Venga lo que Venga y Disfrútelo

Hey Everyone!

I enjoyed receiving so many encouraging emails from several of you this week.  I really appreciate the support and love I have received throughout my whole mission.  I am grateful that the Lord not only can work miracles and change the hearts of the people here, but also can guide us as missionaries in letters and emails to touch the lives of others.  With every email I write, I always hope to help or encourage someone in need.  Here in the Cuernavaca mission, we are currently reading the Book of Mormon.  President Kusch challenged the whole mission to read the Book of Mormon in 65 days.  The significance of that amount is that Joseph Smith translated the book by the power of God in only 65 days.  We planned the reading so that we will finish on May 15th, which is also significant because the Aaronic Priesthood was restored that day many years ago.  I am really enjoying this challenge because as we read it, we are highlighting everything about the doctrine of Christ that we find.  It is helping me remember how important it is that we have faith in Christ, repent daily, be baptized by someone who has the priesthood of God, receive the Holy Ghost, and continue faithful to the end.  It is helping Elder Azueta and I always focus on baptism with our investigators.  We had a tough week with most of our plans falling through, but we did teach a couple powerful first lessons to some references of the members.  We taught Umberto who is married to a less active sister in the ward.  They just got married a month ago and are expecting a child soon.  With all these events occurring in his life, Umberto wants to make changes and prepare himself better to raise a family.  We talked to him about prophets and how they help families know what to do to achieve happiness and peace together.  We explained the importance of the priesthood and how, with the priesthood, we can be a blessing to our family.  The Spirit was present as we testified to him of Joseph Smith and the power of prayer in our lives.  We promised him that by being baptized, he would be preparing himself to go to the temple one day to make promises with God in order to achieve an eternal family, or in other words, live with his wife and future children forever, even after death.  He found great comfort and peace from that truth and we challenged him to be baptized at the end of the month.  He accepted and now needs to pray to receive an answer to know that these things are true.  We also taught the girlfriend of a returned missionary.  We taught her the same principles and she understood everything perfectly.  She is extremely smart and I think she is going to progress really well.  To invite the Spirit even more in that lesson, Elder Azueta and I decided to sing to her and to the members that were present the "Restoration mix song" that testifies of Joseph Smith and the importance to share that message with everyone around us.  The amazing thing that happened at the end of the lesson was that we asked her if she knows anyone that needs this message in their life and she mentioned her mom and another friend of hers.  A great determining factor to know if someone accepts or believes is when they want other people to listen and believe.  So despite the disappointing moments of appointments falling and no investigators that went to church, we decided to apply the famous phrase of Elder Wirthlin: "Come what may and love it".  We said that phrase to each other several times this past week and we were able to "Find joy in the journey".  I would like to briefly finish by explaining the importance of knowing that this church is the one true church on this earth.  There are a lot of great churches/religions that exist.  They teach great principles and help people develop more faith in Christ.  Christ is a perfect person.  He loves us and wants us to know the truth in our hearts.  He has established just one church which has His authority to act in His name (bless the sick, work miracles, baptize, etc.).  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that church.  I know it because I know Joseph Smith was a prophet.  I know that because I have read the Book of Mormon and I have prayed to know that it is 100% true.  These things are so important to me because without them I cannot and no other person can return to the presence of God.  I realize that many people that read this are not yet members of this church.  To those people, I strongly invite and encourage them to open their minds and hearts.  Anyone who wants to can find out that these things are true.  We arrive at that truth by praying and listening to the answer that God gives us in our hearts.  I cannot force anyone to do this experiment because it is something personal.  But to all those who feel like something might be missing in their life or that they could find more happiness, I invite to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know that it is true.  When you know it is true, be baptized by someone having the authority of God and continue faithful to the end.  I promise you, from personal experience, that this is the path to never-ending happiness.  I am grateful to be able to share it.  I love you all and wish you a happy and joyful week.

Elder Stutz 

Una Familia Eterna

Hey Everyone!

Unfortunately, today´s letter will be brief due to the busy schedule we have.  We are grateful to finally have the opportunity to write after several busy days.  Our prayers have been answered in the mission as 4 foreign missionaries arrived this past week of the 17 that were and are waiting for theirs visas to come through.  On Sunday, we went to the airport to pick up two elders from Honduras.  They had to serve a few months in their own country as they waited for their visas.  So they are very excited to finally be here in the Cuernavaca mission.  The day after on Monday, Elder Azueta and I returned to the airport to pick up two elders that came from the USA.  They both also served a few months in their country before receiving permission to enter the country.  Although we were not able to attend church on Sunday, we were blessed for our sacrifice for the mission.  During the week, while I was in divisions with a zone leader here in our area, we taught the family of four that we had started to teach a week ago.  They are the uncle, aunt, and cousins of an elder that left the ward about a month ago.  In that lesson, I felt prompted to focus a lot on the family while teaching the plan of salvation.  It was the first time that the dad had decided to listen to us so I was praying so hard for the Spirit in that lesson.  Thanks to our prayers and love for this family, the Spirit was so strong through the whole lesson as we talked of God´s purpose for us and the family, how we can be with our families forever, etc.  The mom cried a few times in the lesson as we explained how we can gain an eternal family.  We could feel so strong that that family truly desires to be together forever and that they would do anything to make each other happy.  We challenged them to be baptized on March 30th in order to take that first step towards achieving an eternal family.  They accepted and are currently preparing to be baptized.  When we found out we wouldnt be at church on Sunday, we were sad that we wouldnt be there to welcome this family to church since it was going to be their first time attending.  But we prayed all week that they would go and feel the Spirit strong enough to want to go back again next week.  We received the report from the other elders that they did go and that they stayed all three hours.  We called the family Sunday night to see how it went at church.  From what the mom said, it sounds like they loved it.  My biggest desire right now in my life is that this family can be baptized and one day be sealed as an eternal family in the temple.  I know that families can only continue being families after death if we are baptized and sealed by the proper priesthood authority of God.  This authority is only found in the church that Jesus Christ leads, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I would love to tell you about other adventures in Acapulco, in divisions, etc. but they will have to wait till next week!  Love you guys a bunch!

Elder Stutz   

Las Impresiones del Espíritu

Hey Guys

The week went by so fast, im not sure where the time went.  But we had a cool experience on Wednesday as we were fulfilling a responsibility from President Kusch.  He sent us all the way to Acapulco to pick up an elder there in order to do a special change.  We were a little confused why this missionary didnt travel in the usual bus or why we went to get him, but we did it anyway.  Acapulco is about 4 hours away so we spent 8 hours in the car going there and bringing him back to Cuernavaca.  Elder Azueta and I were both totally wiped out.  On the way back, we were acting a little goofy in the car because of our tiredness but it was fun as we laughed it up with this elder.  We found out later in the week that this elder had been changed because of some depression.  We found out that we had helped him out a little just by having a fun time on the ride home.  That elder hadnt laughed or smiled much the last few months and he was able to enjoy himself for the first time in a while.  I was then grateful that President had sent us to make that sacrifice to help an elder out.  Last week, we didnt really work in our area once again but we were able to have a family home evening with several recent converts from the ward.  We played the good ol game of Spoons with them and talked about the importance of prioritizing in our lives to do the things that are most important, that have eternal value.  They seemed impacted by the lesson and we hope to see them continue to progress in the Gospel.  I really enjoyed this past Sunday in the Palmas ward.  Fast and testimony meeting is always really powerful and this past week was no exception.  About half way through the meeting, I literally felt like the Spirit carried me up to the stand after hearing such powerful testimonies from the members and from my companion.  I testified to the members of the reality of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, the ONLY way to return home to our Heavenly Father and to live with our families again.  I was touched by something I saw as well in that meeting.  Almost every Sunday, a homeless lady comes to our ward.  She is not a member and has some psychological problems I think, but she always comes to church.  We often see her in the street running around without much of a purpose, but when she comes to church, she always has a huge smile on her face.  This past Sunday, she showed up to sacrament meeting.  After changing seats a few times, she went to the very front row to watch and hear the testimonies.  She had that big smile on her face.  Although she may not understand everything, her spirit desires to be there where the Holy Ghost dwells.  Later on Sunday, Elder Azueta and I were busy taking the statistics of the mission.  About two weeks earlier when I was in Chilpancingo, I found out that Barbie (the 4 year old daughter of Alma) was going to have her bday this past Sunday.  About a week ago, I felt impressed to send with the zone leaders of Chilpo the Book of Mormon for kids book I had so that they could give it to Barbie for her bday.  On Sunday, I called the zone leaders to get their statistics.  Elder Mendez told me he was with Barbie and that they had just delivered the book to her.  I had left a little note inside for her.  He decided to pass the phone to her so that I could wish her a happy birthday.  She is extremely shy but she did tell me thanks for wishing her a happy bday.  When I told her bye on the phone she quickly said with her high, quiet voice, "I love you lots Elder Stutz".  My eyes watered up and I felt like my heart had melted.  I felt so happy that this young girl now has the opportunity to grow up in the Gospel and feel the Spirit in her home.  I am so grateful that the Spirit can guide us in our actions.  I am grateful He helped me feel in my mind and heart that I needed to send that book to Barbie.  I am grateful that He made me feel that we needed to knock on Alma´s door back in June 2012.  If we will just have faith, be obedient, and work, the Spirit will be permitted to touch our hearts and illuminate our minds so that we will know what to do.  May we not hesitate when acting upon these impressions.  May we not second guess the feelings or impressions we receive.  If it is something good that we feel we must do, we better do it as soon as possible.  I know the Lord wishes to guide us in our daily lives because of His interest in our well-being.  That interest comes from His love for us.  I love all of you and wish you a great week! 

Elder Stutz         

Un Sentimiento Celestial

Hey Everyone!

We recieved exciting news this past week that 58 new missions will be opened in all the world and that 8 of those will be here in Mexico.  The Lord is accelerating His work and we have the privledge to be apart of it.  Today, President Kusch, Elder Azueta, and I enjoyed a nice little trip to visit a huge cave in our mission with enormous staglamites?  President needed a little break and we did too so he took us there to enjoy the beauty of the caverns.  Also, this past week we decided to do divisions with the zone leaders in Chilpancingo, Elder Mendez and Elder Pearson.  I felt great being back in the Heroico ward working in the hot sun.  We were able to visit several families that Elder Quinnelly and I had taught but that didnt progress too well.  We will see if one of them can progress toward baptism this comign month.  We were also able to visit Alma and her family to teach her dad, Ramon.  He is getting really close to baptism which is a pretty big miracle because when we were there he would listen but never wanted to pray, read, or go to church.  It felt great to be back and the whole day as we saw members and invesitgators, I just had the overwhelming feeling that what we had done, all the sacrifices and hard work, was all worth it.  The Lord had a plan for that area when we were there, and it continues to progress now.  This past week, we didnt work hardly at all in our area with the zone conferences and other responsibilities.  We were able to meet a beautiful family that is looking for the truth and I feel like they have been prepared.  We taught them the Restoration this past week and the Spirit was present.  The mom and her two daughters accepted baptismal date for the month of March.  We are trying to teach the dad as well because he is really nice but it is hard because he is a professor at a local college and is rarely home.  We were also able to help Omar get ready for his baptism which turned out great.  He was so happy after being baptized and confirmed on Sunday.  Our hope is that he continues in the Gospel, recieving the priesthood, a calling, and becomes a dedicated man to the Lord.  He has so much potential still to become a great influence for others!  Elder Azueta and I had the opportunity to attend the new missionary training meeting for the americans last week and we felt the Spirit so strong at one point.  When President asked us at the end if we wanted to add anything, Elder Azueta wanted to say some things that came to his mind.  The whole meeting was in english so he struggled expressing himself.  I put my hand on his shoulder and offered to help him by translating it.  We did so and the Spirit was felt as he instructed the new missionaries.  After his thought, Sister Kusch raised her hand and began to cry as she talked about how every companionship should be like ours, always wanting to help eachother and support eachother.  She praised the love felt in our companionship, fighting away tears, and it was a very beautiful experience.  I would like to end with a couple of thoughts I have been having the past few days.  I want to promise everyone that we can have a direct and real comunication with our Father in Heaven through prayer.  We can talk with Him, recieve direction from Him, and feel of His love.  This privledge of prayer is NOT limited to church membership, age, knowledge, or experience.  All of His children, or in other words, each and everyone of us has the right to talk with Him.  Also, there is one Christ-like attribute that has become highly important for me in these months of my mission: diligence.  I can honestly say that I love arriving home completely and absolutely exhausted every night.  I have decided that those feelings of complete exhaustion are heavenly feelings because they are evidence of willingness to serve and sacrifice.  I love being able to serve and sacrifice for others, especially for the Lord and His cause.  I hope everyone can be diligent in their efforts to serve and sacrifice this week so that those heavenly feelings of exhaustion can testify to us that we our striving to do our best and that we are willing to be better everyday.  Love you all!

Elder Stutz    

Si Guardáis los Mandamientos, Prosperaréis

Hey Everyone,

Sorry about sending this a day late, we were in Mexico City yesterday recieving two new americans for the mission.  We had fun this past week celebrating Sister Kusch´s birthday.  We went to the mission home to eat chocolate cake and ice cream to celebrate.  We gave her a picture frame of several pictures of the office elders and put at the top of the picture frame "Mis Hijos Mexicanos" (My Mexican Kids) because she always says that we are her kids here in Mexico.  We also played the game Chubby Bunny with giant marshmallows.  It was the first time that President and Sister Kusch had played so we all laughed quite a bit.  We had two zone conferences last week as well in Cuaulta and in Acapulco.  We actually spent valentines day traveling to Acapulco and saw a bunch of crazy stuff on the coast at night when we were arriving.  I felt like we were driving through the Las Vegas strip with all the clubs and parties.  As I reflected that night on my decision to serve a mission and set aside all personal things for two years, I realized that I have been able to focus on my relationship and friendship with my Savior.  I am so grateful for that because I have been able to come to know Him better.  We had a very funny experience in Acapulco after the zone conference.  A police officer walked into the church grounds and began to talk with me outside of the church as we were cleaning up.  He told me that we had broken a law by putting the trash out on the street during the daytime instead of "correctly" putting the trash out at night.  Elder Azueta came outside and the officer told us that we would need to pay a fine of $2750 pesos ($250 dollars) because of what we had done.  Elder Azueta and I knew it was fake because when he showed us the paper of possible fines, the one he chose was the most expensive by far on the list.  So we went along with it and told him we would pay the fine.  We asked him to give us the fine so that we could go to the city office and pay it.  It was then that he said, but the fine is really expensive right?  How about you guys just buy my boss and I a few sodas and snacks in the cornerstore and we will call it good and pretend like nothing happened here!  We explained that in our church we believe in honoring and obeying the law so we would be paying every peso of the fine.  I think he might of felt something and then said, Dont worry guys, we will be on our way.  So we almost got robbed by a police officer making up fake fines!!!  But my testimony of obeying the commandments of God was stregthened by this experience.  I thought of all the poor people that get tricked by those police officers that are just out to get money.  But, by wanting to obey a commnandment (honor and obey the law), we were able to be protected from being tricked or taken advantage of.  When we obey the commandments, we are protected physically and spiritually.  This past Sunday, Omar surprised us when he came to church and after feeling impressions from the Spirit, my companion and I asked the bishop to talk to him in his office to get him excited for his baptism and to help him feel more like a member of the ward.  When Omar left the bishop´s office, he had a new light in his face and told us he is getting baptized this saturday.  We are going to have the bishop baptize him.  We have seen Omar change so much and we know he has the faith neccessary to make this change in his life.  We are so excited for Saturday!  I just want to end by saying that this past week I have felt the Spirit on several occasions testify and tell me that I am meant to be here in Mexico during these specific years and months.  I know that I am doing the Lord´s work and I always want to strive to do it His way because it is the only way that works and it is the only way that people can be baptized with a real conversion in their heart.  The great thing about being a missionary for the true church of Jesus Christ is that we dont have to convince anyone, the Holy Ghost does it for us.  As we share the Gospel, we must always remember that truth.  No one of us is incapable of sharing the Gospel in a convincing way because we each are entitled to the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  When we open our mouths to share it, we can be confident that the Spirit will touch the hearts of those we talk to.  I am striving to make that same Spirit my best friend as I rely on His help and promptings every day and every hour.  Thanks to that focus, Elder Azueta and I have had very spiritual experiences that have stregthened us and those around us.  We ahve felt the Spirit work through us to bring about the will of the Lord here in this mission.  I love this work and wouldnt rather be doing anything else.  Love you all!

Elder Stutz