Hey
Friends and Family,
How
is everyone doing? I hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July. To be
honest I forgot all about it. How patriotic right? On the mission I
guess its just not that important to you. I was more looking forward
and stressing out about the 7th of July. My 10 month mark and also
the Marriage of the Family Ortiz and Maribel's baptism. I think I saw
more american flags than usual that day, but having almost everyone
here from Mexico it was kind of different.
Maribel
was baptized on July 7th 2012. It was the first baptism in this area
since it opened in January, and Elder Vallejo and I are stoked! We
really feel like we are getting this area moving. We should have
another one on the 21st and 2 more in the new future if it's the will
of Heavenly Father. Elder Vallejo and I contribute it to how well we
get along. It is so true that the spirit is so much more powerful
when you are with someone you are happy to be around. Not to mention
the help with Spanish I get everyday. I thought I was getting the
hang of it before, but now I feel like I'm growing at a more rapid
place. I know that my friendship with Elder Vallejo will last forever
and ever, and I kind of wished he would have been around back when it
was Landon, Cory, and Me ( and of coarse Mitch). I feel like they
would be the best of friends as well, and also probably added more of
an example spiritually to help Landon from basically doing it
himself. Not to mention with 2 hispanics in the group Landon wouldn’t
have felt like a minority.
So
about the baptism. I have attached some pictures from the baptism of
Maribel and Her family. They were married first in one of the most
beautiful weddings I have ever been to and will probably be until I
of coarse get married. It wasn’t big, or expensive. There where no
rings yet cause they couldn’t afford them, no giant white cake
that is enough to feed all of Africa, and she was in
her best dress (not a dress that costs too much money) and he was in
a borrowed white shirt and tie. I went on for maybe 15 mins at most.
Now all of you that had an amazing wedding that was expensive and
beautiful, I'm not saying yours wasn’t amazing. I'm just saying
that this couple, who have barely enough money to get from month to
month and who had to borrow money in order to pay for the license,
made a commitment with each other to change their lives into what God
wants for them. A true commitment of love I feel is when someone who
is comfortable where they change their lives even though they can't
afford it, in order to be approved by God and be on their way to an
eternal family. Thats what made it so beautiful.
After
that Maribel's baptism started where she had asked me to perform the
ordinance. While I tried to get her to ask a member in the ward, she
still asked me, and I was happy to do it. It went perfectly and the
baptism was amazing and celestial. She told me after she sat down
that she "feels it" and when I asked her what "it"
was, she couldn’t explain it because she was crying. I can't
explain the feeling I had right then but I imagine that it's referred
to in D&C 18. "how great shall be your joy, if ye shall
bring many souls unto me." The next day Elder Vallejo confirmed
her and he did an amazing job. Yeah he is already fluent and all in
Spanish, but it was his first time and he was super nervous.
Family
and Friends, This Church is true! I don’t say that as an opinion of
mine, but as a fact. There is nothing to compare it to anywhere out
there. It grieves me when I see people that have fallen away, and I
know that there will probably be a day where I need to be reminded of
it when I am slipping. Im glad I have all of you to be there to
remind me. Don't lose the faith. Endure to the End. So that we can
all see each other after this life and be happy. I love you all so
much.
Love,
Elder
Stewart
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