8-5-13

Sorry- I don't know what is up with this computer hope I can get an email off! 

Well this week has been the most crazy, most miracle filled, most exhausting week of my life! I swear zone leaders in this mission don't ever sleep! We have so much to do, and our zone members are all so new, that we are constantly doing trainings and exchanges and trying to get all of our missionaries to have the vision that we have as zone leaders! Our District leaders are amazing though!!! We have the ex assistant as our district leader, and he does such a great job! He is so spiritual and really has a great love and faith in the work! We have a few district leaders that have only been out for about 3-4 months, and so they aren't totally sure how it all works, so President has us doing a lot of different trainings and just trying to help them out as much as we can! I love my job though! Elder Fajardo is without a doubt the hardest working missionary that I have ever worked with! He is always thinking of what he is going to do next, and never takes time to even think about anything but the work! We have a ton in common. He loves to snow board, wake board, drive fast cars haha I can't even name half of the stuff. The best part about all of it is, is that we both have the same style of teaching, and we both love to work with the members. Because of all the crazy training and things that we have been doing, we really only had about an hour or so this whole week to be able to do any finding activities or tract. But the Lord made up the difference for us, and we were still super blessed to be able to find 4 new investigators!!! They are all four Chinese actually, which is way cool because none of them even believe in God. Miracles happen though, and they are totally willing to give what we say a try.  We have been so blessed this week I can't even explain the way that I have been feeling the past week. I have never been this happy and have never felt the spirit this strong, and I have never received revelation like this either. Being a zone leader, we are expected to be very close to the spirit and to be able to receive revelation about each of the missionaries and each of the Districts, and for our own area all at the same time. Elder Fajardo has really been working with me on how to follow the spirit exactly and not ever pass up an opportunity or a prompting that comes my way! It has been a real challenge to have to always be following the spirit, but it is such a blessing because that is what we are supposed to be doing anyways our entire lives. Haha None of this is probably even making since... This room is so loud in here since we email in one of the family history centers in the church building and there are a ton of Elders and sisters here that love to talk and laugh and yell. So please forgive me if none of this email makes since!

I am so blessed though!!!! Not only in the spiritual ways, but the personal ways also! There is even an Dickey's BBQ here!!! One had just opened in Brentwood when I had left, and I was able to go a few times. So me and Elder Fajardo are trying to save up our money so that we can make a trip over there and get a rack or two of their ribs!!! Their Brisket is really good also, so that is definitely a place that we are going to be saving towards!

It has been so crazy to be serving back in the same ward that I served in a year ago! Because it is a YSA/College ward, there have been a lot of people who have moved out, and have moved in, but I still recognize a few of the people, and they all kinda recognize me! Haha I get a lot of weird looks like, I know you, but I can't figure out from where. They have all been so loving though and have really accepted me back into the ward. Elder Fajardo has been here for like 9 months already, and so they all know him and love him a ton! I am really working to get to know all of their names so that I can get on a little more personal basis and to let them get to know me! The bishop is actually the 1st counselor from when I was here and we worked pretty closely there, and so he still remembered me which is good. We have just been loving the work and are so excited about the work and helping this YSA ward just take off! This is easily one of the best wards in the Mission and I am so blessed to be able to be here! I love this side of the Bay, and I really love being able to serve in the English program! I have been able to use my Tagalog a little bit the past few days actually though, and so that has been a huge miracle! We have 2 set appointments this next week with Filipinos that we tracted into and I spoke in my horribly broken Tagalog! They seem pretty solid though, so we will see how that goes! Between English, Tagalog, Cebuano and Spanish we are going to tear it up out here! Elder Fajardo is fluent is Spanish and I can speak the other languages enough to make people surprised and usually invite us in so that is good! We have a ton of blessings that the Lord has given us so that is a huge blessing! We work so well together that we are expecting miracles in this area! 

Next week I will talk more about our investigators, but I have got to get going. I have another Dr. appointment for my back.. They want me to get an epidural I think it is spelled, but I have to go see one more doctor and then talk to the mission nurse before we make any plans. I have started to feel a little better, but I still can't move around too great, and so they are going to try to get me a little relief. I know everyone is going to ask about Elder Fajardo, so here ya go! He is From Massachusetts about 15 miles from Boston! I asked him if he knew Rockwell, but he didn't think so. He speaks Spanish and served here in this area with Elder Jones! He is a great missionary, and I am so stoked to be able to work with him! We are going to light this area up and just have a ton of success! Thanks for all the emails and letters! 

I LOVE this work soooooo much!!!!! I can't even explain to you how amazing it is to feel the spirit working through you for not only yourself, but for others also! It is such an amazing experience to be the leader of so many missionaries! We have the largest zone in the entire mission with two full stakes under our lead! It has been crazy but such a miracle to be able to see all this come to be so successful. We had a little drop in our over all teaching numbers, but that we think has some to do with the transfer week, and the fact that we have a lot of new missionaries! I love you all so much. Remember that I have a strong testimony of the gospel! I got back in contact with Naushel who is the man that we were teaching a year ago. They hadn't been in contact in about 6 months! He said the he is going to try to figure out a day next week that we can meet again! There is a reason that I got called to come back to this ward, and now I just need to figure it out! I love you guys! 

Love,
Elder Mackay Shelley