October 30, 2017

You heard my companion on Facebook? Isn’t he so good at singing and playing the guitar? He’s teaching me how to put cords to hymn so i can play a lot of them once i fiugre out the cords. Then we play for members as they are thinking of referrals for us to go visit! Kinda cool thing we do. i really don’t have much to report on this week that you can send out other than I’m fine and happy! haha It was a busy week but sadly not a lot of investigators showed up for sacrament meeting! This week is a mission tour with a general authority but i forgot his name. hahah I’ll tell you bout it  next week. I’m eating healthy! I haven’t been sick in a while which is nice but i think i just cursed myself!

kinda random but i know what i want to study and do for a living i think. I’m still doing some pondering about it but i like it! i think it suites me as well.

love you!

October 23, 2017

This week was packed and I’m tired but it still goes by so fast. Currently, I’m writing this email and just sweating. It’s not even hot here but the humidity is killer. i really don’t like it but I’m OK.

Summary of the week: It was awesome! haha We were busy with President interviews, zone training, (They were about working with members. If you want to succeed with missionary work...work with members), taught a white father and family which is shocking because that was one of my first times teaching a white person but it was awesome!!!!! The Spirit was definitely present and the wife is really interested!

We are getting new missionaries from Madagascar because that mission was closed. Our mission will be getting many from there plus our own greenies! What else ummm, i cant really think of anything but I llove reading the Book of Mormon again. I have been writing my own summary of each chapter of how I can apply it to my life. It makes it a lot more meaningful. The only way to a happy life is living the gospel. it brings so much joy and love. Who could go without it! It’s really the only thing that keeps missionaries going.

And no we do not get or have smart phones or ipads in our mission. Elder Lane got stabbed by people thinking that he had them so no way are they are going to give us smart phones or ipads, haha.

Love you

October 16,2017

The members here kinda feed us every Sunday and Wednesday which is nice. They have lots of people that can play the piano here so they don’t need me:(. 

  

This week i have decided to start the Book of Mormon again and at the end of each chapter write a small little chapter heading in my own words of how I’m going to apply this chapter into my life.  

Played volleyball last week for pday and oh man it was fun cause we have  5 elders that are Polynesian and are good at volleyball so it was a great! 

Cool/interesting experience this week: We have been doing service with this one in active person for the past month and finally we got a scheduled appointment with him. He said he was going to to braii for us which is like breaking the word of wisdom of eating to much meat but oh man it was sooo good. My favorite was ostrich steak, His 2nd wife is a non member and he blames all his hard times in life on God and thinks if there is a God, how could he let this happen? If God sent floods and parted seas and did all these things in the Old Testament times why did he change i thought he was the same yesterday, today, and forever? Haha good questions but we shared a Mormon message, Hope of God’s light with him and it brought the Spirit so much!! It was awesome and then we were able to answer some of his questions with the Spirit guiding us and soften his heart but the weirdest part for me was bearing my testimony to someone who doesn’t really believe in God. It’s like you have to start at rock bottom. If good choices in life bring happiness and bad choices bring sorrow and sadness then that denotes that there is a God and if there is, then why did he put us here? Where is He? How can i live with him? I just know that this gospel brings happiness and gives me lots of hope for the next life. At the end he  said he we could go through the lessons with him and his wife which is awesome!!!!! I’ve only taught like 1 white person my whole mission!! Mormon messages are the bomb and bring the spirit so much!!!!

Love you all

October 9, 2017

This week is my 1 year mark, so I’m going to write some of my thoughts. 3 most important things i have learned on mission

1 Learning to love the gospel and watching it change your life as you apply its principles into your life, especially the Book of Mormon!!!! This week made me realized some of my bad habits. My reaction to those habits now compared to before my mission just makes me laugh. My mission has really changed me for the better. Sometimes you choose not to see your faults and other times they are obvious.  i don’t know what it was when but when i hit a year it was like ahhhhh iiiiii seeeeeee.

2. I have learned that when I am frustrated, impatient, or anxious, to turn to the Book of Mormon to relax myself. You know back home i would have turned to my phone or something of no worth to calm me down or relax but truly the only thing that is good for you is to turn to the gospel because that’s where peace and love come from!!!!

3. This lesson i am still learning is about the power of prayer. Sometimes i just think that ah he knows what i need and think so i don’t really need to ask but in proverbs it says something like, trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thy own understanding. iI all ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy path. I have really seen answer to my prayers that i have never ever had before and it is amazing!!! God is there and He listens to you! I had a really specific question one night and right after than i always read The Book of Mormon right before i go to bed and it was answered so specifically it was amazing! Still learning to acknowledge Him in all things and to council with Him but it coming along!

Mission might take you out of the world for you two years but really when you return you will be two years ahead of the world!

Why will I be a better missionary the 2^nd half of your mission?

Now that i have seen the difference and impact the atonement has made in someone’s life, i testify a lot more to people that the atonement is real and it can change you. It’s amazing to see Pauline, Pamala, and Musa who are in a family (some of them had trouble with drugs) and now they are awesome!! Their countenances just shine and the atonement has really changed them. They are schedule to be baptized on the 5 of November and i cant wait! They have been such an inspiration to me on my mission to see that much change in someone in such a short time!!!

One more quote... ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of truth...... you never come to the knowledge of truth if you don’t apply it into your life!

love you 

Elder Shaw

October 2, 2017

Wow lots of questions.

1. How many elders in a zone? ummm 10 plus a senior couple

2. Is your proselyting area in East London in the rich part or the poor part? I’m in east london east london and its in 2 ward sooo kinda both but the white are a tonnn more humble here, mainly black though

3. Yo i love elder greengrass he is awesome, i dont know why but i have been blessed with good companions or I’m just easy to get along with everyone,  go with the first option.

4. In the ward i am in its about the same as my last ward but the zone is not as good as the last zone, we are probs the best area out of the zone because of the great missionaries that have prepared the way.

5. There are 2 zones in east london.... east london and mdantsane

6. Weather is like ummm California but more rain as we are in spring right now hahah but overcast a lot cause of  the ocean that we are right next to! It is very very humid!!! I don’t really like it haha

7. There are safety concerns everywhere but we are not walking so its better. I think everyone in the mission now has cars, maybe 1 or 2 areas are walking and if you are walking at night its pretty dangerous like elder lane.

I loved conference!!!!! it was the best cause i felt like mostly every talk was speaking to me!!!!

Transfers killed me, not sure why but yo i was so tired and i felt badly for Elder Greengrass because i wasn’t really myself and didn’t contribute much in lessons. i look back and am amazed at how i made it in college with no sleep! haha But my new area is awesome!!! It’s really nice when elders leave the area a LOT better than they found it. Coming into this area was heaven because it is really prepared for some good missionary work to happen. The members have caught the vision of missionary work and love to give referrals to us!! It’s amazing!!! I’ve never had this happen before haha. Elder Greengrass is awesome as well. He’s from England and sings and plays the guitar like better than anyone i know. He’s better than Shaun Mendes haha. We are going to get along great!!!!!

Conference.... yo its was awesome! I went into conference with 3 questions and all have them have been answered! Conference here is a little different. We watch Saturday morning session at 6 pm our time and then 3 sessions on Sunday and then Sunday afternoon we don’t get to watch so we will have to download it and watch it later. I still got some really good notes. My favorite talks were Ronald A. Rasband when he said  coincidence is Divine intervention in Gods eyes. I’m going to look more for the tender mercies in my life, Then the next favorite talk was Henry B. Eyring in the last talk of Sunday morning. I think. That one wasssss soooo gooood. not going to lie i don’t remember what he talked about but i remember how i felt and it hit me like a rock. I’m going to have to look over my notes on that one!

Elder Shaw