Letter 30

January 9, 2012

Hello it’s me... Elder Stewart!

I really enjoyed your letter this week. We're actually working with a family right now that has been less active for a few years and that story that you shared really inspired me to be bold and help them get back to church. We keep inviting them and they keep saying that they'll come… but they never do. It really breaks my heart to see it. They have 2 children that aren’t baptized that we are teaching, but if they don’t come to church there's nothing we can do. It really all falls on the parent’s heads.... we can’t baptize less actives. But we're meeting with them tonight. Hopefully it will all go well. Please pray for me and for the family.

We had 3 investigators at church this week; which is great!
Adela and her daughter Justine came to 2nd Ward - which was pretty sketchy this week haha. There were SO many babies makin’ all sorts of racket in the Chapel! I was pretty angry haha. Adela doesn’t really know much about church and that isn’t the impression I want her to have... OH and there was a handicap girl there that would shout randomly... like... literally yell like she was outside.... but she wasn’t... she was inside the church. I understand that she can’t help it... but the mom could have taken her outside or something. It was super distracting. Haha then we were in class and she kept saying "thank you Jesus" under her breath hahaha I was just laughing to myself and then her handicap daughter would spank her and say "Satan!" hahahaha oh man.... I was dying. The only thing is with Adela is that she usually works Sundays, so we'll be working with that.

Isaac came to Single's Ward and I think he really liked it. He's a 19 year old kid that Elder Wilde and I found that really wants to change his life around and be around better influences. He stayed for all of Church and even after when the singles had a little lunch thing to break their fasts. He's super cool and really wants to change. He wants to meet with us like every day! What a boss.

We also met this guy named Albert that really wants to change his life and quit smoking. His parents both died from cancer that came from smoking and he doesn’t want his children to grow up without a dad and so he’s really trying to stop. He went from smoking a whole pack a day to only 3 a day! It’s making him sick though... so I’m really going to be praying for him this week. He doesn’t have much education and cant really read so its tough to teach him. But at the end of a lesson we taught him how to pray. Crying, he gave a beautiful prayer asking his Heavenly Father for strength and help with quitting smoking. I really hope that everything works out with him.

On the mission you develop such a great love for the people you teach... I can’t explain it. When you share these spiritual experiences it just happens. I love these people so much. I just want them all to be happy and know that the Gospel brings that happiness.

Yes I got the package from the YM and I loved it. I’m still eating some stuff from it. And I got our Christmas card. It was great. It made me miss you guys. Do we usually do that thing with all the updates about our life? That was nice. I also got one from Tanner's family! That was really cool too! Tell Auntie Tye thanks!! and I love her!

I need some new G's... that would be nice for my B'day...hmmmm... I don’t know Mom I never know! haha ever since I was little I never knew what I wanted for my birthday!

I'll tell you more about my companion next time probably ok? I’m almost out of time! I love you SO much and I wish I could give you a big ol’ kiss on the cheek!

-Elder Stewart