Letter 53

Hey Everyone!

Looks like I’m getting’ the boot... I’m being transferred to..............the Rio Grande District in LAS LOMAS! AKA-The middle of no where! haha. I’m SUPER stoked to go to work out and build up the kingdom there. Rio Grande is a super small branch with only about 80 people in it and I'll be speaking lots of Spanish and I'll be in a car. But my goal is to go in there and burn it down with the Spirit and catch all those members on fire. In Elders Quorum yesterday Brother Grindstaff gave an awesome lesson about what our responsibility is as members to build up the church. He told us about how on his mission he went through a similar experience as I am going through, he was transferred to a branch that only have about 15 active members. It was basically the Branch President's family and the missionaries. They met in a small house. Brother Grindstaff and his companion went to work and started to bring people to church. About 30 people now came. These new members had such a desire to help the work they asked the Branch President what they could do to help! So they did their Home Teaching! With that small effort of visiting the less actives in the area... They exponentially grew the ward. The spirit was being brought back into the fallen away members homes and they were coming back to church. The whole place was on fire. They grew from 30... to 40... to 60... to 90... to 100... until that little house didn’t have any sitting room left! People were packed in there! Brother Grindstaff's mission president saw their numbers they were reporting and didn’t believe what was going on and decided pay them a visit one Sunday. He tried to open the door and couldn’t because it was so darn full! He just looked at Bro. Grindstaff and waved. I know that this work can spread like a wildfire, but it has to be burning in the hearts on the members, NOT JUST THE MISSIONARIES! I’m really sad to leave Donna and all my friends here, but I know Las Lomas is where the Lord wants me. My goal for Las Lomas is to bring the spirit into their homes and light them on fire. I know many baptisms will follow. To all you missionary friends in the field: Keep working with those members. Don’t go into a house without leaving the Spirit there!

Anyway... sorry about that little rant; but I hope you can feel the urgency. It sounds like you all had a pretty awesome week. Sounds like the progress on the house is going well. It’s great to have such handymen in the Ward. It really goes to show you that it’s not what you know its who you know haha.

I didn’t do anything fun for the 4th of July. President told us to just go home at 7 and work on lesson plans. So we just did that. We're not allowed to play with fireworks anyway.

I can’t believe Austin won that Dodgeball championship... haha that’s so funny. I can just see him in a headband and little short shorts dodgin’ those balls like a champ. I'm proud of you! Keep winning that cash money!

Bro Rodriguez is AMAZING! Honestly he is the most prepared man in the world. He's all done with his lessons pretty much and we're already planning on he and his wife being sealed in the Temple next year. I hope I can come back for his Baptism in the 22nd. We set it about 4-5 weeks out so they can prepare. Usually they take the whole time... but really Bro Rodriguez could have been baptized after like the 2nd lesson... I love that man to death! I'm gonna try to come back and see them get sealed.

That girl we found is still cool and we found lots of others this week. Miracles are happening in Donna! BUT... they will happen without me! haha oops!

I love you all! Have a great week!

-Elder Jordan Stewart