Staying here!

Como Esta,

While writing that I just had a memory of a few weeks ago. We were walking to the flat and met a guy.  After talking to him, we realized he knew almost no English, but spoke Spanish.  Lucky for me I knew very little of the Spanish I learned in high school.  I have learned some on my mission of gospel terms and such.  It didn’t go very far, but he knows I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and that Heavenly Father loves him. Then I gave him a card with a website on it.  Oh how I wish I would have known more.

Did a lot of finding again this week.  It’s always a pretty long day when all you have is finding for the day. But if we want to teach, we need to find.   2 Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”  So pretty much, we just need to do it if we want to reap. Maybe that reap won’t be in my time, but if I don’t sow, then that reap time won’t come until even later. I see it as if I were not to do it now, then someone else would have to later and they would already be further along in life.  Possibly five months from now. So that is five months of wasted time.  So we love to SOW!

Zone meetings this week meant another an hour and a half bus ride, I thought this week was going to be my last.  But it won’t.  I am staying here!  That’s good.  My companion is moving to another area and had to pack up today.  One of the others in the apartment is also being called to a new area.  My new companion has been out a few months longer than me, and the other new companion coming in has only been out a few weeks.   I kinda know my companion, we were in the same area once before.  It should be good.

Before I knew I was staying, one of our investigators had asked me to do their baptism.   I said I would if I was here.  So now I should be here for that. 

Conference was amazing!  Talked a lot about how we need to follow our church leaders- they are there for a reason- to lead us.  And the importance of standing up for what we have done, not blaming others. The German guy that spoke did a really good talk. About how we need to stand and be responsible for our physical and spiritual well being. If we don’t like what we are and have the ability to change it, then do it- don’t blame others. It was super good.  A lot was taken from conference this week.   It was amazing to see the technology of non-English speakers addressing us at conference, I never thought that day would come.  I had a great time watching conference.  It was super amazing as well.

Finished up the service project of digging the hole for the trampoline this week. A 10 foot diameter 3 foot deep is a lot of dirt.  It was pretty fun.  We also went and helped the member in his garden.  The Christmas cactus pictures are from his house.

Sorry this is a pretty short email, but not a lot been happening.  Fall is coming and it’s getting colder.

With my companion leaving, also a legacy is leaving.  There is a shirt that has been in the mission since 2000.  A missionary passed it to the person he trained and so on and so on to me.  My trainer gave it to me, and since I trained this companion, the shirt goes with him.  It’s a pretty cool thing- the oldest shirt in the mission! 

Thanks for everything- Love, Elder Stevenson