Charity

I find Charity is the key to it all everything has been pointing me to it this entire change here in Rivera. I still have so much to do to grow. Thank you everyone for who you all are for your examples to me and more than anything your prayers I pray for you all too. What an amazing family and friends I have all over the world. i love receiving letters from England because I always know who they´re from . I have always been impressed with the strengh of those who have passed before me their hardships strengthen me as I think to myself you sissy you are really going to complain about this when people have given everything so that you can be where you are now. Thank you all those who have helped place me where I am now.

First off Mom don´t cry that makes me cry I have become super soft in the mission too, Time flies so fast I cannot believe it. Oh and dont forget next week is changes so I will be emailing on tuesday. so dont be worried it will be an interesting one. I cannot believe  Elder Dio and I will be separating soon. I love that Guy so much when we go on divisions I miss him he will be an amazing missionary and already knows how to be senior comp I think he will be training in two or three changes. I will miss him. 

I just glaced over the letter i´ll print it out and read it tonight I did not try for the money yet so dont worry. Oh and if you send a package those cards magic cards would make my day. also good pens maybe. I still go strong in my journal writing on my 6th what!? thats your son Mom can you believe it I thought about sending a couple in a package but it has the chace of beeing lostand they are priceless. 

This week was really cool. I think I forgot to mention but my CCM comp is our Zone leader here in Rivera and this wednesday we went on diviones we had the chance to be together once again. It was super awesome after so much time we´ve come a long way. 

Next big thing was we went out to the area in my district which is the furthest out. It is an area called tranqueras that we had to get up at 5:30 to catch the bus out we spent the day down there working super hard and it also was an amazing experience. I enjoy that part of being a district leader so much because I get to help lift up others, help them push themselves to find out what the Lord wants them to do in that area. It is the best. Who knows where I´ll be next I´ve heard rumors but we´ll just have to wait and see now won't we. 

Other than that guess what I did the other day, well yesterday.  I taught a young women that she should not date until she is 16.... I know right I have come a long way but really now I look at it all with the big picture it is so much better to follow the prophet. It was a cool experience I think the biggest thing that I feel impacts the young the biggest tell that says whether or not someone will be someone who God wants them to be in this life is their goals in life. I will never live another day with out daily and monthly goals because one day we will look back on everything and either say I did it or wow I did not live up to my potential. And the BIGGEST goal we all have to have is the eternal family. That is what I need my family forever all of them like president Eyring  says no empty seats. 

I love you all like crazy I need to write letters. I´ll get on that. I love you. 

Elder Stewart-Chester

Honestly I blink and the week ends

Well how are all my wonderful friends and family.  I pray for and hope that with my time here you have been able to see the change in me in my letters and through my fotos.   I hope I have uplifted you in hard times. I always think of these times and how dark things often look and then I think of Harry Potter when he gives all the prize money to Fred and George to start their joke shop. He does this why Harry says because dark times were going to come and they were all going to need it to keep going strong. I hope I can do that for you all. 

It is hard to differentiate the weeks, how often they blend together. This week though was a good one. We had zone conference in T-Bo  and it was awesome we talked about who we wanted to be and developing the attributes of Christ. I have a lot of work to do. There was a lot of sister missionaries who gave their last testimony here in this zone conference and one of the sister missionaries blew my mind with the love they had for the people here and I realized that is the christ like attribute I had began to neglect over and over again. I listened to GOd give me a hearty suggestion that I had lost some of the charity I once had. Its not that I do not love the people here but after many disappointments I had lost my faith a little in them and was not begging the lord for charity like it says we have to do every night in the scriptures. So this week I have worked hard to beg and plead for charity and love more those I serve even when I am disappoionted I need to fill myself with love. Thats my goal from now on. Its easy to love those who love you but when they try and sick their dog on you it makes it harder. I´ll get there.

This week we worked really hard. I felt as though in the past weeks I have lost myself looking for numbers but this week we just went looking for new investigators who would progress. We knocked lots of doors every time we had a minute free and it really payed off. WE found an amazing elderly couple that could be fantastic for the branch aswell we have a 27 year old guy who has prayed and knows that the Book of Mormon is true. There are good things going on here.  I pray that I can truely help this branch and not just baptize someone who will not strengthen the branch. I love the people here I cannot wait to introduce my family to all these people here. What joy it will be. 

We went on divissiones this week and I got to be with one of my good buddies in the mission Elder Bossa from Columbia it was good. What else happened?....,

umm... Lots of hard work thats what it came down to. Today we played dodgeball .

Anyway I love you this Church is true I watch it change lives every day.   All we have to remember to do is humble ourselves and ask God. God only works with the humble heart. I love you thank you for the letters and Emails I also feel your prayers. District meeting tomorrow I am going to talk about how to make member's missionaries. 

I love you all 

Elder Stewart-Chester

That is a picture of Elder Strong in the morning looking like death:)

And that is how I had to dress because of how cold it is outside because I do not get signal in the house. 

The llatino corto plazo who is in the foto with Elder Dio is called Angel he drove us nutts but was an amazing kid

And that is how I had to dress because of how cold it is outside because I do not get signal in the house. 

Elder favero  is a brazilian Elder who wrote me before he entered the mission asking for advice I wrote him a letter and it got there

Well What more can I say

Well this day is always the hardest because I have pretty much said everything on skype that I meant to say but I took some notes and there are still some stuff about the week. 

I played Futbol today which was fun It was hot for some unknown reason and that did not help us out much but it was fun. I dont know why but it is always gringos against latinos. We held our own but we needed my son who was in Montevideo. I don´t like to talk about numbers because well everything to me should be between us and God and not other missionaries but the Zls told me something pretty cool that my district had better numbers than 6 out of our 10 zones here in the mission... I really do not do anything I have just been given an amazing district.   It has been a powerful experience to work with them. Even with all the problems that happen we have stayed very constant and strong as a disctrict and our zone has become a powerhouse. 

Some other things I forgot to mention were about a sweet investigator called Ruben Quepfert we are working with right now. We found him knocking doors and he has read and recieved his answer. He is about 25 and it is a prayer of mine that he begins to come because we need priesthood here in our branch. The contact started with us talking about Family history. We plan to take him to the center Wednesday. 

We also had an amazing experiece as I took an inactive teen out on divisions. We visited some amazing people and I believe I relit his fire to come back to church it was a powerful day. 

The mission as I said many times yesterday is everything to me. I would not change this time here for the world. I still have so much to learn and so much to do better so that I can become who the Lord knows that I can become.  What more can I say other than I love you and I miss you The mission has given me the reality of how important family really is. Be strong and love one another. Time speeds away too fast and one day each of us will,  I repeat, will stand infront of our lord and he will say what did you do with the time you were given. I think of that every night what did I do with the time I was given. 

I love you all so much Don´t forget to be obedient that is when God lets you see Miracles. 

Elder Stewart-Chester

Lela Nunez baptism!  

Well this week is Mother's Day!!!!

So you know what that means!!!! i´ll need to get an account name to call to do skype! We are going to do it from an investigator's house which will be awesome. I will be calling i´m pretty sure around 6 or 7 my time here which would be like 3 or 4 there. For you all in utah i´m not sure about Nuevo mexico.

Anyway so there is much to say but not much time to type it all out remember to think of advice and questions and write them down for things to ask me when I call. I am very excited to see my baby brother once again how crazy it is to watch someone grow up through long distance fotos nothing more... I feel like he is a part of my life but at the same time the last time I would of met him was in the pre-existance:)

First off listen to this I had the trunkiest moment ever. so we were sitting in a members house after eating lunch with them going through less actives or inactives that we could visit and well the husband went and turned on the Hobbit in another room.. in english.... We left shortly after.

haha but anyway this week was a pretty good one my son is growing up like a champ. This last week last sunday, monday and tuesday we went on divisions. For the first time he was with a corto plazo (mini missionary), the second time with a good missionary but he is super quiet and struggles with spanish, and lastly with a week old missionay who speeks barely any spanish from Brazil. The whole time he handled himself really well and will be a fantastic missionary. I am a little harder on him than any other comp I have had but that is because he has so much potential to begin the mission better than I am now. At full stride.

We are having a baptism this saturday and we are super excited. Finally the mother of Lela (the girl who I think you all talk to on Facebook) let her be baptised . She has been getting herself up for months and going to church now even her friends we were teaching have stopped going but she has stayed very firm and strong. A bunch of members have said they are going to bring cake and things like that as well and we are super excited. Elder Diotaiuti´s first baptism.

Another thing I wanted to tell you all about is the other Elder in our house Elder Strong has been going through corto plazos and recently a member who is like our best friend of all the missionaries called junior is here living with us in our house and it has been a blast. He is 17 and was baptised like 1 year ago and is filled with questions and extremely gullible. Lets just say we have had a lot of fun with the guy who loves to hang around with us. The other day we got home before the other two elders so we put all our stuff where they could not know that we had already arrived and then we shut of the breaker to the electricity and we hid under the beds. And we waited... it was so funny we waited uintil they were inbetween the both of us and then we grabbed their legs and cackled and we scared Junior super bad he was screaming and dancing to get away from our hands at his ankles. So funny but it is all in good fun we teach him loads as well. He cannot wait for the mission. I´m the reason he does all the corto plazos here in rivera:)

Right now we are changing the zone here and it is amazing to be a part of this work. I feel like Bean in Enders game and we really have changed the way our zone has been working and have already begun to see results. It has been amazing to be a part of. The sad things are: we have a missionary I spent some time with an elder who is going to probably have to return home because of problems with his knee. It is super sad. Two elders in my district (new elders ) are struggling. Great guys I´m just trying to do what I can I fasted for one of them yesterday and then spent my P-day with another.

Anyway I love all of you thank you for everything you have given to me all of you I would be no where without each and every one of you in my life.

My commitment to all is don´t wait! Dont put things off. I think about everything I had in my life and how many times I procrastinated what truly matters. We say things like on my mission I will learn how to recognize the spirit... on my mission I will over come this bad habbit. It does not work like that. Do things today I can tell the difference between those who have prepared and those who have not. We need to seek the things that really matter in this world today not next week not next year. I love you all I will be talking to you all face to face Sunday You are my world I am fighting for you!
Elder Stewart-Chester

Lost for words

Well folks, We´ve come a long way havent we.. the great news is we are only just getting started. Now is when we really are starting to get everything worked out and now we are finding so many amazing people and as a zone we are going to do wonders this change.

I had a very good week i´d say I mean it could´ve been better but honestly we have found some really amazing people. I really took no notes about what to say. I am very emotional about what Teddy wrote probably one of the best things I have ever read on the mission. The trick is when you feel and know that feeling that you never let it go God Listens ALWAYS. I have no doubt in my mind I have recieved answers time and time again. What a blessing it is to have a father in Heaven that cares about us enough to listen even when often all we do is sit there and ask and ask and we never listen to him.

I gave my first District meeting this change and I really loved it. I felt no nervousness and felt God lifting me up. I have no fear. I taught basically about leaving a legacy making a difference in your area leaving a mark and finding your gifts and talents and also developing gifts and talents. I have been so extremely blessed here in the mission I am a very different person God has blessed me so so much with so much and why.
It´s like Elder Bednar told matt(I told everyone that in my district meeting) We have no gifts no talents all we are and have are gifts of God so we have to work at things and pray as hard as we can so that we are lifted up and we become to be who the lord would have us be our devine potencial. I have worked and struggled for many gifts and talents and God gave me many. He always gives. I still have a long way to go before I even become close to the missionary I want to be. I am a man that is always shooting as high as I possibly can, but I am learning that without the help of the lord that is impossible.

I also spoke in Sacramant meeting all about the goals we need to put in our lives at all times because if we are not moving forward that we can only be going backward. There are no standstills in this life we need to be constantly studying the scriptures and learning and growing in ourselves Christ's atributes that is our calling. I have seen too many with destroyed lives.Why? Because they have no goals no plan of action It is a problem in all the world today.

To answer your question yes I fed some animals more than anything though they feed them while we were there. It was sweet I forgot the cord at the house to send pictures so i´ll send some next week. But I totally was shaking the hand of some pretty awesome monkeys. And I saw a carpichu dive into a pool. A giant carpichu.You´ll see picts next week.

We played futbol and volley ball as a district today super fun. Our mission is just filled with new elders right now all the companionships in my district are training minus 1. It is super awesome to see the lord put more to the plow. From now on the groups that are coming in are huge.

What more can I say I love you all so much. Dont worry I am not Trunky well maybe a little but hey you try being without carpet floors for 1 year 2 months... its tough.

(To Mom). Colleges... well ok I have realized on the mish that BYU is not that bad so there and the Uof U .

I love you all like crazy I am giving all that I can to the lord and more I know that he lives and loves us. It shocks me often to think that God loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us when we are so unworthy of his love. But He does. I feel it everyday as I tell people every day.

I love you all
Elder Stewart-Chester

Well here's my email

Well what can I say. I love you all.. I cannot explain how uplifted I was by conference. I was literally shocked as I watched conference and watched the prophet literally give me one of the biggest answers I had been looking for almost my entire mission. I was so uplifted and strengthened It was amazing. What an amazing world and life we have been given I will never be able to express my gratitude that I have to be here serving the lord. There are so many others who never know the things we´ve been given so freely if they only knew that watching conference you can find all the answers.

The truth is I feel not too great so I am going to keep it short because I need to go home so I dont have to run into the bathroom every 30 min to empty my bowells:). Do you want to know something crazy a scripture I read this week and noted down to give to you all was repeated so many times in conference I mean seriously John 16:33. what a powerful comfort it is to know that christ has overcome the world. I love my saviour I cannot wait to bathe his feet in my tears. another Scripture is john 14-18-19.

The main thing I just wanted you all to know is how much I love you. I wanted to tell each of you how each of you have become the center of my world I boast of you to everyone. I cannot wait to hug each of you individually and tell you how grateful I am for specific things I am going to write specific letters for all and tell you how much I love you. Conference as always was life changing. Mom what did you think when that guy talked about moving all the time? I love you all so much like the all of them said in confrence STAY STRONG trouble now looks for us we need to give more, study more and live better. It is not enough to go through the motions here in our world now. Darkness always surrounds us, yet if we study and pray we can turn on the light. Satan will not win. Christ overcame the world and we will not be tempted above that of which we are able to overcome.

Jesus Christ Lives I have felt his love I witnessed a miracle this week but it is too sacred to write one day we may speak of it. God Loves us push forward "fan the flame of testimony"

I love you all
Elder Stewart-Chester

Weekly letter April 22, 2013

Well I am sure that you all figured out and yes your guesses were right changes!!!!
But for the first time in my mission I actually had a normal change I am just staying here with my son!!! Hurray!!!

The big news would be 1. I am district leader and 2. There are 2 new elders coming to our house to share our giant area. One of the elders I know he is from my CCM group and the other is what we call a Corto Plazo which is a young man from a ward here in the mission who takes the place of a missionary for 1 change like a full time missionary but just for a change. It should be an awesome extremely busy couple of weeks.

This was the last week For my best buddy Elder McCraney. He finishes the mission tomorrow and then heads home. I am going to miss him like crazy . He will be a friend for my entire life.

WEll I have had a pretty normal week in the life of the missionary. We had stake conference which was a very powerful couple of talks. It was good except the stake center is far from where we are and it is hard to get investigators to go clear over there. It hurt us in the work. But thats ok. We are going to this zoo later today and I already talked to the owner and she is going to let us feed the animals I should have some crazy pictures to send next week.

A person we have been blessed to teach here for a little while during our time with the both areas is a lady called Dianara who is super prepared and told us last night that her dream is to be baptised. She is a midget actually but she makes up for her little size with a giant personality. We taught her about the plan of salvation yesterday and she asked us if she could take notes I was astounded. Her husband was baptised a long time ago has a huge testimony but for one reason or other he went inactive at 15. They both are going to be an amazing foever family. She said that she could not go to the catholic church after when she was married the priest said until death do you part. Yep super prepared.

Anyway I thought of somethings that I forgot to tell a while back. Did you know Bo that I taught a lesson all about you once? I showed your picture to everybody and told them all about the time that you made our neighbor stay for all of primary and then her brother and sister got baptised. That was awesome!

I also wanted to tell Tanner that every time I show his picture to other people they always say is that you when you were a little guy and I say no that is my little brother tanner.

I also had a really funny experience this week we were teaching this lady who is a little slow and we were sitting out side in a field out infront of her house teaching her. There was a pony tied up pretty close grazing well when we started to sing the pony came over like the neighborhood dog stucking his nose in wanting us to pet him he also nibbled on the shoe of the lady we were teaching and we all just laughed and laughed. It stayed there for the whole lesson. something I wont forget.

Oh something very important was I recieved the answer that I will go home on time with all my group. I am not sure why and It is not the answer I really desired but His will is the most important thing to me now. I think it could be to start strait away school jumping into the next year in college.

Scriptures that truely jumped out at me this week are Chapter 5 of Romans and Romans 8: 35, 38-39 Paul was a spiritual giant.

I love you all I know this email is a little scattered and crazy but just know I love you all like crazy and the mission is going by way to fast I wish you could serve more than 1 in your youth. I love you all be safe look out for the downtrodden those are they who are praying for help be the answers to their prayers
Elder Stewart-Chester