This week was a week where I was changed forever. It was a very important week for my life. First I would like to share a miracle God let us witness.
His name is Rodrigo and he is a miracle. How can I put it into words well lets start from the beginning. We received a call from a couple of missionaries one Sunday telling us that Rodrigo was a less active that had contacted all the members he had known to try to get hold of the missionaries in his ward in our ward. Eventually we got the reference and even though we had no time we went late to his house and learned a lot of why he needed help. First off he has huge health problems severe health problems. After so much depression and sadness his grandmother told him to ask the missionaries to come by and teach him. so he looked us up.
He then began to describe who he was and what had happened to him to cause him to go inactive. He served a mission but came home early for racism and resentment, anger, and health problems and he began to tell us about all these leaders that had caused him so much pain and how American missionaries had treated him so awful. He moved to Argentina to get away from it all and left the church. He let doubts destroy his once strong testimony. Eventually he married a wonderful woman called Andrea and then his heart problems that he has had for all his life got worse because of the heat of where he was living and he was forced to move back to Uruguay.
He was so bitter and negative when we met him and did not like the US that is for sure. We met him first and his mother who was a strong member but because of What happened to her son she became so offended and racist.
The miracle is all of them have had a change of heart. All of them were present yesterday in the baptism of Andrea and her Husband Rodrigo was in the circle when she recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost.
I am not going to lie I never imagined it was even possible when we first met them he was So unreceptive to the spirit and would always bring everything we were teaching to his problems. But after the 2nd lesson we met Andrea his wife from Argentina who is an angel. She is so christlike and that is what we we started to work on was making them a forever family. It was a hard struggle. He kept destroying lessons and was very offended. But they started coming to church and this last week we saw a miracle in him.
First we gave him a blessing because he was stuck in the hospital for a while and came back very bad. so we gave him a blessing and the crazy thing was he actually a couple of days later went to hospital again but this time he asked his wife to bring him his Book of Mormon and from there he could not stop reading and preaching the gospel with everyone within the reach of his ears. He had heard the bishop sunday tell the ward that we had to give the missionaries references and he went to work. Filled with testimony and excitement, he changed so much. He bore testimony to many and after he got out he went to a reference his grandma gave us and began to testify with such power. He said things like "I am happy finally after so much sadness I am happy again!" He would say things that we had said to him and he tried to help them understand and tell them how he finally understood it all and how negative he was and how it did not help him progess. Me and my companion were amazed by the power of God and what he can do to the hardest of hearts.
Andrea was baptised in freezing water because the water heater was not working. and she is already wanting to go on a mission with her husband and serve and help others. His mother also went to the baptism and now they all love the US he told me the other day he wanted to start learning English again because he use to be amazing but after everything that happened he completely stopped. I am so filled with Joy I cannot explain it. She was the crowning star as the last baptism of our zone for this month with our Goal set at 12 she was number twelve I love them.
Oeste is changed and will only keep growing and being stronger I am so greatful for everything the Lord has given me to be able to be here with the knowledge that HOY ES EL DIA!!! In Oest HOY ES EL DIA!!! This is something we always say in our mission because as Elder Perry has said in the missionary conference world wide the end had begun God is hastening His work!!!
Another miracle this week that was super impactful for me was my interview with President Smith. I will probably never tell anyone exactly what he said to me for I feel it is sacred and special for me but I will tell you that mainly he thanked me for what I was doing and I wept. In the end he said we will be good friends forever. I love him.
Well as you can see in the pictures (I know I should've taken more but It is so hard when you are in charge of everything) we had a zone activity because we hit our baptismal goal of 12 baptisms (never been so high in Our stake). We asked a missionary couple in the offices to help and they just did so much they are wonderful. They cooked a full meal for us and we brought stuff aswell. WE played games and in the end we watched 17 miracles on a big screen projector. I teared up some more. It is such a powerful movie. Really the sacrifice now to go on a mission is nothing. I am grateful to be here so grateful I am so endebted to my savior how could I do anything else. I just find it funny that all of us at one point in our lives we just can´t get a grasp of why we have to go through trials and hard times. Why cant we just be peacefully happy. I will always now in my suffering think of my savior bleeding to death in Getsemani and my ansestors walking the plain digging graves and then laying on top of it to die with them [their loved ones].
I am so grateful for my Savior. I love you all and want you to know that I have felt His love it is real and tangible and changes you forever. Look and seek after it always. HE lives! Ask God you will get an answer.
I love you all so much long email no:) I hope you all know I love you and pray and plead for you as time winds on it scares me but I am excited to be someone different to each and all of you to listen better and share my testimony more and more than anything strengthen those who suffer and have there heads down.
I love you all
Elder Stewart-Chester
ps. I print your emails off every week love your words and thank God for each of you
this is a study we did before a zone capacitation with president these are the beliefs of our mission and scriptures to show examples of them
It was a success!
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