June 24, 2013

Yo Fammmilllly,

So this week has been NUTS for y'all as well as for me. Needless to say there was nothing better than seeing the Great One posted up with big Hubbs doin their thang again. I love those two SO SO SO much. And then you put that on top of a meeting with my brother Elder Parry and needless to say, I was pleased to hear that your week was awesome. Mine was too.

 

Ok yeah Momma, I saw the Obra de Salvacion training live and it was dopeeee! That is exactly what we've been trying to do down here in Tampico so it was cool to see it at a worldwide level. There is something very comforting about listening to the Apostles talk. I love it. The best part about being a member of the only true and living church on the face of the earth is that the church adapts to the times and seasons SO well, according to the revelation received by our leaders. For example, did you notice that in the last General Conference and yesterday that SOOO much of what they spoke on and did in the conference took advantage of the wonderful technology that is available to all of us in this day and age? That really stood out to me and just goes to show that we belong to a living church and that we believe in revelation. But yeah, that was so good.

 

So today is transfer day. First, let me start by explaining a little about the setup of our mission. La Mision Mexico Tampico is made up of 8 stakes (5 in Tampico, 1 in Victoria, 1 in Ciudad Mante, and one in Ciudad Valles) and 3 Districts. The Districts are areas that don't have sufficient real growth or membership to be a stake and the Mission President basically acts as the stake pres in those areas. The biggest District in our mission is called the Huasteca District. This district is getting REALLY close to becoming a stake. It's made up of a bunch of little tiny towns as well as a few Fallon-sized towns. The Huasteca is famous for its beauty (it looks like stepping into Zarahemla), its food, and the people (a lot of them speak a native language called Anahuac). The only thing the Huasteca lacks to become a stake is, yep, you guessed it, Priesthood and tithing payers. So Thursday, Pres called me and told me that today I'm heading down to the Huasteca, to the flagship city of the district, a town called Huejutla (whe-hut-la). It's the farthest south that the mission goes. I will be the Zone Leader down there and we are going to have a Priesthood project going on down there from what Pres was telling me. I think it will be my last area. How crazy is that? So yeah, the goal is to get that district turned into a stake so that they can govern themselves. Needless to say, I am really excited!

I have never worked in a pueblo in my whole mission. All my areas have actually been like right down town. I am sooo excited to get out there. My companion will be Elder Gonzalez. He will be the other Zone leader.

 

The Huasteca is really unique here in the mission. Our mission is cool because it has 3 different cultures. Victoria has northern Mexico Culture, Tampico has its own, and the Huasteca has its own as well. All the food, people, everything changes with the regions.  It's really cool.

 

I am also kind of sad to be leaving Tancol. We have had some great success here and its been so fun to see. I'm really confident that all 3 baptismal dates we have right now will get baptized which is good. Elder Johns is coming here, so I leave Tancol in great hands.

 

Momma, if you can holla at Special K and Hubbs and Mitch and tell those clowns to drop me a line next week I would love that. I love you all. Have a great week this week! The Church is true. Revelation is real and we all have right to receive it. I love you all so much!

 

Love,

Elder Stockard

June 17, 2013

Yo fammm,

 

Yo so this week has been reallllly crazy and I don't have a ton of time so I am really sorry if this email is short.

 

The biggest part of this week happened Tuesday. My friend and brother, my best friend in the whole mish, Elder Parry went home honorably this last Tuesday for health reasons. I was able to go to the airport with him and spend his last night in Mexico with him, and I am so proud of him. He is incredible, I hope that sometime soon you can be in contact with him because he has been a HUGE part of my life, he's changed it.

 

I think the way I felt Tuesday when he left is the closest I've ever felt to having a person I love die. It was kind of a sad empty feeling that I couldn't really get rid of. I really miss having him here but I also trust in God's plan and know that he needed E. Parry in another part of the vineyard.

Besides that the rest of the week was pretty fun. Elder Fernandez and I were in trio with Elder Hancock, E. Parry's comp here in Tancol for a few days until his new comp got here. Man, Tancol is ENORMOUS! I can't believe how big it is! If there weren't two sets of missionaries, it would be impossible to cover the whole ward, haha. But there is a lot of work to still be done here in Tancol and now we are separate in our respective companionships once again.

 

This week we were able to put 2 sweet baptismal dates with GOLDEN investigators, both references from recent converts. O'Ne is a friend of Omar named Claudio, an 18 year old kid who has gone to church and to mutual and really has liked it all. The other is with a girl named Clara and we now have plans to teach and baptize her whole family. She was a referecne from Paloma and her Grandma la Hermana Teresa. All and all, the work is really steaming ahead here in Tancol. This is an incredible time to be a missionary. The Lord is truly hastening his work like never before. This is the last week of the Transfer. Next Monday 4 Elders go home and 18 arrive. You all can do the math but that's a big difference huh? That means more and more areas will be opening.

 

This week I learned a TON on the Sacrament, I love learning about the Sacrament because it is something that we learn gradually, step by step or line upon line as 2 Nephi says. I have gradually come to learn more and more of the sacred nature and importance of the sacrament in this time as a missionary.  I am so grateful for it and try my hardest to respect it and prepare for it every week. It is such a blessing that we have the power and authority to administer the sacrament in the Church of Jesus Christ.

 

Well, I love you all so much. Have a great week. I'm so stoked to hear next week about the return of the great one #SpecialK. Please send me a picture of my boi. Log, Bay, Congrats, y'all finna kill it! Love you all  #143

 

Love,

Elder Stockard

June 10, 2013

Yo fam,

 

First off, I am soooo proud of youuu all for running the half marathon! That is so sick! Fur reallz I am so proud of you alll! Ryan, respect bro, on never training and then just ballin' out on under two hours. Do Yo Thang BOIIII! Momma, Laur, Lys, and Pops, I am so proud of you all.  There is something very satisfying about setting a goal and then accomplishing it. Congrats to you all.  I have loved hearing about the whole training process and now the finished result. Momma, thanks for letting me be apart of it with the Mustang visor as well :)

 

So funny story, for all you tweeters out there. I about died laughing when this happened, so we were in Sacrament meeting getting ready to sing the sacrament hymn yesterday and everything was all good and spiritual right? haha. The sister who was directing the music was directing it off her iPad. She stood up and the piano player started the prelude and then all of the sudden some song starts blaring off of her iPad. Haha, it gets better, so we are all there ready to sing the first note and this other song is playing, the piano player doesn't know what to do so he stops playing and the lady directing the music frantically starts trying to turn off her music as you can imagine. Well, she couldn't get it figured out standing up, so she sits down and tries to figure it out, still can't figure it out till finally the stake pres comes over from the other side of the stand and gets it turned off. As this happened and the spirit left only one thought was in my head: #1stWorldProbs hahahhahaha. I hope that makes y'all laugh cuz it got me good.

 

So yeah, it was a great week this week, we found a bunch a really good new investigators. It's interesting, since all of our work with investigators comes through references from members, I've seen that it really is true that the best source of references are from recent converts and less actives. This week we taught 2 references from Lucero and Omar and a WHOLE family from Hna Teresa and Paloma. We were hoping to have 12 investigators in church yesterday.  Not all of them went, but some did and I'm thinking that we could have 4-6 solid baptismal dates by the end of this week. Also this week President Flores, the stake pres, used my list that I keep for Priesthood holders that we are teaching and assigned each of his high counsel members a certain number of these potential priesthood holders who we've reactivated to be trained and prepared by them to receive the Melchizedek priesthood. Also, 2 more menos activos got callings this week and as a zone we had 85 less actives in church. Overall we've got it bumpin' pretty good here in Chairel, the Lord is really doing miracles every single day.

 

I remember that when I left on the mish, in my farewell talk I talked about how nobody ever said that the mish or this life would be easy and how it shouldn't be easy. Basically I said hard is good. I feel so grateful that throughout my mission the Lord has helped me to recognize that hard is good. That is like half the battle, If we can trust that God has a plan and that hard is good, we can even find joy in the hard times and find joy in the journey.  I feel so blessed to know that. I continue learning more and more and loving more and more the plan of salvation and I am so grateful for that beautiful plan that helps us to know that hard is good. I invite us all to remember that hard is good and to remember that we should look to learn from and love the hard times.

 

I love you all so much. Have a great week this week! Be safe, represent yo hood and give Elder Hubbard a HUGEEEEE HUG for me. Send me a pic of him just like you did of Mitch. Love you all.

 

#143,

Elder Stockard

June 3, 2013

Familllly!

 

Yo, so can it really be that the great Mitchell Leblanc is now home? That is so crazy, it blows my mind how fast two years went, I remember like it was yesterday the day that he left. Elder Leblanc, if you read this, congrats on serving and have a good time selling pest control. #GMC$. The scriptures talk an awful lot about the gathering of Israel but I'm also pretty sure that there are far lesser known, but equally important prophesies about the Gathering of GMC$ from the 4 corners of the Earth. Lolzzzzz, at least I can still make myself laugh.

 

No, it sounds like it's an exciting week for the Stockard family with the half marathon this week! That's going to be so awesome, have a great time with that! That is an incredible accomplishment to be able to run a half marathon! Let me know all about it and send me pics!

 

So this week has been excellent, things are really coming together nicely here in Tancol. The ward is really growing and the best part is how well all the new investigators and less actives are being received by the members. Yesterday was the best fast and testimony meeting that I have had on my mission. We had over 30 less actives in church between us and the other Tancol Elders, also we had 3 new investigators that came to church, two are friends and family members of Omar and Lucero who we just baptized back in March. The ward is really looking good to explode.  This week the Relief Society got their visiting teaching assignments all updated and organized, focused on less actives and new members, and the home teaching should be all organized next week. This will really be the thing that gets the ward to grow I think.  Something that I've really learned the importance of is Home and Visiting teachers, especially for less actives.

 

We had a couple of sweet experiences this week, one of which was a super sweet lesson with a less active family that is getting active again. We went with a former bishop to visit la familia Garcia Munoz and this bishop, el hermano Tellez and the fam just made a really good connection and we were able to really invite the spirit well and have a nice lesson with them. One of the daughters of this family, Adriana is now getting her papers all filled out to leave on a mission which is pretty sweet!

 

I received word this week that la Familia Preza has now finished their temple prep class and will be sealed on the 13th or 20th of July!!!!!!! I am soooooo excited to see them there at the temple, I can't believe how fast time has gone. I really can't describe the feelings I get when I think about or talk about these people that I have had the absolute privilege of teaching the gospel to and seeing them change and grow as they apply its teachings. There isn't a better feeling in the entire world... Maybe being with the fam in the temple or something, but the feeling is incredible, I know without a doubt that the Lord truly orchestrates this work.

 

One theme that I have learned and thought about time and time again in my mission is Grace. I read Moroni 10:32 a lot this week and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite scriptures. I also finished Matthew this week and I am loving reading the Bible, I can't believe that I had never read it b4!  I am so grateful that you as my parents taught me to love the scriptures! Thank you so much for that!

Have a great week this week!

 

Love,

Elder Stockard