Getting out of the ruts...

Hola Friends and Family,

How is everyone doing? Hope everyone is doing well and is active at church and visiting the temple as often as possible. I have heard that there are some pretty crazy things going on in the world right now and I want you all to know that I pray for you and that the support and letters you send me really do help. I had a pretty good week this week. Not a ton of things happened as in progression of our investigators, but I feel like I made another step this week on my own progression.

The President asked me this week to teach something to the young men ages 15-18 that were getting ready to serve missions. I had about 7 boys, 3 of them that where sure about going on a mission. We had a really good discussion and I actually learned a lot from the Holy Ghost myself. The fact of the matter is that we are going through, right now, the time period right before the coming of Jesus Christ. There are prophecies made in the Bible right now that talk about how the Church of God will be persecuted for a time before Christ shall return and if what some of the members here are telling me is true, The Church of Christ is getting torn down all over the media. Now I’m not here to talk about the theories of the end of the world, but I learned and talked to the youth yesterday about what it is going to cost nowadays to make it to the Celestial Kingdom. One of the points that came to my head while talking is that in our days You Need to Go on a Mission. You need to go, why do you think the ages were lowered? It’s because the testimony that someone attains on their mission is what it’s going to take to stay loyal throughout your life. So to all the parents who are raising kids, and to all the youth (Young Men and Young Women) SERVE A MISSION or do anything you can to get your kids there. I hope that my sisters will serve missions.

I talked to them about some of the reasons why they don’t want to go. They said that either 1. They didn’t know enough about the church or the Book of Mormon. Or 2, They don’t know if they can do it or if "It is for them." If there is anything that I can tell the youth right now is Do Not Let Satan put those things in your head. If you don’t know enough and you don’t start learning now, you will NEVER know enough to survive the last days. The other two to me are ridiculous, Jesus Christ promises you protection, power, knowledge of what to do, where to go, and what to say. Ill you have to be able to do is be obedient. At the "It is not for me is the biggest lie that Satan has ever told you. If you want to live with God, Jesus Christ, and your family forever, then the mission "IS FOR YOU."

I don’t say this as to try to make people feel bad for not wanting to serve a mission, but I do this because I really do care about you. I love it here, the people I have met, the things I have learned, and the Testimony that I have gained. I love my mission. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of God, that he died for us, and that he lives! I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and therefore the Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth again. 

I love you all. Haz lo Justo!

Elder Daniel Stewart