email 7/8/10
I couldn't email on Monday because apparently we celebrate the 4th of July on the 3rd and the 5th, so OF COURSE the libraries were all closed. Tuesday we had zone conferences, and yesterday I had appointments scheduled for every hour of the day already (both a good and a bad thing), so I'm emailing on Thursday, and I will email again on Monday. Weird.
I think the founding fathers would be pretty shocked and a bit ashamed to see the way people celebrated the 4th of July here in Providence. There were lots of murders, lots of drinking, lots of car accidents, and trash EVERYWHERE the next morning. Everyone had hangovers the next day as well, so the whole city seemed to be a little lethargic. We deemed it kind of stupid to be out on the streets at the time, so we retired to our apartment early that evening (it was a good choice). "Happy Birthday America! Sorry that your party was so lame." (Who can guess that movie quote?)
This week was really cool because Elder Dowdy finally got here, and my threesome split up. It was bittersweet. I loved the threesome, and I'll miss it, but I'm excited to be in a normal companionship for the first time. I've been in a foursome for 4 transfers, a threesome for 3 transfers (including the MTC), and I've yet to be in a regular companionship, but I'm stoked for it. It's been a whole lot less hectic with just 2 of us, and I find it much easier to focus. I'm really glad that my teaching pool survived the split between the 2 new areas, and that I still have tons of work to do up in North Providence. This week has been really productive so far, and we still have lots of good things set up for this weekend, so all is on the 'up and up'.
I had a pretty cool experience this week when I found a woman, Luz, on the street to whom I just gave a card for a free video of Jesus Christ, and set up a return appointment. We showed up at her house for the appointment, and she actually led us to her daughters house so that we could teach the 2 of them together. We had a really good lesson with them as we watched the church video "Together Forever" and taught them about God's plan for families. Luz loved what we were teaching, and mentioned to me before we left that first appointment that she had been searching churches her whole life trying to find the 'truth' and had pretty much given up her hope when she saw me in the street. She said that the only reason she invited me back was because she was so blown away by how nice and sincere I was. She said that she'd never seen such a countenance in someone before, and even though she was weary of hearing about religion, she knew something was 'different about this one', just because I was nice to her. I have a testimony that there are honest truth-seekers from all different walks of life and circumstances. They are all around us, and they are kept from the truth only because they know not where to find it. Some are actively seeking for specific answers, and some just don't know what to look for. As members of this church, I pray that all of us may be more conscientious of the opportunities around to us to share the gospel in simple ways. Just being a 'nice' or 'happy' person may be the clue that people see about you that leads them to investigate the church. You don't have to proselyte, but you should always be a witness of Christ, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Being a witness of Christ is both profound and very simple, but whatever you do just 'let your light so shine before men... that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven." Being a witness of Christ, in many ways, involves little more than just being good to people.
I love this Gospel, and I love this wonderful opportunity I have to be a special witness of Jesus Christ. I know that this church is true, and I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
With much love from your favorite elder,
-Elder Shepherd
Friday, July 9, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
No more threesome?
email 6/28/10
Well, Maria passed her baptismal interview, but her family continues to play this hypocritical role by telling her that they're 'understanding' and 'accepting' of her decision to be baptized, but also telling her that she's not allowed to be baptized. She said that, no matter what, she's being baptized 1 month from now. The only reason her family wants her to wait is so that they can try to fill her with anti-Mormon garbage and get her to change her mind, like they've been doing since the beginning. Oh well, Maria stays strong and does everything she needs to do. We just pray that 1 month will be a very short time.
Elder Russell's unfortunate companion who has been stuck in the MTC for the past 4 months is finally coming to Rhode Island this week. His doctor cleared him today, and he's flying out tomorrow. Elder Russell is pretty excited to finally have his trainee here, and we're pretty excited to be able to split up our 'huge' area into 2 'manageable' areas again. I'm getting a completely fresh area that hasn't even been touched yet. I'm pretty stoked—there are a lot of things I want to do with it. First thing: I'll be working on starting up a teaching pool from scratch. It's both exciting and daunting, but I'm looking forward to it. Elder Cohen is really excited to get out of the threesome so that he can take as long as he wants in the bathroom in the morning again. He'll learn to speed up once he gets transferred to a foursome.
I've been translating again the past 2 Sundays, but from Spanish to English. We've had stake high councilmen visiting our ward, and I've been translating in the meetings for them. It's really different translating from Spanish to English instead of English to Spanish—it works my brain in a TOTALLY different way. I'm getting pretty good at translating, though. I hope to continue to be able to practice translating—it's a really useful skill that the Lord has blessed me with. It's still REALLY difficult to translate in real-time, especially when a Dominican or Puerto-Rican is speaking, because they speak really fast with really terrible accents where they slur all of their words together and truncate syllables. Yuck! Sometimes, Americans are just as terrible to translate for. I never realized how fast we speak in English until I had to translate. I've gained a much greater appreciation for public speakers who can pace themselves and speak clearly from the pulpit—they are few and far between.
Elder Russell has been sick for the past couple of weeks with some stomach problems, and several times this week he needed to stay home for the afternoon. We got really organized with our ward missionaries and members, and we went on TONS of splits and exchanges. We actually got a lot accomplished despite the setbacks. It's been really fun to branch out and teach with other people too. This Saturday, we organized an afternoon where all the elders in my district and I are going on splits with young men from the ward. We've all got appointments set up to see either investigators or less-active families, and we hope to motivate the young men to serve missions. If all works well with this activity we plan to do it once or twice a month.
We're just getting ready to split the area, and not too much else happened this week, but this week should be pretty crazy. With the 4th of July coming up this Sunday, there's a lot of cool things that the city or Providence is doing. There is so much history here, it's insane. That's one thing that the West Coast sure doesn't have. I would still rather live in the West, though. I'm so happy to be where I am and to be doing what I'm doing. I'm really living the dream out here in Providence. This is truly the 'promised land'.
With much love from your favorite elder,
-Elder Shepherd
Well, Maria passed her baptismal interview, but her family continues to play this hypocritical role by telling her that they're 'understanding' and 'accepting' of her decision to be baptized, but also telling her that she's not allowed to be baptized. She said that, no matter what, she's being baptized 1 month from now. The only reason her family wants her to wait is so that they can try to fill her with anti-Mormon garbage and get her to change her mind, like they've been doing since the beginning. Oh well, Maria stays strong and does everything she needs to do. We just pray that 1 month will be a very short time.
Elder Russell's unfortunate companion who has been stuck in the MTC for the past 4 months is finally coming to Rhode Island this week. His doctor cleared him today, and he's flying out tomorrow. Elder Russell is pretty excited to finally have his trainee here, and we're pretty excited to be able to split up our 'huge' area into 2 'manageable' areas again. I'm getting a completely fresh area that hasn't even been touched yet. I'm pretty stoked—there are a lot of things I want to do with it. First thing: I'll be working on starting up a teaching pool from scratch. It's both exciting and daunting, but I'm looking forward to it. Elder Cohen is really excited to get out of the threesome so that he can take as long as he wants in the bathroom in the morning again. He'll learn to speed up once he gets transferred to a foursome.
I've been translating again the past 2 Sundays, but from Spanish to English. We've had stake high councilmen visiting our ward, and I've been translating in the meetings for them. It's really different translating from Spanish to English instead of English to Spanish—it works my brain in a TOTALLY different way. I'm getting pretty good at translating, though. I hope to continue to be able to practice translating—it's a really useful skill that the Lord has blessed me with. It's still REALLY difficult to translate in real-time, especially when a Dominican or Puerto-Rican is speaking, because they speak really fast with really terrible accents where they slur all of their words together and truncate syllables. Yuck! Sometimes, Americans are just as terrible to translate for. I never realized how fast we speak in English until I had to translate. I've gained a much greater appreciation for public speakers who can pace themselves and speak clearly from the pulpit—they are few and far between.
Elder Russell has been sick for the past couple of weeks with some stomach problems, and several times this week he needed to stay home for the afternoon. We got really organized with our ward missionaries and members, and we went on TONS of splits and exchanges. We actually got a lot accomplished despite the setbacks. It's been really fun to branch out and teach with other people too. This Saturday, we organized an afternoon where all the elders in my district and I are going on splits with young men from the ward. We've all got appointments set up to see either investigators or less-active families, and we hope to motivate the young men to serve missions. If all works well with this activity we plan to do it once or twice a month.
We're just getting ready to split the area, and not too much else happened this week, but this week should be pretty crazy. With the 4th of July coming up this Sunday, there's a lot of cool things that the city or Providence is doing. There is so much history here, it's insane. That's one thing that the West Coast sure doesn't have. I would still rather live in the West, though. I'm so happy to be where I am and to be doing what I'm doing. I'm really living the dream out here in Providence. This is truly the 'promised land'.
With much love from your favorite elder,
-Elder Shepherd
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
No longer a teenager
I am no longer a teenager as of last Saturday, and I just wanted to thank all of you who let me know it in a special way. I owe shout-outs to Janice and Matt for the tie and 'goodies', my Uncle Alan and Aunt Shirlene for the awesome granola, Dennis Randall for the card and love, and mom and dad for the CD's, bubbles, and 'dulces' (Spanish for candy). I had a really good birthday!
I also owe a shout-out to all the fathers - Happy Fathers Day! It was an eventful week!
We got 14 new missionaries in our mission this week, which means that almost every companionship in the mission was effected by the recent transfers. My threesome still remains intact while we wait for Elder Russell's companion to finally get the OK from the doctor in the MTC to say that his knee is healed. In the meantime, we still cover 2 areas, and I've got my work cut out for me. With all the new challenges and difficulties we faced this week, there was a comparable amount of blessings and divine intervention to supplement. Maria still wants to get baptized this Saturday, but her family broke into open opposition this week. She expressed her feelings and concerns with us, and we reassured that God would strengthen and uplift her as she did her best to live His will. She has no doubts about the church, and she's already put up with a lot of adversity. She's ready to make this step and be baptized. We continue to pray that her family will be more understanding, and that Maria will have the courage and strength she needs to do what she knows is right.
A lot of learning Spanish is simply picking up accents. I find it really funny that I've picked up a lot of different Spanish accents. I can speak very clear/correct Spanish, but when I'm with Dominicans, I can speak like the Dominicans speak, and when I'm with Guatemalans, I speak as the Guatemalans do. I speak pretty good Mexican and Puerto Rican Spanish, but I still refuse to speak Cuban Spanish--it's absolutely horrendous. El Salvadorian Spanish is probably the clearest Spanish that exists out here. Andy tells me that Uruguayans speak really well, but I haven't met any yet, so I wouldn't know. I was recently talking to a man who spoke Portuguese, and I was shocked by how well I could understand and communicate with him. Spanish and Portuguese are really similar, and yet, so different. I'm going to try and pick up some more Portuguese while I'm out here.
Elder Russell bought a GPS this week, and we had a lot of fun with it. We put in the addresses to all of our members and current investigators, and color coded them with different colored flags so that we now have a virtual map of the area. It's REALLY useful, especially when an appointment cancels, because we can then pull up our map and see who is close by and who is our highest priority at a glance. It's the future of missionary work. When my kids are serving missions, they'll probably 'download' their ward directories and areas onto a standardized, missionary handheld device that will act as their map, cell phone, GPS, etc. I've got a lot of cool ideas about technology and missionary work, but I'll probably have to wait for technology to catch up with some of them.
I love the mission, and there are a lot of good things happening in my area right now. I know that God answers our prayers in the way that's best for us, and I thank all of you for your prayers on my behalf.
I love you!
-Elder Shepherd
I also owe a shout-out to all the fathers - Happy Fathers Day! It was an eventful week!
We got 14 new missionaries in our mission this week, which means that almost every companionship in the mission was effected by the recent transfers. My threesome still remains intact while we wait for Elder Russell's companion to finally get the OK from the doctor in the MTC to say that his knee is healed. In the meantime, we still cover 2 areas, and I've got my work cut out for me. With all the new challenges and difficulties we faced this week, there was a comparable amount of blessings and divine intervention to supplement. Maria still wants to get baptized this Saturday, but her family broke into open opposition this week. She expressed her feelings and concerns with us, and we reassured that God would strengthen and uplift her as she did her best to live His will. She has no doubts about the church, and she's already put up with a lot of adversity. She's ready to make this step and be baptized. We continue to pray that her family will be more understanding, and that Maria will have the courage and strength she needs to do what she knows is right.
A lot of learning Spanish is simply picking up accents. I find it really funny that I've picked up a lot of different Spanish accents. I can speak very clear/correct Spanish, but when I'm with Dominicans, I can speak like the Dominicans speak, and when I'm with Guatemalans, I speak as the Guatemalans do. I speak pretty good Mexican and Puerto Rican Spanish, but I still refuse to speak Cuban Spanish--it's absolutely horrendous. El Salvadorian Spanish is probably the clearest Spanish that exists out here. Andy tells me that Uruguayans speak really well, but I haven't met any yet, so I wouldn't know. I was recently talking to a man who spoke Portuguese, and I was shocked by how well I could understand and communicate with him. Spanish and Portuguese are really similar, and yet, so different. I'm going to try and pick up some more Portuguese while I'm out here.
Elder Russell bought a GPS this week, and we had a lot of fun with it. We put in the addresses to all of our members and current investigators, and color coded them with different colored flags so that we now have a virtual map of the area. It's REALLY useful, especially when an appointment cancels, because we can then pull up our map and see who is close by and who is our highest priority at a glance. It's the future of missionary work. When my kids are serving missions, they'll probably 'download' their ward directories and areas onto a standardized, missionary handheld device that will act as their map, cell phone, GPS, etc. I've got a lot of cool ideas about technology and missionary work, but I'll probably have to wait for technology to catch up with some of them.
I love the mission, and there are a lot of good things happening in my area right now. I know that God answers our prayers in the way that's best for us, and I thank all of you for your prayers on my behalf.
I love you!
-Elder Shepherd
Thursday, June 17, 2010
I'm staying in Providence
email 6/14/10
I'm officially staying in Providence. Elder Russel's companion is still recovering from a broken knee in the MTC, so we'll still be in our threesome until he come's out. We get the news today on when he'll come out, but it looks like we'll be in the threesome for at least 2 more weeks. Our district leader is leaving, and I'm the new district leader of our Spanish district. All of the other elders in my district are younger than me, and I only have 10 months in the mission, which means we'll be a pretty 'young' district. I'm the only elder who understands all of what's going on at church and in our meetings every sunday, since everything is in spanish and the other elders are all still learning. I'm really excited for this opportunity to stretch myself. This will be a really good transfer.
I'm not sure yet how I feel about turning 20 this week. I won't be a teenager anymore, which is cool, and at the same time, I feel like my childhood is somehow being taken away from me. The up's outweigh the downs, and I'm overall looking forward to it.
The weather has been mostly decent this week. It's been rainy on and off, but it's also been in the 60's and 70's, so it hasn't been too terribly hot. I continue to learn more and more how much Elder Russel and I are pretty much the same person, including with our new work-out routine how a couple mornings a week we wake up a little early and play tennis. We're a pretty even match, and we've had tons of fun doing it. Now that it's the summer, we can get out of the apartment to work out in the mornings. It opens up so many possibilities.
Life is super awesome, and we're still looking forward to Maria's baptism this next weekend. Her 16 year-old son started coming to church with her, so we're starting to teach him as well. Her husband still doesn't want to talk with us, but he's totally fine with Maria's decision to get baptized. Maria is cruising through the Book of Mormon, and she takes in tons of information. When we came in for our appointment this week, she began by saying,"You know, I mentioned to some of my friends at work that I was going to be baptized, and they told me that I needed to know some things about the mormon church before I went any further...etc..." I thought to myself, "Oh no, her friends fed her lies and hurt her faith..." Her friends told her that high ranking officials in the church still practice polygamy in secret and have 4 or 5 wives each stashed away, along with other garbage. I was kind of worried as she related to me what she'd been told by her friends, so I explained the truth and where the rumors probably originated from. I asked her if she felt that the Book of Mormon was true. She replied immediately, "I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true." I had nothing to worry about after all. As long as you know that, there is NOTHING in this world that can lead you astray. I explained to her the connection, and she beamed in agreeance. "I know that if they would read the Book of Mormon, they would know too." She's got it.
With the knowledge that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it was translated by God's prophet to usher in this last dispensation comes the realization of the truthfulness of the Restoration. It's the key of our religion because without the Book of Mormon we have no claim to modern prophets, revelation, priesthood keys, etc... It's SO simple- FAR more simple than we make it out to be sometimes. It's true or it isn't-black and white. If it is, then this church, as well as everything that accompanies the message of the restoration, is true. The real thing that sets God's church apart from any other church of men is because it is built upon the rock of Jesus Christ, which means that a continual source of revelation from the Savior has guided this church since the beginning. This church is just someone's 'best guess' at what ancient volumes of scripture contain and signify. We aren't just doing what we do because it 'says so in the Bible/Book of Mormon'. If this church does something, it's because that's what God would have it do. That's the key, that's what is so special! God speaks continues to speak to us, and He guides us, even now. I love the scripture is 2 Nephi 29:9 that says, "I (God) speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever." God is still doing His work today, and in order for it to press forward and function, His children are in CONSTANT NEED of divine revelation, inspiration, and guidance. More scripture comes forth daily as God speaks to His children, and an open canon of scripture in our day and age continues and set's God's church apart.
I love the work I'm engaged in, and I live every day "rejoicing that [I am] counted worthy to suffer shame for [Christ's] name', just like Peter and John in Acts 5:41.
I love you all, and I'm grateful for the prayers. Keep on keepin' on!
-Elder Shepherd
I'm officially staying in Providence. Elder Russel's companion is still recovering from a broken knee in the MTC, so we'll still be in our threesome until he come's out. We get the news today on when he'll come out, but it looks like we'll be in the threesome for at least 2 more weeks. Our district leader is leaving, and I'm the new district leader of our Spanish district. All of the other elders in my district are younger than me, and I only have 10 months in the mission, which means we'll be a pretty 'young' district. I'm the only elder who understands all of what's going on at church and in our meetings every sunday, since everything is in spanish and the other elders are all still learning. I'm really excited for this opportunity to stretch myself. This will be a really good transfer.
I'm not sure yet how I feel about turning 20 this week. I won't be a teenager anymore, which is cool, and at the same time, I feel like my childhood is somehow being taken away from me. The up's outweigh the downs, and I'm overall looking forward to it.
The weather has been mostly decent this week. It's been rainy on and off, but it's also been in the 60's and 70's, so it hasn't been too terribly hot. I continue to learn more and more how much Elder Russel and I are pretty much the same person, including with our new work-out routine how a couple mornings a week we wake up a little early and play tennis. We're a pretty even match, and we've had tons of fun doing it. Now that it's the summer, we can get out of the apartment to work out in the mornings. It opens up so many possibilities.
Life is super awesome, and we're still looking forward to Maria's baptism this next weekend. Her 16 year-old son started coming to church with her, so we're starting to teach him as well. Her husband still doesn't want to talk with us, but he's totally fine with Maria's decision to get baptized. Maria is cruising through the Book of Mormon, and she takes in tons of information. When we came in for our appointment this week, she began by saying,"You know, I mentioned to some of my friends at work that I was going to be baptized, and they told me that I needed to know some things about the mormon church before I went any further...etc..." I thought to myself, "Oh no, her friends fed her lies and hurt her faith..." Her friends told her that high ranking officials in the church still practice polygamy in secret and have 4 or 5 wives each stashed away, along with other garbage. I was kind of worried as she related to me what she'd been told by her friends, so I explained the truth and where the rumors probably originated from. I asked her if she felt that the Book of Mormon was true. She replied immediately, "I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true." I had nothing to worry about after all. As long as you know that, there is NOTHING in this world that can lead you astray. I explained to her the connection, and she beamed in agreeance. "I know that if they would read the Book of Mormon, they would know too." She's got it.
With the knowledge that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it was translated by God's prophet to usher in this last dispensation comes the realization of the truthfulness of the Restoration. It's the key of our religion because without the Book of Mormon we have no claim to modern prophets, revelation, priesthood keys, etc... It's SO simple- FAR more simple than we make it out to be sometimes. It's true or it isn't-black and white. If it is, then this church, as well as everything that accompanies the message of the restoration, is true. The real thing that sets God's church apart from any other church of men is because it is built upon the rock of Jesus Christ, which means that a continual source of revelation from the Savior has guided this church since the beginning. This church is just someone's 'best guess' at what ancient volumes of scripture contain and signify. We aren't just doing what we do because it 'says so in the Bible/Book of Mormon'. If this church does something, it's because that's what God would have it do. That's the key, that's what is so special! God speaks continues to speak to us, and He guides us, even now. I love the scripture is 2 Nephi 29:9 that says, "I (God) speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever." God is still doing His work today, and in order for it to press forward and function, His children are in CONSTANT NEED of divine revelation, inspiration, and guidance. More scripture comes forth daily as God speaks to His children, and an open canon of scripture in our day and age continues and set's God's church apart.
I love the work I'm engaged in, and I live every day "rejoicing that [I am] counted worthy to suffer shame for [Christ's] name', just like Peter and John in Acts 5:41.
I love you all, and I'm grateful for the prayers. Keep on keepin' on!
-Elder Shepherd
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
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!
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
Thursday, June 3, 2010
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
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.
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
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
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