1-17-12

Kamusta pamilya!  How is every one doing?  Well I just got done with a week long English fast with the rest of my class and my mystro.  I think that was the hardest thing I have done yet in the mtc.  We took the promise that we as a class would not speak a word of English for an entire week- have a Cebuano long week.  None of our teachers classes had ever been willing to go for a whole week. So we decided that we were going to do it.  I don't think any of us including the teacher went the whole week without a slip, but the thing that was cool was it wasn't like a "oh dang we spoke English ok I guess I'm done now" no we jumped right back into the Cebuano language and kept going.  This week was hard, frustrating, and really trying because not knowing much Cebuano we either had to try and use a bunch of sign language, look up all these different words or just not speak at all.  haha I found that I started to actually remember some words through out the day because I was forced to remember them.  Pretty crazy week but fun.


Ok so are you ready for the biggest new of the week?!?!  WE HAVE TWO OF OUR FOUR INVESTIGATORS THAT HAVE EXCEPTED BAPTISM!!!!!  Yup you heard right. To-To, and Santiago have both excepted our challenge to be baptized! Neither has set a date just because they want to continue to learn and are just scared of the date.  We are going to keep pushing them and see where that goes.  Yes I know that they are not truly investigators, they are my teachers but still like they told us, they are real people with real problems that need help being resolved. So it is 100% real in my eyes! The best part about it all is I thought I was going to be all proud because we may get a baptism in the mtc but that's not even the thing.  I have grown to truly love these people and their problems and I just love helping them and trying to get them to move forwards.  I have learned through all of this that even with my broken Cebuano, if you have the spirit with you at all times and you listen to the promptings that it gives you you are going to be blessed.


Mom so here is the deal I forgot to bring my notes to the computer lab about all that I have learned from studying faith this week... Sorry. but I have to tell you that holy cow have I learned so much and have gained such a better testimony of having faith and knowing that no matter what you ask for, in his time the lord is going to give it to you.  I loved the talk that you said to read. I had actually read it like 20 minutes before I got your letter.  If you haven't already you need to read the talk called "It's better to look up.''  That talk I think had the most impact on me because it was so true!  How can the lord get into your mind if your looking down and away from him. You may be begging for help and guidance from him but until you look up to heaven and give him the chance to help, he is not going to be able to get into you.  That hit home for me here in the mtc because I have been so discouraged at times.  I always had faith that the lord was going to help me but as I said that I walked with my head down. I was depressed in class because I couldn't understand a word of what was going on, and I just wanted to give up because I wasn't progressing like I wanted to. But as soon as I read that talk the spirit hit me so strong that the Lord had been trying for weeks to talk to me and to answer those prayers that I have been asking for but he couldn't because I had my head down and away from him.  WOW!!! Talk about a slap to the face! hahaha but I didn't take it like that. I took it as, You need to shape up.  You didn't want this experience to be easy or you wouldn't be here!  You wanted to have to work hard and to grow so why are you complaining that its hard? Look up to the Lord and he will bless your life!  Well that next day in the temple I had done some work there and was listening to the blessing really closely and just started tearing up.  The old man that was talking started tearing up too and after wards he gave me a hug and said thank you for letting me feel that with you.  The spirit I truly believe was right in that little square cubical with us and was teaching us both different things at the same time that we needed.  I have never felt the spirit in the temple like I did that day!  I'm going into a session today and literally cannot wait!  It is such a good feeling to truly have a pain in your heart waiting to go to the temple!  I have never had that till now. I always loved the temple but I had never just shook with excitement because of the joy that it brings!  Man its amazing to feel the spirit as strong as you do on your mission!  I bet Kailei understands exactly what I am talking about. I was so proud! On Sunday our speaker for fire side asked all of the missionaries that had a brother or a sister in the field to stand up. I stood up with so much pride that it was almost over whelming!  I looked around and realized that the percentage of people standing was not very high. How blessed is our family to have two missionaries out at the same time!?  Man I know that I receive blessings that I don't even deserve because of Kailei's service and I hope that she feels the same way!


So I am literally 69 pages away from finishing the Book of Mormon!!!!  I have marked that book up so much that I swear there is not a page that doesn't have red on it! I have truly feasted on this book, tearing it apart praying daily to understand and to know again of the truthfulness of it and let me tell you, I don't think this is the same book that I have read so many times before.  I think it has changed!  All of a sudden I am learning principle after principle that I didn't even know where in it!  I just finished up with the chapters of Christ visiting the Americas and teaching the people there and I know that I could have marked every verse on that page and it would have been doctrine! but I forced myself to only mark the things that really stuck out to me so that later in my life I can pull out these scriptures and know that that is what I needed and learned while on my mission!  I cannot wait to start over on the book and learn even more!  Please, I beg you guys to be in the Book of Mormon everyday!  With a marking pencil and a note book ready to mark it up and take notes because without that note book, the lord is not going to be able to witness to you all the things that he could because you won't remember them! There is another challenge from me. Please do it!  I promise that you will see a difference in your studies and that it will be a blessing to you all.


Know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth!  Nothing that could be said or done could change my knowledge on the topic!  Please everybody stay strong in the church and never let a day pass that your testimony doesn't grow.  We don't have time for that. These are truly the last days and we need to be the ones who are strong and the examples!  Please don't ever let anything tell you other wise!  Thank you again for your love and support and please remember that me and Kailei miss you so much but love you more!  We are serving our God and having the times of our lives! This is the true church and it can change our lives! Will you let it? In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

With so much love,

Elder Mackay Shelley