Goodbye Mexico - Hello Kansas!

Finding Dean on the map.

Good Morning from Kansas!

That's right, I'm out here in Kansas in the Lenexa Stake, and to be honest I didn't know that until yesterday. It has been really crazy this week, and in all honesty, it has been pretty rough. This may not be quite as happy as my other emails, but it will most definitely have some important things to take into consideration and also just enjoy.

 

Last Group Photo from the CCM in Mexico City

First of all, last email I was back in glorious Mexico where it was 70 degrees every day and just perfect. I spent last Friday night making a tour of my casa to have for posterity and friends and all that good stuff, so I'll probably attach that at the end as well as resend my Google drive link. I may have accidentally broken my mirror, but you know, esta bien. Life is good. We had TRC again on Saturday which was good. Elder Rich and I were only able to teach one person, but we taught an older lady and were able to have a really good conversation about the gospel and temples in our lives. I took a grammar test to see how well I'd used my time at the CCM basically, and came out with a good ole 69% Shout out to Hermana Hoopes who is also in the 69 club! I was pretty pleased by that even though it wasn't the greatest. We hit up dinner early to check out the cinnamon roll situation. Esteban pulled through of course. We ate dinner with Jimenez which was really sweet, and afterwards, we snuck out a bag of cinnamon rolls, a Costco bag of croutons, and a carton of cookies that the comedor had so graciously provided us. Jimenez gave us some inspirational talks as we ate cinnamon rolls. I may have shed a tear or two, but I only cried out of my right eye so everyone on my left couldn't see. We then met his novia which was really sweet. They gave us some guidance and support on cute little cards. I'll sure miss that man. We then had zone class. Elder Hamp and Elder Alsop taught about the spirit which was really great. It's always important to work to have the spirit in our lives at all times, and we can't take for granted the ability to have the Spirit as a constant companion. I and 11C ended the night with the traditional Rap Roast of sorts. I don't happen to have a video of that but I will send it as it becomes available time me. We had a tie swap that night and I gave Elder Alsop a nice massage because his back has been no good. Sunday was real sad. It was our last full day together. Elder Hamp and Hermana Feser gave some great talks in Sacrament meeting, and later that afternoon we had exit interviews which were really good. The rest of the day we just tried to spend as much time as possible together, we signed ties and journals and other things for each other. Gave letters, and did lots of crying. After devotionals, we went back to a classroom and sang together, cried together, and said zone goodbyes one last time. We had to walk back home and say goodbye to our Hermanas one last time too which sure sucked. I miss my district a lot, so after those last goodbyes, it was all downhill. 

Monday I said goodbye to Elder Hamp and Elder Alsop. Then it was just Elder Rich and I. We learned and practiced a ton of Spanish those last two days but it just wasn't the same. We ate alone most days, but we were lucky to be in a full Latino district out last day. Hard to understand but we learned a lot. Two long hard days for sure though. Monday morning we got up and cleaned and headed out at about 1 in the morning. We sat at the airport for about 4 hours after a 20-minute drive so that was fun. We arrived in Missouri about 2 I think and got picked up by the President and others. We had about (23?) new missionaries come in the same time so we stopped at the temple to take a picture and then went to Liberty Jail for lunch and a tour. It was a cool experience and super spiritual. I love those chapters of the Doctrine and Covenants and being in the spot where the revelation was received was super cool. Afterwards, we went to the Mission home, did some interviews, ate a yummy dinner, and ended the night with a little devotional. That following morning was another incredible breakfast: waffles and fruit, and then we headed right for transfers to get out companions. I told President Love about my relation to Clint and Sherrie (and Barb and Ben) and he was very excited and announced it to all of the missionaries and trainers.They announced all the companionships, and you guessed it, I got put with the shortest of them all, probably of the Sisters even, and I hope he sees this in thirty years and laughs. My companion is Elder Roberts and he is great. He's full of energy and everyone just loves him. He's also nice and easy going with everyone but always laughing which I love. We get along really well so far and I look forward to the time we have together.

Darn, this team not in the superbowl, either.

 That night we got right to work after I'd unpacked. We went to a member's, Sister Cosby's, and she cooked us a huge meal. It was the best first day I could've asked for, and so you may be thinking to yourself "why is this gonna be a bad email?" Well, I'll tell you. After dinner, we went out in the 10-degree weather and tracted for an hour or so. Tracting has been really tough for me and I've felt awkward and intrusive especially when we do it at night. I'm trying thebe better but it's just my least favorite part of the work and doesn't always feel right. I did use my Spanish at home which was a highlight because we started and the man said he only spoke Spanish, so Elder Roberts just turned to me and I started going. That was cool. We got a couple of return appointments as well. I also knocked a door a was confronted by a man who stabbed a very large camp knife into his door. I just continued what I was saying without hesitation, and as he slammed the door Elder Roberts and I just laughed. Then we got picked up, grabbed warmer clothes, and went to another home. Jim and Tiffany are quite interesting, but I helped him make some egg salad sandwiches. We ate and talked and I shared a short scripture. It was all pretty good, and I retired to bed nice and worn out. My tummy started to really hurt then. Like bad. I got to sleep but not for long. Long story short I was up 6 times, throwing up and lying on the bathroom floor, sleeping about 2 total hours maybe. That morning I lost it a couple more times. Entonces, I have now lost ten on those fifteen pounds I had gained. I spent the entire day in bed. I barely ate. Not fun.

Send snacks! They have to cook for themselves.

I was really losing motivation to be here and was just out of it. The last few days of work have been long, slow, and cold. People don't like to be bothered at home and tracting is just not something I'm confident or comfortable with yet and it's been kind of a struggle for me. Oh, I didn't mention yet, but we are full-time walk so we usually walk about an hour to get to most lessons. All in all, I've missed home a lot and had some really rough days. Days of doubt, fear, and frustration but I will keep moving forward. Hopefully, today is a good break too.

Here's our mailing address:

13345 West 88th Circle Apt F Retreat at Woodridge 

Lenexa, KS 66215.

Thank you for your love and support,

Elder Shepherd

PS If you haven't received emails and would like to, just let me know. I hope they have worked every week

PPS In the words of Elder Hamp "Its fetching cold!"

Last Week in Mexico!

Overall, this week was a pretty generic week in terms of schedule. Grammar has been the main focus and I think I've been working on about seven different tenses which is all in good fun. On Sunday I was able to pass the sacrament for the first time since being here, which is always a special experience. Later in the meeting, Wallace and I were called on to give talks to the zone. We killed it, as you surely knew. Bearing testimony and teaching in Spanish is a really special experience, and President Henrie complemented me on the way I present my testimony which was really good to hear. Between our meetings, Bennion and I demonstrated and practiced baptism in Spanish. Again, what a cool experience. I think its incredible that we take the time to learn another language so that we can share the beautiful message of Christ with everyone. Everyone needs that joy and love in their life, and what a blessing it is more me to have the opportunity to serve the Lord and spread that love to everyone. Oh gosh, we got our travel plans early in the week and Elder Rich and I leave Wednesday morning at 1:00 AM, and everyone else leaves on Monday. That day will not be any fun with the whole district gone, but what can you do. On Tuesday our district helped new missionaries to move into their casas. I got a cart full of different Hermanas bags, and let me tell you, this bad boy did not drive straight. I lost some bags trying to flip the cart around going down a ramp, but that was only my first mistake. I had to gather everything back up, and by the time I had done so I was way behind the pack. I had to catch up, and so I tried. Endonces, I lost all the bags across the cement. I started pushing as fast as a could, yet almost immediately the darn thing swerved off to the side, and in trying to save it I sent all the bags skidding across the cement. Way to go me. A couple other satisfactory additions are as follows:

1. It is true. I weighed myself finally and have officially put on about 15 pounds.

2. I committed Hermana Wallace with the following: Consumirá maíz esta noche?

3. We begged Esteban to make us more cinnamon rolls and he finally gave in.

4. I gave Elder Alsop and Elder Hamp Massages

Lastly, I want to conclude with some testimony. We watched the Restoration movie of Joseph Smith at a devotional and it really struck me. Along with that, I reread the general conference talk by Tad R. Callister. Both of these are huge testimonies of the validity and power of the Book of Mormon and Restoration. Why would an uneducated man dedicate his life to a lie, sealing it with his own murder? The power and perfect ability the Book of Mormon has to answer our questions and ease our soul is undeniable. I love reading from the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Jesus the Christ every day, as they testify of the wonderful works and miracles of Jesus Christ. In no way does any contradict the pure and infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ and his love for us. I can know of a surety my purpose and ability to learn and grow to become more like Him. He knows every doubt, every fear, every frustration, pain, and sorrow, and if we simply turn to Him, we can feel of His love for us. I have felt it now more than I ever have before because I have given of my life to be so close to Him. This scripture was huge in getting me to the field, and I´d like to share it with you now. Mathew 10:39 - He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

God’s Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon

https://www.lds.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/gods-compelling-witness-the-book-of-mormon

"I swallowed a leaf! I'm going home." - Elder Bennion

Buenos Dias everybody! I'm pretty sure I think you were lying if you told me that I only have 12 days left at the CCM. Even worse than that is the fact that everyone in my district either leaves one or two days before Elder Rich and I head to Missouri. 
Okay, down to business. Last Saturday we had our first TRC, which is where the CCM gathers volunteers from Mexico and has us teach them a fat lesson. I went for about 45 minutes and taught a young dude about the love of our Heavenly Father, the importance of family, and just how we can attain our goals in life as we do so through Christ (Luke 1:37). It was a really great experience and helped me to start feeling the spirit while also speaking Spanish, neat huh?
That night we also had our first Zone Class with all of the new districts that had just came in. In the past Zone Class was a highlight of the week with our old zone, and so we were all a little concerned about how it'd be. Ultimately it was really great, and everyone in 11C stepped up and shared like veterans, which I guess we basically are at this point. 
Sunday was really amazing. It was fast and testimony meeting this week and we always do sacrament meeting in Spanish, so I was able to bear my first testimony in front of our entire zone in Spanish. While it was simply about God's love, and that we would be nothing without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I was burning up with the spirit and I pray that it was able to touch other people as well. Afterwards, I taught in Elders Quorum with Elder Rich. We had a lesson on gaining testimonies and receiving revelation which turned into a really great discussion and learning experience for everyone. 
The night before I had been on my knees praying and asking for someone I could reach out to, as I do every night, and an Elder from one of the new districts came to my mind. I didn't know him well but after my lesson and roused up some courage and pulled this new Elder aside. When I let him know how I felt, I could see him get a little emotional before letting me know that he'd been having a problem that I was then able to help him work through. It was a really spiritual experience for me to be able to help out in that way. Later in the day, I got pretty homesick because everyone was talking about home, which is sometimes super helpful, but at this point just made me miss everyone back home. I've been able to talk with a lot of different people in the district about how I've been feeling and working through those things which I am so grateful for. 
A couple days ago we had a SKYPE teaching appointment which was basically like TRC but over SKYPe. It was super hard but I was able to share a good lesson about getting through trials with Christ. (D&C 121: 7-8) A few solid Highlights to add, got his tailbone railed in a game of fruit basket, we play four or six square with our feet every day, Wallace walked with a water bottle on her head down the  steps, and I did a nice load of laundry. That's all I can muster at the moment, I´ll be back on around 2:30 my time to hit up another half hour, and I always appreciate getting emails. I can read them during the week and they´re always helpful to me. Thank you all for your wonderful support!

Here are a few things that I missed earlier that I have to add. First off, Hamp and I hit the gym at 5 in the morning so we could keep getting yolked but also not invade the rest of our districts gym time when we like to play four square. I also received some Once shampoo and body wash that has been passed from Packer, to Rogers, and now resides in my shower. Thanks for that, I've got ten days to use it. Also, I had to teach my teacher, Jimenez, what a corndog was because apparently, it's not called a maíz perro. We also played bump, or speed, or lightning, whatever the heck you want to call it, and Wallace literally slaughtered us all. I was also able to have some really great talks with Bennion this week which has really helped me to figure out myself a little bit and just get things out. He gets me a lot which is really helpful. We had the best meal since I've been here last night. Hamburgers, some solid papas (they were basically good ole jojos), and then Esteban finished it off with some fat chicken bakes that were super great. Back to Jimenez, along with being an enthusiastic teacher, he's also just a good friend because he's 21 and I've been able to talk with him about some things that have really helped me to improve and be better. We also love to tease him whenever he starts saying "Vamos a..." we interject and say TALL! (the language program we do).  He always laughs and says no. One of the times I said that he told you "You need some help son!" in his latino accent. Yet, I redeemed myself with him later by hitting a long basura shot with an empty bottle, to which he said "You don't need help, son! You're a good boy!"  

In general, I'm just really blessed to have individuals around me who help with my growth so much.

"I haven't seen any bigfoot shows! I'm going home!"

Hola Amigos! Wow, the weeks here sure fly by fast. Somehow it's almost been four weeks. Yeah, that's right, four weeks! That's a whole month, and I've come so far in that time. Just as some simple examples:

1. I'm giving twenty-minute lessons in Spanish

2. I spend all of yesterday speaking in just Spanish as much as possible

3. I think (or hope more likely) that I've gained a little weight.

Christmas presents: toys,
 for when you need a little downtime

Being away from home during the holidays can be difficult, but I've been really blessed with a great district who are understanding and supportive through all of our trials. We've grown really close together which is really special, primarily because we're all really open but also just because it's only been a month. On the other hand, our incredible zone, completely and utterly left us alone as they headed out to their respective missions. After making good friends through zone classes and other activities, like eating, it was really hard to see everyone but our district go. We thought we may be alone for this week, but the next day we got new missionaries in that filled our small district back up. When everyone left, they passed on some Once (Zone 11) traditions, one such item was a guide to everything you need to know about the CCM. It wasn't too exciting because we'd already learned everything, but the best thing we got was the Once Crocs. They've been passed down through 6 generations now and I've rocked them for gym time and also as I write this email.
I expected to be either a district or zone leader through all the changes, yet for whatever reason, all of the open positions were filled by new missionaries who had been there for two days. It was confusing to me but I guess I'm just going to have to figure out how to lead behind the scenes as I have been trying to before. I cried for the first time this week, I won't say why, but just know that although learning about Christ and the gospel brings so much joy and the spirit into your life, there are always challenges and stresses that make moving forward difficult.
On a different note, the food this week hasn't been nearly as good because Esteban has been gone. For instance, we had hamburgers for lunch the other day (definitely a favorite meal), but get this, we could have hamburgers for dinner too. All we had to do was walk over to a couple nice big bins that were full of old hamburgers. Mmmmmm, I was loving that. Anyways, they made up for it last night with some good ole corndogs. I had four and a half. We love our American food. We got our teacher Hermano Jimenez to watch Nacho Libre finally, and so he came back to our class one afternoon and we just made references to the movie the whole time. I miss movies... and music... and lots of things, but I'm also really blessed to be here and have so much going.
I saw Zane Anderson from home which was really cool. Seeing new people is really exciting, and I was just able to share with him all the exciting things that'll happen for him. We had a lot of good devotionals this week, and my main takeaways are to "Do it the Lord's Way" and work to see what God sees in me and wants from me. In my studies, I've gotten frustrated, yet I've just pushed myself until my head hurts and trust that the Lord will make up the rest. I'm really learning how to have that trust and to know that He may have a different plan than I do, and ultimately I know that as I trust in Him, everything will work out. 

Love,

Elder Shepherd

How many ties was I supposed to bring?