Pictures!

Atlanta Georgia!! 

Cleaning time!

Sure, lets do wall sits!

The District!

Happy day all is well!

Hola mi familia!

Im pretty sure that this week i have experienced just about every emotion possible.  Happy,sad.  Joy, discouraged.  Sucess and rejection.  "I get it moments" and frustration.  Haha and the list could go on.  I can tell you this though, i dont wish that i didnt feel frustrated, sad, discouraged, or alone because by feeling all of these has made me appritiate the joy, the happy, the successful, the "i get it moments" so much more!!  This week has been amazing.  So many cool experiences that i want to share.  And its so good to sit and reflect on the past week and recognize all the good.  So the spanish is going alright.  I have been feeling a little over whelmed and frustrated this week because of it but i know im still learning.  The gift of tongues has not fully kicked in i know that it comes with alot of hard work and suffering and i guess you could say that this week i have experieced both haha.  So a few nights ago my comanion Hermana Weaver said that in my sleep I said "lista" and "lo sienta" haha and that means "ready" and "sorry".  I thought that was kind of funny that i said some spanish words in my sleep again.  They also say that i make these weird groaning sounds in my sleep and it sounds like i am in a whole bunch of pain.  But i told them that i usually just do that when im tired but they are always so concerned in the morning haha.  I get pretty much the best sleep of my life here!!  Im always so tired that as soon as i hit my head to my pillow im usually out.  On thursday i had a really bad soar throat, and friday and saturaday my voice was like completely gone, and then sunday i had a really bad fever and a really bad cough.  I have like these weird coughing attacks and i cant stop coughing...i call it "the chase cough".  I didnt sleep much sunday and monday night i was up coughing so much so i went to the doc yesterday.  He said i have broncidice and that it was almost working into anmonia.  So i got some medicine and he prescribed me an hour nap everyday for 4 days (but i havent had time for that yet ha) and been feeling alot better, but he said that my coughing will last 18 more days ahhhh!!  But at least my voice is back!  

Yesterday we were going to teach one of our investigators Mercedes but then about 2 minutes before our appointment our teacher said that we had to teach this new lady Maribel.  Me and my companions were like freaking out because we didnt know anything about her and didnt know what to teach her because what we had planned was for our third lesson with mercedes.  We said a prayer and asked for the spirit to be with us.  We went and knocked on her door and we introduced ourselves.  Then i said "Podemos compartir un masaje sobre Jesucristo con usted?"  And she looked at me and started laughing and in spanish she said oh ya i would love a "massage"  from you as she rubbed her shoulders.  So the direct translation of what i said whas "can we share a massage about jesuschrist with you?"  woops!!  I guess message and massage are really close in spanish.  The correct word would have been "mensaje"  But we all had a good laugh (especially my companions) and the lesson actually went really great!  We talked mostly about the book of mormon and she said she wanted to learn more.  

So it being memorial day on monday i have been thinking alot about my ansestors and both grandpas.  Yesterday we got the amazing oppurtunity to hear from Jeffery R. Holland!!  It was amazing.  Yesterday i was kind of having a hard day getting along with my companions and learning the language and everything that comes from being a missionary.  Before the devotional started i said a prayer that i would have the spirit with me and feel comfort and love.  Elder Holland started talking and he invited his grandaughter up cus she just got off a mission.  She was really emotional and just said that is was so hard and she had so many struggles and i dont really even remember what else she said, but right then and there i felt an amazing overwhelming feeling of love and support and comfort.  Someone whispered into my ear "We are here. We love you".  I felt the pressence of both grandpas there.  There is a scripture it is d and c 84:88 "and whoso recieveth you there i will go before your face. i will be on your right hand an don your left and my spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to be you up."  I felt like there were angels around me in that moment and telling me their love for me.  There is a primary song i dont know what it is but it says something about "the angels above me silent note taking.  It was such an amazing experience that i will never forget.  I know that the Lord sends his angels those that we know that have died to protect his missionaries.  This was just what i needed to pick me back up.  His talk was amazing he talked all about opening your mouth and it shall be filled.  He is so pattinent when he talks.  It was amazing.  

AH there is just so much to tell you and i dont have enough time.  I wish i was a faster typer!  My investigators are all going really great.  We are going to challenge Mercedes on friday to baptism again and i know she will say yes!!  We have two new investigators (they are our teachers) Mario and Rafiel.  They will be our investigators for the rest of the time in the MTC.  

Im learning lots!  The food is great!  WHen i went to the doctor i had to get weighed and i actually have lost 9 pounds since being here so haha i guess i need to start having 2 desserts with every meal instead of 1 haha ;)  Im getting along with my companions really well and my district.  I am so excited to go to the temple in a few hours!!  Pdays are good and bad because i love getting to write you guys and hear from you guys but i get really home sick after emailing and hearing from you guys.  But the temple is really nice after emails because i feel all of your love and support.  

I cant believe i have been here for two weeks.  Its been the longest two weeks of my life!  But the most spiritually filled two weeks of my life.

I love you all so much.  I send my love to you everyday and am always praying for you!!

Sorry this email is so short and scatter brained but my hour is running up real fast.  I cant wait to email you next week and hear from you guys.  Keep up the Dear Elders i love hearing from you everyday!!

With much love,

Hermana Abby Jean Stewart

I survived my first week in the MTC!

Hi everyone!  so unfortunely i am really tech tarder and cant get my pictures to upload.  I hope to be able to figure it out by next week because i have so many pictures and im sad i cant share them with you.  So being a missionary is pretty much the best.  And being a forein language speaking missionary is pretty much frustrating haha.  We have to speak in spanish as much as possible in class and outside of class.  We only get taught in spanish, and we can only teach our investigators in spanish haha.  The gift of tongues comes in handy though.  I can testify that it is so true.  Without it me and my companions would have never been able to teach our first two investigators soly in espanol.  I feel like i have learned so much in the past week.  I have had multiple spiritual expereinces this week and i want to try and share them all with you.

Our first investigator Ulises is 24 and he is from Mexico (obviously they are volunteers but we treat them as if they are real investigators and actually some of them really are and thats why they wont tell us who is an who isnt)  i have grown to love Ulises.  We have taught him three times.  The first time was pretty ruff because i didnt know any spanish.  The second time i could at least pronounce the stuff i was saying but didnt really know what i was saying haha.  This last time was incredible.  Me and my companions prayed really hard to figure out what to teach him and we went in there focussing on loving him and not what we were going to say.  In the lesson we taught about the restoration and i talked about Joseph Smith.  While in the lesson i had a really strong feeling that i needed to sing joseph smiths first prayer to him.  I was really scared because its awkard and scary to all of the sudden just ask if i could sing.  i took out my spanish hymn book and started to sing it.  my companion hermana weaver joined in but not hermana Sa'ili because she has broncides.  The spirit was so strong it almost brought tears to my eyes.  After we sang i bore a simple but powerful testimony of joseph smith in "almost" perfect espanol.  it was pretty powerfull.  

So another cool thing that i wanted to share was that i have dreamt in spanish a couple of nights.  I have conversations and i just speak in spanish.  My companions say that i talk in my sleep and its not in english.  In the morning i wake up and look up some of the things i remember in my dream and it is actually real spanish words.  THat was kind of a cool thing and another testimony builder on how the gift of tongues really does work.

Yesterday me and my companions got a new investigator.  Her name is Mercedes and she is so sweet.  SHe talks soo fast though! (Remember our investigators only know spanish).  We went into the room having a lesson all planned out and it did not go quite according to plan.  She had a lot of questions.  It was so cool though because i was able to understand what she was aksing and saying... but it was kind of frustrating because i didnt know how to respond.  I was praying so hard that i would have the spirit and know how to express myself.  Once again i just opened my mouth and was able anwer her questions.  It was pretty amazing.  I really learned that i need to stop relying on myself and my own spanish and just have faith in the Lord and rely on the spirit.  There is no way to teach the gospel without the holy ghost.

Devotionals here are like gold to me.  We have had two so far.  The first sunday was probably one of my most favorite days here.  I was on such a spiritual high.  I didnt even want to go to sleep that night i only wanted to keep thinking about all the things i learned and the spiritual revelation i was able to recieve.  We went to the first choir practice but then we didnt actually be in the choir during the tuesday devo because my hermana Sa'ili can hardly even speak because of her throat.  She is one tuff tongan cookie though!  Music here has brought me such an awesome feeling of the spirit.  Its really cool to sing with all the missionaries.  Sorry that my spelling is so bad im trying to type so fast!  We are only supposed to have one hour and thats really hard to tell about 154 hours in 1 hour haha.

We got to watch the testemant on sunday and that was right after devotional.  During devo our choir director and his daughter that is a missionary here at the Mtc and actually flew out yesterday sang "There is a green hill far away".  That was probably one of the most powerful spiritual experiences of the savior i have ever had.  It was pretty amazing.

Im staying way busy like there is no time to do anything but what our schedule says.  Pretty much i wake up at 630 get ready be at the class room at 7.  We do personal study until 8.  Then breakfast, then gym, then get ready, and then back in the clase by 950 until 1250 and our teacher teaches us.  Lunch at 1250 until 130.  Then a half hour planning session.  Then we have 205-545 to get our lessons for our investigatiors ready.  tHen dinner and then back in the clase from 630-930.  tEHn go back to our room and bed at 1030.  ITs a pretty strict schedule but its really good if we follow it.  THe food is great i eat a dessert with pretty much every meal.  im definitely just going to enjoy myself while it lasts haha.

The spanish is coming along.... i mostly only know words and i can kind of say sentences, but im really struggling on congugating it in tenses, but im going to really focuss on that this week in my language study.  Our teacher is really awesome.  Hes pretty cute, but i guess i cant think that because im a missionary haha.  our branch presidency is really amazing.  We get to see them on sundays, tuesdays, and thursdays and im figuring out that i really look forward to these days because i get to hug their wives and its kind of like a mommy hug.  ANd i definitely need my mommy hugs.  

Oh life is just so great though.  I really love my companions.  We sometimes have our differences but we figured out that if we just are open and talk about problems we have with each other that we really come to find unity!  THey are so sweet and we are gonna be really great friends.  Being in a trio is pretty much the best because then you dont have to say so much in your lessons.

Well i love you guys so much!!!

I look forward to writing you next week. P.s if you write me via dear elder i get it every night and that is awesome.

P.s. if you are feeling generous and want lots of blessings from helping a missionary send me snacks because i sometimes get hungry after we get back to our rooms at night hahah!

Talk to you next week! Adios Y'all

Love, Hermana Stewart xoxoxoxoxox

Spanish is Hard!!!

Hola everyone! 

 Oh my goodness!  Life is so great.  The MTC has probably been by far the most frustrating, yet spiritual experience ever!  Like talk about full emersion in espanol.  I have learned so much in one week than i probably would of in 3 years of high school spanish.  Its amazing how much we have progressed since day one.  I am not very good at spanish, but i hope to one day be ok at it.  So my first companion Hermana Tew, sadly had to be sent home a few days ago.  It just wasnt her time to be out here.  So i am now trio with my other two hermana's in my district.  it has been sooo good so far.  It's really nice to be with companions that have the same mind set as me and same goals...and they don't try and run away haha.  My district is really awesome.  There is four elders, all of them are 18 except one elder that is 20.  They are such a hoot.  Then its me and my companions.  We are becoming like a family, and it is so great.  My new companions names are Hermana Weaver she is from Kaysville, Utah.  And Hermana Sa'ili she is from Tonga.  She is so amazing and so sweet and full of love.  Hermana Weaver is a little bossy haha but we are learning to get along.... we have had just a few companion interventions haha.  They are both really awesome though, and for the most part we get along really great.  THe food is really good!  

ANy way i am going to write again in an hour or so after we do laundy.

I love you all!

Adios Y'all

Hermana Stewart

First Day...... Check!

Hola mi familia! 

I'm not really sure if the above sentence is correct Spanish, but oh well.  This first day has been fantastic.  I don't even know where to start.  They have kept us pretty busy, so we don't even have time to think about anything but in the MTC.  My companion is Hermana Tew.  She is from Utah and she is definitely a red neck!  She is super into sports and definitely a tom boy.  She is pretty quiet, but we definitely have a lot in common.  The first opening devotional was pretty special.  It was very spiritual.  We sang As Zions Youth, Called to Serve, and Army's of Helaman.  It was awesome!  P day is Wednesday that is why our zone leaders are giving us 20 minutes to write a quick email.  All of our classes are in spanish so far, and i don't know what is going on 99% of the time.  There are 4 sisters and 4 elders in our district and we are all going state side spanish speaking.  One elder is going to my mission, but everyone else is going to Chicago or Miniapolise.  The food really is delish!  Except we ate at 4 so im starving right now haha!  Im really excited to learn more tomorrow.  We got to mock play today with actual investigators.  It was really interesting to hear their interests, concerns, and stories.  Its amazing how fast you can develop a love for them.  One of the hermanas in my district is from Kaysville so that was pretty cool.  I really like the other Hermana because she is from Tonga and she is so sweet.  I feel like today there was just so much to absorb and its crazy to think that i am a missionary.  Wearing this name badge makes me feel like the most awesomest person ever, yet it also makes me feel like i have a huge responsibility to respect the two names on my name badge.  Im excited to see what this week brings.  and i look forward to hearing back from you guys.  I hope you had a good day everyone.  Dont worry about me because i am being taken care of.  I love you all so so so much.  I miss you already, but i know without a doubt that i am doing the right thing.  Again i love you all again, and i will talk to you again on Wednesday.  know that i am praying for you.  God speed.  Talk to ya later.  Adios Y'all!

Love,

Hermana Stewart

XOXO :)

Our Georgia Peach is off...

Well.... She's a missionary!  I can't believe Abby Jean is in the Mission Training Center and is a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Watch out Georgia, Hermana Stewart is coming for ya! .... In 6 weeks that is.... after she learns how to speak/ understand some Spanish :) But in the mean-time she will be learning the language and discussions at the MTC.   

Family tradition... Breakfast the morning of the drop off

At the MTC!!

These cute babies are going to miss their Auntie! 

Goodbyes aren't pretty!
Abby and Steph

Tyler and Abby

Melissa and Abby

Chase and Abby

Our poor dad in the background

Ben and Abby

Tracen and Abby

Abby and Dad
He sure does love her

It was hard to say goodbye to mom!

There she goes!