Sushi and Gyoza Lunch with Brother Sanner

This week had been great! We had Zone Conference again this week, and guess who got called upon to conduct the meeting? You guessed it... ME! Though it was a little stressful and I wasn't really sure what in the world I was doing, everyone told me I did really well, some even said it was the best they'd seen. I don't know that I'd agree with that but it was enjoyable and an all-around uplifting Zone Conference. 

This week we've had a lot of success. A few of the wonderful people we've been working with are Martin, Mini, and Carla. Martin is just down to earth and comfortable with us and it's great. He's really opened up to us and whenever we have a lesson with him the lesson is extremely strong. We discuss chapters we read in-depth and he desires to know if this truly is the exact church that Christ Himself established when He was on the earth. I know he'll find his answer soon. Mini is a lady from Laos and she doesn't speak a ton of English, but we can communicate well and also use Google Translate and try and say things in Lao. She's already read to Jacob in  ພຣະ​ຄຳ​ພີ​ມໍມອນ and still going. She even came to church on Sunday with us and she'll call to set up or cancel appointments. When we go over it's like hanging out with a good friend and we just laugh and teach. Lastly, Carla has had some experiences with missionaries and we've been able to meet with her a few times. I went over on exchanges and taught her all alone in Spanish and read from el Libro de Mormón with her and her son Eddie in Mosiah 3. She had read by herself in the last two weeks to there, and then her son Eddie asked if he could have a Book of Mormon too. 

Overall, things are going great. Miracles are constantly showered upon us as we work diligently and focus our faith in Christ. We had a lesson with Iris and her family on a whim as we followed the spirit to visit her, and that's just a small example of how the spirit guides every aspect of the work.

A couple things I would suggest reading would be 3 Nephi 11 as well as Mosiah 3 if you have any desire to know more about who Jesus Christ is and grow closer to Him. I know that the Spirit always accompanies as we read truth about Him, and I can promise an enlightening experience in reading those!

Love,

Elder Shepherd 

P.S. We ate lunch with the absolute best member, Brother Sanner, today. He made a bunch of Gyoza and bought some sushi and we had a great time. I'm truly just feeling happy. I laugh everyday, not due to lack of struggles, but simply because I'm finding joy in the work and in finding myself more and more.

Two Week Report

I'm back, and here to write a generally goodish sized email this week! With the transfer hit and the Royals game things were definitely off a little bit, but things are going great! As of now, I'm companions with Elder Thompson which has been absolutely fantastic. He was in my first area just a little while before I came into the mission, so I heard all the legendary stories about Elder Thompson, but never did I think I'd have the chance to serve around him. We've been absolutely putting ourselves to work these last two weeks as well, and the Lord is pouring out His blessings upon us. It's always incredible to see how the Lord opens up the way to opportunities we don't even see ourselves to help us remember that it truly is His work. We see literally miracles every day, and not just simple joys like having a good lesson, but having people come home at the exact time, meeting people we've been trying to find for months, and so much more.

Though things have been going so well with the work and in our companionship, I have had a little relapse in terms of my Spanish confidence. I see myself struggling more and more especially as Elder Thompson is able to excel in all we do. As I had been expecting, the Lord is beginning to truly humble me and help me realize the importance of the little things I should be doing every day to improve my progression. I read a talk last week titled "I Testify" by Ezra Taft Benson I believe. It was a simple, brief talk, yet portrayed the power that the Spirit can have when testimonies are shared. I would encourage you to read it and feel the same Spirit I did and do now. I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world and that He always blesses us through our diligence and heed to His example. He truly did appear to Joseph Smith in order to fully reestablish His promised gospel back to the families of the earth, and today stands firmly and ever-growing, preparing for the great coming of the Savior yet again.

Love you, 

Elder Shepherd

Kansas City Royals Game

Missionaries Sing the National Anthem!

Gotta Love TIWI

Well, thank goodness I got some extra time this week to make up for the email I sent last week. Quick note, next week the mission will be singing the Star Spangled Banner at the Royals game, so watch for me on Monday. Hopefully, I get all my other P-Day things done before then. 

Wow, let me tell you, boy does it feel good to have an old kindly Spanish man compliment my language skills. Elias is an elderly Spanish fellow who we helped out the other day by translating some important information from English to Spanish to him, and then we came back a few days later, met him at the pool, and got to know him a little better. He's lived around the missionaries for a long time, so it's great to be comfortable with him and be able to talk openly and joyfully together. Though my Spanish is getting better, I wouldn't say that I can necessarily do a whole lot with it until I can joke in Spanish, so I'll get back to everyone when I'm able to hit the hispanas with a chiste or two. 

Early in the week, we had MLC, which is basically where the Zone Leaders from our 9 zones plus the Sister Training Leaders meet at the mission home with President and Sister Love and give and receive training. Although this was only my second MLC and my first transfer as a Zone Leader, Elder Fenton and I were selected to give one of these trainings. Luckily it went really well and we had a lot of fun doing it, at least I did. As for our individual area, things have started to pick up and our days have started to fill up. I've had a couple miracles happen as I run to stop people who are pulling away in their cars and then find out that they're people we've been looking for for weeks.

I had exchanges again this week with the Elders down in Ottawa, but I was lucky enough to get to being Elder Earl up to Olathe 1st this time. Elder Earl was actually in my first zone and one of the missionaries I've really looked up to this far in my mission, so it was great to be able to work with him for a day the week before he goes home. Even though it was the 4th, it was missionary work as usual, and to make it even better, President Love said that we could stay out until 9:15 to get extra contacting in with everyone who was out and about. We first exchanged down in Ottawa and stayed for their district council which ended up running late and therefore made us late for the other district council I was trying to get to. We also were out of gas. So we filled up and started booking it across Kansas as fast as good ole TIWI would let me go. We made it to the other council about 45 minutes late, but, you do what you can do. 

Those are really some of the highlights for the week, and because I've been so poor at leaving very good thoughts, I'll share one that I sent to President Love as well. I recently came across a scripture in D&C 121 that I really like. Right before the wonderful paralleling of being unable to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course with the inevitable blessing and knowledge of heaven, it says "How long can rolling waters remain unpure?" This struck me, for just as simply as stagnant water becomes unclean and infested, we too will become impure when our progression stagnates. Yet, if we will put our faith in Christ, continually push ourselves forward in our progression, we will roll forth, becoming purified and sanctified to the point "that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He as He is; that we may have this hope, that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen." I know that we should apply this to every aspect of our lives, spiritually or physically, for if we become content with where we're at, our progression ceases and the Adversary can have greater hold of us. So let us continually strive to hold tight to the Savior, for He is always there awaiting us.

Love, 

Elder Shepherd

I Know This One's Short

This week was pretty simple as the rest, yet I was able to go on exchanges in probably the toughest area in our zone. Its got a lot of rich people, including players for the chiefs. I think Patrick Mahomes goes to the gym there or something. Anyways, we had a great day of finding by the spirit, and after a long day of hard work, we found one person to set a return appointment with. Despite it being a seemingly unproductive day, we were super excited about the miracles we saw. Later in the week, we had an interesting experience with a man named Marlo. We came into his home to try and teach the Restoration, where he proceeded to talk a lot and eventually took his shirt off to show us all his tattoos. The only good part of that visit was him and I bonded over his picture of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. We also went back to try a Spanish man we had met, and when we got to his home someone opened the door, wherein were probably like ten or more kids. They looked at us and then turned around and took pictures for about five minutes... yes, we were just patiently waiting outside. Finally, he came to the door, and let us know he was busy. It was nice of him to let us know. Lastly, and on the best note. We had a pass off lesson with some sisters who'd been teaching a girl who was baptized, so we went and met the parents and have started teaching them. All in all, things are looking up for our area, and I'm feeling really great about where I am, what I'm accomplishing, and who I'm developing into. I'm blessed to have such a life-changing opportunity to develop into the talents I've been blessed with and use them to make other's lives happy too.