Albuquerque, NH

I never quite know how to start these emails.. I always have the thought that I have nothing to say but then.. I end up rattling on for ages! I don't quite know how.. so excuse me for the rough start.

Speaking of rough starts - last night we taught a lesson that was a real rough start! There is a 14 year old boy who is part of the scout troop in the ward but is not a member. He really enjoys scouts and actually went on Trek this summer and he also went to scout camp at Phillmont and had fantastic experiences there! About a month ago we ate dinner at a members home who is the scout committee chair and she invited Jonathon and his family over. That night we taught the first lesson- the restoration and it went really well. We left them each with their own copy of the Book of Mormon and challenged them to read and pray about it. Unfortunately, we kind of lost contact with them. But we did not forget about them! We talked to another member family who has a son the same age and who is in scouts with him - he told us he would invite Jonathon and his family over to their house to be taught and they accepted! That was last night. We taught the plan of salvation and went right into it- not the best idea. I think both of us were pretty nervous. It was Sister Smith's first time teaching the Plan of Salvation all the way through and only my second or third.. and on top of that - we didn't even know if this was really a teaching appointment! We were told that the family had said they would come over to 'visit' in the evening.. what does that mean?? So we planned the lesson anyway and it is a good thing we did becasuae we got there and everyone just looked at us like "okay take it away!" It was nerve racking.. so we launched into the lesson! and taught - asking a few questions here and there but not really learning of what their understanding is - which is not something I recommend. After we covered the whole plan in 20 minutes (that is fast..) we laid it out with those pictures you gave me kemp and went over it again briefly with the pictures creating that visual and I think that helped. Then the questions were asked.. so okay - here is all this information we just threw on you that probably all went straight over your head and now we will find out what you know.. but it actually worked out really well and really nicely! I actually do not think it could have worked out better.. but that is definitely not something I will risk again.. Teach for understanding starting form the beginning. But the good news! We invited them to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God and they accepted! And we set a return appointment! Yahoo! they are going to be baptized and then they are going to go to the temple and become a family forever!

Update on Brian- we haven't seen him since. We have set two appointments with him and he has no showed to both. but we are still hopeful! We are dropping by tonight. and we won't give up.

We had exchanges again this last week and this time I left the area! I went down to Los Lunes to the Monzano singles branch and worked there. It is a n area with much more humble circumstances and the people are a lot more willing to talk to you - for 45 minutes on their doorstep! We went to find a less active member - who lives in an area called meadow lake that has a lot of single wide trailers - his was completely ababndoned looking and quite terrifying actually - but Sister Morris (who I was on exchanges with and who is actually my grandma in the mission so it was really cool to be able to spend the day with her and get to know her better ) said we still needed to go try. I was scared. And on the side of the trailer closest to the road it had spray painted on "NO TRESPASSING! GUARD DOGS WILL BITE!!" and y'all know how much I don't do dogs - dangit I am deaf! anyway, We walk around to the front of the trailer (which was on the side). there is a big dumpster in the front and what do ya know - a dog is lurking behind. Okay. Time to run. Sister Morris continues on. and we didn't die. but the house was abandoned and trashed and in a really poor condidtion. That is why we went to the neighbor to ask about him and she is the one who talked to us for ages about all these crazy things happening in her family. She really needs the gospel. as does her family.

That is the real exciting thing about exchanges this time around. not so mind blowing as last transfer - but still real good all the same - oh but the bugs! I was really shocked at how few bugs there are her in new mexico - until I went to Los Lunes and came home with 4 mosquito bites on on ankle! It was horrid. I like my dry area away from the river and therefore the bugs!

Yesterday at church Sister Smith and I went to Young Womens instead of Relief Society and it was so fantastic! I want to go there every week! I remember how I wanted nothing more to be out of young womens and to move on with my life - and now I just want to be back! especially with the new youth curriculum. It is so cool! August is all about marriage and family- and being women, the topic of discussion was on Proverbs 31:10-31 The traits of a virtuous woman. and guess what I learned! She is Gluten Free! in verse 27- She eateth not the bread! Yahoo! It makes me feel so much more empowered to know that being gluten free makes me virtuous! but actually - read that whole section. It is really good. and there are actually real insights to be gleaned from it. That was just my aha moment of the day.

Update on Bobbie - Her daughter who was baptized about a year and a half ago lives with her husband in Layton. Bobbie had expressed to us that she wanted him to baptize her in Utah - we were bummed. But she told us that she is going to be baptized here! and her family will come here! Yahoo!

I am rambling now.. well I have been this whole time actually - but now I think I am out of rambles so I will quit.

I love you all!

Sister Stuart

Lessons I learned from Sonic. Albuquerque, NM

 

Another week has come and flown by! So my first week of training dragged (drug?) on.. I thought it was so incredibly slow. good. but long. but this past week has gone real quick. I swear I was just here at the library emailing y'all! and again I did not make a good list of what I want to share.. so this might be another scatter brained day..

But to begin - the pep talk from Sister Boyle! "When the work is slow and you feel frustrated, just remember that our main goal in this short earth life is to get back to Heavenly Father. But the more celestial goal is to help bring our families, friends, and other home with us too. Keep the faith, work hard, and never lose sight of our earthly goal. It helps to keep everything in perspective. There is no greater work we could be doing! Pearly gates or bust!" Thank you Sister Boyle!

Isn't that the truth though? We truly are in a life saving business! and, as what was re brought to my knowledge this past week in a letter from Amy, we are literally children of the birthright and we have a responsibility to bring the message of the restored gospel to those around us! and you better not be slacking off fam! YOu have missionary work to do too! Remember D&C 4:3 - if you have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work!

And man have I needed that this past week. We have been working on finding new people to teach- We went through the area book and looked up all the past former investigators and potential investigators and have been contacting them and within a week we have been through all but 4 names. and they have not been interested.. bummer. So it gets discoutraging - but then you have these incredible moments that make all the knocking on doors and getting told no thanks or not really or I will never be a mormon or I have already found God worth it!

Last week we had a name on our list, Bryan, to go see. We tried by his house but he had a really stubborn gate that we could not figure out how to open - so we left. His house is right down the street from Bobbie who we are currently teaching. We had about 10 minutes before our appontment with her so we figured hey let us go try to work that gate open and see Bryan! after wiggling and pulling and some pushing we finally got it open! we rang the doorbell and immediatley were welcomed by the blasting of the vocal chords of monster size dogs! I swear they were going to bust the door down and break the windows! I was a bit terrified.. then we here a screen door open behind us and an older, unhappy looking gentleman asks who we are and what do we want. It was strange. and a bit disconcerting. So we try to tell him but then he shuts the door and tries to talk to us through the glass. It was rather uncomfortable. then he disappeared. Then he stuck his face in the window and held up a finger saying one minute. So we waited. and waited. and seriously debated whether we should stay. then behind us, from the garage, comes a younger guy who apologized for the actions of his father and starts chatting with us. This guy is Bryan and we start talking to him anout Christ and Heavenly Father and church and all that good stuff and he explains to us that he takes Christ with him wherever he goes and he hasn't been to church in a long time but really wants to get back so we invited him next week! and he said he would come! and we set up a return appointment for Wednesday! yahoo! there is Bryan for you. after a long weekend of seeing a lot of front doors - his made it all worth it! Only I am a little nervous to go back with those dogs all there....

Our lesson with Bobbie was fantastic too! We have been working her toward baptism although she is feeling some anxiety - we taught on the power of the priesthood last week and invited her to have a priesthood blessing. and she accepted! She had had one in the past before she had a surgery done and she said it was the easiest surgery she had ever had! She said she woke up every morning waiting for the pain that never came! She already has a testimony of the priesthood power! Awesome! Last night she got a bleesing from a brother in the ward and it was so powerful! The spirit was in there so thick you could have cut it with a knife! only you couldn't have cut it because nothing could have broken the spirit that was felt! And her husband was there for it too! He never sits in on the lessons when we come. He always says it is girl time. But he was there last night and I am so happy he was! I really can see them in the temple together and I want it  so badly for them!

Training is going really well. Sister Smith is really great and really excited about the work! I am learning a lot too - like I don't have enough experience to be training yet.. but I was told by a member the other night that what we lack in experience we make up for in enthusiasm! Yahoo! for enthusiasm! But to reallly see how it is going maybe you need to hear from her - she has a blog as well if you want to check it out - it is asitoncewas.blogspot.com

We had dinner at a members home the other evening and she is very into all things natural like oils and such (you will appreciate this momma!) and I felt a scrape on my knee and wondered what it was from andher little 4 year old daughter says to me "oh you want some lavender on that? I have some in my bathroom I can get for you!" HOw perfect is that! I thought of you momma and smiled!

This week I set a goal to take one picture a day just becasue you remember things so much easier when a picture is involved and I know you would all like to see what I am doing.. and guess what! I took one picture! for the week! It was the end of the month and we walked a lot the last few days to make sure we wouldn't go over on miles..we calculated everything out and had 20 for the final day of the month and we were going to make it! in 17! so on the way home, we decided that a celebratory milkshake from Sonic was necessarry - it would only add 1.2 miles to our trip. And becasue I really wanted to celebrate I got an oreo one.. Then we get back to the apartment in 18.5 miles and I am so excited! yahoo! But then when we subtacted the first of the month odometer reading from the end of the month odometer reading we were one mile OVER!!! AHHH!! It was awful! I learned many lessons that night. First - Don't push your limits. You know where the line is. DOn't flirt with it. If I didn't think that oh this 1.2 miles will not make a difference we would have been under our allotted miles! Just go home! The line has been set for a reason. We need to stay as far from it as possible. If we are on the line - Satan has already won.

Second - DOn't be glutinous. I did not need that milkshake. I especially didn't need the wheat in that milshake. and becasue I wanted it- we went over on our miles.

Third - Don't waste time doing pointless things. We left our area 4 minutes early because we got out of our appointment and had the thought that 4 minutes was not enough time to go contact someone else. It was becasue of that extra 4 minutes, the long way home by way of sonic was justified. In that four minutes, we passed a gentleman walking his dogs who we should have talked to. That would have used those minutes then we would have needed to get home and not gone to sonic and not used those miles. Use your time wisely and ALWAYS be finding people to teach!

So what was supposed to be an overjoyed celabratory picture of meeting our miles for the month with my delicious celebratory shake to accompany it turned into a bummer of a picture with the evil cause behind being over miles by one.

And with that I close.. I love you all. Remember the lessons I learned this week. Learn from my experiences.

Love
Sister Stuart

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up, Albuquerque July 29, 2013

 my baby! Sister Smith from Boise ID

The monsoons are here! and did they hit with a vengeance! The other night Sister Smith and I were out contacting some former investigators and knocking on some doors and all that good stuff when out of nowhere it started to dump rain! We had an appointment in 30 minutes but called her to see if we could come over now to escape the torrential downpour. She said yes! and good thing we did too! The rain was horrid. Usually the bad rain lasts anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes and never more than an hour usually. but not this night. We got out of aour appointment at8:45- just enough time to get home on time for planning at 9. the rain was still coming down. the road we needed to turn down was blocked off by police cars so we were going to take the next one which was also blocked off by cops and then we ended up on the highway that leads over the rio grande river where there are no turn offs until the other side of our area so we crossed the river that night. We needed to turn around so we turned into the parking lot of an apartment complex that was completely flooded! the wateer was up to the floor boards (is that what they are called?) on a jeep cherokee! It was insane. We really thought we were going to flood the engine and be stranded. but we made it out of the parking lot and back over the river.. but the next road we needed to take to get home was yet again blocked. and we have no idea why! maybe they were flooded... but we finally made it home. in 45 minutes. when it should have only taken 10. oh it was an adventure. 

and the other exciting thing that happened this week wa the fire alarm going off in our apartment complex. Sister Smith was in the shower.. so as soon as she got out we went outside to see what was going on.. every alarm in every complex was goin off and no one was outside! theses people were going to burn!! then the fire trucks came and becasue we were the only ones outside they asked us what was going on.. we had no idea! anyway, the alarm finally turned off. there was no fire. and the firemen went to find out wher the alarm had been pulled or something.. and it did it again this morning- but only for 5 seconds. All is well.

I am learning to like onions. I know. weird. It is like I am growing up or something.. but we were at a less actives home and he is from equador and he had made this equadorian dish called selvichae (yeah don't quote me on spellling.. I am just sounding it out) and all it is is huge chunks of onions and tomatoes and shrimp in some dressing or broth thing and it was DELICIOUS! the onions even! 

This is a rally random email I am sorry.. my thoughts are all kinds of scattered today. I usually make a list of things I want to write home about during the week and I didn't do that this last week.. 

Kemp.. An elder who I was with in the MTC is from Battlesborough VT and is in your stake I think. He said his Stake center is in nashua... His neame is elder mark smith. Do you know his family?

Amy, did you know Jesse Kellogg is in a mormon message? She is in the one about temples.

Keni and Amy- I have to tell you about the water here. Everyone thinks that tap water is simply foul.. I don't get it. I think it tastes fine. I feel like you Amy. for this reason, everyone has bottled water but the crummy thing is, it is all purified! what the? they don't like tap water but like purified? strange. no bottled spring water here.. so Keni and Amy - when you come to New Mexico, bring your own water :)

And now a teaser for next week.. Sister Boyle, who I briefly mentioned last week gave Sister Brown and I a great pep talk about life and this work.. that is summed up in the line PEARLY GATES OR BUST! I will give you the rest next week..

Sister Stuart

Again sorry for how scattered it is. but it about sums up how I feel..

In the Lord's Vineyard. First Transfers. Volcano Ward, July 22, 2013

me in the west desert

I had a thought a little while ago about the phrase laboring in His vineyard. I thought about myself and my personality to work and get things done. I thought of a literal vineyard and if I were called for 18 months to go outside and labor in that vineyard, that is what I would do. I wouldn't be standing around wasting time twiddling my thumbs thinking about what to do next. I would find something to do and do it. (Thank you dad for teaching me this) Why is the Lord's vineyard any different? I don't think I have been applying those principles of work that I have learned and grown up with to my mission. but that will change..

What a week this one has been! Last week I realized I have not really told you about any of the people we are teaching.. and I am sure you would like to know that.. so maybe that is what this letter will be about - things that matter a little more than what I am eating. and if I have already told you about them.. I am sorry. I am doing it again. you can get over it. I am.

I am just going to walk through my week - because I think we saw most everyone.. and that puts it in a nice order so I don't forget anyone..

We went to dinner at a members home and we asked her about a less active family in the ward - who she happens to visit tech - coincidence? I think not! Anyway, she told us that Stephanie (the less active) would most likely be willing to have us over and to go try. So we decided we would see her on tuesday - and she was home - the one day of the week she doesn't have work! another coincidence? I think not! so we chatted with her for a bit and talked about families and learned of her three boys - ages 14, 12, and 9. and the 9 year old has not been baptized. and Stephanie told us that she knows they need to be coming back to church and she knows her son needs to be baptized so she practically invited us over to teach her son and her family. Real cool! We will be teaching the restoration tomorrow!

There is a recent convert of almost a year who we visit - Jessica. She is so wonderful! She has three little girls who are the cutest little pills you have ever seen :) The middle one- Olivia- has some digestive issues so she is hooked up to a tube that goes in her nose and into her colon to administer medication to prevent her from gettting all backed up. The doctors don't know what is wrong with her so it has been really hard on the fam but they are so strong and fighting through it all. Jessica spoke in church with us the other week and shared a bit of her conversion story. She investigated the church for 5 years! That makes me feel better about these investigators who I feel as if we aren't covering any ground with - everyone has their own time table. 

~disclaimer~ I do not refer to people by their first names. I do use the appropriate titles of brother and sister but we are not supposed to email using first and last names so if I refer to the parents as brother and sister so and so and then the kids by their first names then that information is out there that I am not supposed to share.. This is all just very awkward. I am just trying to follow the rules!

We also began teaching this other part member family. Dallin and Naomi. Dallin is a member but Naomi is not. They have a 2 year old daughter together and she is so fun! She loves us sisters! Anyway, Dallin served a mission in California and has a real strong testimony but is not attending church. He is an artist- he paints and makes costumes and performs native dances and is really awesome! His work is incredible! His wife Naomi is a lawyer and she is brilliant. She has taken the lessons from missionaries multiple times on multiple occasions but just has not found that faith in Christ. She knows it comes down to reading the scriptures and praying - but just hasn't done that so instead of stepping through the lessons with her, we are reading straight out of the Book of Mormon and addressing her concerns through the words of the ancient prophets. It has been going really well. And, Kemp, I took your advise and asked if they would be willing to teach us how to make moccasins so they can teach us something while we teach them! And they were so excited. and so were we. too bad I am leaving that ward.

Now I have to tell you about a family in the ward who are the best! Brother and Sister Begay and their 5 kids! We have asked Brother Begay to come with us to our lessons with Naomi becasue he was a convert also with native background so he will have input that us white girls born and raised in the gospel don't quite have.. anyway, we went and had dinner at their home this week and were talking about teaching and his mission stories and missionary work in general and Brother Begay gave us the pep talk of the century! actually, Lehi already has that title- it was the pep talk of the transfer! But it was so inspiring to just get out there and OYM OYM OYM! (open your mouth) and to reallly just hit the ground running to accelerate this work. That family is just so wonderful! and I am bummed to be leaving them. 

Another family that is so fantastic is the Boyles! Sister Brown and I had an appointment in the morning so we left our apartment, which is 15-20 minutes from our area, and forgot our lunch.. so we were just going to go back home (miles wasted!) but before we realized that the Boyles were heading out of town and would not be home before transfers so we stopped by there to say goodbye just in case (good thing we did!) and she told us to stay for lunch! How perfect was that! and so she pulled out all the sandwich fixings but then looked at me and said - do you like quinoa? Let me make you a quinoa salad. And it was so delicious! the people here are so fantastic and so willing to take care of us at a moments notice! It is so incredible. and she has chickens! I loved them! It was a nice little taste of home! and a wonderful taste of the wonderful people that can be found anywhere in this church!

Now to Bobbie! Bobbie is one of our investigators who is 53 and is so fantastic! When the missionaries first started meeting with her 4 months ago, she told them she would not be getting baptized because she would not do it with her husband and he didn't have any interest, and still doesn't :(, about learning. But she loves learning the gospel! and she is truly one of those people who already knows this is true - we just help her to remember everything. that is all. But she is so great! As a new missionary, the training happens from the 12 week packet. It gives you things to do every week to prepare you to be a fantastic missionary. IN the first week, the new missionary is to take the lead in inviting investigators to be baptized. This lesson with Bobbie was in week 6 and I still had not committed anyone to baptism - and I knew I needed to do this before I trained a new missionary to do it. and we did! We committed Bobbie to be baptized! And she said she wanted to! this week, we will be setting a date with her! We are praying about the 14 of September (any marathoners running that day? TOU?) The spirit was so strong! It was so fantastic! Now I am ready to commit everyone I see to baptism! It is not a hard scary thing when it is led by the spirit. and when we got home after this lesson, President Miller called and asked me to be a trainer. I accepted of course.

Speaking of baptism, another investigator we have is Christi. She is 17 and has an incredible testimony! She has been meeting with missionaries for almost a year now and is ready to be baptized. Her mom, however, is not ready for that. But, we met with her mom this week and answered questions and it went so well! You would not believe the progress that has been made there! 4 months ago, Christi could not even tell her mom she was meeting with missionaries- she was doing it at a friends house. If ever she had her scriptures out reading them, they would be taken away. but now we are meeting with Christi, in her home, with her mom! and her mom wants us to come back! Oh things are looking good! and if Christi doesn't get permission and has to wait until she is 18 at the end of September, it will be for a reason. Who knows, maybe we are waiting becasue her whole family will be joining her. How wonderful would that be? To open the door for that family to be eternal! 

Another great thing that is happening is the reactivation of Louise! I don't nkow how long she has been inactive but she won't be for long! She is somewhere in her 50's and is such a fun woman! She lives alone, divorced once and widowed once,but that hasn't slowed her down! The sisters before me would go and keep her company at least once a week and listen and just talk with her but a few weeks ago we really dug into her testimony and really looked to she where she was spiritually and she has a testimony and it is strong just kind of hiding. We are now really working with her to find Christ in her life. and to let him into her life to heal her pain. We invited her to church a couple weeks ago and she came and then when we met with her this last week she was so excited to tell us that she bought new dresses for church! It was so perfect! and now we are working with the relief society to get her visiting teachers and the high priest group to get her home teachers. Things are so wonderful with Louise! I am so excited talking about her!

And now I am down to minutes so quickly the news of this week.. Tomorrow is transfers. I am training. My area is being split. I am staying in the Volcano Ward and the Ventana ward is being washed with two new missionaries. Sister Brown has been called as a Sister Training Leader and  we will find out where tomorrow. I feel so honored to have been her companion for the last six weeks. She will make a fantastic STL and will inspire her new companion. She will work miracles wherever the Lord sees fit to place her - throughout her mission and her life.

I love you all! God speed!

Get ten a day and everything will go your way! Albuquerque, NM July 15, 2013

District in ABQW zone

the one of me and my district in ABQ I am wearing my new glasses..

What a week this has been! It has been so wonderful and so full of work! So I mentioned that transfers were last week and they went so well! I learned so much and so did Sister Brown (Hello Brown family in Georgia! I hope all is well with you! You have a wonderful daughter who I look up to!). I stayed here in Vlcano and Ventana and Sister McFarland came to me. We taught some lessons and contacted a lot of people. She truly has no fear and no self doubts. It was so cool to see and so great to work with her becasue she would say "we are going to talk to that person" so we would. I would be terrified inside but then we would talk to them and it was easy! so then when Sister Brown and I were back together we went out and rocked this area talking to everyone we saw and got peoples information and found a bunch of potential investigators who we are making more formal contact with this week! Hopefully we will get some new investigators out of it! But unfortunately, that confidence lasted only .. we are both being chicken again. But we have figured out a new way to encourage us to talk to more people. We each will take five pass along cards each day and we each have to give them all away - that will give us 10 a day right now. Speaking of ten a day.. we also had a training meeting morning at the mission home for all the new missionaries (I will only fit in that category for one more week!!) and their trainers. We were taught by the assistants and also President Miller and it was so fantastic! But back to the ten a day thing.. With the old president he had set a goal for us to find 4 new investigators a week. New president upped that to 5 and he said that will be accomplished if each missionary (not companionship) contacts 10 people per day! Sister brown are working up to that- starting with 10 per day together. Next week we will be to the 10 per day per missionary. because after all - "Get ten a day and everything will go your way!" you are inspired Aaron! (I am really sorry for the inconsistency with my numbers) BUt we can really tell it will make a difference in this area. I tell you what, being on a mission sure introduces you to your weaknesses.. I have learned that I have a tremendous amount of social anxiety. I think I knew that before.. but it sure is there inside of me. Sister Brown says she hasn't noticed it but my insides are sometimes in knots. Actually, she is noticing how I cope with it though.. so y'all know how I am just weird sometimes, well that hasn't gone away so Sister Brown and I laugh a lot at nights - mostly she is laughing at me but that is perfectly okay- anyway, after we finished our weekly planning we were doing our companionship inventory (page 150 of Preach My Gospel. Step 13. Great thing - It would work really well in strengthening marriages..) and I asked her what I can improve on and she told me to not lose myself when we teach lessons. I get into a teaching mode as she calls it. And I do. That is how I have been coping with meeting new people! But I am working on opening up and letting some (not all - I would scare people that way) of my personality out when in lessons..

So all that rambling basically boils down to that I have found a new excitement for this work! Our new take on planning makes sense to my analytical head, the talking to people is exhilarating (translation:terrifying), and the work is progressing! It has reaffirmed to me that this is the place for me to be and this the work I am to be doing!
I love it!

and now a quick thing that happened this week before I sign off.. I am just amazed at the quickness of the human mind and the stream of consciousness - the other day, Sister Brown tripped the breaker in the bathroom and it made me think of when we were in Washington DC at that cute little bed and breakfast and there were four blow dryers going all at once and we blew the breaker in the whole room (Ken are you impressed I remembered that?? I am!) and then I thought of that fantastic trip we went on and how the one rule dad gave us was that we were not allowed to wear t-shirts on that whole trip and how devastated Keni and I were - Well Dad, you will be pleased to know, I only wear a t- shirt for 30 minutes each day, 5 days a week. Every other waking minute my hair is done, my makeup is on, and I am looking professional as a representative of my family and Jesus Christ.

Have a wonderful week! I love you all! 

It was pouring rain in the second picture but the sun was shining. I don't think you can see the rain.. but it was a strange morning. We played in the rain instead of exercising.. shh. don't tell.

Sister Stuart

*EEEEP* BREAKING NEWS *EEEEP* Albuquerque, NM July 8, 2013

Hello family!

Welcome to the start of week five in NM! one transfer is almost over! Holy! 

This past week our nation had the opportunity of celebrating its birthday! I love America! We had an incredible sacrament meeting in one of the wards (the one I didn't speak in) about America and the service men and women. It was so cool. It made me really think about how blessed we are to live here where we have so many freedoms. Thank you dad for instilling patriotism in me. Thank you for serving in the Army. Thank you for teaching me about this country and how wonderful it is. Thank you for being proud to be an American. Thank you mom for supporting him in his service over the years. I know it probably was not easy to pick up and move every few years but that is what was necessary and you did it. Also, thank you Aaron for serving in the Army as well. It is people like you who inspire me so much because you have such a desire to serve our nation and preserve these freedoms that we all hold so dear. It truly is an incredible thing you are doing. You too Amy. I wish you the best as you embark on this journey of being an Army wife. I know it won't be easy all the time for you- what with your honey in class and busy and such and with the moves, but know you are doing the right thing in supporting him! And remember you will have an instant network of friends wherever you go in the church! 

How cool is that? (new paragraph because this isn't just for amy and aaron anymore it is for all y'all) No matter where in the world we end up, we have support from people with our same standards. We don't have to go church hunting. We don't have to worry (so much) about finding friends. We have all we need in the gospel of Jesus Christ in this His church. and now my plug for missionary work - don't forget your neighbors though. Meet them. Befriend them. invite them into your home that is centered on Christ. Let them feel the spirit in your home and INVITE THEM TO LEARN MORE! The missionaries will love you for it :) so will Heavenly Father because you will be actively engaged in the work of salvation! 

Speaking of the work- we set a date to meet with Christies mom!! It is not quite as soon as we would like -  *EEEEP* BREAKING NEWS *EEEEP*- Sister Brown and I are sitting in the library typing away in our emails and the gentleman at the computer next to sister Brown is getting up to leave and is very impressed at how fast she is typing, so we begin chatting. then he asks us what church we are from and we proceed to tell him we are from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and he says "oh mormons?" Yep that is it! then he tells us that we are good people! (all right mormons!) then we ensue to have a quick discussion on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon - and then proceeded to give him a copy with a mormon.org card with our phone number on it and he said something roughly amounting to being an open minded person but that he doesn't believe everything he hears to which we were able to direct him to Moroni 10:3-5 which encourages us all to find out for ourselves of the truth. then he proceeded to thank us profusely and left. So cool! -*EEEEP* BREAKING NEWS *EEEEP* - (just imagine that popping up at the bottom of your screen) now back to your regularly scheduled program - So we are with Christie's mom on the 16th. She didn't want to meet with us until Christie was home from NY - we are really hoping the permission will come that night( we should maybe learn her name first..). and then four days later she will be baptized in to the fold of God! Yahoo! and we can almost say [s]he's gonna be baptized tomorrow! (what movie?) 

Back to the fourth... How were your celebrations? I tried to imagine what y'all were doing and I guessed mum and dad would be out on the bikes and it sounds like I was right! I miss that a little bit. Sounds exciting to be caught in the rain - was Keni on the ride? (ha!) speaking of getting caught in the rain, we went to help a sister clean out her pond this past week (yes, you can ask the missionaries to do that mum) and she was so kind as to let us sit on the side with only our feet in the water and she would bring the buckets of lilies over to us for us to clean the algae out of so we wouldn't have to get wet and then the rain, which has not come in a long time, definitely came. and it rained hard. and we were soaked to the bone. and it was cold. but we finished and it was wonderful! 

Pass my congratulations on to Rich and Andy! and to Danny and Kenna I guess.. and to Austin! How exciting that he got baptized! Keep me posted! 

Good luck dad on your marathon! Is anyone running it with you? Keni? Michael? Steve? and mum you can do the half! I know you can! get some of the ladies in the ward to do it too! How fun!

Sister Brown, Sister Miller (New President's Wife) and Sister Stuart

The new president is wonderful! I am so excited for them! They will be so wonderful! I talked to sister Miller about here meeting you Ken and she got so excited! so she made sure we took a picture so I could send it to you! 

Sorry this one is again scattered.. but we are off to exchanges tonight! I will tell you more next week about the new president and also how exchanges went! 

I love you all again!

Sister Stuart

p.s. if you need a pep talk- read 2 Nephi 1. Lehi gives the pep talk of the century while on his death bed! Love him!

And thank you Amy for the picture to hang on my wall! I love it!

The other things you may be curious about.... Albuquerque, NH, July 1, 2013

new glasses.. and no nail polish.. that is a big deal for me. and I am going to make it 18 months without it. 2 down..

Hello Fam!

I feel like there hasn't been much to happen since I emailed you last.. but alas, probably heaps has, I just don't remember things. I am working on that. I am getting better at remembering scripture references which is way rad! It is a huge confidence booster whilst sitting in a lesson. We will be talking about something and then I will think hey there is a scripture that woould fit here perfectly! granted, I still use the TG to find out where exactly it is but I am getting better! Yay progress!  Speaking of progress- have I told you that I love making goals and planning? Well I do. But I really don't like the way that we have been making them here. We have not been setting goals then making plans to accomplish those goals but rather making our plans and then looking to see what we will do and setting goals that way. Does that seem backwards to anyone besides me? Well last night we had to come up with new monthly goals for July and I think I kind of directed the goal setting in hope to reverse the order to make more sense so we actually use our goals as goals. (is that bad? am I stepping on my trainers toes too much?) hopefully it will encourage us to elicit some real progeress in the area though!

Speaking of, I haven't even told you anything about my trainer yet. Her name is Sister Kylie Brown. She hails from Grayson, Georgia. Well that is where her family is now. She went to BYUI for the last 2.5 years and before that she was in Georgia for 4 years. Before that she was in California and then in Lehi and somewhere else maybe. I don't know ha! Anyway, she is 20 and is on her third transfer. So she is a young one just like me! Well a little older -she will be 21 in August. She is going to school with the intent to major in Child Development with a minor in Photography. She is artsy.. unlike me. The sunsets here are really pretty so when the sun sets she always talks about the light and how perfect it is and how it is creating all these awesome colors and how she wouldlust love to take aa picture and then bring out the reds and all these cool things and to me- yeah it is pretty I guess. Ha! She is very excited to be here on her mission and she is really good and connecting with people. She is really good at loving everyone too. I have a lot to learn from her. ANy other questions about my comapanion? Well she blogs! Well blogged.. her blog from before the mission is www.genuineyou.blogspot.com and her blog of letters home is www.sisterbrownsadventures.blogspot.com Check them out! Let me know if there is anything I should be concerned about... just kidding! But really..

Another thing you might be worried about is my food! Especially based on the blessing dad gave me before I left really urging me to be careful and cautious with the things that I take into my body.. (thank you kemp for reminding me of that and thank you dad for being so inspired as to give me that blessing! and thank you for holding the priesthood and being worthy and able to give fathers blessings. I miss those.) Well y'all know how I dislike inconveniencing people (maybe you don't know becasue you are my family and with you I don't care so much (: ) well I don't like it so my plan was just to avoid gluten as much as possible and eat it only if I had to in order to avoid offending members who feed us. Well Sister Brown would not have that. So when we made our calls to confirm dinner appointments Sister Brown would tell them that her new companion can't have wheat so if it in the meal I won't eat it and to not be offended. Not hard at all- I just didn't want to do it. Anyway, this continued for a week and then the relief society presidents announced it in church so now everyone knows and no one feeds us with wheat anymore! oh and there are also 3 or 4 families that are celiacs here too! So they were real excited to hear that one of the missionaries had it. So who knows, maybe I will stay in this area my whole mission because they know how to feed me :) And sister Brown says that we are getting a whole lot more variety now that people have to put more thought into what they cook becasue before I came she said they would get a lot of pizza and hamburgers and lasagna- which all contain wheat so those are now rare. You are probably thinking, pizza hamburgers and lasagna are not very southwest type foods! they are not. and very little of what we are fed is. I was kind of bummed. But I have had the green chile! It is good but I don't quite understand what the big deal about it is... it is just like a green chile sauce. It doesn't even have much flavor. It just adds a kick to things. Maybe in 15 months I will get it. But then I will be home where you can't find it. New Mexico is really the only place it exists. Bizzarre. But you can order it online if any of you are curious - check out 505 chile or something like that. I hear that is the best. (505 is the area code for new mexico if you were curious - funny story ab out 505! We were driving to somewhere and the car in front of us had a sticker right above the license plate that said fiveohfive with the new mexico sun thing as the o in oh [Keni will you find out what that means for me? thanks { Amy, will you tell me the significance of kokapelli? thanks}] and then the license plate itself said 5zero5 so they had obvious pride in their state of New Mexico and the license plate was Arizona!! It was so strange). So all in all I am being fed well. Oh and a lady we go to do service for- Sister Travis (have I told you about her yet? I don't remember. If I haven't, mum will you tell me? We see her often so you should know about her. Thanks.) her mother is gluten free so every couple weeks (so twice - i have only been here 4) she sends us home with a box of gluten free crackers and noodles and good things like that. So no one worry about the substances going into my body. It is gluten free. I have not eaten a lick of wheat for 2 and a half whole weeks! Yahoo! Speaking of gluten free - Sister Christensen, a lady in the ward who has two daughters with severe celiac, writes a gluten free blog of all the delicious food she makes. The address is www.glutenfreegood.blogspot.com. She is incredible and really takes care of us missionaries. she was showing me some pictures of the food she makes and it all looks so delicious! so really definitely check that one out. oh and she does her own photography too so the professional pictures of food really is her food. Don't think she is conning you. that is real gluten free food that she really makes. Try it out. I dare you :)

Now for a bit of the work we do - becasue really we do work. hard. Christie is in New York this week so we are not teaching her but she did tell us to go over and see her mom. So we did. We pulled up to the house and we were both a little nervous becasue of the negativity to which she has viewed the church in the past. But we told Christie we would do this so we did! We got there kind of late - so she was putting the kids to bed so it was not a good time. but then she told us "Text Christie and get my cell phone number. Then text me and we can set up a time becasue I would love to talk with you." Yahoo!!! She told us to get her phone number! She didn't even ask for our number! So that is the plan for tomorrow!

This week we also went to visit Sister Suarez, a less active in the ward who we have seen a few times but the WML asked us specifically to go see her becasue I guess she dropped off everyone elses radar in the ward. So we dropped by to talk to her yesterday and she was homje and we had a wonderful chat with her. She had just gotten home from vacation with the family (she has 4 sons at 2.5, 8, 10 , 12). She has not been to church becasue she gets sick and super stressed out - she has SIBO - long story. If you want more info, ask and I will explain. Anyway, she asked sister Brown and I if we wanted to come over every week and teach her family the lessons! uh, YES! so that was great too!

That is all for now! I love you all and love hearing from you! I will get better at adding individual bits in here... and am still working on adding a missionary spiritual thought becasue I feel that is what missionaries do.. one day.

Love,

Sister Stuart