La Caridad es el Amor Perfecto

Hey!!!

Hey everyone, hope everyone enjoyed their turkey this past week. We had a solid week of constant hard work. Elder Bangerter and I are hitting the ground running with our companionship and doing everything we can to get the missionary work rolling here in Tepoztlán. The let down this week was that Elizabeth did not get baptized but we are planning on baptizing her this next Friday so we are very excited for that. We focused our efforts this past week on finding a family that is ready to hear the Gospel. We prayed, fasted, studied, and planned everything to be able to find a family we could teach and help to progress toward baptism because that is what this small little branch needs, FAMILIES!! We found little success in the first few days of the week. Then on Friday we left in the morning feeling really strongly about finding a great family that day. As we left the house we recieved a call from our district leader who told us he felt prompted to call us and exhort us to do everything we could to find a family and teach them that day. He was at the point of tears on the phone because the prompting had come so strong to him. We worked all day to find that family and returned home that night with nothing. We felt a little down but the Spirit boosted our attitude because we had done all we could. Saturday came and we did the same thing, through the members and contacting we desperately looked for this family. In the evening we stopped by a house and felt like we should see who lived there. The dad walked outside and immediately invited us in without us saying more than Hey were missionaries and we want to get to know the families around this area. We taught them for awhile of Joseph Smith, eternal families, etc. and they seemed pretty interested. We dont know if this is the family we were looking for but it was for sure a miracle that they let us in. We are going to continue to focus on finding families again this next week. We also had the opportunity to speak in Church. Elder Bangerter did a great job in his broken Spanish as he talked of adversity to the members. I felt impressed to talk about charity with the members because we really believe that if they increase their charity, they are going to have a stronger desire to share the Gospel with their friends. It turned out well and we set up a family night with the members EVERY night this week. so we are pumped for sure. I dont think i have been happier or have enjoyed the Spirit as much as I am now in my whole mission. I literally feel like we are being guided by the Spirit in everything we do and teach. The members are starting to trust us even more and we are set to have a great month of December. I love this work, I cant wait to get up each morning to study specifically for the investigators and then go teach them according to the Spirit. As I have plead in prayer for the gift of charity, I have been blessed with more pure love for this people and for a true desire to teach them the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love it here in Tepoztlán and am gratedful for the prayers and support I recieve from those family and friends back home. Love you all

Elder Stutz

Preparativos Para La Guerra

Hey Guys!

Happy Thanksgiving week! I have so much to be grateful for here in the mission field right now. I got my new companion last tuesday, Elder Bangerter from Dennison, Texas. He came straight from the MTC in Provo, Utah and he is really excited to serve. We started right off working hard and sweating as we climbed the Tepoztlán hills, looking for people to teach. We found some success this week but we are hoping to find more next week. We had a great planning session yesterday and we have a great week lined up! We also have a baptism this Friday so that is going to be a great blessing and Elder Bangerter is stoked for his first baptism! Well sorry for this pathetically short letter, we dont have much time but the title of my email this week comes from the war chapters in the Book of Mormon where we learn from the example of Capitan Moroni. He was a man of God who fought for his family, religion, and his God. We learn that the reason he was so successful was his preparation. In Alma chapters 49 and 50 we learn of all that he and his army did to prepare themselves for war and they aways were able to defeat their enemies. I know that in order to be successful in this life and overcome the temptations and attacks from the devil, we must prepare ourselves with the scriptures, prayer, goals, etc. We must constantly be doing these things to overcome this world and find eternal life in the life to come. Love you all and hope everyone has a great thanksgiving!

Love

Elder Stutz

Te Hallaré Mi Querido Amigo

Buenas,

Hey guys hope everyone enjoyed their week! We had a pretty solid one as we tried to end this change on a high note. We worked a lot with the members and with that ended up teaching more less actives than investigators, which we loved. We met a few less actives that haven't gone to church in years so we are excited to work with them. We also had a stake activity on Thursday which was a Talent Night. No one from our branch came so that was a bummer but there were a lot of pretty cool talents. As missionaries, we did a skit with the whole zone and it went really well. Its called the SIN CHAIR and what we did was we had a chair on the stage that had a sign on it that said sin. I was elected to act as Satan and beckon someone to sit in the chair haha. So the person sits down and can't get up. Then each missionary passes by the guy in the chair, doing something to try to help him get out. We had a bomb squad, hippies, guitarists, a painter, a firefighter, and some other stuff. But no one can help the guy out of the chair until lastly the misionaries pass by and teach him about the Book of Mormon. At the end of the skit we did the Te Hallaré Mi Querido Amigo skit/song and it was pretty powerful. Its basically a little skit in the Pre existence where two guys read where they are going to be born, if they will be born into the church and all that. One of the guys gets sent to the US and will be called to serve a mission in mexico. The friend gets sent to mexico where he will not be a member and will have many trials. So the American then promises his friend that he will find him and share the Gospel with him. Then the song we sung goes along with that story. Everything turned out really well and we had a ton of fun doing it as a zone.

So we do have changes this week. My companion is headed to Guacamayas in Michoacan (super far away) and I'm staying in Tepoztlan. I'm pumped to stay and he was pretty sad to leave but he is going to be great as district leader over there. So now I'm with a few elders in Cuernavaca, waiting for our new Americans to show up. I took my first REAL shower without using a bucket for the first time since arriving here in Mexico! haha I've been called to train an American that is coming striaght from the states. I'm super excited to work with him, especially to learn from him because I am still learning lots about how to be an effective missionary. I'm really humbled as well to be entrusted with a new missionary. I remember just a couple months ago being in his shoes, a little nervous and scared but really excited. So I think we will have a great week of finding and teaching and hopefully a baptism. I meet him tomorrow so next week I'll have lots of updates.

Just want to share my testimony that I know that this is Christ's church on the earth. He helps me everyday as I use His Atonement and look to spread His message of love and mercy. I know that there are people in Tepoztlan that need my and my companions testimony to accept the restored Gospel right now and enjoy the blessings that come from it. I love it here and cant wait for this next week. Love you all!

Elder Stutz

¿Me Amas? Apacienta Mis Ovejas

Hey Everyone,

Exciting week to start the month of November! Día de los Muertos here was pretty crazy. Tepoztlán is a crazy tourist town so tons and tons of families traveled here to trick or treat around main street. It was pretty crazy to see thousands of people out in the streets, many of them dressed up. We celebrated the holiday by working hard in the vineyard of the Lord! We had a tough start to the week because we had to move houses which took almost a full day. We then found out the next morning that we had to move back so we did that the whole next day haha. What a waste of time!!! We were pretty exhausted afterwards too! But we had a great Zone Conference on Thursday that boosted our confidence and motivation. President spoke and testified of the Living Christ and developing Christ-like attributes. It was amazing and we left uplifted, motivated, and ready to go out and serve as the representatives of Jesus Christ that we are in our respective areas. I left from the Zone Conference to a place called Zapata with Elder Smith to do divisions. Elder Smith and I love working together and we had a blast! We teach super well together and we loved teaching this 19 year old young man that is preparing to be baptized. We loved teaching him to figure out his doubts and then helping him to resolve them. I think it might have been one of the most spiritual lessons of the mission for me. I'm super pumped for him to be baptized! We also have a funny story from our food from that day. We arrived and the Hermana wasnt there but her two 8 and 7 year old kids were. We waited about a half hour and then were about to leave when the kids offered to make us dinner. We said no but they made it anyway haha. They were locked in their house and we couldn't come in either so they had to pass it through the window and we ate the eggs and sweet pea soup that these little kids made for us there on the side of the road haha, it was hilarious and didnt taste too terrible! The Hermana got back as we were finishing up and was super embarrased haha! Sweet kids!!

So the great news this week is that Esther and Anay got baptized and confirmed!!! The night of the baptism started rough when they met us in the centro about a half hour late and then we went to Presidents house so he could take us to San Andres but he wasnt there. So after another half hour we found his son and he took us. We showed up and there was only one member there. We waited another half hour there and then a few more members showed up. But once the baptism started it was amazing and filled with the Spirit. Elder Oswald baptized Esther and I baptized Anay. It was super special!!! Then on Sunday, President asked me to confirm Anay a member of the Church and to give her the Holy Ghost. It was my first time doing that so that was very special and I was touched by the Spirit. I know that this is the work of the Lord and that we are guided by the Holy Ghost everyday to those that are willing to listen and pray. I know that people are prepared to hear us here in Tepoztlán, we just need to find them!! I have seen how happy this Gospel makes people and families. It is true. Christ lives, His church is on the earth and it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love this work, its something I want to do my whole life. Thanks to everyone for their fasts and prayers in our behalf, they make such a difference!!!! I love you and have a great week!

Cuídense Mucho,

Elder Stutz

La Fe de los Escogidos

Happy Halloween!

Hey hope everyone is doing well this week! We had a pretty crazy week again this past week. On Thursday we went to Mexico City so that Elder Oswald could see a doctor up there for a skin infection he has. He is healthy and all but he might need surgery soon which would put both of us out of work for at least a week, but we are going to see what happens when we go back up there again this week. It was fun though being in the city, it really is gigantic!! The secretaries drove us out there and we got lost several times but it was real fun! We also had an adventure this weekend when late friday night we both started throwing up and got really sick. We had a pretty miserable 24 hours there in the house, taking turns in the bathroom but luckily we are feeling better now!! Even though it was a terrible experience I was pretty excited that I finally got sick in Mexico! But apart from those experiences, it was a great week of sharing the truth with many souls here in Mexico. Remember the family I wrote about last week that got robbed? Ya we were pretty worried about them at the beginning of the week but found out on Wednesday when we taught them that they found who did it and that they got most of their stuff back. So things have calmed down with all of that which is a relief. And on that Wednesday we were able to talk about eternal families and temples. Ester, the mom, lives with her 2 young kids Anayi and Octavio. Their dad is working tin the United States right now and will return in a month. As we taught them of eternal families and the temples, their eyes just lit up and we know they are going to be sealed as an eternal family one day. Ester told us that her husband is ok with them talking to us and everything but that she wants to wait till he gets back to Mexico so they can all get baptized together. We understood that desire, even though we had set a baptismal date for this coming Saturday, November 5th. Well, we passed by their house on Friday and they didnt have time to talk but Ester told us that she prayed about it and feels she needs to be baptized this Saturday and be the example for her husband and her kids. It was a MIRACLE!! We were so happy to hear that and she is someone that has been so prepared to hear our message and accept it. We love their family with all of heart and we are so looking forward to hers and Anayis baptism this saturday! I wish I had more time to write but know im doing well and am very happy serving the Lord. We are just trying to continue finding the people who have been prepared like Ester and her family. Thanks to everyone who has said prayers and done fasts in our behalf, they make such a tremendous difference. Love you all so much, enjoy your week!!

Elder Stutz

La Parte Divertida de la Misión es la Compañía del Espíritu Santo

Hey Guys!

Hope the week went well for everyone! We had quite an excellent week with some ups and downs! We did divisions with the District Leaders this past week. Elder Smith stayed with me in Tepoztlán and Elder Oswald went to Zapata with Elder Gonzalez. It was a tough day as we didnt teach any lessons. I was bummed that we had walked the WHOLE day and didnt teach at all while Elder Smith was there. He didnt mind though and actually loved the time we spent talking to so many people, even if they didnt want to accept us. We felt really good about the work we had done at the end of the day so we kept our heads up. Elder Smith taught me a lot about the attitude towards the mission and how to measure success. We also talked a lot about finding the elect of God, or in other words, finding those who have been prepared to hear the word and really, truthfully want to listen to you. That can be challenging sometimes because there are a lot of great people out there that we have taught but truthfully just are not ready to start making covenants with God. So we are really focusing on finding those who are prepared to hear our message. We had a baptism this week!!!! Yazmin was baptized on Friday and it was amazing. She is 8 years old and all her brothers and sisters are members but her parents are not. We asked her the week before if she wanted to get baptized becuase she had just turned 8 a few months ago and told us she didnt really want to. We asked her to pray about it that night. In the morning when we walked down to their house, she ran up to us and yelled ¡Ya me quiero bautizar! She prayed and felt great about it. Kids are such great examples of faith!!! Her nonmember parents went to the baptism and practically all the active members of the branch came as well! The support and love from the branch was amazing and the parents noticed it. They also came to church on Sunday to see the confirmation so that was really special. We are going to continue working with the parents because they want to get baptized too. The problem is they sell shoes in the mercado every sunday and dont want to give up their work to go to church because its their source of income. It is going to come down to faith with them. If they exercise their faith in the Lord and stop selling on Sundays and come to Church, He is going to bless them with enough money to sustain the family. One trial of faith we experienced was that a family that we are teaching right now and that is preparing diligently to be baptized got robbed this past week. Everything from their house, money, tvs, telephones, everything. We were heartbroken because we love this family so much. We know this trial of faith is going to help them be even better members of the church when they get baptized. So the title of my email comes from something in the Missionary handbook. In the introduction it talks about the importance of the Holy Ghost in the calling of a missionary and that we should STRIVE TO ENJOY THE COMPANIONSHIP OF THE HOLY GHOST. I dont think I ever thought of it that way, I mean I have always loved feeling the Holy Ghost but we should always enjoy His presence. I have really tried to do that this past week. Pray for His guidance and ENJOY it. I have found greater joy in following Him and doing this work for the Savior than I have ever felt in my life. I know that sometimes the world makes bad decisions look more fun, but the true joy comes from the companionship of the Holy Ghost that comes according to our obedience and willingness to submit to the Lord and do His will. I hope we can all strive to enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost this week as we do all we can to do the will of the Lord. Love you all lots and appreciate so much your prayers in my behalf!

Con Muchísimo Amor,

Elder Stutz

El Poder de Dios Obra Milagros (The power of God works miracles)

Hey Hey!

What a roller-coaster of a week! Lots of trials and even more blessings! I'll use my time today telling a story that changed my life and the faith I have in miracles. Remember the rain story from last week? So the people we taught in that lesson are not too interested so that was disappointing for us, especially after our experience with the rain storm and everything. As we were about to head to their house to teach them one night, we felt like we needed to visit a member on the way. The member that gave us the reference to see these people that we were going to go teach was randomly there at the other members house and told us that her freinds wouldnt be able to meet with us that night. We were disappointed but glad that she let us know before we walked there out in the boonies. As we were about to leave the members house, this member asked us if we would like to go visit someone else with her that lives in Amatlán, another pueblito that is pretty far away. We agreed to do so and learned on the way there that the man we were going to go visit is blind and had just recently had another surgery to remove a tumor in his head. He had recieved a blessing from a brother in the branch before the surgery but didnt know anything about our church or who the missionaries were. We got there and met this wonderful man who treated us right at home in his little humble shack. He told us that he knew he was alive because of the blessing he recieved from this brother. As we were about to start the lesson, his sister walked into the house and began asking us about what we do as missionaries. She said she had seen us before but thought we only visited the sick and that that was why we were there at her brothers house. We explained that we are here to share the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with EVERYONE and that she was welcome to stay and participate in the lesson. She agreed and invited her little kids to join us. We had such an amazing lesson, completely guided by the Spirit. We sang Families Can Be Together Forever with them and talked a little bit about that principle. They loved the lesson and invited us back in two days. We made the trip back down there on Friday to see them and taught them about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. The Spirit was present and testified to everyone there that Joseph Smith had really seen God the Father and Jesus Christ and that the Restored Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth today. When we gave each of them a copy of the Book of Mormon, each of them held it tightly to their chest as if it were some kind of treasure or long-lost belonging that had just been found. The mom teared up, seeing her young children (ages 9 and 7) begin reading the words of Christ and ask sincere questions about Joseph Smith and the book. We invited them to Church and they said they would come, ladies in their dresses and Octavio (7 year old kid) in his white shirt and tie. We arrived at church Sunday and they didnt show. Sacrament Meeting was very tough to enjoy, I have to admit. We walked up to our classroom where we normally taught our Preach My Gospel class and no members decided to join us. We sat there very disappointed. Elder Oswald just wanted to go home and call it a day. I was searching the scriptures, looking for the answer why this had happened to us after such a long week of working so hard and only finding this one golden family. We were both sitting there praying personally when all of a sudden Demetrio (the blind man) walks up the stairs, being guided by a member. They arrived for the last hour!!!! We were so happy!! They loved what they learned and they looked just like members in their dresses and white shirt and tie. Im not sure if I've every been so happy to see them, and to see them so content being there at Church. They are going to be baptized in two weeks! I know that miracles occur according to our faith and hard work. They often come in the last hour, but they do come everntually. I love the things I am learning about patience and the blessings I am seeing in the lives of the people that do accept the Gospel!! Love you all, hope you have a great week!

Elder Stutz