The Next Chapter : September 2016

27 Sep 2016 - Experiences with the Spirit

Another week just come and gone. Wow is time flying by fast. This week was a little weird because we had our first divisions in this change. Which meant that for 2 days in a row I was not with my companion... and I hardly talked to her in those 2 days. Because of where we are in the Coast here it is easy to do divisions back to back because it means that we do not spend so much money in travels. So this week I had the chance to do some divisions that were really special. First off the life is a little weird because I was able to do divisions with Hermana Chavez who was my companion in Linda Vista. I went to her area and we had a really neat experience with the Spirit. But first off a little background. Last Tuesday we were in our district meeting with Elder and Hermana Fillmore (the mission english specialist). And we were talking about the Spirit. Well Elder Fillmore told us something that changed my perspective a lot. He told us that we are worthy to have the Spirit. To be missionaries and to do all that we are doing we are worthy to have the Spirit. We just need to take charge of that right. And so well with that in my mind still I was in these divisions. And the hermanas in that area had an investigator Luis Morales. Well he had a baptismal date for the 25th of September but he started to have lots of doubts and to think that he needed to wait another week to read more of the Book of Mormon and all. So we went to visit him. And in the course of the lesson I had a great impression to read Alma 32:21 about the faith. In this scripture it says that to have faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of all things. And I asked him what is faith for you. He told us it was to believe in something that you can not see. Well that is right but he was missing a big part. To have faith means that we do not have a perfect knowledge. And really in that moment the Spirit was really strong in that lesson. And we invited him to pray that night and to ask God if he should be baptized the 25th. And well from what I know he was baptized on Sunday. Really it was a powerful experience. And I also had the chance to do divisions with Hermana Jorgensen. She entered the mission with me! I have not seen her since we finished our training about 9 months ago. How crazy! But it was way fun to catch up and to see everything that has happened in our missions. Really I just love the miracles and the experiences that we have here in the mission. This is an experience that I would not trade for anything. And these experiences are life changing. Really just trying to make every day count and to enjoy every moment because this time goes by way to fast. Les amo mucho! Hermana Stewart

20 Sep 2016 - Quick Life Update

Just a quick little letter. All is going well in my new area... super hot but it is super good. Learning more every single day and just being better every day. I love the mission with all my heart and the chance that we have to learn more and help others learn more and to be better every single day. Loving having experiences with the Spirit and just feeling the love that God has for his children in every moment. Love this Gospel and I know with all my heart that it is true and it blesses and changes lives. Hope you all have a great week and that you'll enjoyed the pictures that I was finally able to send after a long time. Les amo un monton! Hermana Stewart

20 Sep 2016 - Changes

1. One last picture with Hermana Christiansen and Hermana Kathy. 2. Hermana Ruiz!!! Love her so much! Glad to be here companion again.

20 Sep 2016 - Goodbyes are Hard take 2

1. Hermana Kathy! Love this girl so much. She was the first person I met in Linda Vista and was at my side when I recieved changes and well we saw a huge miracle with her and Luis and Olga. Love this family so much. 2. Cesar, Mariela, Jose, Emma Diaz. Knowing this family changed my life and my mission. Love them so much and I am so grateful for the chance that I had to be a part of this great process with them.

20 Sep 2016 - Goodbyes are hard

The familia Salazar... Orlando and Dorita. I love this family so much. They are faithful member that gave us lunch every Friday in Linda Vista and well they are like parents to me. Really amazing people who love the Gospel so much and work hard to help others.

20 Sep 2016 - Baptisms Linda Vista

1. Baptism of Valentina 2. Baptism of Cesar Diaz. I love this family so much and the great faith that they have. They have strong testimonies of this Gospel and the Plan of Salvation and how families can be together forever. Really this baptism was a huge miracle of my mission and I was so glad to be able to watch Hermano Cesar enter the waters of baptism after months and even years of investigating the true Church.

14 Sep 2016 - BIG Changes :)

Well this week was a little interesting. First off we had a HUGE miracles. Every since I got to Linda Vista we have been teaching an hermano, Cesar Diaz. And well at first he really did not want much... but little by little and with lots of persistence we put a baptismal date for the 4th of September... well for health reasons and just lots of other stuff we had to postpone his baptism for a week. Well on Sunday after months and I think even years of preparation Hermano Cesar entered into the waters of baptism. It was amazing to see it. He has such a strong testimony and being able to know him and his family has changed my mission and my life. They have so much faith and they understand that God has a great plan for their lives. Now they are going to keep enduring so that in a year they can enter into the temple and be sealed as a family for time and all eternity. And well on Sunday night I got a call from President Markham... the result of that call though was one that I was not expecting. Well after a year in the zones of the capital I finally left... and now I am roasting a little bit here in the Coast... about 3 hours from Linda Vista... And to make things a little more intersting... well I was called to be a sister training leader... which means that now I will be doing divisions with lots of other hermanas here in the coast. Really I do not even know exactly what my responsibilites are but I am excited for this chance to be able to help other hermanas and to be able to learn from them too. Oh yay and could you guess who my companion is! It's Hermana Ruiz... again! She was my last companion in Petapa. And well this change she is going to finish her mission. But she is great and I am super excited to be her companion again. And well yay... I know more happened last week but with changes and everything I kind of forgot about a lot of it. But yeah... just loving life and loving the mission! Les amo mucho! Hermana Stewart