Letter 73

December 3, 2012

Feliz Navidad Ya'll!

I hope you all have a great Christmas! It sounds like things are going to be a little different this year... that stinks. Try to have fun though as a family! Remember the true Spirit of Christmas!

I don’t think they’re doing transfers on Christmas Eve. I think they're cutting this transfer by a week so that doesn’t happen. I'll let you know.

I don’t think I'll apply for BYU just yet. I want to bundle up my credits in a degree at UVU first and then I can transfer. That’s what I want to do right now. Let me know if you have any other advice.

The work is going really well down here though!

Yesterday Elder Williams and I had the baptism of Hno. Saul Alvarado! It was amazing! We went over on Thursday just to see where he was at with his Baptismal date which was going to be on the 16th. He had been struggling to receive an answer about Joseph Smith and the Restoration and so we didn’t know if he was going to still feel good about his date. We decided the best thing to do would be to review the interview questions with him to see where he was. When we came to question 2 about Joseph Smith he paused and after about 10-15 seconds of thinking he said, "Yeah, I believe it." WOW we were SO surprised! Elder Williams thought we were going to have to drop him. We finished the interview and the next visit we asked him if he wanted to be baptized that very Sunday (because he works in the oil fields 7 days on and 7 days off so he would have to wait 2 weeks) and he said, "Sure!" haha it was such a miracle to see him be baptized yesterday and even more that his wife can now have an eternal family. She was so excited! I love that man and I'm glad he's on the right path.

Brother Beltran is still in Mexico... they took his Visa away so... he'll be there for a while trying to get it back.

Mario and his daughter Gina are doing really well and are progressing to their baptisms. They both came to church yesterday and Gina said that she was going to the Christmas Devotional too. We found a really awesome fellow-shipper for her who is doing a great job. I love the members here! I bought a large print Triple and Bible from the distribution center so that he could read. His eyes are bad and he lost his prescription glasses fishing so I thought I would give those to him for an early Christmas gift. I'm also going to give him that blue shoulder bag that I came out with so that he can carry them in church cause they're pretty hefty! I wasn’t using it at all and I was going to send it home so I thought, "What the heck? I'll give it to Mario!" He's a really good guy. I don’t know what its showing that I sent... I didn’t send anything.... I bought some stamps… maybe that’s it?

Frank disappeared and we haven’t had contact with him in a while. We're still working on it though.

I love the Christmas Season! Even though it’s hot down here and I'll probably be opening more tamales then presents this year I am so excited for Christmas. I absolutely love being a missionary. This Christmas season it’s so important that we remember the true meaning of Christmas as we celebrate our Savior’s birth. I've been thinking a lot about it lately, especially the importance and anticipation of that one moment. Before the world was, we stood in the Grand Council in Heaven and Christ was chosen to redeem the world. He said "Here I am. Send me." And from that moment on the world was waiting for His coming. Prophets testified of his coming. Sacrifices were made from Adam down through the ages, testifying of that Savior that was to come. Signs were given in the Heavens and angels appeared with glad tidings of "peace on earth goodwill to man". And then after all of the waiting and anticipation... it happened and those signs and testimonies and prophecies were fulfilled. Our Savior was born into the world. I hope we all remember this long anticipated moment this season. It’s my testimony that it happened and that now we are waiting for His second coming. Let us remember and prepare. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and show true Charity as you remember Savior this year! Love you!!!

-Elder Jordan Stewart