Friday, March 8, 2013

Sister Stone

Dear Mom and Dad,
Sorry I dont have alot of time to write each of you back! I will try to work at writing everyone back each week, today is just crazy because we have been at the doctors all morning and then we still have laundry to do, clean our car for car inspections and then go teach a few lessons. Anyway, I will try handwriting you letters. So... We met with the doctor this morning. He said that my gallbladder is working at a 27% and that it needs to be at a 35% for it to be completely clear. He doesn't want to do surgery yet because of my pain and the bleeding that has been happening. So he took some blood tests and if that comes back clear he thinks he wants to send me home for surgery and to get things cleared up there where I can have you guys support me in getting recovered. He says that it would be his first option because out here it would take longer because of other comlications that I didn't really focus on. I dont know what I think about this and it isn't for sure yet so I dont want to focus on it. He will call me and sister Morby tomorrow morning with the blood results. He will also call the mission doctors and let them know the path he think would be best. I hope Sister Morby calls you or that President does so that you know everything already. Thank You for fasting for me and for all of your prayers! Tell Everyone else who has prayed for us Thank You as well. I am grateful for a family who supports me and cares about me!
My week has been really good with investigators. We had 3 people commit to baptism for this month!! :) One the 16, 23, and the 30! My companion and I are so excited! We haven't taught the lady I tracted into, Sandy, yet just because of me being sick and then her sister has Cancer so she had to take her in for chemo during one of our lessons. We are hoping that all will work out with her on Thursday and that we can get in and teach her. Maybe we will even have another baptism this month? :) I can only hope! It would be awesome though! I always thought it was cheesy when people would say that we will feel disappointed when someone tells us "no" to baptism but I really did feel that way this week. We are teaching a 10 year old, Dusty, and his sister was baptized last month and she is so excited for him to be baptized but he keeps telling us he hasn't had the answer to his prayers that its the right thing to do right now. I felt sad for him when he told us this and I pray for him to get that answer for himself! I want him to be able to have that joy that comes from the gospel for himself! We also had Stake Conference yesterday and we had 2 of our investigators come! They both really enjoyed it and stayed awake for the whole thing! haha. I was shocked when they said they enjoyed it and couldn't wait for church next Sunday. I struggle at Stake Conference and so I was so excited for them when they actually enjoyed it and didn't feel overwhelmed!
I cant believe Chelsea is getting baptized!!!!!!!! I started crying when I read that! I wish that she would write me and tell me about it! Will you have Kelci get on and email her for me. Tell her to either email me or write me. I'm so excited for her!!! I wish that I could just be there for it. Oh my goodness I am just so excited!
Tell Whit CONGRATULATIONS and I told her so! :) You will need to go buy her an adorable outfit for me!
I have a video I want Pepper to see on Mormon Messages. will you tell her to go watch Daytons Legs and then the Bonus edition of it. I watched it the other day and just thought of her the whole time. Thanks!
I also watched 17 miracles with a member while I was down on Saturday and you guys need to go watch it as a family! It was amazing!
Well I better go but I will write everyone tonight or this week at some point! Tell Jaden good luck in his next game. Tell him to play hard for me!
I love you guys and I will keep you posted on the medical stuff and if all goes well, hopefully it does, I will just write you next week :)
LOVE YOU SO MUCH and miss you!
Love, Kenzi

Elder Stone

Hola Madre y Padre y familia!
Como estan? Come es todo en Hurricane? Estoy muy feliz esta manana! Life has been great for me this week. I just read McKenzi's email and I am so excited for her! I was so worried about how things were going for her and I'm glad to hear that all is going great.
Well the field is white, already to harvest! You think that is a metaphor but it's not. The fields really are all white. There is snow everywhere! Haha sorry, I couldn't resist.
So classes are going really good for me this week! I feel like I have been able to focus really well and learn a lot. The teachers have been talking in Spanish a lot more to us and it's awesome because I can understand most of what they are saying! Crazy how that works. When I first got here and they spoke Spanish to us I thought I was going to be confused forever! I'm excited that I am getting to the other end of the stick, slowly but surely. "Vale la pena." One of my teachers said that to us and I decided I am going to make it my motto. It translates into "It's worth the pain" or "It's worth it". All of things that in life are hard and painful are the things that are worth it in the end. So I set a goal. I'm going to work my very hardest on my mission so that when I get done I will look back and say it was worth it. Last night there was a devotional that talked about how to overcome sadness and homesickness at the MTC. Any guesses? The number one thing that helps sadness is to find someone to serve. I have found this to be so true. Our district has set goals to find someone to serve everyday and to serve the other districts in our zone. It feels good to help somebody in need.
Last night after the devotional we were able to go watch a movie of our choice. (We get to watch one every Sunday after the devotional.) Most the time they are recorded talks from Apostles that have come to the MTC but this week we got to watch the Testament. I think that's the most action packed movie I have seen in a while! Probably the most intense movie I will see in the next two years. I love that movie though. You've seen it right? I love how at the end the dad (Helam) doesn't have his sight and he is telling his son to describe Jesus to him. As he is describing the Savior you see a hand reach out and touch Helam and say his name. The last scene you see is of him healed, looking at the Savior. I lost it at that point. It's just so cool to me that the Savior does know each of us by name and He wants to help us. It really was a Testament to me.
Well it's weird for me to think that I am on the down hill slope of my time at the MTC. This Thursday we get out travel plans to head to our missions. It's crazy! In 2 and a half weeks I am going to be in my first area trying to understand Spanish and speaking with people! Exciting right?
I probably better get off and finish my laundry but I think I am able to get on later today. If you are able to write me back before I get on that would be awesome! Did you get my letter that I sent a few days ago? I think I had everything right on there so I hope it got there. Also, could you ask Kelci to ask Paisley if she got my letter? I've never really written letters to people so I'm not sure I did it right! So how is Jaden's soccer coming? Has he had any games yet? Tell Kelci and Jaden that I am writing you each a letter today. There just never seems like there is enough time to write. I wish I could write you each a 10 page letter but that probably still wouldn't cover everything!
I love you all and I am praying that all is well!
Love, Elder Stone
P.s. I saw Sister Stone put a scripture and I want to share one that I love also. Alma 26:12 is amazing. The whole chapter is but this is my favorite verse. Read it!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Elder Stone

Dear Madre y Padre y familia,
Hola! Como esta? Come fue su Domingo? Mine was so amazing! Yesterday was our second fast Sunday at the MTC so our Sunday schedule was a little different. Instead of going to Priesthood Meeting we got to go to mission conference! During mission conference we get to listen to most of the MTC presidency speak and then a District President also spoke to us. They are all spiritual powerhouses so it was really good to hear from them! I got to bare my testimony in Spanish again this week also. It's crazy how much more I was able to talk about in my testimony than that first week where I knew next to nothing. I also had that opportunity to bless the Sacrament this week in Spanish also. It is cool to hear it in Spanish! Last night was a really awesome devotional that we went to. The Provo Temple president came and talked to us about the temple. He was so powerful!! He talked about how the Lord has walked every hallway and has seen every room in the temple. He said that that is the only place where we can really take upon us Christ name. He also said that is the place to get power for the next two years of our mission. It gave me a completely different perspective on Temples and today when I go I am going to be a lot more focused on that.
After the devotional we always either get to watch a church movie or listen to a recorded talk by an apostle. This week my companions and me decided to go listen to President Holland talk about being forever a missionary. I felt like I needed to buckle up from the start to the finish. It was so intense! I went in there expecting intense but it still caught me off guard. He told us to take advantage of every single possible opportunity to be a missionary because this is the only time in our life that we will be able to. He said that this is the closest calling to being an Apostle that there is. We both teach the Gospel 24/7 and focus on bringing people unto Christ. I'm wondering if it is online somewhere that you could go look up? I want to have a copy of it to keep with me but it's not on Lds.org. It's called Forever A Missionary. Also, if you could send me the Characters of Christ talk by Elder Bednar that would be amazing also.
So I am starting something that I heard about and it might be cool for you to try out. I bought a new Book of Mormon and I wrote a few questions on the first page of it and now I am going through answering those questions throughout the rest of the book. I am only through 1 Nephi chapter 3 and I have so much highlighted to help me with the questions! I call it my own Magic 8 ball. Except this magic 8 ball is more correct than any other ball or book in the whole world.
I have two items of very exciting news for you. The first one was President Ballard came and spoke to us last Tuesday!! It was soo awesome! We were all sitting in the conference room singing the prelude hymns when everybody started standing up. The Spirit was so amazing because we were singing "I know that my Redeemer lives" when he walked in. The whole time he talked about that our message is that Jesus is the Christ and that he does live. It was so amazing! I started crying before he ever started talking because of the song. I love the song "I know that my Redeemer lives" I feel the spirit every time I hear it.
So the second item that is super exciting is (drum roll please) Are you ready? We got our travel plans on Thursday!!!! I am leaving next Tuesday at 5:00 in the morning to go to the airport and then I leave at 8:37 for Long Beach! How exciting is that?! It feels like I have been here forever and no time at all! I am so excited to go though. I am in my last full week here at the MTC! I will write you next week before I go to let you know a few more details about it but I had to let you know! I'm so excited. I've said that a few times but it is true! Well I should probably get off considering that my laundry is done and I should go get ready for the temple. Exciting stuff though, right? I love you all soooo very much! I am writing Kelci back today because that is the only letter that I have been able to get yet but I will try to write you all! You are in my prayers every day.
Love, Elder Stone
p.s. I just barely finished emailing Mckenzi so I hope she has time to email me again before the day is over. Sorry I wrote her first, I just assumed I would take longer on this email.
p.p.s. Do you think you could send me a copy of my Patriarchal Blessing? I only have a copy of the first page. The second page would be nice to have.