Elder Stewart-Longhurst Mission to Santa Rosa, CA

We were really busy this week and had these experiences: - We are so grateful that we are stationed near a temple!  We were able to travel to Sacramento this week to attend the temple and always come away refreshed and encouraged. - At one home we hadn't visited before, a huge Pit Bull named Blue came out and snarled at us as we approached the front gate.  The dog's human emerged and hollered "MISSIONARY!  MISSIONARY!" and the dog stop snarling.  Minutes later, the huge dog climbed on the couch next to Elder Stewart-Longhurst, licked his face, and laid his head in his lap.  Great dog command!  They both love missionaries.  :) - The younger missionaries had a baptism  on Saturday  that we got to attend and be a part of.  We love seeing the work go forth and see people get closer to Christ! - We had one of the leaders in our congregation tell us how he joined the church in his youth due to him becoming involved in an LDS B...

We soooo love being missionaries and seeing the changes that the Lord makes in people’s lives through us.  We literally watch people change right before our eyes.  The work is so fulfilling.  Is it hot here?  Oh yes.  (108 out right now).  Is it dusty here?  Yes.  Is it exhausting work?  Yes.  Do we miss our grandkids?  Yes of course.  But the spirit we feel as we bring people to Christ makes up for those things hundreds of times over. Here are a few experiences and travels we had this week: -         We attended our first Zone Conference in Ukiah where we were taught by our new Mission President and his wife as well as by the young mission leaders.  This was a great experience that easily brought back the strong spirit we felt in the MTC. -         There is a huge need in our ward for piano players.  No one here plays at all and all hy...

  We LOVE being missionaries and love the opportunity to serve others.     Here are some things we experienced this week: -          We went on an eight-mile hike to the other side of our lake on P-day.  Beautiful place! -          We attended our congregation’s annual 4 th  of July Pancake Feed and Flag Ceremony on the 4 th  of July. -          We met our new Mission President, President Meservy. -          We were able to attend the Sacramento Temple. Here is an excerpt regarding one of our spiritual experiences from Sister Stewart-Longhurst’s Journal: “Next we stopped in at a Sister's house. She was there with her adorable son, an old dog and a cat who became very attached to me and was very picky about how I petted her.  She grew up in a big Mormon family in Salt Lak...

Here is a sampling of the awesome things we did and saw this week: We were able to deliver supplies to one of the fire evacuation centers and give a young couple and their dog a ride from one center to another.  They were so grateful for our service and accepted our gift of a Book of Mormon.  We hope God watches over them. -         Once the evacuation order for the fire ended, we went into that part of our area to visit our church family members there.   Not one of their homes had been destroyed!   Several of them had fire burn right up to their foundation, but the home was spared.   We believe that nothing more than protecting angels and great firefighters can take credit for such miracles.   The people we visited are so grateful for their blessings and humble.   Most only lost the food in their freezers due to no power. -         At one home, the rattlesnakes that live i...

Here are some things that we have experienced the past week: -         A huge fire is burning just a few miles north of us.   A lot of members from our ward have been evacuated and at this time are waiting to hear the fate of their homes.   The fire is over 15,000 acres.   2,700 firefighters are working on it.   1,600 homes have been evacuated.   22 homes are confirmed burned.   This is the fourth year in a row that this community has suffered such a fire and the locals are very traumatized.   Your prayers are needed.   We are prepared to evacuate in the remote chance that the winds pick up and change direction.   The Mission Office is also prepared to help us and the other missionaries here for such an evacuation. -         We were able to challenge a family to prepare for the temple and put them “on date” to go there.   Very exciting! -   ...

Greetings from Clearlake, California!     We have been asked to serve here in the Highlands Ward.    A few things about Clearlake and about what we are doing: -          Clearlake (the town) is about an hour’s drive Northeast of Santa Rosa, which is just north of San Francisco.    Population is about 15,000. -          It is about two hours west of Sacramento. -          The countryside around us is beautiful!    We have found a State Park just a few miles from our new home that we hike in every morning for our exercise.    It is full of wildlife, green grass, a creek, and Oak trees.    We are next to Clear Lake (the lake) which is the largest natural lake in California. -          The town has its struggles.    It consistently leads the US in ...

We spent this week in the Provo Missionary Training Center where we were trained, along with 98 other Senior Couples, on how to teach lessons to those in need.  It has been an incredible week and here are some brief snipets of what we experienced: -          We attended eight hours of church services and various devotionals on Sunday including a Devotional by Sheri Dew.  The spirit is so strong here that we concluded that the only two things we could possible do was to cry or sleep due to spiritual exhaustion. -                Tuesday, we sat at the feet, literally as we were near the front, of an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, Elder Gong, and were instructed on Gospel Truths. -                473 more younger missionaries arrived on Wednesday, making over a thousand total being trained here right no...