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
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