5-6-13

Dear Family!

Well we might as well start off with the biggest news of the week. I have been called to transfer out across the bay to Daily City in San Fran to train and speak Tagalog!!!! I don't speak a lick of Tagalog remember! hahaha So President called me the other day as I was on my way out Hayward for a doctors appointment. He asked to speak in private and for me to step into the other room. I just kinda laughed and told him that that may be a tad hard judging by the fact that we were sitting in a car. He laughed and just asked me to call him back when I get a free chance and we could talk out of ear shot. When I called him back he told me that he had a special assignment that he needed me to take on. He told me that I would be transferring out to San Fran and that I would be in the Tagalog ward out there. I will still be a district leader (in the same district as elder Makaya!!!!) and that Elder Peralta would actually be coming with me! President told me that the reason that he was sending him out there with me, was that he has a ton of Filipinos coming in that will not be able to speak English very well. So my job, is to train this one missionary and to basically train Elder Peralta on how to be a good missionary, and more importantly to be able to train by next transfer or no later then the next! That is going to be a lot of work. Elder Peralta could train this transfer, but he lacks confidence in himself. He is such a great missionary he just needs to be able to see that. So I will be training this new guy and helping him to learn to train and also Elder Peralta to learn to train, and then hopefully if I do it well enough they could both train in the next 6 weeks! It is crazy to think that I am going to need to do all this in a brand new area especially when I don't even speak the language! It is soooo different then Cebuano!.. Elder Peralta has been speaking to me the last few days, and I am more confused then when I was in the Philippines! haha It has been so crazy! I have been praying for the gift of tongues for the past three days and hope that it will be given to me!

It is going to be so hard to leave this area though!!! I have come to love this area so much and the people that I have met here are going to be life long friends! I hope to be able to pass through soon after I get home so that I can come back and spend some quality time with those people that I have come to love so much. Tyler Heath bore his testimony for the first time Sunday and it was so special. He thanked me for the things we taught him and for making him a better person. He is bipolar, and so it has been hard for him to control his sadness. He has been crying from the time I told him till literally an hour ago when we went to taco bell with him. He is going to do so well though! He has so many friends and is even thinking about maybe serving a service mission for the church. He doesn't think that he could leave his family, but he thinks that he would like to serve a service mission. I hope that he does. It would be good for him! Colby did pretty well too. She is worried that now both of her original missionaries are gone, but she is going to do so well too. She has her mom and Travis is still going to be around, so he will keep her active and supported. Haha we told the new missionary that is coming in that all he had to do was call Travis and tell him to get to work and just watch what he does and follow. He is going to be such a great missionary because he is basically already one in this area. He knows it as well if not better then me. I still miss turns or get lost a time or two a week so he is going to be such a great help to these missionaries. It was tough to say good bye to him also. We are going to stay in touch as you can see that he is on the email list! We are going to set up a hunting trip when he gets back from his mish. It will all be a good time.

I am so thankful for all of you who support me in what I do. The mission has not been easy, but it has been so worth it. It has been weird the last few days to think that the time that I have left, is the same amount of time that I spent here in Brentwood. That time has just flown by for me too so that is what is so scary. Before I know it we are going to be skyping for Christmas and then I'll blink from there too and be home. I am excited to be able to come and see everyone, but I am not going to be ready to call it quits being a full time missionary. I love it to much! Good thing there is a ward mission cause I am going to have to get very involved with that!

We had a little get together last night with the Sudweeks, Mosers, Kurtz, Travis, and Heaths. It was such a blast to have everyone that has been such a great influence in my life in one place to enjoy each other and to share our thoughts and feelings. Tyler's less active dad, and Colby's dad and brother were there and I think that they really enjoyed it. It's going to take some time and some patience but I see all of those guys becoming active and getting baptized. They are all such great people and its going to just be a matter of time. We were able to take some great pictures that I wish I could send, but this computer at the library is terrible. Maybe the computers in the city will be better and I can have some better pictures sent over!

I love you all so much! It is such a blessing to be able to send these emails to everyone even though we are not all "family". I love the new rule because it keeps us all close and we can enjoy this time together. I hope everyone gets them. I just keep sending them because it hasn't sent them back to me. I just want to leave you with my testimony again, that I know that this is the true gospel of Christ! I love being a missionary so much! Being able to see the fruits of your work is such a blessing. I honestly had no idea the impact that we had on this ward until last night. there were a few youth at church that thanked me for what I had done for them, and honestly it's sad to say but I didn't even remember some of their first names... Last night at the little get together, Brother Moser has a son who has a few mental problems, but he is the sweetest little guy I have ever met! His name is Mason and he asked if he could say something. He thanked me personally for the way that I made him feel when he was around me. He said that he had felt things that he had never felt before and that he knew that others felt it also. As he was talking I couldn't keep the tears back. Ha there weren't many of us that could. It was the neatest thing that had ever been said to me and it made my entire mission worth it right there to be able to feel his spirit and listen to his words! I love being able to do what I do. It is going to be so hard to have to stop, but I am not stopping until the Lord tells me that it is time and that my work is done! I Know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it has been such a strength in my life! Thanks again for all that you all do and I am so thankful for all of the great friends and family that I have to share my experiences with! I love you all so much and wish all the mothers out there a very happy mothers day Sunday and to remember that that is the day that all the boys get to do the dishes!!! Love you Guys!

 

Love,

Elder Mackay Dale Shelley