Feliz día de acción de Gracias! Happy Thanksgiving! I love you all and I am very grateful for you, really the support and love that I feel is incredible. Love you!
This week has been a blast! It never won't be amazing to be a missionary but especially during this time of the year it is just miraculous. Elder Tedders just recieved a mini Christmas tree in one of his packages so we have prep-ed the apartment with as much Christmas as a mini Christmas tree can give us and we are feeling great! It is raining right now, but we are praying for snow. The air is colder and the people's hearts are warmer to hearing a message about the Savior. It's a beautiful thing.
This week we had some unfortunate news. 2 of our most solid investigators that were reading the Book of Mormon daily called us and told us that they didn't want to meet any more. It was kinda crazy and unexpected, but it happens sometimes well people start feeling the Spirit and know they need to change their lives. So needless to say Elder Tedders and I are awaiting great miracles to come from it! Sometimes our faith is tested. The Prophet Ether phrased it beautifully, "dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12)
The reasons why these investigators wanted to stop meeting with us are pretty interesting. One simply said she was scared about taking away or replacing the bible, so we are going to visit her and see if we can help resolve her concerns. The other is Elmer! That amazing man that I told you about with the sketchy truck and diabetes. We had been working with him to help him understand how an answer to his prayers could come so that he could know for himself if the Book of Mormon was true. When we asked him what he thought he said that he was thinking that it would come in a dream or a sign or something like that. So we helped him understand that usually the answers come through the feelings and impressions of our heart. Anyways, he called and said, "Soñé con la virgen de Guadalupe" Or " I dreamed with the virgin Guadalupe" and he said he recieved his answer that he shouldn't meet with us. (Interesting when you think about the story of Korihor in the Book of Mormon Alma 30:53)
We definitely love and respect this man and his beliefs and so, by no means are we declaring that anything is wrong with what he said. However, we hope to go to his house this week to help talk about how that wasn't his answer. When he talked with us on the phone is sounded like he was almost crying he was so upset that he wouldn't be meeting with. Answers from God clear out confusion and heart break. They fill our hearts with peace and content. (See Galatians 5) His answer did the opposite.
Other than that we had some really inspiring trainings this week from President. Honestly, my faith and hope in this work continues to grow every day! I love my mission with all my heart. Good luck getting me to come home! R.I.P Tate
Love you all!
Elder Stewart-Chester
1319 Butterfield Rd Ste 522
Downers Grove, IL 60515
1-3 THanks Giving
4: A picture of the famous Portillo's big beef. It doesn't do it justice at all. But it is delicious. and Elder Young