42 is not the magic number for everyone

Hello my family!

Can you believe it is already week 5 of my fourth transfer! I sure can't! in just over two weeks I will hit my six month mark! my word time flies.

This week I will start with the miracle of 23 for Jeff. Jeff is an investigator in the quaint little town of Alamagordo. I was on exchanges there last week (do you remmeber all of this from last week and am i repeating myself too much? oh well..) Jeff is kind of homeless and is a chain smoker and a bit of a drunk. The sisters have been teaching him for a few months now and have seen little bits of progression. He was on date to be baptized in October - but wouldn't live the word of wisdom - nor would he read the book of mormon. so, needless to say, he missed his date. The sisters then committed him to pray for a new date by which he could be ready to be baptized and he just wouldn't. When I was there on exchanges, he sends a text that says " i read the chapters you left me" What the!! MIRACLE! and so we are all kinds of excited. We go to teach hime and he tells us that as he was reading the 4 chapters in the book of mormon all he could think about was baptism. so he says a prayer to ask Heavenly Father if it really is what he needs to do. then he read a verse on the Living Water and knew he needs to be baptized. Then he said another prayer to know what day he needs to be baptized on. he then gets a prompting to look up (I was skeptical at this point.. he licves in a lttle RV and I was thinking - do you have nubers written on your celilin or something??) so he looks up... to the top of the page he is reading where is says 23-31. and his first thought was the 23rd. there you go. Jeffs sate for the 23rd of November! But... that wasn't good enough for him.. He then tried to manipulate the numbers to thinking that 32 comes after 23 which is before 31 and after 13 so he was just at a loss. So then he got this feeling that he needed to draw lots. so we then ask - well how did it turn out? and he told us he hadn't done it yet-- he was waiting for us so it could be done "where two or three are gathered in His name" so Heavenly Father would be there with us. So the lots came! Jeff rtan back to his trailer grabbed a piece of paper and a pen to write the numbers 1 through 31 for all the days of the month- and what do ya know but his pen dies on 23. (I think he is supposed to be baptized on the 23rd! don't you) but he won't have that - so he borrows a pen from us and continues writing. he then rips them all up and puts themn in a bag to draw form. We then ask him to say a prayer that the right number can be drawn and he says the most sincere prayer I have ever heard! aking heavenly father to put the right number in Sister Bodily's hand (she was to draw the number..) and then the other ones run from her fingers. And then Sister Bodily drew the number. and guess what it was?? 7!!! no just kidding.. it was 23! how wild is that?? A completer miracle. and Jeff stopped smoking that day- hasn't smoked since. Hasn't had a drink since. has been to church the last two weeks and is reading in the Book of Mormon. man he is so ready! so exciting! other exciting news.. Bobbie has committed to be baptized on 7 December!! I am real excited for her! I am hoping that when we go up to ABQ for MLC next month we can go see her.. I don't know if that is breaking any rules though... we shalll see.

So now I bet you are wondering what is happening here in Las Cruces in the Dona Ana ward.. so am i! Not really, i know what is happening.  We are starting to teach this wonderful lady named Eva. Her jusband, Harvey is a long time less active - although before he went so, he beccame a high priest and went through the temple- but anyway she is just so wonderful! we geve her a copy of the Book of Mormon and she has read the introduction and the testimonies and is really enjoying it! I don't think we introdused it as well as we should have (it was an odd night...) and so I don't think she is searching for the spirit when she reads it, but next week we will go back and reexplain the importance of that book and teach her the restoration and help her to recognize the spirit and her husband too and then she will get to the temple one day and they will be sealed forever and eternity! yay for temples!

We are also teaching the children of another lessactive/ part member family where the wife is a member and the husband is not(and frankly, not interested in becoming so. he's been taught by multiple missionaries..)  - sister Ortiz.  or so we thought. this last weeek when we went over there- and she told us her last name is Mason. They aren't married!! What the!!! but the kids are still wonderful and excited to learn! well, most nights they are - it depends how exciting we make the lessons. So does that mean they reall enjoy it or not? i dunno! but we are there to also reactivate Sister ortiz/mason. We will help that family to become complete! and maybe help her and her not husband recognize the importance of marriage.

We are also working this other Less aActive family and they are just so fantaastic! There is no reason they should be less active- at least not one we have uncovered yet.. still working on that front. they wil be back. i know it.

I also know that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life. and what better thing could I be doing with my time right now? The answer is nothing.

I love you all!

Sister Stuart

Welcome to Las Cruces! - This picture is from one of the first days I was here.

This is how we celebrated Sister Montini's birthday! not gluten-free... made me sick for days!

Our late night adventure to the temple! cool picture of the fountain.. we kind of missed the temple..