SEE YOU ALL NEXT WEEK!!

7/30/2018
"Well. This is it! Still doesnt feel real but im going home! These last two years have been incredible. Everyone asks me "What have you learned in these last 2 years?" My anwser are these 2 things.

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

I have gained a testimony of the Lord. I love hime with all my heart, sould, and mind. I know that this is his church. I testify that it was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and I know that President Russel M. Nelson is a prophet of God. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have seen the changes that other faiths can do to the people. I have seen many people change their lives through other churches. I know that whatever church one joins can change your life. But only the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the power and authority of God on the earth to do the sacred ordinances that permit us to enter His kingdom.

My second response is the love that I have gained for Gods children. I know that sometimes im not the nicest person. But God has made me an instrument in his hands to better and to love more. It is so important to be nice to the people. Its something I will take with me for the rest of my life. I love the mission. Its the best! I will miss this dusty place. I will miss taking crazy buses and almost dying everyday in them. I will miss all these screaming children next to me playing video games. But Peru has given me something I wouldnt have been able to recieve anywhere else. That is my testimony. Go on a mission! It will bless you forever. I love you all. I know the my Redeemer lives and love me. I share these things with you all in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Youre all invited to my homecoming Sunday! 

See you all next week!!!!!"

life is good here in Peru!

7/16/2018
"Life is good here in Peru! We baptized Juana and Marylin! That was awesome! Me and my companion are working hard! The work of the Lord is fun with this guy hahahaha! I love the mission. Idk what more to say! Heres some cool pics Love you all!"

7/23/2018
"Sorry this email is going to be really really short! I have a lot of stuff I need to do but everything is going well! I love the mish! Time is flying! Love you all!

I love the words of our living prophets! Read them!

4/16/2018
"Hello everyone how are you doing? This week was awesome! We had a great week in Huandoy! I just want to share one little story that was way awesome that happened this week! SO here in Peru there are A LOT of people from Venezuela. With everything that is happening over here many are migrating to Peru to try and get some money to eat. We have been able to get to know a lot of them and they are all such amazing people. The living situations are so sad. Most of them live in big groups and live in houses where there is only a 8x8 foot room with 3 mattresses on the floor and the few clothes that they have. BUT they are so humble and nice and fun to talk to hahaha. This week we were walking and saw una familia venezolana and I went to shake the dads hand and he said "mormones!" He knew who we were but he never had the oppurtunity to talk with us! He couldnt talk in the moment that much but we said "Lets go to church tomorrow!" and said "Awesome! What time?" So yesterday they sent us a message saying that they were waiting for us! We took them to church and they loved it! AND that awesome part is that President Stauffer was waiting for us in the church to teach one of our investigators together! So we taught the Familia Pereira together and they loved it. Such and amazing family. They are now preparing to be baptized in May! I love this work I know its true!"

4/23/2018
"Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! This week was awesome. Just wanted to share a quick story about our investigator Janeth. So she has had a rough life hahaha she is a single mom with 5 daughters and one more on the way! She got to know the church through the father of her next daughter who fell off the path of the Lord... We went to her house and started teaching her and she started telling us all about what happened! So she is pregnant and the dad is a returned missionary who is 10 years younger than her... They got into a little fight a few days before and he stopped talking to her. She has been really upset because he has just been ignoring her and she is pregnant with his daughter too! So two weeks passed by and he still did not face his responsibilities so she went to find him only wanting an anwser if he was going to help or no. Well in her search for this man he ran into her mom who also was a member and she started saying the worst of things to our investigator. And telling her that she needed to lie about the situation and everything. Janeth went to church that day and said "I just felt calm." "I prayed to have the words to say and I was just calm." At the end of their conversation she invited her to her baptism the 5th of May!  She told us "I know that in whatever church you go to youre going to find bad people. But I know this is the true church and it just fills and empty space inside of me." Even though she had such a bad experience with members of the church she still wants to get baptized so bad! I love this work. We dont go to church for the people we go for the Lord. Shes not even baptized and she understands that very well. Go to church! Theres no good excuse! Love you all!"

4/30/2018
"Well this week was a good week and a sad week but a very spiritual one! The amazing Familia Pereira from Venezuela are moving back to Venezuela on thursday... SOOOO much has happened and we have been right there with them the whole time and they are incredible. They are going to get baptized in Venezuela the 19th of May! Thats the most important. I love that family!

Well I just wanted to share a few scriptures that I liked that I read this week! 

7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be noother name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

the atonement is real! Only through Jesus Christ can we receive our salvation!

Love you all!"

5/7/2018

"Hello everyone!! So I definitely got on internet 45 minutes late so sorry if its short. But I just wanted to tell you all that its my dads birthday! So you should all say happy birthday to him. I am so very lucky to have the best parents in the world. I love them so much and will forever be grateful for everything tthat they have put up with these last 20 years hahaha. Love your parents more! They need it. Im so grateful that I get to be with them FOREVER! Love you dad. Love you mom."

5/14/2018

"Hello everyone! Happy mothers day! I just wanted all of you to know how much I love my mom! Yesterday we were able to talk and she shared her amazing testimony with me and she is just the best! This week was awesome! We were able to find some new investigators! Its been a good week. I dont have much to say cause I said it all to my family! Hahaha love you all and heres some pics."

5/21/2018

"So this week was wild! I got transferred! Now im in one of the areas that was in my old district here so im still really close hahaha but im with my buddy Elder Castillo! Hes an awesome chileno so that is so sweet haha. We are also living with 2 other missionaries that are ending their missions this transfer hahaha its so awesome! My companion is such a good missionary! We got to our area and got to work! So I am so blessed to be here. Me and my comp went and found some new investigators 3 young men just ready for the gospel. We taught them and invited them to a baptism and then to church on Sunday and it was so sweet! They want to go on the mission so bad! They went to church and theyre awesome. I love this work and I know that if one calls down the powers of heaven God will help. He is always looking to help us. Love you all."

5/28/2018

"Hello everyone! Things are going great here! The mission is so awesome! I really cannot explain how awesome these last few days have been with my new companion! He is really the best. We have been working SOOOO hard these last 2 weeks and its so fun and funny hahahaha. We are definitely trying to get this area going! There arent like any members in our area hahaha so we are trying to chhange that! I know this work is true and I know that God has control over all things! I know that if I do my part he will do his! Love you all!"

6/4/2018

"So this week was awesome! I went to the temple with one of my converts from my first area! She was so happy to see us and it was just such a great experience! I also got some news that next week I will be going to another one of my converts sealing! (Funny story hahahaha) but ya it will be awesome! I love the mission so much. The blessings of the temple are so real! I know that if anyone needs peace from this crazy earth you should go to the temple! Especially of you are in Utah because there are a million hahah. The mission is great and we are working so hard! Love you all! I had some awesome pictures to send but this internet here really sucks hahaha."

6/11/2018

"Well everyone! This week was awesome! WOkring hard working hard! My companion is so freaking funny so thats awesome hahah. It feels good to be working how we should! We have an investigator named Windy! Shes from Venezuela! She is so awesome and is progressing so well and is going to get baptized this Saturday! It was a close call because she almost moved out of our area... But me and my comp fixed that and found her and her cousin a sweet room where they are going to live! Always busy but thats good! Love the mission and I love my Savior. 

Heres a few pics! Love you all!"

6/18/2018

"So this week was a good week! Pretty wild! I had to travel a lot hahaha! So Tuesday was an interesting and awesome experience! I went to a temple sealing of one of my converts! and my first companion.... It was funny and weird hahaha President and Sister Stauffer went and me and President were the witnesses! It was an awesome experience! While we were there President was talking to me and said "I was thinking Elder Stevens... Weve taught together baptized together and now attended temple sealings together! Thats awesome!" He is such a good mission President! We also went to our zone conference which was awesome but the coolest was friday! We had a MLC with Elder Godoy who is going to be apart of the presidency of the 70 in August! It was awesome. It was really spiritual and definitely a moment im never going to forget! He taught us about the atonement of Christ. He shared with us that many see the atonement as a way to repent and nothing more! He shared with us that the atonement makes the bad people good and the good people better. We must set aside the natural man and become better and not settle for good! I love that message and I hope you can all aplly it too! Love you all!"

6/25/2018

"Well another week in the mission! My last transfer! Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my best bud Elder Bates but all is well cause I know he will be there when I get back! But this was a good week! This Friday we found a new investigator her name is Karen. She was a reference! We sat down with her said a prayer and she just started to cry! She told us that she is going through some hard things right now and we just showed up! She said that everyone passes by shares a scripture and leaves and she said she was so thankful that we sat down with her and shared the gospel. It was a cool. She wants to get baptized! I love the gospel. I love the words of our living prophets! Read them! "

7/2/2018

"Well another week in the mission! My last transfer! Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my best bud Elder Bates but all is well cause I know he will be there when I get back! But this was a good week! This Friday we found a new investigator her name is Karen. She was a reference! We sat down with her said a prayer and she just started to cry! She told us that she is going through some hard things right now and we just showed up! She said that everyone passes by shares a scripture and leaves and she said she was so thankful that we sat down with her and shared the gospel. It was a cool. She wants to get baptized! I love the gospel. I love the words of our living prophets! Read them!"

7/9/2018

"So this week was a good one! We have 2 baptisms ready for this week! Please pray for Juana and Mary! We had an aawesome lesson with them and Hermana Juana told us that she has read about half the book of Mormon! She started explaining to us about Jacob 5 hahahaha she actually understood it even better than I did! Hahaha I love the Book of Mormon and this week all I can do is invite you all to read it! Love you all!"

We dont have total control over what happens to us but as hard as it seems we do have control of our reactions.

3/5/2018
"Well everyone this week was a good week! Me and good old Elder Camacho are working really hard! This last week we found our good old buddy Raul! Hes a cute little grandpa that was reading the Bible and we talked to him for a minute and shared a message about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration! It was awesome. He was so interested he went to church with us yesterday! We left him with 3 Nephi 11 to read and afterwards he explained exactly what happened in the chapter hahaha. Hes excited for next week to because hes gonna convince his wife to go hahah. I love the happy old people of Peru. I think we should all be more happy. Happiness is a decision. We dont have total control over what happens to us but as hard as it seems we do have control of our reactions. So be happy. Like all the old people here in Peru!"

3/19/2018
"Well everyone this week was an awesome week! We have definitely seen a lot of miracles in our area! This week we have 2 baptism planned! So if you could all pary for Lili Ibarra and Orlando Olaya that would be awesome. The work is really starting to shoot up in this ward! That is awesome! 

Something that has really marked me this week is the fact that not only has my mission changed my life but has also changed the life of many others. Through diligence and hard work the Lord has made me an instrument in his hands. Every single one of you can be an instrument for the Lord it will not only change your life but could change the life of many others. Love you all!

Sorry mom I dont have my adapter so there arent any pictures.... double next week!"

3/26/2018

"So this week was awesome! We baptized Hermana Lili y Hermano Orlando! It sure was a weekend full of stress but it was all worth it! They are so awesome. This weekend we should baptized Familia Escobedo and Dayana Ibarra if you could all pray for them! SOmething else that was way awesome is I finished the Book of Mormon again. Its true. Joseph Smith was a prophet and Russel Nelson is a prophet today. I KNOW it. I cannot deny the spirit I felt when I asked God these things. You all need to do it! Love you all.

Heres some pics of the baptism and also my awesome razor burn I got for buying a crap razor hehe love you all."

4/2/2018

"So this week was awesome. Conference was incredible! My favorite part (besides the new temple in Layton) was when Elder Ballard asked everyone to write down our thoughts and feelings in that moment where ever it was that we were taking notes. The impression hit me so strong and I only wrote "the church is true." I KNOW it. That was such an amazing conference every message was so great. My favorite message was from President Nelson himself. "The heavens are open... we can seek and recieve revelation." I think that is so important. We are his children and he loves us. We can recieve anwsers of what we need to do. But the faith with it works is dead faith. We must act! You can recieve revelation! Love you all! 

Familia Escobedo got baptized!!!

The baptisms in our zone!

Other pics with Familia Chanduvi and the cutest niece in the world!"

4/9/2018

"So we got transfers! They called us and advised me that I will be training! We were sitting in one of the rooms in the church and President said "all of you have trained before so thats awesome. Well... Elder Stevens probably forgot how to train." And then laughed and asked me "When was the last time youve trained?" I reflected a lot in that moment. Almost a year and a half ago! That was crazy. The mission goes be sooo fast. Well it was awesome this week. My hijo is so sick. Hes from Bolivia and hes just an awesome person. His a short little guy but he is way cool. We worked so hard! AND my comp was able to baptize for the first time in his mission this week! It has been way awesome. I love the mish love my new comp! Everything is awesome. Love you all!"

"He can never forget us"

1/1/2018
"Well everyone happy new year! I cant believe that we are already in 2018. WOW! We ended the year very well! I had and amazing last two weeks. So for those of you who remember a year and 2 months ago about all my emails were about the Merino Espinoza family. They are so amazing. About 2 weeks ago I got a call from my mission President telling me that they finally decided to get baptized, and they wanted me to go and do it. It was such an amazing experience. I baptized the mom and the two kids and President Stauffer baptized the dad. The testimonies of the family were incredible. After they were baptized they were all in the baptismal font and the dad said: "Well... were mormons now." And the daughter lucia just started to cry she was  so happy. It was such an amazing moment. Then we had an amazing Christmas party for reaching our goal as a mission which was awesome. In the end Presidnet shared the story with the whole mission. We have been praying so hard for that family for over a year. THEN This saturday the 30th! Hermana Florentina was baptized. She is so awesome and so nice. She has 8 dogs and 17 cats. She is so small and she didnt want to get baptized at first but thanks to all the prayers we said and that we were able to do with her she finally understood why. It was awesome!

Heres some pics! Love you all."

1/8/2018

"So this week was a really awesome but tough week. We had a few baptisms planned this weekend but Satan sure didnt like that so he decided to make everything go wrong for our investigators so that they wouldnt arrive to their baptism. BUT that doesnt stop us from being happy and working hard! We were able to have 6 investigators go to church with us this Sunday and that was awesome. I love Church!

I was able to share my testimony yesterday and I would like to share a little bit with you all. 

Its about repentance. 

I have had a lot of personal trials and problems in my life and in my mission. As everyone has I have had to repent a lot of times in my life. But something ive grown to learn in the mission is the Lord is happily waiting for us to turn away from our pain, guilts and sins. I have felt many times in my life and I have seen it as well that many think that the Lord is sick of us asking for forgiveness. Many times we feel that its necessary that we suffer for a while because the Lord is sick of us always repenting. But theres a scripture I love in Moroni 6 that says: 8 But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.

I love that with all my heart. The Lord wants us to repent and is waiting for us to do it. Hes never sick of us. So do it! Love you all.

 Heres a few pics of out hike to kays cross. 

And a pic of the most perfect little baby in the world!"

1/15/2018

"SO I had transfers! Im now in an area called Huandoy. All of my areas have been way close to eachother hahaha but all is well! I was told that it was a pretty dead area and looking at the baptisms and the new investigators that the elders have found the last few transfers you could say it was pretty dead. But this week was AWESOME! My new comp is an awkward bolivian but he is awesome haha. I told the guy that we were gonna work our butts off and that what we did. We found so many amazing and prepared people. The members here are awesome and it just so awesome here I love it. I know that if we can open our mouths and share the gospel with the people we will found those who need the Lord! Sorry I dont have pics... But I love you all! Sorry this email is short this keyboard sucks... Write me!"

1/29/2018

"Well this week was way awesome. We are working really hard as always me and my comp so that is awesome! This week I went on a work visit as well with one of my best friends Elder Bates! It was so sweet. So that was awesome. But the best part was when we found a new investigator Alexander. He showed up at the Church at the wrong hour but we set up an appointment with him and went to his house. We showed up and he is definitely one of the more wealthy people here in Peru... we walked in to his house and he had about 20 certificates from different achievments in his life hanging up on the wall. After talking about life for a minute he said "I have achieved a lot in my life but im empty. I havent gave any time for God in my life and I think its time I do it." We started to teach him and now he is preparing to get baptized in February! It was awesome. 

With out good we are empty. 

Love you all."

2/5/2018

"So this week was a little rough but we are still staying strong and being positive! Thats good! We have an investigator named Alex. Hes incredible. He is reading so much of the Book of Mormon. He also has lost a few friends because they couldnt respect his choice to attend church here so he had to let them go. He also rejected a beach party to go to church this Sunday. Hes amazing. Its so awesome to see someone change so much and have the desire to follow Christ. I know that when one puts forth the effort the Lord will bless us. Have desires to change! Do better everyday! I love you all and am so grateful for all the support I get from you all! I hope all is well.

Today we made french toast! Im pretty dang good at that. Love you all!"

2/12/2018

"So this week has been so awesome. This Sunday we had a few of our investigators go to church with us and it was awesome. This Saturday should be an awesome saturday. Our amazing golden investigator Alex doesnt want to wait until next saturday to get baptized! I love the mish! 

I wanted to share a message really quick that I love. Sometimes in this life we dont think of the Lord as much as we should. Sometimes we worry too much about the things of the world. But the Lord never forgets about us. As it says in Nephi

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

He can never forget us. We are graven upon his hands. He loves us and never forgets us. Hope all is well!

some cool pics this week with my child and grandson and with some staches and what not."

2/19/2018

'Hello everyone hope all is well and I hope that youre all ok! This week was awesome! Me and my comp baptized Luis and Soledad on Saturday

! My comps birthday! So that was way awesome! Another way cool thing is that I finished reading the BOM today with one of my buddies from the mish! It was an awesome experience. I love in the last chapter of the Book of Mormon in Moroni it says "Come unto Christ and be perfected in him." I love that line so much. If there is anything that ive learned from this short study of the Book of Mormon it is exactly that. To "Come unto Christ and be perfected in him." I know that if we can read the Book of Mormon we will surely grow closer to our Savior. So do it! Every single day!

Please pray for our friend Alex Roldan! He had to go to the jungle for his work and we are praying that he gets baptized this week! Love you all!"