Life is an Adventure!

pictures:

*A service project with machetes! 

*Team work makes the dream work

*Priscilla and her cute girls

*Rheysa made this puppet of her as a future missionary for a school project...she reminds me so much of my cousin Libby

*Just popping in to say hello

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

We got to watch General Conference! WOOOOO!!!! One of the coolest realizations that I had was during Elder Uchtdorf's talk... that life really is one big adventure!

So here's what my life adventure here on the mission looks like:

• We sometimes hike up mountains to get to people's houses
• I've seen fireflies for the first time in my life!
• Everyday I get multiple men who I don't know telling me that they love me...
• Dogs are no longer cute in my eyes... almost all the dogs here have their skin falling off from whatever weird diseases they have
• I'm learning so much everyday, especially about myself
• The market is a fun place where you get to stare hanging pig heads in the eye
• Food is a HUGE deal here, especially to my companion. I swear half of her thoughts are what she's going to cook later:)
• Tricycles are literally like going on a roller coaster ride everywhere 

Life is pretty great here in the Philippines, but the word adventure doesn't mean things are easy. I know that whatever your adventure looks like, it isn't easy. But when you do what you're supposed to and keep on trekking, you'll reach a destination more beautiful and amazing than you can even imagine! I love you all. Keep pushing through and don't forget to notice all the magnificent things around you along the way. 

Love,

Sister Stewart

I checked a man's pulse...

pictures:

*teaching

*2 rats (in the past week, while they were teaching at 3 different homes, rats ran across the kitchen counters)

*doing service...she's now a laundry expert (all by hand in tubs)

Drop her an email or letter:

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

Sister Sydney Stewart

Antipolo Mission Office

Ligtasan St., Brgy. San Roque

Antipolo City 1870

Philippines

Good morning! And in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, goodevening, and goodnight! (Truman Show) How are yall doing? I'm just chilling here with a fever in the Philippines;)

So last night, we were walking back from a lesson on this thin road in between rice fields and it was pretty dark. I saw this weird pile of something in the distance and we were like what is that? When I realized it was a man and a bike, I ran over (thinking he was either dead or dying because he got hit by a tricycle or something) and screamed "CALL 911!" and then rushed and checked his pulse. Then I had two realizations... First, calling 911 is only in America. Second, this man was breathing and had a pulse, he had just gotten completely drunk and passed out on his bike ride home. The member who was working with us knew him, woke him up, and dragged him to the side of the road. As she was lecturing him for his stupid decisions, he smiles and just says "Hi Sisters!" like it was completely a normal thing to be laying in the middle of the road. We encounter drunk people every day here in the Philippines. Another time we had this man just keep shouting to us "I wanna be a Mormon!!" and so we invited him to church! It keeps things entertaining.

One amazing experience I had yesterday was in the middle of Sacrament. I came to church completely sick and I could barely talk like a normal person, so I was just really looking forward to seeing all the people we are teaching come to church to lift my spirits. But, as missionary work tends to slap you in the face, not a single person came to church. We had 9 people almost guaranteed to come. SO at first feeling frustrated, heart broken, sad, and utterly exhausted and sick, we sat next to our recent converts, Rheysa (10 years old) and Leonisa (her mom). It was testimony meeting and the Spirit was really strong. The AirCon was on so low and we all got so cold where we were sitting so I put my arm around Rheysa and Leonisa (with my face in the other direction because I didn't want to get them sick haha) and I had an incredible realization! The Spirit whispered to me that these two girls are what is important. I realized why I'm on my mission... not to find and baptize this amount of people or to hit a certain number of people who attend church, but for these two daughters of God right next to me. I am finding scattered Israel. People who are ready for the Gospel of Jesus Christ come to church. I brought these two amazing people back to the fold and I can look forward to seeing them and celebrating with them in heaven.

Love,

Sister Stewart

Mogas Miracles

pictures:

*Baptism of Sister Leonisa and her daughter, Rheysa

*At the top of a beautiful waterfall

*Santa Maria, Laguna (a town near where Sydney lives)

*Sister Stewart and Sister Doney in front of an awesome Jeepney

*Just casually riding a giraffe 

Magandang tanghali po!
We had an amazing baptism this week of a sister and her daughter and on the 26th the brother will be baptized. It is so happy to bring families to the waters of baptism and to know that someday they will have the chance to be sealed together for time and all eternity! Sister Leonisa is so amazing. She truly has changed because of hearing about the Gospel. She used to be angry often and gossip about her neighbors almost every time we went over there. Now, she is positive and recognizes the Spirit helping her to love everyone! She now shares the most powerful experiences in our lessons and is truly closer to Christ and closer to reaching her divine potential. Sister Rheysa, the daughter, is the sweetest, cutest girl who reminds me of my cousin Libby! Oh how I love them so much. 

This week was interesting, how it always is in the mission field! I got to make a drunk man sign a paper to his family that he'll never drink again, we washed laundry for people on three different days, and of course I received many shout outs for my whiteness... like seriously they'll just yell to me from across town "you're white!" 

Transfer week but everything is staying the same for us, but Sister Doney and Sister Cabanilla (our housemates) are now our sister training leaders! FUN!

I love you all. Keep up the good deeds and keep up the kind words!!!! 

Sister Stewart

Woo

pictures:

*yep...there are tons of spiders in the Philippines

*hungry for some pig head?

*FHE, party style

*Shan and the roomies at church

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

We are working as hard as we can here in Siniloan!! We had an awesome experience this week. As a zone we made a higher goal for daily lessons taught and I honestly was a little sad because I didn't know if we could do it. But I just decided that we would trust in the Lord and keep giving it all we've got... and we did it! We reached the goal almost every day. I know it was because we made that decision to trust. It wasn't because we were working any harder, because we had always been working that hard. It was because Heavenly Father loves us and is blessing us for all we are doing!
Keep me updated on the goings on;) I love you all! If there is anything I can do for you please let me know.

Sister Stewart

Zone Conference

Magandang hapon po!! How are you? I am so happy in Siniloan. We are working hard and always striving to be better. There's lots of room for improvement, but I'm sure there'll always be:)
We had zone conference and district conference with Elder Schmutz (area president) and President Alder. I love to have that spiritual boost! I also got to spend the night with Sister Vaiaoga (my comp from the MTC) because our travel was so far to zone conference!! I love her.
This week was filled with miracles and tender mercies, as always, but one that I would like to share in particular. The Sedeno family is a family that Sister Buenaflor and I baptized last transfer. We went and visited them on a day where we were struggling to find people to teach because they all either weren't there or told us to just come next time. We tried to find new people too but everyone just seemed uninterested. You know, there are just days like that. So when we went to the Sedeno family we were tired and a little frustrated, but we were able to feel the Spirit strongly in the lesson with them. This beautiful family just reminded me that there are families out there ready for the Gospel. And they will STAY just like the Sedeno family who is one of the few regularly active families now in our branch.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of hope and of miracles! They are always there, there is always people to share the words of Heavenly Father with. I know that this Church is true with all of my heart. I will do what it takes to bring souls back to Him and bring them the joy they are looking for. If there is anything I can do for you or extra prayers are needed, please let me know. Love y'all!
Sister Stewart

Baptism!!

Sister Sydney Rae Stewart

Antipolo Mission Office

Ligtasan St., Brgy. San Roque

Antipolo City 1870

Philippines

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

We had an amazing week with so many amazing miracles yet again! Heavenly Father is never short of tender mercies, all you have to do is notice them! I have been stressed AHHH haha who knew missions were like high school sports?! But I am having the time of my life!

Paul Simon and Cedrick were baptized! SO happy! Paul Simon's little 8 year old sister, Aubrey, was baptized as well. Who knew I could love little kids who aren't related to me so much? I seriously feel that the people I teach are like family.

Paul Simon's father (since Paul can't speak) and Cedrick gave the most powerful testimony. I got so teary eyed! Cedrick is only 9 but he bore such a clear, beautiful, amazing testimony of how true the church is! Paul Simon's dad talked about how he's been praying for years to be able to see his deaf son be baptized but he didn't know how it would happen. But here I was, able to be a part of that!! The Spirit was so strong.

I love you all and you are in my prayers! Ingat po,

Sister Stewart

Pagod ba? Hindi naman...

 *Sister Stewart and Sister Ferrer along a river in Siniloan

 *Sister Ferrer, Shan, and Sister Stewart...all hands on deck!

*at one of Sister Doney's baptisms for Tatay Emilio

sister.stewart@missionary.org

Magandang araw!! It is September 2, 2019 and there is no place I'd rather be! Sister Ferrer and I are working so hard, I've never been so tired in my whole mission hahah but it's the good kind of tired! There was one day where I felt like I was just going to fall over and sleep on the side of the road... but I didn't! I made it through! :)

Other than tiredness, this week was fulfilling and stressful and happy and pretty much all the emotions you can feel! That's what I've discovered about missionary work... sometimes you don't even know what you're feeling. But one thing I do know is I am never bored:)

We had baptismal interviews for two of my awesome friends and they passed with flying colors! Paul Simon is deaf and he isn't completely fluent in sign language so we were nervous about how his interview would go. But thanks to all the prayers, he answered everything!! We are so proud. And a lot of the thanks goes to his teacher/interpreter who had helped him keep reviewing more throughout the week:)

Another miracle we saw was we were able to teach the mom of a recent convert who had never wanted to be taught until now! SO happy. We are feeling so grateful that Heavenly Father is trusting us with His precious children. Obedience and hard work brings those kind of blessings!

I love you all. Keep thanking God for all your blessings! Even in the hardest of times there are so many blessings to see. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.

Mahal na mahal ko po kayo! Ingat,

Sister Stewart