September 30,2013

Sept 30,2013

Wow where to begin. My email was short last week and there have been so many changes and I’m not sure where to begin!

First off I’m in my new favorite area! haha It is a little like Enoch but Enoch 2 hours from anything. We can walk from one end of the pueblo to the other in about 30 min. to kinda give you an idea. I’m in a branch of about 20 active members and 70 more less active so there is plenty of work to be done! My comp is awesome too. He has 23 months in the mission so this is his last change and I’m trying to absorb all the information I can from him before he leaves! He also loves to prank and joke around and so do I so there is hardly ever a dull moment here in Tanquian! 

 We’ve got several promising investigators but our focus right now is the members. The branch is getting better every week but we have only had missionaries here for 4 months and before  that the church was really struggling. But we have a great branch president who has the ganas (the will) to work so everything is going well! 

 I’m also super stoked for conference. I’ve always had somewhat a desire to learn from the prophets but this year is different. I really understand how tan impotante it is to have conference. Saturday I’ll be watching it in a cyber (a little store where you rent computers to use by the hour) and Sunday we rented a bus to take the two hour trip with the branch to go to valles to watch the Sunday sessions. So I encourage you all to really put emphasis on conference this year! Because that’s what  I’m gonna do! 

 Lastly I want to put some emphasis on the small things. More importantly scripture study and prayer. Here there are a lot of less active members and for a good part of them I can tell you exactly why. Their testimonies were not strengthened daily.... something we cannot go without! Faith and testimonies are things that can diminish with time so we must constantly be trying the crecer these things so they don’t diminish. 

 One thing we have been teaching the families here is to study as a family (because we have a few families that the parents can’t read or write and their kids can). There are few things in this world more powerful than studying and praying as a family. Now I hope my family back home is still doing this because I testify almost daily of my strong family and how we are strong because of our almost daily scripture study as a family. And with that I encourage you all to read today if you have not and continue to read personally and with you family on a daily basis that we might all become strong and become one in the Lord. Because if we are not one we are not his..... so let’s become unified and have a growing knowledge of the scriptures and the lords teaching for us! 

 Love you all and chat with ya next week!

(oh p.s. sorry forgot the camera today so no pictures)

Sept 23,2013

Sept23, 2013

Well my last days in Mante were rainy so this is me prepared for a day of being wet

A picture that my mom wanted for my plaque. Hope it works.

This is me and my comp Elder Tadeo at our ward party for Mexican independence day. whoo a lot of fun

Some fun at a members house the day before changes

The same members house where we had my going away meal. As I got transferred from Mante... also where my favorite food was.

One of my investigating families from Mante who will prob get baptized without me this month haha but oh well

This is the next day after a good night of rain..... my boots didnt help much. The streets were completely flooded and we walked in water nearly all day

Now I'm in Valles with my new comp far left and my zone leader the other American! 

well... I was short on milk for my cereal so we found me some! 

Well I've used nearly all my time with pictures but I'm here in Tanquian Mexico and loving it!  It's kinda hot and we're just a little branch of 30 people or so but so far it has been great. I've got a great comp elder Mesa who is ending his mission this transfer. So I've got to learn a lot. He is a great missionary and there is a lot to learn from him and I need to learn the area in a month! Love you all and hope to get more to you next week! 

Sept. 9,2013

Well sorry but again this week I don’t have pictures and I am using a computer that doesn’t take SD cards.... booooo

But anyways all is well here in Mexico. The past few weeks there has been some action. There are trucks with mounted 50 cals and every once in a while we can hear them going off in the distance.... and one time there were the 50 cals and about 20 min later a military helicopter was patrolling our area ha... but luckily as of yet I haven’t seen anything.

 One thing I keep forgetting to tell you is about my name. Here I am not know as elder stoor. Because of the pronunciation in spanish its elder es-stoor and es means is so if you sounds it out estoor is sounds like is thor.... haha and because I’m a bit stronger than the average Mexican and a bit taller I’m  known as elder Thor. Haha It has become normal for me and it’s all right by me!

 I can’t say anything as of now.... but there has been talk of I pads for the mission. Nothing is in stone but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m carrying around a tablet here after Christmas! How sweet! 

 There are seasons here ha luckily it would be hot hot hot always here.... now it’s just hot ha... we have had a lot of clouds lately which helps a ton and with our newly fixed ac I actually use a blanket at night. So that has been a blessing and it’s supposed to cool down a bit more here in the next month and when I say cool I mean like 80 degrees ha. 

 ...Well sitting in sacrament I had some thoughts that I would like to share with you today on the topic of prayer. As a missionary I have prayed a lot. Whether it be to learn the language or to help investigators my prayers are longer and with more feeling, as I feel is common for most all missionaries. So first off I challenge you to better you prayers. But first we need to understand the importance and significance of prayer. I was thinking of a promise the lord makes several times in the scriptures. Ask and ye shall receive, Knock and it shall be given unto you. This when we think literally is quite and promise! But why can’t we take it literally? .... Well we can. I’m sure as of now we all have or think we have unanswered prayers... so how can this be...

My thoughts are this. Yes all prayers are answered... and quite frankly in the moment we ask in faith. The thing is not always are our prayers answered in the way that we’d like. For example when I was in Hawaii I had a sincere prayer for months. That was to receive work and we all know that didn’t happen for 4 months.  Looking back that so called [unanswered] prayer is one of the greatest blessings of my life. I received so much in that time and all of it was for my benefit. Unfortunately I am out time but I want to conclude with this... your prayers are answered because Jesus Christ said “ask and receive, knock and it shall be opened.” I testify of this..... la cosa mas importante is that we ask and then act in faith..... if we don’t get what we want we can act as a child or lose faith or the better we can wait in faith and with hope that whatever the lord has in store for us is much better that what we had planned. NEVER LET YOUSELF THINK THAT YOUR PLANS AND DESIRES ARE GREATER THAN THE LORDS. If we think this we a surely in   the wrong and need to repent. 

I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen

Sept 2, 2013
Well, the computer won’t take my memory card today so no pictures... sorry
I also don’t have the ganas to write much either haha. 

 This week was pretty normal we got a ton of rain at the beginning of the week... so thank goodness for my ariats! And I put the umbrella to good use too! 

We had 5 investigators show at church Sunday! whoo.... the area is slow but this next change im bettin on 3 baptisms so let hope it stays that way! It’s so hard to know with such a surety that this gospel is all that anyone needs and to watch tons of people lose sight of that or never accept it to begin with. I’d say it’s the hardest thing any missionary has to do. Sometimes you just want to beat them with the bible and other time you want so desperately for them to feel something confirming the truth of our words. The comfort we can find in this is that Dios has a plan for us. For us missionaries are to preach and to give everyone the opportunity. But this can be done by the members. Plant a seed and  talk with someone today and refer them to the missionaries. Or explicar a little about what we believe because you never know who will accept. Many don’t but how sad the day we meet those we knew in this life in heaven and they then ask disappointedly why didn’t you even try to share this with me? Because we’re all in it together! 

 Will have photos and more next week! 

Elder Stoor!
   

August 26, 2013

 

 Our zone had a carne asada lunch for p-day and since not a single person knew how to start a charcoal fire.... well I took over! ha was way fun and of course good food.... I cooked!

 

 

                                  well self-explanatory..... ducks and I walked with them

 

 

this is me..... getting fatter.... and my companion walking down a highway that crosses through our area 

August 26, 2013

Well sorry for the neglect on the blog letters lately... let’s get started!

The weeks have been flying by! I hate it. It seems already the mission is going by too fast and coming to an end and well it’s just begun!

I finally at a very comfortable level with my Spanish, I love that I can understand and joke and really put my heart into a lesson! Also I’ve really bonded with my zone now that I can speak and it has just been a good time! I hope and pray that I can lose track of time just so that I can forget how soon I’m going home!

The work is coming a long! The week started off slow but slowly progressed and now we have 6 dates for baptism.... however only one showed to church so boooo!  We prayed and made a list yesterday of every investigator, member and recent convert that did show to church and spent our day (walking a ton) and going around and calling all to repentance haha in a kind way of course!

Well I had a cool experience last week that I didn’t get to share so here it is! ....

I woke up one morning and had a thought of a past sin .... something way old and slightly insignificant.... something I could have forgotten about and said.. .well that is the past and I feel like I’ve been forgiven... but this morning I couldn’t focus and just felt off.... so I began to practice the 5 steps to repentance that I teach often! Instantly I felt a burden lifted.... I didnt want anything to hinder the spirit in my teaching and nothing did. I wanted to be the happiest possible and I was.... why? Because I was quick to act, I saw a problem and I fixed it. Sometimes this is a hard lesson to learn... it was for me, but gracias a la expiacion I have been able to solve problems, get on with life and receive the happiness God intends for man. I want to speak plainly and directly.....YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPIER THAN WHEN YOU ARE COMPLEATLY CLEANSED FROM SIN. There is a great plan in store for each and every one of us and it all start with the atonement. I have seen in my life and the lives of those I teach that there is no greater blessing than to find confidence in the Lord.... He suffered every pain imaginable and then more for YOU. Do not be so stupid as to waste this blessing and flush your happiness for a mere sin...... IT IS NOT WORTH IT.  Don't fix it later, fix it now... this second you turn to someone and begin to work it out and I promise the second you do so how great shall you burden be lifted... and the more cleansed we are the better we can work by the spirit.... what greater gift is there than this? none.

I know these thinks are true....I’m not sure who needs to hear this but I’m impressed to share it... so if it's you, get on it... why sacrifice another second of our lives in the burden of something that can be so simply fixed? I leave these things for you to ponder in the name of Jesus Christ amen!
Love you all and talk to you next week!

August 19,2013

August 19,2013

Tampico Temple-a picture I took while in Tampico for my visa last Monday

A new investigator's house

downtown Mante

 

Well, I had a really cool experience and a good spiritual thought prepared but I don’t have time for it today ... it’ll have to be the next week sorry!

But all is well here. It was a blazer this week .... super hot! The work started off slow but picked up and now we  have 5 more investigators, all of which have baptismal dates ... let’s hope they don’t fall through!

And it’s official.... I’m not coming home ha... .I’m already sad for the day I leave and am trying to forget how much time I have in the mission so I don’t have to think about how fast time is passing! ...

Hope all is well and have a very wonderful week!

-

August 12,2013

The area way out in the sticks

A house for a family that we contacted...pretty poor but typical for our area...very humbling

Me walking on water!!

Hola todo!

This week was a good one the weather cooled and we got some rain... kinda reminded me of Hawaii!

Anyways I proved myself as a Mexican this week as I downed one of the hotter peppers they have. It was one my Mexican comp wouldn’t eat! whoo ha!

I has been a great blessing as well that I haven’t had any stomach problems or as Dawson would say ¨travelers¨ diarrhea haha.... because there are a lot of gringos here that are constantly having problems with those sorts of things.

Our problem this week in teaching lessons was investigators who can’t read because they were never taught.  It is hard because how can you gain a testimony if you can’t read what we’re teaching?! Well, we have a way, by reading with those who want to know... it’s like story time for our investigators ha!

This week I found a lot more confidence in my Spanish. It began with the assistants.... they visited our area and stayed in our house (because we have the nicest pad of the missionaries in Mante ha) I was able to talk with them well and they were impressed with how well I can speak for my time here! The second thing that helped me realize my progression was in church. One of the talks didn’t show and we had fifteen min left. The bishop spotted me and said we will now hear from elder Stoor. Well this was a surprise to me and I began to pray! Twenty min latter the bishop is telling me to finish.haha  It was a good experience... I just hope everyone understood the message I wanted to get out. Lastly was today! We were playing sports with the zone and I was talking and making fun and really making a Mexican out of myself haha. All is well here in Mante and I’m loving it!

The work struggled this week a bit but we got to go to our area como bien lejos and visit some less actives and references.... was really out in the hills... nice and quiet and friendly!

We also got caught in some major rain and that’s the pictures I have of the area and me walking on water.

Not a whole lot of time today but know all is well and thank you for your prayers and support!

August 5, 2013

 

Me in Mante

This is my church building which is relatively new...one of the nicest spots in Mante ha! And pretty small...a little different than ours back in the states 

Using my brand new concrete weight set and our ironing table for my bench haha!

 

 

August 5, 2013

This week has  been a good one. It started out with getting rear ended in our taxi right after writing my emails! Luckily it wasn’t too bad. My comp accidently punched me in the back of the head and he got a bit of whip lash but for all the better the ride was free! ha!

 

Also this week we had two lessons that were kind of a bible bash which was interesting... however it’s funny that people are willing to tell us how Joseph Smith is of the devil and that only the bible is true and all that jazz when in reality none of them have ever investigated the church nor read in full the bible or even know it well. Because of these experiences I want to share a little this week on the power of a testimony.
In the event of someone wanting to bible bash we are supposed to hold questions for the end of the lesson. First we teach, bear testimony and hope they feel the spirit. Well, more or less this is what we did. We taught and bore testimony. It is cool to see the power and the silence a testimony can bring into a lesson. Because of this I invite you to focus on your testimony and try to find one event this week where you can share it with someone else!

 

First, however, to have a strong testimony we need to have strong faith. With faith we can accomplish nearly anything necessary. I have seen the power and miracle of my faith in the mission and can testify that with faith and if we can truly tell the Lord in prayer that ¨thy will be done¨ and give up our whole hearts unto him, we will NOT find more happiness.  An example- I fasted this week for several things one of which was for my Spanish. After my fast I almost immediately saw and reaped the blessings from this. On that day and consistently throughout the week I was picking up and saying words that I didn’t know the context... hadn’t learned.. and the organization of my sentences. What a blessing this was that I was able to bless more the lives of my investigators through Spanish. They could better understand and it was  all because of faith the sustaining  from food for a bit.

 

Because of this I want to testify to you that through our simple acts we can truly reap those blessing that the Lord has in store for us. It is a bit like a candy machine.... there is candy there waiting for us but first we have to pay... whether that pay is though a sacrifice or prayer or whatever it may be we can receive that candy. So put forth the effort... give your all and I promise with a little time you will be able to see the ease and joy we can find in life through Christ. This is what I want share with you all in the name of Jesus Christ amen..

tengan un buenisiomo semana!