Training

Hello All,

So I'm just going to come out and say it: this has probably been mentally the hardest week so far of the mission. I'm a trainer! The new girls arrived this wednesday and it has been really really different - and pretty tough. Luckily, they brought back my best friend (Sis Gardiner) to my area and she is also training so we are in it together. Training is hard! My new trainee doesn't speak French and so now I'm carrying the load mostly by myself. I think the hardest thing though is the pressure I put on myself, because I don't want to let her down and I feel a lot of responsibility for making sure that everything goes peaches and cream for her mission. Which I know isn't realistic but doesn't stop me from trying. Mostly I'm taking it one day at a time.

So in coordination with training, our area also got split so now I'm working about half the area...and have half the amis. Like I said it's been a tougher time and period of transition. 

My new trainee is named Soeur Isham and she is American. She studied french a little bit in highschool and then for 6 weeks in the MTC. She is super enthusiastic and positive which is great and she really loves Disney. She is really great - I'm the one struggling with training because I feel so insecure in what I'm doing. Before there were always two other companions to back me up or give ideas or add to lessons - and now it feels like there is just me. And that is hard. 

We have known for quite a while that the HEaps would be leaving. We helped drop them off at the airport. It was a pretty emotional night because the Heaps have essentially been our grandparents out here and saying goodbye was hard. To add on top of that with all the changes we were already feeling unsettled and unsure of ourselves but now to know that we can't turn to the Heaps everyday for advice, was a pretty big blow. A new senior couple is getting here this wednesday and we are excited but know it will be different. Plus it will take them a while to learn the swing of things and most likely WE will be the ones giving THEM tips. 

I did another musical number collaboration with Sr Gardiner and her violin in church yesterday. We sang/played this hymn called "Souviens-toi, mon enfant" which means "Remember my child" and is about living in the premortal existence and accepting God's plan and then sharing the gospel here on the earth with those we knew before. It's really beautiful, and the melody comes from Dvorak's New World Symphony. Unfortunatlely I didn't film this one but I don't think I'd be able to figure out how to send it anyway. Maybe next time.

Love,

Sister Stewart

Where to even begin...

Hello ALL,

Seriously the title says it all. Where to even begin?! I have no idea. So the beginning of this week was the New Year and New Year is big on La Reunion. On the 31st everyone is running around and getting food ready for the big fete (party) during the evening. Then people stay up till way late - like 4 in the morning to party in the New Year. And they shoot off tons of fireworks at midnight. We were invited to eat with some of the families in the ward at one party on the port, which was so nice. It was pretty being right next to the ocean and the company and food was great. 

Then on Thursday...a CYCLONE hit the island! It was pretty crazy! They had warned us that one was coming our way but originally they thought it would miss the island and just send us some rain storms but then a couple of days before they confirmed it would directly hit us. Then as it got closer and closer the storm was getting worse so they warned everyone and told us to go out and make sure that we had food and water. Ultimately the cyclone ended up being a category 3, which means that it had winds up to 150mph. When it first hit in the morning, I was like "this isn't bad, this is just heavy rain why is everyone making a big deal about it?" And then suddenly the wind picked up and it became a real storm out there! We have a huge sliding glass door that looks out over a balcony in our living room so we saw the whole thing (and slightly feared for our lives lest something be thrown by the wind and break our door/window and we be sucked out into the cyclone). You would have thought that someone was dumping bucket from the sky with the heavy rain we had while at the same time these incredibly strong winds that were breaking trees. I always thought a cyclone was like a water tornado. I suppose mainly from the advertising found at waterparks. But I was dissapointed. Just an incredibly heavy storm. We went on red alert at 10am on Thursday so even if we wanted to (which we didn't) no one is allowed to leave their house and be out. It is literally against the law. So we couldn't leave ALL day long. We stayed in our house. And we cleaned. A lot. Which was alright because it had been on our to do list for that week anyway. We also were able to take a nap which was phenomenal. It was nice to have a break. And then our power went out that night so luckily we had 72 hour kits with candles and flashlights. Then when we woke up the next morning the storm was STILL going. It literally rained and stormed all day for over 24 hours. So yeah, we spent nearly 44 hours in our apartment. But then we were able to go out that afternoon. And there wasn't too much damage but tree branches were everywhere and the lights weren't working. It was pretty wild. But luckily, a big cyclone only comes around about once every season. Cyclone season is October to January so we should be in the clear now!

Last exciting news. We got the news of transfers. My two current companions are both leaving me. My trainer, Sr Packer is going down to St Pierre and Sr Hurst is going to St Paul. Meanwhile, Sr Gardiner has come back up to join me but is NOT my companion. Because I am training. AHHHHH! That's so scary! Sr Gardiner is also training and her companion and mine will arrive off the plane straight from the MTC this Wednesday. We are both pretty nervous. I'm fairly stressed because in addition we are all living in the same apartment and sharing a car and splitting the area. Living together will be awesome, sharing the car is going to be pretty tricky and splitting the area has been pretty sad for me. Because it means not only that now half of what I used to know I can no longer port or find people or contact but also any amis that live in the other area are now Sr Gardiner and her companion and I won't teach them. That is rough. But I know they're in good hands. It's just hard to feel like suddenly we have nothing! Our space feels incredibly tiny. I know that this is going to help me grow so much but unfortunately that means it is because it will be tough! And uncomfortable. So pray for me because I will need the strength and the Lord's help. 

This week alone is going to be full of changes and incredibly crazy! But this year is going to be full of adventure and miracles. I'm just waiting for it. So I love you all and thank you for your support! I've survived one cyclone so everything from here should be downhill right?

Love,

Sr Stewart

On The 10th Day of Christmas

Dear Family, Friends, and Collegues (you know which group you fall in)

This week has been fairly uneventful. Lots of Porting. Lots of Porting. And Lots of Porting. However we did get the opportunity to have a couple of wonderful lessons so I can't really complain. 

Speaking of complaining....it is SO HOT HERE!! You think you know heat because you've lived in Arizona, and you think you know heat because you've lived in muggy Virginia but then you combine the two and that is La Reunion. Mom, if Googleweather told you that it is 84 degrees it is straight up lying! We have a thermometer built into our car and we've been getting readings of 32, 34 and even 36 degrees. Which are ALL in the 90s. I'm telling you folks it is HOT. Then whenever people talk about the weather and how it is hot, everyone, everyone tells us "La chaleur, il commence". Which means "The heat, it's starting." Starting?! Whewww, you've got to be kidding me! Although luckily, someone informed me that it doesn't actually get hotter in January, it just gets more humid. Oh good. The rain has held off this week, which is unfortunate since that is the explanation for the extreme heat. At least we don't wear pants or ties I guess. 

We are gearing up for Christmas season here too. My companions and I have found a "12 Days of Christmas" collection of stories and like to read them each night at dinner. It really seems to help bring the spirit of Christmas. We also found decorations in our apartment so actually have a 3 foot high tree with lights and everything! For the most part though it doesn't really feel like the holiday season because life is going on as normal, plus it's ninety degrees outside everyday and we're sweating through our shirts. This Thursday is the Branch Christmas party and it's supposed to be quite the party! We have invited EVERYONE we know, so hopefully that will pan out. I truly believe that if some of these amis could come and feel the spirit that the church and the ward members have to offer, they would have that strong desire to know more and have that spirit in their lives always. It's this Thursday so I'll let you know how it goes. 

Some people here have put up a tree and some lights but not nearly as much as in the US. Mostly everything we do is bigger and over the top (if you can believe that!) so things here in Reunion are a lot more toned down. And the tree is always fake - though I have seen some pine trees growing out here. Interestingly enough, even though some people put fake pine trees in their houses the real Christmas tree in La Reunion is the "Flamboyant" which is this tree with red petals all over it - I'll try and send you a picture. The people here say the color of Christmas is red because of the flamboyant and the letchis.

The work is going sort of slowly since we don't have many amis to see and are porting all the time but that's because you just have to find the right people. Hopefully after this Christmas party we'll see things pick up. My companions and I keep telling ourselves that we are in the "quadrant of miracles" so now it's only a matter of time before we start seeing them.

Soeur Stewart

Christmas!

Dear All,

First, the senior couple here has a blog all about the mission and missionaries. Apparently she puts up pictures of us pretty frequently so if you want to see more than what I send (or don't send) out - check it out! I don't know the address but I have heard a quck google search will make it come up fast.

Second, I have no real exciting news. Everything is still progressing slowly slowly. Three of out amis came to the Christmas party which was great!! And one of them is starting to come to church now! So we are really happy about that. His name is Hughes and he is so great.

Thirdly, the rain I have been waiting for finally came!! And it came practically all in one day! There was one day this week when it just POURED. You would have thought someone was dumping buckets from heaven. Luckily it started up around lunch time so we were inside and then we called our zone leader to ask what we should do since we were just supposed to know on doors that whole day. He said it wasn't very safe to drive and to try and stay in until things lightened up. So that was pretty crazy.

Lastly, we got invited over for Christmas dinner! YEAH! We are so happy because originally we were just going to eat by ourselves at home which would have been fine but it's nice to be around peoople! We have been invited over to a member's house and then I'll be able to skype from there so everything is working out like a dream.

I am SO grateful to be in this church. I KNOW that this church has been restored by the Lord Jesus Christ, through his intermediary Joseph Smith the prophet in our Latter-days. And I am so grateful to be a part of it and know this truth. I am grateful to know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ it is possible for all of us and ALL men to come unto Christ. To take upon us His load and to come "into His rest". We have been promised a glorious destiny if we can but change our hearts to be more loving and more Christlike and obey our Heavenly Father. I know that this life has a purpose and that we are known and numbered unto the Father. These truths are a REALITY. And so is the eternal happiness that we can have one day. During this season of Christ, seek Him. Come unto Him by being a more devoted and loving disciple. He gave the greatest gift of all - hHis life and His example. Give Him the best gift you can in return. Give Him your Heart. 

I LOVE you all and pray for each one of you!! Have a very Merry Christmas!!

Love,

Soeur Stewart

Zone Conference

Hello All!

So a really exciting week! Elder Renlund and his wife came with President Adams and Sr Adams this Wednesday to talk and teach us at Zone Conference and it was SOOO AMAZING!! Elder and Sister Renlund both taught us full interactive lessons. They were moving around the room and asking us questions and it was so enlightening. I was just so grateful to have the opportunity to learn from a general authority. You can tell they are such diligent servants of the Lord! So that was really great, I took away a lot of things that I've been trying to implement in my missionary life or in my character. 

But the greatest lesson that I got out of it is this: If you imagine a graph where attitude and effort are on the axis there are four different quadrants.

Bad Attitude, Bad Effort

Bad Attitude, Great Effort

Great Attitude, Bad Effort

AND

Great Attitude, Great Effort

He said this last quadrant is called the "quadrant of miracles" And he shared a story about his brother who was a REALLY hard working missionary but was kind of down about his mission because it was in Sweden and no one ever listened or got baptized. He said that in the last three months of his mission he changed his attitude and pushed himself in the quadrant of miracles. Those last three months his companionship had as many baptisms as their whole mission had the year before! He said that we ALL have to work to put ourselves in this quadrant and that many times throughout the day we are in all four! But that as we work to have that hope and optimism that comes from faith in Christ and work hard too, we begin to see miracles. I was so inspired by that and everyday have started praying for help to stay in the "quadrant of miracles". Mostly I need to work on my attitude because it is so easy to trudge through the work and just get things done without staying completely upbeat or optimistic.

There is not too much to write about because we still don't have any solid amis. So we did a LOT of porting this week - almost 16 hours. We are hoping that some of the people we met will prove to be really interested in the gospel and want to hear our message. 

I had a crazy allergy attack this week! One morning I woke up and it was like BAM!! Suddenly my nose was running and also stuffy and my head felt like a million pounds and my throat was starting to hurt. While we were walking around all day I had to carry multiple packets of tissues and I was quickly going through them. It was not fun. It took me pretty much all week long to get back to normal. I don't know what it was that suddenly triggered it because everything has continued as normal here but I was really struggling this week. Mostly I just thought I was going to die because I couldn't ever breathe! Not literally ever, I could breathe through my mouth. However, I have been blessed once again with health so now I'm back to normal again!! Yay! I am incredibly grateful and know that it is a blessing from the Lord.

I have had such an amazing testimony boost about PRAYER! Guys, it is so real and so powerful! I know that Heavenly Father listens to us and is there helping us. I also know that if we ask humbly and in faith for righteous desires he can help us accomplish them. I have been working so hard on taking my weaknesses and worries and opening up and talking talking talking to my Heavenly Father about it. Because if we want to develop a quality or ask for strength in an area of our life, the best place to start is with prayer to our Heavenly Father. He knows us perfectly. And he is just waiting to help us out or give us a blessing but we have to ask in faith first. It's like the scripture in 2 Nephi 32:9. We should pray unto the Father first that HE may consecrate our efforts so it can be for the welfare of our souls. I think that is SO powerful! Also you have to find and read an address by Elder Bednar called "Ask in Faith"! As one of my Christmas gifts, please do this for me! I know that I have a lot of weaknesses and I'm working on them but the best way to work on them is to council with the Father first and then to get up on your feet and put it into practice. Already I have seen this principle played out in my own life. And it can be anything: more courage to share the gospel, a greater sensitivity to others feelings, knowing what to say when you get a missionary opportunity, more patience, the ability to think more positively, or being less critical and having less negative thoughts. The Lord wants to help you develop Christlike talents and attributes and they are a gift from Him. Who better to help you change your character than the one who made you! Anyway, that is my testimony of prayer!! So everyone, make sure you say them every day and make sure you MEAN them!! Be completely honest. Tell him about your biggest worries, your fears, the things that bother you. Talk to Him.

I LOVE you guys!! Hopefully I'll be able to tell you more about the progressing work soon!

Soeur Stewart

More Pictures

A GIANT Papaya

So this week was actually fairly exciting! We had district meeting at the end of this week which was great! And also means that I was able to meet President Adams for the first time. He and his wife are really great and a very nice couple. They come to the island about every 6 weeks. So we'll be seeing them again soon.

We had a couple of great lessons! Some of our lessons go great and some not that great. But I love it when they are absolutely phenomenal and you can tell that person is intently listening to everything you are saying and having the spirit testify to them. That's happened a couple of times and it is so powerful. We had a couple of lessons that way this week and I just love it when our amis say "il faut que je lis" because you KNOW they felt the spirit. And also you just want to sing out loud because THAT'S what you've been trying to get across all lesson long!! Hahah but it's nice. Not going lie though, it's really disapointing when some people accept some of our message but have no motivation to ACT on it. Like people will tell us that they believe that it's possible that our prophet truly talks to God but then won't come to conference to see it themselves. It makes me want to ask them - Aren't you at least a little CURIOUS to hear from a person who claims to speak the words of the Lord and who this whole church of 15 million people support?? But that's ok. Some people aren't ready I guess. Anyway it's still all going good!

We were porting in an apartment building and there was this lady watching us. Like just chillin out on the balcony staring at us. She was this short very tan slightly round lady with a really sour face and dark expression. So we say 'bonjour' as we pass and she starts muttering to herself while backing away and rubbing her hands. And mostly we were all really confused and sort of scared but we just keep on going. Then as we continue porting on that level we see her sneaking glances at us from around a corner and we were spooked but keep working. Then we go to pass her in the hallway again and she jumps at us while yelling and we stopped stock still. And she mutters something and points at her head. So by this time we're freaked out enough to decide to get out of there and as we continue walking past her to leave we hear her turn and start following us REALLY closely. We don't want to turn and look but we can hear her flip flops flopping RIGHT behind us. We started seriously picking up the pace and practically run down the stairs out of the apartment building. And then when we paused on the floor down to see if she was following us we hear her jumping up and down right on the spot above our heads next to the stairs and then starts moving again. And we just ran out of there practically as fast as we could. 

We had a lesson with a lady named Soeur Sebastian and at the beginning of it she asked me if I was Reunionese. Which I get at least once a day but normally every person we talk to for a while always says that. But I said no no and then when we were introducing ourselves I said "Je m'appelle Soeur Stewart" And she was like "How did you pick up your American Accent so fast?! And I said "no no I've only been here four weeks" and she said "you picked it up in four weeks?!" So then I had to clarify from the beginning that I was in fact American just like my other two companions and had only been in Reunion for four weeks. We still have communication issues everyday. Mostly people always second guess that I really am from the US and not Reunion. I guess cause my companions are both white and then all the Elders are too and I look so islander that they are just like 'really? Are you really from the US?' 

During that same lesson we told her that we needed to go. (Because people LOVE to talk and will just talk TO you for 30 minutes at a time) So we said we need to go and she was like "oh would you like something to drink" Just to be polite you know. And we said oh that's ok, we're good. We should probably be heading out and she looked at me with these sharp eyes and said "You aren't thirsty?!" Like it was unthinkable. And we were already running late. But I didn't know if this was one of those you-have-to-eat-and-drink-everything-on-a-mission type of circumstances so I just lamely tried to say "Oh we're fine" and then she said "I'll go get some juice" So then we had to chug down the THICKEST mango juice I have ever had in my life in about two minutes because we were already late to our next apt. And we did it and then all felt kinda weird afterward....

So we were at an amis house way up in the mountains and he has this amazing garden. Well the member we brought with us was talking about how in Madagascar they make this really good fruit salad with green papayas and its so delicious. And since he had a whole tree of them the member asked if she could have one. And he is incredibly nice (and lives alone so he doesn't have anyone to eat his garden with) he was more than obliging. And he decided to send us home with a yellow one too. It was HUGE. I will send a picture. So all of us were really looking forward to eating this delicious tropical fruit that came straight off the tree. And we got it home and chopped it up and took a few bites before we realized...Papaya is desgusting. It sort of tastes like...sweet with a lighter fluid aftertaste. Gross. Anyway we were REALLY dismayed to find that now we had a watermelon/pumpkin sized papaya and hated all of it. So we left it as a treat for the missionaries during a meeting and everyone else seemed to like it just fine. So it all worked out.

One of the nicest advantages to being American on this island is that that fact alone pulls people in. Most people have NEVER met an American in their entire life especially not on Reunion. So they are really interested in why we are there. And even more interested when we are tourists. So that's pretty cool. But this week we found the most enthusastic response yet. We walked up to this girl to ask for directions, who was probably 16 or 17 and she asked us where we were from. When we said The United States she screamed and sort of started acting like a big fan. She kept saying "America!! OH MY GOSH" And then she yelled up to an apartment above us and started calling people down saying "These girls are Americanes!!" And she just kept screaming when she said America. It was pretty wild. I feel like I have a small idea now of what it would be like to be a celebrity. 

Anyway, those are the stories from this week. No baptisms yet but we still have four investigators with dates. The earliest one is on the 9 of november!! 

Sister Stewart