21 years old

6/20/11
We had an all mission conference this last week to say goodbye to our mission president and his wife as well as to the Connecticut Hartford mission. As of today all of our records are now part of the Boston Mission and we have electronically made the switch to the new mission even though our mission president doesn't go home until next Monday. We'll get texts from our new president, President Evans, about transfers and will have a huge all mission conference with the almost 200 missionaries in our new combined mission on the 30th of June, next Thursday. I am probably staying here in Hartford to finish out my last 6 weeks here but President Evans is making a change in every single companionship to pair us up with missionaries from the other mission to fully integrate us, so there is a chance that I'll be moved. If I am transferred I won't leave Hartford until the 30th of June and if you plan on sending me anything in the mail that week then you should send it to the new mission office address:
Massachusetts Boston Mission Office
182 West Central Street
Suite 203
Natick, MA. 01760
I can't believe that my mission president is really going home! I guess it made our goodbye easier knowing that he'll be at my homecoming in August but it's still strange to think that everything is changing. It's good in a way because it will really keep me on my feet these last few weeks that I have left so I'll be able to make the most of them. I attached a picture that I took at the conference with President and Sister Pehrson.

I love them so much! We had great occasion to celebrate this past weekend in particular because it was Sister Pehrson's birthday on the 18th, mine on the 19th, and it was father's day, so we had a party at the mission home last night for cake and ice cream.

I attached a picture of us sitting in their house last night and singing hymns. I was at the piano in the corner and you can't really see me in the picture, but it was a great gift! We just sang our favorite hymns for a while and President Pehrson shared some 'last words' with us. It was a really good birthday. Other birthday activities included going to church and having a lot of investigators there and visiting a recent convert who has changed a lot since his baptism. The mission is so great...

I included a picture as well of Elder Downs and I at the Capitol here in Hartford. We're 'showing a little leg' because we're cracking a joke about our mission president who sits like that sometime, that is, showing just a little leg. He thought we were pretty funny.
Just a brief note about when I come home: They do transfers in the Boston Mission on Thursday, so I will be flying home on a Friday. I officially fly home on Friday, August 12th. That's just FYI. I'm not trunky. That's impossible.
Missionary story of the week: We were eating dinner at a member's home last Wednesday who invited a couple of non-member friends over. One of them, Maria, was particularly interested in our message and what we had to say. She recently had injured her leg pretty badly and it was pretty swollen. She was scheduled to see her doctor on Friday to discuss the possibility of surgery. She requested a priesthood blessing and we gladly offered her one. We felt the spirit very strongly and blessed her that she would recover. We then taught how we were able to do so because of the restoration of priesthood authority through the prophet Joseph Smith. We received a phone call from the member who is good friends with Maria last night telling has that Maria is really excited to meet with us again this week at her home. She saw her doctor on Friday who was shocked that her leg had miraculously recovered and told her that surgery wouldn't be necessary. I was touched and grateful to my Heavenly Father. I know that priesthood power has been restored and that it is very real. I know that the spirit inspires us as we are engaged in God's work to bring to pass His will in His way.
I love my mission.
  with much love from your favorite elder,
       -Elder Shepherd