Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
My Final Week in The Lord's Vineyard....
August 27, 2013
Dear beloved friends and family,
Yesterday started my final week in the mission field, and seeing that next week I will be in the Mission Home/ Temple all day long, this looks like this will be my last time writing to you. I apologize if my letter today seems weird or different in any way, the emotions at this time have been a lot to handle, and even being here in the library right now it’s hard to hold back tears (even though the gangster- looking guy next to me is listening to some hard core screaming music ha-ha.)
I have had one amazing week this week, and have been working harder than ever. We taught a record 31 lessons this week for my mission and found 4 new families coming to 12 new investigators. I hope to really prepare the area for the next missionary to come in. I honestly do feel the Love of the Lord as I have been trying to do all I can in these final 2 weeks. He has blessed me beyond belief and has helped me to feel that he is proud of me.
Another major miracle happened this week. We got a call from the lawyer today that is working on a legal matter for the Cruz family. It turns out that this week, a paper that needed to get signed, got signed by a miracle, and he will no longer need to wait another 3 months to get married and baptized (which was what we were expecting). Even the lawyer was stunned and amazed at the miracle that was wrought before our eyes. It may just be 2-3 weeks now till they are able to be baptized and I feel like my faith in God has reached a whole another level. I will for sure be coming back for their baptism in the weeks to come.
Heavenly Father also worked another miracle for us this week. On Sunday the Gallegos family came to church with their marriage license. Elder Hunter and I thought that it would be a few weeks for them to make the actual decision to get married and I thought that I would be missing their baptism, but God, being so good to me and their family, poured out his spirit on them and they decided to get married as soon as the Bishop had the opportunity to, and two of our other investigators were chosen to be the witnesses. We had a powerful lesson Sunday night where we talked about baptism. I have been very careful to make it known that I do not want them to be baptized before I left and how I would drive all the way back here for the day they decided on. And the husband, Ignacio, bore a very powerful testimony about how, in his way of saying it, it really had nothing to do with me leaving that he is getting baptized, he said that he has known since the very day that we walked into his home and shared the story of Joseph Smith that this is the Church of God on this earth and that he wants to be a part of it. They will be getting baptized on the Sunday the 1st of September.
I have gained a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savoir and Redeemer. I have no doubt that he paid for my sins with his Atonement and made it possible for me to live after this life with his Resurrection. I know with a certainty that we have a Father in Heaven who is doing everything in his power to help us become like Him and live with Him again. That the Plan of Salvation is His plan for us, and is a true plan, and by it we may live in Family units for the rest of eternity. It has been revealed to me by the power of the Holy Ghost that Joseph Smith was called to be the Prophet of the Restoration and that the Book of Mormon in the inspired word of God. And now that I finish this mission that he has called me on, I can honestly say that I have fought a good fight, and that I have finish this course and chapter of my life and move on to the next, but above all, I have kept the faith. I have given my all. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you all and look forward to seeing you all in a week.
With much Love,
Elder Daniel Gregory Stewart Jr.
Dear beloved friends and family,
Yesterday started my final week in the mission field, and seeing that next week I will be in the Mission Home/ Temple all day long, this looks like this will be my last time writing to you. I apologize if my letter today seems weird or different in any way, the emotions at this time have been a lot to handle, and even being here in the library right now it’s hard to hold back tears (even though the gangster- looking guy next to me is listening to some hard core screaming music ha-ha.)
I have had one amazing week this week, and have been working harder than ever. We taught a record 31 lessons this week for my mission and found 4 new families coming to 12 new investigators. I hope to really prepare the area for the next missionary to come in. I honestly do feel the Love of the Lord as I have been trying to do all I can in these final 2 weeks. He has blessed me beyond belief and has helped me to feel that he is proud of me.
Another major miracle happened this week. We got a call from the lawyer today that is working on a legal matter for the Cruz family. It turns out that this week, a paper that needed to get signed, got signed by a miracle, and he will no longer need to wait another 3 months to get married and baptized (which was what we were expecting). Even the lawyer was stunned and amazed at the miracle that was wrought before our eyes. It may just be 2-3 weeks now till they are able to be baptized and I feel like my faith in God has reached a whole another level. I will for sure be coming back for their baptism in the weeks to come.
Heavenly Father also worked another miracle for us this week. On Sunday the Gallegos family came to church with their marriage license. Elder Hunter and I thought that it would be a few weeks for them to make the actual decision to get married and I thought that I would be missing their baptism, but God, being so good to me and their family, poured out his spirit on them and they decided to get married as soon as the Bishop had the opportunity to, and two of our other investigators were chosen to be the witnesses. We had a powerful lesson Sunday night where we talked about baptism. I have been very careful to make it known that I do not want them to be baptized before I left and how I would drive all the way back here for the day they decided on. And the husband, Ignacio, bore a very powerful testimony about how, in his way of saying it, it really had nothing to do with me leaving that he is getting baptized, he said that he has known since the very day that we walked into his home and shared the story of Joseph Smith that this is the Church of God on this earth and that he wants to be a part of it. They will be getting baptized on the Sunday the 1st of September.
I have gained a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savoir and Redeemer. I have no doubt that he paid for my sins with his Atonement and made it possible for me to live after this life with his Resurrection. I know with a certainty that we have a Father in Heaven who is doing everything in his power to help us become like Him and live with Him again. That the Plan of Salvation is His plan for us, and is a true plan, and by it we may live in Family units for the rest of eternity. It has been revealed to me by the power of the Holy Ghost that Joseph Smith was called to be the Prophet of the Restoration and that the Book of Mormon in the inspired word of God. And now that I finish this mission that he has called me on, I can honestly say that I have fought a good fight, and that I have finish this course and chapter of my life and move on to the next, but above all, I have kept the faith. I have given my all. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you all and look forward to seeing you all in a week.
With much Love,
Elder Daniel Gregory Stewart Jr.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Last Two Weeks....
Dear Family and Friends,
I hope everything is going well and
that you had an awesome week. I have had a good one. Whatever I have said about
the last few weeks being hard has really been nothing compared to the last few
days. I realized today that no matter who I find in the next two weeks, no
matter how golden and ready they are, that I will no longer be a missionary
when they are baptized. (Due to the fact that they need to come to church at
least twice.) I'm not going to lie, it was quite a scary thought, but like
always that's not going to slow me down.
We had a miracle this week! The
Gallegos family went to go get their marriage license yesterday and they were
able to get it without problems! I have been praying for this family so much
over the last few weeks and all of Sunday and Monday I couldn't sleep thinking
about all the things that have gone wrong with all of our other investigators
with this particular challenge. So Hermana and Hermano Gallegos will be getting
married this week and then the next week all four of them will be getting
baptized if all goes as planned. What a blessing it was for us.
Elder Hunter and I are doing really
well. We have become really good friends and are planning a trip to Ohio where
he lives to see some of the cool things that have to do with the history of the
church.
I don't really have a whole lot to
say besides that all is well and that I can fill you all in, in 2 weeks.
Love you,
Elder Stewart
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Alma and Amulek.....
August 13, 2013
Hey friends and family,
I hope you have had a good week this week. I have had an awesome week, but like always really stressful. We are still working on getting the families we are teaching baptized but the law is still making it pretty hard.
We had a cool experience this week, we went to a funeral for a recent convert named Manuel. He was baptized 3 weeks ago and this week his daughter passed away because she was very sick. At the funeral, it was so apparent from how Manuel was acting and how he was taking the death of his daughter compared to the mother (they are divorced) who was wailing and screaming and crying. Manuel handled it with calmness and it helped me realize how much of a blessing it is to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and the effect it has on our lives and our decisions. The Holy Ghost really and truly is the comforter and has made such a difference on his life. Heavenly Fathers plan is so perfect and he does know every one of us, I believe that if Manuel would have not found the gospel when he did and accepted the invitation to be baptized that it would probably be another story. The cool experience came in when after the family went up and said something for their sister they opened it up to the rest of the 60-70 people there, all of them being part of the catholic or Jehovah witness church, and no one got up to say anything. Elder Hunter turned to me and asked "What would Paul do here?" I responded "He would go up and bear testimony about the resurrection." so up went Elder Hunter and he bore a powerful testimony about the Resurrection and then came to sit down. Then I felt like I needed to go up and bare testimony about what Elder Hunter had shared and added my own testimony of the Resurrection. We passed out a ton of Plan of Salvation pamphlets to everyone and it was a really good experience for us.
We had a "Ward missionary activity" this week and it was a big success. We had about 80 people who came to the activity and lots of investigators. There was food and videos and some people who played some music. Javier Cruz played a song on the guitar that he made himself and we had another family who are investigators and they have a band who played so it was really cool to have our investigators make up the musical talent.
The family closest to baptism is the Gallegos family. The father and 2 sons are so ready to be baptized. They participate in all the activities and come to church every week. The only thing they are waiting for is the wife to just make the decision to be baptized. She knows the church is true and the only thing that is holding her back is that she is worried about what others will think or say about her. I have learned a lesson that it is so important to not think too much about what anyone thinks about you or your decisions, we should only be worried about what God thinks and go forward with faith in all the things he wants us to do. I think that’s one of the secrets of this life.
Well 3 weeks left. I will see all of you so soon.
Love,
Elder Stewart
Hey friends and family,
I hope you have had a good week this week. I have had an awesome week, but like always really stressful. We are still working on getting the families we are teaching baptized but the law is still making it pretty hard.
We had a cool experience this week, we went to a funeral for a recent convert named Manuel. He was baptized 3 weeks ago and this week his daughter passed away because she was very sick. At the funeral, it was so apparent from how Manuel was acting and how he was taking the death of his daughter compared to the mother (they are divorced) who was wailing and screaming and crying. Manuel handled it with calmness and it helped me realize how much of a blessing it is to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and the effect it has on our lives and our decisions. The Holy Ghost really and truly is the comforter and has made such a difference on his life. Heavenly Fathers plan is so perfect and he does know every one of us, I believe that if Manuel would have not found the gospel when he did and accepted the invitation to be baptized that it would probably be another story. The cool experience came in when after the family went up and said something for their sister they opened it up to the rest of the 60-70 people there, all of them being part of the catholic or Jehovah witness church, and no one got up to say anything. Elder Hunter turned to me and asked "What would Paul do here?" I responded "He would go up and bear testimony about the resurrection." so up went Elder Hunter and he bore a powerful testimony about the Resurrection and then came to sit down. Then I felt like I needed to go up and bare testimony about what Elder Hunter had shared and added my own testimony of the Resurrection. We passed out a ton of Plan of Salvation pamphlets to everyone and it was a really good experience for us.
We had a "Ward missionary activity" this week and it was a big success. We had about 80 people who came to the activity and lots of investigators. There was food and videos and some people who played some music. Javier Cruz played a song on the guitar that he made himself and we had another family who are investigators and they have a band who played so it was really cool to have our investigators make up the musical talent.
The family closest to baptism is the Gallegos family. The father and 2 sons are so ready to be baptized. They participate in all the activities and come to church every week. The only thing they are waiting for is the wife to just make the decision to be baptized. She knows the church is true and the only thing that is holding her back is that she is worried about what others will think or say about her. I have learned a lesson that it is so important to not think too much about what anyone thinks about you or your decisions, we should only be worried about what God thinks and go forward with faith in all the things he wants us to do. I think that’s one of the secrets of this life.
Well 3 weeks left. I will see all of you so soon.
Love,
Elder Stewart
One Month and Counting.....
August 6, 2013
Dear Family and Friends,
Ahhh, do I really have 1 month left? It feels like just yesterday that I left the MTC and was with my first companion. This was an amazing week for me and at the same time a sad one. Needless to say the whole week before Thursday was just like a normal week. Missionaries would randomly tell me "you’re dying! How do you feel?" or "your already starting to stink" or "are you ready to go home?" and it still never felt like I was actually at the end of my mission. On Thursday we had MLC with all the leaders and it turns out that this one was my last one. At the end of the meeting the APs surprised us by asking all the missionaries that where going home would give their last testimony. It was the first time that I had felt like I was going home and it was so hard to keep from crying. President Miller at the end said he didn’t realize that so many of the ZL’s and STLs where going home this transfer and said that he would give salt lake a call and see if he could get those who wanted to stay some more time. He asked who wanted to stay and I practically jumped out of my seat. Turns out he was just kidding and that it’s too late to extend anyone’s time. Thanks a lot! Ha-ha so I will be coming home unfortunately, but I definitely will not be slowing down before that day comes.
We had some good miracles this week. On Wednesday we had a return appointment with a lady and her 6 kids. She’s a single mother and works a lot in order to provide for her family. It was the first time we met her because the first contact we made with the family the grandma was there. The grandma invited us in and we left a blessing on the home and prayed that they would be able to find a family member of theirs that was lost while trying to come here to the US. They hadn’t heard from her in 8 days. So we went back the next day and at first the mother said she had no time for us and that she didn’t want to listen to our message. We asked if we could talk to her 17 year old son then and the son let us in. We decided to teach about prayer and how to pray. Partway through the month came and sat down and started listening to us. At the end we invited them to pray and no one wanted to. Finally the 10 year old daughter volunteered and started her prayer. Halfway through the prayer, she broke out crying uncontrollably. And because of that her mother's heart softened instantly. There was such a rapid change that we could hardly believe what happened. She said she wanted to have her kids and her get involved with the church and it’s something that she thinks her family really needs. They are a family of 5 or 6. This reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. If only all would just become as a little child.
Everything else is going so well. We are teaching so many families and every week we have 12+ investigators at church which is really an awesome thing the Lord is blessing us with. Elder Hunter and I are getting along really well and life is just perfect. We just have to find out how to get all these investigators baptized now!
Anyway, I hope all is well and that you are all in good health.
Love you,
Elder Stewart
Dear Family and Friends,
Ahhh, do I really have 1 month left? It feels like just yesterday that I left the MTC and was with my first companion. This was an amazing week for me and at the same time a sad one. Needless to say the whole week before Thursday was just like a normal week. Missionaries would randomly tell me "you’re dying! How do you feel?" or "your already starting to stink" or "are you ready to go home?" and it still never felt like I was actually at the end of my mission. On Thursday we had MLC with all the leaders and it turns out that this one was my last one. At the end of the meeting the APs surprised us by asking all the missionaries that where going home would give their last testimony. It was the first time that I had felt like I was going home and it was so hard to keep from crying. President Miller at the end said he didn’t realize that so many of the ZL’s and STLs where going home this transfer and said that he would give salt lake a call and see if he could get those who wanted to stay some more time. He asked who wanted to stay and I practically jumped out of my seat. Turns out he was just kidding and that it’s too late to extend anyone’s time. Thanks a lot! Ha-ha so I will be coming home unfortunately, but I definitely will not be slowing down before that day comes.
We had some good miracles this week. On Wednesday we had a return appointment with a lady and her 6 kids. She’s a single mother and works a lot in order to provide for her family. It was the first time we met her because the first contact we made with the family the grandma was there. The grandma invited us in and we left a blessing on the home and prayed that they would be able to find a family member of theirs that was lost while trying to come here to the US. They hadn’t heard from her in 8 days. So we went back the next day and at first the mother said she had no time for us and that she didn’t want to listen to our message. We asked if we could talk to her 17 year old son then and the son let us in. We decided to teach about prayer and how to pray. Partway through the month came and sat down and started listening to us. At the end we invited them to pray and no one wanted to. Finally the 10 year old daughter volunteered and started her prayer. Halfway through the prayer, she broke out crying uncontrollably. And because of that her mother's heart softened instantly. There was such a rapid change that we could hardly believe what happened. She said she wanted to have her kids and her get involved with the church and it’s something that she thinks her family really needs. They are a family of 5 or 6. This reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. If only all would just become as a little child.
Everything else is going so well. We are teaching so many families and every week we have 12+ investigators at church which is really an awesome thing the Lord is blessing us with. Elder Hunter and I are getting along really well and life is just perfect. We just have to find out how to get all these investigators baptized now!
Anyway, I hope all is well and that you are all in good health.
Love you,
Elder Stewart
My 21st Birthday Week
July 30, 2013
Hey Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you all in good conditions and that
you had an awesome week this week. Coming down on 5 weeks left no matter how
much I try to deny it, and I’m really tired. I think I know now how my grandpas
feel like when you sit down with your eyes closed for 2-3 seconds and then you’re
out cold. The only defense I know to that is to never sit down in the apartment
because if I do its lights out. Ha-ha. We have had a great week and I have had
an awesome birthday.
My birthday was so much better than last years. For P-day we
got up and after doing all we had to do in the morning we left to go spend the
day with the rest of the zone. I really felt the love from the zone when I saw
that a few of the sisters made a giant chocolate cake with cherries for me. I
also got many other gifts from missionaries that I didn’t think would have
cared a whole lot. We had an awesome time playing sports and hanging out. After
we had one of families we love sign up for dinner and there we had a party as
well. They got me this huge coconut cake that was super good but not the best
for losing weight. Now I have the fridge back home filled up with a ton of cake
and sweets but luckily enough I live with 3 other missionaries who can help me
out. Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes and gifts. I had an awesome
birthday this year.
Now to more important matters. We were asked by the stake
this week to send 8 companionships of missionaries to youth conference to teach
a class on how to teach the 1st lesson about the Restoration. Elder Hunter and
I went and we split up to watch other companionships teach but it turned out
that I ended up teaching the youth anyway. I feel like God has blessed me with
abilities to connect and teach youth about the gospel. The spirit in the room
was powerful and later the stake president called to thank us because the youth
thought that out of all the youth conference, that the part were the
missionaries taught was their favorite by far. I have such a love for teaching
youth and look forward to maybe one day fulfilling callings with them.
We found a new family this week that really has some
potential for baptism. They are the Najera family. He was baptized over 20
years ago and then was converted into a Christian church and stopped going. Our
first visit with them when we knocked the screen to the door seeing that the
door on the inside was opened and I could see the outlines of the family
through the screen. At first they tried to stay quiet and pretend that they
were not there! And then the baby started crying and so they had to answer the
door. So they let us in and we had a lesson that really had to be taught by the
spirit. Well now, just a week later, they came to the church for a church tour Thursday
night (first time in a Mormon building in 20 years), they are reading the Book
of Mormon every day, and the last time we visited with them they fed us awesome
food. The change in their family has been a change that makes this all worth
it. And it’s not anything that we really did, but the power of the spirit unto
the softening of hearts is a very really thing. I have seen the spirit have
such an impact on our investigators lives and the funny thing is that they
rarely even notice the change that happens. But I know the spirit is real, and
that it can make all things possible, even in the shaping and softening, and
converting of people to the True Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Until next week,
Elder Daniel Stewart
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Finishing my mission here in New Mexico.....
July 23, 2013
Hey Friends and Family,
How are you all doing? I hope everything is going well and that you are still enjoying the summer vacations and the heat. I had a really good week this week and we had a baptism. It feels like forever since our last one! It was a wonderful experience and a super spiritual baptism. We got transfer news this week and Elder Hunter and I are staying in the area. So I know I will be finishing here and it’s such a relief that we will be staying together for this last epic transfer. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Also Elder Keddington, my son, got a zone leader call today and will be over the missionaries in the El Paso Zone. I’m so excited to see him again and tell him I told you so.
This week Jorge was baptized. Just two months prior to meeting us here in ALB, he was doing serious drugs, running around with gangs, and not exactly being the humble follow of Christ that we all hope to be. On Saturday July 20th, he fully left everything in the past behind and became clean from all his sins. Just 3 weeks ago he walked up to the church building with only the clothes on his back and his car, he had just left Arizona and had been trying to find work. He was a homeless person and sure looked like one too, to be honest I learned a big lesson because at first sight of him, I kind of wrote him off as someone who was not going to make any progress. Well I was wrong. He came to church the day after we met him and loved it. The following day he got work and found a place to stay with some members. The first lesson with him was one of those lessons where everything went right and the spirit was so powerful. He accepted a date for baptism and was working for the 27th. This week he practically begged us to move the date up and he was more than happy. At his baptism he bore a powerful testimony about how he knows this church was true and how this baptism was the true and only baptism that he can receive.
Maybe even more impressing than the story of his change and conversion is the story of the members in this ward really stepping up to fellowship him. I don’t think we actually did anything besides teaching him the doctrine. But it seemed to me that the Elders Quorum and a few other members made sure all his rides where taken care of, that he had a place to stay, and that he had all the food and clothes he needs to live here. Even better was that we had no part in the baptismal service besides filling the font and making the program. The members gave the talks, the prayers, baptized and confirmed him. That’s how missionary work should really be done.
Love you all,
Elder Stewart
Hey Friends and Family,
How are you all doing? I hope everything is going well and that you are still enjoying the summer vacations and the heat. I had a really good week this week and we had a baptism. It feels like forever since our last one! It was a wonderful experience and a super spiritual baptism. We got transfer news this week and Elder Hunter and I are staying in the area. So I know I will be finishing here and it’s such a relief that we will be staying together for this last epic transfer. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Also Elder Keddington, my son, got a zone leader call today and will be over the missionaries in the El Paso Zone. I’m so excited to see him again and tell him I told you so.
This week Jorge was baptized. Just two months prior to meeting us here in ALB, he was doing serious drugs, running around with gangs, and not exactly being the humble follow of Christ that we all hope to be. On Saturday July 20th, he fully left everything in the past behind and became clean from all his sins. Just 3 weeks ago he walked up to the church building with only the clothes on his back and his car, he had just left Arizona and had been trying to find work. He was a homeless person and sure looked like one too, to be honest I learned a big lesson because at first sight of him, I kind of wrote him off as someone who was not going to make any progress. Well I was wrong. He came to church the day after we met him and loved it. The following day he got work and found a place to stay with some members. The first lesson with him was one of those lessons where everything went right and the spirit was so powerful. He accepted a date for baptism and was working for the 27th. This week he practically begged us to move the date up and he was more than happy. At his baptism he bore a powerful testimony about how he knows this church was true and how this baptism was the true and only baptism that he can receive.
Maybe even more impressing than the story of his change and conversion is the story of the members in this ward really stepping up to fellowship him. I don’t think we actually did anything besides teaching him the doctrine. But it seemed to me that the Elders Quorum and a few other members made sure all his rides where taken care of, that he had a place to stay, and that he had all the food and clothes he needs to live here. Even better was that we had no part in the baptismal service besides filling the font and making the program. The members gave the talks, the prayers, baptized and confirmed him. That’s how missionary work should really be done.
Love you all,
Elder Stewart
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)