Charlie Brown Christmas!

On Monday I decided that we needed a Christmas tree for our apartment so I talked Elder low into it and we went out into the bush to find a tree. We had one picked out from the week before but we couldn't go back for it because we got a lecture from brother Hinds about staying away from the river (which is where all the good trees are). I think it could be a good talk analogy. Anyway we went into the bush but the trees here are not very full because it gets so cold and there are so many close together that the nutrients are hard to get (except by the river haha) so they don't really look like Christmas trees but it will have to do. that was one of the more fun P-day activities we have done.

We worked really hard this week but it was just one of those weeks. In mission lingo there is a word we use called "lunched". It is when you have an appointment and the person doesn't show. I guess it refers to them leaving you out to lunch. Anyway we got 'lunched" between 2 and 4 times a day every day this week! getting lunched a couple times a week is expected but this week was more than a little which can make it tough at times. It was still a good week though because we got lot's of good things done. We taught the family from India again and they began reading the Book of Mormon in Hindi which I think is pretty neat. It is truly amazing that the Book of Mormon is is so many different languages that almost everyone can read it. 

We also continued to teach Pam this week and she is doing well but still struggling with a smoking addiction. She is so open to learning about the Book of Mormon and the church! I am sure she will be baptised but it may take a little bit longer than anticipated because of the addiction but it will happen!! We had another man named Allen on date for January 2nd to be baptised and we taught him with a member from the branch. When we went to pick him up for church we were informed that he had been arrested and put in jail so we will try to teach him again when he is out! It was really sad to get this news!

On Saturday we volunteered at a parade and collected clothing and foo donations for the homeless people. I didn't wear my boots and my toes fell off so that was bad but they gave us free bannock so it was worth it!

Church was really good yesterday and Brother Hinds is doing a great job as Fill in Branch president! As branch clerk I have the opportunity of doing the tithing but when Elder Burkman was here I didn't get to actually do that much because he would jut do it. now that he is gone it all falls on me but I didn't really know how to do the computer part (believe it or not) but surprisingly we got it all figured out! 

Last night we sang at an old folks home and I actually sang a solo in part of we three kings. I sounded like Josh Groban so it was OK haha

Today we are driving to Winnipeg so that will be a blast I am sure! Hopefully the roads are ok because when the assistants tried to drive up to do an exchange with us they rolled their truck! They weren't hurt but it was scary. 

Love you all!

Elder Stewart

Where is Winter?

It was a pretty great week this week!

On Monday we went for a bit of an adventure by the river for fun. We found some pretty beautiful places which is weird because we were pretty much still within city limits. P-days are interesting here because we never see other missionaries so we get creative with P-day activities. Basketball isn't an option. I haven't shot a basketball in MONTHS! it is seriously killer and a left handed layup might be a little difficult for me now haha. 

We had set a goal of finding some more people to teach and this week we were super successful in that regard. We found six new people to teach which is the most I ever had in a single week. It is really interesting because a couple of them are from India and don't speak English very well so we taught a lesson through the translation of one of their 13 year old sons. That was something I had never done before but it actually worked better than I thought it would. Lucky for us in all the moving we have been doing we found a Book of Mormon in Hindi! What are the odds of that??

Speaking of moving we have been doing a lot of that lately. We now have all of the important stuff in the new apartment but we still find ourselves back and forth for the little things. Our new apartment is way smaller but so much nicer as well so it is a trade off. We had the maintenance man guy approach us and tell us he wanted to come look in the old apartment. We hadn't done the deep clean yet and he said it was one of the cleanest he has seen! I don't even want to know what the other ones look like because some parts of ours were kind of dirty but overall it was fairly clean. He gave us a big lesson on cleaning the stove and that was nice. 

One neat thing that happened this week was that we were stopping by someone we met that had invited us over, she ended up not wanting to see us but her brother was like I want to talk to you so we have taught him twice now! You never know where you will find people to teach. 

Church this week was really weird without the Burkmans being here but we managed. Brother Hinds who has been the Branch President for a total of 40 years presided and conducted. We were a small crowd but the Spirit was really strong! We also had the first Presidency devotional last night. It was really good but I was sad that president Monson did not speak, I guess he is having some health difficulties. Hopefully he can recover. The weather here is still super nice! The normals for this past week in years past is -25 and this year it is like -4 or something. We always tease the locals that Manitobans don't really know cold but I think they do haha.

Have a good week!

Elder Stewart

I Am Moving!

This week was a different week for sure but it was a really good one. We got a bit of a surprise opportunity to go on an exchange. typically an exchange is 24 hours so you sleep over but that makes it tough when the closest missionaries are 4 hours away! WE got to drive to Ponton (in between here and Flin Flon) on Monday and we switched companions so Elder Low went with Elder Bloemart to Flin Flon and I went with Elder Moore (different one than my MTC companion). It was really sweet to be able to spend all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday with him. Right after the exchange we met in Ponton again and the Flin Flon Elders left to Winnipeg because Elder Moore is now in Winnipeg as a zone leader. Lots of driving for them! Elder Moore and I did some knocking on doors on Tuesday which was the only really cold day so far this year. It was -25 or so and that was no fun but that is OK because we had some potential success! Elder low and I spent more time this week doing service than usual because everything from the Burkmans apartment has to be in ours because they left this morning. Right now our apartment is jam packed full of stuff from their apartment. We also got a surprise phone call on Wednesday informing us that we are moving apartments to open up a vacancy for the new Sr couple that is coming. We have to move all of our stuff from our current apartment to a new building and 3 floors up and deep clean the old apartment while it has a lot of stuff in it before January 1. We will be very busy I am sure! the new apartment is like half the size of our current one (or less) so we will have to be extremely creative to fit everything (including our beds). I am actually kind of excited because it will be an adventure! We were still able to get in about the normal amount of lessons this week and although there is no one on date to be baptised the work is progressing. On Sunday it was the Burkmans ;last day so they both spoke and said the goodbyes. It was the 5th Sunday so it was supposed to be the branch president teaching Sunday School but seeing as Elder Burkman had just talked and was leaving I got asked to teach. I was assigned to talk on missionary work which is a little odd because I didn't want to sound "woe is me". I think it went well though! After church the Branch surprised the Burkmans with a HUGE Potluck. It was wonderful. The Burkmans were so excited especially because they had everything packed up and all they had to eat was TV dinners with plastic spoons haha. The branch is sad to see them go and so am I. This morning we said our goodbyes because we had to get the last of their stuff at 5:30 this morning :/. I have really developed a love for teaching lessons and really just talking to people so I feel like I am a bit different than I was before. 

Love Elder Stewart

Lynn Lake

This week was an eventful one for sure! On Monday we decided that we should do something fun for P-day because it can be hard seeing as there are no missionaries and no basketball courts in Thompson! I was able to talk Elder low into going on an adventure! We went exploring in the bush just outside of Thompson! There was a fair bit of snow in the trees and we had no idea where we were going so we just explored around for a bit. There are so many snowmobile paths back in there that I think I could go there every day and still not walk them all! That night we were able to teach a family that lives in Gillam (4 hours NE) over skype. They have young kids so we had to get super creative with keeping them interested over skype but it worked well!

On Tuesday we were able to connect with one of our investigators for the first time since Elder Low arrived because she has had Bronchitis. Luckily she is better now! We continued teaching Pam this week and she is still really desiring to be baptised but we will have to postpone her date a little bit. She is like a sponge, we have taught her all of the lessons and now when we review them she answers everything correctly! She could probably teach gospel principles haha. 

On Wednesday we had the last District meeting as a District because this week is transfers. It will be sad to see the district change but I am sure it will be for the best! Our District leader had us share a spiritual experience/testimony builder from our mission and the spirit was so strong in that meeting! 

On Thursday the assistants to the President were supposed to be coming up for a very quick exchange which is a huge sacrifice for them because we are 8 hours north of them. Around noon on Thursday I gave them a call to see where they were at and they answered and old us that the roads were really bad so they weren't coming any more but I could tell that he did not want to talk so we said bye and hung up. We found out later that when I called him he had just crawled out of the side of the truck and was dialling 911 because they had slid into the ditch and rolled their tuck and it ended up on it's side. No wonder he didn't want to talk or explain why they couldn't come! The only major injury was to the truck so that was really good news! I guess we are just not meant to see other missionaries or something. 

On Friday we packed up for the weekend and headed four hours NW to a place called Lynn Lake! the roads there were good but they had a TON of snow there and we slid (in slow motion) into the ditch and were stuck in super deep snow but we were literally 200m out of Lynn Lake so we weren't scared or worried it was just annoying. We said a prayer before we did anything and literally as I opened my eyes a red truck rounded the corner. they turned around and it turns out they had just driven from BC to come search for Diamonds in Northern Manitoba. Anyway they pulled us out and we had a safe rest of our trip! Prayer works! We taught the family in Lynn lake and another Family in Leaf Rapids on the way back! We arrived back safely on Saturday afternoon/evening and we had soo many missed calls because there is no service anywhere so we did not have any service from Friday morning to Saturday evening. Saturday was transfer calls so the assistants were trying to get a hold of us but they couldn't! Finally when we did they told us where we will be spending the next 6 weeks... We are both staying in Thompson and I will finish the second half of Elder Lows training. We are excited because Thompson is the place every missionary wants to serve so we are lucky. 

Yesterday was the temple rededication and we attended the 11:00 session! It was really good, I bet the other ones were too but we only got the one in Thompson so that was it for us. We stayed busy this week and taught lots! 

Congrats to my brother on returning home safely. 

Love you all!

Elder Stewart

A Baptism!

This week we taught more lessons than I ever had before in a week! We continued to teach Pam this week and she is doing great! Most people we meet with only want to meet with us weekly or sometimes twice a week but not Pam! We taught her 6 times this week! We are so excited for her and her progress! 

Remembrance day was on Wednesday and it was weird not to be in Magrath for the ceremony but I figured we should still go to a ceremony so one of our investigators to us where to go and when! It was held at the ice arena (which is surprisingly big for such a small city, but hey it is a hockey town) and the whole arena was filled. We got there like 10 minutes early and could not get seats which was actually kind of exciting because I did not know how many people would go there. they had a bunch of RCMP and firefighters there in uniform as well as Cadets and scouts. The population here is almost split evenly between Caucasian and Native american people so at the ceremony they had a Christian preacher share a scripture on peace and they also had an Aboriginal elder do the peace pipe ceremony which I thought was a good idea to keep everyone happy. to make the ceremony even better they fed everyone Hot Dogs after! I have no clue who paid for it but it was great. 

on Thursday we had Zone Training meeting which was in Brandon but our Km's allotment didn't allow us to drive down so we Skyped in. Never try it, it doesn't work. Us and two other companionships skyped in but none of us could hear the missionaries in Brandon, we could only hear each other. It was awful because we couldn't leave 1. because we weren't allowed and 2. because the people in Brandon could see us even though we couldn't see them. Ultimately we sat there listening to every 5th word for 3 hours! believe me I was not sad when it was over haha. things got better that day though. We had arranged to meet an investigator at Tim's later that day. When we got there our investigator was not there yet. I started talking to a random lady and she was telling me what her favourite stuff from Tim's was. I had never tried her favourite muffin and she said I had to try it so she bought it for me! That made my day a little better! On Thursday night we met with one our members friends and he asked us all kinds of questions about religion in general and about The Book of Mormon. It was really fun to talk to him because the questions were hard to answer but he was not trying to Bible bash in any way! When Elder low and I walked out we felt like we had done a really good job! It really made me appreciate my studies because I was able to share some scriptures that answered his questions way better than I could have. 

On Saturday I got the opportunity to Baptize Jasmin. She is a girl from the ward, her father wanted us to teach her the missionary lessons so we did and then she asked me to baptize her. Her dad served a mission and wanted one of us to get the chance to baptize her so I did and Her dad confirmed her! It was a great experience and Pam was there, she really enjoyed the service.

My family has spent the week travelling eastern Europe and picking up Parker this week so I am sure that has been fun. I am living vicariously through the pictures.

Love you!

Elder Stewart

Thompson News

We had a fantastic week this week with so much success! Elder Low and I are working well together and we are getting along! Kinda funny but our poor truck needed more repairs this week. The tires were out of balance meaning that when we drove more than 60km/h the steering wheel would shake like crazy and the car would vibrate. talk about a smooth ride. Lucky for us the repair shop said it was their fault from last time they fixed our car so it was free!

Last Sunday we were tracting but we had to get somewhere so I said "Lets just tract up to that fire Hydrant and then we will go". We did and on the very last house before the fire hydrant we tracted into a lady named Pam who invited us to come back on Monday at 5. We didn't think too much of it but we went back on Monday at 5. She was waiting on her front porch to make sure that we remembered what house was hers and to make sure we knew she was home because her outside light was burnt out. That was some major dedication considering it was like -5 C. We taught her the message of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invited her to be baptised! She said yes. She also invited us back on Tuesday and Wednesday and Saturday! We also invited her to church and she said yes. We arranged for a ride and when the ride gets there on Sunday morning there is Pam waiting outside in the freezing weather with her three kids because she was so excited to come to church! It is seriously a miracle that we found here and she is so ready for the Gospel.

We also have another investigator preparing for baptism but we do not yet have a set date. She is reading a ton! We hadn't talked to her in a week because she was sick and then when she talked to us she informed us that she had read all of second Nephi! The work in Thompson is progressing! I am so excited for both of them to get baptised because it will make both of them so much happier. 

On the topic of baptisms we have a young girl from the branch getting baptised this Saturday which will be the first one since I have been here. Both here and the family are so excited for her baptism. 

The weather here is toying with my emotions! It will be cold and seem like winter and then it will warm up just enough to melt the snow. So for this week we have had the cold but not the snow and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I am actually getting excited for winter to be here but I probably will be more excited for it to be over because all the locals say it is way worse than Alberta's winter. Brrrr. 

I hope everyone has a great week and congrats to Parker for finishing his mission on Wednesday! Thanks for the good example! have a safe trip home family!

Love you all!

Elder Stewart

Thompson is Great

This week we had so many good things happen! I mentioned last week that everything was going so slowly but it has turned around as we knew it would if we kept working hard and being obedient. We had a couple great lessons this week with a bunch of our investigators! We have one investigator named Tara who has eagerly agreed to be baptised! She just started meeting with us 3 weeks ago I believe but she has been reading so much and attending church most weeks! Elder Low is doing great and his eagerness and enthusiasm  for the work is unparalleled. I am really lucky to have him as a companion because he is definitely not lazy! We had to get the Wind shield replaced on the truck again. Luckily this time we didn't hit a crane! It was just a rock that a truck flipped up that did a real number on our Wind Shield. That is the second time we have had to get it done since I have been here! We have also had to get a new tire because one of ours split at the seam. We also had to get the drive shaft replaced because of the roads around Thompson. I am pretty sure our truck might be the most high Maintenance mission vehicle in the world! 

We went to Nelson House again this week and luckily the weather was a lot better than it was last week. I love going to Nelson House because the members there have a tough time getting in to church but they have some of the strongest testimonies ever! They have an eagerness to share the gospels as well which for us as missionaries is fantastic! One of the people in nelson house is an elderly lady (probably 95) who lives in an old folks home. She was baptised just a couple years ago and she is unable to make it to church on Sunday so we have permission to give her the Sacrament so we do it weekly. It is always a really spiritual experience and it is also very fun because she sings to us in Cree. Her favourite hymns are Silent Night and Away in a Manger so she sings them every week... even in July because "it is almost Christmas" but it is wonderful. 

On Halloween we helped at the ward primary party. It is a lot different than at home because only two families could make it so there were seven kids. We had a bunch of fun games set up and the kids had a blast. One of the families was from Lynn Lake. They obviously can't make it to church every week because that is 4 hours North of Thompson but the came in for the party and went "trick or treating" in Thompson. We had the chance to teach the kids after the party because the haven't been baptised yet! that was fun and I was impressed by how much they know because they have never been to Primary but it goes to show that the best place to learn and develop a testimony is in the Home! This family even stayed overnight and came to church on Sunday which was fantastic. We will go visit them in two weeks probably so that will be Sweet!

It was the Burkmans last fast and testimony meeting yesterday and the whole branch is going to be sad to see them go. They will be hard to replace especially because Elder Burkman has been Branch President and Sister Burkman has been doing primary but it will all work out! It always does.

Hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Stewart

Elder Stewart claims he used his "culinary" skills and made moose stew.