It has been a long time…. And yet it feels like yesterday I was in the MTC dreaming what my misión would be like. I remember my first Bus ride to my area in Dolores with Elder Elliott and asking him so many questions, filled with so much excitement about having real investigators, and helping people come closer to the Savior. I remember getting up every morning in Dolores so stoked and walking through the streets barely understanding anything and speaking less and seeing my first miracle. I barely remember now my struggles and hardship even though if you read my journals you find it. Now looking back I see where it has brought me. I cannot believe how I am already here…. It is hard to handle still but I have accepted it I am going home.
Seeing as this will be last letter It better be a good one no? I pray that the Lord helps me give what I desire with all my heart and soul to give in this short letter. I hope you can feel my passion for this work and love for each of you wherever you are and whoever you are through this letter. It really is not the same Reading it as hearing it like Nefi says in 2 Nefi 33: 1, but I´ll just do my best. Forgive the spelling mistakes and my weaknesses I still have a long way to go.
[And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men. (2 Nephi 33:1)]
First off Mom I got the Christmas Package thank you you're too good to me. About skype I like doing it Christmas day so I am planning on calling then let me know if there are any objections. Remember I want to hear the testimonies of each of you. And then I want to give you mine. It will be the first time I have testified in English in like 2 years. I am very excited to see a lot of the faces I love. Sorry it took me so long to email. Life is crazy right now But I am planning on calling home Christmas day at night not quite sure what time But I am thinking about 7 or 8 my time.
So What shall I talk about? Divisions with Jerry, Presidents son, or doing Changes (the mission changes) with President. There are a lot of things that happen to me throughout the weeks it is imposible to write it all down luckily I will be with you all shortly and I will tell you in person. We have had to do the Changes of the missión early this year because we are trying to have things down for Christmas and NewYears because here in Uruguay around this time it gets super difficult to travel. All the bus systems shut down and everything and so we have had lots to do. I feel like God answered my prayers though because I got to do something I have always dreamed of and see how changes are done in the mission. I testify that it is inspired and after we all look at the final results you get a good feeling. Wow the lord has blessed me so much. One of the toughest parts about it all is planning for the next concilio of leaders in the mission, getting all excited for what is to come and how inspired it is and then realizing I wont be here to see any of it. But My will is his will.
To all of you I wish to express all the gratitude I can possibly muster. I am so blessed and so grateful for having each of you in my life for all the letters emails, prayers, wisdom. And so many Little things you all have done for me that have helped mold me into who I am. I Love this Gospel. I Love my Savior. I am so blessed to be able to serve him this Christmas what joy it gives me to do what he would do on this day.
To all of you who are serving missions my advice is never stop running. The misión has changed me forever and now as I near the end i just cannot believe it. People ask me how do you feel (mainly sister Smith) and I always tell them it is like my heart is breaking (a little exaggerated). I wish I could be a missionary forever and keep giving all I can to the Lord. I started the mission giving everything I could to the Lord and that is how I am going home giving everything! As I bore in my last testimony to all that were there, my mission is not done It will never end I will not have my missionary tag over my heart but it will stay seared in my heart forever! I will never stop sharing what I know to be true. I will be a disciple of my Savior forever. Like Elder Holland said When we are called as disciples of christ the comisión is forever and I testify with everything I can muster that the mission may end but I will never stop serving!!!
My advice to you all in all your lives where ever you are is this: Believe! Missionaries serving right now If you go out each day and don´t have faith that there are people out there to find to preach the gospel to I promise you! YOU WILL NOT FIND! First you must believe then you can receive. The next is understand that When you are struggling with a companion or someone in your zone or district is struggling we often think to ourselves well What do I do to help him. In my mission I have found that the way to truly help someone change or to help someone learn how they can give more to the Lord is first help them be converted. We often go on divisions work with the missionary as hard as you can and find him a bunch of investigators so he cannot tell you that he has no one to teach. But after a while you will have to do the same thing again because he is not looking for investigators. The only thing you can do is help someone be converted that is when real changes happen.
I love the Mission I would stay here if I could but God wants me home so I will go. But I will never stop being a missionary!!
(I wrote everything different days but today when I am sending this it is the 23)
Yesterday Carlos was baptized such a happy day!! Today a missionary who served in our mission met up with his family in the mission home I have known him my whole mission I watched him hug his parents and weep... A very different experience.
I love you all I wish I could write more but it is impossible there is always too much to do You will see what I mean when you see the circles under my eyes:) I love you all. If you are in the mission keep strong, Love, be obedient, and work with everything you have because one day you´ll be writing this letter and weeping to yourself as I am. I hope they are happy tears. My mission means everything to me!!!!
I love you all I will probably send a little email if there are questions about the call. But it should be christmas day at 7 or 8
Elder Stewart-Chester
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