August 26, 2013

What up Famileeee!

So another blazing fast week has flown us by.  Momma and Dad, I am so happy to hear that all is well in the family and I also love hearing about all your awesome experiences and the ways that you all are thinking to do missionary work.  It makes me so happy and so proud of y'all.  Thank you both so much for living the gospel.

So I had a bunch of cool experiences this last week.  This area has been the busiest of my mission, we teach like 30 or more lessons every week and it is insane.  We have some great people, less active, recent converts and investigators who are all really progressing well.  This last week I learned a lot about how subtle the impressions of the spirit are.  Elder Gonzalez and I were just walking along to an appointment this week when we saw an active member who lives in our branch but in the part where there are other missionaries serving, not us.  She was outside of a friend's house just talking.  We said hi to her and asked her how she was, but being missionaries, we immediately turned our attention to her nonmember friend.  She told us her name is Yulma and that she had been to church before with her active friend who was there, La Hermana Lupita.  She said she went to a district conference like a year ago but never really got in touch with the missionaries.  We set an appointment to come back and teach her and invited Lupita to come as well.  Well, last Saturday we went back and taught her.  Turns out that when she went to church last year she had been going to another church, but now she's stopped going and it seems like she's pretty legit!!!  Lupita and her husband Pilar nailed it with us in the lesson, the spirit was super strong and yesterday Yulma, and her two daughters were at church with Lupita, Pilar and their family!  That is members and missionaries working together!  It was an incredible experience and I know that it was no coincidence that we passed by the exact moment that Lupita and Yulma were outside their house talking.  

It amazes me how subtle the spirit works in our lives.  That is the reason that living the commandments is so important because the spirit speaks gently to us.  If we aren't paying attention it passes right over our heads.  I'm so grateful that I've been able to learn about the workings of the spirit in my time as a missionary.

  

One other cool thing this last week,  I had the opportunity to reflect upon my progenitors this last week as I learn about the spirit of Elijah.  I found a DearElder you had sent me in the MTC, Momma, in response to my question about how many generations of missionaries had served in my fam.  The letter talked about Robert Baird who served in the Southern States in 1898, mainly in Tennessee.  How cool is that Momma?  Who would have ever known when you sent me that letter in January of 2012, that only a month later I would be serving as a missionary on the same ground as my great, great, great grandfather.  I know that that wasn't a coincidence either.  I'm so blessed to have the immediate and extended family that I do.  The Church is true, the gospel makes us happy.  Thank you all so much for LIVING it!  I love you all.  

#143

Elder Stockard

August 19, 2013

Yo Family!

Eh, so it was a totally dope week this week and it sounds from my crew like it was pretty dope back in Fallon and in P-Town as well. Soooooooooo much respect that Elder Parry was kickin' it wit Special K and Big Hubbs and Lauren up in Midway!  That is so dope cuz he has heard soooooooo many stories about those 2 and now there they are all up in the promised land of Midway, Utah with Grandma Dot.  #Clutch.  That made me happy.  Respect to that group.  Also it made me happy to hear that the Got Money Crew is heading back down to SoCal for a few days.  That will be so fun for Kev and Ryan, they will kill it, there are lots of good memories down there.  Steal some fastpasses for me boyzz.  Hahaha.  

 

Momma, I cannot believe that y'all are already back in shcool!  The summer goes so fast!  Down here I think it's the first day of school as well cuz we've got a Jr. High in front of our house and it's packed today for the first time since I've been here.  

 

But this week was incredible not even gonna lie.  We had some great success in our area as well as in our zone.  In our area, Elder Gonzalez and I have out of the blue finally been able to help like 4 new less active families start to progress.  We also have 2 investigators that look to have solid baptismal dates for Septiembre.  One family that has really started to progress are two people named Narciso y Ramona.  Narciso y Ramona are your classic Huastecos, humble, nice, quiet, etc... They are probably about 55 years old and Narciso has really struggled to find work.  Two weeks ago we taught them on the law of tithing and they didn't really accept it that well.  We both felt really inspired to promise them that if they would kneel with us in prayer, promise the Lord that they would pay their tithing, and ask him for help in finding work, that He would help him to find work in that week.  It was a pretty specific and sweet promise, but even with that, he wasn't really feeling it.  So this last week we went again and taught them again on another subject but they continued to talk about their struggles without work.  At this point, I felt inspired to turn the subject back towards tithing seeing as that is what they seemed to need.  Elder Gonzalez and I told them, "Brother Narciso, we came last week and basically taught exactly what you need to do to find work.  You need to pay your tithing; now last week we made you a promise that if you would promise the Lord that you would pay your tithing and asked Him for His help in finding work, then He would bless you with work.  Now we want to make you that same promise, but this is the last time, if you say no once again, the Lord wants you to know that that promise will leave out the door with us."  It was a super strong spiritual moment when he finally decided to kneel in prayer with us and do as we had invited him to do.  Two days later we went back by to see because we had been praying like a wild child that God would help Narciso.  We knocked on the door and Ramona his wife came out smiling and said that Narciso wasn't home because he was out working!!!!!!!!!  She thanked us and assured us that they would pay their tithing this Sunday.  What a sweet experience it was!  I felt the spirit so strong in that lesson and I know that when we as missionaries promise blessings by the spirit, they Lord will make good on them.

  

The Zone is also going bonkers, as a zone we had 151 menos activos in church and a ton of investigators as well.  The work is reallllllly hastening here in la Huasteca and it's incredible to be a part of it.  I love you all so much and I'm so glad to hear that all is well.  Have a great week and know that I love you all.  #143

 

Love,

Elder Stockard

August 12, 2013

Dear Familee:

Yo, so I know it's the same for y'all, but I can't even comprehend how fast the weeks are going.  I know I say that pretty often, but that's cuz pretty often it's true.  How blessed we are to have the gospel as the life blood of our family and friends.  Mom, sounds like your talk went great and I'm sure that Dad's did as well.  I tell the story of Travis to investigators, missionaries and members down here alllllll the time.  He is the man.  

 

Anyway, this week was really good, it was a little more administrative because our zone is a little complex and week 1 of transfers is always a little crazy.  Our zone is the biggest of the 10 in the mission with 27 missionaries.  It is also the zone that is the most spread out, with those 27 missionaries spread out over 5 little towns within 3 states and 5 hours of each other by bus.  So yeah, transfers take some real coordination, wayyy more than in Tampico, hahaha, then on top of that we gave 2 trainings this week, Elder Gonzalez and I, to the whole zone which took some coordination to get everyone into Huejutla and back out in one piece, haha.  It was a really good week, the mission really helps develop you in sooo many different ways, it's crazy.  I often times wonder how it is that I am so happy and yet soooooo tired all the time, haha.  The answer is truly simple:  The gospel and the people.   It's just that simple.  The gospel because it's the lifeblood of this work and of our every second of our lives for these 2 years.  It is also the ultimate source of happiness on this earth and when immersed in it for such a long, consecutive period of time, it truly changes our very natures.  The other reason is the people, and this is very connected with the gospel.  Elder Perry gave a talk a while ago on how two people that share spiritual experiences together become bound together by love for each other due to those experiences.  That is exactly what happens as a missionary, those with whom we share these spiritual experiences, where the spirit is the teacher.  The spirit comes in, touches our hearts, and changes our very nature and desires.  Those people, whether they be investigators, less actives, active members, whatever, become our very motivation as missionaries.  They make it ALL worth it.  It's incredible.  

 

Also, Lisa wrote me an incredible email (maybe the highlight of my week Lisa!) this last week about how her kids participated in a no-TV activity.  I think that's a huge part of the change that comes to missionaries as well, we are soooo separated form the world... Things that my life used to revolve around such as pro sports, I haven't heard anything of that in almost 2 years, just being set apart from the world for so long has a real positive change on our lives as well.

  

Huejutla is going great.  We have one investigator named Jesus who is starting to progress real well who we are excited about.  Momma, These branches can't become a ward until there is a stake.  Where there is no stake organization, only branches can exist because there are no high priests except the mission president.  There can be a branch within a stake but there can be no ward within a district.

 

Well, I love you all so much.  Thanks for being my examples and a great part of my motivation to keep going even when its tough.  I love you all and hope you know that I am SOOOO happy.

 

Love,

Elder Stockard

August 5, 2013

Fam-il-eee,

Yo, so nobody told me anything about Micah Manning taking the lessons or getting baptized but that is soooooo tight!  Big Time Congrats to Micah!  I would love to shoot him an email to congratulate him, if y'all got it, I would love to have it, if you don't have it, at least please tell him congrats for me. That is so awesome.  He couldn't have made any better choice.  

 

Every week it sounds like y'all be straight killin' it back at home.  Momma, I love hearing about your missionary experiences, Laur, sounds like you are still the most organized, smartest person on the block.  You don't know what a blessing it is to be serving a mission here in Mexico and to truly know that all is well back at home.  Thank you all for that blessing, thank you all so much.  Thanks for telling me I have two new cousins Momma, how many are we now in all?  The Andros Family in not a small one.

  

So, Huejutla is pretty dope, not gonna lie.  I love it, I feel like now, one change into my time here in la Huasteca, I'm finally good and adjusted to working in a branch, although yesterday we had almost 120 people in church and the other branch here in Huejutla had 140+ people in church, so it's not your classic thought of a branch if you will.  But as far as church culture wise it's got a lot of branch tendencies still and that is what we are really focused on.  The Area presidency here in Mexico back in November put the whole "Missionaries won't knock doors"  theme with the goal of the missionaries and the members working together more.  The blessings of members and missionaries working together are many and I've really seen them in my time here.  First off, the missionaries can strengthen the members: their faith, their understanding of the gospel etc... and the members can do the same for the missionaries.  Secondly, the members are the ones who know the prepared people, such as Micah; where they live, what they like, who they are, etc... and so the work moves forward at a more productive pace when the two groups work together.  Here in Huejutla we are really focusing on making that happen.  We want the members and the missionaries to be a team that together can hasten the Lord's work in the work of salvation.  That's been our focus and Elder Gonzalez and I have really seen some miracles with it.  Although not all of them have progressed really well, we have had lots of members that have introduced us to their friends and family members who aren't members and we have been able to teach those people in the chapels and in the homes of those same members.  It's been really cool to see and the members are really starting to catch on well with how to do missionary work. It's been a cool thing to see and we know that if we obey and are diligent, we will find the prepared people here in this part of the branch.  

 

In other news, it is soooooo hot here.  It was like 110 degrees here and humid this week.  Haha, it makes for good motivation to find people to teach when it's so hot because you just don't wanna be stuck outside all day, hahaha.

  

I say it every week but I am just so happy.  Momma, if you are still talking on my mission next Sunday you can tell everyone that the most reoccurring theme that I've learned on my mission has been centered on the Grace of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I am so grateful for his atoning sacrifice and for the way that that sacrifice will work in every part of our life if we will just let it do so.  It will heal us, it will motivate us, it will strengthen us in that moment when we feel like we can't take one more step or it's just too hard.  I know it's a true real power because I've felt it every day in my time here in the mission.  I'm so grateful for it.  I love you all.  Have a great summer week.

 

#143

Elder Stockard

 

July 29, 2013

Family,

First of all, sooooooooo proud of all your member missionary work!  Congrats on that Momma especially!  I am sooooo so proud of you.  I meant to write that the last few weeks as well that I'm just so proud of you.  

 

As for me this week... It's been incredible.  I've had a few words going through my head all week and I can't get em out.  The words are as follows:  "It's ALL worth it,"  Literally, last Saturday has made it ALL worth it.  Every appointment that's fallen through, every long hot day, every time that I've obeyed when it wasn't popular or easy, every morning that I was too tired to even think straight but I peeled myself out of bed, every person who slammed a door in my face, or laughed at me, or yelled swear words at me or whatever it may be... It doesn't even matter, it's ALL worth it.  The Family Preza was sealed for time and all eternity last Saturday and I was there to witness it.  It's ALL worth it.  The feelings I had last Saturday were ones of indescribable peace and happiness.  I was able to witness as that family completed their final saving ordinances here in this life.  Now they must only endure to the end, and if they do so, they have the promise of our loving Father in Heaven that their family relations will continue beyond the veil.  As I think about that, and I reflect on that accomplishment for their family, I am overcome with gratitude for my Father in Heaven, for letting me, in some small way, be an instrument in His hands.  For letting me be a part of his eternal work here in this life, for letting me see the power that the gospel has to change and refine other people first hand.  It brings tears to my eyes to think that, not withstanding my mortal frailties and errors, the Lord has seen fit to bless me SOOO much in my time as a missionary, to let me come to know soooo many wonderful people who have been soo prepared to hear the gospel.  It's been the second greatest blessing in my life to come to know these people, right behind having my own family.  Needless to say, this week was truly the greatest week of my life.  Its ALL worth it.  And you know what, I know it's all been possible because I've obeyed and I've worked hard.  Missionaries or future missionaries who read this, if you want to see miracles, have faith in what your leaders teach you:  That obedience and diligence truly bring those miracles because it's true.  La Familia Preza is a flat out miralce.  I worked almost 3 months straight without any success in Francia when we found and taught them.  If we do our part, God will do his, I know that to be true, I've seen it firsthand. 

 

Well, that was the highlight of my week.  And really of my life, haha.  I'm waiting to hear where Cristian gets his call to and when cuz I'll hopefully be able to go to the temple with him as well.  It's ALL worth it, and don't let anyone tell you that it's not.  I'm so blessed to be a missionary, in the GREATEST mission for ME in the world.  The gospel is true, the spirit will confirm it to any and all who let it.  I love you all soooo much!  Have a great week!  

 

Love, 

Elder Stockard

July 22, 2013

Famillllyy!

Ok, so just so y'all know, I think I just had the happiest week of my whole life.  Not even a joke!  I can't wait to tell y'all bout it cuz this week has been absolutely incredible!

 

So first things first.  There were two baptisms this last week that I am sooooooo happy about.  Don't know if y'all remember Cristian and Berenice from when I was in Central in the offices?  The son of Pascual y Ricarda?  Well they finalllyyy got baptized after 7 months of waiting!  I got a letter from them this last Wednesday when the Assistants came out to la Huasteca and also the assistants called me Friday right before their baptism and let me talk to them.  I was so so so so happy to hear that they finally got baptized.  I put my absolute heart and soul into teaching and helping those two.  I also say that my mish wouldn't have been complete if they hadn't gotten baptized.  I got to talk to them and they just sound so, so happy.  Also, Pascual and Ricarda are both active and have callings, so that is awesome to hear as well.  

 

That was one very happy moment... but it gets much better.  Wednesday the Assistants were here in la Huasteca working with us and my dear friend and ex comp Elder Castro, and they gave me an update on my old area, up in the Promised land of Barrio Mainero and Victoria in Cuidad Victoria.  Great news up there as well:  Cristian, one of our converts up there, SUBMITTED HIS MISSION PAPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  He will have his call in 3 weeks!  I am so, so happy for him.  Also, Alicia is preparing to go to the temple!  All is well in Victoria as well.  

 

By this time you can see that this was a great week... but it still gets better!  Last Saturday I got a call from Elder Castro once again and he was ecstatic... so so happy because... La FAMILIA PREZA WILL BE SEALED NEXT SATURDAY AT 1:30pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh my goodness, I am so excited.  I will be heading up to Tampico this weekend to be at their endowment and sealing!!!!!!!!!!!!   I don't think I've ever had a better week in my entire life!!!  I am so happy.  I finally know what Ammon and Aaron and Alma and Zenos all talked about in rejoicing in the fruits of their labors,  these people have changed my life forever and to think that I could have been blessed to help them change theirs as well is a feeling that I can't quite describe.  I truly can't describe it, but I don't think there are many things that feel better than the way I've felt in the last few days.  I love these people here in Mexico so much.  I would truly do anything for them.  That is a great feeling.  That is something that I didn't know how to feel before I was a missionary and it's something that the Lord has taught me here.

  

Family, thank you once again for being a family that lived/lives the gospel.  Momma, Dad, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, thank you so much for teaching me to live the gospel.  There is a difference between being members of the church and making the gospel part of your life.  You all made the gospel part of your lives and that in turn made it a part of mine.  That has made all the difference.  ALL the difference.  Thank you.  Aunts and Uncles, if you are ever thinking or feeling that your efforts to live the gospel and teach it to your children are falling on deaf ears, don't be discouraged.  I promise you that one day your children will thank you for your efforts, without a doubt.  Hold on, keep pushing to do what's right and not make exceptions.  It will pay off.  

 

Well, that's about it from down here.  I hope you all know how much I love you.  You are the greatest friends and family that I could ever imagine.  Keep doin yo thang.  #143

#GMC$  #SpecialK #JakeHeaps

 

Love,

Elder Stockard

July 15, 2013

Familllyyyy!

Yo, so don't trip Momma, I'm takin' lots of pics, I just don't send 'em cuz these Mexican internet cafes are pushing it sometimes to even send little emails, haha.  Don't wanna push my luck.  So Dad in his letter said something to me about how this is probably the most exciting time in the history of the world to be alive!  I totally agree and although I love y'all too much, I wouldn't wanna be anywhere other than Huejutla Hidalgo.  Things are really poppin' down here.  

So to answer your question on Panacaxtlan Momma, Panacaxtlan is a tiny little community like 20 minutes from Huejutla up in the hills.  There are probably like 300 people who like there and like 13 active members.  It had been off limits to visit except in organized activities with the district president till this week when Pres. gave Elder Gonzalez and I permission to open it up as we see fit according to the amount of work that there is there.  And so we did.  We just went out there once last week but we started visiting some less active part member families.  I feel as though there are baptisms to be had there.  We will see how things go.  

As for here in Huejutla I cant believe how fast things are progressing.  Two years ago President Call divided the branch here in Huejutla and made it into two.  Six months ago, 60 people attended la Rama 1 (where I'm at) and like 90 attended la Rama 2.  Yesterday we had over 100 in our branch and the other branch had over 150 people in attendance! There were over 20 investigators between the 2 branches and tons of less actives.  All of these branches here in la Huasteca are growing like a wild child.  It is incredible to see.  Elder Gonzalez and I have lots of work with less actives right now but we are still struggling to find investigators that are progressing.  That will be a definite focus in the coming weeks.  It is so different being a missionary in a branch than it is being a missionary in a ward!  Especially here where the Mission President is like a Stake President, the missionaries in some of these smaller branches play BIG roles.  Its a really good experience for these missionaries and I think it will really serve them going back to their home wards and already having experience in helping run a church unit.  

Elder Gonzalez is a really cool guy.  He is from Puebla, and he went to the church school of Benemerito de las Americas which is now the new MTC down here.  We get along really well and having fun.  I've been really blessed with a ton of excellent comps who are really blessed and changed my life.  I've been reflecting so much on the change that the mission has made on my life and it is unreal.  There are things that I have learned here that I couldn't have learned in any other circumstance or way.  I am so grateful Mom and Dad, that you always taught me and stressed the importance of serving a full time mission.  Mom and Dad, also thank you so much for teaching me the importance of obedience.  Brandon, you as well.  No other principle or law has resulted in more blessings that the law of obedience.  Thank you all.  Thank you, family in all, for being a family that didn't just attend church, rather you made the gospel of Jesus Christ a part of who you were and are.  You taught us to LIVE the gospel.  There is no greater blessing than that of knowing, since infancy, how to LIVE the gospel.  I am eternally indebted for that.  

I love you all so much.  Have a great week this week and know that I love you all!  The Gospel is true, it's ALL true.

Love 

Elder Stockard