Week 22: "Patience is a Virtue!"

Dear Friends and Family,

So learned a lot this weekend! Probably more than ever before. HAHA no just kidding. But this week has definitely been a week of knowledge gain. For starters, we have been coming to the library to get ready for a Family History lesson on familysearch.org. We will be teaching at the Genealogy society's meeting this Saturday, so we had to come up with an outline and everything had to be ready. We figured this lesson cant just be made up on the spot like we normally do... HAHA so I learned a lot about Family Search on the website and have been using that a ton! But the part that I wanted to just mention is really funny cause now I feel really lame. HAHA It brought me back to High school in 10-11 grade. Everyone knows about those lessons that are taught and those concepts that are taught where the students always say, "When am I going to use that?" or "When will I ever need to know that?" Yeah well guess what?!?! That happened to be and I now feel really dumb for saying that phrase. HAHA We were writing instructions on how to order a film from the catalog so that the people can look at it. (that was one thing they wanted us to teach). So Elder Chapdelaine went on the site and went through and made a little instruction sheet. And I looked at it, and just knew it would not work out... HAHA mostly cause we are dealing with old people who don't know how to use computers. So I thought back on possibly three classes... And I'm pretty sure it was Geometry with Mr. Gilbert. but it could possibly be Mr. Bown. We had the unit on proofs and writing instructions. And I thought that unit would be SO lame just cause it seemed pointless... But it came in handy! I remembered that Mr. Gilbert said that you have to be VERY specific in your instructions so that a child could read it and know how to do it. So I went through the instructions and added little things like, "click the 'search' tab on the top right hand side of the scree" when it was originally just "click on search" HAHA Elder Chapdelaine thought it was pretty silly, but then we practiced it. I had Elder Chapdelaine go through the steps pretending like he didn't know what he was doing. And it seemed to work! So hopefully when we teach it will make sense! HAHA Shout out to my High School teachers who are boss!

Alright so this past Sunday, I was thrown under the bus when Elder Chapdelaine told me I could practice my Spanish by translating. Yeah that was a bad idea! I only translated the announcements and the prayers, but according to him and everybody else it made sense and it went well. But I thought that it went terrible. I took it as a compliment. So now I think that I will be translating more and learning more. Spanish is coming easier and easier. There are only a couple ROUGH edges. HAHA... Ok maybe more than a couple. HAHA

We also had the primary program this past Sunday which was awesome! It was so nice to just see the 10 kids that they had up there sing and to see their bright spirits. Kids always carry a very sweet spirit and it was very nice to watch as a billion of the adults started crying. HAHA But i don't blame them cause if it were my kid i might just cry too!

The last thing I learned this week has just been more patience. Its been a struggle learning how to go from having an investigator family to having no one. And Lucia and Ramon are out of town this week which has been made it more difficult! And on top of that the spanish this week has been a little rough. But Ive learned a lot of patience, cause as we just continue to go each day doing our best, there is always blessings that come. We are now just starting to work through members and finding people and we are currently teaching another Family. They have two kids and we have gone over a couple of times and talked to them about the importance of families. It was kinda funny cause we were walking by one day and he was painting, so we talked with him and then got a return appointment. Then the next time we went by we sat down outside with the husband. And we started talking and once we started talking about families, he paused us and said he was going to go grab his wife! So we taught both of them and are currently going over once a week. I am hoping they turn into another Lucia and Ramon!

So other than those adventures, this week has been pretty slow. Its almost as if time is ticking till transfers, which are causing mixed feelings. HAHA but I am excited to keep going and pushing forward with the work of the lord! I love you all and appreciate all of your support! May you all receive the blessings that come from living the gospel :)

From the heart of the middle of nowhere! Foley Alabama,

Elder Stonely "wiwee" Thats for you Dustin!

Weel 21: "Power of the Holy Ghost"

Dear Friends and Family,

This week has been a very slow one for sure! now that our boss family has been baptized, we havent been able to go over as much and do lessons with them. We are now getting into teaching them everything again, but they are always so busy with the members and activities and stuff and we want to teach them when Ramon is home from work. So all of that has been limiting our contact with them! But Im glad to see that they are being loved and supported :) I actually had a very good experience with them which I will share later.

So like I said, the week went by REALLY slow... P-Day was a rainy day all day so we just stayed inside and didnt do much. It was nice to get everything cleaned and make the apartment once again feel "at home." and it was just an overall awesome day!

Tuesday we had District meeting which was one of the best district meetings that we have had while ive been out here. We actually discussed the way we are supposed to be doing missionary work down here and how to work with members and less actives. And We got a TON of things we are going to have to try out. But this day was also the start of another slow week... HAHA My companion, Elder Chapdelaine, is allergic to Gluten and we went to Arby's for lunch. And normally the fries are ok to eat for him, but I am assuming that the fries at Arby's have some sort of covering on them that contain gluten. SO... long story short, just the little amount of gluten on the fries that he ate cause him to get really sick. He had no energy during the day and He threw up during one of our lessons. I felt kinda bad for him... Yet i was laughing cause I knew that it was cause he ate gluten. We laughed about it after too so dont think I am a terrible human being! HAHA

Wednesday I woke up and looked over at my companion and he didnt even get up... I knew that it was cause he was sick. And he mumbled to me, "Im sick... you probably already knew that." HAHA and so we got another two hours of sleep and poor Elder Chapdelaine was dying all day! he kept throwing up and his poor stomach, which had nothing in it was not very happy. So I spent the day taking care of him as he rested and just slept. I felt terrible! And he didnt eat anything until the next day. So the whole day was just crazy nuts!

Thursday and Friday Elder Chapdelaine made me plan for the days and They were aweful! mostly cause of all the Halloween Parties that were going on and what not, so basically everybody that we went to go see wasnt home or said they were going somewhere. So we spent the day with pretty much a bunch of members and Helping them do their family History or something productive.

Saturday was a little bit more interesting! We were able to help One of the member families move. and this was my fifth move in the four months that Ive been here... HAHA Not quite sure whats up with that. But it all went out really fine and we were able to help them move in and get settled in! But this should give you a glimpse of spanish culture. The family we helped move was hispanic, so Right when we moved everything into their home. Literally right when the last thing was brought in, Lucia and Ramon and a bunch of other hispanics came over and had lunch in their new apartment! We had to set up the table while lunch was being made just so we could eat. HAHA Hispanics are all so close and friendly and they all love eachother! Which is awesome.

Halloween as a missionary isnt the same just so you know. HAHA My mother was so generous as to send me a package that contained a ton of little bags of candies and toys for us to pass out to kids. and we took it to the ward "trunck or teat" and passed them out to all the families that came to that! and they were all very excited to see it and the cute little bag. So shoutout to you mom! We dressed up as hondurans with all the honduran stuff that one of the members has given us and we looked like some pretty boss missionaries. HAHA And the activity was pretty good, so pictures should be coming soon!

Sunday was by far one of the most special days of my whole mission. I woke up and was feeling really down. Not sure why, just something did not feel very right, or I was just having a bad morning. Not sure which one :) But sunday was the day where we were confirming our family members of the church :) and I was picked to confirm them, so I had to do them in spanish! I was freaking out about it, but it turned out fine. I confirmed them and It was super good! A very good sunday!

That night we went over to their house, and they first wanted to thank me for giving them their blessings and confirming them. I was touched by their experiences that they shared with me. They both went into detail of what they felt and things that were awesome. And Ramon said that from the moment I gave him the blessing he felt like a different person. And he said that he still feels that way. Which was just the confirming witness to me just how powerful and influencing the Holy Ghost is. This gospel HAS to be true!

So this week was a slow one :) yet one of the best ones that I have had. Probably life changing! I hope you all are enjoying your weeks back at home wherever that may be :) I love you all and pray for you all :) Thank you for your kind support and for all that you do to help the missionaries!

From the small heart of Foley Alabama,

Elder Stonely

Week 20: "My First Baptism!"

Dear Friends and Family,

A lot of great things happened this week and I have grown a ton personally and spiritually. I am constantly learning and this week wanted to share the experiences that I had.

For one, we had the opportunity to have interviews with our mission president, President Smith, this week. Since these don't happen very often, I wanted to come up with some good questions to ask him and to talk about. When it was finally my turn to have my interview, I went in and we started it off. He began by expressing his love for me and my companion. and he told me a lot of things that he was grateful for. And they made me seem very blessed. I was, and still am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to have Elder Chapdelaine as my companion. President Smith made it clear to my mind just how awesome he was and I realized so much that I learned from him and still am learning from him. President smith went on to talk about how our area is flourishing and how grateful he was that We came into the area and changed it. He mentioned that he has to constantly keep tab on other missionaries, but he loves us because he doesn't have to worry as much about us or keep us obedient. I went on to ask him about advice and He gave me a couple things I could do which I have started applying to my missionary work. And Through those things I have seen a lot of additional improvement and growth in myself, our companionship, and the branch. And it has only been a couple of days! (now i share this experience not to be prideful, but to share the impact of being obedient and working your hardest.) When I came into the mission field, Elder Chapdelaine asked me if I wanted to work on being a Consecrated missionary. Which was basically putting everything on the alter of sacrifice and changing everything in a better way. At first I was a little hesitant because i thought I was doing great and didn't need much changing. Well Elder Stonely... you thought wrong. over the past three transfers I have come to the knowledge that I need to change so much. And I have been constantly working to improve. At times I don't feel like I am improving, but after this interview I noticed just how much I had changed, but hadn't realized. Though there is so much more I could do to become better and work harder, I am beginning to see the result of dedicated work and a focused mind. I love that I have such a dedicated companion who is willing to help me make little changes to become better. And this week especially, with interviews and the other experiences that I have had, I am experiencing the fruits of my labor!

Now I hope that paragraph made sense, because it is beginning to come to my knowledge that my English skills, (well the ones i had at least) are starting to disappear... HAHA I should start taking English classes. Any how, another experience That i had was at Stake conference. And the stake president brought up a TON of amazing ideas. That came from three topics. One, the law of chastity. Two, Family counsel. And Three, Fasting. So many great words were spoken about these three topics and I learned a lot about things I could work on now and later down the road of "life." I thought of fasting the most. All the Hispanics down here have a hard time fasting. And we don't know if its just cause they don't know what it is? or if its "too hard"? or if they just don't do it. HAHA But we both felt impressed to help the branch out with fasting because of the many blessings that we can experience. I know that fasting is one of the best ways to feel the spirit and to receive blessings. I have experienced many opportunities where I have received the answer to a question or the help i needed. One of the biggest helps that I have received has been the strength to continue working hard. There have been countless experiences where I have struggled, but through fasting have received the help I need. And for that I am grateful!

I invite all of you to fast at least once a month! And not to just fast for no reason. (if that's the case I feel sorry for the pain you have to endure as you starve yourself.) HAHA There is always something that you could fast for! Whether its for another person, or a blessing/ help that you need personally. Whatever the case may be, fasting is essential.

Alright now comes the good part! We had a baptism this week! well three I guess if you count it number wise. Ramon, Lucia, and Daniel got baptized and It was a joy to see them baptized. We worked hard, and It was nice to finally see them make this step! As their son went first, I was overwhelmed by the spirit that I felt as I watched him get baptized. I felt so happy and so blessed. I knew that this was the right thing and more importantly I am glad they knew! They now have a goal to be sealed in the temple and I can not wait for that day! even if im not in the area :) Thank you all for your prayers and your thought for this family! I can assure you they are doing well ;)

To end this week, I wanted to share another experience with the priesthood and the power of the priesthood. Yesterday I started to get really sick. I woke up and could not talk without pain because my throat was very swollen. I took some medicine to help it and told myself I would endure the pain the whole day. Sadly, I'm 100% sure that I yet again was wrong. HAHA I came home after one of the worst days (physically) I've had on my mission. We had just visited an 18 year old after helping him do family history. he noticed that I was sick and straight up told me, "have you had a blessing yet?" I instantly felt like the worst missionary in the world because I failed to recognize that I had people here with the Priesthood. I felt like an idiot and told him, "no I have not. But I will." And that night when I came home I asked for a blessing. Today, I feel almost 100% top notch! I am blessed to be able to have that 18 year old chastise me a little bit and have the courage to tell me to get a blessing. I wish I would have had the faith to ask for one sooner, but none the less am glad that I received one.

Remember that there is always a priesthood holder near by. I, like many others, at times may not think of the power of the priesthood, but after last night I don't think I will ever fail to ask again. I know that Priesthood blessings work and I am grateful to hold this priesthood power. I love you all for your support and for your prays and thoughts. I continually receive blessings that help me every day. Looking forward to another great week!

With much love, Elder Stonely

PS. pictures will be coming shortly :)

Week 19: "Be a Member Missionary!"

Dear Friends and Family,

This week has been a busy one for sure. We have the Baptism of our family coming up this Saturday at 9 in the morning and they are SUPER excited! I can see it in their eyes every time it is brought up. They are beyond ready to take this first step and soon after they will have a goal to enter into the temple and be sealed as a family. I feel really special too cause their chose me to confirm them! Elder chapdelaine will baptize and i will confirm! It Has been on my mind all week and I feel honored. This will be a huge opportunity for me :)

This week has been so busy for many reasons. One being the baptism and trying to figure that all out and squared away so it will be successful, we had a Hispanic activity again which we tried to get put together, and It was my last week of training, which was insane cause I now will be a lone ranger! Part of me still feels inadequate because I never quite figured out everything i probably should and there is still so much more that I could learn. But Elder Chapdelaine has done a very good job at helping me and letting me know that I'm doing everything i can. Which is perfect to understand. I thought of the Newly called apostles yet again this week and how they all felt inadequate to be an apostle. And they have a tough job! They have to do more than me... HAHA but they trust in the lord and have that faith. And for me that has been what is keeping me going! I have realized this week more than before that I will have times even worse than now and that I need to have my trust in the lord anchored into the ground. And so that will be my next step as I move out of training. I'm just blessed to be with Elder Chapdelaine for another six weeks. HAHA

So not much more to report for this week. It seemed to fly by really fast which is nuts... The days go by faster and faster and by the time i look at my watch, its already P-day! Which is scaring me cause I don't want to be done! And i've only been out for four months. HAHA i still have plenty of time :)

Ending on a more spiritual note, I have thought a lot about the less actives in the branch. There are many reasons why people don't come to church or why people fall away and at least here, a lot of the time they leave because they don't feel loved or wanted or needed in the branch. Which is terrible. Now I cant blame them, cause when I got here there were only two members who constantly came to church in the Spanish side of the world, and all the other people are retired people who like their own little world and honestly, don't speak Spanish. HAHA But we have had the blessing of watching as more and more people are activated in the church and brought back into the "fold." Yesterday we had a total of around 15 Spanish members come to church and they are beginning to support each other more and more! And that has been a truly amazing blessing. Just remember that missionaries can only do so much. All of YOU have a more positive, lasting influence on less active members and converts. When you reach out to them it doesn't just seem like someone is being assigned to them but that someone really does love and care for them. All of YOU can do so much even though you are not missionaries. The lord loves you and all of your friends and family. I thank everyone for showing me an amazing example throughout the years :)

Much love from the freazing state of ALABAMA!\

Elder Stonely!

P.S. its not actually THAT cold... i'm just a wimp.

Week 18: "Get to stay in Foley, AL!"

OK! well to start off, Transfers were this week!!! and last night, I had a period of 3 hours of heart dropping pain that would just not seem to go away. previously i had thought of the idea that it would be cool to go to a new area and just do something else, but I realized that I really did not want that to happen. I realized what it means to have Charity and Love for those you serve. And you know what made me realize that? The 6 hours of heart dropping pain of waiting for the announcement of transfers. I was SO scared that I would be transferred and would have to leave my whole world (Foley Alabama) behind! And Ill express some of the reasons why it felt so hard:

One, we (Elder Chapdelaine and I) have been working really hard and doing well together. I did not want to leave that behind. And we had found Lucia, Ramon and their family. And they are doing awesome! We had a lesson with them the night of transfers and we set up their baptismal date and details that will happen. Which is awesome! they have really shown their testimony of everything and Lucia sent in a letter to her boss letting her know that she needed Sundays off in order to be with her family and go to church. Which really showed some improvement, and we thought she was for sure ready for baptism. So Lucia, Ramon and their son, Daniel, will be getting baptized on October 24. And they are ready. Probably more ready than i was when I got baptized. Or even went to the temple!!! HAHA they will soon have a goal to take their family to the temple and be sealed together. THAT if anything has made my mission a success. Which made me super sad to think that me and Elder Chapdelaine could be transferred.

On top of that was one of my favorite "Boss" (for you mom... yes it means AWESOME!!!) HAHA Luiz Cruz from Honduras. He has been a super story! he was less active, but recently has received his patriarchal blessing and will soon be receiving the priesthood and going to the temple. There has been a HUGE improvement helping get less actives and people like him to the temple in our branch. And honestly it is people like him which make this experience perfect as well! so the people like them were on my mind as I was thinking of possibly getting transferred. Which was SOOO terrible...

but luckily! We got the call and none of us had been transferred! That brought more relief to me than anything before. I wanted to be here for the baptism day and for the day when Luiz goes to the temple! And now i will be able to :)

alright so moving from that to a more spiritual side, I wanted to mention some experiences that I have had this week that prove that Satan is working hard on missionaries and anyone who is trying to "hasten the work". We were in ward council like normal and we announced the baptism of our investigators. And everyone was SOO excited, but then one of the members said something that really made me a little frustrated. he said that he thought missionaries were just baptizing to fill a "quota" and that we are baptizing people who will just go inactive. And he REALLY was stressing that out to "us" really. And he was dead set on his opinion and I honestly lost all Charity that I had at that moment. I wanted to rip him a good one because he didn't even know our investigators and where they were at. But Elder Chapdelaine yet again, showed a perfect example of who I needed to be. Which calmed me down and I was glad he was their. he took the unnecessary advice and said he would work hard to give them a strong testimony and work with them. (even though he already knew Lucia and Ramon had a testimony). I felt a little better when another member on the council ripped the guy apart and asked him, "did you have a testimony when you were baptized at 8 years old?" and continued to mention that peoples testimonies grow in the gospel. Lets just say, the man didn't say anything else during that meeting. I kinda felt bad for him...

on top of that story, there have been days this week that have been terrible... Terrible days where i get down on myself. But Ever day I realize that its just the adversary telling me im not good at it or I cant speak spanish or whatever the reason is. and I would always stop, say a prayer and continue onward with faith. And the days got better! I am greatful for the atonement.

So that story kinda got side tracked, but why did i tell it? because Someone told me before I left on my mission that people would say things that would make me loose hope and they told me that people who I would think would care, for example this man, would try to rip apart our work. And Elder Chapdelaine told me to not listen to what he said. Because we are doing the right thing here. and we will continue to do the right thing. And so remember all of you back at home! People are going to say things that will make you doubt what you are doing. but remember that if what you are doing gets someone closer to Jesus Christ and helps them, its the right thing. so don't be discouraged!

Alright so this week is already a novel, so time to end! I would invite you all to continue to reread the talks from general conference and to think about the words that have been shared. I love the atonement and everything the savior has done for me. I know that he is constantly with me and cares for me and my investigators. Because I feel the same love for them as daughters of Our heavenly father. And my spiritual Brothers and Sisters. We are all Spiritual Brothers and Sisters. and I love you all!

Much love and Fun from Foley Alabama,

Elder Stonely

Here are some fun pictures taken this week....

Big Foot?

Bike Selfie!

Some creepy thingy...

LUIZ BOSS MAN!!!

Week 17: "General Conference"

Dear Friends and Family,

This week has been a growing week and learning week for me. Not much has happened and we have been faced with a lot of things that would probably have struck us down if my companion and I hadn't prepared the way we did. We had a Zone conference which completely changed the missionary work in our area and with General conference, I feel as if I am ready to take on the world! Some quick things that I have learned this week, 1. the importance of picking and setting goals. 2. how to interact with people and 3. the importance of centering Jesus Christ in our lives.

I wont talk very much about those three things, but I felt it was important to share. I have learned to pick meaningful goals that will get me somewhere on my mission journey and better help my investigators. I have learned, and continue to learn better ways of interacting with people, and during general conference, I realized that my life needs to be more centered on Jesus Christ in order to keep my "clay" on the wheel. So it has been an adventure:)

During our Zone conference, a new plan was set in place. Called "Opportunity Generation Next" Which basically, we are going to stop focusing on tracting and visiting formers and focus on Less actives and Family Search. It sounds terrible at first, but actually statistics down here have shown to be EXTREMELY different. We have been focusing on Less Active Members and helping them return to the church, and also focusing on getting Less Active members and Members to the temple to receive the saving ordinances that they so desperately need. And that has been a joy as we are currently helping 5 less actives and helping 4 members prepare to receive the Priesthood/ temple ordinances. Now THAT is something that has made me feel useful. In my mind, I thought missionary work was only for bringing people into the church. Well elder... WRONG! I am also supposed to care for the welfare of the members and help them:) And realizing that has been a great joy for me!

I want to share a regret that happened this week. It has to do with Following the spirit so you can all probably guess what went down. We had just got back from biking, so we hoped in the car. ALL, literally ALL of our plans had fallen through and we had 2 hours to kill... So we sat in the parking lot trying to think of where we could go or who we could visit. The thought passed through my mind that we should stop by one of the Less active members. We had called her not only 5 min ago and she didn't answer. But I thought we should stop by. I expressed this to my companion and he hesitated and a little and so did I. So we took another 5 min to think of who we could go by. Finally I decided that we were just going to stop by. So We drove over to her apartment. And as we pulled into the parking lot a van was leaving. And guess who it was... the less active member. So to summarize the story, the five minutes we spend doubting and rejecting the spiritual prompting caused us to miss a possible appointment that only the Lord knows why we needed to have. The rest of the day I felt terrible and could not believe that i allowed myself to pay no heed to the prompting. In fact i still feel really lame about it. So lesson learned! Always follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost! I found that to be a central message for me in General Conference this weekend which only added to my guilt. HAHA but I can only do better next time! And You can count on me to ACTUALLY follow it!

Alright so time is running short, but I just want to share with you all what I know to be true. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church and contains the fullness of the gospel on the earth. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God and that through him we have the BOM which he translated. I know that the BOM testifies of Christ. I have a testimony of the basic truths of the gospel. that is all I need right now to begin my journey. I know that Jesus Christ suffered for not only our sins, but pains and temptations of every kind. I know that he knows how we feel at all times. He suffered it. And I know that through him we can find the peace and comfort from this world of pain and discouragement. I love my savior. I know he loves me. I Know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet called of god to guide us and lead us. He couldn't have given such a simpler talk. Keep gods commandments. I know these things to be true and the way we can all feel happy.

I hope you all can find peace and joy throughout your journeys and experiences back home. remember to not only listen to conference, but to read and reread the talks and continue to "Ponderize" the messages. I love you all and can feel the love that Christ has for all of you.

From the Heart of Foley,

Elder Stonely

Week 16: "There's nothing like SERVICE!"

Dear Friends and Family,

Oh my goodness this week has been FANTASTICO! HAHAHA A lot of learning, growing, working and serving. But I love it and wouldn't want anything different:) Last Monday after we emailed and ate lunch, we were on our way to the store and someones car had broke down in the middle of an intersection. Cars were just going by and nobody was helping them at all. So we pulled over into a parking lot and ran into the middle of the street to help them push their car out. They were VERY thankful for the help that we offered and would not stop saying "thank you" and they were nice people:) But when we started pushing their car, a Fire truck happened to be nearby and they saw us so they drove over and put on their lights so nobody would go through and hit us. and they followed us until we were safe from the dangerous roads. HAHA but we looked back to thank them and they all had their phones out filming the four guys in white shirts and ties pushing this car. So we got a good laugh out of that:) And that set a really good tone for the rest of the day:) which leads into what my topic for the week is:) SERVICE!!! Serving people around you is one of the BEST missionary opportunities. And not just for missionaries but for all.

We had some amazing service opportunities this week. For one, i taught another Family history class and they people were very interested. I found out that i am a terrible teacher, but that doesn't matter cause they were all very new to the site anyway, so just showing them a family tree was interesting! Although something cool happened when we logged into one ladies account to help her out and she literally had NOTHING. Just her name... So we did some digging and Elder Duncan (English Elder) Searched for her father and mother and BAM! She had like 7 generations that just appeared. And the look on her face was priceless! Those moments are some of the best ones I've had:) is when you get to see people so happy:0

The other service opportunity that we had was to help this guy build a shed. and before i get started, its key to know that Hispanics most of the time don't follow directions... And this shed needed some serious help with the directions. we were out walking in a trailer park cause we had extra time, so we found this guy working on this shed with his wife. It looked like they were struggling with it so we put our bags down and jumped right in. At first they seemed a bit hesitant that a bunch of white kids dressed all fancy were helping people they didn't even know, but as time went on they seemed to trust us a little more. They had a couple pieces wrong and so we helped them and just kept helping them. Well over the period of four hours, we had finished the base and the walls. And the smiles on their face were nice as they had seen that shed go up so fast! I guess he had been working on it for like 5 days or something. So we told him we would come back the next day. Which we did. And spent another 3-4 hours putting the roof on. And It was one of the best service opportunities in the world. We did one of those days on Fast Sunday and the mix between being on a spiritual high from fasting and serving made our day perfect! If you ever want to feel happy just go out and serve someone! truly one of the best ways:)

So Tuesday came along and I had the opportunity to go on a trade off with our district leader, (Elder Olson). I learned a lot more patience and charity during that 24 hour period. I don't know why, but when you are with other missionaries it is just different and they all do things in their unique way and I learned a lot. I came back to Foley after that trade off and started to apply some of the things that i thought would be good to try out. And my patience and Love for those around me has increased tremendously. So throughout my mission, Christlike attributes will be one of my main focuses:)

OK so now on to the fun stuff:) well not all fun stuff, cause i had the worst experience of my life. (not really... ) We ate at a members house and he apparently makes the same thing every time the missionaries come over. Which is Fish, (some other type of fish i cant pronounce/spell) mac and cheese and pudding. And I am not too big a fan of fish for those who know me... And I was stressing out the whole day that i had to eat fish and be happy about it... HAHA so we got there and he had left it on the table, so it was already cold, and I was staring at my plate thinking... "How am i going to eat this..." And when it was time to eat i shoved all the fish into my mouth to get it all done and over with. And it was terrible!!! I kept a really good poker face though and said that it was really good ;) but my tummy was wanting to reject what i ate... HAHA My strategy with eating the fish first though was so that i could override the taste with the mac and cheese and the pudding. Which worked pretty well:) and that dinner appointment was interesting.

Although i was rewarded later due to a double dinner appointment by mistake. Our ward mission leader took us out to a Mexican restaurant right after where i got some REAL food. HAHA now the mexi style is where its all at:)

And we have found a new P-day activity! The member we went out with a few weeks ago has started playing with us too. We bought nerf bullets and made PVC guns. well more like those Indian poison dart guns. And we play zombies and some other fun games in our apartment. Those have been amazing! and they are a good way to get all the stress out from the week:) We continue to find more and more fun stuff to do:) OH! and our Family from Hondurez, Ramon and Lucia said that our Honduran shirts are on the way. HAHA so soon we will be Honduran people:)

Speaking of Lucia and Ramon, They are doing awesome! They continue to impress us in their interest and willingness to change their life. Lucia is having a hard time getting to church because of work issues, but we are trying to hit her up with a job with some of the "hermanas" in the church:) we told her that they know people who can get her a job that wouldn't schedule her for Sunday. And that is what our next big step with her has been. But they are super nice people and we can not wait to see the gospel enter their lives even more as they continue to make these big commitments.

Pictures should be coming! There is quite a bit this week too i think. HAHA I love you all so much! And hope that everyone continues to do what they should to be a better person. The lord loves you all! And there is a lot of love in Foley Alabama! Until next week!

Elder Stonely