A Great Start for this Transfer!!

Hi Mom

 

We had another 20 lesson week this week to start off the transfer! I love life! My companion and I do get along very well, I haven't really felt any contention between us at all. I am excited for this transfer, and we are planning on baptizing. My companion loves college sports, so I would definitely say that we have that in common, as well as he likes to play basketball and football. He wants to be exactly obedient, and work hard, and as long as I have companion that does that, I think I can make it through a transfer or two. I am really looking forward to this transfer.

As district leader, my job is to send numbers, give training once a week, and make sure every companionship is doing their best. I am not really sure how to do that quite yet, because I haven't had any training, I have only seen others, but I am really excited for the district meetings. I love teaching, so it should be great! Driving the Corolla is great. You are right, I won't want to come home to a 92 Camry, so I will just stay on my mission forever!

Our investigators are still progressing, but very slowly. The baptisms on the 15 of February probably won't go through, but we are still working hard towards it. This ward needs a baptism really badly, and I feel like we can have at least one this transfer.

I am sorry to hear about Emily. I will be praying for her, and I really hope she gets better!

I still love the missionary work! It gets better and better every week! I don't know how life could be any better except for having my family with me. I love y'all so much, and there really is no need to worry about me. I am so happy all the time!

Love you

Kyle

Hi Dad,

 

We had another great week this week teaching another 20 appointments. We are really starting to find some good investigators, that will keep commitments. Many of our investigators are progressing, but they are all progressing very slowly. This ward needs a baptism, and really needs a baptism for the Spanish group, so we are working hard to do that. The baptismal dates that we had probably won't go through, so we will re-evaluate, and hopefully get them ready.

 

Answers

1. How is the new companion?

Great! He wants to be obedient, and works hard, which is all I really need, and he loves sports, so that helps too.

 

2.  Is he going to work hard too?

Yes. He is working hard as well.

 

3. What is your companion like?

He is a huge Arizona State fan, and he loves sports. He wants to do something with college or high school sports after his mission, like a physical trainer or something. He also has a great testimony, and really knows how to bring the spirit to a lesson.

 

4. How are the investigators?

Most are progressing really slowly, but surely. We are loving all of them, and we may need to speed things up a little with some of them.

 

5. Who do you want us to pray for this week?

Shannon is a youth in our ward who has been coming to church for a year, and seminary, and youth activities, but he says he doesn't believe in God. You can pray for him.

Gandaras need to come to church.

Melvin needs to know if the Book of Mormon is true.

 

6. How many are in your District?

There are only six of us, so not too many.

 

7. How many missionaries are in Sherman?

There are four missionaries in Sherman, one companionship for each ward.

 

8. Do you have a cowboy hat yet, or boots?

No, and I probably won't get anything like that until my last transfer, unless I find a really good deal or something like that.

 

9. What did you do to serve the members of the ward and your companion this week?

Well we have been really busy this week. We payed for the gas of one of the members in our ward who is struggling. We also offered to help someone with their deck, but they didn't need our help.

 

10. What experiences did you have that helped you see the Saviors hand in peoples lives?

This wasn't from this week, but a few weeks ago, we were talking with Luis. We had taught him the Word of Wisdom, because he had some problems with that. After we taught it, and after a few weeks we were asking him about the blessings that he had seen from going to church. He said that since he has come to church, he hasn't had a desire to drink. He also tried to smoke, but when he started his throat swelled up, so he stopped, so he is now living the word of wisdom. It is great to see how God works with people.

 

Thanks Dad for your love and support! I really love serving a mission, and I am really looking forward to this transfer. It will be great!

 

Love you!

Kyle

Staying in Sherman!

Hi Mom

 

I am staying in Sherman! I am so happy that I am still here, and I am excited for another great transfer here! I did lose Elder Duce, and my new companion is Elder Lynn. His is from Arizona, and has been out for 4 months, which means that I will be driving the 2014 Corolla! On top of all that, I have been called as District Leader for the next transfer. We have a bilingual district, so the meetings won't be in Spanish, but I am very excited to learn and grow with this opportunity to serve. It will take me some time to get used to all of the responsibilities that I now have, but I will keep on going, and working hard. It will be great!

 

This week was another good one. All of our investigators are progressing, but very slowly. We will hopefully have a baptism this transfer. It has been fun to learn and grow being as all my companions have been out less than a year. We did find some new investigators, so we will see if they are interested or not.

 

I loved reading the stories of Ryan, and I have a feeling that I will be the same way when I go back home. It will be a weird adjustment going back home after two years as a missionary. I have loved it! Also, I am glad y'all are done with weddings for awhile. I hope you will have a couple of weeks to rest and get back to normal. I love y'all!!!!

 

Love, Kyle

 

 

Hi Dad,

 

I have had another good week this week. I am growing and progressing so much as a person, and disciple of Christ. I have learned a lot! I really like your ward Theme this year. The gospel really is very simple, and to endure to the end, all you have to do is improve little by little day after day. I was asked this passed week, what is the message that everyone needs to hear, and my response was, Go to Church!! There are so many people that start to fall away, and it is so sad to me. I refer all the time to that talk by Elder Holland. He says, "Why is missionary work so hard? I think it is because salvation is not a cheap experience!" So, for us to become what God wants us to become, we must remember to improve day by day. To help others, we should ask the question, "Who didn't come to church" then make plans on how to get them back.

Answers

1. Did you get transferred?

No! I am staying in  Sherman! I was also called as the District Leader here.

2. Did you get to keep your same companion?

No, I am now companions with Elder Lynn from Arizona. I am excited to work with him!

3. Are you baptismal commitments still progressing?

Yes, but slowly.

4. Do you get to exercise each day and what do you do for it?

Yes, I lift some weights, do push-ups and sit-ups.

5. Does your bike still work, or is it all rusted from being in the snow?

It still looks great.

6. Do you cook very much and what is your favorite thing to eat?

Not really, my favorite food is pupusus from El Salvador. So good!

7. Have you had to speak in Church lately?

No, I have just shared my testimony.

8. Do you go on splits with the Zone leaders very often?

No, but I probably will be this transfer, since I am the District Leader.

9.  What has the savior taught you this week?

That no matter what you have done, you can still turn your life around, and be an instrument in the Lord's hands. The brother of Jared for four years was idle on the coast. He wasn't praying or looking for guidance on what to do next. The lord chastises him for it, and even though the brother of Jared had been sinning for four years, he still had the faith to see the face of Christ. He was still an instrument in the Lord's hand.

10. What experience have you had this week that has brought you closer to him?

This week, I went on exchanges with Elder Aokuso from Australia. He is a big Samoan, and a good missionary, but that has nothing to do with it. We were teaching a lesson with our investigator Rosa, and Elder Aokuso doesn't speak Spanish. So I was on my own. I taught the lesson, and really didn't know where it was going to go beforehand. I just knew that I was going to follow-up on our commitment on Alma 40. I had studied it a lot that morning, and I was excited for this lesson. Rosa had a Brother die, and her Father-in-law die this year, so it was a hard one for her. I taught one of the best lessons I have taught, because I focused on her needs, and I was prepared. I know that God loves his Children, and that we will see our loved ones again some day.

I am very excited for this next transfer! It will be great!

I love you!!

Kyle

Another Good Week!

Mom

 

This week has been another good one, we didn't teach as many lessons, but we saw some miracles happen for sure! I love this area, this ward, and my investigators. I don't want to leave.

 

Transfer calls are this Saturday night. I think and hope that I will stay here in Sherman for two more transfers. It has been great! The investigators that we have are doing great. They have been progressing slowly, but surely. I love serving them and helping them. My investigators probably get tired of it, but every time when we leave I always ask if there is anything we can do for them. We did find some new investigators this week, and they are doing great! We found them in great ways as well.

 

On Wednesday we were at the church to teach one of the youth and help out, when I saw a woman out in the parking lot smoking. My companion said, what is she doing smoking in the parking lot? I said that I didn't know, but I am going to go contact her. I contacted her and set an appointment with her. We then found out that her husbands grandson was a member, that her son was in scouts, and that she was already going to all of the socials and relief society activities. She had never been to church however, and she had never been taught by the missionaries. We taught a great lesson with them, and invited them to church. She made it clear during the lesson that she wasn't interested in joining the church, but that she would let her son be baptized, so we thought she wasn't very interested at all. When we went to Church yesterday, she was there and so was her son. Miracle!! The spirit is working with her, and it helps that she lives with a member! I definitely think she is more interested than she tells us.

 

Let me know how Ryan is doing, and about his homecoming talk. I am excited to hear about it.

 

Thanks for your love and support. I had an interview with President Durrant this week, and he wanted let you know how grateful he is for you. He said it is great to have missionaries who are prepared to serve. Thank you! I love you!

 

Kyle

 

Hi Dad!

 

It was a little bit of a slower week, but we are still finding some great people who are showing some potential. It has been an interesting week, and we had three investigators come to church. All three of them are new investigators that we found  this week. Unfortunately Luis and Tyler didn't come, but they are still progressing great! I am still loving this area, and I don't want to leave!

Answers for the week.
1. Did you remember that it is Haley's B-day tomorrow.

I am not going to lie, I completely spaced. I guess I am too focused on the missionary work.

 

2. When are you investigators set for baptism

Tyler Reeves and Luis Gandara are both set for the 15 of February.

 

3.  How is the weather, is it getting any warmer.

It was really windy and cold at the beginning of this week, but it has begun to warm up a little since then. This week we will be in the 50s.

 

4. Have you had any General Authorities come to your mission.

Not since Andersen, but there is a member of the First office of the seventy coming. Stanley G Ellis in February.

 

5. When are your next transfers

Next week. This is the last week of this transfer, and this transfer went by so fast! It has been an enjoyable one for sure.

 

6. How many discussions were you able to teach this week

Only 14, but we are planning on finishing off the transfer strong.

 

7. Do you ever have zone conferences

We have a meeting every month. There are three different meetings which cycle each month, zone conference, specialized training, and interviews.

 

8. Do you ever spend time with other members of your zone

No, because they all live to far away, and we don't have the mile to drive anywhere.

 

9. What funny experiences have you had lately

Last night we were teaching a lesson with a family that we found this week. We brought with us a member which we love to use. His name is Elmer. He is over 70 years old, and has had a really hard life, going through a divorce, having depression for five years, and losing everything he had. He has found refuge in the gospel though. The funny things is he doesn't have any problems with speaking his mind. The family we were teaching was an old lady who is a member, the wife of her grandson and her son. The youngest was 8 years old, and has long hair. He has such long hair, that he honestly looks like a girl. When we were in the lesson, Elmer began talking to him as if he was a girl, and we all cracked up. After a while of us talking Elmer than turns to the boy and says, "So your a boy huh?" Again we all started laughing. Elmer goes on to say that the old lady can't remember because of old age, and that their dog was a boy, but it was really a girl. Finally after we got the lesson going, we asked a question to Bethany, who is the older ladies grandsons wife, do you have time to read the Book of Mormon? She answers, "No I have butt tick." (referring to her son) We were all trying to figure out what Butt Tick meant when her son, Dominic, comes into the room and says, "That would be me!" Again we all burst up laughing for awhile. We will just say that this lesson was the funniest lesson ever.

 

10. what experiences brought you closer to Christ this week.

We tracted into a man named Egor on Saturday. Egor is from Gabon Africa, and is here studying business. He let us in, and we shared only about a three minute overview of what our lesson is, and then Egor had to leave. We were able to invite him to church though yesterday, but we thought there was no way he was going to come, since we didn't really teach him much or give him a reason to come. He came to church yesterday, and as we were talking with him, he told us that he wasn't at all planning on coming, but he woke up that morning and had a feeling that he should go. So he came! I don't know how it is going to work out with him, but I do know that God loves all his children. He told Egor, through the Holy Ghost, to come to church yesterday, and Egor followed. It was an incredible experience for me, and I know that God is preparing people to come unto Christ. I love being a missionary!

 

I hope I stay here another transfer. This area has been Amazing, and I don't want it to stop now. I love you Dad, and thanks for all your help.

 

Elder Stewart

A Good Start to a New Year!!

Mom,

 

We had another great week, teaching another 20 lessons. On top of that Luis Gandara is really starting to progress. He came to church again yesterday, and we met with him three times this past week. He is reading from the Book of Mormon, and praying daily to know if it is true. He still has a couple of big obstacles that he has to overcome, but he seems very willing, and we are very excited for him. Last Wednesday we also set a baptismal date with him! It was a great lesson, and I was a little surprised that he accepted it. The last time that we invited him to be baptized, he told us he didn't see why he needed to be baptized again. It really just goes to show that the spirit is the teacher, not us.

We do have an English investigator that is progressing as well. His name is Tyler Reeves, and he is 17. The way we found him was very interesting. A few weeks back, we got a call from one of the seminary teachers saying that they had invited someone to come to Seminary and Young Mens. So, we went over that night, and taught him the first lesson. We found out that he had found a Book of Mormon as a small kid at a hotel (I am guessing it was probably a Marriott.) He had kept it for many years, and started reading it a year or so ago. He also then started following one of the Young Women in the ward on Instagram. She began posting stuff about the Book of Mormon, and he commented on it saying that the Book was so true, and things like that. After this, the young woman invited him to Seminary that Wednesday, he said he would come, and he actually did! He may have a few obstacles to overcome, but he came to Church yesterday, and is progressing. We will see what will happen.

For New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, we continued doing what we always do. On New Year's Eve, we ate dinner with the Todd family, and then we spent the rest of the night visiting some people with them. It was a great way to spend it. We also counted down to 6:19 that day as if it was midnight. New Year's Day, we ate dinner with a family that actually celebrates New Years Day. We ate cabbage and black eyed peas, because it is lucky or something. That was also a lot of fun!

I am glad that everyone enjoyed the break! The holidays have been fun for me, but I am glad that everyone will be returning home, and won't be so busy. Christmas was a little hard because people were going other places or busy getting ready. It will be nice to have everyone back. 

I can't believe Ryan is coming home. That was a fast two years! I feel like I still have forever as well, but when I look back on the last six months, it actually went by fast. So, I will keep on pushing. This transfer is going by so fast, we only have two more weeks left. I really hope that I stay in this area!

I love you so much!

Kyle

Hi Dad!

I am doing so good! Even better than Christmas. The work is really picking up, and we are beginning to have the ward help more and more. I love it! Thanks for the spiritual thought, I really needed it. At times I forget about only serving others, and think to much of myself, so that is one of my main goals for the new year.

Answers:

1. How is the work going now that you have the entire ward.

The work is going great. I love serving in Sherman, and the ward is really trying hard to help us. We are seeing them help more and more, and it is so great to have more than 10 members.

2. How many investigators do you have.

We have about 16 investigators. And we are always striving to find more.

3. Are they progressing and coming to church.

We had two investigators come to church, and a couple more that are starting to progress a little.

4. Do you have any dates set with any of them

We have to dates for the two that came to Church. Luis Gandara and Tyler Reeves

5. Did you get some letters from people back home on Christmas? (by the way you should probably write Brook a letter, she wrote one and asks each week if you are going to write her back)

I did receive a lot of letters from the ward and from the family. It was great to have that support.

6. Has there been any more storms

No, mostly sunshine and cold. And more cold.

7. How is it different working with Spanish vs. English.

English is going well, because we have a lot to work with. We have a whole ward, and a lot more less active/recent converts. The Spanish side, we have quite a few members, but almost all of them work on Sundays and can't come to Church. We are trying hard to keep our work even, so when we knock doors, we try to find Hispanics, and we get most of our English work from the ward.

8. How many baptisms does the mission average each month

I am not actually sure, so I will get back to you on that one.

9. Are you happy

I am Sooooo Happy!!!

10. What experiences helped you grow closer to Christ and his gospel this week.

The best experience that I had this last week was when we were teaching Luis Gandara. We taught a good lesson, and when we had finished, we invited him to be baptized. We had invited him to be baptized the first time we went by, over a month ago, and he didn't understand why he needed to be baptized again. We invited him again, and without any real objection he said yes. It strengthened my testimony on the converting power of the Holy Ghost. He is the teacher. I know now that the message we share is true, and that when we have the spirit with us when we teach, our investigators can feel it as well.

I am doing so good, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. It is kind of weird to think that I will be spending all of 2014 in Texas, but I know it is where I need to be. Not only for me, but for the other people in Texas. I love this work, and it is such a great time to be a  missionary!

I love you Dad! Thank you for your love and support. Good luck with the next couple of months, I hope you can handle it all!

Love,

Kyle

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