Here's an email we received from our new 'son' Elder Stewart. He let's us know a little more about the mission that Ashton seems to leave out so it is really great getting two versions of what is going on down there. Plus I love what he has to say about Elder Ashton! Hey Ya'll!
Well Elder Stewart here after one more week away from my home! I am doing great and loving my time serving the Lord. I had a great week with lots of good experiences to share, so let's get started!
This week was a great week in the mission. The Mission had 50 baptisms and in the month of September we had 140! This is really good considering that when I got here the mission was baptizing about 30 a month and like 5-10 a week. It has been quite the jump and we can attribute it to a good President and good missionaries who work hard. I think that this mission was tested to see if it would be worthy of the good missionaries the Lord had prepared. He sent missionaries in front to start to change things around and now it appears that he is sending the missionaries with more faith to help the mission reach its real potential. I feel so privileged to be a part of this movement and to help so many people here in the Bahia find the path that will lead back to our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the good companion I have who helps me stay positive and he has so much faith! All I have to do is ask him to pray with me for something that we need to have happen in our area with our investigators or whatever and it seems that we are seeing a lot more of our prayers answered. I know that this is the work of the Lord and that he is helping us every step of the way. I have felt this love He has for me even more this transfer and I know that he is qualifying me for the task that I felt so overwhelmed in just a few months ago. I know that I can do anything and that the Lord is always in the front preparing the way. The only thing that I have to do is just believe and take the step in the unknown and wait for him to illuminate my path.
So this week Elder Ashton and I were blessed to baptize a couple of people. I told the story last week of our Sunday baptisms and that I had marked another two for Wednesday night so I will inform everyone that I did have a baptism on Wednesday! We baptized two sisters whose names are: Luciana (24) and Adriele (16). It was really cool to have a mid-week baptism. Then, on Sunday we were blessed again and baptized another woman, (I know I look like I am just going after the girls and then using the "Flirt to Convert" technique but the women just seem to accept the Gospel more easily.) named Vania (22). Making a total of five people in eight days! I can't believe that we were so fortunate to see the fruits of our labors all at once! Now more worry is finding people to baptized next week seeing as how I don't have hardly any more investigators that didn't get baptized! I know I sound a little bit arrogant right now but I really am so humbled and realize that I really did not do anything to deserve this except work hard and let the Lord bless me. I know that I am just an instrument in His hands and that if I stay in tune with His spirit I will be an effective tool. I know that this church is true and there is really no way that any of us can stop the church of God from growing at the rate in which He cares. He will either do it by Himself or if we are willing He will let us do it for Him and then bless us on top of the opportunity to help. I have decided that I want to be a part of the work and I want to be blessed so I am going to do everything I can to make sure that I am ready and willing when the Lord decides to pull out the "Elder Stewart" from his tool box. I want to be able to do what is necessary and I know that that requires a willing heart and faith.
Well, today we had the opportunity of watching, "Spider Man 3" at the President's house. I guess he wanted to spoil the zone that baptized the most. So that was really cool! I almost forgot that I was on a mission for a second there. Then afterwards, President totally out-did himself and busted out a giant box of "Frosted Flakes" Kellogg's if you are wondering, and totally hooked up Elder Ashton and me with cereal for about a day! Ha ha. This box he bought at "Sam's Club" and I am wishing I had my membership card really bad! So that will be really cool when I got home to go and eat a giant bowl of cereal! Yesssss! Other than that I am doing really well and I would love to receive letters sometime in the near future. If you are thinking of writing Elder Stewart, put it on your list of things to do when you are in between sessions of conference this week end. If you do this I know that the Lord will bless you! Well I have run out of things to say and you are all probably sick of how many times I used exclamation points in my email so I will end by saying that I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ha ha.
Tchau,
Elder Stewart
Well Elder Stewart here after one more week away from my home! I am doing great and loving my time serving the Lord. I had a great week with lots of good experiences to share, so let's get started!
This week was a great week in the mission. The Mission had 50 baptisms and in the month of September we had 140! This is really good considering that when I got here the mission was baptizing about 30 a month and like 5-10 a week. It has been quite the jump and we can attribute it to a good President and good missionaries who work hard. I think that this mission was tested to see if it would be worthy of the good missionaries the Lord had prepared. He sent missionaries in front to start to change things around and now it appears that he is sending the missionaries with more faith to help the mission reach its real potential. I feel so privileged to be a part of this movement and to help so many people here in the Bahia find the path that will lead back to our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the good companion I have who helps me stay positive and he has so much faith! All I have to do is ask him to pray with me for something that we need to have happen in our area with our investigators or whatever and it seems that we are seeing a lot more of our prayers answered. I know that this is the work of the Lord and that he is helping us every step of the way. I have felt this love He has for me even more this transfer and I know that he is qualifying me for the task that I felt so overwhelmed in just a few months ago. I know that I can do anything and that the Lord is always in the front preparing the way. The only thing that I have to do is just believe and take the step in the unknown and wait for him to illuminate my path.
So this week Elder Ashton and I were blessed to baptize a couple of people. I told the story last week of our Sunday baptisms and that I had marked another two for Wednesday night so I will inform everyone that I did have a baptism on Wednesday! We baptized two sisters whose names are: Luciana (24) and Adriele (16). It was really cool to have a mid-week baptism. Then, on Sunday we were blessed again and baptized another woman, (I know I look like I am just going after the girls and then using the "Flirt to Convert" technique but the women just seem to accept the Gospel more easily.) named Vania (22). Making a total of five people in eight days! I can't believe that we were so fortunate to see the fruits of our labors all at once! Now more worry is finding people to baptized next week seeing as how I don't have hardly any more investigators that didn't get baptized! I know I sound a little bit arrogant right now but I really am so humbled and realize that I really did not do anything to deserve this except work hard and let the Lord bless me. I know that I am just an instrument in His hands and that if I stay in tune with His spirit I will be an effective tool. I know that this church is true and there is really no way that any of us can stop the church of God from growing at the rate in which He cares. He will either do it by Himself or if we are willing He will let us do it for Him and then bless us on top of the opportunity to help. I have decided that I want to be a part of the work and I want to be blessed so I am going to do everything I can to make sure that I am ready and willing when the Lord decides to pull out the "Elder Stewart" from his tool box. I want to be able to do what is necessary and I know that that requires a willing heart and faith.
Well, today we had the opportunity of watching, "Spider Man 3" at the President's house. I guess he wanted to spoil the zone that baptized the most. So that was really cool! I almost forgot that I was on a mission for a second there. Then afterwards, President totally out-did himself and busted out a giant box of "Frosted Flakes" Kellogg's if you are wondering, and totally hooked up Elder Ashton and me with cereal for about a day! Ha ha. This box he bought at "Sam's Club" and I am wishing I had my membership card really bad! So that will be really cool when I got home to go and eat a giant bowl of cereal! Yesssss! Other than that I am doing really well and I would love to receive letters sometime in the near future. If you are thinking of writing Elder Stewart, put it on your list of things to do when you are in between sessions of conference this week end. If you do this I know that the Lord will bless you! Well I have run out of things to say and you are all probably sick of how many times I used exclamation points in my email so I will end by saying that I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ha ha.Tchau,
Elder Stewart
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1 comment:
Love exclamation points. Use them like love, lavishly. As to the "Elder Stewart tool", it has never been in the tool box. That particular tool hangs on the tool belt. No Doubt About It!!!!
When your mission prez pulled out the Frosted Flakes did he give you the 'tiger in your tank' pep talk? He sounds as great as you and your companion sound. Press forward.
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