HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

 Dear family,

This week my thoughts have been filled with you! We had plans to see the celebration with a less active family in the ward and in the end, it all fell through...but I hope you all enjoyed the celebration and dedication. I hope you can find a video of the celebration so that I can see it when I get home. I cant believe that Mara is finally going to the temple as well. I will be thinking about you all day tomorrow! Cant wait to hear all about it! 

This week was full of ups and only a few downs. We were able to talk to lots of new people, especially families, recieve lots of references from the members and see lots of progress in our investigators. The week before last, we found a man named Manuel. I was a little afraid to talk to him because he was laying on the sidewalk and I thought that maybe he was drunk, but I felt the impression that I needed to talk to him. So we sat down with him and shared a small message. In the end, he told us that had visited our church when he lived in the states for almost 2 years but had never been baptized. We set another appointment with him and also invited him to church. On Sunday morning last week, just before the sacrament, he walked through the doors! We went back to visit him with the bishop and were able to put a baptismal date with him on November 19. We visited him almost every day this week and found that his biggest difficulty will probably be coffee, but he said he is willing to give it up. He is looking for a spiritual change in his life and we have been able to help him recognize the spirit. Every time we get to his house, he gets a big smile on his face and is ready to learn. He even started to read the Book of Mormon this week and said he feels like it is something good. Finding people like him is what makes this work so wonderful. 

My first day in the area, we found a woman named Norma. Norma quickly attached herself to us and started to show signs of progression. We have been visiting her ever since and my companion and I both have felt so strongly that she is missing something in her life. Well, I think she started to feel the same and this last week, things went a little downhill with her. She has been able to recognize the spirit in many of our lessons, but has recognized it in the wrong way. Instead of deciding to act and go to church with us, she decided to go back to her old church. Sometimes I just wish I could know exactly what she needs. I feel right now that maybe it is the book of mormon, but I just dont know yet. ay no. We need lots of prayers for her this week! 

The family we have been teaching is still super good...we are just waiting to find out what we can do with their paperwork. We are going to call President Spjut this week to see what he can do to help. Also to see if he can visit a few of our investigators with us this week. It makes me a little nervous, but he said he would be willing to leave with us. So this week will be a little stressful as well. haha But we need his help. Our investigator, Domingo, is what they call here in the mission "an ancient investigator" because he has been listening to the missionaries for almost 8 months. Normally, I would have dropped him and waited a few months to visit him, but in our first few lessons after I got here, I felt that his problem was that he just hadnt understood anything. We started to ask him a bunch of questions of understanding to see what he had understood of everything he had learned, and found that he really hadnt understood anything. He is 79 years old and is very active in his church and I think more than anything else, just enjoys the company. But these last two or three weeks, we have been able to help him find the desire to really learn. He has alot of questions and things he doesnt understand, so we have been really patient with him and have taught everything very slowly, simply and throroughly. He has attended church almost every week since I got here and our goal with him has been to baptise him this Saturday. I think the only thing he lacks is to really understand the Book of Mormon. I think that if we can just help him understand the book of Mormon tomorrow, he can be baptised this Saturday. He is praying and doing everything to recieve an answer, and I think tomorrow, especially if we can visit him with President Spjut, we might be able to put a baptismal date with him for this weekend. Again, we need lots of prayers for him, and the rest of our investigators. They are all so close to accepting the gospel or have already accepted the gospel and are just fighting to repent. I know that each and every one of the 7 people we have progressing can be baptised and many more of the people we are visiting. It just takes alot of prayer.  

It seems pretty crazy that I left a year ago for my mission, and even a little more crazy that I only have 6 months left here in El Salvador. I didnt do anything crazy for my year mark, but we celebrated with the other sisters that are serving in our area eating tamales. I feel like every person we talked to this week asked me how much time I had in the mission and they all said "Wow, its almost your time to go home" haha The mission flys by so fast. I just hope these last 6 months go by a little slower than the first 12. ;) Looking back a year, I feel that my life has changed completely. Maybe the Latin culture has just rubbed off on me, but I feel like a completely different person. But more than anything else, over this last year, I have gained a testimony of the truth that will last me a lifetime. I have learned that the gospel is not just something we listen to, but a way of living. That if you apply it, you will recieve blessings. God has become a reality in my life here in the mission. I cant thank Him enough for all He has done for me over the past year and am excited to see what the next 6 months bring. :)

Love you all and pray for you every day. See you in 6 months! hahaha

Hermana Stoor

PS...sorry for this super long letter. hahaha 

Heres' my "year in the mission" pic. ;)

​A picture from the conference with Elder Oaks. I got to see Jose Roberto and his family (investigators from my old area. He said he is going to call me soon when he decides to be baptized. I love them so so so much!

Just a selfie with the ward members on the bus headed to San Salvador. hahaha :)

This week was full of worries, disappointments, successes and learning in Metapan. This week we were running all week to plan a wedding and figure out the paperwork of our investigators. The sister that was going to be married is from Honduras and from what they had told us, she already had everything she needed but the lawyer. But come to find out, she needed to get some paperwork stamped in Honduras before she can be married in El Salvador. We communicated with Honduras and they don't have the stamp right now that she needs and wont have it until November. So, we are hoping and praying that they can sort it all out over the next month. Cecilia and Jose were really excited to be married and baptized this month and were really disappointed by it all. But I know the Lord has His own timing and maybe they needed this trial of their faith. I have seen them progress so so much over the last two weeks from where they were at and know that they will be able to fulfill this dream. We are going to help them the best we can to have patience and continue making changes in their lives to be prepared for when the time comes.

We have alot of investigators who have alot of problems in their personal lives which makes it difficult some times to keep them focused on our lessons. I was so touched by the spirit as we listened to Elder Oaks yesterday to share with them more from the Book of Mormon. Elder Oaks promised peace to those that know and live the gospel and it is exactly what these people need. In my personal study this week I was studying in 2 Nephi where the Lord promises that the people of this land would always have peace if they keep the commandments of God. The Spirit confirmed this promise to me as I listed to Elder Oaks. I hope that as we share with our investigators this promise throughout the week that the Holy Ghost can speak to them like He spoke to me this week. It was an amazing experience to be with Elder Oaks and to feel the Spirit that always surrounds the 12 apostles. We left after the sacrament for San Salvador. It is about three hours from here in a bus so it made for a long day. We left at about 11:00 and got back to start working at 8:00 last night. But I got to see some people from my last areas..including Jose Roberto and his wife!!!!..and the best surprise...my roommate from the CCM!!!! I will try to get you some pictures sent :)

BTW..You all sent me something about the weather being sooo cold at home with snow and how hot it is here. But for me....90 degrees felt cold! Literally, I even used a sweater this week. After all the heat from the week before El Salvador has made me a baby in the cold again. But it was nice to not be sweating all week. I guess I only have 6 months left to enjoy the heat....cant believe I will hit my year mark this week! I feel like I left yesterday! The mission goes by so so fast. Time flies when your having fun and working hard.

Well, my times up and this computer wont let me send pictures so.....
Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Hermana Stoor

Qué bendición sea con todos los santos y todos nuestros misioneros y oyen las palabras de Elder Oaks. Dijo utilizar el Libro de Mormón y enseñar la verdadera naturaleza de Dios. Sé que está tratando de hacer exactamente eso! Invite a todos a escuchar este mensaje!

Mucho amor,

Sister Spjut
El Salvador Santa Ana Mission

Forever Friends

Here is the picture of Hermana Martinez and I (my roommate from the CCM)

This week was full of worries, disappointments, successes and learning in Metapan. This week we were running all week to plan a wedding and figure out the paperwork of our investigators. The sister that was going to be married is from Honduras and from what they had told us, she already had everything she needed but the lawyer. But come to find out, she needed to get some paperwork stamped in Honduras before she can be married in El Salvador. We communicated with Honduras and they dont have the stamp right now that she needs and wont have it until November. So, we are hoping and praying that they can sort it all out over the next month. Cecilia and Jose were really excited to be married and baptised this month and were really dissapointed by it all. But I know the Lord has His own timing and maybe they needed this trial of their faith. I have seen them progress so so much over the last two weeks from where they were at and know that they will be able to fulfill this dream. We are going to help them the best we can to have patience and continue making changes in their lives to be prepared for when the time comes.

We have alot of investigators who have alot of problems in their personal lives which makes it difficult some times to keep them focused on our lessons. I was so touched by the spirit as we listened to Elder Oaks yesterday to share with them more from the Book of Mormon. Elder Oaks promised peace to those that know and live the gospel and it is exactly what these people need. In my personal study this week I was studying in 2 Nephi where the Lord promises that the people of this land would always have peace if they keep the commandments of God. The Spirit confirmed this promise to me as I listed to Elder Oaks. I hope that as we share with our investigators this promise throughout the week that the Holy Ghost can speak to them like He spoke to me this week. It was an amazing experience to be with Elder Oaks and to feel the Spirit that always surrounds the 12 apostles. We left after the sacrament for San Salvador. It is about three hours from here in a bus so it made for a long day. We left at about 11:00 and got back to start working at 8:00 last night. But I got to see some people from my last areas..including Jose Roberto and his wife!!!!..and the best surprise...my roommate from the CCM!!!! I will try to get you some pictures sent :)

BTW..You all sent me something about the weather being sooo cold at home with snow and how hot it is here. But for me....90 degrees felt cold! Literally, I even used a sweater this week. After all the heat from the week before El Salvador has made me a baby in the cold again. But it was nice to not be sweating all week. I guess I only have 6 months left to enjoy the heat....cant believe I will hit my year mark this week! I feel like I left yesterday! The mission goes by so so fast. Time flies when your having fun and working hard.

Well, my times up and this computer wont let me send pictures so.....
Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Hermana Stoor

Qué bendición sea con todos los santos y todos nuestros misioneros y oyen las palabras de Elder Oaks. Dijo utilizar el Libro de Mormón y enseñar la verdadera naturaleza de Dios. Sé que está tratando de hacer exactamente eso! Invite a todos a escuchar este mensaje!

Mucho amor,

Sister Spjut
El Salvador Santa Ana Mission

Forever Friends

Here is the picture of Hermana Martinez and I (my roommate from the CCM)

I love the mission more every day.

This week was a whirlwind . With the meetings in Santa Ana and searching for our investigators, we did alot of running this week. I was feeling a little disanimated on Saturday for the week we had had, but as I thought about it, I feel that we had alot of successes. I am loving this new area. Metapàn is wonderful!!!!! There are so many people to talk with, so many houses, and we are having so much success! I think our companionship is improving every day and our investigators progressing a little more every day. Sometimes my companion gets mad at me because she feels like I walk a little too fast (I've learned a lot in the mission) and she doesn't like that I talk with all of the people in the street. But I think she will just get used to it. Its something I had to adjust to in the mission as well. This week we focused alot on one of our investigators, Domingo. He has alot of time listening to the missionaries, but has been confused about alot of things. This week, we explained alot about the Book of Mormon with him. It is hard for me to believe that when an investigator has read the whole Book of Mormon that they cannot feel that it is true.  So we decided to figure out why. He told us that he thought that it was written by Joseph Smith and that he hadn't really prayed to know if it was true. He has lots of other questions about things that he doesn't understand, and this week, we were able to solve several of his questions and problems. What confuses him most is that he still attends his other church. This week, we are going to explain to him better the restauration and I feel so strongly that it will be able to solve his questions. We are also teaching a partial family whose children are members of the church. The mom accepted a baptismal date for the 29th of this month and we hope to be able to talk with the father more today in a family home evening that we have planned with the bishops family. We shared with them some things from the conference, especially about how if we keep the commandments, it blesses our lives. This doctrine was exactly what the mom, Cecilia, needed and I feel it will touch her husbands heart as well. We just need to figure out a few things with their paperwork so that they can be married this weekend and baptized together the following Saturday. They are a very beautiful family with grand desires to improve their lives! I was also happy this week to hear that Hermana Ana Ardon from Los Naranjos is going to be baptized this weekend. I feel a grand joy in my heart this week that comes from being a missionary. I don't think there is any feeling better than this. It was literally a sacrifice of blood, sweat and alot of tears with her over the 6 months I was there. Sadly, I wont be there for her baptism, but I hope to receive a picture or two from Hermana Romero. 

This week will be an exciting week here in the mission! On Sunday, we are going to San Salvador with the ward and our investigators to hear from Elder Dallin H. Oaks!!!!!! I am so excited to go with our investigators...you CANNOT be in the same room as one of the 12 apostles and not feel the spirit. The goal that they have given us is to bring 50 investigators. ¡¡¡¡¡50!!!!!! So this week, we are literally going to be running to find new people to convince to come with us. And running to get a wedding ready for Saturday. Ay, wish me luck. haha 

Anyways, there will be no pictures from this week because this computer doesn't have a USB port....but hopefully next week I will be able to send you the pictures that I have been able to take...like I said...I don't carry my camera with me anymore because it is too dangerous...but I do what I can :) 

Love you all and pray you have a great week!

Hermana Stoor

Dad, Mom, Mara, Seth, Shelby, Grandmas and Grandpas and friend, whoever is reading my letter, 
     I might could say that I am the happiest I have been in my whole mission right now! I absolutely love my new area!!!!! It is very very very SUUUUUUUPEEEER hot. I sweat when I sleep and sweat when I shower even though it is in cold water. But I love this area! My companion doesn't have alot of faith in the people here and I feel that maybe they didn't work very obediently before I came because she doesn't hardly want to talk to the people....but I do...so we are doing it. Everyone has told me that it is impossible to learn my whole area....but that is my goal to do just that. I have been trying to talk with every person that I can (avoiding the people that I should) and I know we are going to see success! My goal is to have a baptism on October 29th. We have a few people that I think might could be ready....but better slow and sure than fast and later find out that they are inactive. We found 15 new investigators this week and 2 that are already progressing...one of which came to church!! And we are going to just keep searching this week. We literally ran in the streets after the people this week...and I think my companion thinks I am a little crazy. But I am just so happy to be in such a big area and to see so many people to talk with! I know that if we keep it up...we are going to see success here! Hermana Delgado is a good missionary....the change has been hard for her...but i know she will adjust soon...its always hard to leave your trainer. But she has been patient and is a very sweet person. I am learning to be a good listener from her...because if you can believe it...she talks ALOT more than me. I didn't think it would ever be possible find someone who talks more than me....but she talks literally all day long. hahaha I think it is going to a fun and successful transfer!  If you saw the pictures from Hermana Spjut, she is the one on my left in the picture of many missionaries. :) I will try to send pìctures but we write in a computer lab...so i don't know yet if I can...but my time is up...so I will write you all a little more next week!! Love you! 

Hermana Stoor

​My surprise goodbye party in Los Naranjos. I love these crazy people. 

Hermana Delgado and I before church on Sunday :)

​I can't send many pictures from this area because it is a little more dangerous here to carry around my camera, but here is my view from my bed every morning. Its so hot that we moved our beds outside to sleep in our little courtyard :) I just pray every night that we are protected and that nobody can enter our house. haha It's worth it to get out of a little bit of heat. 

This week was a week of just waiting and waiting and waiting. Waiting for General Conference. Waiting to hear about transfers. And everything was just as good as I thought it would be. I have been expecting every change to be called to serve in my new area and finally president is sending me to Metapan! I am a little nervous because I am going from the coldest area in the mission to the oven of El Salvador. They say its the hottest area in all of the mission...but also the best that there is. Hermana Romero started her mission there and several of my good friends of the mission have also been there and they all tell me how wonderful it is! My new companion is Hermana Delgado...also from Guatemala and is just finishing her training. So I haven't ever met her, but I am excited to be with another new missionary :) I feel like there is alot more to learn from the newbies than from the oldies. :)

I also loved General Conference. To answer some questions...We watched the conference in the chapel with a projector. It was pretty cool! But because there wasn't other missionaries there I did have to watch it in Spanish. I wasn't too excited to see it in Spanish...but it was just as good as I think it would have been in English. Maybe even better because i understand Spanish better than English. haha I cant even say which talk was my favorite. I loved them all! And had all of my questions answered several times. I had the question going into conference...How could I become a person more prepared to live a higher law. I loved the answers that God gave me : Trust in the Spirit that leads us to do good. Forget the paths of man and walk in a path of love and service. Focus on Christ and strip away the natural man. Be submissive to His will even if it means suffering. And really, just CHOSE TO DO GOOD. We all have the choice in this life to choose between eternal life and eternal suffering.  It all depends in the desires of our heart and how we follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost who teaches us to love, care and serve. I also loved the talk from Robert D Hales. "If I loved you more, would it hurt less? If we loved God more, would this life hurt less?"

Jose Roberto came to the first session of conference on Sunday and loved it so much that he came back for the second session. I am really sad that I wont be there for his baptism, but I am so excited for him. He told us on Sunday that we shouldn't worry that we were wasting our time on him, that we had planted a seed in fertile soil and that his time is coming close. I know it is! He said he is never going to miss another Sunday and he even took notes of the conference. He almost cried when I told him I was going to have changes and I am going to be bawling when I say goodbye to him. I cant wait to come back to visit one day and see him as a member.

So....this week is going to be full of goodbyes and tears.....and sweat and nerves in my new area. But I am excited to start working in Metapan! I know the Lord has plans for me there!

Les quiero a todos!
Hermana Megan Evelyn Stoor

Just the beginning of the goodbyes:

​Melissa and her cute son :) He is my best buddy!

​FAMILIA GONZALEZ

Cried leaving this family last night. They are less actives that give everything to the missionaries. They have given me so much love. I love them sooooooooooo much. 

​Our last district meeting together I made a cake :)

​Passing by the last 20 minutes waiting for the conference with Hermano Miguelito:

​Hermano Miguel was a trooper and stayed at the church for 10 hours on Saturday to see all three of the conferences. We pulled out part of the baptismal font (styrofoam) so that he didn't have to be sitting in his wheel chair the whole time. 

​I'm gonna miss this...