7-22-13

Well the big news is I am getting transferred again!.. President called me the other day and asked to speak with me privately! He scared the living crud out of me though, cause the last time he called me and told me that-Grandpa had passed! We were at the same house teaching the same people when he sent the text too. I text him back and asked if everything was ok, and he never responded. When I called him back I asked if everything was ok and he just said yea why? haha he then thought for a minute and was like OH MY GOSH ELDER SHELLEY I AM SOOOOO SORRY I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT HOW I HANDLED THAT ONE!!! Honestly I was thinking the worst, cause for some reason Grandmas weekly letter didn't come this week and it was the first time in 2 years that I haven't gotten a letter. Ha so he asked me if I thought that Elder Perez and Elder Santiago could handle the area without me if he needed me to leave and take on a new responsibility.  I told him that I had full trust in them and that if they needed to they could. He said that he hadn't prayed about it yet, but was just trying to think of some ideas and my name came to mind for one of them. He then told me in interviews that he has already gotten an answer and he knows where I am going and what I will be doing. That is all he said, so I don't have anymore details until next week. All I know is that I am leaving the Tagalog program and going back to English to do something. He asked me not to tell my comps till he calls me to do whatever it is. So I guess we will see what is going to happen. I kinda hope that I get to train again. I have come to love training and it is just so fun to work with new missionaries and to be the one that sets them up for success- hopefully! It's been a great opportunity to train three missionaries these past two transfers. They have been great, and even though one decided to go home, I know that he still had a good month of experiences. So more news to come next week.

Not a ton to write about this week. We had to be in Oakland this week for two different trainings and had interviews on Saturday with District meeting on the other day, so we weren't in the area a single full day this week. Pretty crazy! We were able to find one more investigator, which has been really good, because it just means that our teaching pool keeps going higher and higher. We haven't seen Sam this week unfortunately though. He is so busy with work that he wasn't able to make it back to Daly City. We could have gone out to down town, but there is no where for us to park and the Bart wasn't running that day. I think that Satan just didn't want us to meet with him! 

Sister Amporias seems to be backing slowly away from us. She is kinda multi faced it seems now a days. She tells everyone at church how much she loves the church and the gospel and that she knows it's true, but once she gets home and we are there or she is talking to her daughter she wants nothing to do with it. We even bring the members that she told at church that she loves it to the lessons and she still won't be receptive. I think we may have to end up dropping her again so that we have more time to find and to teach people who are prepared to receive it. 

June is an interesting man.. I hope that one of these days I will be able to start to understand people. We have a really bad feeling that he is only doing this for the support that he knows he can get from the church and the members. He decided that he didn't want to have to pay his rent anymore, so he asked if he could move in with the member that has been helping us teach him. He told him that he couldn't afford to pay his bills which turned out to not be true so our member gave him a 1000 dollar gift and told him to not worry about it that that is what lds people do. When we taught the word of wisdom he told us that he hasn't smoked in 15 years, but then at the end of the lesson Elder Santiago saw a pack of cigs in his vest pocket on a chair. When we asked him about them he said that they were a friends and that he was just holding them for him. Honestly it was like a high schoolers excuse to his parents!... He still has his date of August 13th, but we will have to take some time to do a little more digging to see if he is still actually smoking or not. We are hoping that he is being honest with all this stuff. We will see. It's kinda weird to know that I am being transferred this early because it's sad to think that I won't even be around for the baptism if it goes through. The elders will keep me posted on it though so I will know how he is doin! Its been a crazy ride though to go into a language program to train missionaries that barely speak your language, and then to get pulled out when your job is done haha. 

Real quick miracle that I saw this week, and then it's time to sign off. We were at Wendys the other day and there was a group of men a few tables over that weretalking about Jesus and about the day that they "found'' him! They were talking about all the blessings that they had received since they accepted him as their savior and how they didn't ever want to go back to not worshiping him. I felt very impressed to go and speak to them and give them my card with my number on it. I had no idea what I was going to say cause I didn't want to come across as weird having been listening to their conversation. I was super scared and just sat there for like 10 more minutes. I was about to just get up and leave, when I remembered all of the times when I had been prompted and didn't listen. That never feels good so I just walked over and opened my mouth hoping that it would be filled. I said that I was sorry for interrupting, but that I had felt impressed to come over and give them one of our pass along cards. Three of the four guys were really cool about it and thanked me and asked what  church and where it was. The 4th guy was super rude to me though, and told me that they had not been talking about religion, that they had been talking about Christianity! He told me that being a christian was a full time thing and that it wasn't a religion. I was shocked at how rude he was to me but just kept saying what came to mind. I told him that he was exactly correct and that that was exactly what we do as missionaries! 24/7 with no time sheet to clock in and out of! I reminded him though that while the savior was on the earth that he had established a church and that after he had been killed that he established that church peter the "Rock." He said a few things that were super mean, and a scripture came to my mind to share. haha I was really worried about quoting it, cause I thought that he may have gotten up and punched me! I felt so inspired to share it though that I did. I told him "sir with all due respect all I was doing was following a prompting to share a card with fellow followers of Christ.. don't be like the scripture that says, they come close to me with their lips and with their words, but their hearts are far from me. Sir you talk the talk about loving the savior and following him, but when it comes down to being an example of him you have been a little rude.." Honestly I have no idea how I had the courage to say that!!... His friend stood up and shook my hand and told me that he loved the picture on the card and that he would put it up on his mirror. We left at that point and got in the car. Elder Santiago just looked at me and said wow that was bold! I hope you were following the spirit cause I don't think I could have done that! haha I was worried that I had offended them, but had this really good feeling in my heart that I had followed the spirit and so it would all be ok. That next morning about ten minutes before personal study, I got a phone call from a number that wasn't in the contacts. I answered and the man on the other end asked if I was the guy who had talked to him at Wendys the night before. I recognized the voice as the one who thanked me when I left. He said that he felt like he needed to call and apologize for his friend and the way that he had treated me. He told me that he felt something in his heart as I stood up for myself and for the church. He told me that he wasn't interested in learning more, but that he was very impressed with the way that I had handled myself. He said that he had never met a Mormonmissionary that stood his ground like that! Haha I just laughed and said that it must come with the last name! I said we Shelley's tend to be a little bold some times! Iapologized for what I said to his friend, but he told me that he agreed with me and that he needed to hear it. Ten minutes later the man who was rude called me too! He told me how sorry he was and that he was going to change his life and the way he treated people because of what I had told him. It was so cool! He told me that the spirit had been hitting him all night and that he couldn't sleep because he kept hearing that scripture over and over in his head!! He said that he had been repenting all morning and that he had to call and ask me to forgive him to be able to feel better. Of course I told him that there were no hard feelings and that I was just following what the spirit told me to say. He said how thankful he was and hung up the phone! Haha all three of us just sat there with our mouths open amazed at what had just happened! We said a very thankful prayer at that point and promised that we would do everything we could to follow the promptings of the holy ghost whenever they came! 

I love this work! It's these miracles that we get to see every single day! They are not all as huge as that one, but miracles happen all the time! I have just been so blessed. President told me in my interview that he had never seen me so happy or so full of light since I have been here this past year! He told me that this is my time to shine and that he has been so proud of my work! He told me that he doesn't even look at the fact that I haven't had a baptism in a while, because I have been doing other jobs for the Lord in getting other missionaries ready to have success and getting areas back up to speed. Just a compliment and I was so happy to hear that! I had been a little down on myself for the numbers, but he helped me to realized the things that have been happening in my mission! I love this work so much and am so honored to be able to be out here in this part of the vineyard to serve the lord at this time of the work! I loved my experience in the Philippines, and not a day goes by that I don't think back to something that I learned or an experience that I had, but this mission has totally changed my life and I look at the world in a completely different way because of it! I love the Lord and I am so blessed to know that he knows me!

Love, 

Elder Shelley

picture: Mackay thinking he's the Hulk!!!

7-15-13

Dear family!

Well today is July 15th which marks my 18 month mark exactly... I thought that that would be an exciting day, but honestly after the week of blessings and miracles that we have seen, I am not looking forward to this mission coming to an end. As a lot of you know, I had been struggling quite a bit with the loss of my Grandpa. I came to the realization a week or so ago, that I could either let that brake my mission, or shape it into the thing that the Lord would have it be. I decided that no matter what happens at this point, I have lost myself in the work, and it's not going to affect me any more! We got together as a companionship last Sundayand decided that we were going to work our tails off, and that nothing was going to hold us back. We made a few decisions to change a few things that we were doing to make sure that we were being as exactly obedient as possible so that the Lord wouldn't hold back blessings that could have come our way. That next Monday as soon as we got done emailing, we got a call from Sam Yazzie, the Navajo man that had come to the church a little over a month ago. He told us that he had stopped meeting with the other elders and that he really wasn't interested in the church. But that that morning he had had some interesting experiences that had led him to feel like he needed to call and contact us. We set up an appointment with him for that night and taught him a great lesson. He said that if he was going to go to church that he wanted to go to the Filipino ward, cause it made him feel like he was back in his own culture with his own people. The Filipino people are so loving and so inviting that he just felt comfortable around them. So we added him as an investigator and we able to teach him Monday and Tuesday! He has been trying to get his boss to let him off on Sundays, but his boss is pretty crazy, and wouldn't do it cause he would loose money if Sam didn't work! Pretty selfish huh?!.. Sam is making good steps though. He has a few concerns with the word of wisdom. He doesn't have any problems with the substances, he just doesn't understand why we are told that we couldn't if we wanted to. He drinks coffee from time to time and doesn't feel like he should be told that he can't. We are going to keep working with him though, and hopefully he will be able to make it to church here soon and be able to feel the spirit there and be able to begin to progress! We are really excited for him. We need to reset some expectations though, cause he kinda has this friendship feeling with us rather then teachers. It's great that he feels comfortable being our friends, but we really need him to respect us as his teachers also! His biggest concern is with our title as Elders. In the Indian culture, the elders are those of old age and that teach them and council them. We do the same thing we told him, but its the fact that he doesn't think we should have the honor or carrying that title yet since we are only 20! I have never had someone have that issue, so that is a new one!

Sister Amporias finally got back into town! They said that they had a good time, but that it was too hot! I just laughed and said welcome to my world of Arizona! They were amazed that people could live in that kind of heat and not die! I told them that it can't be in the 50's and 60's everywhere! We have had a pretty big cold spell the past few days, and it has even gotten down into the high 40's at night with really really thick fog! We were able to share a very powerful lesson with her this week, and even extended a baptismal date to her. Our thoughts behind doing so were that we wanted to see where she stood on the thought of baptism! She hasn't kicked it clean out of her mind, but she is not totally sold on the idea either. She wouldn't except the date, but did except the challenge to pray about it. Her big concern is the fact that she feels that we focus too much on the Book of Mormon and don't agree with the bible. We gave her a reading assignment of one of the Isaiah chapters in the book of Mormon when Nephi quotes Isaiah. We want her to see that even the Book of Mormon Prophets referenced the Bible and that we do hold it very dear to our hearts. We realized that we need to start teaching our lessons with the bible and the Book or Mormon referencing each other! We think that as we do that, that she will begin to see that both of them really do support each other and that one without the other just isn't enough! You can't have the Book ofMormon without the Bible and you can't have the Bible without the Book of Mormon. It just wouldn't be the fullness of the Gospel! She came to church again this week, and so she is at least not giving up on the idea of it! We will continue to pray and fast for her to gain that very important witness that the Book is true!

The big news and miracle for this week is that we have a Baptismal date!!!!!!!!!!! I know that that came out of no where, but it was a huge miracle! It actually came from the other elders in the ward! We were going through the progressing investigators this past Tuesday and they said that they had this new investigator named June. I asked them where he lived, and they kinda tried to change the subject and avoid answering me. It was really weird but I couldn't get an answer out of them on where he lived. Come to find out he lived in our area, but they had talked to one of the members in their area to invite him to take the lessons at his house. I wasn't sure exactly how to tell them that that was not an ok thing to do and that they really shouldn't try to keep investigators from us. I called the zone leaders that night, and talked to them about it, and they called the other elders and discussed with them that we all need to be working as a team and not trying to out do the others! I pulled the five of us into a meeting this past Thursday and talked about how we need to do that also! That the Lord is not going to bless us as much as he could, if we are being prideful and not giving each other the right referrals. So we picked up that investigator and extended a date to him which he accepted! His name is June and he is in his 60's. He has actually been reading the Book of Mormon for a few years now, but didn't know how to get into contact with the missionaries! The coolest thing that happened, is that the day that the other elders gave us the referral, they were able to find 2 new really solid investigators! It was just a testimony builder to us all that when we do truly work together as a team, the Lord is going to bless us all with great blessings and work to do! We both ended the week with over 10 lessons which was double that we taught last week! It was so amazing to watch the Lords hand just take over the work here in this area! We found a great neighborhood this past week that is just full of Filipinos and we found some great potentials from that area! The Lord truly is hastening the work out here, and we are so blessed to be apart of it! 

We will be having our quarterly interviews with President this Saturday and so we are really looking forward to those! We are excited to talk to President about all of the blessings and miracles that we have been seeing and all the great work that is beginning to happen. We are really hoping that we will be able to have enough work, that president could consider adding one more set of Elders or Sisters out here. I have the areas mapped out to be able to fit them in if it happened so that would be way cool!

This work is really moving forward! We have no complaints so far! We have just decided that complaining just makes things worse! haha

I love this gospel so much! I have really been working hard to make sure that we are able to finish strong! I remember Dad telling me that you don't want to ever regret the end of your mission! So I have really been focusing and working hard to try to find more and more investigators so that we can get this ward moving even faster! The ward is great! The members give us great referrals, and even do their part and come out and work with us! We have been working as a team and are seeing some great miracles because of it! Thank you all so much for all that you have done for me and the prayers that have been offered in my behalf! I know that this church is true and that it truly is a marvelous work and a wonder that is happening among us! Please remember that I love you all and am so thankful for your thoughts and your support! I love you all so much and pray for you all every day! We are off to the bowling alley to let these new missionaries try out their luck at bowling! Thanks again!

Love, 
Elder Shelley

                       Pictures: 1. Mackay with his 2 kids (trainees)-Elder Santiago & Perez
                                      2. Mackay cutting hair!!

7-8-13

Dear Friends and Family!

Well this has been a super busy week! We were only in our area for about half of the week, so it made it really hard to work. We went out to Oakland on Wednesday and were able to pick up Elder Perez which was great. He is from Manilla and really has added a great spirit to our companionship! He is a little bit shy, but he is going to do great things! Elder Santiago has really stepped up his game, and I am really really proud of him! Since he speaks Tagalog he has been able to translate a few things for me that Elder Perez wasn't able to understand. They both speak English perfectly, but I realized just how much slang we as Americans really do use! Like this (Whereja wana godaday?) hahaha they just kinda look at me with the deer in the head lights look and then I have to slow down and say, where do you want to go today! haha I guess that I got Kailei's quick tongue! 

We have been really struggling to find new investigators. I don't think I have ever worked so hard in my entire mission to find new investigators! We tracted for over two hours every single day and were just asking referrals like crazy! We found a ton of potentials, but none of them went through to become new investigators. We were able to teach 7 less active families though, and so that was a lot better then our 4 that we have had for the past three weeks. We are really trying to step up our game and to gain more faith and a raised vision!  We as a mission have been dropping each month for total baptisms, and so President Meredith has us all really focusing hard on having more faith and to set higher goals and then really work to achieve them! We are trying to really raise up this area too. President called me the other day, and would really like to be able to have enough work that we could split the area one more time and have three sets of missionaries here in this ward! We were looking through the records and saw that there used to be a Seremonte A B and C and so President would like to be able to do that so that we can have more areas for all of these new missionaries that are coming in! We are going to be opening 15 new areas here in the next transfer or so! We are so excited to be able to watch this mission take off and to really start to see success. 

Sister Amporias is going to be home this afternoon from her vacation so that is going to be a good increase of lessons, plus it will allow us to start teaching an investigator again! we haven't taught an investigator lesson in weeks!.. We have been working hard though and we have faith that a few of our potentials this week are going to turn into investigators! 

I have been really studying the New Testament the past few days, and I have been getting a LOT out of it! I found a mini bible in the apartment this past week as we were cleaning it out, and so I kept it! It was some elders from like 4 years ago and has a few of his notes in it which have really helped me out also! I started at the beginning of the new testament a few days ago. The thing that really stuck out to me was the story of Satan tempting the Savior! I had read that story time and time again and had always been so curious why Satan had the power to move the Savior and take him different places! I actually started to read the footnotes, and realized that it wasn't actually Satan that moved him, it was the spirit. That hit me really hard, because as Satan was tempting Christ the Spirit jumped in and took him away. Satan then followed. Another thing that really touched me, was the fact that the first place that the spirit took Jesus was to the top of the Temple! As I read that, I applied it into my own life, and thought that whenever we are being tempted and can't seem to get away, we need to go to the temple! That is the place where our Heavenly Father dwells, and that is where we are going to be kept safe! The second place that he was taken, was to a mountain top! Now I have done a lot of studies on the symbolism of mountains, and have found that during times of poverty or distress, the ordinances of the temple could be performed on the top of a mountain if given permission! I read that in the Bible dictionary under Temples. So basically the spirit took the Lord to the Temple, and then in a time of distress resolved and retreated to the mountains! At that point was when the Lord banished Satan, and was able to be alone once again! The final things that I really got out of those verses, was in verse six. This is Satan talking, and he goes on to quote the scriptures to the Savior! I don't know why I thought so long on that, but how crazy is that that the Devil knows the scriptures so well that he can quote them and not just quote them, but use them against the Savior of the world in trying to tempt him! He was able to twist the meaning of them and use them as a temptation! I went back into my notes on the Plan of Salvation and looked at my pictures that we use to teach it. From my own thoughts and understanding, Satan and his followers never passed through the veil. The verses say that they were cast down directly here to earth. They still remember everything and still remember us! They know us better then we know us! That means that we really need to be on our guard so that we are not deceived and tricked into things! I have gained such a testimony of repentance and staying strong! Satan is real! He wants to get us to fall and not to make it back to our Heavenly Fathers presence! May we all be strong and of good courage and don't let ourselves fall to the evil spirits of the Devil! We are stronger then they are remember!

Well everyone it is time to sign off! I am so thankful for everyone and for all of the time and emails that you have sent me! We have been so blessed as a family to have all the love and support that we have. I am so thankful for great friends like the Herreras who would give up of their time to be there through it all! I am so thankful to everyone and want you all to know that I have a very strong testimony of this Gospel! I love it with all of my heart! We were able to give a spiritual thought at the baptism of one of the 8 year old kids in our ward and as I was testifying of the truthfulness of the Gospel, I was overwhelmed with the spirit and was given yet another witness that what I am doing is true! Joseph Smith is a prophet of God! He went through what he did so that we don't have to go through it! We are so blessed to have had a prophet as strong and as dedicated to the work as he was! I have watched a few videos lately of his life and work, and what an amazing man he truly was! Brigham Young was quite the spiritual giant himself, and I can only dream of having the power in my words as they did! I love what I do, and dread the day that it will come to an end. I have reset my goals and have redetermined to become the best missionary that I can be here in this part of the Lords vineyard! All I could picture the other day as I was setting goals, was the Mesa High football team yelling four as the fourth quarter began! A reminder that this is when it all is on the line, and the time when you have to leave everything out there on the field! That is my feelings at this point! I have been trained! I have studied, and now it is time to leave it all in the field and do what Heavenly Father sent me to do! Hurrah For Israel!!!!

Love,

Elder Shelley 

7-1-13

Dear Family,

Well I am about to get another kid! President called last week and told me that he has another Filipino missionary coming in from the MTC and that he would like me to train him. I asked what that meant with Elder Santiago, and he replied, "Oh you'll still be training him, I need you to train them both!" haha I think that I was just kinda in shock for quite some time. I love training, and hope that I train for the rest of my mission, but training two at once? haha I asked President how that was even possible with the two of them being at different parts of the twelve week program. He just said to do what I feel is best and that he knew that I would be able to make it happen. So come Wednesday I will be the only white guy in a group of 4 Filipinos in this ward! I am definitely the minority here! I love it though. It is going to be a huge challenge to keep two missionaries working hard, and have enough appointment to make it affective for them. I know that the Lord is going to really make it possible and is going to make sure that the appointments come and that we will be able to stay productive. I could use your prayers and your advice though if anyone out there has ever done this before!

Sister Amporias, our only investigator, decided to go to Vegas for a three week vacation leaving us investigatorless haha. We have been going crazy with how much time we have on our hands. We have done more tracting then I ever care to do again! But we have faith that the people will come the harder we work and the more that we push ourselves. I was talking to the Assistants the other night about the situation and they were saying that they would divide the lines up differently. They said that they would cut Daly City in half, and that way we would have more of a chance at finding Filipino people. I don't think Elder Peralta was too happy that I took a piece of his area, but honestly if we hadn't we would have continued to roam around down town in vain and never been productive. We really didn't even take that much just a few neighborhoods and so they will be fine with what they have. We all just need to remember that we may be in different areas, but that we are still in the same ward and that we are still on the same team. I think that we are going to be able to be fine.

We sent Sam as a referral to the English elders since he wasn't a Filipino and since he lived like right down the street from the other Elders. From what I heard last, he is really doing well. He is struggling with feeling like he is giving up his American Indian back ground, but the elders said that he is progressing nicely. I am excited for him. I hope that he will be able to go the distance so that he can feel the full benefit of the gospel and the spirit. He is a great man, and he is really fun to talk to. He wants to take us to this huge pow wow coming up here this month. We are not to sure if we are going to be able to go. It is on Monday, but we will still probably have to get permission to go with him. Haha I think it would be way cool to be able to go to one though. We shall see. 

We are headed out to Golden Gate today since we finally have a non foggy Pday. The Fog has been so thick lately that you can honestly feel it sitting on your face like a blanket. Driving in it is super creepy too. I feel like I am driving down Gotham City in Batman! Haha I know I am a nerd! Thats ok though. We have to be really careful on the freeways though cause of how slick the roads are and how often wrecks happen. We are excited to take Elder Pelera and Santiago out to Golden Gate though. That is all that Elder Santiago has talked about since he has gotten here. He wants to do nothing else but go so it should be fun! He received his Patriarchal blessing last night. He had tried to get it before he left, but the Patriarch in his village was in the States for a few months and didn't make it back in time. So we went all the way out to Half Moon Bay to the Patriarch in this stake to get it. It was such a cool drive, and man was the water nice! The whole way there was along high way 1 and so it was basically 45 minutes of driving on the coast. It was a blast. Elder Santiago was like walking on air on the way home and I couldn't get him to stop talking haha. He was so happy that he finally had received his blessing and that he was able to read it now and have it as a guide. It was a beautiful blessing.

I was so glad to hear that Grandpas funeral went so well! I was pretty sure that the Air Force would be there, but didn't want to ask. I was really pleased to hear that they were there and that Grandma was able to receive his flag! What an honor, and what a treasure to be able to have that flag as a memory of him! I can't wait to see it and to see the shells of the Gun salute! I know that it was probably very hard to watch/hear, but what a beautiful service and honor that was able to be shown to Grandpa! I know that he was right there in his own dress Blues and standing proudly in memory of the service that he rendered our country! He truly was a special man through and through! I can't wait to get the cd that was made. I was super nervous when mom said that they messed up and were only able to get half, but I am so glad that the funeral home did a recording also! It's going to be really hard to listen to it, but I am excited to be able to listen to the words spoken, and remember Grandpa and all the memories that I have of him! He would have been very proud of the service and thankful for the celebration of his life! May he always live in our hearts! 

I love this Gospel! I have had a few really scary moments this week out in down town, but am so thankful for the spirit and its protective promptings! I know that the Lord protects his missionaries! He is always watching out for us and he will not let things happen to us as long as we are worthy and working hard. This world is a scary world. Wrong is becoming right, and right is now wrong. We get heckled every day for who we are and what we stand for. But like Grandma always tells me, Remember who you are and what you stand for! Who cares if no one else agrees with what you are doing. We know that we are doing what is right, and that we truly are servants of our Heavenly Father! He loves us and is so proud of us! I send out my love and thanks to everyone that attended Kailei's wedding and Grandpas funeral! We are sure lucky to have friends and loved ones that help and support us through the hard times! I know that the Savior lives! I know he loves us! The coolest part about the broadcast last Sunday was when Elder Packer made this remark! "I know the Lord lives, and I know the Lord!" I have no doubt in my mind that he truly does know the Lord! He has mentioned knowing the Lord quite a but in the last few addresses that he has made. I know that we are lead and guided by the Prophet of God today! I count my blessings every time that I see and hear his words! What an amazing man he truly is! We never have to worry about the way the world is going, because he is in direct contact with our Heavenly Father, and he will lead us through the years to come. I add my testimony to theirs that I do know the Lord lives! I know that I don't know the Lord by any means the way they do, but I do feel like I know the Lord and that he knows me! I have felt his love and his arms around me as I have struggled with Grandpas loss the past few weeks. I know that he truly did perform a perfect and infinite Atonement that allows us all to repent and step closer to him each day! God is the Father! Jesus IS the Christ, and we will be an eternal family one day! I love you all so much and pray for you daily! Thank for all you do and for what you represent!

With much love,

Elder Mackay Shelley    


Picture is of the ocean-driving along Highway 1