I don't have much time forgive me...

Ok so I had so much to do today and things went longer than usual so I do not have much time at all to talk. 

Something I forgot to tell you al last week was we had a baptism in my new area she was already ready when I got here but her name is Carina 13 yrs old and was brought to church by her best friend who was member, Our ward has a temple trip this week and I think that she will get to go with them:) which shall be really cool for her. Her brothers and sisters are in the pictures I am sending isnt that little guy awesome his name is Daniel and loves me tons he tried to give me his dinosaur as a gift the other day. He also was giving me a big hug and got so much stickyness on the shirt I had just cleaned. 

In that one photo aswell I found Mac and Cheese here in the city lets just say I know my way around Salto. 

We are working hard. It is getting so hot and humid it looks as though is about to rain and then huge amounts of humidity come and kill us. the bike makes  things harder. Was quite a bit sick this week stomach problems not good on the mission. But I got through it and am fine now. 

ok lets keep going I was thinking about the other day when I was doing baptisms for the dead in the Temple with Tate and Fletch and I got to baptise them...Wow good times. 

I am so greatful that I was worthy to be there enjoying that. I have such a different perspective now I have learned so much and the truth is changed tons too. I cannot wait to go to the temple when I get home. There is no other place like it as wierd as I was as a teen I had faith I guess I remember running off my anger in Rexburg Idaho running to the temple becuase I had faith it would calm me down. It did just that.

My comp is difficult I´m praying lots for guidance Its just hard to know what I should do and what would help be the best he can and what would not help him. Its really scaring me to be a parent now. Its a good thing we have the lord huh. 

We have a lot to do in our area. No one showed up for church this last week and if you ask me it was because we did not do enough. Its super hard theres not much I can do. We had a lot drop us this last week aswell pretty sad after she had felt the spirit so strong Sandra the lady we found on my B-day said it was impossible she could not change I committed her to pray about the Book of mormon and felt really strong the spirit and she committed  we´ll see if she will follow an answer from God because it will come it always does.  

Anyway I gotta Email presidente  I Love you all so Much Fletcher Girls are trouble stick with Magik and  D and D and just live life to its fullest right now dont give your heart away. 

I love you all so much thanks for everything I have so much so much love Thank you Grandma Jaqui for the chocolate. 

Until next week 

Elder S-C

Emergency changes

What a week 

Well right after I emailed last week we went back out to work and that night the Zone leaders called us and told us we needed to go to an Elder's house in our District becuase his Aunt that he was really close to died. President wanted someone to be with him so we went late that night. It was a sad experience filled as well with a powerful priesthood blessing and lots lots of tears. We took a ride back to our house very late that night. It was change night.

Well with this whole experience we had the rest of the week to work district meeting and we worked super hard this week it really showed becuase someone we contacted that week came to church with us. She is pretty funny obsessed wih johney Depp. Anyway We worked super hard this week the Sisters had an amazing baptism he cried throught the baptism and then throughout the sacrament just filled with the spirit. 

President called us this morning told us that he had really been praying about These two elders in our district (the one who had lost his aunt and his comp) and he felt that the Lord needs us to have an Emergency change with them. So I am having changes Today infact. I am going to their area on the other side of Salto with his Name is Elder Garner from Mesa Arizona. While my Comp will stay with the other Elder who is the one From Brasil I told you about. My new area is called Barrio Artigas and is poorer than my current area. I also wil be on bycicle a lot now! Which is kinda cool. This area has not had a lot of success as of late but has tons of potential It should be a good next Change very different. 

he sad part is for those I have taught here I have one day to say goodbye and they are going to be really sad. Good thing is I am not too far away and I am going to start teaching some of there family members.

I have a lot to do pack clean and hopefully sleep I am so tired you never get your sleep back on the mission you always have to go and do something. We went as a district to an all yu can eat Buffet and ate way too much I feel super sick but it was very good for our district. 

I´m kinda bummed but ready for the challenge that is what president said to me when he talked to me on the phone you ready for a challenge:) 

Mom I love you I am so glad you were Born! I pray for you all like crazy. I feel your pain siblings as I moved all those many times aswell keep your chin up and ask heavenly father for the comfort of your saviour. 

I love you all

Elder Stewart-Chester

Week 1 Barrio Artigas

Hello All,

Its been a week for sure let my tell you my new area is quite a bit difficult I mean its a different hard Let me explain. It is one of the poorer areas here in Salto and the people are really friendly and will talk you about pretty much anything, the hard part is its really spred out so we go everywhere on bike but it is hard to get members to the lessons. I really love our area though there is lots to do our church is beautiful but the members are few I hoping to help that:)

Lets start with my Birthday no well lets just say it was a day like any other I had things planned in our other area like a lunch with cake but I switched. Anyway it rained like crazy that day and we spent the entire morning contacting in the rain. All of the sreets are dirt streets well most are and so we were covered in mud flicted up from the Bikes. We actually found 2 really good people on my birthday tracting in the rain. One experience is Sandra who told us (as most do ) that she was catholic in the begining. After talking for a bit she told us how she always felt something different when the missionaries visit speak and pray with her. Things she has never felt her entire life in her Church. She explained the reason why she had never followed these feelings is for her parents who are super catholic and feels like it would be betrying them. After explaining the resteration  and asking her if she recieved an answer from god would she follow it no matter where it would take her. She has a lot of faith in God. My Comp asked her if she would offer the prayer  and to ask God if it really was the right path. She prayed super quietly and after she had finished wiped away tears and told us about the firery burning feeling she felt inside.....Awesome! she has committed to go to stake conference next week. 

My new companion is from Mesa Arizona and is a little difficult I wouldnt say we get along the best but we´re on the same team and we both want to serve the Lord. He is not the one who had the death is his family he comes from a family of 12 where all the kids are adopted. Pretty interesting. 

There are a couple of families in this new area that I just love. Our Ward mission lider is amazing the best I have ever seen tries so hard goes out and visits our investigators goes to inactive part families tries to help them always asks us what can he do how can he help. The best! His family is amazing aswell such good people his wife also goes out and helps in the work. 

what more I GOT THE PACKAGE way fast too right before my birthday still have not celebrated it maybe next P-day! 

I am on the final chapter of Jesus the Christ!

I actually love the bikes hurts your backside quite a bit when you first get on the thing but after a while it just makes the work better faster more offecient. I am really fast already growing these leg muscles:) my comp is pretty slow. 

What more oh my first day we went to the poorest part of area and got into the poorest house. Super nice people lots of sad things things happen in the poorer parts of town. I hope to take a picture someday maybe when there isn´t people to steal my camera. 

Anyway I still Cannot believe I am 20 I feel young still I keep thinking I will wake up someday and be back in jr high... 20 its a strange one I am no longer a teenager... wierd.

I eat tons and tons of oat meal at the moment I know your thinking wow way healthy ya I put sugar in too. 

I love you All more than Life be Safe always go to church and never ever forget to pray 

Elder Stewart-chester

Ps. all you better thank the lord everyday expecially the surfer that you dont have to move again:) 

Biking and splitting

SO most of my time has been filled with pictures I´m sorry I really am a super slow typer please forgive me. It has been a very good week Lets start with the news of changes well I´m staying here:) with my comp for another Change!!! WOOOh I love this area and my comp is awesome so no complaints whatsoever. 

I FINISHED THE OLD TESTAMENT....finally ahahah no it is amazing and I didn´t just read the old testament every week so thats why it took me a while. I learn so much more from the scriptures now its amzing I love personal study. Like i have already said Isaiah  is one of my favorite books of scriptures. 

This week has been one of learning and growing for sure I fall more in love with the mission every week. Great news with our family of new convirts they all attended church without problems and yesterday we taught an amazing retention lesson with all of them. They are wonderful humble and filled with desire to live the gospel. We reviewed El plan de Salvación with them and it was so wonderful to teach that one day they will both have eyes to see and will have glorified bodies. THey are the family in the photo:)

I really am filled with animo for this change I am ready to work hard. we have found quite a few good people in the last couple of weeks and we are really praying for them to continue. We are praying to continue finding and witnesing all these miracles we have been blessed with.  

I went on divisions twice this week one in Barrio Artigas with Elder Silva(from Brazil he was in the MTC in Sao Paulo the same time and my good buddy Elder Stevens) and truely it was a good experience. Elder Silva is a good guy a little difficult to understand but really tries to do well. That is the picture of me on the bike it was actually super fun butt hurt at the end of the day but no real complaints there. 

I also had an amazing Division with Elder Rivera in our area we went to one of our investigators and at the end of the charla she was in tears and excepted fecha and prayed which were things she would not do due to timidness. She is the daughter of a recent convirt Mirian Godoy her name is Florencia and is like 16 I think. She should be baptised this upcoming month. Elder Rivera is from Honduras and is awesome he is in one of the hardest areas in the mission and his stregth and work ethic that has been applified in this area is powerful. Just looking how hard he works gives me power to keep working hard. His area is huge and super poor and all by Bycicle. its really tought but they have a baptism next week.

we have lots of possibles and work for september.We also had an amazing experiece last week where we both just thought to go to a memebers house who is super sick with something terminal and we went with little thought on the matter and He asked us for a blessing of comfort. He asked me to do it. It was very spiritual Heavenly Father loves him. At the End he told us that Heavenly father had told him someone was going to come by. We were on the lords errand it felt more than good. 

Tate I Love you Very much be Strong and read the scriptures sometimes we feel alone But then all we have to do is think of the Lion King you know when Rafiki says "look harder" Heavenly father loves us all and Jesucristo is always there when you need him. I love you 

I love you all so much I love Life and yep there are a lot of pictures of detsroyed feet but their fine trust me.

Elder Stewart Chester

Ps I will write some letters

Dear Loved ones, yes even you, well maybe not you, and yes expecially you;)

Well let me just say this week was filled with heart stopping intensity. But we´ll get there. First it was good throughout the week we had divisions twice with the Zone leaders and I went with Elder Lopez to his area twice. one was for divisions and the other so they could work through the interviews we were having. I learned a lot he is a very good elder and works very hard. They are really working to change these bad couple of weeks they have been having. Its always good to go with a Latino comp I felt my Spanish improve rapidly just being around them gives me confidence. We actually had a pretty funny experience we got into this house with an old lady who looked as though she was on a little too much medication.  After all of our lesson on how she will be able to see her husband again someday and God loves her . She agreed with everything we said but when it came to the commitment she said she would not follow an answer from Heaven Father, that our message was true but she doesnt like our church because its different than hers. Its probably because we do not talk about Demons all the time hahaha jk. Anyway she then at the end smiled very big and said he´s beautiful..... pointing to me.  They busted up laughing.  I was rather taken aback. I sadly dont think she was all there. Because well lets face it the Plan of salvation is Everything its the best news ever. 

THE BAPTISMS: The Familia Fernandez is wonderful but we began the week with Javier the husband having some doubts about self worthiness. So we worked hard on him and they both passed the interview with flying colors him and his wife Catalina. They are both wonderful people. Well Saturday came around and we found them very early in the church ready for there baptism, well she was. He was sitting on the steps still feeling scared and doubtful. He wanted to have everything wonderful between him and his wife.  He tries really hard but he does not like the argueing etc and was worried about all this and water.  He had never been under water(of course we found out the day of baptism). While my comp talked him through everything I ran around getting the last finishing touches on the baptism and would take others away from the conversation if they would go investigate. After a priesthood blessing of comfort, Which was an amazing powerful experiece as he sat there and just said WOW for like 5 min after the blessing, he felt the peace he needed and was ready and it was a wonderful day I baptised him and Elder McCrany Catalina. 

Sadly it is not the end of our troubles we showed up to church yesterday to find out that he had come early with his family and then left. He was no where to be found he was drinking mate outside his family did not even know he took off. I felt terrible but we prayed I felt peace and with 20 min left before sacrament. Our Quorum leader of Elders decided to go look for him at his house even though his family said he would not be there and in the middle of the first hymn we got a call saying he had him and they would be there in 5 min. Lots of prayers were anwered yesterday with the weather everything that happened. He was comfirmed and we are working hard to ensure that they can be a forever family. 

I cant send pictures I will send them next week with Changes we are in not a good cyber. We played dogeball with our district today I have a huge blood blister I ´ll send a picture next week

Anyway oh the Urgoest@gmail.com mission email thing is better for those who dont have the time to write a letter.  When they send it they print it off in the offices and send it to us here in our areas. 

 ahhh what else... Um we are still working really hard it has been raining like crazy here but Sunday there was nothing, a complete answer to our prayers. We are working with a bunch of the families that we baptised not too long ago and we are trying to make more completed active forever families. I still love the mission and all of you. I think the mail strike or whatever is ending soon.

I am bummed I probably wont pass by the cyber again today to get your letters mom Just know I love you all Time is flying. I Feel Spiritual comfirmations daily. Revalation comes all the time I feel the hand of the lord often. The True is true I wouldn´t be out here if it wasn´t.

Elder Stewart-Chester  

Montevideo in a day

Well Monday once again how the weeks zoom by. Today has been a crazy crazy day. 

We found out the other day that I had to come to Montevideo to sign the papers for my visa today so ya thats where I´m at took a bus through the night i´m like 6 hours away on a bus strait. So it was a rough nights sleep I have a bus back at 5 30 ... But it has been a really good day I pretty much saw all my buddies from the CCM all my group I hung out with them all day and learned about all of our adventures all over Uruguay. Everyone speaks spanish now. Ben and Matt really need not fear. Montevideo is a big city we have been wondering around since dawn I actually ate McDonalds which was honestly heaven because it is so different tasting from what we eat every week. I also Saw Elder Elliot again as his comp also had to sign. 

Please forgive me I have not read all the emails I mostly just skimmed. but I got the headliner.... Lifes very short here on earth I think about it a lot I dont know why I have a testimony of the Plan of salvation It just rings true to my soul. Like I already knew it long ago. I think about all the painful things I have had to go through and all the painful things I have watched others go through. And all I see is the hand of the Lord I really feel that every time I have suffered I have become a stronger better person. I still believe my life was easy I have so many strong heros and people that showed me the way and my heart aches for those who suffer enormously every day. All I know Is rest will come and when it comes we will be so much the wiser and stronger. 

I love you Fletcher You will outstep me by leaps and bounds stay strong and always remeber Justification is of the Devil hit everything head on and love the journey. I Know that one day Christ will rein. 

Well lets try and talk about the week. we are still struggling with one family to get them to Church They are so close just need to take one more step forward. We have a baptism this Saturday she is wonderful Completely blind and always wearing a smile. I´ll send pictures next week. It is wild to me how long I have been here in Uruguay I feel Guayen and understand and speak with a lot more ease. Oh I think Zone conference was last week too well it was awesome. I am starting to really know more people in the mission and I have tons of friends friends I know I will have till I die. 

The Package got here Wow Way too much mom It was so wonderful but be careful how much it weighs and stuff that was a little over budget to send no? I love you all so much and cant tell you all how grateful I am to have all of you. I feel your prayers and I honestly love it here. The lord has given me so so much I could never hope to give it back. 

Its gotten warmer Salto is warm and amazing I love my area I hope I do not leave but I am really thinking it is a possiblity. Who knows. The mission is definately the best decision I ever made. I love you all Soo much 

Elder Stewart-Chester

ps. The mail thing not too sure whats going down but I think things get through by Fedex
Cuidense

(clear throat)

Lets begin

Alrighty lets describe some pictures so some of the last ones are this little town were everything looks the same a good 1 hour walk into the Campo from our area it is a little scary we do not go there very often as there is not alot of people and missionaries  have waisted lots of time out there creeppy huh.

Um... k Baptisms

Estephani Gomez Ré           is the red head

Brian Fernandez       is the 11 year old he is the one who´s both parents are blind and actually right now we are working with his parents and they have already been to Church twice. They are wonderful and have the baptismal date as the 18th but have a lot of fear so We are doing all we can do and leaving the rest for the lord.   

Mirian Godoy      is the one who had the super spiritual baptism she is the super short one she is wonderful and is aleady preaching the gospel to all her family and friends we are also working with all of them! 

Angeles Gonzalez        Is the little girl who was our last batism here. She is really faithful and is always coming with Uncle she has a really tough home life and that is why I believe she was really looking for our heavenly father.

um.... Like I said peanut butter is the most sought after item here on the mission I have already thougght of selling it but I do not want it destract me from the work so I´m not going to. 

Thats all I can preatty much Remeber. 

Ok this week. Well I am all better now not sick at all. We had a capacitation with the APS and it was awesome one of the new APs is a legend and he is like taking over how we do things in the mission pretty cool stuff. We have Zone conference wednesday and I am super stoked I get to see one f my best buddies from the CCM. I still have not recieved any mail in sometime I think that this boarder thing is still going on Who knows I´m pretty bummed but oh well. 

Here in Uruguay we have these liittle shops called Almasins that have like everything and its all on every street well anyway we have one near are house who´s a young family who are just awesome. His father just died last week and we are beginning to teach him he is a wonderful guy It helps remind you what the work is all about.

I finished a Journal!!! thats right mom already I write every day so someday you´ll have a lot to read:)

I also have an investigator with Dreadlocks hahah he is a big dud too works in security very athiest but we´ll see how it goes.

Fletch I love you buddy thought about you this week I wish you were here as my companion. I dont know if your still president of Teachers but just remeber that you could be the difference between someone who is active there whole life and someone who leaves the Church. 

I love you All I pray and worry about you all in the world. The church is true Never forget it. And the priesthood is very real.

Elder Stewart-Chester