Mission Conference

Hi Mom! Happy Birthday!!!!!! (I sent you a letter for your birthday, so be on the look out)

We had another really good week this week. We continue teaching more and more lessons, and we have been finding some great potential investigators. This area makes missionary work so much fun! I love it! Thank you very much for the package by the way. It is great to look white again instead of dirty. And thank you for the conference stuff. I am looking forward to it. The only thing that I still need is an oil flask. Mine broke. If you could send it in the next package, that would be great!

This week started off really well. We taught some really good people, and we are working a lot with the less-actives here in the ward. A lot of them are starting to come back to church which is great!

On Thursday, we had a specialized training with President Taylor. It was the best mission conference I have ever been to! I loved it. We learned the importance of revelation through prayer, Book of Mormon, and Church, and the way that we can help our investigators receive that revelation. It was something that really helped us out with teaching our investigators how to know the truth. By the end of the meeting, the spirit was so strong! It was one of the most spiritual moments of my life. I love my Mission President, and I am grateful to be able to learn from him!

On Friday, we taught a great lesson to our investigator Marta. She has been struggling to know if the Church is true or not, and we believe that she probably has a lot of fear of being baptized in our church. We aren't sure, because she is a quiet person. However, the spirit in the lesson we taught was so strong, and she told us she believes the church is true! I was so happy for her. All she needs now is to get rid of the fear that she has in being baptized. She is doing great!

On Sunday, we had a farewell meeting for a missionary in the ward that is leaving. Instead of having him speak in church, he had his own meeting Sunday night. It was a good meeting, and the sister missionaries and us were asked to sing. I love singing so much, and every time that I am asked to sing, I begin to miss choir a lot. It was a lot of fun.

I am still doing really well, and I am loving the work here in Rowlett. We are teaching some great people, and I am loving it! I love missionary work!

Thank you for all you are doing for me! I am happy to hear that everything is going well back home. I am very happy to hear that Haley scored a 24 on her ACT. Now she just needs two more points. I hope she makes it to BYU! I miss y'all! Have a great week, and enjoy General Conference!

Love, Elder Stewart

Hi Dad,

The work here in Rowlett is still so much fun! I love being able to see this ward grow, and people progress. I love missionary work!

Answers

1. Did you get transfered?

No, my companion and I will have one more together.

2. How are the investigators progressing?

Really well. We had another great lesson with an investigator we have named Marta which I will tell you about later, and we are continuing to find some good people.

3. How is the English class going?

Alright. It isn't as successful as I hoped it would be, because all the Hispanics live in Garland, and the classes are taught in Rowlett, but we still teach around 5 people each week.

4. Are you having fun?

Yes! The work is great, the ward is great, and we finally found a table to use for ping-pong, which we use everyday.

5. Any funny experiences lately?

Not really.

6. Do you like Rowlett?

I do like Rowlett a lot. It is probably going to end up being one of my favorite areas.

7. How was the mission conference?

It was really good. The spirit was so strong, stronger than it has ever been in a mission conference. It is interesting to see the difference between President Durrant and Taylor. President Taylor is one of the most Spiritual men I have ever met, and the conference really showed that.

8. Do spanish missionaries serve in Dallas itself?

Yes, but I don't know if anyone covers the downtown area.

9. Is it nice to be back in a car?

Yes! I feel a little more tired being in a car, but it is better than bike.
 

10. What are the people like in Rowlett?

We don't get to talk to very many people in Rowlett, because they are all white, so we do most of our work in Garland around where we live. In Garland there are some great humble Hispanics, and some prideful people as well, but it is a great area for missionary work!

The Moreno family is still doing really well. They are still preparing for their marriage and everything.

This week we had a great lesson with our investigator Marta. Her husband was baptized into the Church about six months ago or so, and she has been investigating on and off since then. Recently we have been pulling her towards investigating the church more. She has now come to church two weeks in a row, and she is doing great! In our lesson, Marta told us about some dreams that she has had recently, and then she told us that because of the dreams that she has had, she now believes that the church is true. The spirit again was very strong in that lesson, and we invited her to pray about when she needs to be baptized. Next time we go by, she should let us know.

I am doing great, and thank you very much for all of the updates that you have given me on BYU football. All they need is the Number 4 ranking, and then they have a chance for the national championship. I am excited to hear how they do. Hopefully they can go undefeated. I love you Dad, and thank you for all you have always done for me.

Have a great week!

Love, Kyle

Following the Spirit!!

Hi Mom,

The work this week started out great! We were teaching a lot, and we had some really good experiences/lessons. We taught the Moreno family about eternal marriage and watched a video clip from the video together forever. It was very cheesy, but the message was great, and the spirit was strong. We then asked them what their plans were for the marriage, and they are planning on getting married in November, because their family will be here at that time. We were a little disappointed that it isn't going to be sooner, but we are going to help them the whole way. I am excited for them.

On Wednesday one of the appointments that we had fell through, and we didn't have anything to do. We had already been knocking earlier, and we were pondering whether or not we needed to keep knocking, or go visit someone else. We were sitting in our car and my companion said, "You know how PMG says that we should follow the Spirit in where to go and what to do." I replied that I did, and he continued, "Is that supposed to be all the time everyday?" We decided that we should say a prayer on where to go, and as we finished I had the impression that we needed to go and visit a less-active that has been coming back to church recently. We drove to her house and knocked twice without an answer. I began to feel nervous, but I wasn't going to give up on them yet, so I knocked again, and after awhile as we were thinking about leaving, a boy answered the door. His name was Johnathan and he wasn't a member of our church, but he was living with his aunt who is the less-active. He let us in, and we were able to teach him. It wasn't the best lesson ever, and he canceled the next appointment that we had with him, but It was a testimony builder to me that Heavenly Father really is guiding us in our lives. He loves us and wants us to do what is right, and he sends us his messenger, the Holy Ghost to give us the direction we need. I love Heavenly Father. I will let you know if Johnathan progresses in the next week.

Teresa has been really sick recently, so we haven't been able to teach her, but she is still interested, and she wants to come to church, so we will keep teaching her!

I also learned this week that Heavenly Father keeps us humble. We started out the week great, teaching lots of good lessons. I was thinking that I was really good for being able to come into an area with nothing and make it start to progress. So when the weekend came around everything cancelled and we were only able to get a few lessons in. It wasn't a very good way to finish off the amazing start of the week that we had, but I know who I was reminded who deserves the credit for the success, and that is our Heavenly Father. I am grateful and blessed to be having lessons to teach, and investigators that are great! I love this area, and I am grateful to be serving here! Hopefully the Lord and us can continue to make it better and better.

I am glad that y'all are doing well. I love having a family who is very supportive of me in all I do. I am grateful for your help love and support. I love you so much! Have a great week, and I will talk to you next week. Transfer calls are this Saturday by the way. The mission is starting to fly by now.

Love, Kyle

I Love Serving the People!!

Hello Mom,

I am still doing good! The work here is continuing to grow, and we were able to see several miracles this week which was great! I am so grateful to be here in this ward. I love serving the people here!

We weren't able to meet with Teresa this week, because she had some other things that she was doing. We will hopefully be able to meet with here this week.

To start off the week, I had an exchange with an Elder in an area that is doing really well. We had a great time, and I came away from that exchange with a lot of motivation to work harder in my area. I got a lot of good ideas from what we did in his area, and I was excited to put them in practice. When we got back, we began teaching a little more, and we found some great people who we are going to start teaching now. On Thursday morning, my companion wanted to study faith, and how to use it in missionary work, so I gave him a talk called Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we came together in companionship study we both had the desire to put our faith to the test and to set a good goal for baptisms. I was a little skeptical about the goal that my companion wanted to set, but while we were discussing it, we got a phone call from a less-active member that wanted to come back to church, and that wanted us to start teaching her husband. This was a confirmation to me that we could accomplish the goal.

On Friday of this week we went by the Moreno family. We have taught them a couple of times, and they had been doing OK. The parents of this family aren't married, and they have two daughters. The father is a member that has been in-active almost his whole life, and his wife has been investigating the church for 10 years now. She seems to have been ready for baptism since we met them, but the Dad didn't want to get married. On Friday we taught a great lesson about the Restoration and we watched the Restoration video with them. The spirit was very strong, and we were able to testify about how we knew this was true and how it could help them. We asked them if they were willing to start making the steps necessary to receive these blessings, and the Dad said that he was. We were so excited for them! They are now planning a day for the wedding, and we are going to help them be ready for it! I can't wait for what is ahead of them! They also came to church on Sunday!

The first time we went over to visit with the Moreno family, the Dad seemed like he wasn't interested at all. He was always quiet and he seemed a little angry that we were talking to him. He was also wearing an earring that looked very Childish. After the lesson on Friday he was so happy and excited to start coming back to church, and he stopped wearing the earring. It was great to see the changes that were apparent on the outside as well on the inside.

I love being able to see the fruits of my labors as a missionary! Seeing the change that happens in someone's life is such a great blessing.  I love this Church, and I love representing it.

On Saturday we also had a ward party/missionary activity to celebrate independence day for Mexico and Guatemala. We played soccer in the church gym, and we ate Tortas which is a Mexican sandwich. We had a great turn out! Lots of people came, and the ward had a great time. I love activities like that where everyone can come together and just have fun in a very casual way. There was a time while we were playing where I was playing against 10 little kids all by myself. I wish I would have gotten a picture. It was like watching little kids play where they all clump around the ball, and then me right in the middle. Hispanic kids are the best!

I have some said news. I don't think I have anymore white shirts or garments, they have all gone yellow and brown. I think it might be time for some new ones. I don't know if y'all want to send them to me, or if I should just go buy them myself. I will need the garments sent though. The address you put on the package was the right address, so I will look for it in the next couple of days. Thank you for all you do for me! I am grateful for such a great Mom and family! I love y'all!

Have a great week y'all!

Kyle

Loving Rowlett!

Hi Mom,

The work is still getting better and better! I am no sure if I told you about Teresa the investigator that we found the week before, but we were able to meet with here again this passed week, and she is still very open to the message that we have. She read through all the introductory stuff in the Book of Mormon, and she told us that she wants to come to church, so we are very excited about her. She still thinks that we are a gift from God, since we came at a time when she really needed help in her life.

My companion and I are still doing very well. He knows how to use computers. He also went to a lot of BYU games before the mission, but he is not quite as big a fan as I am when it comes to sports. He loves movies. He is a very good Elder though with great desires to serve God.

I am so happy that the Expedition is going to live! I hope to be able to ride in it again some day. Sounds like life is getting pretty crazy for y'all. Chase is quite the athlete musician. Is he still driving y'all crazy with the drums? I am still very excited to go back and listen to the family band. It should be great!

I had a great spiritual experience this week. We got a call from the Spanish Sisters saying that one of their investigators needed a blessing. We were happy to help, and we went over to their house to give the blessing. I was asked to give it, and it was amazing to see the power of the priesthood in action through me. The spirit directed me on what to say, which hasn't really happened very much in the passed, and the spirit was so strong in the room. I gave the blessing in Spanish, and when you are praying or giving a blessing in Spanish, you speak differently than you normally would if you are talking to someone. I haven't mastered this form of talking yet, but I was able to give the blessing with only one or two mistakes. It was incredible for me. The spirit was so strong that the man we were giving the blessing to started to cry, and he is going to start being taught by the missionaries in another area. He is a very good potential investigator for the missionaries who get to teach him. I was so grateful that I could be an instrument in the Lord's hands in helping them out. I love serving the Lord, and I know that his Priesthood is real. I know that it is the power of God to act in the name of Christ and to do the things that Christ would do if he was here.

The English classes that we started teaching went very well this passed week. We had 7 people who aren't members who were able to come and learn English. I hope that we are able to have success with the English classes!

I am still enjoying this area. The members here feed us almost everyday. And when they don't feed us, we can usually find less-actives who will give us food. I am happy to be serving with them, and I hope that we can start to help them do their own missionary work. The car is also great. I am so much more tired now though.

I love y'all very much! I know this church is true, and I hope that y'all continue to progress and grow in the gospel. I will keep my eye out for the package that will be coming.

Thank you for all you do Mom I love you!

Love, Kyle Stewart (All the Hispanics pronounce our last name Eh-Stewart.)

Things are Getting Better!!

Hi Mom!

Nooooooo! Not the Expedition. I love that car! There have been a couple of times on my mission where I have ridden in an Expedition, and it reminds me of home. I found out as well on my mission that an Expedition is a Hispanic car down in the south. So, we have always owned a Hispanic car. I hope they can fix it!

This week was so much better. We are beginning to teach a lot more people, mostly less-actives, and some of them have been coming to church. It will be a slow process to get this area up to the point where we want it to be, but we are seeing results quickly. On Tuesday we started teaching English Classes as a second language. Only one person showed up, but she was a non-member. On Wednesday we began to advertise the classes by putting fliers up in different areas in the city where lots of Hispanics go. We put about 20 fliers up on Wednesday, and with-in and hour we were getting phone calls from people wanting to come. We are very excited for these classes!

My companion is Elder Peck from Sandy, UT. He came out at the same time that I did, and we are getting along really well. Elder Peck also came out right after High School, so that makes him the first companion that I have had who is younger than me.

I am really enjoying this area. I really hope that I am able to do what Heavenly Father wants me to do here. I love the work! I am happy to hear that everything is still going well back home. I love y'all!

Love, Elder Stewart

Hi Dad!

This week was so much better than the last. We found some good people, and we are working with a lot of less-actives. I love this area and the ward here.

Answers:

1. How is the new companion?

He is good. I am trying really hard to get along with him.

2. Do you two get along?

Yes!

3. How long has he been out?

He came out the same time that I did. And he graduated in 2013 as well.

4. Are you the senior companion?

Yes I am.

5. How many spanish speaking missionaries are in your mission?

Around 70 I think.

6. Do you like the new area?

Yes! It is nice to have a car, and a nicer apartment, and the members feed us really well here.

7. How is the new ward and people that you are serving?

They are great. I was able to get to know them a lot quicker here, and I am looking forward to serving with all of them.

8. Picked up any new investigators?

Yes, we found an investigator named Teresa, and a few part member families to work with.

9. Are you able to do things as a district and zone?.

Yes, we will be. There is a place close by called Shananigan's where we can go for free to play mini-golf, laser tag, go-karts etc. Sounds like it will be fun.

10. What experiences did you have this week that helped your testimony.

We went out knocking a lot this week, since there weren't a lot of people for us to teach, and we found someone named Teresa. We rescheduled for another day, and we had to cancel on her twice, because we didn't have a man to bring with us to the lessons, but she still accepted. When we came by to teach the lesson, the lesson went OK, but she received it so well. She had just lost her job, and she lives all by herself. She believes that us coming to her house when we did was a gift from God. She committed to read, and she should be coming to Church soon!

Experiences like this always help me to know that God loves his children, and he answers prayers.

11. Are you working hard and looking to love the people?

Yes. I love Hispanic people! Especially the members. They are so nice and I love speaking Spanish to them. It is always a great time. And I am working very hard. We are always working, but now we just need to work more effectively through the members.

I also spoke in Church on Sunday on the Sacrament. I am getting use to speaking and teaching in front of lots of people, but the Spanish still scares me a lot of times. I always pray that I will be able to touch the hearts of others in teaching and speaking, and yesterday I could definately see the Lord's help in my talk. I was able to speak with very little trouble. I didn't really have to even think about translating into Spanish, it just came to me. The Lord always provides in the way that he needs to, and after the meeting many people complimented me on my Spanish. It has been such a blessing to learn how to speak Spanish, and I hope that I can find ways to speak it when I go home.

BYU! Yes! I am glad they won, hopefully they will beat Texas again so that more people will listen to the missionaries down here. It will be exciting to watch! Where is Texas University?

Thank you for all you do for me Dad. I love you very much, and I am so grateful that I have been able to watch your example for many years. Have a great week, and make sure you tell me how badly BYU beats Texas!

Love, Kyle