February 29, 2016

Happy Leap day everyone!

We have had a great week! A lot has been going on. Saturday night we got a call from one of the people we visit who just dropped off the face of the earth and he asked us for a ride to church. So we arranged a ride for him and when we went to go get him he wasn't home at all and we couldn't find him so we drove to church and then our Branch mission leader walks up to us and tells us he is walking around looking for us! He had forgotten that he had called and asked for a ride and walked that morning.

We have also been biking around town more now that the snow is melting and it has been heating up a lot it has been in the 50's for like a week now! We have been able to talk with a lot of new people!

My comp and I are also now going to be rugby coaches for a team in our area. Now I don't really know how to play at all but neither do any of the people we are helping so I think it will be a great time for all!

On Sunday one of the speakers spoke about how fear does not need to limit us. She talked about how there is no fear that is stronger than the power of our Savior, "there is no height, spider or any other thing that can separate us from the Love of God"

I really liked the talk, so many times people are terrified to make any changes and so they do nothing. I know that I have done that many times myself and any time that I have been too afraid to make a change things never have worked out. The simple yet wonderful realization that change must happen has turned my perspective on "change" to be so much more than what it once was. I know that things will continue to change. That does not mean that I need to fear it means that I must prepare for it. The people who prepare never need to fear what change will come.

I know that if we do prepare we do not need to fear the changes that will happen.

Love you all! Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

Elder Stewart

February 22, 2016

It has been a harder week for some reason people have chosen this week to not call or text us back at all. However we were able to find this really cool guy who is a buffalo rancher and we are going to start teaching him and doing service with him around his ranch! So that is super exciting!

We went to a natural arch and a waterfall and hiked around both there which was super fun. And we go some sweet pictures which is all that really matters anyways. At the waterfall we were at the top of a canyon, the Fall was frozen and there was a lot of snow so but we wanted to get closer to it so we hiked down and about 50yds from the rim we realized this was probably not a very good idea there was snow up to my waist deep and HUGE rocks and crevices we were falling in but we got down and then to the falls and then we hiked back up the other side. It was sweet and one of the harder hikes I have been on in a long time. It was so wonderful just being up in Creation though you can see so much of the love that Father in Heaven has for us just by the amount of detail that He has put in to everything around us. God has truly planned out everything and He knows what is best.

I have been thinking a lot as well about the different traps that the devil has put into this life. We have one man that we go and visit who is a little bit on the older side and He is pretty lonely so He goes on to the internet and "talks" to these women from all over the world. He does not at all realize that all of it is a huge scam. He has become blind to the tricks that so many people try and pull on others. It is the same in life there are many opportunity’s to "find" paths that look really fun and appear very appealing however once you start walking on these paths you begin to lose a lot of the light once was there until you become completely ensnared in the dark. It might take years or it might be a very quick and sudden drop. Whatever the case light becomes harder to find the more distance you put between Gospel truths and standards. Always be vigilant for the "scams" of the adversary.

Thank you Brother Andrews for your letters! They always come at a time when I need them.

Happy Birthday Brother Sandberg!

Love you all!

Elder Stewart

February 15, 2016

It has been a good week. My comp has been a bit sick the past few days but He is doing a lot better now.

We went to Cabin Fever daze in Creede and on the way up we saw a car stuck in the snow so we pulled off and helped them get back on to the road. It was a young couple who had less experience in the snow than I did! It has been a strange realization that I now kind if know what to do when there is snow and ice everywhere. The mission has taught me skills I never knew I would know.

We also watched a fireworks show in the evening and we were able to find several new people and they said they would like to meet with us again!

The snow has been melting and it has been heating up a lot we have had highs in the 50's the past week! It is great to see the ground again! However there is only like 3 paved roads including the highway so it is super muddy all the time. And we are getting our car inspected tomorrow.

I have been going through and reading the bible again and I am reading about David (before he messed up) and it has been great to see how in every big decision that he makes he always asks for guidance and aid in his choices. And His understanding that even imperfect people are the tools in the Lords hands. As Saul is chasing him all over the land of Israel from city to city He still defends him as the king. Far too often we judge people for the mistakes we see them making and we don't look past that. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone goofs up. And most do to some degree or another several times a day. David was able to see past that and was able to still help the people of his time. Christ never condemned the repentant sinner, He condemned the sin. May we all try and be more patient with those we come into contact with every day

.

I love you all and I hope that you have a great week!

Elder Stewart

February 8, 2016

This week we had zone training and we read the story of Ammon and Aron from the Book of Mormon. I was great to review how the work of the Lord as not changed and He still wants us to come and know who He is.

Things are starting to heat up here we have had highs above freezing like 3 days in a row! I miss heat but at the same time I have gotten used to the cold and so I don't know if I would be able to handle it right now. It is still way too cold to do stuff out side but I am looking forward to when I can running in the mornings again.

So to address the elephant in the room.

BRONCOS WON THE SUPER BOWL!!! Last night about 845ish everyone with a car stared honking their horn and lighting off fireworks. It was a good time for all. It sounded like it was a pretty good game from all the people that we talked to.

At one of our lessons this week we talked to this Man about how we have a Father in Heaven who loves us. That we are the Children of God. We have been trying to help him understand this for a while now with mixed results, for a while he thought that God was an alien, then that he didn't exist or that we were some sort of like social experiment and religion was created to "keep the peace"

We have been encouraging him to pray and I think we are starting to make some head way with him he made the commitment to pray this week!

I taught Sunday on the Priesthood and I have been thinking about how wonderful it is that part of the Restoration of the Gospel is also that God has again blessed us with the Priesthood. Once again our Father in Heaven has given us the opportunity to partake in the saving ordinances of the Gospel such as baptism and the Sacrament. It is such a wonderful gift that God has entrusted to us. He allows us to use the same power that was used during the Creation of all things. I know that the priesthood power of God has been restored and that His Church holds it.

I love you all and look forward to hearing from you each week!

Elder Stewart 

February 1, 2016

It was above freezing! For like 2 days but it was a great 2 days. Then it snowed again so we are below 32 again but it will get warm again one day I think...

I was listening to a BYU devo from Elder Holland entitled the Inconvenient Messiah.

Elder Holland talks about how The savior never helped himself with any of his worldly needs after He fasted and was tempted to turn stones to bread he did not. He never used the Power of God which he had to aid himself it was always to help other. The savior’s life was not fair at all. He gave up his life as a random for things he never did. And yet we fall into the trap of complaining that life is not fair. We need to get over that, Life was never meant to be fair it was meant to be trail after trial so that we could learn to become who our God has always wanted us to be. There will always be people with more money or more things but that is not what brings joy. Joy only comes through Christ and obedience to his Laws and commandments. Always remember that all things will be made fair but it is only though our savior that that will happen.

We found a dog and played with him for a while the other day and that was fun we also went to the Rio Grand Ice festival, there were ice sculptures everywhere! It was really awesome to see people work the ice into incredible works of art!

I love you guys! I know that good things happen to those who go and make them happen don't just sit and wait because if you do you will never stop waiting.

Elder Stewart