4-22-13

Dear Family!

This has been one of the craziest weeks of the mission it seems like! We had interviews with President Meredith this past week and those are always such a great experience! We discussed my exact release date, and we have decided that I am going to extend for 6 more months! Ha just kidding- all though that would be awesome. We have been praying about it and I know that Mom and Dad have too, and we have decided on Jan 13th of 2014. It is about a month or two sooner then we had planned, but that is going to get me home in enough time to start thinking about school and to be able to start working here and there to get financially prepared for the years to come. It was a really hard choice, but it feels right every time I think about it! I thought about telling everyone that we had decided on the date of like Feb or March, then just have Luis or someone pick me up at the airport and surprise everyone, but I like the idea of all the family at the airport! 

We have really been working hard this week. We are going to be losing about 4-5 lessons a week because we have a few people moving out and a few recent converts that are going to be reaching their year mark and not be recent converts anymore. We really need to be able to find new investigators and some less actives to teach or we are going to have way too much open time on our hands!... Free spaces in the day are never fun cause you feel like you are just kinda running around with your head between your legs and not knowing what to do! So we have really been working hard to find people. We have gone through the ward list and the less active lists and have been really focusing on getting more lessons! It is a slow process, but it is so worth it in the end. It has been pretty crazy lately, well at least since interviews. President called me early this week and asked me to step into the other room! haha That can only mean two things, it's either about you, or about your companion, but either way, your companion is not supposed to hear the conversation. haha It was about Elder Peralta and it was a good thing. We are going to be getting a few more FFilipinos then usual and so he really needs trainers for them. Elder Peralta speaks Tagalog fluently and so even though he has been sent out English speaking, president needs him to train one of these new guys. He wanted to know if I thought that he could do it and I told him I have no doubt that he could do it and that he would do it well! I asked when he would need him to train and he said next transfer on the 7th!... We have only been together for like 2 weeks and he is already planning on taking him away from me!.. We get along so well and have so much fun that it is really going to be a bummer to see him go. Plus that usually means that I am going to be here in this area for at least another transfer or two! hahaha I am going to outlive Elder Makayas record! I hate to see him go, but I know that he is needed! President hasn't prayed about it though so there is always hope! Maybe I will try to cancel out presidents prayers!!!! hahahaha Just kidding whatever the lord has in store for us I will accept!

It was a tough week lesson wise, but the lessons that we did teach were amazing! I was on an exchange with one of the zone leaders Friday and Saturday in our area and it was such a great experience. The spirit that was working through us was life changing. We had without a doubt the best lesson so far with Jon! He told us that he feels like the spirit is trying to answer his prayers but that he just is having a hard time figuring out what it is telling him to do. He told us that he has been getting excited about his prayers and about his studies. We had so many great opportunities to point out the spirit in the lesson and he even told us that he felt something different in the room that night! I have a feeling we are within weeks of finally having a baptismal date with him! We are so excited. He is so prepared and just needs to take that leap of faith and be ready to take this next step! I love doing this work. It is such a blessing to be a missionary in this time and part of the world! I wouldn't change and trade it for the world!

The BBQ this past week was awesome! I had just finally gotten the hair back on my right hand from grilling and now I am hairless again! haha it's ok though, it's kinda like a trade mark I guess. We cooked so much food it took me almost 2 hours to get it all cooked. It was really fun though. We played sand volleyball at the members house and basketball as we cooked! It was kinda funny though. It brought back a lot of memories of playing catch with dad and having him have to pause the game so that he could check the meat! Great memories great memories! The zone wanted the hamburgers first, which made the grill way too hot for the brats... hahaha I had a few black ones, but they still tasted the good. Nothing wrong with a few black ones! That is what happens when you try to feed like 30 people with one grill! haha

I am not sure if I told you that we moved apartments finally and that has been the biggest blessing! I am so thankful that we now have carpet that I can walk on. Now that I am writing this it feels like I have said this before so I'll stop and if I haven't and your curious just let me know and I'll give you more info!

I am drawing a mental blank right now about the other things I was going to tell you about... So I am going to end this like I do with all, with my testimony! I love this gospel so much and am so blessed to be involved in it! I really really wish that I could stay a missionary for a few more years. I enjoy not having to worry about anything but missionary work. I like not having to worry about making rent or paying bills or having to worry about anything. We are so blessed to be able to enjoy these two years and to focus all our efforts on finding those people that are searching for the gospel! I love doing what I do. It has brought me more joy then anything else in this world. I have changed so much and I plan on never going back to being the person that I was. I have made eternal friends here in this mission both missionaries, members, and non members. I will be eternally grateful for all those people that have had an influence in my life. You know who you are and so I hope that I don't need to mention any names. Thanks to all you for getting me to this point and for the support and the love that you have shown me since I have been out! I love receiving letters from old friends and from family! I know that every Wednesday or Thursday I am going to have a letter from Grandma! I enjoy that weekly letter and it's always such a blessing to look in the mail and see a letter knowing that someone sacrificed a few minutes to drop me a line! It is amazing. Again I love doing what  I do. I know that this is the true church of Christ and that he is at the lead. It's such a blessing to have this church be restored on the earth. I love to teach about the apostasy and the restoration and have peoples eyes just light up and have it make sense to them! I love helping people and hope that when I get home I will be as good of a member missionary as some of the young men have been here. After working with the ward mission leaders that I have, that has become my dream calling! I would love to be able to still be in the middle of the work and be able to help the elders and sisters find those that are in need of the Gospel! I love it and I love all of you! Thanks again for all that you do and enjoy your next week. I love you so much!

 

Love,
Elder Mackay Dale Shelley

pictures: Laying on the clean carpet in his new apartment

              Doing service in Antioch, CA with Elder Peralta