Letter 63

September 24, 2012

Hey it’s me... Elder Stewart!

Everything is going just splendidly here in the glorious Texas McAllen Mission. This week was great! Elder Eggli was a little bit sick in the beginning of the week so it started off a little difficult, but the work still must go on! Elder Eggli was sick with a pretty nasty cold so I worked with Elder Aguilar in his area for a day and Elder Wilding stayed home to take care of poor little Elder Eggli and clean the apartment. But he's feeling a lot better now... he just has a nasty cough and loads of mucus! But he's good enough to work!

We have been working really hard to focus on our progressing investigators and helping them get to baptism, and I'm afraid we let some of our other goals slip this week like new investigators and referrals. We were still looking for them, but not with as much ganas as we could have I believe. But our progressing investigators are doing SO GOOD!

This Thursday Samantha Garcia was baptized! Her baptism was SO amazing and the Spirit was felt strongly by everyone there. Bro. Kline from the Sherryland Ward baptized her and when she came up out of the water she had tears in her eyes. It was beautiful. This Sunday I confirmed her a member of the Church and then the Branch Presidency invited her to give her testimony of her conversion in front of the whole Singles Brach. She did SO good! During Relief Society she texted and said, "I’m just so happy!! Thank you guys!" She is a miracle and one of Heavenly Father's choice daughters. She even said that she wants to transfer to UVU next year to play for their golf team! So I might get to go to school and hang out with one of my converts when I get back! I already invited her to Sunday dinner haha.

Bro. Harkrider is doing really well. We moved up his baptism for this next Sunday, on the 30th and he's really excited for it. We also invited his 10 yr. old son, Derek, to be baptized on the same day and he accepted! So this week we'll be preparing to help them be baptized together. We mostly have to focus on teaching the son. Bro. Harkrider is a great man and will definitely lead his family to the Temple! Last night Hna. Harkrider texted us, "Sebastian (their 5 year old son) hizo su 1st oracion. Creo nuestras vidas estan cambiando." I love that family!

The rest of our investigators, the Camacho Family, Ana, and Julio, didn’t come to church so we'll have to see what happened there this week. We bring it up every time we visit with them so there shouldn’t really be an excuse. But we'll see...

The only thing I think Elder Eggli and I need to work on right now is diligence in all of our goals especially finding! So that will be our focus for this next week. 

I'll definitely check out Walmart for that box stuff and I'll try to fill it to the brim this time with goodies and pictures! Sorry it's taken so long!

I love you all y iespero que tengan una buena semana!

-Elder Jordan Stewart

Letter 62

September 17, 2012

Hola mi querido familia y mis amados amigos!

 Wow... I don’t even recognize our kitchen! What a change! It looks really great and I bet it will look even better with lights, cabinets, and food! haha I bet you just want to cook something!

Our week was really good. Other than the rains everything was great! We have been trying to find some new investigators working with the members and investigators in our area and we are seeing the fruit of that!

Sam is doing great! She is looking forward to her baptism this Thursday (her mom is going to be gone for the weekend) and she is inviting everyone she knows! She says she's afraid there wont be enough room for everyone haha. This weekend she is in Chicago at a golf tournament so she wasn’t able to come to church, but she told us that she has been able to find time to read the Book of Mormon while she's been there. She's heading on to 2 Nephi! Definitely a GOLDEN investigator if I've ever seen one. She even made her own program for her baptism and hashed out the details with the Branch Mission Leader. What a champ.

Bro. Harkrider (part member family) is also doing really well. He understands everything we teach him and he has a great desire to change and help his family. He feels really bad for things that he has done in the past and sort of feels like it will be hard to be forgiven. One night he couldn’t sleep and stayed up reading the Book of Mormon and felt the Spirit really strongly telling him that he needs to change. He said it was like his whole life flashed before him and he felt really guilty for the life that he lived. So we suggested that he read Alma 36. He told us a few days later that it was exactly what he needed and that it was exactly how he feels. He's come to church every Sunday since we met him... even though the last two times he was sick. I can see the desire in him to come closer to God.

The Camacho family is doing well. They came to the Mexican Independence Party that the Spanish Ward had. I of course was sporting my trademark fake bigote (mustache) at the party and everyone loved it! They called me "Pancho Villa" hahaha. All of the men went to the front by the music and sang a Mexican song, and Bro.Camacho even came with us! Then in the middle of the song we were all challenged to do "gritos" hahaha Bro.Camacho was so nervous and shaky!... he hid behind Elder Stott sweating the whole time! When it was his turn he chickened out... but it was all right everyone was really nice to him. I hope he wasn’t too embarrassed though! His wife and her friend came to church yesterday but Bro.Camacho didn’t... haha maybe he WAS too embarrassed... nah! They said he was busy... but we'll see tonight in our lesson with them.

We started teaching a member of a recent convert family and she came to church yesterday as well.  We taught her on Saturday and during our lesson THE RAINS came. We had to hide in her house for about an hour.... So we just showed her mormon.org and lds.org. She's really awesome though.  I think she'll definitely progress well. She already has her family members and some members of the church supporting her.

I love you all and the work is going just splendidly here

-Elder Jordan Stewart

Letter 61

September 4, 2012

Hey Y'all!

It sounds like the home projects are getting just about finished up! I hope y'all like it and more importantly I hope I can recognize the place when I get back! Time just keeps on flying out here and it just makes me want to work harder to help all the great people here in Texas!

I did get the package that you sent me and I am grateful for the effort haha! It wasn’t lame at all. I WAS expecting some pictures though... maybe I'll send you some pictures when you send ME some pictures! hahaha oh how the tables have turned! Haha I don’t know if I'll actually need that sketch book either... maybe I'll send that home with my next package... but I have no idea when that will be haha. I'll send my memory card with that package though ok. Maybe next week. I just need a box that will fit everything.

Oh last Monday I just bought some soccer cleats so I don’t have to ruin my Vans... They're pretty tight. Elder Aguilar got the same ones as me so we could be twinners. CUTE..... I love all the Elders in my apartment. Elder Aguilar and Elder Eggli have been out for about 9 months and Elder Wilding is brand spankin’ new with about 2 months. Elder Aguilar is from Maryland, Elder Eggli is from a little town in Northern Utah called Garland, and Elder Wilding is from the Pocatello Idaho where the potatoes flow like wine! They're all great. And Edinburg is a  little city like Orem or Provo. I like it.

But everything is going great here in Edinburg West! Elder Eggli and I are working hard trying to find new investigators and striving to help the investigators we do have to progress! It’s truly amazing to be a missionary at this time!

Our investigator Sam is doing so well! We only started her teaching her last week but she is basically ready to get baptized right now! She is really driven to find answers and to follow Jesus Christ. She keeps all of her appointments, she goes to institute and FHE, and she is very sensitive to the Spirit and knows that everything that we've taught her is true. I don’t see any obstacles stopping her from being baptized in the next few weeks. She is definitely a prepared daughter of God and we are very thankful for the opportunity to teach her. She even came to play soccer with all the missionaries yesterday at the Church and she brought a friend! She's amazing. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to help Elena that much because she is holding back a bit, but its ok because once Sam is baptized she can help us baptize some other people!

Thomas didn’t come to church and he has been flaking out on a lot of other appointments so we're going to have to drop him. Sorry....We also received a really great referral for a Part Member family that lives in our area, the Harkrider Family. The mom was baptized a while ago in Brownsville but was only active for about 6 months and then her life got really hectic and she fell way. But she told the missionaries that she wants to go back to church with her family. Her husband isn’t a member but is really cool! He was raised Methodist but likes the Mormon church. They have a 10 year old son that can also be baptized. They came to church on Sunday and loved it! The mom found some friends at church and the dad really loved the messages that were shared about strengthening our homes and families. We have another appointment with them tomorrow and hopefully we'll set a baptismal date for the dad and son.

I'm growing a lot here. I'm learning to look at people differently ever since I was in Rio Grande. Really, everyone around us are our brothers and sisters, and unfortunately we don’t treat them like that all the time. We really need to. When we do we learn to understand each other, we know what to say, and we feel the Spirit. It is key in missionary work to be able to see with "Spiritual Eyes" and hear with "Spiritual Ears" like Elder Bednar tells us, so that we can discern exactly how to help someone. I love all of these great lessons that I'm learning.

I hope that y'all have a great week and remember to pray to charity!

-Elder Jordan Stewart

Letter 60

August 27, 2012

Dearest Family!

I'm not going to lie I was a little disappointed that I was leaving Rio Grande at first but I definitely felt that it was time for a change. Haha I didn’t see ANY drugs in Rio Grande. I knew they were there... and I probably talked with a lot of people that dealt them/used them, but I never saw any haha.

I absolutely love my new area! I live in a NICE 4 man apartment and I am on the bicicleta again! Thank goodness... I'm not really gaining any weight... but I have lost basically all my muscle and am starting to develop a little pancita (or as Elder Doxey calls it, a gut). The other Elders in my apartment are Elder Aguilar (District Leader) and Elder Wilding (greenie). I have the most time in the mission in the apartment and I feel WAY OLD! We all get a long super great. I have come to see we are really service oriented in our apartment and that really helps to better relationships. I love it. The Spirit is so strong here. I have been in a good mood ever since I got here. I know that this is where I need to be and that Elder Eggli and I will have a lot of success together. I'm not sure exactly what social thing it is, but he's a great guy and I love him and I'm learning a lot about humility and kindness from him. He has the sweetest spirit.  I know that I am suppose to be here in Edinburg right now at this time. I've adjusted really well and Elder Eggli and I are working hard to find those prepared people in our area. We already have a few pretty solid investigators.

Samantha Garcia is a 20 year old college student that got into contact with us after she saw her friend's homecoming talk in McAllen. She told us that she felt the Spirit really strong there and wanted to find out how she can come closer to God. We have taught her everyday this weekend. We gave her a church tour, set a BD for the 23rd of Sept., she's completing reading assignments, and she came to church! AND she brought a friend, Elena, who also is preparing to be baptized on the same date! They both are really in tune with the Spirit and are progressing really well.  We also found a man, Thomas, that has a really strong desire to come to church and he really wants to be baptized just like Jesus Christ. He mentioned that one time while he was working up north he saw someone getting baptized in a river and he felt really good inside. We asked him if he wanted to be baptized the same way and he accepted. He couldn’t make it to church this week because his son was late picking him up, but I'm sure he'll be there next week!

That’s crazy that everyone is moved out of the house! I'm sorry.... haha how are Austin and Chase? I never hear stories about them anymore? Do you all still talk?! Also... When did you say that you were doing a front porch?! This is news to the ears of Elder Stewart! Man... keepin secrets from the kid on a mission. pshhh... I bet Chase and Austin have girl friends too and your just not tellin me! Hahaha nah.... That couldn’t happen. jk jk Happy Birthday Dad! You're the best!

I got a letter from Elder Rick J. Doxey this week which was very nice. I'll have a letter brewing for you today! I'll try to get one to Elder Brown as well for his birfday! Probably wont make it on time though... so Happy Birthday!

I love you all family and I am so happy to be a missionary right now! I hope you all have a great week!

-Elder Jordan Stewart

Letter 59

August 20, 2012

Hey Everyone!

It sounds like this week was pretty busy with all the changes going on in the Stewart family... Well except for Chase and Austin.. I don’t really hear very much about those two anymore haha. That’s nuts that Madi is moving up to college this week! Freak... She’s OLD! I can’t even believe she had a job! Now you want her to go and get a calling in her singles ward!? SHE'S JUST A BABY! haha don’t cry mom... soon enough you'll have me home to comfort you and then I'll convince Austin to move back in and then we'll never leave.

That is too bad Max Hill broke his leg in the first game... and against Lehi! Man... If you see him tell him I send my regards. Also tell Hannah Hill congratulations! Wow that’s so awesome she’s getting married! I'm really happy for her. That’s a great family right there.

BORAX and sugar did not work!! We found some Borax last Monday and made the mix and sprinkled it like it was hot ALL OVER the apartment. If cucarachas could laugh... they would. Gee wiz... I saw a roach on the table and BURRIED it in the stuff. 10 seconds later the little fella digs himself out and runs away unscathed! Maybe we didn’t mix it right or apply it right.... or maybe these roaches are some strange super breed... but either way we felt pretty foolish. We told the landlord and he sent a fumigator to the apartment and that worked a little better. We've started to see the results. But as for the Borax... I just use it in my laundry now. Thanks anyway though!

Well this week in Las Lomas we had a better week. We focused a lot on our goals, especially our daily goals. I can tell you that focusing centering our goals in our plans made all the difference. If something didn’t point to one of the goals we had that day, then we questioned whether or not it was worth our time. We were trying very hard to help God's children and each number was specifically attached with a name. It was a pretty good week with some new investigators and a pretty amazing spike in Member Presents... it’s amazing what you can do once you actually find solid investigators. BUT... Elder Montiel and I still struggled to get them to church. Only one of the 6 investigators we have, Rosa, was up and ready for church and waiting for her ride... THEN her sobrina from Houston stopped by to visit unexpectedly on her way to Mexico. She called and told us she couldn’t make it but she would come for sure the next Sunday... Rosa is a really awesome lady and I'm sure she will be baptized, we just need her to understand that church is essential. 

We also received a nice referral from a contact, for single mother who just lost her new born baby. We spent almost 2 days trying to find her and finally we sat down to talk. She is very humble and I think she realizes that this is a sign that she needs to come closer to her Heavenly Father. We bore testimony that her baby was safe and happy and he is waiting for them and that its now her responsibility to help the rest of her family do the things they need to be with him. She committed to be baptized and to learn more. Unfortunately she didn’t come to church and we don’t know why. I have a feeling it has something to do with her family. I'm actually like 99% sure. But we'll take care of it.

Well... first I would like to apologize for the short letter last week. I spent alot of time emailing President Trayner. I totally for got to tell you that I was getting transferred this week! haha OOPS! Yeah Elder Montiel found out last week that he was Training a new missionary so we knew that one of us was going to be transferred we just didn’t know who. And then we found out on Friday that it was yours truly! SO... tomorrow I'm being sent to Edinburg to work with Elder Egly. I've met him once and he’s a good kid with really sweet spirit. I'm excited to work with him. And I've always wanted to work in Edinburg. I've heard really good things about the members and the work there! SO I’M EXCITED! Sorry I didn’t tell you hahaha.

I think that’s pretty much it for now. I think we're going to play soccer today with the zone so I might need to spend some money to buy some soccer/running shoes! iQue tengan una buena semana y espero que ya sepan que les amo!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Jordan Stewart

Letter 58

August 13, 2012

Hey Everyone!

I'm glad to hear that everything is moving along nicely with the house project! Haha I cant wait to see it when I get home..... Apparently I have less than 300 days.... thanks for reminding me...... hahaha just for future reference missionaries don’t like it when you remind them of how much time they have left! hahaha! I'm in denial.

That’s pretty crazy about all those darn weddings too! Man... EVERYONE is getting hitched! I hope Drew gets to go on that Disney cruise with Darren... I don’t think I've ever heard of a chaperone on a honeymoon.... not sure how that would work.... hahahaha.

Apparently there are zero stores down here that sell BORAX! So we still haven’t done the experiment. I'm hoping to find some today. We found a GINORMOUS swarmmmmm.... of cucarachas behind our fridge today! I had the honor of masacuring them with the Raid... its not even fun anymore. haha. I've become desensitized to death... oh no....

The referral from Presidente Villegas still has not come to church. We dropped her this week. BUT Elder Montiel and I found some really cool people this week! La familia Beltran and Rosa! La familia Beltran live at the top of this huge hill that we had to walk up. We got to their door all sweaty and hot and Hno. Beltran let us right in and gave us water. He was really impressed that we would come all the way to his door in the heat on foot. We talked to him and his wife and they are pretty darn cool. We have another cita with them on Wed. Then Rosa is a lady we found who has family in Mexico that are members. We are teaching her tonight along with 3 members of her family! 3 new BD's!

That’s pretty much all I have time for! Sorry I love you and hope you have a great week!

Con Amor,

Elder Jordan Stewart

Letter 57

August 6, 2012

Hello everyone!

This week was another tough one unfortunately. Elder Montiel and I hardly found any new investigators. BUT there were a lot of lessons learned! That’s what I like about difficulties (haha its hard to imagine actually liking hard times) that if you have the maturity and mindset you can always get a lesson out of it. Mistakes are only mistakes if you don’t learn from them. E. Montiel and I are learning A LOT!

Many of the investigators that we found last week fell. The referral we received from Pres. Villegas fell tambien. She didn’t come to church and her baptismal date will have to be changed. But hopefully we can get her back this week along with a few of the others and new ones! We got some good referrals this week so we're looking forward to that!

I haven’t tried the BOROX thing yet but I'm buying some today and those roaches WILL DIE! We're almost out of Raid...

I was writing in my study journal today about what has been going on in our area and my mind was drawn to the Nephites in the Book of Mormon. Why were they destroyed? Why didn’t they remember the things that Christ and the prophets had told them? How could a people as great as them degenerate into such a savage civilization? While I was thinking of these things I remembered 2 Nephi 25:26 where it says, "and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." The only way they could help themselves remember the Lord and His commandments was by writing them down. No wonder we are encouraged to keep a journal... because THEY did! Can you imagine what would have happened if they didn’t keep a record? We wouldn’t have the scriptures! We wouldn’t be able to progress without records! I want to progress. I am sick and tired of ruts! I want to keep doing better instead of falling down, but I can’t build upon a foundation that just melts away with each passing day. I need to solidify the things that I have learned (my foundation) then and only then will I be able to progress. So I have made it a goal to write in my journal everyday about the lessons that I have learned. I encourage all of you that read this to go buy a journal and start your own record so you can remember and move forward as well.

Tonight we have a Noche de Hogar en la capilla. Hopefully we'll see lots of less active members and some investies there. The missionaries are in charge of the games! So that should be fun!

I filled up that memory card that you sent me. That’s why I wanted a new one, but maybe I'll just send it home and you can send it back.

Sorry this is a lame email but I spent a lot of time emailing President Trayner. I have to go though! I love you!

-Elder Jordan Stewart