Ok so a little bit about conference! Holy cow our prophet and apostles are absolutely amazing! I hope you all got out of it as much as I did! Let me tell you after that conference I can not wait to be a dad and start a family! But at the same time I can! I honestly gained such a respect for my parents and how well they raised me during this conference. Parenting is nothing easy and ha they didn't have an easy child to raise. But it all worked out and look where I am now. Never would have imagined that I would be walking the streets of the Philippines with Christs name in big bold letters on my chest! I love every second of this work even the hard parts because that is what is going to shape me into the man that God wants me to be. I also really loved how much they talked about spouses and the love that they must have for their children. I am excited to follow the steps to finding a wife and beginning my family. I have really grown out here spiritually and know that there is a girl out there being prepared for my spirituality too! I have had many great prayers after conference about how precious families are and how important they are to this work.
As we moved on to the rest of this week we have continually been working hard and have found 5 less active members and all five have accepted an invitation to come back and to pick up the lessons to regain their testimonies. 4 of the Five are melchezideck priesthood holders which is exactly what our little branch needs. We are on our way to being able to fill all the callings and watch this branch take off. This Saturday also we have an absolutely amazing lady that is going to enter the waters of baptism and join her husband in the church! She has been working very hard and I know that she is ready! Then a week later if they come to church again our amazing family of 5 will be baptized!! The Borlause family is amazing and came to all sessions of conference and we have really enjoyed seeing them grow and progress! If everything goes as planned me and Elder Garver are going to have 8 baptisms in an area that hasn't had a baptism in over a year and a half!!! It is amazing what hard work and obedience can do! It has been a very humbling and awesome experience serving along side a man who loves the gospel just as much as you do and has the experience and patience to train a stubborn competitive Shelley Kid! hahaha He has been perfect for me and I know that he was placed in this area at this time to train me for a reason!
A little about holy week. Thankfully I was able to avoid the close up and personal things that usually happen but I did hear some pretty stomach churning things that I could have gone without. Hearing a man get whipped is not a fun experience for anyone, but we got through it. Up on a hill on our way to the church we looked up at the top and saw four crosses at the top. I looked away very quickly because I couldn't take anymore of this stuff. Mom, thank you so much for you thoughts and prayers though. I agree with everything that you said and actually had the exact same feelings while kneeling in prayer one evening! It has been a wild ride. I almost forgot.
Thank you all for all of your support. I got Luis's email and honestly cannot tell you how amazing it is to have a friend like him! Makes it really easy to be a missionary knowing that you have such support at home. I want you all to know that I miss you very much but that as of last week I am no longer home sick. Idon't want to leave or come home for anything! I love this work and this land way too much! Thank you for all the prayers and for the time and money you have put into me over the years! The Lord lives. I know that he loves us. He has shown his hand in my life so much and has honestly matured me into a pretty strong man if I may say so myself. I have been put through some pretty hard trials both at home and on the mission but without those trials I would not be a man today. I cannot wait to walk down the airport row, hug my mom and grandma, pick up Kailei after three years of not seeing her, give grandpa a huge hug! and then look over and see my dad standing there looking at me and have him say: wow I dropped a boy off at the MTC and I don't even know who this man is that is standing in front of me! I'll give him a huge hug and he will say that he is proud of me and let's go home! I wish you guys could see the change that has taken place in my life. I have learned to study HARD! To be humble, Christlike and to use and honor my priesthood in the same way that Christ honored his priesthood! I love this work and I love you all! Thanks for everything that you have given me! I know that this is absolutly the only true church on the earth no questions asked. All you have to do is read, pray, and ask and you will know! thanks again!
Love
Elder Shelley
Love
Elder Shelley
No comments:
Post a Comment