Monday, September 18, 2017

Being Blessed to Love Others Even When Its Hard At Times!

Q: ¿Quien fue al persona mas Pelacon (o rico si aprendiste español en otra país) en el Libro de Mormón?
A: "La-Moni" 

Yeah maybe I need to work on my joke stills again but how is going? 

Hey quick question... have you all heard this song before?? I had one of my buddies in the office show me it and man its sweet!! Check it out! (It’s attached hopefully)James the Mormon

But yeah let me tell you about the crazy and amazing week I’ve had!! So many times I’ve had people start screaming at me, slam doors in our face or family members of investigators just be super mean. But despite it all I have just had this unexplainable love for them! We had a Noche de Hogar (family home evening) last night and I shared my Dad's favorite scriptures Corinthians 13:4,8 and Moroni 7:45, which talk about Love and CHARITY. I explained how great of an example my father has been for me. Above anything I remember how much he taught me about serving others. He really always told me how proud of me was when I served others, he always set such a great example of helping others and I know that Serving others has been the biggest factor in growing my testimony. As a missionary all I do everyday is serve others, and there’s nothing else i'd rather be doing. I shared in our family home evening how even though people are mean and cruel sometimes it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t love them. Christ himself was humiliated, whipped, spit upon, mocked, forced to carry His own cross, and finally nailed to it. As He was nailed to the Cross He offered a prayer to His Father and pleaded forgiveness for His loved ones who were treating Him so poorly. During my time here are a servant of the Lord I have learned to love those who curse me, serve those who do harm to me and above all, see the children of the Lord AS HE SEES THEM!!

I have been so amazed how many miracles I’ve seen this week! Man I’ve just had such a love for the work and was so blessed!! We guided to a family who is just so ready for the gospel this week, we passed by on Monday and they begged us to come back every day to visit them!!! Then on Sunday we passed by this poor little families home to bring them to church and they were all ready in their best cloths and waiting for us to arrive. MIRACLES LIKE THAT JUST DONT HAPPEN HERE!! 

So yeah I was in an extremely good mood this Sunday with a whopping 8 investigators at church!!

Maria Fernanda Paz has been through a rollercoaster these last few weeks we’ve been teaching her, she really has changed so much so fast!! She told us last night how she was unsure if she wanted to get baptized anymore after church, but right when we passed by she was going to tell us that she changed her mind and didn’t want to go through with it, but before she could I felt inspired to Re-Teach Lesson 3: The Gospel of Jesus Christ (my favorite lesson to teach) and when we got to the part of Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost I just felt the spirit poor over me and I thought with words that weren’t even my own. My companions and another member bore their testimonies about the importance of the Holy Ghost and Maria just started crying and told us how she didn’t understand the importance of being baptized and was about to tell us that she didn’t want to go through with it... but now she knows why and really wants to get baptized!!!

Les quiero bastante y que se vayan muy bien esta semana! 
Felicidad es una decisión, entonces elije a ser feliz! 
Leas el Libro de Mormón todo los días!
~Elder Stidham


Monday, September 11, 2017

DOBBY IS FREEEEEEEEE!!!!

With that nerdy reference I just thought I’d let you know that in only 5 weeks Elder Stidham will be free from the mission office!! I know I’m Mormon but can I get an Amen?!

It’s been a great opportunity to learn and grow and I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. But it has been a great sacrifice as well! I literally went 3 days straight with only 7 hours of sleep.... the reason is because we received 21 new missionaries and they came in 4 groups, so yeah lots of airport time with that alone, but on top of that another 14 Latino missionaries (and one gringo) went home in 8 different groups. So yeah I basically woke up every day at 1:00 or 2:00am and got home at 11:00pm 3 days straight! But hey the Lord prepares and qualifies whom He calls!! 

Besides that not too much has happened. Our investigator who should have gotten baptized a week ago got discouraged by his family not wanting him to go through with it and our other baptism programed for this Saturday just moved so unfortunately our program just kind of died... but all is well and we are working hard to build up a new one. 

I appreciate all the love, support, letters and prayers that you send!!
READ THE BOOK OF MORMON ERY DAY!!


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Elder Stidham