Week 43: Cairo, Cows, Peru, and "Ginny-Pigs"

Dear Friends and Family,

This week started a new adventure for me! As I said last week, I am serving in Cairo, Georgia. Which is pretty awesome and there are a ton of people here. Most of the Hispanics are from a place called Chiapas, Mexico and speak a Dialect called Tzotzil. Pronounced "suts-cil" or something like that. And pretty much it is super hard to communicate with them... They have a lot of similar Vocabulary as Spanish, but also have a lot of different words to define things and explain things. I want to learn it, but thought i should better stick to Spanish. We use their kids, who speak Spanish, English, and the dialect to translate. So we will be waiting to see how they are all doing!

We live in a little house in the middle of nowhere... there are seriously cows everywhere... HAHA I will hopefully send pictures later! But the house is all to ourselves and we love it! Though it is a change from the place that I called my home in Foley. HAHA My companion, Elder Valenzuela, is from Peru and is a pretty funny guy! He likes to eat Ginny-Pig, though I'm pretty sure that's illegal to eat here so I'm sorry to inform you I have not tried it. Though I really want to! HAHAHAHA Hopefully I'll go back to Peru with him some day :) He loves to have fun and he has a great personality when we are around the people here. I can't wait to continue working with him.

I love it here and am excited to get to know the members in Cairo. It is a small branch. (Really small, like we had 12 people at sacrament meeting last Sunday.) But all the members are super nice and super willing to work with us. We hope to expand the branch to make it a Ward. This area used to only have English speaking missionaries as of 7 months ago, when they switched them out for the Spanish speaking missionaries, so we have the Spanish work on top of the English work to do. It is pertty exciting, but WAY different. I'm not used to these Americans,... HAHA totally kidding!

I love you all! And wish you the best of luck! Till we meet again :)

From the little heart of Georgia,
Cairo!

Elder Stonely

Editorial note (Todd): I couldn't help laughing how Riley spelled Guinea Pig (Ginny-Pig), so I included it as written in the subject line. HAHAHA. Also, the use of "pertty" I believe is a clear sign that our boy is developing a southern drawl...not sure yet whether I should be excited about that or not???

Week 42: Sweet Foley :)‏

Dear Friends and Family,

You all, well probably just my mom, are curious to find out if I got transferred or not :) I am happily sad to say that I will be gone :( I am leaving my dear sweet town of Foley Alabama (my home for 9 months) and will be settling in the land of Cairo Georgia! My new companion will be Elder Valenzuala (think that’s how you spell it). He is from Peru and I have heard great things from him! My companion, Elder Sturdevant, will be staying in Foley and will be training someone new coming in! That was pretty exciting too :) I must have done an alright job at training my companion if he is now training! I am excited what my new area has to bring! But am not really that excited to leave my friendships here. I’ll probably be ok with it later :)

Well this week was awesome! I have not had sufficient time to dwell on the words of conference, so I won’t share too much from it. Although, one thing that caught my eye as I watched conference was the amount of temple talks that were given. I took some time to relive the one single experience I had going through the temple for myself and the many others that I have been given to go do baptisms for the dead. The temple holds many blessings and is a place we can attend weekly to get the closest to our Heavenly Father. I feel blessed to live 15 min away both north and south of now three temples. It is a blessing I know that I have overlooked my whole life. I now think about how we don’t have a temple in our mission and I can feel just a sliver of what others, who have worse circumstances feel, when they are unable to attend the house of the Lord. What a truly HUGE blessing we all have. I encourage you all to look and ponder at the blessings of the temple. And if you’re unsure just go! You will find many :)

As a result of being transferred, this email will be a short one :) However, I want every one of you to know that I truly love you all and love each and every prayer I feel. I almost feel as if I have heavenly angels watching over me and every time someone prays for me another set of hands is at my beckon. Missionaries are some of the most helped servants of the Lord. And you all can feel the same way as you go about helping those in the community! I love you all! Till next week in Cairo!

Elder Stonely

Springtime in sweet, sweet, Foley.

Chillin in the back seat of Victor's car.

I'll miss you Victor! You're the Boss!

You all have pipe dreams, right? We'll, mine are real!! HAHA

Week 41: Yes, It’s your elder again :)

Dear Friends and Family,

This week my testimony has really grown on the idea of following the spirit to be in the right place in the right time. There was an amazing experience that we had with one of the English elders investigators. I will try to explain to the best of my ability :)

About 1-2 months ago, we were planning for the following day. It had been a really hard week with not much success. So we got home, and started to plan. And we decided to go on our bikes down this path with is kinda hidden, but we thought we would try it out (hadn’t been down that path at all). So the next day, as we are following our plans, we are going down this path and we meet a guy who was walking. We began to talk to him, but he preceded to tell us that he wasn’t interested and was going through a rough time. He told us that he was thinking about suicide then and not really having the best of the day. Well we didn’t hesitate to offer a blessing to him. Surprisingly he wasn’t hesitant to say yes! So, on the side of the highway, we gave this man a blessing. (He wanted one then and there!) So we gave him the blessing, asked if we could call anyone or doing anything, but he refused any other help.

Months later, (last Monday) he shows up at the library and talks with the English Elders! He apparently was taking lessons from them, but then fell off the face of the earth and they could not contact him. He talked with them and we were unsure of what ever was going on. So after they were done talking with them, we find out from the English elders that his life was going downhill. And that day that we met him on the path, he was actually on his way to end his life. He had been that way for about 2 months. And that’s when we met him and gave him the blessing! He described to us that after that blessing, he felt a little better and in 2 weeks after the blessing, his life started changing. He said the blessing gave him something to build off us which was the reason he was around.

We were shocked... cause how often does that happen????? He is currently taking lessons from the missionaries and plans on getting baptized within the next couple months.

The spirit really is a guide. And sometimes you don’t know it. But if you are doing what you should and are worthy of the spirit, trust that it will guide you in every decision that you make. Even where you might be taking your morning jog :) I testify that the work is moving fast! Whether it be here on the earth of on the other side of the Veil. All we have to do is act and the Lords hands in carrying out the mortal work. I love you all and cannot wait to tell you all about all of my adventures :)

Much love! From the heart of Foley Alabama!

Elder Stonely

PS transfers are in a week from this wed, so may be getting that news soon :

Master chefs.

Yummy food!

Easter celebration.

Yes, I love food!

Week 40: Forgiveness

Well My dear Friends and Family,

This week I have learned a lot about the topic of "forgiveness." It seems as if the Lord is trying to tell me by shouting it at me! It started off by me picking the topic of Forgiveness to study every morning, then came the practice and the additional help from the savior! That's what I’m gonna call it. HAHA

One thing that I want to share with you all comes from "True to the Faith." This book explains everything so very clearly. And under the Topic of Forgiveness it devides Forgiveness into two seccions:

1. Seeking Forgiveness from the Lord - This one is probably the one that most people think most of. It is something we do when we repent. We "ask for forgiveness and then we promise never to do it again." something I learned from my mother many times! We should plead for forgiveness from the lord for our sins and day-to-day weaknesses. We are all human and make mistakes. We all have weaknesses especially that "prevent ourselves from receiving blessings our Father has been ready to give us" (pg 70). However if we are continuously asking for forgiveness every time we sin or mess up, we can receive the Lords forgiveness which brings "relief, comfort, and joy" (pg 70). I am truly grateful for this gift that I have been given to be forgiven for my weaknesses that I have as a human. All our Father in Heaven is doing is waiting for us to repent and ask his forgiveness. We shouldn’t wait to receive the blessings He wants us to have.
2. Forgiving others - This other way of Forgiveness is the one that may be more difficult for most of us. For me it is huge. In some situations I feel as if I hold the right to not forgive because I did not hold the fault. "It is easy to become bitter or angry or vengeful in such situations, but this is not the Lord's way" (pg 71). The Lord commanded us to forgive everyone in Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10, "Ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." I have found these verses helpful in making the decision to forgive. My dear loved ones, Let us "Abandon feelings of anger, bitterness, or revenge... ...you will find that forgiveness can heal terrible wounds, replacing the poison of contention and hatred with the peace and love that only God can give" (pg 72).

I love you all so very much. I have learned the hard way through many people and experiences that forgiveness is essential. We must forgive our fellow brothers and sisters in this life if we are to ever experience love for each other. And I find great joy in loving EVERYONE around me.

Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).

Thank you all so much for all the support that we as missionaries receive from you all! Whether it be through an email, a letter or a small prayer. We feel your support every day as we carry the message of the restored gospel to our fellow brothers and sisters. I love you all very much and am looking forward to the day where we will all be united once more with our Father in Heaven. Much love!

Elder Stonely

Guess who won the coin-toss for driving privileges today?

Couldn't resist rubbing Buddha's tummy.

This is for the girls out there. I hear it makes me look cuter. HAHA

Authentic Mexican salsa and...Saltines???

Yep, I always win the coin toss!

Mission Meeting.

Week 39: BOSS MISSIONARY

Dear Friends and Family,

Well this week I have gained a strong testimony of the simple truths of the restored gospel. We had the opportunity to go out with a member this past Sunday. And to give you a little background on him, I’ll explain who he is and his background story. For starters, His name is Valentin (not how you pronounce it cause it’s in Spanish) and he is pretty fun! He is from Mexico and is the only member of his family who is a member of the church. He came over to America by himself at age 12-13 and has been working here ever since. He then ran into the missionaries 3 years ago. Before then, he wasn’t a member of the church. He took the discussions and was baptized. He then waited a year till he could go to the temple, then directly went on his mission. He recently got back home 3 months ago and is just in town for two weeks to work. He has such a strong testimony! We met him at church and then he asked us if he could go out to visits with us. So we took him out! And he had such a great simple, but strong testimony of the gospel. And he told us that he always goes out with the missionaries anywhere he is to help us out and to remain strong. So I was thinking about this and thought about the Atonement. Because this member doesn’t have any family in the states and doesn’t have many friends due to his work situation. But he knows that the Savior is always there for him and he knows the blessings that have come from living the gospel! So you all remember that!

Elder Sturdevant and I are doing amazing here in Foley AL. This transfer is 7 weeks long, so I am blessed with 4 more weeks with him! And we will see where I go after that. :) However, the work is going great and we are finding a lot more people to teach and things to do. Missionary work sure does get easier as time goes on and I really am really grateful for all the help I have in learning the language! There were a lot of funny things that happened this week too however I can’t remember what they are cause my mind is crazy. ;) HAHA Well Hope you all have a great week back at home! I love you all and hope you enjoy the fun. :)

Elder Stonely

They sure love their monster trucks in Alabama!

Yep, that's me sportin glasses. Had to get them so I could read the road signs.

Another selfie with Victor.

Week 38: Talking to Everyone :D

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you so much for the many great people you all are! I feel beyond blessed for the friendships and family relationships that I have with everyone who I know. This week I have come to the realization that most people just need someone to talk to and need a friend. And I am so very grateful that all of you have been here for me. :)

This past Tuesday we had a wonderful opportunity to listen to a district lesson about finding. (First off, you all need to know that our district leader, Elder Christensen is a BOSS). We talked about what we could do to find more people to teach and to get out there in the community to help people out. And that lesson and meeting fired me up! I was getting so pumped to get out in the streets and talk to people so we can share the message of the restored gospel! So I made a commitment to myself that I would stop and talk to every person that we passed by. And I can proudly report that I failed! HAHA I talked to all but like 2. :) Trust me those two people were impossible to talk to.... HAHA but we talked to a total of about 75 people this week. (That’s only counting those we passed by on the streets) Now for us that’s a lot of people!!!!! And a lot of talking! But we have seen a lot of blessings come from talking with everyone! And I am so very grateful for the blessings that I always have. :) So get out in the world and talk with other people! You never know when you will find cool people to talk to and who have cool stories. :) You don’t have to be a missionary to talk to people. :)

Well my spiritual thought for the week comes from the BOM. But isn’t really a scripture from the BOM. It’s just the BOM. So we had an investigator ask us a question about the BOM so I thought that I would read and answer his question the next time. So this week as I was studying, I found that I have really grown my testimony and knowledge of the book. It is amazing just how much one can learn from this book as you read it over and over again. And maybe that’s cause I’ve never had a huge interest in books before, but this one is amazing! So you all should read it. :)

Well this week is a short one, :) but I thank you all for taking the time to read my words. :0 Maybe one day they will be grammatically correct. :) HAHA

(Editorial note: I’m doing my best to help out with your grammar, Riley. Not sure exactly how to punctuate around all the smiley faces and HAHAs though. You use them like periods. Ughh!!! –Dad)

Much love!

Elder Stonely

A member showed us his shop.

Reminds me of The Amazing Race!

Who is jealous now???

Week 37: Racked With Torment, Filled With Joy

Dear Friends and Family,

HAHA I know I mentioned the Atonement last week in my email, however it is such a great thing so I wanted to mention another insight that came from my personal study throughout the week! One day I was reading in Alma 36, which is the story of Alma the younger after he came back from preaching to people about the church. And in Chapter 36, he is talking to his son, Helaman. And I wanted to share a couple thoughts that I had throughout the reading.

And now, O my son Helaman (Elder Stonely), 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 their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day (Alma 36:3). 

I took from this verse the fact that anyone who trusts in God will be able to be supported. No matter the circumstance, we have this gift. Later on in the chapter Alma recounts his conversion story about how he used to be a crazy sinner. He explains in the following verses how he felt during these times. And I thought to myself, "How bad would this have to feel?" and "how hard would this have been?"

But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins (Alma 36:12).

Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death (Alma 36:18).

Alma the Younger Called to Repentance. Artist, Gary L. Kapp

I thought about how that must feel to really be "encircled about by the everlasting chains of death" and to feel at your all time lowest as if never to escape. And Verse 18 is actually when he is praying and asking for forgiveness. And in the preceding three verses he explains how he "was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!" (Alma 36:20) and in the following verse, "so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:21).

As I took time to ponder those scriptures I really understood the importance of repentance and trying to perfect yourself. I thought back on the week and how there are just little things that are keeping myself from feeling the spirit on a 24/7 basis. And in a way, I felt like Alma where the "chains of death" were upon me. Though the extent of my own self wasn’t as bad as Alma, I felt a little bitter. As if tiny little disobedience was causing such a weight on me. And I love how he compares the pains to being bitter and the joy to being sweet. Because as we strive as missionaries to be exactly obedient and to work our hardest despite the world around us, we really can feel this "sweet Joy." 

And I also feel this applies to all people. As you continue to strive to be a better person and to repent daily one can come to feel the sweet joy as described by Alma. And one person can really enjoy the fruits of the Atonement. I am so very grateful for every day that I have to walk in the service of others and to really appreciate what I have been given on a daily basis. I am SO grateful. If I were to express the amount of my thankfulness or whatever you call it, I think I would explode. HAHA 

Thank you all for a great week and for all of your love and support! I love you all and can’t wait to talk to you later on :) 

Much love from Foley, AL #goingonninemonths

Elder Stonely :)

Trying on some shades.

Hangin with some members.

Now there is a yard sign I can believe in!