8-25-12

This will most likely be my last email here in this area. We will not have a p day next week because of zone conference and so the next time I will write I will have probably been transfered to a new area and be with a new comp. I am really looking forward to the switch. I have really, really enjoyed my area and the people that are here but I feel like my time would be better spent in another area! Thank you guys so much for all the prayers that you have said in my behalf! I have felt every single one of them and am so happy and really enjoying my mission! I got a letter from grandma and really enjoyed reading that! I didn't know how awesome it is to get hand written letters! Please keep sending them that way! They may be a little slow and I may not get them every week but for us missionaries they are something that we really look forward to! Please tell Luis how much I love him and that I am thinking about him. I am hoping that next p day I will have some time to get a letter off to him- but things have just been so busy it's not even funny! 

We will be getting to go to the temple some time in September!!!! We only get to go three times a year I think. That is going to be hard since in the Philippineswe got to go like every transfer! But it's ok- that will teach me to not take advantage of the temple and really look forward to getting to go! I cant wait! I know that that is where Bro Clawson went through and he said it is amazing so I am really looking forward to going inside! Everyone tells me how beautiful it is! Cant wait! 

Man it still blows my mind that Kailei is going to be getting home so soon! It has flown by it seems. I sure hope that my time goes fast too because I can't wait to see her! I am really looking forward to the Mothers Day after because skype will be soooo cool! It sure has been hard to be away from her but at the same time we both have grown so much and I know that when we reunite that it will be like Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah! We will still be brothers and sisters in the gospel and will get to share all of our amazing experiences over a bowl of cereal and a penguin!!!!!!!!!! I cant wait to be able to see her again! 

Well family I need to get going. Sorry that there really wasn't much about the area. We have found quite a few new investigators and they are really dong great!!! We are really looking forward to the time that we will get to teach them! I love the gospel so much and everything about it! It has changed my life in so many ways and continues to do so daily! I am so thankful for the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us that gives us the chance to repent and to be forgiven! Love you all so much and pray for you daily!

Love, 

Elder Shelley

8-20-12

Dear Family!

 Last P-day we went and played basketball as a zone. We had a good time. That is basically all we have time to do after we email and do our laundry and then shop for the week- we go out and play basketball and just spend time together as a zone. I actually hung out and talked to elder Albretson for quite a while last week. He is the Elder that is dating Carly. He is a great guy and we seemed to get along really well. Ha we laughed and said that it would be pretty crazy if we ever ended up being companions. We would have a lot to talk about. 

My food has been fine. I bought a lot of bananas and then potatoes because they are super cheap. This week  I got some broccoli and green beans and then got some corn that was on sale for 10 cents an ear. I thought that was really good. Then  I got some boneless skinless chicken breast for my meat and protein. I think I am really doing well learning  to spend little but get a lot! I have really been learning a lot of life lessons that are going to come in handy later in life.

This last week has been super busy and crazy hard for us as missionaries. We have not been able to talk to one of our investigators- Kevin for an entire week. We had to drop his date because he hasn't come to church and will not return our calls. We have even gone over and sat in front of his door waiting around for him to come home and we have yet to be able to find home and contact him.  We were teaching a lady named Hope that was progressing so well and then all of a sudden decided that she didn't want to take the lessons anymore and so she dropped us- that was the hardest thing that has happened to me so far.. We were really getting to enjoy teaching her and she was making such good progress and then just all of a sudden nothing.. We don't know exactly what happened and so we are going to continue to try to get her to let us in and maybe we can resolve some of her concerns and get her going again. Noushel our Indian investigator is doing really really well. He just will not for the life of him commit to a date to be baptized because he thinks that if he is baptized that he is going to have to be perfect and is too scared to make that commitment.. We are going to continue to pray for him and we know that he is going to come around one of these days and make the choice.

 We have been really struggling with finding lately too. We have set some awesome goals as companions to find people all the time. We tract over at DVC. It is a college in the area that is kinda like mcc. It is a transfer school over to Berkley and so we have a ton of Asian and Korean people that we knock into. Tracting is super hard for me because in the Philippines I never had to do it. We just worked with members and tried to get them back to church and to feel of the spirit again. It is a completely different experience when they have no idea who God is and doesn't want to forget their heritage. So we have made some news goals and are really going to strive to hit those so that we can help these people come to know who they are and why they are here! We have made some outlines of things that we could bring up to them and strive to help them to understand a little bit. At least enough to spark their interest and get them to let us come back.

 So I finally found my Filipino !!!!!! Her name is Carmalita and she is from Manila. But she is getting married to a man that is from Cebu and is fluent in Cebuano! They will be in the family ward but we got permission to teach them two lessons so that I can try to soften their hearts by speaking to them in theirtongue and by showing them a little bit of Filipino culture! We went by last night and they were super touched by the things that I did. I blessed both of them (the whole put their hand to my forehead) and the sister started crying saying that she has missed that kind of respect so much. They are both 73 and are the sweetest couple ever!!! The sister said that she is going to make us lumpia next Saturday when we go back and brother wants to hear a lesson about Christ in Cebuano. Haha I think he is just trying to test me to see if I can really speak his language. haha I guess I need to go home and sharpen up my teaching skills in Cebuano!! hahahaha I think I will be fine. The Lord has really blessed us. I have taught my companions a few phrases in Tagalag and Cebuano that we have used and really impressed some people and have been able to get into a few homes. One of these days we are going to baptize a Filipino!

Well guys I need to get going. I wish I had more time to write to you but having zone leaders for companions means that they have a lot to do so I need to be on their schedule. That is ok though. I truly have learned sooo much from these two elders and now that I told them how I feel they have opened up and actually learned a few things from me! We are doing so much better and starting to teach with unity again! It is amazing to see the hand of the Lord in our work! He has blessed our lives in more ways then not! We have made a lot of goals and have really been in preach my gospel the last few days as we have studied! I have really come to love that book. It has blessed my life so so much and can't wait to be able to know it even better! I want you to know that I know this gospel is true. It doesn't matter what part of the world you are in or in what language that is being spoken. The gospel is true and it is there to bless each and every one of our lives! My home sickness is basically gone. Sometimes through out the day I get thinking about you guys or about friends and the crazy stuff we used to do but at the end of the day I  know that I am a missionary and I wouldn't want to be anything else! I can give up 18 more months of my life to the Lord because he has blessed me with an amazing family and amazing friends! If it wasn't for Ashley and Luis I never would have gotten through high school- so thank you both for that. And then I wouldn't even know where to start for you mom, dad, Kadon, Kailei! You guys were there through the toughest parts of my life and I know that those were some hard years, but you helped me through it and look and where we are now! We have come so far as a family and I know that we are going to make it even farther. This world is endless in the eye of God! We have eternity to grow and to learn together and I am so thankful for that! I know that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God, as is the bible. I am so thankful for those books and for the lessons that we can learn from them! I love you guys so much and will talk to you again Saturday!

 

Love,

Elder Shelley

Pictures: 1 & 2- Elders Jones (red head) & Killpack (dark hair)

               3- wild turkeys

8-13-12

Hey Family!

    

So one week in the field and man have I got a lot to learn! I didn't realize how crazy it is to have stopped being a missionary for a few months and then to jump right back into it. Especially in the states. People are for the most part super nice but can be very rude and hard hearted too. I had my first experience tracting the first day that I got here and then from there had my first door slammed in my face and my first guy that literally yelled at me that I didn't believe in god and that I had no idea what I was talking about!.. I miss Filipinos hahahahaha. Over all though I have been doing very very well.

Well a little bit about my mission. I actually was not put in on transfer day. The two elders from the MTC were delayed and so that is why they were coming in with me. So I have been put into a tri companionship with two zone leaders named Elder Jones and Elder Killpack. Both amazing guys that I have learned so much from already and know that even more lessons are going to come my way. The hard part is that I am not a zone leader and so there is a lot of stuff that I can not help with, but we have talked about it and they are going to basically train me as if I was a zone leader! That way as we continue through the next two or three weeks of the transfer I will be a great leader and be able to help out the mission where ever the president may send me. We are assigned in the Walnut Creek area. We have a family ward that we cover and a YSA ward. I love the YSA ward so much. There is a college that we tract all the time and we have found some really great people there that have great testimonies. I have even found a few people from the Philippines!!! They all spoke tagalag and so all I was able to say was like hey and explain to them who we are and our purpose as missionaries! One of these days I know that I am going to find someone who speaks Cebuano! That is going to be such an awesome experience! 

So letter wise please tell everyone to just write to the mission home. They forward all the letters to our apartments that way if we get transferred or something they can get them to us rather then you sending them to the wrong place. I am not sure how fast they send them to us but we usually get them pretty quick. 

      I really need to hurry because we have to get to a zone activity. Sorry that this is so short and not much news about the members or investigators but that info and pictures will be coming soon!

 I just want you all to know that I have a testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I know that he lives and that he loves us! He has a purpose for each of us on this earth and it is our job to figure out what that job is! I love you guys so so much and pray for you every day! Thanks for all the love and support you gave me as I was home! Your the best!!!!

Love,

Elder Shelley

8-1-12

It's official!!!!!! Elder Mackay Dale Shelley will be back in the field Aug 8th. He just got the call this morning. He has been called to the Oakland/San Francisco area. We are so proud of him and know that this time he has been home has strengthened him physically and spiritually. Thank you to everybody that has loved and supported him during this trial (little bump) in his life. Stay tuned for his adventures in California!!!