10-8-12

Dear Family!

Yes this is my 20th birthday P-Day!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahaha I know that I don't turn 20 until Friday but hey when you only get one day a week to really do what you want to we are going to live today up. I did get my box and even though I was super tempted to open it I didn't..... hahaha I know mom and Grandma are going to be proud of me! We are going to go over to a western wear store today. I want to get a new button down with the $20 that Grandma Shelley put in my account! Tell her thanks by the way. I got her a letter off the other day thanking her for the pictures and the time that she put into helping dad do that! I was so happy to get those pictures! It was life changing to see them! 

We don't have a ton of time today to email because we are going to have a bbq for the last p-day of the transfer as an entire zone. It should be a good time. They didn't know that i enjoy bbqing so they had already asked one of the other elders to cook and he was really excited to try. Haha I heard the word try and said oh boy we shall see how this goes! =P just kidding- well if they feel like they would like a little Red Neck thrown into the meat I would be happy to help. It will be a really good time to spend time with the zone and enjoy a Pday together.

So the area this week was a pretty good one again. We found 2 new investigators and so hopefully we will get at least one more transfer together so that we can see this area really start to take off. Marlin Jefferson is doing sooo well. He has completely quite smoking and has been sober for 12 days so far. That is the longest that he has been clean for 20 years he said. He used to smoke a pack a day- at least and so you can see the power of the priesthood can really change lives! I absolutely love this man and his family. We found out last night that he has an 8 year old step daughter that has been waiting for three weeks to be baptized because she wants to be baptized with Marlin or her daddy as she told us last night! It was sooo sweet. She was telling us that she was so proud of him for not smoking anymore and that he was her hero! He started crying and told us that he has never been happier in his entire life. He doesn't read very well because his eyes are really bad. But he told us that he wouldn't read the Book of Mormon but that he would listen to it on tape. Well we went over last night and on his desk was a large print Book of Mormon! He said that telling the missionaries that he wouldn't is not how he wants to start his membership and so he had sent his wife to find him a copy with print big enough that he could see it! He is so prepared! 

So I want to wrap this email up with my testimony of conference! I am super sad that I forgot my notes at the apartment and so I am going off of just memory and we all know how bad my memory is- but we will try! haha I loved the talk about manning up! I think back to the old days when a hand shake was a binding document. Now unless you get it in writing it means nothing- even with the writing sometimes it doesn't matter. I am with Elder Christofferson when he said that it is great that women are now stepping to the plate and really taking charge and not letting guys run over them and tell them what to do, but at the same time that doesn't give the men the right to just sit back and become lazy good for nothings. We have a solmon responsibility and calling as priesthood holders to stand up and be men! We need not be above or below our wives but equal partners with them in raising our children and getting everyone back to heaven together. I love that! I also really loved the talk by President Monson when he said that men can change! I love that! I have not had the greatest past but as we go through life and apply the atonement into our lives we can change and become better. I know that I didn't change as much as I wanted to when I came home from the Philippines but this time around I was able to learn from that and I am setting goals for myself that are really helping.  I am not even close to the person that I was when I left home 2 months ago. I have grown so much and have really worked hard to become the person that my Heavenly Father wants me to be! I love serving him and realized that what I want in life really doesn't mean much. I need to stand up and answer the call that is being handed to me! I am so excited to hear that the age for missionaries has come down! I think that there are so many 18 year old guys who could really do some great work for this gospel and for the sisters that is going to be such a blessing to them! They won't have to choose between marriage and a mission anymore because they can leave at 19 and come home 21 just like an elder could! They will be able to gain amazing experiences and grow to be even stronger in the faith and be more prepared to be a mother and a wife! I know for a fact that this is going to seriously bless the missions all over the world! I look forward to seeing how many more missions and mtc's open up all over this world! Oh and what about the Tucson Temple!?!??! No body said anything about that!!!! Haha Us Arizonans must be doing something right!!! hahaha I love this gospel so much and can't wait to be able to drive all around Arizona and enter the temples that are being built! 

My testimony is still the same that this gospel is true! I love it with all my heart and would not change where I am for anything in the world! I was able to finish my 2nd journal of the mission field so far! I am so excited to start my third. It is a lot bigger and thicker so I hope I will be able to finish it by the end of my 2 years! The Book of Mormon is the word of God and through our Prophet and Apostles we are able to receive modern day words and lessons to apply to our lives! Please study your notes from conference and apply everything they talked about! I love you all so much and have enjoyed the emails and letters. Please keep writing them- you have no idea the joy that comes to see a letter in the mail. hahaha It is like Christmas morning every night when we open the mail box! I just wish i could write back faster to everyone! I am trying though! Love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Shelley

Mackay had asked Don for some pictures of Grandpa Shelley (He passed away when Don was 16). Mackay has always felt a special connection to him and as you can see placed his picture in a very special place.

Picture: Mackay's two favorite men