Hola family! It's been a good week this week! Haha my subject line is really dumb but I think its hilarious at the say time. Whenever I feel awkward now I just say it haha. It means, my name is Hermana Stewart and I'm from Utah. Haha probably not funny for you guys but I think its hilarious!

Anyway, one of the general conference talks that really made me think was the one called Do I Believe? It talked about how many of us know these truths of the gospel but do we really BELIEVE them. Believe them in a sense that we are confident in them and rely on them in times of trouble. For example we know that we are children of God but do we BELIEVE it? When we are faced with trials or faced with thinking we are not good enough do we first remember that we are children of God, that he loves us more than we can ever imagine, that truly he wants the best for us. This is something I want to work on more. He loves us all so much, things in life change people and experiences come and go but this is one fact that is always constant. This week telling people they are children of God has been different for me. There is such a weight behind that phrase it's a simple phrase but it's a phrase that can change lives.

My branch and area are amazing! I love going out with members, they are not afraid to share the gospel they just go for it! It's really an inspiration for me, when they talk about the gospel their whole demeanor changes, they absolutely light up! Most of the people in our branch are converts so I love it because missionary work means the world to them. They take care of their missionaries so much, they all know us and they really show us truly that they care about us and they are so thankful for our sacrifice. This week was fast and testimony meeting and many of them talked about their conversion and how thankful they are for the missionaries that knocked on their door and shared the gospel with their family and then they in turn said how thankful they were for us. They are truly amazing people and it really helps me see what missionary work can bring!

So the other day we were walking around and we ran into these two guys and we were just talking to them! They turned to me and asked me where I was from and I said Utah. And then the guy asked me oh what language do they speak there???  And I was like English... haha it's in the United States. And he was like oh I thought it was in Russia! Needless to say it was really funny!! But cut the guy some slack because he just moved from El Salvador(there is a lot of people here from El Salvador!)! Haha still really funny though!

Speaking of which one thing I really love is that we get to try ALL types of food here! Dishes from Peru, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuala, Mexico all of them! And the food is really so so good! So its both a good and a bad thing because they feed us A LOT. They just keep piling it on.... haha I love them, the people we teach and come into contact with are so so nice.
We have some good investigators right now. We have some good families we just need to help them accomplish their commitments. We're working with them and I have a good feeling about them. The love I feel for these people that we are teaching is crazy and I just want them to be a family forever! Honestly I have seen some of the cutest children in my life here! The cutest thing is when all these little kids speak Spanish. I really just die every time! Ugh I want one haha!

I also had something called return and report this week in Richmond and it was awesome, it's for the new missionaries and their companions! I got to see my two besties from the CCM, Hermana Fischbeck and Hermana Stacey! And I actually got to be companions with Hermana Stacey again for 3 hours while we went contacting in Downtown Richmond which was fun! Richmond is such a HIPSTER city! Like crazy! The area that we were in is where the college is so there are a ton of hipster college students walking around. Okay so for those of you who know me well you know my sense of direction is absolutely terrible! So we got lost for like an hour.... awk..... Anyway we told this guy we were lost and he kinda gazed off in the distance and was like, "if you think about it...... we're all lost." After he was done contemplating life for a couple seconds he helped us. It was just funny!

I loved this week and everyday I am learning something new about myself and the Lord everyday. I love you guys, the Lord loves you and you better BELIEVE it!

Chau!


Hermana Stewart