9-24-12

 Dear Family! 

     

So a little about the area. I honestly don't have much to say... This has been a very, very humbling transfer because this week we honesty taught a total of 5 lessons but worked our butts off every day trying to get into homes or even just to have a conversation with someone about the gospel! Nobody would give us the time of day this week and so we have set a few new goals and actually felt like we needed to rededicate our home and the area to the Lord and then see the miracles start to come from that!  We are very excited for this up and coming week. We are really trying to not get down on ourselves even though we feel like we are doing something wrong and that there is something we need to learn from all of this. Daljodh canceled on us three times in a row this week. He wasn't feeling very well and so he canceled on us.  It's ok though because he is still willing to meet with us and so we will see how that goes.  The best part of this week though was the chance that we had to go to the temple!!! It was such a spiritual experience that I will never forget it. The Oakland Temple is something that I have loved for the past two months on the outside and have really looked forward to going inside. As we were sitting inside the temple I realized just how special the temple is to our lives and to the family. I am so happy and excited for the Carpenter's and like you said mom- can't wait until our entire family is in the temple together. I know that the church is true and that as we strive every day to become more like Christ we will see more and more blessings come into our lives!  Thank you all so much for your examples and for your testimonies! Please prepare for conference and be prepared with questions and things you would like to learn. I know that you will learn and have your questions answered!

Love,

 

Elder Shelley!

9-17-12

Dear Family, 

  So the work is still super slow here but we are working super hard! Daljodh, the guy from the gas station, is really doing well. We have met with him two times a week and even got him to the visitors center this weekend and he loved it! He said that he loves the things that we represent and our morals and so that he is really looking into it. He is seek and so we really don't understand too much about his religion we just know that he wears a turban and that his family is very into that religion. We are a little worried that he is more just interested in the church to learn about it more then to convert, but we are going to keep working hard with him and see how it all goes.  He is the one in the picture.  

Poor Elder Roberts this week tried to cut his own hair which really is not the biggest deal- we all cut our own hair to save money. But he got a set of clippers from our Chinese district leader and didn't know that they were different then American clippers. American clippers are made in cm where these ones were in mm. So he sets it to a three and then goes right down the middle of his head. All I hear from the other room is "OH NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  He had a reverse mohawk!!! I have never laughed so hard in my life. Cutting your hair that close is against the rules but there was honestly nothing he could do about it after, so he had to shave it all off. hahahahahaha The zone leaders were just kinda like well there is nothing we can do but wait for it to grow out again. Our members have really got a kick out of it this week. haha Poor guy. He feels so dumb but has just excepted it. 

Honestly there is really not much more to write about. We have been working really hard and are just waiting to see the Lord set fire to the area. We know that it is going to happen and so we are just sitting and waiting for it to all happen.

   Well, every one- I need to go but thank you so much for the love and for the prayers! I am really, really thankful for everything that you do for me! I hope you know that the church is true and that I am in the Lords work! I am about done with reading the Book of Mormon again under the topic of faith! I have really gained a testimony of faith and how as we put our faith in Christ there is nothing else that matters! He will take care of the rest as we put our full faith in him! I love this church so much and I love this work! Thanks again for everything you have done! 

Love, 

Elder Shelley

Pictures: 1. First day with Elder Roberts w/zone leaders

               2. Elders Shelley & Roberts with Daljodh at the temple

               3. Elders Shelley, Jones & Killpack with Noushil at the temple.

               4. Elders Roberts new haircut

               5-7. 50's room in a members home

9-10-12

Dear family,

     So we are here in the Hayward area and I am absolutely loving it! Elder Roberts is such an awesome elder and he is a really hard worker but also knows how to have a good time. He is from Spanish Fork, Utah and knows the Mt. Pleasant area pretty well- so we have that in common and that's cool. He is a hunter and golfer so that is something that we have in common. We were super bummed when we found out that there isn't a golf course in our area though... There is a driving range so we may go hit that but we will see.  We live like right on the boarder of the mission. When we go to FHE for the YSA ward we actually have to leave the mission to get to the bishops house. haha it's a weird feeling. We literally can't go across the street to the subway because it is outside the mission boundaries.  Kinda crazy.

      So the area here in this area is at the moment really slow.. We worked our butts off this entire week and no joke only taught four lessons.. It is so crazy that you can work as hard as we do but to not get in to homes. It's so crazy! But yesterday at church we actually got 4 really solid referrals from members and they even called the people and set up the lessons for us! So amazing when ward members understand what their role is. We also met a really cool guy at a gas station last night at like 845. I of course had to pee really bad and haha didn't know if I was going to be able to make it home so we stopped in and after I came back out the guy who was working the cash register asked us if we taught about the Bible. We told him that we did and showed him the Book of Mormon also and he got really interested. He was telling us that all his friends smoke and drink but that he has always felt like those things were bad and not good for our bodies so he doesn't do them! He set up a lesson with us on Tuesday and so we are really looking forward to meeting with him. He seems like he is really going to go far and so that is super cool! 

      Yes mom we eat with members like every night. Once in a while we will have to eat at home but over all we get fed like every dinner.

       As we finished up our transfer in Walnut Creek we did end up going to the temple and that was an amazing experience. Mikayla didn't end up showing up but Noushil did and he absolutely loved the temple. He felt the spirit really really strong and kept thanking us for bringing him there. He still wouldn't except abaptismal date for some reason but we feel like he will have one within the weeks and so that is super cool. I hope that him and Mikayla will get baptized this transfer so that we can go back for them! We will probably just drive there ourselves because members wouldn't want to drive that far. We could ask though.

 Well I have to close for now. There are a lot of missionaries that are waiting to email. I have some sweet pictures to send but there is a rumor going around that we are not allowed to email pictures home so we are going to call president and see what is going on with those. I hope that that is not true because I love to email the pictures to you guys. One of the members have an amazing 50's room that they have built and they have a super old record playingjukebox  and a lot of super cool coke things that I took pictures of! If i am allowed to I will email them home next week. Hey there is a family that is going to be coming to Mesa to the temple in late October and they would like to meet up with you guys and say hello. They are flying there but said that they would love to bring back letters or what ever they can put in their bags back to me. So I will get you more info on that later when it gets closer to the date. Kadon that is awesome about your Go Kart. You will have to send me some pictures so that I can see it. Dad about your scooter too! I want to see some pics! You andKadon just drive that around and leave my truck alone!!!!!! hahahahaha

      Well please always know that I know that the church is true and that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God! I was happy to hear that you have taken my challenge. I know that it is going to bless your lives so much and that as you keep reading and studying from the book that you will grow spiritually. I am so happy to hear that the family is doing well! Hello out there to Unkey and Aunt Lissa's family and the Aunt Kim and Shane's also! Love you all and hope that everyone is doing well and is staying close to our Heavenly Father! Nothing else matters in this world! 

Love, 

Elder Shelley

9-3-12

Dear family!

So it has been decided that I am going to be being transferred! I am going to be going to Hayward! I honestly have no idea where that is hahaha But my new companion's name is Elder Roberts and I will be the jr comp. We serve in a SA ward which is a single adult ward ages 30 and up and then in a family ward too. It should be a super good time and I am very excited to work in a normal companionship again. We have all settled our differences here in the threesome but at the same time it is honesty just really hard to teach when there are three of us. Today we went to the institute for Pday and played pool and ping pong for a few hours and then I BBQed some brats and a few huge pieces of Salmon that we got from a member who fishes in Alaska! So we had a blast cooking up some food and just relaxing for our last P-day together. I leave for the new area tomorrow morning. We will meet at the mission home at 9am and then leave from there. We will have a car still and so I wont need any money for a bike.

 I know that hunting season has opened up so just curious to see if any birds have been brought down?!?! Spencer shoot me some pictures if you go out hunting! My comps usually are interested in that kinda stuff so if any of you guys go- shoot me a few pictures! Should be a good time and Spencer if you ever get your eagle done =P shoot me a pic. of your new shot gun and the detail on it!!! You know I love guns and love to see new ones! haha

Kadon: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry that I don't have a card or anything to send, I ran out of time today because I was packing up for transfers! Maybe I can go grab one next week and get it off for a late bday present! hahaha looks like the marching band is doing well! Keep up the good work. I know it's hard but it will all pay off in the end I promise!

The Lord has truly blessed us here in the mission field. We have really been working on finding new people to teach since it seems like everyone that we find drops us within a week or so. But we found a young girl named Mikayla (yes that is how you spell it hahaha) who is 18 and is a cousin to one of our members. We tracked into her the other day and she was very interested in the church. She already has a baptismal date for the 29th of September. If it goes through I should get to come back to the area for it! I hope all goes well. We are going to take her up to the temple and visitors center tonight and so that is going to be a very spiritual experience for all of us. It is the first time that I have gotten to take an investigator to the temple so I am very excited! Ha it still blows my mind that me and mom were just here a little over a month ago. One of the sister missionaries here even remembers us coming in and the senior couple that is here said the same thing! Crazy stuff. We are going to show her the Statue of Christ, Joseph Smith movie and then walk up on top of the temple! It is going to be at night and so all the lights from San Fran will be on and we can look out over the bay! I am really looking forward to it.

We finally got a hold of Kevin last night! Something told me as I was sitting there writing in my journal that he would answer so I picked up the phone kinda doubting since we have literally called him like 500 times the last two weeks. Well I need to trust in the Lord a lot more because he answered. He wasn't very excited to talk to us though.. He has been going through some pretty hard times with his family lately and said that he has been sick. We asked him if we could come and meet with him one of these nights and he said that he would call us when he has some spare time. I am not sure that he will ever call us back but at least we followed the prompting and he now knows that we are thinking about him and that we love him and are here for him.

 

Noushil, our indian investigator, has been doing much better. He is progressing again through his scripture study but will not come to church until he can get a better job.. He says that he knows God will get him a better job which is good but he sort of expects it to all work out without him really doing much of anything and so he will not come to church or really read too much because he is just sitting around waiting for this miracle to happen and a job to fall out of the air. He has great faith but we all know that faith without works is dead! He hasn't quite picked up on that yet and so we will continue to pray for him! He is a great guy he just needs to get his head on straight and show Heavenly Father that he is willing to put forth an effort to come to church and then to start putting in job applications. He is going to try to come to the temple with us tonight and I think that that is really going to help him have a spiritual experience and maybe start working a little harder on finding a job and getting to church!

Well I know that all of your birthdays have passed but since your just now going to party I will say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope that you all have a great time and enjoy yourselves! Like Kailei said in her letter, know that I am happy and strong here in the work of the Lord! I am working harder then I have ever worked in my life and I am striving every single day to come closer to my Savior and to know him personally! I know that he lives. I know that he loves each and every one of us! Like we have been telling investigators the last few days: the Lord did not command us to baptize or convert anyone. All he commanded us to do was to invite others to come unto him. It is our salvation that is at stake if we do not invite. Not only is it our salvation but it is the salvation of those we come in contact too! I know that when I stand at the judgement bar of God that I do not want to have to answer for those that walked past me that I did not at least invite! Zone conference was absolutely amazing!!!! I took so many notes and I honestly wouldn't even know where to start on explaining what happened there. It was a lot about inviting others and about our role as missionaries. Sorry that I didn't have time to write more about it but trust me when I tell you that the apostles of the Lord are called of God! Through them we are able to know what it takes to return to our savior at the end of this life! I love this Gospel so much and I am so proud to say that I along with Kailei can testify of its truthfulness. It is such a blessing the be able to have her out at the same time. It may be hard to not be able to see each other for a while but I know that we are all being so blessed for our service! Hahahahaha also I am so glad to hear that she is having a few of the same experiences that I had in the mud of the Philippines! I know how it feels to lose shoes in the mud! I feel your pain my sister! hahahaha but those will be the times that you cherish more then anything! Such amazing opportunities that come our way as we serve the Lord! 

Tell Landon and Shana that I am proud of them and so happy that they are happy! Tell the ward how much I love them and pray for them daily! Thank you all for everything you have done for me! I love the Lord and pray that we will all continue on the straight and narrow paths. I don't want to lose a single one of you ever! Do whatever it takes to stay on the path! If you are lost at all go to the Lord in prayer and get back! I have been lost before- trust me! I have been in darker places then I ever care to be in again! But I know what the dark looks like! I have been there. If there is ever anything that I can do or advice that I can give to any friend or family that reads this please email me! We need to all work together to make sure that not a single member of our family is lost! I love you all so much! The Book of Mormon is the word of God and we should be in it every single day! Don't miss a day! I have promised the Lord a half hour a day other then my personal study time! I know that it is a challenge and I have to give up some lunch time or personal time but it is so worth it. I challenge everyone that reads this to be in the BOM for at least a half hour a day with me! Let me know how it goes. I promise that if you will make this sacrifice that you will see the blessings of Heavenly Father pour out over you and the family! Thanks again so much for your love and support!

Love always!

Elder Shelley

pictures: 1 & 2-Elders in his zone

              3-Zone activity-plan of salvation in sidewalk chalk

9-1-12

Here is a picture that we received from the mission president. This was taken Aug 8, 2012-the day Mackay arrived in Oakland. The order of the picture: Sister and President Meredith, Elder Shelley, Elder Jones and Elder Killpack.