2-7-12

Hey Family,

Well I am still here so far- but tonight? Who knows. I have an appointment with my doctor today at 10:40 and he said that unless something randomly gets way worse- which it hasn't I should be good to go. After that I'm off to the presidents office to see if he is in today and if he is- we will see when is the soonest that I can get out.  Mom if I get released I will or my president will be calling again. So if your home that will be great, if not we will try on your cell phone. But don't worry if I don't call, because my president may not even be in today. We will just have to see.

So my two new comps are pretty cool. Elder Tofilau is my absolute favorite! He is a Samoan who wears a lava lava every night and sings and is just an amazing guy. He is a super hard worker and is very teachable. When I got put in the district he was one of the ones that struggled the most but because he is so teachable we sat down and set some goals together and he is one of the best at it now.  The other night I was wearing my lava lava that I got from one of the sisters that was in my district and Tofilau came in and said oh you wear lava lavas?  I laughed and said that I loved them. I have two now and showed him the other one too. He loved them and pulled out like 6 of his.  haha they were all so awesome. There was this one that had a bunch of flowers and was really really nice. He asked me what I thought and I said that it was my favorite of the ones that he had. He said he was glad that I said that because he was planning on giving it to me for helping him with the language and being his friend!!! I was so stoked!  He told me that he considered me his best friend and that he hasn'trespected any one more then he respects me (other then his family and elders though of course) How cool is that though?! Think I found the reason why I was supposed to stay? I'd say that I have!  Too bad he isn't going to Cebu... He is going to Takloban. but we have exchanged info and we are going to look each other up when we get home.  Mom just so you know I'm going to give him my armor of God coin. He fell in love with it when he saw it and said that he really wants to try to get one when he gets home.  He is one of the best friends I have though and he gave me that lava lava so I'd like to give him that coin to remember me.  I still have the original at home from Unkey so I'm going to give it to him!

So about the 50th anniversary of the mtc when they said the first presidency was coming- they meant the presidency of the mtc.  But that was still totally fine. The doors opened and in walked Elder Nelson and his wife! A very calming spirit flooded the gym and you could have heard a pin drop.  All of a sudden I'm not even kidding I started tearing up because the spirit hit me so strong and said "look back at the doors!"  I looked back at the doors and in walked Elder HOLLAND!!!!!!!!! my absolute favorite apostle!!!  Ha Elder Tofilau grabbed my arm and was breathing very hard.  He leaned over and said elder do you feel that?  I wish you could have felt the spirit that was in this room as these two men of God walked into the room.  I knew without a doubt in my mind that they were representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ and that I needed to listen because their message was part of the reason that I was supposed to stay back for a week.  President Holland spoke first and spoke about how important our calls as missionaries are and that when people look at missionaries they see perfection.  He said now I know that none of you are perfect nor do I expect you too be but you need to live your lives so that people think that you are perfect.  You need to treat your callings with so much respect and dignity.  It was an amazing talk that I think changed the lives of every one that listened to it.  Elder Nelsons talk was great too. He talked about the history of the mtc and about the history of missionaries in the church.  He talked about the hardships that those missionaries of old had to struggle with.  It was super good to hear because if all of those missionaries could go through all of that then we can go through our struggles. 

So the new investigators that I picked up with my new comps are pretty tough investigators.  One is a Jehovah's Witness and the other is a Baptist. The two hardest investigators for me because I don't know much about those churches.  The other day the teacher that is Jehovah's Witness decided that because I "know the language" (I hope you noticed the quotation marks! haha) brought in one of his Jehovah's Witness priests to hear us teach.  We got to know them both a little more and all of a sudden our investigator stands up and says oh sorry I have to get going, but don't worry you can just teach him!..! hahahahaTofilau says ''oo! shempray!" which basically means ya for sure!  Ha the priest (who was my old teacher Brother Saager) looks over at me with kind of a smirk.  Now I wasn't sure that I heard this right- but if I did the priest asked us if because we were American would we hook up with his daughters and take them back to America!!!... hahahahahaha I started laughing and so did the priest because we both new exactly what had just happened. I said "dili maayo pangutana brother" (which means that was a terrible question brother) and then moved on.  Haha after the lesson me and Brother Saager told him what he had asked and what he had answered him hahaha. I didn't know that a brown skinned Samoan could ever turn as red as this elder did!!! hahahahaha.  It was great!  Totally made the journal entry for the week!

Well family I need to get going so that I can get my laundry finished up and be able to get to the doctor on time.  Well guys my testimony for the week has grown leaps and bounds!  The Book of Mormon is truly the word of God!  I have been lucky enough to be able to bare testimony of it many many times and the spirit bares witness to me every single time that I am holding the most important book in the world!  I have been lucky enough to finish the book cover to cover here in the mtc and as I knelt in humble pray asking God to give me a witness of it's truthfulness it came in a way that I can never deny.  Now I wasn't able to see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appear to Joseph Smith in the grove and I wasn't able to see the Lord touch the stones for the brother of Jared but I can tell you right now just as they could that the Book of Mormon has the power to change the lives of anyone that decides to pick it up and to read it truly wanting to know the truth of it.  The answer may not come that day or that week. some times our faith has to be tested. But I testify to you at this moment that if you will show God your faith and you will go to him with a sincere heart like it says in Moroni 10, that God will give you that special witness that the book is true!  I have taught the 2nd lesson of pmg (Preach My Gospel) three times this week which is the plan of salvation lesson.  Wow! Never before have I been given such a witness of the gift of eternal life!  If we truly live our lives in a way that is centered around Christ we are given the chance to be able to live with him and our family for the rest of eternity.  There is a quote that says if we could see the glory of the lowest kingdom we would do everything in our power to get there.  Now just think what it must be like to have eternal life in the highest kingdom!!!  I testify to you today that I will not ever except anything less then the highest kingdom and I beg you all to live your lives in a way that you can inherit that amazing blessing also!  In the words of my mom and dad, I don't want to live in eternity without a single one of you!  I guess that statement never truly meant what it does to me now until I was able to teach these lessons to these amazing investigators and to be able to be a representative of Jesus Christ and invite them to inherit that kingdom with me.  Please! I can't say it enough. Please if you haven't already please start now!  Change. Live your lives in a way that we can all one day be able to be reunited with each other in eternal happiness. I'll tell you now that I'm looking forward to being able to give Grandpa Shelley a hug and say thank you for everything he has done for me.  And to be able to do up my hair and hug Granny and have her tell me again that she likes my hair!  Please guys this is all possible if we will just live our lives in the light of Jesus Christ! I have had to make many changes in my life to be able to feel as good as I do right now. But I testify to you that I would not have it any other way!  I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! How great is my calling!  I have never had a boss that will pick me up when I fall or that will forgive me of the things that I fall short of.  Thank you guys for all of your love and support and I look forward for the day that we are able to be reunited as a family and friends and start that new chapter of life. But I wouldn't trade this part of my life for anything! I love you all please always know that. If there is ever anything I can do for any of you I'm only a short email away! God speed everyone!

With much love,

Elder Mackay Dale Shelley