Rough start in Rowlett! Lots of pictures from Grand Prairie!

Hi Mom,

I have had quite  the first week here in Rowlett. It has been so frustrating and stressful, and yet this area seems to have a lot of potential. I feel so dumb right now, but I learned and grew from the experiences that happen, and they WON'T happen again. It was car trouble.

So, I arrived on Tuesday to Garland which is where we live. It is a small part of Garland that we cover, but the church is in Rowlett, so this is the Rowlett area. The  apartment here is so much better than the one in Grand Prairie. It isn't anything special, but it is a lot better. When I got here on Tuesday we didn't have a car, because my companion had crashed it about a month ago. He can't drive anymore, and we were going to get a car on Thursday, so for the first few day we were on foot and biking everywhere. When Thursday came, we got our brand new car and drove it home no thinking at all about a parking sticker. On Friday, one of our few investigators dropped, which started the terrible weekend. We enjoyed the car on Thursday, and all day Friday, but when we woke up Saturday, it wasn't there anymore. We were so confused, and we first thought that it had been stolen. We tried calling our vehicle coordinator, but he wasn't able to do anything about it, because he was out of town. We went over to the office, but the office was closed for the week end. On our way back, I realized that it had probably been towed. So, we found a number to call on our apartment complex, and it had been towed. So this was the first dumb thing we did, but it didn't end there. We called all our appointments that day, and again some of our investigators dropped. We continued to go out and work on bike, and by the time that we had rode up the first street, my tire popped. We worked on it for an hour to try and fix it, but it kept popping. So we went out again on foot. It was a long day, but we were trying hard not to get down on ourselves. When today came, we went to go pick up our car with the vehicle coordinator. It is going to cost us $400. That was frustrating, but nothing too terrible. The terrible part was when we drove the car back to the apartment complex, we asked the office manager for a sticker, and she said that she would have released the car if we had gone in before we picked it up. I had even said to my companion several times that we should go over to the office, and for some reason we didn't. So in other words, we are paying $400 for nothing. It was a terrible first week here in Rowlett.

As far as the actual area goes, the ward is great! We have people from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Argentina, y Peru. The members are very helpful from what I have seen, and we are getting ready to work with them to find investigators. The work here in Rowlett is very slow. We are down to two investigators, one of which we are thinking of dropping, so we have a lot of work to do. We will be knocking and visiting lots of less-actives for awhile.

I hope that all this bad stuff that is happened won't affect the work here in Rowlett. It will probably take me awhile to get over it. I just feel so frustrated and dumb for not thinking about these things, but I guess it was a lesson learned, and I don't plan on doing it again ever. I hope that we can now turn this area around to what it needs to be. I am ready to work hard!

I hope everyone continues to enjoy school. Sorry that my letter was so depressing, but I am now ready to work and not look back. Thank you for sending the picture of the mountains. I love y'all! Have a great week.

Love, Kyle

 

 

Transfers!! Leaving Grand Prairie for Rowlett!

Hi Mom,

I am being transferred. I am very sad to be leaving the people here in Grand Prairie. I have loved being able to serve them and work around them. This area has a lot of work going on, and I am glad that I was able to be the Lord's instrument in finding all of these prepared people. I am excited for what is next, and I am so grateful for all that I have learned here in Grand Prairie. I am also so grateful that I could help Sara be baptized.

This passed week we were able to help so many of the families that we had found. They are progressing really well, which makes it hard to leave. I think that this area will be having some baptisms in the near future, so I might be coming back soon. I have really loved serving here in Grand Prairie.

On Saturday, we went to the temple with some of the investigators and recent converts that we have been working with. They were able to feel of the spirit that comes from attending the temple, and we hope that they would be able to enter the temple on their own in the future. I am glad that you were able to see that video that one of our members took. I had no idea that she would be posting it on facebook. I loved being able to sing again. It was so great to be able to do that all the time when I was in school, so I was happy to be singing again! The temple trip over all was a great success, and Sara really wants to be able to enter. She will be able to do so very soon if she continues coming to church. I think that she is probably the best convert that I have helped on my mission so far. She was sharing her experience of her conversion, and she amazes me. She started by telling us about being in El Salvador, and how she was baptized into a Christian church there. It was a good experience she said, but she didn't really feel much. She then told us about when she was trying to stop smoking. There were several times when she walked out of her house to go by cigars, but came right back inside knowing that God would help her stop. Then one of her friends came by who usually gives her cigars, and she told him thanks for coming, but I have decided to stop. At this point of the story I was thinking Wow! She had such great faith, and such a desire to keep the commandments of God. She then continued to tell us about the great experience that she had with her baptism. Before she was baptized she felt so sad, and she didn't know why. However when she came out of the water she felt so clean and happy. And when she received the Holy Ghost, she was so content and happy. I am so grateful that I have been able to help her, and she has strengthened my testimony so much about how true this gospel is.

I know this church is true, and with every testimony I give, I am able to continue to strengthen the knowledge that I have. I know that Christ lives, and that I am participating in His work. I love serving the Lord, and helping His children come unto Him.

I love you Mom, and I will send the address of my new apartment next week. Thank you for all that you are doing for me. I hope that school goes well for everyone, and that y'all are able to adjust quickly. I miss you!

Love, Kyle 

 

Hi Favorite Dad!

We had a great last week to finish off the transfer! We taught some really good lessons, and we were able to help some people progress very well. I am very excited for all of these families we have found, but unfortunately I am being transferred. I am going to Rowlett, Texas, and I will send you the address next week. I really began to enjoy this area over the passed couple of weeks, because we had found some really good families to start working with. I learned a lot, and I am excited to be able to work in Rowlett.

This last week we went to the temple on Saturday with some of the people that we were working with. We toured around the temple, with our recent convert Sara. We started off by watching a video about families being together forever inside one of the visitors' rooms of the temple, then we walked around the temple and talked about what we do inside. After we stood on the steps and sang a song in Spanish which sounded really good. It was fun to be able to sing again. I miss not being able to do that as much. To end the tour we went back into the temple, and we had a testimony meeting. It was a great activity, and Sara is very excited to be able to enter.

My new companion is going to be Elder Peck. He came out on his mission about the same time that I did, and that is all that I really know about him. My new area though will be a car area, so my many days of biking (it really wasn't very many) are now over. We will have to see if I am put back on a bike or not before the end of my mission.

Elder McBride is now taking over the area. He has improved quite a bit in the two months we were together. I have realized how imperfect I am. Heavenly Father knows what he is doing in having allowed me to work with Elder McBride. I have become much more patient. I still have a long ways to come, but I learned a lot these last two transfers, and I am sad to be leaving. Elder McBride's new companion is going to be Elder Lynn who was my companion back in Sherman.

I am excited for the chance that I have to work with a new ward. There are a lot of things that I have learned from the ward that I am in that I want to implement in Rowlett. I love working with ward members, and I am going to continue to do that. I love serving a mission. It is hard, and it is very tiring, but I love it! Thank for your blessing to me, and even though you are not here with me, I can still feel your love. In the MTC, one of the guest speakers gave everyone in the MTC audience a blessing once without putting his hands on our heads, and the same thing happened right before we left with someone from our branch presidency in the MTC. I love you Dad, and I am grateful that I have been able to learn from your example. I hope I may continue to become like you!

Love, Kyle

P.S. Keep me updated on BYU. Only 2 weeks left right?

Loving Missionary Work!

Hi Mom!

The work here in Grand Prairie has really started picking up. We have found lots of investigators this transfer, and I am looking forward to seeing them progress. We have also been blessed to find families. I haven't really had the opportunity to teach families on my mission, so I am grateful for the great families that we are teaching now. Recently we found the Macias family. I am not sure if I have mentioned them before, but they are so great! There are 3 kids and the two parents. The kids of that family are so interested and excited when we come over to teach them. They always want to be the ones who read the scriptures and say the prayers, and they have told us that they really want to come to church. The conflict that they have, is that their Dad for some reason hasn't wanted to listen, and they haven't come to church yet. I really hope that they will start coming to church.

I have been surviving the heat, but I have definitely needed sunscreen. I usually survive fairly well, but after biking for long periods of time, my face is so red, and I am sweating so much. I knock on doors, and people probably think I am about to pass out. It must be funny to them to see someone at their door step with a super red face, drenched in sweat, and breathing really hard, and then to hear me say, "We are missionaries," in my very happy way. At least I am staying in good shape.

The package got here just fine. The chocolate was very melted, but I put it in the fridge and now I can eat it as big pieces. Thank you very much for sending it to me. It is always great to know that I have a family that loves and cares about me. I sewed up the hole in my other suit and it still fits, so I won't be needing another one yet. I haven't grown on the mission, I just thought that if I sewed the suit up, it might have been to tight. It is still working good though.

I have noticed as of lately how much I really love serving a mission. I love teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. Missionary work is definitely more fun when there are people to teach, but I have realized recently that I really like every part of missionary work. I love working with the members, and I have come to love knocking doors. Most missionaries would probably think that I am crazy, but I really do like knocking doors. Probably because I am able to speak Spanish which still amazes me sometimes. I love Jesus Christ and his gospel, and I know it is true. I am so grateful that I have this great opportunity to give this great blessing to others. I love you Mom! Thank you for all that you do for me!

Love, Kyle 

 

Hi Dad!

The weeks here in Grand Prairie all seem to be the same. We teach just about the same number of lessons each week, and we are always finding lots of people to teach. I have liked being here in Grand Prairie quite a bit. It has been a great learning experience for me, and I have really started to work more with the members. I don't think I want to leave.

Answers:

1.  Are you ready for a transfer? or do you want to stay for one more?

I would like to stay for one more transfer. Most of our district is going to be leaving, so I feel like I am going to be staying and serving as District Leader. We will see if I am right.

2.  How is your less active man - is he coming to church?

I think that he was very unsure about coming to church, but his family who haven't ever heard of our church convinced him of going, so as a family they should be coming to church next Sunday.

3. Do you have to sing to investigators?

No we haven't had to.

 

4.  Are the members helping you find people to teach?

They are. Our ward mission leader recently has been inviting a friend of his to come to church and to the activities. They came to one activity we had, and they also came to church last Sunday.

5. What experience did you have this week?

I can't think of an experience this week that really stands out, but we do have some great people that we are teaching. We have found some really good families, and I am looking forward to seeing them progress.

6. Have you grown taller?

I don't think so.

7. Are you surviving the heat? (how hot - how high is the humidity)

I am surviving the heat for sure, as long as I have sun screen. The temperature as been barely over 100 this passed week, and it is only getting hotter. And to tell you the truth, in some ways I like the humidity better than the dry heat, because I don't burn as easy. It really isn't too bad except for the fact that we are on bikes. I knock on doors completely drenched in sweat after biking all over the place. The spirit really has to take over on my door approaches, because I look terrible.

8. Are the members keeping you fed? ( if not what do you eat?)

They are doing an OK job on feeding us, but we also have some no-members and investigators that make food for us, so it isn't too bad. When we eat on our own I usually eat pasta, or sandwiches, or sometimes soup, ya know all the good missionary meals.

9. Are you finding people that are ready for the gospel? and are progressing?

We have some great families that we are working with that have shown lots of interest in the church. We just need to help them start to progress.

10. Does your mission have i-pads? ( are they getting them?)

Our mission will be getting I-pads either at the end of this year, or by the beginning on next year. We will have to buy the I-pads when they come, so I will be able to bring it home. They are also going to the I-pad minis.

I am really enjoying this area and the work that we are starting to do. I really hope that I get to stay for one more transfer. I want to see some of the investigators that we have found start to progress. I haven't really put any names down for now, because I figure that I will wait until they are progressing. I really do enjoy missionary work. I even love knocking doors.

I love you Dad! Thanks for your love and support I hope you have a great week! I hope BYU plays well this year! Thank you for everything!

Love, Elder Stewart

Working Hard!!

Hi Mom,

I am excited to hear Chase on the drums! I love hearing someone that can play the drums really well. Is there a rule that y'all have set for how long he is allowed to play for? And Haley finally rode in a Camaro? I hope she enjoyed it.
 

The work here is very up and down. To start off the week, a lot of our investigators that we had found dropped us. They aren't ready. We did find a lot of new investigators again this week, so we will see how many of them will want to continue investigating the church. There are always people to find here, but we need to find the prepared. We are really trying to work with the members to find their friends as well, and yesterday one of the members in are area invited his friends to come to church and they came. They were a great family, and we are looking forward to teaching them.
 

Yesterday we found a member of the church that was baptized 30 years ago. He was a High Priest at the time, and he was serving on the high council. He was very active for 10 years, but than he went in-active when he came to the United States. He began doing things that aren't in accordance with the standards of the church, and because of that he fell away. He fell away hard. He was very interested when we went over to his house yesterday to teach his family, but I sense that he is very nervous of the road that lies ahead of him if he wants to come back to church. This was a very scary story that I heard from him. It really showed me that it doesn't matter how righteous you are or what calling you have, you can always fall away from the church and enter into temptation if you stop doing the simple things like praying, reading the scriptures, and going to church. His story has motivated me to do all I can to not enter into temptation. I am grateful for such great parents that have taught me this from a young age. Thank you Mom!
 

Recently we have been finding some good less-active members that are interested in having us share our message with them. We are always busy as missionaries, even if we aren't teaching all the time. I am grateful for my mission and for the things I have been learning. I have learned and grown so much, and not just in the gospel. A mission is so great for helping us communicate better, learn from all the people we talk to, learning to work hard, and so much more. I love the mission!
 

Good luck with your big assignment to finish of the semester. I hope you are able to find time for everything! I love you so much! I am doing great out here. If possible could you send me a new oil vile? Mine broke. I also think that I may need a new suit. I don't need it soon, but we can start thinking about it. I am going to see if I can repair the black suit I have, but it may be a little to small. Also, can you send me the email of Nate. I would love to start writing him. He will be a great missionary! I hope y'all have a great week!
 

Love, Kyle