Week 34: My Amazing Companion!

Dear Friends and Family,

:)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :0  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :) *)

Yup, that pretty much describes my whole week! HAHA There was a lot of smiles, crazy faces, fake smiles and just a lot of "what?" Oh man have I learned a lot. And I feel as if I continue to miss learning opportunities as well! (which I'm not proud of). 

For starters, I want to tell you all about my companion, Elder Sturdevant. Now he is something else! He is pretty great :) HAHA this past Friday we went biking so we could save some miles. We had planned to visit someone a little farther away which required us to go through this road through the woods. So we parked the car, then hopped on the bikes and skirted out :) And one thing elder Sturdevant likes to do on his bike is run over soda cans that will then stick to his wheel which creates the sound of a motor bike as the wheel turns. So We were riding, probably a mile away from the car, and he sees a couple soda cans on the side of the road. (now keep in mind, this is a dirt road, so it has soft dirt sides) So he tried to get one of them and slipped a little on his bike. He said, "that was a close one..." I turned to him and said, "better be careful! you're gonna crash!" And two minutes later he went for another can. This time he wasn't so lucky. His wheel got caught in the dirt causing him to go flying over the handle bars. HAHA It was hilarious not gonna lie... HAHA But he was ok and he continued the day with a smile :) So the next day, we are riding on the same road, but it was a little before the dirt, and it was paved. So he did the same thing, but this time he got caught of the road coming up and flipped over on the pavement. HAHA It was HILARIOUS to see because it was the second time in two days, but also really kinda scary. He had scraped hands and ripped pants and it was just terrible... HAHA yet what did he do?? He had a smile on his face and had such a great attitude! 

Elder Sturdevant and Elder Stonely.

I learn so much from my companion. This week was another slow and hard one for us, but he showed me the importance of having a positive attitude and putting on a smile even when things are hard. I really appreciate him for showing me that without realizing it.

To end this weird email, I wanted to share with you all something that I was reading throughout the week. I recently started reading from "Teachings of Presidents of the Church" the one of Brigham Young and I was reading in Chapter 3 "Living the Gospel" and these two quotes stood out to me:

We have the Gospel of life and salvation, to make bad men good and good men better. Pg: 21

It is written of the savior in the Bible that he descended below all things that he might ascend above all. Is it not so with every man? Certainly it is. It is fit, then, that we should descend below all things and come up gradually, and learn a little now and again, receive 'line upon line, precept upon precept, her a little and there a little' [see Isaiah 28:9-10; D&C 98:12 ] until we can reach into eternity and embrace a fulness of his glory, excellency and power. Pg: 22

I was pondering those passages, and though I may have took it the wrong way as intended, I thought of them as a help to me. I have wanted to really apply the gospel to me and to really try to live it. And I find so many things that I want to change and grow, though when I look at it all at once, I get a little overwhelmed. And I read this and thought, "you know? All I have to do is work on it little by little...and that is what will make able to live the gospel more." And I love the first one because the gospel really is to help bad men become good and good men better. And I want to become better and know that through the gospel I can do it. 

I am so very grateful for all of you all back home! Thank you for your help with missionaries anywhere :) We all feel united! 

Love you much!

Elder Stonely

District selfie.

Week 33: Grateful for Those Around Me

Dear Friends and Family,

WELP... That week flew by fast! Now reflecting back on the week, I realize I am getting old because I am starting to forget the things that have happened. HAHA We went out with the young men some more, including Victor, who yet again taught me a life lesson. Man I am grateful for him and his strong testimony! And we have had a great week helping out the members of the ward. I am grateful for the fellow missionaries around me who are examples to me in every aspect. Every day I strive to work on one or more things to become more like Jesus Christ. And I am able to see what needs to change through my companion, members, and church leaders. And for that I am grateful! I know that the Lord has placed me here to learn and grow. And especially help the people I serve.

My fellow servants! They are the best.

This past Saturday we taught a Family History class which went pretty good. Definitely learned that I will never be a teacher at a school because I cant teach! I am grateful for teachers who I have had who have had patience and just are plain smart! Teachers are amazing... HAHA

My thought for the week comes from my ponderize scripture:

And Now, O my son Elder Stonely (Heleman), behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in thier tirals, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day. -Alma 36:3

I love this scripture and have learned so much from Alma that all I have to do is put my trust in the Savior and not worry about everything else. Then I will be able to receive the support every day! I love the gift of the Atonement!

A lot of testimony building experiences this week. I am grateful for everyone around me on a daily bases. I really just cant describe how grateful I am! I love you all so much and am so very grateful for the prayers that everyone gives for the missionaries. I know we are blessed. 

Much love from Foley Alabama!

Elder Stonely

Dirty car...oops.

Study time.

Yes, I like to pose for the camera. Couldn't you tell???

Playing with my new toy...a selfie stick!!!

Oh no, don't eat me!

More selfie stick fun!

Week 32: The Power of a Testimony

And the weeks go on!

Dear Friends and Family,

I marveled at how the spirit works this week. We had the opportunity to start taking the Priests in our ward out to lessons with us. There are about 8 young men total in the Foley ward, 6 of which are from Hispanic families. SOOO... we have been blessed to take many of them out with us! We had such a great experience with one of them as well. His name is Victor. He is 18 years old and is a convert to the church in 2013. He struggles with many different challenges as any teenager would, but just imagine the worst you can get and multiply it by 100. Considering his situation, it was amazing that he is so strong! Well recently he has been facing many challenges and decisions. He began to lose his testimony and fall away, which is why we decided to work with him specifically. One of Victor's many challenges was deciding whether to go on a mission, or to go to college and start changing his life around. Well the story continues till last Friday when we took him out to a lesson. We were sharing about the BOM and how one can really know that it is true, find answers and feel the spirit as they read. I turned to Victor and asked him to share his testimony. I had not told him that he was going to share anything, so he seemed very surprised that I called on him. After a couple seconds of deciding what he was gonna share, he began to bear his testimony. It was the strongest testimony of the BOM that I have heard come out of any 18 year old kid. Including mine! Later during the day, Victor stopped us in the car and told us that he knew he was going to serve a mission and that he knew that he wanted to do what we do as missionaries and help others. It was amazing to see him have this sudden change and to see the spirit work in him. He truly was the biggest missionary work we did this week. And I'm proud to say that Victor, after a year of not reading the BOM, has read his book every day since then. I cannot wait to see great things come of this young man and the others who will assist us! 

Selfie with Victor.

Eating out with Victor and friend.

Well, me and Elder Sturdevant are doing BOSS down here. He is one of the strongest missionaries I have met and I know that he will only become so much better! He continues to teach me and help me. He is pretty much training me now! I will be sad when we have to part :(

This week we have been really trying to work with the members and personally, I really have seen the need for so much missionary work down here within the ward! Elder Sturdevant and I were blessed with the opportunity to give talks in sacrament about the Sabbath day and missionary work and I wanted to share with you what we came up with earlier as we prepared. Its a bit funny cause in our talks we talked about how missionaries have this thing called the 3 S's, however we made that up the morning of are talks! But I thought we would share them anyway as they apply to any member of the Church! :)

The three S's to missionary work include:

Service:

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." -Mosiah 2:17  

What better way to do missionary work than to serve your father in heaven? and we do that by serving others. Whether it be doing your home teaching, visiting teaching, service projects or anything else! Get out and serve!

Share:

As missionaries we are constantly sharing! We write our testimonies in BOM's and share them with people we meet and with members, we pass out cards, help share our family history stories! We are always sharing!

Go out and share with your neighbors and those who need the gospel in their life! Don't be afraid to speak up about the blessings you have received from the gospel. Don't you think others want those too?

Smile: 

"...Remember...  ...to be Spiritually-Minded Is Life Eternal."
-2 Nephi 9:39

Go out and show your smile! The best way to do missionary work is to show others the blessings that come from living the way you are all living your life! Remember, to be spiritually minded, and have the blessings of the Gospel, makes you SMILE! Always have a smile on your face, and someone is ganna wonder who you are and why you are happy!

I love you all so very much and I am grateful for all of your support back at home! I wish you all such a very merry, happy, seasony, non-seasonal week! Much love from yet again, the heart of Foley Alabama!

Elder Stonely

Birthday party!

Silly Riley.

Week 31: Follow Your Priesthood Leaders

Dear Friends and Family,

If I could share my thoughts and feelings that I have had throughout the week, I could be writing here all day. There was a lot that I learned and a lot that I am going to work on :) For starters, I have again learned a lot of lessons from my companion and I love him so dearly for teaching me these lessons and helping me out. He still doesn't know that I have learned so much, but I thought he didn't need to know and I can express my gratitude when we have to separate. He is such a great companion and I wish the best of luck for him. All my companions have been great so far!

I also wanted to share with each and every one of you just how awesome your priesthood leaders are! I had the chance to just email the mission president, talk with the bishop of the Foley ward, and this week I have an interview with the mission president too. I was thinking about all of the leaders who have affected me and who have been a huge guide in my life! And I know that they are all where they need  to be and they know what they are doing! Take their advice because its gonna help you all! I love my priesthood leaders!

And my last thought is simple today :) I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants section 121 when I read verse 45 which says, 

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

And I was reading this and thought that it was amazing because charity and virtue are the Christlike attributes that I have been working on and really want to improve. And I have found that when I try to be charitable and virtuous, my behavior and attitude around others really changes. And it it easier to be patient with people. I know that to be so true! and I am grateful! 

I thank you all so much for everything that you all constantly do to love and support the missionaries! And I am extremely grateful for you all :) I hope you all have a great week and enjoy your lovely snow back home! its just cold here... HAHAHA

Elder Stonely

Week 30: "Companions working side-by-side"

Dear Friends and Family,

This week I hit my 7 month mark, and it does not feel like 7 months! I feel as if I just got out here and that is a little scary. HAHA Training is going well and we are doing great in Foley. Elder Sturdevant is learning Spanish a lot faster than me I feel like. And he is definitely not scared to talk in lessons, so he will learn really fast! I am gratefull for his effort and everything he is putting forth to learn and to grow! And in fact, he has been a huge support system for me. Throughout this week there have been days and situations where I have learned from him! And it just goes to prove that no one really is the "Senior" companion. We are both equal. And Now I feel a little bit more humble as to learn from my companions.

Well this week I focused on my studies. Trying to learn more about the priesthood and the Christlike attributes. I found it very fun to find a scripture and then write my thoughts about it every day. And Now I have a whole notebook of scriptures! Every day is a day of learning and growing! And you dont have to be a missionary for that ;)

This week is short! but just trust me that it was bomb! Now its picture time! Sorry for all those who missed seeing my adventures last week! Love you all!

Elder Stonely

Week 29: "Christmas in Foley, Alabama!"

Dear Friends and Family,

This week was definitely one to remember big! (I think I say that almost every week) But this week I mean it more than the other weeks! It was a little slower as far as missionary teaching and finding, however, the spirit of Christmas was the strongest I have ever felt. We shared the New Christmas Videos the Church Produced which are so BOSS! And That was a huge spirit catcher with everyone we met. And we had great time at member houses.

The highlight of my week was skyping my family at Lucia and Ramons house (Recent Converts). I think I was just so shocked at the sight of my family that I didn't even know what to say. HAHA They told me I had a huge smile on my face and I guess now I'm feeling the after affects. HAHA Lucia and Ramon were super excited to see my family and meet them all as well! In-fact, when the time came to end the call they were the ones begging me to not end the call! They wanted me to keep talking and they wanted to watch! HAHA I thought It was a little funny. They feel like my family that I have around during this Christmas season. Best gift for any missionary is skyping or calling home! Thank you family for making the Christmas one to remember! Im glad I took Pictures! HAHA

As far as the missionary work is going, we have an investigator who is coming to church pretty regularly who I feel could have a Baptism date within the next couple weeks which is AWESOME! And the Foley Branch is no longer a Branch... ITS A WARD!!!! Everyone was super excited to have this change and to be ready. But I guess that just means more responsability for us right?? HAHA We have been doing great down here and are super excited to continue working hard! Infact... Today we have a nerf blow dart war with the District. #Missionarylife #IHATEHASHTAGS

Much Love from me, The Elder in Foley Alabama where no one knows where its at :)

Love you all!

Elder Stonely

Oh and BTW... If anyone has the urge to send candy to us, I would advise you to save it for yourselfs! the kids down here are getting a bit too sweet! Enjoy the holidays :)

Week 28: "Attitude of Gratitude"

Dear my boss Friends and Family,

Man oh man does time seem to fly by. I feel like I was just writing a weekly email and now I'm here again! Last P-day went by really fast. The three other missionaries had a lot of stuff to get done so we were running all over little Foley. But man, the week this week was almost like a roller coaster too. With ups and downs, highs and lows, fast and slow, and man just crazy! Hopefully my Spanish mind doesn't mess up the email. :)

So Tuesday we didn't have District meeting because we had a Christmas Mission Conference with 1/2 the missionaries. And man, that day was so crazy. Probably cause my routine was so thrown off. We did go to a little thrift store to do service, which was supper fun! We got there and normally when we arrive they just have like a couple shopping karts with stuff that needs to be put on the shelves and all we do is put it out so people can buy it. But this time they had like 5 shopping carts and 4 giant racks of clothes that they needed to hang up. We started with the shopping karts and put everything out, but then we got to the cloths. HAHA And let me just say, a good 90% of the clothes were woman's shirts and pants and dressed and it was hard for us two guys to determine where to put them. The person in charge ended up just giving us something and telling us exactly where to put it! we are such typical guys... The best part of the service though was seeing how happy it made the workers in the store. We walked in and they were all fighting for some reason, and by the time we left, they were all happy and they really enjoyed us coming. I think they were all stressed and overrun with their work, so we tried to just joke around and make them laugh and lighten their day by doing the service. And it worked! We left with smiles on our faces and felt really good for serving and making other peoples days better. Service is boss!

Wednesday was the mission conference, and it was very good. We had a musical program with Sister smith narrating and that was great! very spiritual. Then we had a lunch that was prepared by the Relief Society and It was AMAZING. I'm jealous because I will never be able to cook like the woman in the Relief Society. But thats ok cause i still have my mom right? Just kidding.

The rest of the week was another week and very good. I am glad for opportunities that I have been given to grow and to strengthen my testimony about the gospel. I am grateful for our mission president down here who has been called to serve us. I know he knows where I need to be and when and am grateful for him. I am even more grateful for the savior during this time of year and for all he has done for me. He truly is my greatest gift.

I hope you all enjoy your Christmas. I know I will be enjoying all of the members and the opportunity to serve them. Thank you for all your support and for everything that I have received from wonderful people back home. Have a Merry Christmas!

From the little town of Foley,

Elder Stonely

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