Huambo becomes a branch

Hey Everyone,

This last week was a very interesting week. We had a lot of lessons
and found some new people. Sunday I did the translating for the
congregation. The branch I´m in offers translating into English, so
every Sunday the missionaries switch off translating. It was my first
time translating and I think I did okay. Our recent convert Augusto,
whom I have talked about a lot, received his first calling after just
a month in the church. He was called to be the Executive Secretary of
the Branch. He also received the Melchizedek Priesthood! It was cool
to see him doing so well. I also have some more exciting news. The
last area I served in was made into a branch this last weekend!
President Kretly arrived here in Angola and immediately went down to
Huambo to organize the branch. I´m very happy that they have made this
first big step! The church is growing very fast here in Angola. I´m
very grateful to have been able to see the hand of the Lord in this
beautiful country. I know the Lord is watching over His missionary
work. I love being a missionary and I´m grateful for the opportunity I
have been given to see the beginnings of the church here in this
country. I hope you all have a great week!

Com amor,
Elder Stewart

Teaching people from the Congo

Hey Everyone,


This last week was a great week! We had a lot of lessons taught and a few new investigators. Some new people, of whom we have started teaching, includes a group of people that are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are extremely receptive to the message which we shared with them. It all started with Alexander. He is from the Congo as well and he contacted us in the street. He wanted to know where our church was at and if he could attend a meeting. We gave him our contact number and told him where the church was located. That very Sunday, sure enough, he was there in church. It was the Sunday where we watch General Conference on a big projector screen. He is terrible with the Portuguese language and hardly understood anything, but he felt something special in that meeting. He liked it so much that he came to the second session that we watched in the afternoon. Alexander is now sitting with Elder Arrington and Elder Merkley (two other Elders in the branch I´m in). Alexander not only has continued with the lessons, progressing little by little, but he´s referred all of his friends. Elder Eckman and I are now teaching Alexander´s friends, Bem Vindo and Miguel, as well as some of their family members. They all seem to be very excited about the changes they are making. Bem Vindo has left smoking and drinking completely. Miguel has also left that kind of lifestyle behind as well. They are all around the ages of 27-30 and have been a great support group to one another. I love being a missionary and seeing great guys like them change their lives for the better. I know this gospel is true and that it truly blesses peoples lives. I hope you all have a great week!


Com amor,

Elder Stewart

Pictures from the spring in Huambo

Pictures from Luanda

Hey Everyone,


I don´t have much news this week. We haven´t had any baptisms yet, but we have three planned for June. This last week Elder Eckman and I had 11 investigators at church, which was a miracle in itself, but on top of that there was 186 people in attendance at church. Things are going really well here in the Cassequel branch. We are seeing a lot of growth in the church and it´s very exciting. I hope you all have a great week and enjoy the pictures I sent.



Com amor,

Elder Stewart

Elder Eckman, Jared's current companion, posted this paragraph on his blog on April 30, 2013::

What a cool week I've just finished having!  =)  We worked our tails off and saw the fruits of it--we met 11 new people this week and have been turning our area upside down to let everyone know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is here, it's true, and it blesses lives.  As we were knocking doors in Cassenda (one of the "nicer" parts of our area) a thought hit me:  Part of your duty is to make sure that the people who live where you work know what the church is, understand that it's the Kingdom of God on the Earth, and know who to look for in times of hardship.  Even if they don't accept your message right now, they need to know that the message exists so they can seek it out later.

Well, after that hit me like a ton of bricks I realized that there's a better way to let everyone know that we are here, why we're here, and what we're doing than just wandering from door-to-door when appointments drop or just walking the streets talking to a few people.  We've decided to set aside an hour of every day to systematically contact every house in Cassenda.  It's close to the chapel, there are many apartments, houses, and people.  It might take a few months, but we've decided that it's worthwhile.  And, of course, we'll find a ton of people along the way.

So, we're making a map of sorts (we're still trying to figure out the best way to do this) and keeping a specific record of who we've talked to, how they took it, etc.  We're hoping for wonderful results.

C... on a great track to baptism and both her and M... will be baptized on the 18th.

I'm really enjoying working with Elder Stewart.  He and I complement each other well and he's a hard worker.  It's been a good transfer thus far.

Hey Everyone,

I apologize for not writing last week. This last week was good and bad. It was bad because I got sick and had to stay in for a few days. I´m almost 90% certain I had Dengue Fever. I had all of the signs and symptoms, but everything is alright now. The good news is there were baptisms last Saturday and 18 people were baptized in Luanda. It was a very high number for one day. Other than that I don´t have much else to add. I hope you all have a great week!

Com amor,

Elder Stewart