October 10th 2016

This past week has gone by so fast! We had meetings every day from Tuesday to Friday! And then Sunday was my Favorite Sunday of the Year the Primary program! As always filled with little kids trying eat the chapel microphone to making faces at parents and siblings. But somehow still bring in a peaceful and joyful spirit, and showing me how much I need to work on. It is wonderful.

The first week of the month is always pretty crazy for us because we have Mission Leader ship council Wednesday, Stake correlation Thursday and Zone training Friday, it makes the week fly by but it is still really productive. We set goals, make plans and then go and do. That is the thing that I had a hard time with at the start of my mission is following a plan but I am getting better and I am more able to be confident with a plan and confident when a plan does not work as well. Everything I am coming to learn can be taken in stride.

We were walking one day and this guy stopped us and asked us where we were from and then broke down, he is going through a really hard time and has no idea what to do, so we talked with him about how God loves him and how our Heavenly Father helps us when we turn to him and are willing to take his help, he was pretty intoxicated so we were not sure how much he understood but we met with him later in the week and he remembered and he said he felt he should talk to us! It was really awesome to see just how much Heavenly Father guides our lives.

We had a baptism this week! Elder Hagman baptized him Friday night and I was able to confirm him Sunday at church. He is really excited to go to the temple and to be sealed to his wife! They are a really awesome family!

It has hit me this week in a new way just how much God trusts us, He has given us the freedom to choose and asks us to do things to keep us safe and happy. But if we don't listen he doesn't come down and force us to do anything He lets us keep going and the natural consequences humble us. It is totally and completely up to us though, we can follow our Savior and the commandments of our Father in Heaven and be happy or we cannot do that and hope for the best. It is up to no but ourselves. I am glad that My Father in Heaven has given me the power to decide for myself. He Trusts me and so I am able to learn to trust in Him.

Congratulations Taylor and Anthony! I am so happy for both of you! I wish I could have been at the wedding but I look forward to seeing you both when i get home in a year!

Elder Stewart