3-6-12

Dear Family,

If you have a light stomach this letter may not be for you... Sorry!  To start off this week right after we had gotten done with emails I almost past out from this crazy pain in my stomach. Elder Garver was really worried because I had been sick all week.  So we jumped on the nearest trike and went home.  I ran to the bathroom and was throwing up for quite some time. Then I sat down and started that process.  Well long story short- I found out why I had been so sick. I looked down into the toilet only to find three big worms swimming in the water surrounded by literally about 20 eggs!!!!!  GROSS!!!!  I flushed them down and went back to Elder Garver and told him of my find.  We just kinda laughed it off.  I have dropped even more weight in the past three weeks that I have been here, so we wonder if I have some kind of a bug.  After my worm find though I have felt much better. So I'm not too worry about it. HAHA should be a fun story to tell my kids when I get home.  Haha and to girls I guess.  I probably won't be able to get any if I tell that story!  

Also crazy story for this week is I got some sweet pictures of my craziest meal yet!.......... wait for it wait for it.......... Yes me and Elder Garver ate dog for the first time in both of our lives and I'm sorry molly (the dog next door) but it was so good!!!  Super weird to know what you were eating and also to stand there and help gut it and skin it.  Elder Garver told the guy that I was a hunter and that I could help.  haha I gave him a really dirty look then when the guys was like oh please do, please do I couldn't say no. So we feasted on puppy and got a good laugh out of that one.  Poor little thing.  I guess it bit a kid the other day and so that village got together and shot it.  It was this huge village party as this dog was roasting and then as we skinned it.  Kinda funny.  Kinda sad.  So all you dogs out there in Arizona don't bite me or I will eat you!!!!! Even know how to prepare it now too! haha The grossest thing about it was the best part was the things that were inside the dog.  The brain, the intestines, the heart all that stuff was thrown into a pot and then served in chunks. I know I can never complain about being sick if i am willing to eat the brain and heart of a dog.  With the flies flying around it and the guy cutting it up with his dirty sword.  Haha our out look is to just bless it and leave the rest up to God! 

Thanks for the advice mom,  actually did make me a little home sick.  This week has been a hard week for that.  I am still really bad at the language and so I am really lonely during the day when we only speak cebuano.  My mind wanders home once in a while and I really miss the good times that we had.  I have really learned a lot the last week while in the scriptures about how to raise a family and how to become a better son and then a father and husband.  It is absolutely amazing at what you learn on your mission.  Not only do you learn about the gospel stuff.  I can not wait to be a father because of the things that I have learned from both the scriptures, Jesus the Christ book, Conference talks, and most importantly my parents.  To all the youth out there in the ward or to those that read my blog this is for you so listen up!!! This is coming from a 19 year old kid and so its one kid to another. Listen to you parents!  They truly do know what you are going through and will keep you safe!  If I had just listened to my parents and did what they asked me to do and lived my life in the way that I was raised I could have signed my own mission papers to come out that is how prepared I would have been!  Please listen to your parents!  Please if you are an older sibling please be that big brother or big sister that your sibling deserves.  Again from one kid to another you will truly regret it if you don't do everything you can with them while you are home!  I didn't and I'll tell you what...  you have no idea what I would do right now to be able to have my little brother come up to me and ask me to do something with him.  I can honesty say that after all I have learned here in the field, that I would be off that couch in a heart beat to go spend time with my brother!  I would never tell him I was too tired or that I was busy. (watching tv).  What a lame excuse.  I have and am going to miss 16 years of my brothers life because of the way I treated him!  I gave my parents 17 rough years because I decided that they didn't know what they were talking about.  That I was way smarter then them and they didn't know what I was going through.  What I would do right now to be able to mow my parents yard for them!  What I wouldn't do to be able to give my mom a hug and tell her how much she means to me and that I love her!  Please don't waste time!  Go tell your parents that you love them!  Go thank your dad for the sacrifice that he gives every day to put food on your table.  I had the very best parents in the world and the coolest brother and sister in the world, but because of pride, anger, and some bad choices I have to wait 2 years to start my life with them.  Please, Please, Please do everything that you can to live your life with your family to the best degree. You won't regret it -I promise!!!  Guys I love you so much!  To all my buddies out there please know that I think about you every day! Luis, Matt Filichia, Andrew Gayton, Mike Johnson, all you guys were the reason that I am here right now.  You got me through the tough times of life and I owe you so much!  Luis my friend I owe you my life bro!  You saved me from an awful hell that may not have been returnable.  You are the reason that I have a testimony of God and my lord Jesus Christ!  I would love to be able to have another wing night or black ops, pizza, and drummin! I hope West Mesa is cleanin up!  I know that you have the skill and leadership to take them all the way!  I hope everyone knows that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ!  That he lives.  That he knows and loves us so much!  He suffered for us in the garden and thought of us equally.  He knows our pains.  He can bare our sorrow!  The book of Mormon is the word or God translated by Joseph Smith!  I love that book!  There is power that just flows out of it!  Hold it in your hands and just close your eyes, the power will just flow through your arms and you will feel of its truthfulness!  Again I love this Gospel. I love my family!  I wouldn't be where I am today without the two!  Ha my parents are so smart!  They taught me so much!  They gave me more then they will ever know and even when they didn't think I was listening or through all the "I hate you's"... I was listening!  I am trying to be a mirror image of my dad and I know that if I can be but half of the man that he is I will change the world.  My father is that father that I want to be some day!  My mom is the woman that is the mother to hundreds of kids.  Those band kids love her. She has a mexican son that loves her because of her example. I have a set of Mexican parents that have changed my life forever!  My testimony of love and of Jesus Christ grew every time I was in their home!  From the Philippines to Arizona I hope that you can feel of my love.  If you can't I know that you can feel the love or our Savior and my love is right there with his. He is my Savior and my Redeemer and has carried me through the flames of Hell for 19 years.  Now it is my turn to carry his children. 

 We have four baptisms this month and next month and a family of 5!!!  The work is going strong and the word of God is coming forth!  The fact that this church is the only church that has the power to bind families together for all of eternity is the winner to a lot of the Catholic families here that love their families and never want to be seperated. May you all come closer to your families this week. To my sister in Argentina I hope the dogs have stopped biting you! If not its ok- I ate one for you! hahahaha you have been such an example and our penguin is always on my mind getting me through the hard times!  I love God and I love you all!  God bless and God speed!

Love,
Elder Shelley