4-17-12

Dear Family,

I first off just want to let everyone know that I am alive and doing very well!  Yes I still have worms and actually spent the other day in the hospital getting checked out because of how much pain I was in and the weight that I have lost so quickly.  Come to find out I have worms, amebas, and a parasite... That is why I have dropped so much weight so fast.  But please don't worry about me I just wanted to give up an update. We realized that the filter in our house was over like three years old and so that is where they think I got all these joyful gifts! 

Sister Labigan was supposed to be baptized last Saturday but got called into work and so she couldn't come. But she is on track for this Saturday to join the Borlause family to make it a six person dunk! haha this is going to make our baptism total 8. The coolest part about all these numbers is the fact that this area has been dead and hasn't had a baptism in over a year and a half.  We are about to get 8.  The Lord sure has blessed us as missionaries for our obedience and faith. I love this work so much!

So here is one other real quick, funny story.  So we had my big bug bites checked out at the doctor while we were there and come to find out they were not just mosquito bites... I had bed bugs in my bed and have been getting eaten alive for the past two transfers. Ha lets just say the mission bought me a new mattress that day! haha well I always said that I wanted to be able to tell my kids some crazy mission stories!  And man will I have some! 

So last week we had zone interviews with President Schmutz and he gave me a great blessing to get over all the sickness and in the interview he said how proud he is of me for only missing one day when most missionaries would have just laid in bed for the last few weeks and not worked. He said that he bets I have some amazing parents and an amazing father who taught me to just man up and get to work. I told him that he was so right and that I was always taught that we don't quit anything we start no matter how hard it gets. I'm not a quitter and there is no way in the world that I am going to start now!  I love this work way too much.  President said that because I have showed him how strong I am and how hard I work that he is sorry but I may have a few hard transfers coming up, because both him and the Lord have realized that I am the kind of person that has potential to help not so great elders get back on track. I laughed and said that I will work anyone that needs to be worked hard hard just send them my way!  I realized the other day though how much I am going to need the Christlike attributes while working with harder elders.  This is going to be a great challenge and a great growing experience. I have realized how much better of a husband I am going to be to my wife because I have had to learn how to cope with another person who knows just as much as you do, but still to be able to put your minds together and become great!  I am learning so many things here on this mission it blows my mind the blessings that Christ is sending my way! Just pray for me though please! We all know how my temper can get and how little patience I can have at times! I am going to work really hard though and keep my mindset that there is no such thing as a bad companion!  Ha we will see what I am saying here in two weeks after me and Elder Garver go our separate ways! 

I just finished Jesus the Christ today in part of my personal study and man did I get a lot out of that book!  I have learned more about the life of our Lord and the attributes that he carried with him.  I have learned how to better treat people and how to handle myself when people don't really like us. I had a crazy experience with a drunk guy and how he hates the Mormons and wants nothing to do with us.  That is ok because he wasn't the one that we were teaching but he just came up and started yelling at me! It was really funny.  I have made a lot of progress on the language, but man it sure is getting to be frustrating still not being able to have a normal conversation with people.  If anyone has time in their personal studies to really dig down through the gift of tongues maybe some talks or scriptures and could help me to add to my studies that would be great!  I have really grown to love to read! yes mom and grandma you heard right! Elder Shelley loves to read and may be joining the book club of Jo and Jana! haha I know you guys wouldn't really like the things that I have been studying though at nights. It is a lot of deep doctrine stuff that has just blown me away! I can't wait to be able to come home and to go buy a few of the books that they have at Deseret

Family, I love you so so much! I hope you all feel that through these emails. I live for p-days because I get to read your testimonies and to feel of the joy and love you have for me!  Thank you so much for that. Kadon I am so glad that you found that letter. I remember the night I wrote it to you!  I wish I would have followed through with what I said in it, but hey it's the past and this is now. I did realize though as I read your letter that I have been begging for your forgiveness but never have given you mine. Kadon I forgive you for everything!  You were a kid that loved life and just wanted an older brother. I should never have tried to make you grow up any faster then you wanted to!  I have no bad feelings anymore and I truly look forward to the day that we get to hang out again. Cause bro trust me!  I will have been craving chicken wings for two years! We are going to be hitting up native and catus moon like every day! I have 65 pounds to gain back! haha just kidding I love this weight being gone but we are so going to native! 

So this is my testimony that our Lord Jesus Christ lives!!! He loves us and wants us to come back to him!  Through my personal studies I have come to realize that we all have the ability to see the savior in this life!  There is a process to being able to though!  We first must have the spirit- which we all do. The next step is ministering angels. Then after that the Lord will minister to us himself!  It is all in 3rd Nephi when the Lord comes to those people. To me I hope my ministering angels will be Grandpa Shelley and our other ancestors!!! I pray to be able to talk to Grandpa every night! I know that if I live my life to the fullest extent that is possible it could happen. I don't know about all of you, but I would love to be able to have the savior minister and teach me here in this life!  It is possible, all we have to do is live our lives in a way that is acceptable in his eyes!  Joseph Smith said that everything that he experienced in his life we can experience in ours! I plan on seeing that promise through!  I love you so much and love this work and gospel! Shall we not go on in such a great a cause!?

Love,
Elder Shelley


pictures: 1. sunset in Bogo, Philippines
                2. Mackay with Pres. & Sis. Schmutz
                3. Borlaus family wrote on their walls in permanent marker: we love Elder Shelley 
                     & Elder Garver!