June 20, 2016 - Week 52

Dear Family,

Hey week 52, one year down already?? Pretty crazy huh, y pretty quick. I really liked your advice and appreciate the encouragement. The time is really limited and its important to make the most of every second we have. I will definitely want to improve and continue to learn from everything in the mission. Although I can definitively say that this has been the weirdest and at times most trying year of my life, I have loved my time and cherish the time and things I've learned and seen in my mission and can't wait to continue learning and seeing amazing things every day as we work for the Lord.

But man y'all got a busy week coming up. I feel like you guys go on more vacations now that I'm not there hahaha. That's so sick you guys are going to Hawaii that'll be so fun, and although Dad might be hesitant now, he'll love it I'm sure lol. 

So this week went really well. We´ve been working with Luis and his family to get them active again. His family is less active and he never got baptized, but they've been going to church and we are going to have Luis´ baptism this weekend. We also have been working with Juan Carlos who is a college student who lives alone and is superrr sick. He is super ready to be a great quality convert, but there's just one problem we´re trying to work with.. And that is that he is unsure of whether he will be moving to Mazatlan (which is a large tourist city like 15 hours away) this month or not. So that is the only question, and if he can stay here somehow we will be having his baptism probably on my birthday in a couple weeks. So we are hoping for that, but whether he is here in Sonora or in Mazatlan, I'm confident he will continue faithfully in the church. We are also teaching this woman named Elizabeth and she went to church yesterday, and arranged her schedule to show up a little late to a Father's day celebration so that she could go. So that was really encouraging. 

This week we did companionship exchanges with Elder Beecher who has been one of my closest friends here since the MTC. It was so much fun to work with him and we stayed up way too late reminiscing and laughing about so many mission memories but it was so fun haha. The next day we got up at 5:00 AM to prepare a baptism and that's when we were regretting it a little bit but it was fun lol. This week we are also having our last meeting with President Munive since hes going home after 3 years. I have really appreciated what he and his family have done for all of us as missionaries, and he has 3 children so I know it cannot have been easy. We have our last meeting with him on Wednesday in Obregon, then President Myers will arrive, and I'm excited to meet him and see what we´ll learn from him. 

Well, one year down and one more to go! It's been great and really it's gone by too fast. I'm sure it will continue to fly but in the meantime I'm excited and grateful to have one more year left. Also to have 2 cousins who are starting their missions. It's a great work and the most important in the world! And it's led by the Lord!! I love you all and can't wait to hear from y'all from Hawaii next week!!

Love,

Elder Stockard

June 13, 2016 - Week 51

Dear Mom,

What's up family? It sure sounds like y'all had a busy week. I guess going to Utah like 3 times in one week will occupy a good amount of time, haha. But I'm glad that everything went well and maybe this week will be a little bit more chill, haha. And things are moving right along with the renovation of the living room, that is going to be so weird to see when I get back, haha. So in October with your treatment and medication ending, will that be the end of all this or will there be another round or some other sort of treatment? Because I don't remember super well, but I thought it was going to last for like 2 years or something. 

So our week here was good. I think we´re getting a little bit more used to the heat once again and it didn't feel as draining this week which was a huge plus. Although I'm pretty sure it was just as hot. The work is good though. We´re still working with a few families and other people. We found this one guy named Juan Carlos this week and he actually helped us find an address we were looking for, then told us to go to his house another day. We found him, taught him a couple times with members and we had a lesson in the church, and on Sunday he didn't show up to church and we haven't been able to hear anything from him since then. It was kinda frustrating, but I'm sure it will work out. We have a baptism planned for the next week with this kid named Luis... Some of his family is less active and he and his family are going to church once again and he's excited for his baptism the next Saturday, as are we :) 

Super exciting that Tanner got home! Big shout out. There are a ton of friends I have here in the mission that are in similar situations with overlapping missions with siblings. But that's sick that the Fialas got a few weeks together as a family. Brandon and Jacob will have the time of their lives on the mission though, I'm super excited for them. I got an email from Ryan Hazelgren who just started his mission and it really is such a great, unique experience. So how are the Landreths liking the new setup in Reno? I'm sure all the family gatherings will be super sick with 3 families there once again. 

Anyways, Mom, Sunday is your birthday and and I won't be able to be there, (but i will be at the next one !!) But I want to wish you a very happy birthday and I want you to know that you're the biggest gift I could have in my life. This past week with the new area and new setting and I had a little bit of an upset stomach, and last night as I got back to the house I found myself focusing a little bit too much on the negatives, even though in that moment I didn't quite realize that. But anyway, the point is that I wasn't seeing the positive in every situation and I laid down on my bed and decided to read the letter you wrote me the day I left one year ago.  (I didn't remember a single word it said, and I hadn't read it since the day you gave it to me) You told me to only focus on the positive and I'll begin to see everything more positively and I was so grateful for you as my mom in that moment. Anyways, thanks so much for writing me and know that I love you, have a awesome birthday and send a lot of love to dad for Father's Day. I love you all!!

Ryan 

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June 6, 2016 - Week 50

Mom,

Hey what's up family, how ya´ll doing?? I hope you're all enjoying a much more mild climate than what I'm in right now, but seeing that you're in Utah, I'm sure that is the case. Navojoa is really sweet, but it is SOOO HOTTTTT here, haha. Like 110, and supposedly it's just getting started. I'm glad that Alyssa can go to EFY and meet a lot of new people. It'll be a fun week I'm sure, and you guys just gotta find stuff to entertain you while you're up there, which I'm sure will not be too much of a task. I hope that you can keep getting the treatment that you need to with your eyes... is there any possible surgery involved? Either way, I'm sure the doctors will know best how to solve it and you'll be back up in no time at all, are you still driving?? 

Anyways, this first week in Navojoa was pretty chill. The city is kinda medium sized, reminds me a little bit of Fallon. At the beginning, the first couple of weeks, you always feel a little bit disoriented because you don't always know the people you're visiting, or where you're at and you're kind of at the mercy of your companion. But we´re having a lot of success here and there're a lot of great people were working with. We are planning the baptisms for this family at the end of this month. They're super cool and learning a lot. I'll have a lot more details with the people we´re working with this week, like I told you last week, we got here late Tuesday night and had a few meetings this week so I barely had time to meet all the people we´re teaching haha.

So the zone we´re in has like 12 companionships and at the beginning of each month we all meet together and set goals for the month and focus in on a few things that we need to improve. This week we focused on the Book of Mormon and the Holy Ghost. It's interesting because with all the commandments and the blessings and promises that we know, it can all come back to the Book of Mormon and the fact that any person can find out whether it is true or not. Then today we all got together as a zone and had a few games and ate Little Ceasar's pizza after. We get along really well and I'm excited for this time we´ll be together. 

Okay, we´ll see when I get the birthday package. I think it'll be a little bit more than 1 week, but maybe a little bit closer to a month. It's kinda hard to tell because I never actually know for sure when they arrive in the offices. But thanks so much for sending it, so weird that it'll be my 2nd birthday on the mission and that I'm gonna be 20 years old. Where does the time go? lol. Well I hope all goes well with everything this week, send the Landreths a lot of love and a warm welcome to Reno on my part. I love you all and hope you have a great week, until next week!! 

Love,

Ryan