Providence is the bomb

email 5/17/10
Providence is sweet! All the other Spanish missionaries agree that Providence is the 'promised land' for Spanish missionary work. The city is huge, and there are few white or black people--just Hispanics. I'm speaking WAY more Spanish here than I was in New Haven, and it's a really nice shift in gears. The Spanish ward here is stellar, and I love going to church in Spanish. The ward definitely functions differently and has its quirks (every ward is unique in one way or another) but it's a good kind of different. The Spanish community out here has a really big heart. They're very understanding people, and they're accepting of anyone and everyone. If we bring a new investigator to church we don't have to worry about them not making friends, because the second they pop in the door there are already several members there striking conversation and making them feel welcome. It's also really nice to be in a ward where I have a unique musical talent again-nobody else here plays piano, whereas in New Haven there were many Yale students who played piano, so at least I got that going for me right away. It was a nice ice breaker this last week as I got to know a lot of the members after I played in sacrament meeting. They sure do appreciate the spirit it brings, and I sure love the opportunity to serve and be the Lord's instrument.
Musical missionary opportunities have actually culminated recently with a mission musical fireside that we performed yesterday. A group of musically gifted Elders and Sisters in our mission got together and put together a musical program focused on the Savior, and we performed the first of our 3 performances last night in Woodbridge, Connecticut. I played organ for the program and sang a solo. All the missionaries in that zone brought investigators and members to the program, and it was a hit. It was awesome to see a lot of the people I knew from New Haven there as well (It's nice to know that they still remember me after 2 weeks and that they miss me.) We'll perform the program again this next Sunday for the Hartford area in Bloomfield, CT. There is something special about music-it speaks to us in a way that our hearts and souls are touched. It's true that some of the best sermons ever preached are through music. I certainly felt that way during our program as I sat in tears of gratitude at the spirit that overcame me as I listened to other elders and sisters bear their testimonies through music. Music is no invention of man, nor can man claim hold upon this talent as if he somehow owns it; it's a tender gift from God.
I had a pretty moving experience this last week as I taught an inactive member family in our ward here. It was Saturday afternoon, and we had a lot of appointments scheduled back to back all day, so we were in somewhat of a hurry to teach this particular family a short 15-20 minute message and get on our way. Toward the end of our brief message, we addressed a concern they had, and I got the most powerful spiritual impression that something was seriously wrong in their home. We had already wrapped up the lesson and were leading into our closing prayer, so we were swiftly in and out of the house. I felt like we had merely chipped the tip of an iceberg, and that were was a very grave problem yet to be discovered. The impression bothered me the rest of the day, and we'd already set up plans to see them the next day after church. However, Sunday morning before church we got a call from the wife who was frantic and in tears and told us that she needed our help right away. We left church with a member of the bishopric accompanying us, and we rushed to this woman's home, finally acting on the prompting I'd received the prior afternoon. To our dismay, we discovered in speaking with her that her husband, who wasn't home at the time, had been violently abusing her and degrading their 4 children, all under the age of 7, for at least 3 or 4 years. She was torn with both her fear and love for him, typical of any battered wife, and she pleaded for council. This time I was able to open my mouth and let the Holy Spirit guide, and we were able to sort out the situation. She took her 4 kids and left the home, and is currently living with a friend until she can get a flight to South Carolina to be with her mother. This experience is one of many that has taught me that the Lord truly speaks to and inspires His authorized servants on the earth, and He does so for the benefit of His children. He inspires men and women to do His will, and I'm grateful for the men and women in my lives who have acted on spiritual promptings to reach out to me in my own times of need. I seek more to console than be consoled, but we are all both givers and receivers in life at times. Ultimately, we are given every good thing we have from God anyway, so let us be a bit more giving of these 'free' gifts.
Our investigator Daniel Ferrufino was baptized on saturday and confirmed yesterday. He has a rock solid foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, and he'll be a great strength to the people here in Providence.
I pray for all of you every day, and most of you by name daily. May the Lord bless you.
With much love,
        -Elder Shepherd