The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock

Hola yall!

Wow what a great week we had here in Cedartown!!!  Ahhh i love it here!  I just am so blessed to be a missionary and be serving amongst some amazing children of our Heavenly Father.

Updates and Highlights from this week:

1. It is hottttt here!!!  I think i forgot how hot it was last summer, but now I am reliving it!  It's true what they say, that you never feel dry!  Gotta love it! :)

2.The Spanish lady Berta with like 9 children that is on date to be baptized, we are teaching her 3 children too and the 8 year old boy JR is on date to be baptized too!  Okay he just melts my heart!  Every time we come over, he just runs up to us and gives us a big hug.  And the other day when we were leaving he hugged me and told me he loved me!  Oh it was just too sweet!  Also one of our awesome families in the Branch had them and us over for a lesson, and that was probably the best thing ever!!  They were so happy, and just watching the mom she was so content and happy!  The Gospel truly blesses families! :)

3.On Sunday we had 7 Spanish less actives come to church!!!!!  Holy Miracle!!  That was just the coolest thing ever!  It was two families, but not all of the kids came.  The primary teachers actually had children to teach wahoo!!!  The Lord will definitely bless them for coming to church!  

4. On Friday the senior couple lady that serves in our branch with us had to play the piano at a funeral at our church for one of the members that passed away, and she asked if i could lead the music.  I thought it was just going to be just a normal funeral, but no.  I got told by the counselor in the branch presidency that i needed to sing out, like loud because this was no ordinary funeral, that this was a southern funeral.  That was probably one of the interesting experiences ever!!!  I have never heard gospel music, hallelujah shouts and praises and clapping.  Sister Sundwall had to really stop ourselves from not breaking out and dancing up on the stand.  It was just too fun.  

5. Remember Odell?  We met him on a bike like my first week here in Georgia.  Well he came to church this week!!!!!  Oh my goodness!  He is a cute old man, and he was just going around shaking everyones hand and introducing himself and letting them all know how excited he was to get baptized and become a member of this church.  The Branch just welcomed him and he fits right in.  He is doing great, and he said to one of the members "i found my home."  It was super amazing! Here is a good picture of our good brother Odell with our sun hats that we get to wear outside to protect us from the heat haha! :)

6. Yesterday our Branch started a 40 day continual fast!!!  Wahoo we are so excited to see all the many mighty miracles that come from this!!  There is so much power in fasting!

It was just a super duper great week!!  I love being a missionary!  I wanted to share with yall about what i learned in my personal study today!  A couple of days ago i was reading in 3 Nephi 14:24-26 which says "therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, i will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock-and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock."  And i have been pondering this scripture and last night i kept dreaming of this scripture and i kept repeating it and repeating it to people.  So Before my study this morning i proposed a question. How can we be built upon his Rock?  Then of course the Book of Mormon answered my question.  It's pretty cool like that!  In 3 Nephi 18 it talks about when Jesus instituted the Sacrament.  He says we must do 3 things:

1. witness unto the Father that you are willing to do that which He has commanded you

2. witness unto the Father that you will always remember Him

3. witness unto the Father that you are willing to take upon you His name

Then in verse 12 its says "and if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock."  I just love that!  He lays it out so simply for us, and he promised that we will always have His spirit to be with us if we do these things.  That is a pretty amazing promise.  It goes on later and says a few times "ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation."  That is super important.  Temptations are all around us in every shape and form, but when with him we won't fall.  "and now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." Helaman 5:12.  I have a testimony of this.  There are so many accounts in the scriptures where it tells us to build on the rock of our Redeemer in some form or another.  And how great the need for us to follow this wise counsel in these days.  I know that if we do this, we won't fall just like it promises us.  I hope that we can always be like the wise man who built his house upon a rock! :)

Well I sure do love you all!!  I hope that you have a most fantastic week.  You are always in my prayers.  Let us all remember
​the wise man built his house upon a rock! :)

I love yall!

Hermana Stewart

P.S. District Picture :)