Never Falling Away

Dear Family,

I just want to start off by telling you each of you how much i love you!

Dad I love you.

Mom I love you.

Melissa I love you.

Tracen I love you.

Grover I love you.

Eloise I love you.

Tyler I love you.

Stephanie I love you.

Benjamin I love you.

Gabriella I love you.

Chase I love you.

Mitzi I love you.

Thank you for being the BESTEST family to me ever!!  This was a wonderful week!  I have learned so much this week!  So we got a call from the Zone leaders on Saturday and our hearts just dropped because that meant one of us were getting transferred...so we answer.  they ask how our day was and we respond "wonderful, perfect, we love it here and we never want to leave!" haha then they started laughing and said "well then boy do we have good news for you.  Hermana Bringhurst and Hermana Stewart you are both staying in Chamblee! " we literally started crying we were so happy!!  then they said "but wait there is more...you are getting another hermana." haha trio again!!  well the companionship thing was sure fun while it lasted, but boy are we excited to welcome this hermana.  we have no idea who it is but probably someone we know....I mean the possibilities are endless with 6 Spanish missionaries haha! 

So for this email i am going to do things a little more differently.  Instead of just telling you what happened during the week, im going to do what i learned and how i felt because sometimes those are the best moments on a mission.  So the other day Hermana Bringhurst asked me a question and it really made me think.  She said "is your mission harder than what you expected it to be?"  i quickly responded "duh."  Missions are so hard haha.  Leaving your family is so hard.  Learning another language is so hard.  Dealing with daily ridicualing is so hard.  Having a strict exhausted work schedule and work load is so hard.  the list could go on and on.  This caused me to think about now my Savior Jesus Christ and his fathers mission for him.  The mission he did was so hard, so much more harder and doesn't even compare to anything we will ever do.  Im sure leaving his father and when communication got lost from him was probably so hard for him.  Teaching people that were so hard hearted and didn't understand him was probably so hard for him.  Getting daily ridicule and much much more was probably so hard.  The little sleep and heavy work load was probably so hard for him.  Did he give up?  No.  As i read in my personal study this morning "he suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them. he was crucified, died, and rose again the third day. and ascended into heaven, to sit down on the right hand of the Father, to reign with almight power according to the will of the Father; that as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved." d&c 20:22-25  Wow because of a loving man who raised his hand in the begging and said "here i am send me" we can make it through ANY hard thing we are facing or will ever face.  How blessed are we?  So many times in the past 9 months i have thought, "this is too hard, i cant do this."  But what i have truly learned is that "[we] can do all things through Christ which strengthen us." Philippians 4:13.  As Elder Holland said "salvation isn't cheap, it isn't easy. the mission of Jesus Christ was not easy."  Oh how i have come to know and love my Savior so much more.  Yes life is hard, things get thrown at us left and right and sometimes we don't think we can go on.  The solution i have found to getting through hard things is NEVER FALLING AWAY.  getting on my knees and pouring my heart out my Heavenly Father, using the Atonement to ease my burdens, opening up my scriptures, going to church and taking the sacrament, keeping Jesus Christ center in my life, and keeping the commandments.  When life gets hard that is when we most need to show our faith by turning to the Lord, turning to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and holding fast to the iron rod.  We are a blessed people.  This week as our recent convert Fermin bore strong testimony and repeating over and over again to us with such conviction that he will never leave this church was a huge testimony builder to me.  Seeing one of my most favorites family here in the Chamblee branch talk to their dad for one of the last times in a while as he goes back to his country, seeing the love and the sadness in their eyes but then seeing the mom wipe her tears away and comfort her kids and be strong and tell them that everything will be ok because they have this gospel and the Lord in their life and that he will help them get through this hard hard thing was a huge testimony builder to me.  I cant tell you in words the love i have for my Savior, for This Gospel, and for the people here in Chamblee.  I never thought i was capable of so much love.  I testify with all my heart, might, mind and strength that Jesus Christ lives and that this is the true Church.  We can get through any hard thing with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

I love you all so much.  I love my mission.  I love the Lord and the people here in Chamblee.  I don't ever want to leave.  I will cry to much.  I hope you have a wonderful week.  My prayer is that we will never fall away, but turn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love so much,

Hermana Stewart