More pictures

this is Elder Pyeatt everyone says we look alike he just finished the mission.

us with our district leaders

new fake raybands:)

the zone hats are completed

this is a missionary couple that began the mission a little after me they go home this week.

look what a member has!

My companions glasses...

Cambios!!!

Well are you all ready to hear what happened this week?? I had a little bit of a crazy experience the other day as I assumed that we were staying, me and and my companion, together this next change because I had not recieved a call from President. Then,  while talking to the sister missionaries in my zone, she told me that I was going to be a zone leader in a different zone.  My heart exploded because I was and am not ready to leave yet. But she acted like it was common knowledge and she shares her area with the office elders so I thought oh my they forgot to call me I am going to Colonia. I got on my knees praying for strength and pouring my heart out to Heavenly Father telling Him even though He moved me arround so much in the mission I would go and I would do what He needed of me. Then I talked to the Assistants and I am staying here in Oeste!!!! yayayaya!! 

I was mostly bummed because a young guy called Jonathan we have been working with here is going to baptised this week and after an amazing lesson with the bishop Sunday he told us that he wanted me to baptise him. I love him and will send you pictures next week. He is extremely prepared and now we are just working on getting the support of the young adults in the ward to bring him under their wing. 

We had a lot of spiritual experiences this week. Luckily I keep a great journal and am on my 7th Journal and it will be my last. Just like the 7 harry potter books:) We are really finding miracles all over the place. We are teaching the husband of a recent convert who is a really great guy and this week we hit a breakthrough in the teaching. He has been praying a ton to get this job he wants and had a huge spiritual experience praying. He felt God's love envelope him and give him the comfort he needed. He has said to his wife that he is going to get baptised!! He just wants to wait a little bit more. 

Our zone has changed quite a bit and hopefully for the better. I talked to an elder last night that thanked me for all our support and told me that we were the best zone leaders he has had in the mission. I fight back tears just thinking about it. It helps you to know that we are here for a reason a Devine one. 

Well I have tons to do today I want to tell you all that I love you so much I see pictures that my mom sends of you all and it brings me to tears to see you all grow up and see those of you on the mission giving all your work.   I feel your prayers.  I need them.   I know that it is your prayers that cause me to look back on days and think to myself how in the world did I get through all that and everything went so smooth! 

i love you remember that always. 

Elder Stewart-Chester

visitors center in the chappel

my echos I do´t use anymore

Elder McCraney visted us here in Uruguay this week I love that Guy!

Zone Oeste!!!!!!

Honestly It feels like yesterday I emailed.

The weeks blur by I am so slammed with things too that It just rockets by. It helps that my comp is the best and we are always laughing so hard I pray I get to stay with him this next change as well. I love the work it goes well. 

Well first Mom I dont think you should take pictures of fletcher in his undies a little wierd. hahah I talked to president about BYU I think you have to complete the process up to a certain point and then he goes in and adds his endorsment. 

This week was hecktick as usual. saturday we had an awesome day and we did another visitors center in a ward in our zone that asked us to help them out. We were in charge of the reference table and we worked the crowd for references. The bishop of their ward was more than a stud.  He stood outside the entire time and invited people on the street to come and check it all out. Lots came through and i´m pretty sure people that were prepared.  Also in the middle of their visitors center they had a family be baptised all together. Pure awesomeness because there was like 100 people there and lots that were not members. 

Anyway a little bit on the work here in our area. Well, it goes really well we have jonathan Like I talked to you all about in the last couple of weeks progressing very well. He should be baptised the 31st. He is excited. We taught some commandments to him this last week that as a twenty year old man were very different from the way he had been living. But he is extremely prepared and willingly excepted after we explained it to him. In the beginning he thought we were joking hahaha I love him he is someone I will never forget. Next step for us to make sure he has tons of support and always continues coming to church for all his life. 

Oh X Elder Eliott wrote me and says that he wants to visit you he is going to BYU right now I am going to send him our home adress ok:) 

Elder McCraney is here in South America this week and we are going to go out to eat with him and his family Thursday!! Super Excited! Next week we have changes in the mission so I am going to be writing on Tuesday btw. 

What else.. hmm oh my goodness how could I forget this last week I did divisions and met a new hero. WOW His name not quite sure but he goes by Tito. He is an old man that can barely walk. He is a recent convert of some elders here and he is such a wonderful peron. he can barely walk he has a walker and it takes forever to walk a couple of meters. But he from when the missionaries first found him gets up early and begins his super long walk at 7 so that he can make it to church at 9 walking like a tortoise. That is not all people in the ward have begged him to let them come and pick him up but he refuses.   Every step he prays to our heavenly father for help and that is why I will never forget him either. He was telling us about how amazing the temple experience was for him to do baptisms he wanted to stay there he said. That is a man who understands what all this means the Gospel the Church all of it is worth the lorg struggle he makes to church every week. I hope you all think of him as you drive to church next week only a couple of block away. There is too much we take for granted in this world. 

This Church is so true I have had so many experiences lately with the Lord whispering a thought in my head and so that is what we act upon and it all goes so well!! There is no way I could do all I have to here without my Heavenly father and heck of a lot of prayer. 

I love you all so much I am so grateful that I have all of you in my life:) 

Elder Stewart-Chester

Well folks

Howdy Yall.

I had one crazy week let me tell you.  But before I get to my week, questions need to be answered.

I already sent my essays last week mom so they should be there at the house soon. Edit them make sure they are not too long etc. I love you for doing that. I also talked to presidente and he said you have to start the process and then he will go in and add his part. I also am figuring out what I need to do to work in the MTC in Provo and even though they only take the best I am going to give it a good go:) 

And Dad you asked about my birthday... it is hard to really think of anything I want or need. I will need lots of things when I get home but idk things I would like are magic the gathering Cards to open up and money so I can buy gifts for everyone. 

Ok my week was nuts.   After p-day, we are not quite sure why, but my companion got super sick Tuesday. It was so bad in fact that we spent a lot of tuesday in the hospital because his stomach was in a ton of pain and his body was rejecting everything he put into it. It turned out that it was just a virus and not too bad as we thought.   But Wednesday was a little hard too. Wednesday I invited an awesome ex-missionary in our ward who was Assistant in the other Uruguay mission to speak to our zone.   It was more of a pep talk because Zone conference was going to be Friday. It was awesome.

Friday President showed our zone and The zone of Cerro what he had taught to all the leaders in the capacitation we had. And wow was it amazing. Me and my comp had to do the first demonstration of the new way we are teaching the first lesson  to an investigator. It was nerve wracking because we taught president and like 60 missionaries were watching and taking notes but let me tell you the lord has brought me a long way has given me lots of courage and strenth and the spirit is the real teacher anyway. Me and my companion had practiced a lot and we also practised with the assistants so it went really well and the missionaries really enjoyed what president had prepared.

It was a day filled with the spirit. Strong testimonies and how I love zone conference. Next Zone conference will be my last and I cannot believe it... Time has flown.

We also had some great experiences with some of our investigators this week. Roberto who was going to baptized this last week is having some troubles so we are going to fast with him today and help him to recognize his answer. 

Remember that story last week about Jonathan who I reminded to pay attention to the spirit. Well saturday we had a lesson with him and he informed us that he recieved a huge answer from the spirit he said it was the best thing he has ever felt. I sat there and thought to myself that is what it is all about helping people feel that! How I love being a missionary. THe Church is true ladies in gentlemen and if you dont believe me the only thing you can do is get on your knees and ask God the answer comes but only to those who seek it DILIGENTLY. It came to me after I was in the 70´s of D&C after reading the whole Book of Mormon and asking God every day if it was true and fasting twice! 

Ask God 

I love you all like Crazy!! You are my prized possessions

Elder Stewart-Chester

.

WEll you are going to have to forgive me with little time to spare this will be a short email.

I have gotten better at typing though mom so thats good hopefully I can get a lot across. 

Today was extremely weird day. We went back to me and Elder Miranda´s old area in Cerro and truely I felt like I did not belong there.   That could have had something to do with a random kid slapping me in the face as he walked by and he said something dark?  But it was more because , i dont know,  I am not in control of the salvation of the people in that area anymore. It was weird to visit and think it has been 8 months since I was there in Cerro. I saw a family who had a young daughter and truely she changed completely.  It started me thinking about Bo and Ted and everyone how weird it will be to see you all grown up. So yah the problem was we just got caught there for too long.  My companion was there for 6 months while I was only there for 1 and a half so there was a lot to talk about. The sad thing is we could not get a lot done. 

But anyway this week was a really good one,  lots of divisions hard work and we had another visitors center in our chapel for the other ward that shares our chapel that was awesome. We had some good investigators there. I have come to find that truely the way to teach someone the gospel involves two things creating a spiritual experience and then helping them recognize that what they feel is the spirit. Honestly ever since the capacitation from our president I have had lots of spiritual experiences.  And,  do you know what changed? It was me.  In the lessons i started asking them to get on their knees and ask God. And after they did so, I did not say WoW that was a great prayer and give them a high five, but instead I would   say,  how do you feel? It has changed everything. We need to help the world to stop what they`re doing and listen God lives and loves us and has all the answers but we have to stop and ask ourselves how do I feel is this what they are saying is true? 

Something that happened in the visitors center was one of our awesome investigators called Jonathan went and in the middle of the tour the spirit was very strong and in the middle I stopped the sister missionaries that were explaining and said to him wait a minute how do you feel and then I reminded him that the way we feel is the way God responds to us. He felt the spirit.

Something pretty cool is there is a sister missionary called hermana Olson that is from Vegas and guess who gave her her patriarcal blessing? yep Grandad!  The world is very small. It looks like we will be having a baptism this saturday but it is still pending . I`ll let you know.  He is a very prepared man called Roberto.

I love you all I have no time to write anyone forgive me all of you 

Next time. 

I love you the Church is true

Elder Stewart-Chester

Probably my busiest week of the mission.

this is the design my companion made for a zone hat we are making to boost the brotherhood here!!

Mom first off forgive me but I still am no where close to finishing those essays. I still have not begun and I will not have time today nor next week. I am going to try and write a little bit every morning but I first need to catch up on my journal because with everything going on I have fallen very far behind. Not sure when I can send them.But I will push myself it's just my N1 priority is the Lord and His missionaries and I have to plan lots for a Zone capacitation tomorrow. 

So Tuesday after district meeting we were informed that Thursday we would be having a mission leader meeting that was going to begin Thursday early and was going to finish Friday afternoon. This was unheard of and unprecedented but one of the most life changing experiences I have ever had. We had some difficulties because a new sister missionary that had just started her mission in our zone had a problem with a recent sergury that she did not put in her mission papers.  She had to go home because she was  unable to walk after 1 day of hard work. So with that and trying to visit as many of our investigators as possible we had to get ready for the two day capaciation. We arrived there in the temple hostle its called and we were all the zone leaders from throughout the mission (tons of my friends) and hermana leaders and we began to be so filled with the spirit and learned so much I took 14 pages of notes. It was powerful we all received new ties to ´tie us together´. I will never forget the spirit I felt there. There are times if you just sit back and ponder in your heart how do I feel?  Is this true? The spirit will cause an unmistakable burning in your heart. I felt one of the most spiritual impressions and we talked about how the mission was going to change and how we could help others really learn how to use the Book of mormon in their lives and I felt such a burning and it would not leave! The Church is True I know It! The main focus that I feel the lord needs from us all here is that We need to create the opportunity for others to have spiritual experiences not on there own when they kneel and pray on their own but instead with us when the spirit is the strongest! 

We already put it into practice on saturday and after teaching an amazing investigator about how to ponder in his heart we asked him to ask God and that is what he did and he ended in tears:) How I love this gospel! All you have to do is ask God thats it and then listen not with your thoughts but with your heart. 

WE also went to the temple with our president and all the leaders from all over the mission what a powerful experience with so many young servants of God trying to purify our hearts and find the will of God in our areas and zones. an amazing site how I love the temple. 

We also ate some of the best food I have eaten in 1 and a half years wow:) 

Something awesome is that my president's son Jerry is Fletcher in the flesh. I spent quite a lot of time talking to the guy and wow it made me miss fletch I love him. 

Anyway that is a little bit of the week. i hope to have time to look for shoes today but we´ll see if I have time with everything. my companion lent me a pair of shoes:) 

Anyway I love my companion I am so blessed to be with him right now.   We are seeing lots of miracles and we are good friends. I am going to go to his wedding in Colombia when I get home without a doubt. 

Anyway I love you thank you for your letters.  I love your letters. i got that package from the ward tell them thank you for thinking of me. 

I love you all remember to be immovable and to never Give up God is the perfect example of this as he never gives up on us! 

i love you all so much

Elder Stewart-Chester

I will try to send pictures in a little bit my computer does not work

What a week! By far the busiest and exciting week of my mission. I experienced tons of stress as we went through changes and my companion heading home. And then there was all the confusion about changes Which as a Zone leader I have a very large part part of making sure it all goes well. And then we had a CVC(guided tours in our chappel) in our area friday and then saturday we arose early to attend the temple. Very busy but oh so rewarding. 

Where do I begin? Well first off my Companion... Not gonna lie we get a long really well.  He will probly be among the lists of my favorite companions. He is a powerful teacher and will be a huge help to our zone. He was a bit nervous in the begining but lost all of that and we saw a lot of success this week in our area now we just have to transmit that to the rest of the zone. 

It was Quite a week Honestly the Temple was amazing! It was a very powerful experience to go through completely in spanish and understand it all this time and feel the spirit so so strongly. 

The temple was spectacular. I dont know if it is because I have learned a lot better in the mission what is a spiritual impression but wow I felt the spirit very strongly. It was as if my heart would burst. How I love that place. It was something else also to know that I had a small part in helping a family be sealed for time and all eternity. I felt such strong desires afterwards to teach the law of chastity better and with more conviction. There is so much love in the temple pure Christlike love something you do not see anywhere else. That is how it should be here in the world.

    We arrived a little early and were able to go through and work a little bit in the room where they do the sealings as witnesses. Wow. 

When we got to the live sealing of the familia Alvez I just was at peace and I was amazed at the gravity of what was being done as he told them this is the last greatest ordinance  one can do on the road to the kingdom of God. What a step that will be. How I love the temple.   I pray to be able to spend hours and hours there every week When I return. 

The CVC that we had on Friday was a big succes. We were a little disappionted in the beginning because a lot of members did not come with investigators to share this amazing gospel but towards the end some very prepared people came and we may have found a very prepared lady aswell. WE are excited! We also are going to have the opportunity to do it again with another ward that shares our chapel so we are going to guilt trip the members who did not come:) hahha just kidding we`re just going to help them more to invite. and keep inviting!

I love this gospel I love The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love our dotrine I love being able to testify to my brothers and sisters that there is a church a religion that does not have just 20% of what Jesus Christ had in His Or even 99% of what Jesus had and left us with. There is one Organization that has 100% and I was born into it I have been so blessed by our father in Heaven. I dont want to be somewhere with 99% of the truth I want it all I want apostles and prophets, Patriarchs, temples with sealing power! I want the Holy Ghost as a constant companion and I want everyone else to have this as well. 

I know this church is true I prayed and God answered my question and took away my doubt. How blessed we are! I love you all be strong and immovable The gospel is the only way to live in such a dark world. 

Elder Stewart-Chester

We went bowling with our zone on a Pday!  

I bought this amazing traditional outfit instead of buying my shoes.

The guided your of the chapel and our temple trip..

Beautiful temple in Montevideo Uruguay!