Grand Prairie

Hi Mom,

We had a good week here in Grand Prairie. And we had a baptism! It was a great baptism, probably one of the best I have ever been to. I will send you the pictures next week. Her name is Lucero, and she has only been in the United States for a few weeks, and she is already baptized. After she was baptized I could see the difference in her face, and the spirit was so strong. She couldn't stop crying. She then gave a great testimony. The gospel really does change lives.

Igor also got baptized!

I loved seeing this picture of him.(picture didn't load) He is going to make such a great member. I loved the opportunity that I have had to teach him, get to know him, and help him be baptized. I was sad that I couldn't be there, but it is all good. I will still be able to email him on this mission. The mission is so great!

I love Grand Prairie! The area that we are in is run down for sure, but it is home. Our apartment is even more run down. We find cockroaches on the ground at times, and there isn't any carpet, but like I said, it is home. I love being in a Spanish Branch again! My Spanish is improving greatly, and the people are great!

We have some investigators that are getting a little close. One named Carlos whose obstacle is working Sundays. We are also teaching the familia Delarosa, and they are interested, but not progressing to great. I will let you know how it goes. Our mission this week is going to do a concert with Gladys Knight and her SUV choir. I am so excited to go, and we are going to bring the Delarosa family with us. It should be great. We then plan on going to the temple afterwords.

Thank you so much for the package! I loved it. And my companion wants to Thank you as well for Subway and Wendy's.

I love you!

Kyle

 

Hi Dad,

I am doing great! We had a really good week and I am getting used to the area, and riding a bike all day. We also had a baptism this Saturday, and I will send the pictures to you next week. It was for Lucero, and it was honestly on of the best baptisms I have ever been to. It was short sweet, and the spirit was so strong. I could definitely tell that there was a difference in her after the baptism. Experiences like this make the mission so worth it. I am so glad that I have the opportunity to help others come unto Christ and be baptized.

Questions for the week:

1. How are doing this week?

I am doing great. I love the mission so much!

 

2. How is the new area?

It is good. There are a lot of people to teach, and we are having a good time.

 

3. Did you get the package?

 Yes, I did get the package. Thank you very much!

 

4. How is your companion?

He is great! I am glad to have him as my companion.

 

5. Did Igor get Baptized?

Yes! He did, I will be sending you the pictures for his baptism. He looks great, and I as so grateful that I could help him in his life. I love Igor, and I hope I can keep in touch.

 

6. Is it different speaking Spanish all the time?

Not very different. In Sherman we tried to find Spanish investigators, so I was still speaking Spanish a lot, but my Spanish is improving for sure here a lot more than in any of my other areas.

 

7. How are the investigators in this area?

They are doing good. We have some investigators that are really close to accepting a date, the only problem is that they have some problems that they need to work out.

 

8. How many miles a day do you ride your bike?

About 10-20 miles a day. I am in great shape!

 

9. Do you find time to have fun - are you having fun each day?

Yes, I personally think that missionary work itself is fun in some ways. Because I am in the city now, I also have the chance to play basketball on Preperation days. I am having fun for sure!

 

10. Did your investigator in your new area get baptized?

Yes. She was baptized yesterday, and just like my first baptism, the water was very hot. We were smarter though this time, and we blasted the cold water for a few senconds so that it would be bareable.

I am loving Grand Prairie and the mission. We are working hard and having fun. I love teaching people and helping them keep commitments. And the bike really isn't too bad. There are lots of opportunities for us to contact, and the day goes by so much faster. On top of that I am getting a good work out everyday. I am excited to continue to work here in Grand Prairie.

Thank you for your love and support. I am grateful for all you have done to motivate me to serve a mission. I love you!

Elder Stewart

First Week in Grand Prairie!!

Hi Mom!

I am doing great! I am loving the new area, and the opportunity that I have to pull out and ride the bike. I have been sleeping really well because of it. I told you all that I had gained 20 pounds, but I found out a little later that the scale I had used was off and I had only gained 10. Now on the bike, I am sure that I am going to have the opportunity to lose all of that weight. We will see.

My new companion is Elder Wells. He is from Spanish Fork, UT and he has been out on his mission now for 18 months or so. We are getting along great, and I am loving the new area that I have the privilege of serving in. I am not the district leader, and we have 6 missionaries in our district again. The district meetings now are in Spanish though, so I will have another opportunity to practice my Spanish. My Spanish will start improving a lot again.

The work here is OK. We don't have a lot of investigators, but we have a baptism that will either happen this Sunday or the next. Her name is Lucero and she is very ready I believe.

Easter (yesterday), I had quite the day. First of all we were riding around in our suits for most of the day, and at 7:00 last night it began to pour. We walked back to our bikes, and within 10 seconds of walking, we were drenched. We then kept riding in the rain in our suits, so hopefully the suit will be good to wear. Then to end the day, or should I say night, while we were sleeping we got a knock on our door at about 2:00 in the morning. When we woke up we saw a lot of red flashing lights. My companion answered the door, and a fireman told us we needed to evacuate the building immediately. He said there was an electrical problem. So, we left the apartment and stood around for and hour and a half before we were told that we could go back inside. It was a long night.

I am loving my new area and companion! Good luck with school Mom! I hope you score well on your finals. Thank you for the package. I haven't gotten it yet, but I know I will love it. Have a great week!

Love Kyle

Hi Dad,

I am happy that you made it through tax season! I am sure that life is a lot better for you now. I want to again thank you for all that you have done for me, and the great example that you have been to me in how to prioritize your life. You had a crazy work schedule at times, you were in the bishopric, and you still were able to find time to spend with the family. I love you!

Questions:
1. How did transfers go?

Good, I am all settled in the new area that I am in, and I am ready to go.

2. How is your new companion?

Great! His name is Elder Wells, and he is 22.

3. What is the new area like?

The new area is great. It is a little old and run down, but there are plenty of hispanics here, so I am doing so good.

4. Did Igor end up getting baptized

I am not sure. My old companion hasn't sent me an email, so I will let you know next week hopefully.

5. What are the investigators like in your new area?

We have a baptism coming up for Lucero. As well as we are teaching the Delarosa family who is showing interest but not progressing quite yet. We are teaching Carlos who is really close, he just needs to come to church which has been a little difficult for him because of work.

6. Have you gotten a chance to meet the new members yet what are they like?

They are great! From what I have seen. It is a little different being here, because we have three sets of missionaries here including us, so I am not going to be able to get to know all of them as well as I did in Sherman.

7. Are you still a district leader?

No, I am not.

8. How many are in your district now?

2 Sisters, and 4 Elders

9. Did your last companion get transferred to or is he still in Sherman?

He is still in Sherman

10. How is riding a bike?
I actually really enjoy it! Being on a bike has allowed me to be in better shape, and contact a lot of people. It is also more fun to be on a bike in my opinion. Being on a bike makes the day go by so much faster.

I am doing really good, and I love being a missionary! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. My love for the gospel and for Jesus Christ has grown so much. I am really looking forward to this new area and transfer, and to how I am going to grow personally. Thanks for the updates on BYU. I hope that you enjoy the post tax-season. I love you!

Love, Elder Stewart

Goodbye to Sherman!! First Baptism!! (Pictures)

Howdy!

I have some good news, and some bad news. And more good news. First, I am being transferred to Grand Prairie Texas. There is a Spanish ward in Grand Prairie, so I will really be able to improve my Spanish. I have gotten to the point where I can say pretty much anything I want to during the lessons. Now I just need to work on the verbs and words that aren't as common. I am very excited for this next transfer. I will also be pulling out the bike that I haven't used. Hopefully it still works. I am excited for that as well.

That was both good and bad news, so now for some more good news. Igor is getting baptized next Saturday!!!!! I am so happy for him, and he has honestly been my best friend in the mission. We have really gotten along, and I am so excited that he is good to go. Now the bad news. We have a rule here in the mission field that if you have a baptism in another area, you can go only if it is a 45 minute drive or less, and Grand Prairie is more than an hour away, so I won't be able to go to the baptism. Honesty I would like to go, but I am not disappointed. I am still so happy that he is going to be baptized that it is OK if I can't go. I will at least still be able to see the pictures of him in white. I can't wait!

This past week has been a really good one. We found several Spanish investigators which has been a real struggle for us in this area. The work in this area is continuing to pick up, and I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of that. I have loved so much getting to serve here in Sherman, and serve the ward here. I have met some great people, and I have learned so much. I am also looking forward to this next transfer and a change in scenery. I have had so much fun, and I will continue to have fun and be happy.

I love y'all and I will let you know how my new area is. I am definitely looking forward to it!

Have a great week! Love, Kyle

 

 

 

 

Conference Weekend!

Hi Mom!

 

Thank you for the package. The package was probably delivered to the apartment at around Friday, but it sat in the office, because the mail man didn't leave a note or anything. We did pick it up today however, so it will be my post-conference snack!

 

Tornadoes. We did have a tornado warning about 20 miles South of where we are, but we were just fine. There wasn't really any hail either, but in some areas nearby it was huge I heard. That doesn't sound like much fun. Our plan for tornadoes, is to get inside as fast as possible. After we are inside, we are told to be away from all windows and to go towards the center of the building, under a big piece of furniture. And that is about it. Oh, and pray!

 

We had a pretty good week this week! We taught some good lessons, and we were able to help a lot of people. Now we just need to keep on going. We have again started teaching Bethany, who is beginning to progress really well now. She has been coming to church activities for years, and now she is coming regularly to church. She is slowly building up her faith to the point where she will commit to baptism. We will see how it goes, but she is looking good.

 

Preach My Gospel thought of the week:

On behalf of the talk given by Elder Ballard, I decided to start sharing things from Preach my Gospel. I did not however come prepared on anything to share, so I will just bare my testimony on it. Preach my Gospel has helped me so much as a missionary and a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is preparing for me for the rest of my life, and it definitely doesn't just apply to missionary work. I have loved improving myself daily through studying it. It has helped me become more Christ like, plan better, recognize the spirit, and it has strengthened my testimony of the Gospel. It lays it all out very nicely and simply. I would recommend that y'all start to study PMG at least a little to know how you can help hasten the work of salvation.

 

Thank you for your love and support. And for the conference package. I love y'all and look forward to the next transfer where ever it takes me. The transfer ends next week by the way, and we get our calls on Saturday.

 

Love, Kyle

 

Hi Dad,

We had a good week this week. We saw some miracles, and I really enjoyed watching conference. It really gave me a desire to act and change somethings to improve my life.

 

Answers

1. Where did you get to watch conference?

We watched conference at the church building for all of the sessions. Our bishop and his family always watch it their as well, and they had lunch for us both days. I really enjoyed this weekend.

 

2. What was your favorite Talk and why?

My favorite talk was Elder Bednar's talk on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He really gave me a better understanding of how I can use the Atonement in my life, and the need for trials.

 

3. What did you think about your Mission President getting Called?

I was a little shocked for sure. He sent us a text about 5 minutes before the meeting telling us to be on time and attentive to the sustaining of Church leaders. From that we knew that something was going to happen, we just didn't know what. I feel so blessed to have him as my Mission President!

 

4. How is Igor?

Igor is still doing great. Really the only obstacle for him now, is his room-mate is female. He will probably be baptized in the next couple of weeks.

 

5. Was he able to change his work schedule?

No, but we got permission from President to baptize him if he overcomes his other obstacle.

 

6. How is the teenager that was close and then backed away?  Have you had contact with him?

We haven't been able to contact him since. The youth have told us that he isn't very interested anymore, and he has really become a bad influence for everyone else.

 

7. Are you ready to be transferred to a new place?

Yes and No. I love serving here in Sherman, but I would also be OK with serving in another area. I would like to serve in a highly populated Hispanic area, so that I could really improve my Spanish.

 

8. Are you and your companion still getting along well?

Yes we are for sure. I would be OK another transfer with him, if that is what happens.

 

9. Are you picking up some new investigators?

We found a new investigator this week that lives about 30 miles away from the Church in Durant, Oklahoma. My companion contacted here while on exchanges with the English Elders. She was so excited that he spoke Spanish, that when he invited her to church she said yes. We called her yesterday morning to see if she would come to conference, and she was planning on it. She came to the morning session with us, ate lunch with us during the break in between sessions, and started working on family history in between sessions with some of the members. She then watched the final session and went home. She was so happy that she had come, and she is already best friends with our small Spanish group. When she was doing family history as well with the help from the ward, she found four generations back. We are very blessed to have met her, and we hope to help her progress in the gospel! She seems very prepared.

 

10. Are you happy?

YES!!!!

 

It was a great week for us here in Sherman. We are working hard and trying to be obedient. I hope that this area will have some success soon. It has been a great place to serve!

 

I love y'all and hope that you enjoyed your time together for conference. Good luck finishing out Tax season!

 

Kyle

Slow Week in Sherman!

Hi Mom

 

Not a lot really happened this week. We found and taught. I am loving the mission so much! I haven't seen much success in the way of baptisms, but I have seen so much success in my personal growth. I love helping other people come to church and come closer to Jesus Christ. The mission is the best place in the world!

 

Igor is doing fantastic! He is now keeping all the commandments, and wanting to be baptized very badly. He made the comment to us the other day that his eyesight is starting to get bad, so he needs to be baptized to heal his eyes. We had a good laugh about that. Igor works on Sundays, but he has been coming the other ward in the morning. The only thing holding him back now is our mission president wants him to be able to go to our ward, so that he can have fellow shippers in his ward. He is doing great, and he should be baptized with in the next couple of weeks, if we can find him a new job. In May he also will be able to change his schedule and not work Sundays. We are just waiting and being patient for now. We will see what happens.

This passed week, we had a lesson with some of our investigators who are strong in the Church of Christ. This organization doesn't believe in modern day revelation, which is so sad to me. This makes teaching them about the Book of Mormon, and restored gospel really hard. They have so many objections. My companion and I went into that lesson very unprepared. And by the end of the lesson, we had not really said anything to help them. They dominated the conversation, and I had a first hand experience of not being able to speak, because I had took no thought beforehand on what to say. I walked out of that lesson doubting my testimony as we all do. When Sunday came around, the first counselor in the Bishopric gave his testimony on the power of a testimony. It was so simple and yet so profound! The doubts I had were gone, and I am again ready to take on the challenges that will come. This helped strengthen my testimony on the importance of church attendance. We learn exactly what we need to learn when attending church. This is the true Church, and I am so excited to hear from our living prophet who DOES receive revelation that we need to hear. Conference is the super bowl for missionaries, so we are getting ready.

 

Thank you for your love and support. I hope y'all have a great weekend together listening to the prophet. I love you!

 

Love,

Elder Stewart

Another Week in Sherman!

Mom,

 

To start off the week, we hadn't been able to get a hold of Aaron G. He has lost interest in the church, and I am not sure why. He talked to one of the youth, and said, " I will come to church again, I just don't feel ready right now." Then one of the other youth said that he was becoming a really bad influence, and has began to make fun of the church. The next morning we got another text saying that we are probably going to lose Roberto (The recent convert we baptized) as well. I lost it. I have never felt so rejected in my life, and I couldn't believe that it all had to happen at the same time. I felt so sad, and discouraged. We had come into May thinking we would have three baptisms, and two of them have already fallen through. To describe the pain that I felt, it is like having a good friend go in-active, then another, then another. I felt so down that I cried. I have really come to love these people. And this was so hard.

Knowing that I still had to be a missionary, I tried hard to forget about it and go to work, and we were able to have a good day. I prayed a lot, and kept thinking why. The next day, we had a zone conference in which our mission President shared the most motivating thing I have ever heard. At this point I was mostly over what had happened the day before, and this talk helped me forget and move on. President Durrant wrote a story about a missionaries parents coming to visit their son during his mission. After visiting him, they wrote a letter to President Durrant about their experience. They weren't going to make themselves known, but just watch their son in action. This family consists of parents and an older brother of the missionary. As they watch, they see the missionary get up late, not study, leave the apartment late, not contact people, and the list goes on and on. This family feels so disappointed in their son and they even say that he wasn't the same missionary that they had prepared to serve all those years. The older brother begins to cry while watching his brother. At the end of the letter the family signs it, From your heavenly home, Father Mother Jesus Christ. We were all thinking about how we would feel if our parents were there. Would they be pleased? Would they be disappointed? Then we came to find out that it was our heavenly family and Jesus Christ. They really are watching my every move, and am I doing all I can in my mission. Am I working my hardest? When this story was shared, we all felt like we could do a lot more to please our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The room was so silent. My mission president is very inspired, and I believe this story he wrote will get every one motivated again.

  

I learned from this meeting that it doesn't matter if people get baptized, or if I am teaching everyone in the world. It doesn't matter if I have lot of investigators, and a great ward to support me. I have Jesus Christ and I will work hard no matter how tired I get to please him and give at least a sliver back to him. Jesus Christ is my motivation. I will do all I can, because he gave me all I have. It isn't about what I want, but what he wants. The baptisms might come, they might not, but I do know that the harder I work the more converted to the gospel I will be. Life won't be easy, and trials will happen. When they do we must remember that Jesus Christ already suffered everything, and he never quit. When we suffer we can't quit either. We must stay strong in the gospel for ever! I never want to fall away, and it hurts to see others falling away. I know that this church of Jesus Christ, and that is why I am willing to give everything that I have to Heavenly Father. I testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is the only true church, and that we need the priesthood power to help us have eternal life. I know that we have a living prophet on the earth today, and I am so excited to hear from him in a few days. I love this church!

  

I have never worked this hard in this area, and I am planning on continuing to work harder and harder until I finish my mission. I feel so happy even through all of the trials I have. The gospel really does bring us peace. The work here is beginning to pick up again. I love serving the people here, and I am grateful that I have at least three more weeks here in Sherman. Thank you Mom for all that you have done to help me in my life in preparing me to serve a mission! I love you!

  

I like hearing about the family. Everyone is having fun. I miss you all, but I know I am where I need to be. I can't wait to come home and hear Chase on the drums! That will be really exciting!

Have a great week!

Love,

Kyle

 

Hi Dad!

 

I had a tough and yet a great week. I grew a lot, and this week is going to change my mission. I am still so happy. Looking back on my mission, it definitely took a lot of time before I came to love the mission, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I love my mission!

 

I haven't had as many experiences as you have with the gospel, but I have really come to appreciate it as well on my mission. Being in Utah, every one lives some of my standards, and I really never realized how much the gospel protects us. I feel so blessed every day to have been born into the church into a family that is active. Thank your for teaching me and preparing me to serve a mission. I am so thankful! I know that Christ lives and loves us! I know we have trials in this life to help us learn and grow. I am so grateful for revelation, and for the leaders of the church who are able to receive that revelation. I love my mission President, and he is so inspired. It is great to see his example, and learn from him. I love my mission, and I can't believe how much I have grown from it. Thank you for your love and support.

 

I hope that you make it through Tax season. That time of year never sounds fun, but I have always looked up to your example during this time of year. You have always been able to manage work with callings, and throw some family time in there as well. I want to be as hard a worker as you are. I have also learned so much from you being in the bishopric and now as bishop. Thank you for magnifying your calling, and inspiring me to do so too.

 

I love you!

 

Kyle

A Great and Trying Week!

Hi Mom,

 

We had a great and trying week this week. I have really come to understand that a mission has nothing to do with what I want. I don't lead the missionary work, but God does, and all we can do is what he asks us too. That being said, Aaron C never responded when we asked him again if we could come by when he was a little less busy, so we have decided to drop him. It was hard, and still is hard, but there is nothing we can do. I am going to write him a letter this week to let him know that we were grateful for the opportunity to meet him, and I will bear my testimony. I really didn't know why things happened the way they did, and I have been praying the whole week for the lesson that I was supposed to learn, and I have come to two conclusions: 1. Miracles don't create faith, faith creates miracles. The whole reason why Aaron started investigating the church was because of my last name, and that to me was a great miracle! It didn't however become a testimony to him. To gain the testimony or to have the miracle occur of changing his life should come from action and putting your faith to the test. 2. The second thing I learned is that Heavenly Father knows Aaron perfectly. I do not. I tried to look back on the situation saying, "What if we taught the Word of Wisdom instead of the class?" The thing is, that is the way that Heavenly Father knew it would happen, and I can't worry about it. I need to continue working hard to help other people come unto Christ. We at least left a good impression with Aaron about the church, and if he has another chance than maybe he will accept it later down the road. All I can do is not hang my head and continue to work hard.

 

Igor is doing great! He is not able to come to our ward because he works Sundays in the afternoon, so he attends the other ward. Yesterday he was telling everyone that he really wanted to be baptized. The members kept telling the sister missionaries in their ward, Wow he is such a great investigator! They unfortunately had to tell everyone that he wasn't theirs. Igor is ready once he starts living the commandments. We just need to find him a new job.

 

We haven't been able to meet with Aaron G this week. He hasn't been in contact with us, and we are a little worried. He told one of the youth that he was having second thoughts on if he wanted to be baptized or not. I really hope that he will at least let us teach one more time. He was so ready, and Satan must be working on him really hard. It is crazy to me how good investigators can go from really excited when you teach them to not even answering their phone. It is frustrating.

 

The hardest part of my mission by far has been that of investigators losing interest in the church. You come to love these investigators so much, and you are thinking of them all the time wondering what else they need, and how we can help them progress. I have definitely seen on my mission how it is preparing me for the rest of my life. It seems as though trial after trial comes, and honestly the trials have gotten easier as the mission goes on, because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. I promise and testify as his servant that he will never leave us alone. He will continue to ease our burdens, and carry our load when things get hard. I have never felt this as much as I am now, because I am his missionary and my calling is to share that with the world. I know that Jesus Christ has felt every single thing that we go through, and he knows exactly how to help us because of that. I know that he died for us, and most importantly I know that he lives today! Because he lives he will never leave us alone.

 

This week on finding was great! We found some prepared people for sure. We just need to see who will progress and who won't. This has become so normal to me now. We also taught quite a few lessons which was great! We are teaching a lot.

 

I am glad that Nate is still going on a mission. That made me so happy. Let him know that I love him, and that the mission will be the best thing for his life. Is Bryson going to come home from his mission later now? Or will he just have a shorter mission? I was so surprised last week to see him at our house. That was shocking. Please keep me updated on mission calls if anyone decides to go on a mission.

 

I love you so much!!!!! Thank you for your love and support!

 

Elder Stewart