email dated 8/25/09
Good news!! Lorena has decided to look for new work and it may just be that she has already gotten it! She was riding by on her bike yesterday and came up to us and said "Maybe I got a job!" She was happy and it did me so good to see her that happy. If she gets the job she wont have to work Sundays and will be able to go to church and be baptized. Prayers are being answered. Thank you for your prayers!
In other news I have received my final assignment for my last transfer...I am staying right here. So I really am going to end my mission here in Montevideo. I have no served more than a year here in this city. It is my home. I stay with Elder Clark and starting next week I am the oldest missionary in Uruguay.
I am really glad to hear that I am still Teddy's favorite. And rightly so. He and I will have to get a happy meal or something when i get home. It will be super fun to see nephews and nieces again and to have a new sister in law. I am really excited to come home...in 6 weeks that is. I am not trunky.
De hecho, I have baptizing to do. No time to be trunky. Elisa couldn't get her interview this week and will have to be baptized next week or the week after and we are still working on Lorena. We found 12 investigators this week, Elder Clark and me, and we have high hopes to baptize at least one of them. They all seem great but we always see everything through rose colored glasses. I always believe every person is going to be baptized when we find them, and maybe all eventually do. I am certain we will baptize a few of them.
I am exercising a lot more. I weigh 160 pounds. I started the mission at 150. So it is a good weight gain. I don't want to lose it, but I do need to tone it. I still have beautiful blond hair and have no signs of going bald or ever getting to an age where I could grow a moustache. The good news is that I don't want facial hair anyway. Me with my feather blond hair they already try to make me the Belle at the ball, I don't need any facial hair.
Keep working hard! Don't get trunky! I will still need mail. We aren't done yet. Take care! I love you all!!
Andy
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
August 22nd 2009: A day that shall live in...
email dated 8/22/09
Today I fulfill 21 years of life. I have never broken any bones to this point, but I have fractured my neck and probably my pointer finger in my right hand. I have enjoyed life immensely until now. From Tee-Ball to Junior Jazz, to Cross Country, to Student Government and being a Youth Senator, Deacons Quorum President to Teachers Quorum President to Assistant to the Bishop to Assistant to the President...Life has been good to me. I have had so many opportunities to learn the most important things about life, namely faith, hope, love and compassion. I have a long way to go on this road and I am eager to keep on keeping on.
We have a baptism set up for this next Sunday of a woman named Elisa. She has had a son go to prison and her sons live kind of a rowdy life, at least the 2 that live with her. I have a good relationship with the sons and they listen if they have time. They need repentance in their lives. They need that amazing peace that the atonement provides when we repent and the Lord forsakes our sins. The weight on our shoulders can be lifted. Elisa is loving church and the peace she feels with us and the people at church. She prays and reads. She is progressing well.
Lorena is looking for a new job she said. But we have work to do yet. We are still delayed in the process and if she stops going to church and gets discouraged she will stop keeping commitments and all the spirit that she has felt will be forgotten. She is great though and I believe that she will overcome the trials of her faith. She has to pass through this so that her faith is made sure.
So Elder Harmon went home this last week. It was weird to see him go. I didn't really feel like it was any goodbye because I will see him soon. With the departure of his group in a week and a half I become the oldest missionary in the mission Uruguay Montevideo West.
The mission goes well. I am happy and working hard. This week I did divisions with Elder Krogman from Canada. Good kid. He played college football and is a way funny guy. He will go far.
I received a great compliment from Sister Peterson. She said that her and President were talking and I am one of 2 missionaries in all their time as mission presidents who they think is really good on his feet in front of people. I think I learned that when I was an SBO President and had to speak in front of my whole school. Speaking to 40 missionaries is a piece of cake compared to 2000 students.
It is now time for everyone to write 21 things that they like about Andy Shepherd. 1 for every year of my life. Go!
Andy
Today I fulfill 21 years of life. I have never broken any bones to this point, but I have fractured my neck and probably my pointer finger in my right hand. I have enjoyed life immensely until now. From Tee-Ball to Junior Jazz, to Cross Country, to Student Government and being a Youth Senator, Deacons Quorum President to Teachers Quorum President to Assistant to the Bishop to Assistant to the President...Life has been good to me. I have had so many opportunities to learn the most important things about life, namely faith, hope, love and compassion. I have a long way to go on this road and I am eager to keep on keeping on.
We have a baptism set up for this next Sunday of a woman named Elisa. She has had a son go to prison and her sons live kind of a rowdy life, at least the 2 that live with her. I have a good relationship with the sons and they listen if they have time. They need repentance in their lives. They need that amazing peace that the atonement provides when we repent and the Lord forsakes our sins. The weight on our shoulders can be lifted. Elisa is loving church and the peace she feels with us and the people at church. She prays and reads. She is progressing well.
Lorena is looking for a new job she said. But we have work to do yet. We are still delayed in the process and if she stops going to church and gets discouraged she will stop keeping commitments and all the spirit that she has felt will be forgotten. She is great though and I believe that she will overcome the trials of her faith. She has to pass through this so that her faith is made sure.
So Elder Harmon went home this last week. It was weird to see him go. I didn't really feel like it was any goodbye because I will see him soon. With the departure of his group in a week and a half I become the oldest missionary in the mission Uruguay Montevideo West.
The mission goes well. I am happy and working hard. This week I did divisions with Elder Krogman from Canada. Good kid. He played college football and is a way funny guy. He will go far.
I received a great compliment from Sister Peterson. She said that her and President were talking and I am one of 2 missionaries in all their time as mission presidents who they think is really good on his feet in front of people. I think I learned that when I was an SBO President and had to speak in front of my whole school. Speaking to 40 missionaries is a piece of cake compared to 2000 students.
It is now time for everyone to write 21 things that they like about Andy Shepherd. 1 for every year of my life. Go!
Andy
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Man Who Knew Too Little
email dated 8/15/09
Well my dear and avid readers, another week gone and we are 7 days away from the 21st birthday of our hero, Elder Andy Shepherd. They say he looks older, more mature, manlier, and certainly more handsome. Don't forget that all fan mail needs to be sent before Saturday so that our hero can read it on his P-Day.
This week I did divisions twice. I first did them with an Elder named Johnson from Elkridge, UT. He is a really cool guy. He was in a scream-o band before his mission. I really enjoyed talking to him and we found some good new investigators. And then for just an evening I did divisions with a new Elder named Wisnom, who is Elder Jonson's neighbor! What are the odds. We had traveled to Mercedes for the Zone Conference and so those were short divisions but we found a family!! That family is really cool and there are 6 kids. I had most fun talking with the 6 year old Guillermo, or William. He asked so many questions "well who is Jesus? what he do?" He made that lesson so powerful and his Mom really felt it as we explained, literally, the gospel of Jesus Christ as simple as possible so that it be understood by a child. The family really enjoyed the visit and asked us when we were going to come back! That is always good.
Do you all remember Lorena? She is the girl that didn't believe in anything, wasn't anti-God but also didn't believe in God. She said that prayer in the first visit that got the chills all over my body. Well, she accepted to be baptized at the end of this month!!! Elder Clark and I asked her after having had a lesson about keeping the commandments if she believed in God. "Now I do." She replied. "Do you believe Jesus Christ is our Savior and road to salvation?" "Yes." "Do you believe this is the true church of Jesus Christ." "Yes I do." So we challenged her to be baptized again and she accepted. Sweet right!? Not done yet...
She is in med-school. Justito this week she was offered some kind of internship time or hours that she needs for her career and guess what is the one day that she would work per week. Sunday from 11:00 to 4:00. ... I just don't get it. Our Sacrament Meeting is at 11:00. She now needs to make that decision. I know she can get another job. It is a job to further her future career in medicine. That is why it is only 5 hours a week. Pray that she makes the right choice. She has been such a great investigator. I knew from the first lesson that she was special and I wrote you all that story a month or two ago. Pray for my 24 year old medical student Lorena Dacuña.
So I have some fun news. I got a G-Mail from Jessica Zamudio this week! Her little brother Emilio is getting baptized!! Big news? Yes!! He is only 16 and Jessica's dad asked her to wait til she was 18 to get baptized. The cool thing is that Diana, the 8 year old, goes to primary every week too. Jessica was in Mexico teaching English for 4 months and she gets back this week. her little brother was waiting for her to get home for his baptism. I smiled from ear to ear as I read her G-Mail. It could very well be my very favorite letter that I have received in my whole mission. It was all such good news and it was great to hear from an old friend!
Se me acabó the time. It must needs be that I continue on. I love you all very much and I pray that you are well! Be excellent to each other and consider the lilies of the field. God loves us all very much!
Andy
Well my dear and avid readers, another week gone and we are 7 days away from the 21st birthday of our hero, Elder Andy Shepherd. They say he looks older, more mature, manlier, and certainly more handsome. Don't forget that all fan mail needs to be sent before Saturday so that our hero can read it on his P-Day.
This week I did divisions twice. I first did them with an Elder named Johnson from Elkridge, UT. He is a really cool guy. He was in a scream-o band before his mission. I really enjoyed talking to him and we found some good new investigators. And then for just an evening I did divisions with a new Elder named Wisnom, who is Elder Jonson's neighbor! What are the odds. We had traveled to Mercedes for the Zone Conference and so those were short divisions but we found a family!! That family is really cool and there are 6 kids. I had most fun talking with the 6 year old Guillermo, or William. He asked so many questions "well who is Jesus? what he do?" He made that lesson so powerful and his Mom really felt it as we explained, literally, the gospel of Jesus Christ as simple as possible so that it be understood by a child. The family really enjoyed the visit and asked us when we were going to come back! That is always good.
Do you all remember Lorena? She is the girl that didn't believe in anything, wasn't anti-God but also didn't believe in God. She said that prayer in the first visit that got the chills all over my body. Well, she accepted to be baptized at the end of this month!!! Elder Clark and I asked her after having had a lesson about keeping the commandments if she believed in God. "Now I do." She replied. "Do you believe Jesus Christ is our Savior and road to salvation?" "Yes." "Do you believe this is the true church of Jesus Christ." "Yes I do." So we challenged her to be baptized again and she accepted. Sweet right!? Not done yet...
She is in med-school. Justito this week she was offered some kind of internship time or hours that she needs for her career and guess what is the one day that she would work per week. Sunday from 11:00 to 4:00. ... I just don't get it. Our Sacrament Meeting is at 11:00. She now needs to make that decision. I know she can get another job. It is a job to further her future career in medicine. That is why it is only 5 hours a week. Pray that she makes the right choice. She has been such a great investigator. I knew from the first lesson that she was special and I wrote you all that story a month or two ago. Pray for my 24 year old medical student Lorena Dacuña.
So I have some fun news. I got a G-Mail from Jessica Zamudio this week! Her little brother Emilio is getting baptized!! Big news? Yes!! He is only 16 and Jessica's dad asked her to wait til she was 18 to get baptized. The cool thing is that Diana, the 8 year old, goes to primary every week too. Jessica was in Mexico teaching English for 4 months and she gets back this week. her little brother was waiting for her to get home for his baptism. I smiled from ear to ear as I read her G-Mail. It could very well be my very favorite letter that I have received in my whole mission. It was all such good news and it was great to hear from an old friend!
Se me acabó the time. It must needs be that I continue on. I love you all very much and I pray that you are well! Be excellent to each other and consider the lilies of the field. God loves us all very much!
Andy
Monday, August 10, 2009
a crazy day
email dated 8/8/09
So today I never did find time to write. It was a pretty crazy week for everybody. Departing missionaries, birthdays, and weddings, etc... I got Matts wedding announcement today in the mail.
Happy Birthday Janice!! The 6th right? I think.
Happy marriage Matt!
We have had a kind of sad week here. There are some missionaries going home tomorrow.
P day didn't give me time to write today. I will write better next week. Tomorrow we should have some great investigators in church.
I am happy and healthy.
Anyway, I gotta go. Take care! I love you all!!
Andy
So today I never did find time to write. It was a pretty crazy week for everybody. Departing missionaries, birthdays, and weddings, etc... I got Matts wedding announcement today in the mail.
Happy Birthday Janice!! The 6th right? I think.
Happy marriage Matt!
We have had a kind of sad week here. There are some missionaries going home tomorrow.
P day didn't give me time to write today. I will write better next week. Tomorrow we should have some great investigators in church.
I am happy and healthy.
Anyway, I gotta go. Take care! I love you all!!
Andy
August means 21, mission, marriage
email dated 8/1/09
So life just keeps on moving without me there in Utah. The good news about my life here is that I turn 21 this month. The other good news about my life here is that we invited a ton of people that we have been finding to get baptized last week and 8-ish said yes. I figure if we get at least half of them to church a few times then we can have 4 baptisms in August, which is our goal. I have hope that we can do it.
We are still working on Lorena. I wrote about her a month or so ago. She had no christian background but said the prayer and was one of the most spiritual lessons-moments of my mission. She is starting to be more sure that God lives. We read Alma 30 with her last night, the story about Korihor and Alma. My favorite vs 44 as always was the highlight of that lesson. All things denote that there is a God. We have the evidence that He lives. There is no evidence to disprove God. In a positive light, all evidence just tries to prove positively what is believed. Anyone studying evolution will find the merits of the theory, because there are many. There is evidence to back just about anything believed. And that is why a phrase I really focused on with Lorena was "By their fruits ye shall know them." If it is good and makes us want to do good and be happier and to better actions, words, and deeds, then that is something worth investigating and aspiring for. We need to trust how we feel. And that is why Galatians 5:22-23 is so key. "the fruit of the spirit is love, hope, kindness, etc... against such things there is no law." (I am thinking in Spanish). No law can place love, faith, goodness, or other such feelings in a bottle or a tube. We just got to look at the fruits and think about how we feel. "By their fruits ye shall know them."
We are teaching a woman named Diana that we found on accident while looking for someone else. Those accidents are never coincidence. After 3 lessons she told us that her aunts are members of the church. She went to church last week and will go this week. I think she will be baptized. The only problem is her boyfriend...who I want to kill. She, she is great. She reads, prays, loves church, and feels that it is right. Her boyfriend...he hits her. We aren't allowed to give relationship counsel too much, but we are able to teach doctrine. The doctrine: the law of Chastity. Hopefully she will be truly converted and able to understand that law and decide to take the right steps toward her goals in life. She is 23 years old. Last night she told us that her dream is to have a good family, her own home, to finish her studies, to live the gospel, etc... I really pray for her a lot and I ask that you do too.
I have had a really hard time finding time to write in my journal this last month. I am looking for a house to move out of the offices. More than President saying we could he said he wants us to do it. I love being here, but among 10 missionaries the shower schedule in the morning, even with 4 bathrooms is always complicated and in the evening it is hard to find quiet time to write or study. Plus, I have to take a bus to my area or drive each day. Anyway, I opened my journal this morning and was dismayed when I found that my last entry was July 4th!! There was a time in my mission where I wrote every day. I filled a whole journal for my first year by writing about all the miracles I had seen and now I went almost a whole month without writing. I feel ungrateful and it is no good. Don't forget to write in your journals. That is my spiritual advice of the day. You will never regret writing in your journal. And your journal will be a valuable resource to you and your children and the history majors in 200 years. Write!
I love you all! Take care!!
Andy
So life just keeps on moving without me there in Utah. The good news about my life here is that I turn 21 this month. The other good news about my life here is that we invited a ton of people that we have been finding to get baptized last week and 8-ish said yes. I figure if we get at least half of them to church a few times then we can have 4 baptisms in August, which is our goal. I have hope that we can do it.
We are still working on Lorena. I wrote about her a month or so ago. She had no christian background but said the prayer and was one of the most spiritual lessons-moments of my mission. She is starting to be more sure that God lives. We read Alma 30 with her last night, the story about Korihor and Alma. My favorite vs 44 as always was the highlight of that lesson. All things denote that there is a God. We have the evidence that He lives. There is no evidence to disprove God. In a positive light, all evidence just tries to prove positively what is believed. Anyone studying evolution will find the merits of the theory, because there are many. There is evidence to back just about anything believed. And that is why a phrase I really focused on with Lorena was "By their fruits ye shall know them." If it is good and makes us want to do good and be happier and to better actions, words, and deeds, then that is something worth investigating and aspiring for. We need to trust how we feel. And that is why Galatians 5:22-23 is so key. "the fruit of the spirit is love, hope, kindness, etc... against such things there is no law." (I am thinking in Spanish). No law can place love, faith, goodness, or other such feelings in a bottle or a tube. We just got to look at the fruits and think about how we feel. "By their fruits ye shall know them."
We are teaching a woman named Diana that we found on accident while looking for someone else. Those accidents are never coincidence. After 3 lessons she told us that her aunts are members of the church. She went to church last week and will go this week. I think she will be baptized. The only problem is her boyfriend...who I want to kill. She, she is great. She reads, prays, loves church, and feels that it is right. Her boyfriend...he hits her. We aren't allowed to give relationship counsel too much, but we are able to teach doctrine. The doctrine: the law of Chastity. Hopefully she will be truly converted and able to understand that law and decide to take the right steps toward her goals in life. She is 23 years old. Last night she told us that her dream is to have a good family, her own home, to finish her studies, to live the gospel, etc... I really pray for her a lot and I ask that you do too.
I have had a really hard time finding time to write in my journal this last month. I am looking for a house to move out of the offices. More than President saying we could he said he wants us to do it. I love being here, but among 10 missionaries the shower schedule in the morning, even with 4 bathrooms is always complicated and in the evening it is hard to find quiet time to write or study. Plus, I have to take a bus to my area or drive each day. Anyway, I opened my journal this morning and was dismayed when I found that my last entry was July 4th!! There was a time in my mission where I wrote every day. I filled a whole journal for my first year by writing about all the miracles I had seen and now I went almost a whole month without writing. I feel ungrateful and it is no good. Don't forget to write in your journals. That is my spiritual advice of the day. You will never regret writing in your journal. And your journal will be a valuable resource to you and your children and the history majors in 200 years. Write!
I love you all! Take care!!
Andy
The Big Number 50
email dated 7/25/09
They say that there is a 50th wedding anniversary this week! I am sad that I can't be there. But I wanted to just say congrats again to the best grandparents around.
We played basketball again this morning. My ankle was still a little tender from last week and so I couldn't run 100%. But I still made my shots. We still lost to AZ. Moving on.
My new companion Elder Clark is a nice kid. We should have a good transfer. He is the 8th of 9 kids and he goes to BYU, plays the piano, and likes musicals. Moving on.
We are in a finding phase. We have given a lot of baptismal dates but the people who have received those dates don't make it to church. Se les complica ¿viste? We are looking for someone elect. Yesterday we found a lady named Diana who said she would go to church and get baptized when she knows it is true. I was thrilled that she said, "yeah, why not. I will go to church on Sunday. What time?" She is pregnant and the man is nowhere in sight. I feel bad for her. OH WORLD!! Obey the commandments. Especially the law of chastity! Mosiah 2:22-24, 41. All the Lord asks of us is that we keep His commandments. In the first place we are debtors to Him for giving us everything. The only thing He asks is that we keep His commandments and give Him our will, because we cant give Him money or possessions. And if we keep those commandments, He blesses us and we continue in His debt. We are happy when we obey the commandments.
This week 30 new missionaries came to our mission!! In a mission of 140 missionaries, only 6 leaving and 30 coming, you could say that that is a significant event. It is cool because with the new missionaries I bet we reach our goal of 150 baptisms in one month. We have been getting close already without them. It was one of the funnest things I have ever done in my mission, greeting the 30 new missionaries and seeing the nervous faces, the tired faces, the excited faces, the pride-filled I already know what is going on faces but I am soon to be humbled and fall flat on my face faces, etc... Talking to the new missionaries and telling them about their mission was a lot of fun.
I love you all! I gotta go! Take care!!
Andy
They say that there is a 50th wedding anniversary this week! I am sad that I can't be there. But I wanted to just say congrats again to the best grandparents around.
We played basketball again this morning. My ankle was still a little tender from last week and so I couldn't run 100%. But I still made my shots. We still lost to AZ. Moving on.
My new companion Elder Clark is a nice kid. We should have a good transfer. He is the 8th of 9 kids and he goes to BYU, plays the piano, and likes musicals. Moving on.
We are in a finding phase. We have given a lot of baptismal dates but the people who have received those dates don't make it to church. Se les complica ¿viste? We are looking for someone elect. Yesterday we found a lady named Diana who said she would go to church and get baptized when she knows it is true. I was thrilled that she said, "yeah, why not. I will go to church on Sunday. What time?" She is pregnant and the man is nowhere in sight. I feel bad for her. OH WORLD!! Obey the commandments. Especially the law of chastity! Mosiah 2:22-24, 41. All the Lord asks of us is that we keep His commandments. In the first place we are debtors to Him for giving us everything. The only thing He asks is that we keep His commandments and give Him our will, because we cant give Him money or possessions. And if we keep those commandments, He blesses us and we continue in His debt. We are happy when we obey the commandments.
This week 30 new missionaries came to our mission!! In a mission of 140 missionaries, only 6 leaving and 30 coming, you could say that that is a significant event. It is cool because with the new missionaries I bet we reach our goal of 150 baptisms in one month. We have been getting close already without them. It was one of the funnest things I have ever done in my mission, greeting the 30 new missionaries and seeing the nervous faces, the tired faces, the excited faces, the pride-filled I already know what is going on faces but I am soon to be humbled and fall flat on my face faces, etc... Talking to the new missionaries and telling them about their mission was a lot of fun.
I love you all! I gotta go! Take care!!
Andy
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