My Mission and Before

September 30, 2013

Hey!
Sorry family!

This is going to be a short one... or at least what I feel is short... who knows. But we don't have a lot of time today because we had zone conference today and it was amazing! I am so excited with the way the mission is going and where we are headed. This mission... well... is kinda a planting seed mission. And I HATE that. I really do I hate that we see that. Because I honestly feel that if we as missionaries being united in one purpose and having the faith that this is Heavenly Father's gospel! It is going to work we would be more successful. I really do. And sometimes I have to slap myself when I meet a new investigator and I get nervous because I think to myself they aren't going to accept it. BUT THEY ARE! PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR IT!!!!!! THEY DO! They just don't know it yet. So as a mission or at least in this zone conference we are really focusing in on our contacting. And I mean being out of the apartment, talking to people (teaching), bearing testimony, inviting them, and promising them blessings. And yeah it's so true that a lot of times we are denied... okay we are denied a lot but I know this mission can change and I feel that with all the new missionaries that are here that gosh it can change and this stone can move. It really can.

 

This week though was great we had a few lessons. :) I love lessons. We also went Chalking this week. And well it wasn't as successful as I had hoped it would be. And when we were about to turn around and say okay we've been here for 3 hours lets go we stayed a little bit longer and I saw this girl about 15 years old and so I just go up and say," Hi. How are you?" Well let me tell you, she was a little more than taken back saying Hi just isn't normal. But she stayed and talked to me and it ended up Sora Ralls, Elvira (the girl), and I sitting on a banca just talking. We got to know her a little more and we told her of our purpose and she gave us her number. What's great is she calls us to see when we can see her! Never had that happen before that's for sure! But then we met up again this week and she told us that her mother would like to meet us. Now I am just bursting with joy seriously. And we talk a lot of why Sora Ralls and I are here on our missions and what we are doing. And we told her of her purpose... that she is such an amazing daughter of God. And we asked her to pray that night to know that God loves her so much. We then scheduled another visit. :) So Saturday comes and I'm having a hard morning. I feel super nervous about this lesson and I just want everything to be perfect I just felt supre super super anxious. But we go over to her house and her mother prepared this HUGE meal for us and it was super good :) Benefit right there. As we were talking though she told us of how she had really studied the Bible and a lot of things just didn't make sense with other churches and she had been to the baptist, and the pentecostal, and the orthodox, and the catholic. All these churches but a lot of the things they did just didn't make sense because it didn't follow the Bible. By then I'm bouncing in my seat because gosh did we have a message to share. We said a prayer (inviting the spirit to come into that home) and we talked about the restoration of the gospel. It was literally one of the best lessons I have ever had in my whole life. The spirit was absolutely there and it testified of everything we said. We bore strong testimonies about Joseph Smith and about how we know and have come to know through time and prayer and reading that this is true. I wish I could draw you a better picture for you to see how AMAZING this lesson was. And to just have the feelings that I had that they will one day join the church. I really do believe this and I desire this. Gosh they are AMAZING! And they agreed to read and pray and they invited us over again. 

 

I think I am just continually amazed by the works of Heavenly Father. He tells us over and over again to work with everything we have. And the more I sacrifice more for Him the more He blesses us. I'm actually getting a little emotional just thinking of all the blessings I have. I am so blessed. And this is a hard mission and yet we have lessons... we have little things that just shows us that people want to listen that people want to know more that people are looking for this! They are I know they are. Gosh I feel like I'm finally starting to love. I still struggle but this week I feel like I can see Elvira and her mom they way Christ and Heavenly Father does... and they love them so much. They wanted us to find them. They want us to baptize them. They want us to teach them. And they want us to testify of their love. I feel like I can see Anca and see how much they care for her, how much they want her to realize what we say is true. How they want everyone that we travel with to see that we are their servants. I can begin to see how Christ weeps for us when we do righteousness... as he weeps for joy I mean. And how when we don't do things that are accordance to the works he has given us he wants only for us to use His never ending atonement. Do you realize how much THEY LOVE US? Do you even realize that everytime we walk by a person or we say hi to a person and don't share the gospel how sad Heavenly Father may be. I feel like I'm starting to get it. And I feel so bad for all my friends that I had and have before my mission that I didn't share the gospel... because I was scared... I was afraid they would reject me. But we have the most AMAZING THING ON THIS EARTH! Something that is so precious that it can change every aspect of their life and make them happier then anything else. I take it so much for granted I do. I'll step off my little soap box here.

 

We have another busy week ahead as the STL's are coming down and I get to do another exchange with Sora Lund. Which I am atat de excited for! Seriously I adore her and I can't wait for what were going to do together. :) And it'll actually be a like day and a half exchange. :) Love the people in this mission. Also this week is General conference and I am SUPER EXCITED for this. Gosh I can't wait. This will be my second General conference here.... which means... oh gosh... I only have one more general conference in this country... that's impossible. CHANGING SUBJECT!

I love Romania I really do. I love what I have been called here to do and I love every minute of every day. I feel like I may be getting a little bit complacent which just means that I am now in the process of soul searching to evaluate, change, and just be better  never to return to the bad habbits I have.

 

I love you all so much. And I hope you all know that I KNOW that this church is true. And if you are seeking challenges. Please pray for the guidance and help. He only wants us to turn to Him in those times of need. He will bless us. I promise you that.

 

Cu Drag,

Sora Stewart