The Lord is my Shepherd‏

email 6/7/10
This week was another week full of hard work. We were on our bikes a lot this week, and we put a lot of miles behind us. I'm getting in really good shape here in Providence! The humidity is the thing that killed us this week. The temperatures were only in the mid 80's, but the air was very thick with moisture. We get out of the shower in the morning and we never get dry for the rest of the day. I prefer the dry heat to this nasty, muggy air.
Virginia was baptized this Saturday by her son, Daniel, whom we baptized 3 weeks ago!

It was a really awesome experience to see Daniel receive the priesthood and then be able to exercise it to baptize his mother. The blessings are pouring down upon us in Providence, and I couldn't possibly be happier. I kind of think that I'm really spoiled as a missionary. Elder Russell likes to remind me that, "We're not spoiled--we're blessed!"  Either way, we're living the dream here. I included pictures of Virginia's baptism and of my district here. We're a pretty wild bunch of elders (In a good way).

I feel like I just emailed all of you yesterday--this week went by really fast. We're doing a lot right now to get our ward mission plan moving along. This ward has 3 companionships of Spanish elders in it, 2 companionships covering the city of Providence, and 1 companionship covering Central Falls, another small nearby city. We have about 20 called ward missionaries in this ward, and only 6 or 7 of them are active members. We're focusing our efforts on the 15 or so that don't come to church... I kind of feel like the bishop is just tossing out ward missionary callings to all the less-active members to force us to reactivate them. It's not a bad idea to get them to spend more time with the missionaries; we want to reactivate them and help out the ward.  It's just that this ward functions very differently from any other ward I've ever been in. It's slightly dysfunctional just because most of the members are 1st generation members of the church who don't have any experience; so they were all tossed into the refiner's fire right off the bat. I love the ward, and the people are angelic, but we just have to be on our toes to make sure that everything runs correctly and that false doctrine isn't taught in the gospel principles class every week. I'm not complaining. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this ward and the members. It's just different--but I like different.
I only have 1 more week left in this transfer cycle--transfers are on June 15th. There's a 99.99% chance that I'm staying here in Providence. Of course, we're still in our threesome, and there's a shortage of Spanish missionaries in the mission, and we don't know if our President will send one of us away and leave just 2 of us to cover the 2 areas here or send another missionary to split up the area into 2 different areas again. We're already short on the number of Spanish missionaries we're supposed to have to support the areas we currently have, so there are several 'zebra' companionships right now with 1 English and 1 Spanish elder paired up to cover 2 areas and 2 wards at the same time.  I'm really interested to see how this next transfer cycle is going to play out. Anyway, it's safe to say that I'm probably staying here. FYI= If anyone plans on sending me mail or packages, I have a new address that you need to send it to:
304 Pearl Street #203
Providence, Rhode Island
02907
You know, just in case you wanted to send me something... (It's my birthday on June 19th... if you wanted to know.)
I have seen so many blessings and miracles since I got here in Providence, and I continue to see more every day. I know that the Lord takes care of His servants, and He will always sustain them in their hour of need. I reflected a lot recently on a Psalm 23 in the bible, which reads "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want..." The psalm is beautiful, but this line in particular stuck out to me. What does it mean to 'not want'? Certainly, there are a lot of superficial things that I 'want' but am not blessed with, but I don't believe that granting our every whim is what the psalmist meant by that phrase. When the Lord is my Shepherd, and I am one of His fold, He will truly lead me to feed in green pastures, where the still waters flow, meaning that I will never be found 'wanting' in that I will have the necessities of life as well as the tender love and care of my Shepherd. I will always have what I need, and I will always be content and happy with what I have. It gives me a lot of comfort as I see the world in the scary and chaotic state that it's in today to know that I need not fear as long the Lord is my Shepherd and I am His sheep. Important question: How do we know if we are His sheep? "And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice...My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.." Follow the voice of the Good Shepherd! Familiarize yourself with His voice by communing with him, reading the scriptures, going to church, crying unto Him in prayer... Pay attention to how He responds, and you will find that He ALWAYS answers you, and He ALWAYS leads you in the right path, but you have to do the following and follow Him. He cannot and will not force any man to heaven-you have to want it. If you want security, peace, happiness, and love now and in the eternities, use your agency and follow Him, and He will always take care of you.
I love my Savior, and I know that He lives and loves us, and guides us through His living prophet, and of this I bear you my witness.
I love you all so much, and I thank you for the prayers and your continued support.
            -Elder Shepherd

Good Wednesday‏

email 6/2/10
We couldn't email on monday-it was memorial day and all the libraries were closed. Yesterday, we were in zone conference all day, so I didn't have any time then either. I hope you enjoy your wednesday email this week.
I attached a picture of my district at the baptism of Daniel Ferrufino. We baptized him 2 weeks ago, and he received the Aaronic Priesthood this last sunday.

 He will be able to baptize his mom, who we've been teaching and will be baptized this week. The church is so awesome. The other picture is a picture of us at Brown University, struggling to find where our referral lives... Elder Russell is the one with the confused look on his face and the map in his hand.

My mission president is a pretty funny guy. You may all remember the story I told this last week about our little midnight 'excursion' to Vermont on accident... President Pehrson was never mad at us-he laughed the whole time about it. He gave us a pretty hard time this week in zone conferences though. We were the butt of every single joke. He just smiled at us the whole time, admitted that we deserved the jokes, and reassured us of his love and sense of humor. I don't think I'll ever live this one down.
This week was a very productive week. We taught tons of lessons, and we're constantly busy in and out of teaching appointments. I've never been happier in my entire mission, yet I'm also working harder than I've ever worked. It's funny how that works, huh?
I was teaching a woman last night who is just cruising through the Book of Mormon. She's read from the beginning to Alma 7 or 8 in 1-2 weeks, and she has a baptismal date for the end of June. We taught her along with one of her friends who was visiting her at the time, who is a devout Jehovah's Witness. Her friend came with her New World Translation of the Bible, willing to listen, but was really confused when we pulled out the Book of Mormon. Throughout the course of the lesson, we used scriptures from both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and her whole attitude about this foreign volume of scripture gradually changed, particularly as we read from Alma 7 about the Atonement. She really enjoyed verses 11 and 12 in chapter 7 of Alma as it described how Christ would suffer pains and afflictions that He might now how to 'succor' or help us according to our needs. She's not interested in reading the Book of Mormon for herself as she declined our invitation to do so, but her perception at what the Book of Mormon actually was changed a lot, and we planted a seed there.
I've had lots of opportunities similar to that, to teach people of many different faiths and backgrounds about Jesus Christ, and I'm absolutely convinced, more so now than ever, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ satisfies every need, fills in every gap, and is the power of God unto salvation to all ends of the earth; furthermore, that mankind will grow closer to Jesus Christ by reading and abiding by the precepts found in the Book of Mormon than any other sacred tome or volume or writ know to the world. The Book of Mormon is true, and stands as a solid, undeniable witness to the divinity of this latter day work which the Church of Jesus Christ, through its members, the Latter Day Saints, engage in. Jesus Christ lives and guides this church, and we invite all ends of the earth to learn of their Savior and Redeemer, and to 'drink freely' from the living waters and partake of the bread of life.
I echo the response that Nehemiah had to those who wished to do him harm and halt the progression of the reconstruction of Jerusalem when he defiantly exclaimed, "I am doing a great work, and cannot come down." I am engaged in a marvelous work and a wonder, and I serve to fulfill my duty to God, to bring to pass His will upon the earth. I couldn't possibly be happier doing anything else right now.
Life is good, the work is hard, and I'm happy. Thank you for the prayers offered in behalf of the missionaries and our investigators-we feel your faith sustain and lift us. I love you all.
           -Elder Shepherd

A long, dark drive in the woods...‏

email 5/24/10
This week was a week full of ups and downs. Elder Russell and I both got sick this week with some virus, and that makes missionary life terrible. You can't work while you're sick or you won't get better, nor do you have much of a desire to get up and go when you're in pain and tired. There isn't anything for a sick missionary to do. Luckily, our zone leaders live in the same apartment complex as us, so Elder Cohen went on splits with the Zone Leaders so that we could still make it to all of our appointments and visit our investigators while Elder Russell and I stayed at home. That's another bad feeling while you're on a mission-when you have to stay at home or rest. It makes you feel like you're not working hard enough, even though you know you're giving it all that you've got. Satan's tools are discouragement and self-pity, so it's just as much of a spiritual battle as a physical battle when a missionary is sick in bed. Thankfully, we've been blessed richly, and we continued to do great work, and are currently continuing to do that same marvelous work.
We still did really well this week, and we set baptismal dates with 2 more of our investigators. The work in Providence is amazing-the field truly is white and ready to harvest here. We have a large teaching pool, a solid core of progressing investigators, and many of whom are, or will be shortly, moving on to take the step of baptism and confirmation into the true church of Jesus Christ. This is a work filled with great joy-I couldn't possibly think of a happier way to spend your time. We are involved in building the kingdom of God on the earth, and our work, all day, every day, consists of sharing a message about the greatest happiness that you and I will ever know. I've come to learn, feel, and cherish that message with all of the blessings that accompany it, and I couldn't be happier. I always thought that the Atonement of Jesus Christ was just for the sinner, to heal the wounds of the sinful soul and to allow for restitution with God. While it's true that the Atonement does all of those things, I know now that it truly does so much more. The Atonement allows for the enabling power of grace that makes us steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works. The Atonement fills in every gap and every hole with mercy and love, infinite and eternal. All that is unfair or seemingly unjust about life is made right through the Atonement of our Savior. Furthermore, the Atonement makes it possible for those who have been sinned against to experience fully the sweetness forgiveness and the power to become whole again. The Atonement isn't just for the sinners, a means to avoid the full punishment of a wrathful God, but it's so much more than that-it's based on love, and functions through MERCY. Each and every one of us, members and non-members, sinners and the sinned against, the high and mighty to the weak and poor in spirit, experience the Atonement in our lives, and we tap into an infinite source of strength and love as we accept and apply the principles of the Atonement in our lives. I know that the Atonement is real, because I enjoy the blessings and grace of God EVERY SINGLE DAY, as do you.
If there is anything in your life that isn't love, it's not worth keeping. Simply let it go. Letting go seems to break your heart... Though it can heal you, it seems slow to start. You can't change what has hurt you so, but you will heal if you will let it go. Let Him into your lives this week.
Story Time: Yesterday was stake conference for the Providence Stake, but our stake conference was in a building in the south-east corner of Connecticut. We had to drive up to Bloomfield later that afternoon for a musical fireside, and we were already half-way there after stake conference, so we talked with our Mission President to see if we could head up to Bloomfield a little early. He was fine with it, and we ended up meeting him at the mission home, and we spent the afternoon with him in the mission home. We then left to the fireside. It was  the 2nd of 3 musical firesides that our mission is performing throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island. The performance in Bloomfield last night was amazing, and the spirit bore powerful witness to all of us there of the divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the many ways in which he can help and bless us. It was especially awesome to have had my Uncle Alan and Aunt Shirlene in attendance with their family. I got to talk to them after the performance and catch up with them a bit. Anyway, it's a 2 hour drive back to Providence, and we didn't get out of the fireside until 9 PM. I didn't know how to get back to Providence from there, so my companion got some driving directions from the mission president and we went on our way. Of course, as we were hopping onto the freeway, my companion told me to turn left when I should have turned right, and we ended up heading north when we should have been heading east. You have to understand that it's a dark, cloudy, misty night, and there are HUGE trees towering both sides of the road, and I have NO idea where we're going, so I put full trust in the driving directions we'd gotten. About an hour later, we realized that we didn't recognize any of the names of the exits anymore, so we called some other Elders for some help. They looked us up on their GPS, and it turns out that we wound up in the north-west corner of Massachussetts, almost to Vermont. We freaked out, turned around, and finally found our way home after a very long detour... We got home about 1 in the morning. As we related the experience to President Pehrson late last night and again this morning, we were very grateful that he only chastised us for not being more cautious and aware of where we were going, and decided to laugh about the experience. I'm glad he was able to laugh about it, because I was mortified. It made a really good journal entry...
Anyway, I'm safe, I'm healthy, and I have satisfying and meaningful work to engage in. I'm living the dream.
 I love you,
            -Elder Shepherd

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

Mothers Day‏

email 5/10/10
So it was nice to call home on Mothers Day. As a missionary, it's kind of weird to call home and talk to everyone-it seems so foreign, even though it still hits so close to home for us. It was really cool to be able to talk with Matt and Andy in Spanish-that was a blast! I can't wait to come home and talk exclusively in Spanish with them so that no one will be able to understand us. It sounds like that family back home is doing really well.
Everything is going really well in Providence, Rhode Island as well. It's not nearly as ghetto here as it was in New Haven, but there is still TONS of hispanics to talk to. Providence is a HUGE city, and it's normally covered by 2 different companionships: we have a Providence North area and a Providence South area. I'm in North, but the elder in South, Elder Russell, was supposed to be training an incoming greenie, but his greenie broke his knee in the MTC just before coming out, and so Elder Russell was landed in a threesome with Elder Cohen and I. So now, I have 2 huge areas with a huge teaching pool to look after. The other 2 Elders were companions in the MTC together, and they're both 3 months younger than me in the mission, so I have to be the senior companion and work it all out. It's been an interesting situation this past week, but my companions are both really good elders, and we're getting along just fine. We're still waiting to see if Elder Russell's greenie might come out in 2 weeks or so, but they're not sure if they're going to send him home or not. We just have to wait and see.
Elder Russell is pretty cool. He's from Spanish Fork, UT, and comes from a really great family. We instantly clicked-we're both really similar. He plays piano and sings just like me, and he plays saxophone-he even played tennis in High School. We both like the same music and get along great.
Elder Cohen is from Sacremento, CA, and he's a convert of about 2 years to the church. He's jewish, and, of course, everyone in his family for generations is jewish. His parents are currently being taught by missionaries in California, and he told us this last night as he spoke to them on mothers day that they're both reading from the Book of Mormon and they love it. Elder Cohen is awesome, and he and I will work really well together. He wants to work really hard and he knows why he is here.
The work here is progressing really rapidly, and it's awesome to be a part of a spanish branch. We always had to translate in New Haven, because we had a mixed english and spanish ward, but here we have a spanish branch. It was awesome to go to church in spanish for the first time! I'm so stoked to be here!
I couldn't be more sure of what I know to be true. I know that this church is the only church on the face of the earth that is guided by Jesus Christ Himself through a living prophet. This church was restored to the earth through Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon is the crystal clear evidence that we can hold in our hands and examine. The Book of Mormon is a true book, a volume of holy scripture, written by ancient prophets upon the American continents. As we come to know that the Book of Mormon is true for ourselves, we become convinced of every other truth that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ has to offer. Every single revelation and act of the church ever since has been guided by that same Authority, even Jesus Christ, and the whole of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the truth. It is the reign of God established anew upon the face of the earth. We hold all the priesthood keys and authority necessary to run God's affairs on the face of the earth, and we do so justly in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Of these divine truths, not only do I have no doubt, but there is no room for doubt in a world of shifting values and moral relativism. To God we must be true and consecrate our all, including our time, talents, and lives. This is the testimony of God that is in me, revealed through the power of His Holy Spirit, and I echo the testimonies of all those who have gone before in defiance of the very powers of Satan rearing his ugly head in the rhetoric and wisdom of the world. I witness of the divinity of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and I testify that He fulfilled the sacred mission of taking upon Himself the burdens of sin heaped upon all of mankind. Only in and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ do we even have the slightest speck of hope or happiness in this life, and in the life to come. To this I have consecrated my life, and to this I will be true.
I love you all so much, and I pray to our loving Father in Heaven for your health and support.
                 -Elder Shepherd

Finally Leaving New Haven

email 5/4/10
7 months in New Haven is finally coming to a close. I got my transfer call last night, and tomorrow I leave for Providence, Rhode Island. My new address will be:
733 Douglas Ave. #6
Providence, Rhode Island
02908
It's bitter sweet to be leaving New Haven. I have fallen in love with everything here and I have gained so many valuable experiences. The members here have been awesome, and I'll miss them a lot, as well as all my current investigators. They all cried when I told them that I was leaving-it made me kind of sad, but I also felt pretty loved. I guess I did do some good here after all.
We had a BAPTISM YESTERDAY!! WOO!! Veronica and her daughter Digna were baptized yesterday! The baptismal service was incredible, and their determination and drive to endure to the end is outstanding. The ward and the Lord will take good care of them. My heart couldn't be more full. I'll miss them a lot, but I'm glad that I got to be here and play a small role and be a spectator in their ongoing conversion process. I'll send pictures...
Well, the weather here has been really wet and hot. The weather outside is similar to the atmosphere of your bathroom after taking a really long, really hot shower-it's muggy and hot, and you inhale a lot mist. There have also been some very sunny days, and I'm enjoying the beautiful weather. I'm probably going to ruin all my white shirts this summer by drenching them in sweat... I'm not looking forward to that.
I'm swiftly running out of time on this email. I love you all, and I'm grateful for all the prayers and support that you've given me. New Haven has been wonderful, and I'm excited to begin a new journey in Rhode Island this week. I know that God loves us and answers our prayers. I have felt this sustaining love and the enabling power of grace provided through the atonement uplift me through my most difficult trials.
        With much love,
            -Elder Shepherd

Reaching Out

email 4/26/10
ransfer calls are this next week again, and I don't know how much longer they'll leave me in New Haven. I surely will go wherever I'm called to go, but I'm really attached to the people and the ward here, and I want to continue serving here. We'll see how it goes down this next week...

We should witness the baptism of Veronica and Digna this next sunday! We had some wonderful lessons with them this week, and they are both very excited and ready to move forward. I got to translate for Veronica as she had an interview with the bishop of our ward here (I never thought that I would be fluent enough to translate from spanish to english or from english to spanish on the spot...) She's been through a lot in her life as her mother left her family when they were young and as she now tries to raise her 4 children away from the influence of her drunk ex-husband. She's a very strong woman with a lot of faith in God. That's what gives me the most sollace concerning her- she has an abiding faith in Jesus Christ. No one wants to see my investigators get baptized as much as I do, but surely, there is something that I want for more for them than that. More than baptism, I want my investigators to have an abiding faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement. Everything else follows that principle and seed of faith. I am confident in her determination and sincerity.

I feel, as I imagine my mission president feels in his stewardship over dozens of needy missionaries, that, at times, my life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds. I've built strong and lasting relationships with so many people here that I could never give each of them the amount of attention sufficient to reflect my love and concern for them. I do my very best to give them the time and attention they deserve, but I only ever get 1 or 2 45 minute appointments with them a week, and some not even that. Therefore, I always let them know how much I love and care about them every chance I get. We all have a great responsibility as far as stewardship is concerned whether it's in our families, work, or callings. There is a consequential insufficiency of time to accomodate all such demands as we would like, but that is why we must set priorities and take advantage of every second of time that we have. My hope and desire is that I may be a blessing to others and not a burden. In short, I yearn for the emulative character of a disciple of Jesus Christ, not in word only, but in deed, soul, heart, and mind.

For example, I only have very limited amount of time to email weekly, and I don't have time to write all my thoughts or feelings to all those to whom I wish to respond; nevertheless, my heart and prayers reach desperately out to all of you. You are constantly in my heart, and I appreciate so very much your prayers and thoughts in my behalf.

With all the sincerity that my mortal frame can muster, I strive to be a true under-shepherd of our Shepherd, and seek the one amongst the ninety and nine. My zeal faintly resembles that of Alma in the 29th chapter of Alma when he exclaims "O that I were an angel and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!". I do not aspire to position, rank, or 'greater calling', and yet, I have a desire to stretch forth my voice unto all who will listen.
Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. He lives and guides His church through His living prophet and apostles. He restored His church in it's fulness to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith, and has blessed us with sacred volumes of holy scripture that we may study and prove for ourselves. I know that this work is true and marvelous.

       I love you all!

         -Elder Shepherd