Christmas Joys, Los Cruses, NM

Christmas came early for this girl! and man was I so incredible happy to see what was inside! I thank you all very much! I am so excited to pack it now to go to ABQ on Wednesday!

So the events for this week- first, you all are probably wondering (well - bnot those of you who served missions.. but the rest of you) how a missionary does Thanksgiving day. First, she goes to lunch at 2:00 and has the most wonderful spread of food laid before her and of course, indulges! -unfortunately not in GF pie though.. and then they sit and chat and talk about all the things they are thankful for for 2.5 HOURS!!! and then head off to the next appointment - yes, one of the eating variety where another enourmous spread is laid before you and your stomach is already so full but of course, they have been cooking for days so you have to eat.. But it was delicious again. the members here are just so nice and they just want to make sure their missionaries are well fed and happy. and we sure were!

Sister Montini and I are so happy to be here in the university ward! Our first dinner appointment was with a less active girl in the ward who invited us over just so we could start teaching her boyfriend! who already has a testimony about the importance of church! they had cgone for 2 weeks then missed one and he said his week was just so crummy and he sttributed it all to missing church! so prepared! So after dinner we taught the first lesson on the restoration which is simply a spiritual punch in the face! especially the first vision and then when you leave the power pause of silence after- you would be crazy to not feel the spirit! and this is the lesson we taught to Dallas.. but get this - I was sharing the first vision and he started laughing! LAUGHING!! can you believe it?? Okay so it was mnore like a chuckle - but it still frazzled me! So I sped up a little - which you aren't supposed to do- and then when I finished- we left time for the power pause so the spirit could fill the room again and what did he do? LAUGHED! oh my word! what is happening! and then he said - "this is weird.." oh no is what you are thinking right?? so was I. so we asked - what is so weird? to which he responded - "I have just never felt this way before.. I all of a sudden just feel encompassed by this warmth." and he laughed about it. silly boy. But he definitely felt the spirit and he commmitted to baptism! yahoo!

But - all is not fun and games and finding super prepared people in university wards - we found abother new investigator who does not quite fit that description.. he essentaily wants to teach us all this hokey stuff. we have a lesson tonight on the plan of salvation - where he wants to teach us all his knowledge about the new heaven and the new earth. needless to say, we will probably drop him..

We also had a lesson with a recent convert this last week - for our sakes- we haven't taught many lessons form PMG in the last month and a half - so we asked if we could teach her and have her give us feedback on how we can improve and what is well and the like.. so we taught the gospel of Jesus Christ - which just so happens to be my favorite lesson! and she only had good things to say - why is it that no one likes to tel you how to improve?? anyway - She extended a very wonderful complimet though that really boosted my confidence. We are really trying to teach more out of the Book of Mormon right now (that is why this lesson is my favorite becasue you can teach straight out of the book of mormon) and so we just used a bunch of different stories from the Book and she told us that she has never before been so excited to read er scriptures! I was so excited!@ that is how it should be!! great lesson there...

Also, I have to thank you Michael specifically for all those halloween stickers.. Sister Montini and I predicted our futures with them one day during lunch. Significant events are marked by each sticker and they will happen on the dates on which they fall. It was a riot! So if you want to know how my life is going to pan out - the key is on the bottom right and look for the stickers with a T next to them.

I am outta here! I love you all very much!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Las Cruses, NM

and this is the beautiful scene we woke up to on Sunday morning! Yay for the snow! only too bad my companion gets angry everytime I try to sing a christmas song! just a few more days... but snow? in new Mexico? I know.. iti s weird. I didn't believe it either,. until I threw a snowball at my companion and then jumped in a slush puddle splashing her legs.. I know probably not the most christlike missionary thing to do - but I just had to see if it was the real deal instead of the feathers from the sky bears pillow fight (I had that song in my head that morning too "it snowed last night, snowed alst night, the sky bears had a pillow fight! They tore up every cloud in sight oh it snowed last night!") and it was indeed real. and cold. and I am a sissy now- i could brave the negatives in Logan! and now I am cold at 40 degrees. sissy.

and now for the missionaary news... well fist - I am emailing again on Monday becasue transfers are tomorrow and so they changed it back to monday just for today so we will see what hapens next week - but transfer news.... I am keeping Sister Montini!! We are staying together for another transfer! yahoo! there isn't a problem with me like I thought! and I still love her so much! So I am very excited for this next transfer! but.. we are not staying in our area. Hold on to your britches - This is where it gets weird.. we get the call on Saturday night for the news.. They first tell us we are staying together! but you already know that.. and then they tell us we will be serving in the University Ward. what?? and the University Ellders will be coming to our ward. what?? and not only that - the next thing we hear is that it is effective immediately! so we don't even need to go to transfer meeting. but we do need to pack everything and clean the apartment real good (too bad the elders didn't do that...) becasue we will be switching everything with the elders- areas, apartments, and cars. wild. maybe it isn't as crazy to you. but it is sure crazy. yesterday, we packed and cleaned and early this morning we moved. It has been an exciting few days! and only going to get better! It is always getting better in the mission. Always.

So there you have transfer news.. and now for the news of the work in the Dona Ana ward - we went to contact a potential investigator named James Vega- and guess what? He doesn't live there. but guess whwta else? Fidel lives there! and he invited us back! and he is a spanish speaker - but he said he does just fine in english, but we decided it would be best to take the spanish elders with us when we went back - and it is a good thing we did because he understands a whole lot more in spanish! anyway, it was an incredible lesson and he accepted the invitation to be baptized! and now the spanish elders will keep teaching him! I need to learn spanish.. but I was called to speak English.. so maybe in a year I will do that.

and that is the news from the southernmost parts of New Mexico. I am loving this place a whole lot family. i know this was the best decision I could have ever made. This is where i am supposed to be right now. I am so thankful for everything in my life that has led me to this moment where I can be here serving the Lord, consecrating myslef to Him, every minute of every day. I truly am blessed to have come from a home strong in the gospel - so thank you mum and dad. I cannot express my gratitude enough for the home you raised my sisters and me in. maybe we didn't pray together every single night or have family home evening every monday - but I know our home was founded on the gospel of Jesus Christ and there is nothing more that I could have asked for. I am also so thankful for the Atonement and its ability to elicit change in us. I am also thankful that I have been able to see that change in so many people- including in myself. use it daily family and I promise you, you will be happy!

I love you all so very much. Keep smiling!

and tell me - what are thankful for this year? something original. It cannot be anything you have told anyone else this year yet... I want to know what is really in your heart this year.

oh and my new address is

2400 S Espina St #8

Las Cruces, NM 88001

You can find me here on any day of the week from 2100 hours to 1000 hours.

but don't come see me. That would not be good

and some pictures! I maybe sent these already - but you get them again..

twins! on halloween. this is really clever becasue Sister Montini is actually a twin!

This is also halloween - for my dear brother Michael. Thanks again for the wonderful halloween package.

and these are two baptisms we've had - the first is Alma - i never did teach her. She is in the university ward with Sister Montini when she was there last time and really loves her a lot so we got a picture. but now I can teach her as a recent convert because we are going back to Universtity.

and the next is Austin. he is 11. What a stud! Just look at him!

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..

All This and More in One Week! Las Cruses, NM

November 12, 2013

Dear Family...

Big changes were made in the mission this week - okay they weren't that big - but still changes. The first one of note - P-Day is now on Tuesday. That'll be an adjustment for sure! and our weekly planning has been moved from Thursday to Monday - That'll be another adjustment - but yesterday it went well so I have full confidence in this change -plus I know Pressident Miller is inspired and if this is the change that needs to be made so be it. I will follow! I think it will be great! Today has been a great day to kick off the new change - as a zone, well 2 of the 3 districts - went to White Sands National park/monument and it was so amazing! It is like the sand dunes in southern utah only bigger. and whiter. It looked like snow! oh it was so wild! and now there is white sand EVERYWHERE!! our car is a mess! and vaccuumming (two u's two c's or two m's? how about all three!) womn't even help much probably! and silly me - decided to do somersaults down the hill so now it is all over in my hair and just everywhere. what a mess. but so worth it. it was so fun! 

I cannot believe this week is already done though. It went by so fast! We went on an exchange on Tuesday and I stayed in my area and the sister who came with me is going through some things emotionally and I really did not know how to help her - but the spirit did. I did not know that at the time. I was just rattling things off (whats new) and then today when I saw her again she told me how much it has helped her! and that her problems have dissapated immensly! thank you Heavenly Father! Sister Montini and I also decided that the reason I was called to be an STL was so that I could figure out logistical things and make sure everything is going to work properly and run smoothly - she is there for the hugs and the comfort.. things I don't do :) we work very well together!

Wednesday - I was back with Sister Montini and we had a coorelation meeting with the zone leaders to make sure we were on the same page with the missionaries in the zone in preparation for zone training meeting coming up on friday (like distric meeting but will the whole zone) and to finalize plans for MLC.. then sister montini and I ran around some more getting things ready to go, packing, finalizing the trainings we were presenting (trying to at least..) and then that afternoon, we met up with the El Paso ZLs and STLs and caravanned it the 4 hours to ABQ for MLC (so many acronyms! how fun!) so there was a total of 12 missionaries and we went up in 5 cars! FIVE! how silly! we could have fit in 3! our ZLs have a mini van so they could fit all the elders and then the sisters would have just had to split into two cars.. but two areas in El Paso got their car privelages revoked so they had to take their cars back to the mission home-- that is why we went up in 5.. bizzarre. We got to ABQ at 830 - too late to go anywhere and too early to go to the sisters apartment where we were sleeping becasue they would not be home until 9pm- so we went to the temple in the dark. and i tell you what it was so cold!! in the 50s! and normally that would not be so cold to me but being down here in the 70s has made me sissy. It was cold. and then 9 came around and we went to Sister Rosas to spend the night! Sister Rosa was my MTC companion and I just love her oh so very much! It was so good to see her again. It has been way too long.

Thursday was MLC at the mission home and that is just a spiritual feast every time. I just love President and SIsdter miller so much! (the picture I sent last was from last months MLC.. the faces are a little different now.) Pressident Miller taught us/ stressed the importance of us using the BOM in our teaching and how that should be our primary manual. He then promised that if we did that- our baptisms would double! COol promise. He is such an inspired man! Then we drove home! yay! this time in three cars how it should have been... we stoped in Hatch NM on the way home where some sisters who sister Montini and I are over are - they were ill so the elders stopped to give themn a blessing- so we all stopped. and they live in an old catholic church! so cool! they live with a member who owns it- so rad. We are doing exchanges with them this week - so I will get a better chance to look at it and check it out. and then when we were almost home some of our other sisters called us to come over and help them - so we went over and it is close to 9 at this point and they were not talking to each other. drama drama dram! (what movie?) we were there for over an hour trying to help them and who knows if it did! but they seemed friendly with each other today so I think it did! again- it was all Heavenly Father. We have really been praying for them hard. But that wasn't even the end of our night! we didn't get home until after 10 - and then still had to finish our planning for the trainings wewould be presenting the next morning... oh goodness procrastination is the best. I thought I would grow out of that on my mission... definitely have not. One day maybe.

Friday - Zone training was simply wonderful. President Miller surprised stopped by. That was exciting. and nerve racking. It is already scary giving a training to 32 other missionaries - then add the president in there - eep! But it went well! and then we exchanged with another set of sisters for that night! I went up to the little town of Alamagordo NM with Sister Bodily from Layton - and we saw some incredible miracles that night! We put two people on date for Baptism and it really illustrated to me the power that Heavenly Father has and thAt He truly is aware of all HIs children - I need to go now- but if I remember nbext week I will tell you the miracle of the number 23 for investigator Jeff. SO cool.

What a week! and to end it all - I watched the testaments while my dear companion was ill with a temperature!

I love you all!

Group Pic from MLC

Here is MLC - missionary leadership council - from last month when i was companions with sister walker. This is all the zone leaders and STLs in the mission

Enjoy!

Christmas

oh thanks! Tat is so sweet of you. What do I want for Christmas? I want all of you to do your visiting teaching religiously! know who your sisters are and help them!

also... I would love a weekender bag/ overnight bag. From Vera Bradley would be so swell.. but that issimply a desire and not necessarily practical. but a weekender/overnight bag is. It will make packing for all these exchanges so much easier to have all my stuff in one bag

On Mon, Nov 4, 2013 at 7:48 AM, Amy Stuart <amyjostuart@gmail.com> wrote:

TayBabe:

You can bet I've already been listening to Christmas music and I've already been shopping for gifts.

Speaking of which... what do you want for Christmas?

We took your name outta the shuffle of gift exchanges because you shouldn't be worrying about what to buy one of us.  Instead we are all going to buy for you.  So, you have to let us know what you want for Christmas. 

No Habla Espanol, Las Cruses, NM

What a week this one has been! Sister Montini and I finished planning for exchanges with the sisters and we chose to focus on a portion of President Uchtdorf's Forget Me Not talk - the part of forgetting not to be happy now! and in it he relates it to Charlie and the Chocolate factory and waiting for our golden tickets and how we ought not to be doing that - and so Sister MOnitini and I made golden tickets for our sisters! maybe if I am feeling ambitious I will make anotherone and send it home.. but they are so neat ! and we figured out how to open a candy bar and stick them in there with out it even being noticeable! so rad!

So we went on exchanges this week and the sisters we went with serve in the spanish branch- and I went to their area and my goodness I felt so totally and utterly useless! these people are rattling off a million miles an hour in some language I cannot understand and I just sat there... but it was really cool becasue you can still fel the spirit even if you have absolutely no idea what they are saying! It was neat.. but now I really want to learn spanish even moreso!

Also exciting news for this week - I went dumpster diving! Sister Montini accidently threw her name tag away and she happened to be wearing a pencil skirt that day so I jumped in and rescued it! what a day!

IN my last few minutes - know that I love you all., Read Ether 12:27 -- you all should know it anyway... But that is what I am working on this week. We had a really good companionship inventory this week where I really learned some of my weaknesses and am really going to try to turn them around into strengths.

Sister Stuart