. They were amazed by how many rooms we had for the children in our church. They didn't come to church yesterday, but they seem very solid to me.

 

Love,

Kyle