Picture with Mrs. Parker (1st Grade Teacher)

Mom (Abby) got this text picture from Mrs. Parker after the Women's Conference and started to cry.  "Doesn't she just look great!"

We are so proud of you Taylor!

Who has time anymore?

We went and enjoyed another wonderful hike in this new Mexican wonderland! I love being outside! it was a grand adventure for surely! 

We have had a wonderful week full of exchanges and learning. 

Transfer calls come this weekend- transfers next Tuesday so Pday will be on Monday again. 

Short on time today-still have laundry to go do! - the hike went long, but know I love you all- next week I will fill you in on more that is happening in the life of Sister Stuart- but one thing is for sure - the spirit is strong and has been manifesting itself like mad these last few days! I love being a missionary!

I broke my shoe on the hike :( and found a new home!

and congratulations to the Ure Family on the new addition! She looks so precious!

And to think I Saw it on Mulberry Street

The first thing seen was good ole Socorro, New Mexico! Which is 2.5 hours north of Las Cruces. We drove up there last Wednesday night to drop off a sister who went home this last friday because she has been sick and the doctors can't figure it out - so she is going home to get better! So we took that 5 hour adventure in the car, missed the exit to get some icecream on the way home so we did an 8 mile loop (all for ice cream!! I am my mothers daughter!) and we gained a new companion! yay for being in a trio! Sister Field was serving in a family ward in the stake - well she still is, and so are we! we now get to cover two wards and it is crazy! but so wonderful! - anyway, she is from Garland Utah and is just the cutest little thing ever! She laughs all the time and it is little high pitched squeal that is just so wonderful! so with the three of us now covering two wards - we are living in two apartments kind of - Sister Fields apartment, which is right next door to my first apartemtn in Las Cruces on Venus Street and still the apartment on Espina - and at the end of the month we are moving yet again to another apartment on Wyoming Street becasue out lease is up on espina - it is wild! but we are making the most of it!

The next thing seen- was actually something not seen - and that was Carlos's baptism. We are bummed. But he wasn't baptized because he doesn't want to be - he still most definitely does -But let me tell you the story of what happened. We were supposed to see Carlos last Saturday night and then again on Sunday night to teach him the last lesson he needed and then to plan his baptism. Well he canceled on both of those. and I was a little bit tense - but everything would work out right?? But I really wasn't feeling too great about the situation.. So what did I do? Well I prayed of course! and I asked Heavenly Father if Carlos was not supposed to be baptized on Saturday to let us know in a way that we could not misunderstand! And the week went on. Thursday night came around and Sister Yenchik and I had a training to prepare for the next morning to present to themissionaries in Las Cruces and we definitely stayed up later than we should have.. and the night before we didn't get back to Las Cruces from Socorro until 11:25pm so that was a late night too- and it is somewhat tricky to handle stressful situations when you are lacking on sleep! but - President Miller taught us a few weeks ago that when we are on the Lord's errand, He will sustain us! there is some scripture that says that - but I don't remember it.. sorry! anyway -back to my story - only I need to back track a little bit- We were able to see Carlos on Thursday morning at 8:00 (definitely were supposed to be studying at that time- but extrememe situations call for extremem measures) and finish teaching him what we needed to- but still nothing for the baptism program. We still didn't know who he wanted to baptize him! Gaaa! (that is something you really have to worry about as a sister missionary who doesn't hold the priesthood..) We finally got that later that day and went and got him some baptism clothes and for the person baptizing himn and we figured that we would just take care of the program!  no need to stress him out with that stuff. and he still hasn't had his interview!! And all this time I am about to lose it! I still didn't feel all that good about the situation - but it wasn't anything that I couldn't misunderstand - so we kept moving forward! 

Then Friday morning rolls around - Sister Yenchik packs up to go to Alamogordo for an exchange and we head to Zone training. Our training went well in case you were wondering. After a wonderful lunch and a leadership training, where we had another trio of sisters in the zone call us about 17 times wanting to borrow Sister Field so they could go on splits for the afternoon adding to the stress of the day but we didn't answer becasue we were in a meeting, we switch companions and Sister Yenchik heads out to alamogordo 1.5 hours away until Saturday afternoon. Then we get a text from Carlos that says "Hi sistas! I got serious injury during physical conditioning on the A mountain." Theres your sign. Sorry Carlos that I prayed you to wreck your knee so you couldn't babaptized on saturday... I didn't mean it that way! But that was something I could not misunderstand. He got three deep cuts in his knee that have stitches and staples and a knee that can't bend. oops. But he is still great and still wants to be baptized. Thank goodness!

There you have the snapshot of Mulberry Street in Las Cruces New Mexico! I love hearing about what you see- so keep that coming!

I love you all!

Sister Stuart

Our Trio!

hard at work.. (totsally staged! I love it! but this was during our weekly planning that lasted waaaaay too long! I guess that is what happens when you have to plan for two wards)

Moving Forward, Las Cruses

Hello Family!

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”  Walt Disney

I am really feeling that this is applicable to me right now as I have officially crossed the threshold of the first half of my mission. One can get very caught up in looking back at everything accomplished and feel complacent knowing they have done good- whatmore is there to do? Or one can look back with regret, knowing they did not do enough. Or one can take the advice from Walt - LOOK FORWARD! look back to the past to learn but then be curious in your future! what does it hold for you? There are doors waiting to be open and paths waiting to be hiked (speaking of - we went on an awesome hike this morning to an old hotel and sanitorium that was so neat! I was blown away! and it was so pretty too! and when I went to take out my camera to take a picture - it was dead.yay. ) and there are new things to do? What will you do new this week? Who will you talk to and make a day brighter? What door will you open? 

Here is to moving forward! Each and every day. Don't look back for very long - BE CURIOUS! add that to President Hinckley's list of Be's.. Is that blaspheme? no. Be curious. it is good for you - and Be interested. not interesting. that'll do great things for you too. sorry I really don't have much to say this week - but all is well inthe paradise of Las Cruces! and Carlos is getting baptized this weekend! yay! 

I love you all! and know that I love this work and I love the Lord.

SIster Stuart

Oh I had a question to ask that I forgot to - 

If Mary spent time in France and they didn't have the 'ew' there still must have been a way to pronouce Stuart. Carlos is French. He cannot seem to say it - it always comes out something like Schuwart - how do the French say it?

Mucho Gusto, Las Cruses

There is just so much to ramble about this week that I really have absolutely no idea where to start! How about last tuesday - I left y'all hanging about our lesson with Carlos - well just so you know - it was amazing! He just loved the movie so much and so naturally we talked about baptism.. again. but this time was different! because he said he wanted to be a member and wants to be baptized! yahoo! but then he has a question... He asks us "How will it work though? I am catholic. I was baptized Catholic. So can I still be baptized Mormon?" oh yes Carlos!! and then he was all for it! So we extended the date for 22 March 2014 for him.. but he will be out of town - so then he asks - how about this week? can i do it this week? Oh it was so wonderful!! but becasue we hadn't finished teaching him, he was not baptized last Saturday - but he is going to be on 15 March! and we are so excited!

and then after that wonderful day of miracles - I went and spoke Spanish for a day! well-I really just pretended I spoke Spanish for the day.. But the Hermanas and their investigators say I am getting pretty good! Yahoo! maybe by the end of my mission I will be able to hold a real conversation instead of just saying buenos dias, bien bien, eigualmente, mucho gusto, eeoohsted, (I may be able to say these words - but that does not mean, obviously, that i know how to spell them) and then Joseph's prediction for my mission will have been all the way right! way to go! 

Another exciting thing that happened- Siter Yenchik and i pushed a 3 ton truck. yep. we did that. A lady's huge truck died at a stop light and when the light turned green she was waving everyone to go around her - we didn't! we stopped and turned on our flashers and jusmped out to offer what assistance we could! well her truck was dead and in the middle of the road- so we did what I had been raised to do - help! So sister Yenchik and - in our dresses - pushed this truck around the corner and up the road - thankfully another gentleman caught eye on this odd scene and decided to help. It was crazy! but we did it. adn we helped her. thansk dad for teaching me to always stop if someone is stopped on the side (or the middle) of the road awaiting help. 

We saw some more people and did some more missionary things and spread the gospel and you know all of that good stuff.. oh but I do have to tell you about this lesson we had last night! Incredible!! We have been really working to find people to teach through our own efforts and opening our mouths and inviting people to hear more and the like -but nothing seems to be coming from it.. but that is okay! do you want to know why? If you said no - stop reading.. becasue I am going to tell you!! The Lord recognizes out efforts and He will bless us accordingly! He has probably been laughing at Sister Yenchik and I over this last week as we have been trying to creatively talk to people and He is just shaking His head at us.. but He does notice that we have been trying - and we have been working hard and so yesterday- He just gave us the most prepared person to teach! Another set of sisters called us with a referral- a girl whose cousin just got baptized into their ward. The referral. Kearen, was just baptized a baptist in October but has been asking a lot of questions about the LDS faith - so the sisters told her about the university ward and gave us her information- so we called yesterday after church and she told us we could come over at 4- so we did! and It was incredible! The spirit was so strong! She is so ready for this - she has just felt lost and so confused and just doesn't know where she fits and where she belongs and where God wants her to be. Well I will tell you what - she belongs here! and I think, no, I know she felt that last night! otherwise, why would there be so many tears from all of us?? But the coolest part of that whole lesson was that the restoration and the story of Joseph Smith related so perfectly to her! She has a question that needs asking - and she will ask and get her answer and be so happy! oh I am just so excited for her!

I think that is all I have for you now.. actually there is heaps and bundles more.. but I will leave it at that - else what would I have to talk to you about in 10 months??

Here is a picture of Sister Yenchik and I at the library this morning - notice my scarf and coat?? it was 59 degrees this morning and I was cold!!! Utah in December is going to be a rude awakening for me!

 And all the flowers are out in blooms - In February!!!

 and a lot of the trees!!