July 2, 2018

Hey, isn’t that picture such a great sight?!!!!!!!!!! Ah i love baptisms! Our new member is a man named Emmanuel from Zimbabwe, He’s 20 years old and like my best friend. He doesn’t know a ton of English but enough to be taught the gospel and get baptized. After his baptism, he really tried to express himself in English as he bore his testimony.  He likes to flail his arms when he’s excited and happy. It’s the sweetest thing. Really love this guy. Man this week started real rough but ended great. Missionary work has been a little frustrating. We finally just went to a member’s home named Melody Brown and just vented to him. He told us some good advice, "The darkest time of the night is right before the sunrise"... so true!!! The next week we had 2 relatively new investigators tell us they want to be baptized and it seems legit!!! Ah it’s the best. I’m so excited for them. I probably won’t be here for their baptisms but that is ok. Shout out to my friends who got home last week!!

Love,

 Elder Shaw

June 25, 2018

Sorry my computer is super messed up so I’ll try my best to write an email.

So this week was grand! haha  I’m grateful for all the birthday wishes!!!!

There is this one less active guy who moved into our area and has asked us to come do service for him about every day haha.it’s super funny. and I have a fun relationship with him and have a good time together but this week we painted his house, did his garden and cleaned out his garage! When we said, were going to leave now, he kept saying, wait one more thing, can you do this and that? J We have learned to leave his house an hour early having in mind we are going to do all these other things!

Soooooooo i guess i haven’t really explained any of our investigators mainly because we sift through them so fast. We have super powerful first lessons and then they disappear. But one good thing happened this week. Our investigator Emmanuel passed his baptismal interview and he will be baptized this coming week!!!! I am super excited for that. This man is so ready and so happy!

So soccer is a huge deal but South aArica didn’t even make it in sooo for pday last week we did RSA vs. USA and missionaries 3 v 3 in soccer and we won! None of us play soccer really other than one American missionary and the other 3 South Africans all played soccer. Ha We’re going to do it again today cause they wanted a rematch hahah super fun

My suit issssss ya not that good but i only wear it to church on Sundays and that’s it. I only have one suit. I just weighed myself this week at a members home, lol, in front of them... I’ve gained almost 20lbs in this area! haha and I’m not any fatter at all its all muscle!! super excited hahaha. the suit does not fit me at all but i make it work. I only really only have to wear it maybe 14 more times to church or something like that.

Also I gave an impromptu talk in our masi branch and i decided to kinda rebuke the ward for not doing member missionary work. It was for about 20 minutes hahaha. I think the Spirit pierced them to the very soul! because after it they all seem very excited to  “give referrals to the missionaries and share the gospel to our friends".  I think they did it out of fear of me instead of God...... oops, but whatever floats their boat to do dang member missionary work! Hahaha

I was reading the Book of Mormon this week in Heleman 12 vs 2-3 how the people go from super righteous to super wicked like 4 times!!!! I was thinking how can we remember the Lord in a time of prosperity then i thought about how rich prince came to Jesus Christ and after talking for a little while he asked an important question, 'what lack i yet?" Then i realized in a time of prosperity and ease we need to ask the Lord what we lack and he will kindly show us our weaknesses so we came grow and come closer to him (Ether 12;27)

Elder Shaw

PS Oh ya i also gave a member the book Jesus the Christ and in return she had to teach me how to make steamed bread..... man i can bake! hahaha tasted super good!

Also took a drive through Chapmens Peak drive. Super pretty.

June 18, 2018

(What religions do you see there?)

Ummm depends on the culture.  Black people like Pentecostal churches and white peeps like the Dutch reform church which is a protestant church sooo they are all sticklers!

i wouldn’t put sister missionaries here especially now that they are taking away all the cars from the mission except for the people who need them.

Today for p-day we are going to go on a hike and play indoor soccer.

What do i need to learn before the end of my mission? Haha a lot! Sometimes i compare my comp to my future wife and how i would treat her..... ya I’m far from marriage hahhaha so I gotta learn a lot but at least i will live with someone i choose! so then it’s on me to choose well.

I’m super skinny dad, and the thing is, at the mission president seminar for the area... our mission had the worst stats. Now, take it it’s the most corrupt country and super rich compared to all the others, but because of it they’re taking away the cars! About 70% of the cars including the area I’m in soooo we are walking now and it rains like every day and super cold... Now I’m going to get even skinnier. it will also be a lot more dangerous cause man the country is corrupt. We will probably have to leave our area earlier like around 7 or 6... so not too excited.  

Favorite thing i learned this week:

Just because we have had hands laid upon our head to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost does not mean we are automatically entitled to its care. We must strive to live for it each day of our lives by living righteously, praying for it, partaking the sacrament, and keeping the commandments. It should be our most earnest desire, to receive guidance from the Holy Ghost... amen. hallelujah.

California sounded super fun but lol no one really talked about it to protect me or something hahaha

Thank you for the birthday wishes and gifts! yes i got your package and i love the tie!!!!!!!!

Elder Shaw