#1. This was her prior district
#2. Their recent convert Rafaela. Funniest person ever and very eccentric!
#3. Loves her new district
#4. At the Painted Turtle where we make beds! So Fun!
Hello Family and Friends!!
I was so excited to hear from so many of you!!! What a great
week....so, SO great! The work has picked up so much and a lot of
really funny things happened this week.
1) The fireside is coming along really great and we could use all the
prayers possible to make sure it goes well! It is this Sunday and we
have a GREAT program lined up. It ended up making it to the stake
level so I think we should have a great turnout. People are really
excited and a guy yesterday bore his testimony on how he took our
challenge to find someone to bring the Lord put someone in his path
that he could share the gospel with. I don't know if he will bring
them, but it was a great thing to see people take our challenge. I am
getting ready to sing in it also and I think it will be good to try
and sing again. It has been a while and I am excited to do it.
2) We found A LOT of new potentials this week. I have really enjoyed
contacting for once and I love doing it with Sister Madubueze. It
feels comfortable for the both of us and we usually have really funny
experiences doing it. I have a few favorites of the week:
- We went to visit one of our referrals and there was a kid named
Chris outside. This is how our conversation went:
Chris: Oh missionaries! I know you guys.
Us: Oh great! So you have met with missionaries before?
Chris: Oh ya! I heard all of your stuff. I even got baptized.
Us: Oh really?! That is great! So you go to church and stuff?
Chris: Well, no, there are just some things I don't really agree with
in your church.
Us: Oh ya? Like what?
Chris: Well, I don't understand that if I picked up this grass right
here and decided to smoke it no one would say anything, but if I smoke
weed, everyone says I am doing something bad. I mean weed is the tree
of life!
Us: Hmmm....
Chris: Like my Grandma is a Mormon and she is like full blown. Like
she does the whole thing.
Us: Oh, so she goes to church every sunday and stuff??
Chris: Well, no. But she takes Vicadin and I tell her that that stuff
is really bad for her.
Us: Well, she probably has a prescription and stuff..
Chris: Ya, but some people when they can't afford it and stuff they
come to us..er...I mean dealers and get it off the street...
Us: Wow....
Chris: Ya and I just tell her she could just smoke away the pain with
weed. Weed is the CURE all. I mean, then she wouldn't be taking
prescriptions and eating away her stomach.
Us: Interesting....
Chris: Ya, (he sits down on the ground now so he can get really into
the conversation) I mean, if the government wouldn't be so stupid and
just sell weed like at Walmart this economy would be SO much better.
It really would fix everything. It would put some of us out of
business, but everyone has a price.
Us: Really? Hmmm....
Chris: Ya and I just can't be like God, God, God, God, all the time.
Everything about God. LIke I know there is a higher power but I am not
going to think before I make a decision, 'I wonder what he would think
if I would do this right now'..like I don't really care.
Us: Got it.
Chris: But I like how you guys care about families a lot!
Us: Sweet, well, thanks for uhhhmm...giving us your opinion! It was
really...great to hear. Have a great day!
That was the best. So funny and I was biting my lip the whole time so
I wouldn't laugh.
- Situation number 2:
* Knock, Knock, Knock.....
Us: Hi! We're missionaries from the Chur...
Lady: Oh listen hun, I don't want to waste your time but I am a
Southern Baptist and have been since the days I was born. But you
sweethearts are doing just exactly what you are supposed to keep
going!
Us: Oh well, thanks so much for the encouragement! Here is a card for
a free DVD about Christ that you can order though and if you ever have
questions give us a call.
Lady: Oh perfect! Then I can pass it on! Have a blessed day!
I just love nice people. We really don't try and push people at all
and I much like that way of contacting and leaving a good taste in
people's mouth. We have a good time and meet the craziest people.
3) We found a lot of new investigators like I said, Shaluan a 19 year
old single mom who is looking for a church. Good times! Love when they
say that and we have an appointment on tuesday. Also Cheryl is a new
one who is super nice and is really interested in the church. Steve, a
referral named Melissa, Alisa and Kirk, Hoepfully Arcenio's mom and
grandma, and we are working a lot with our focus on 15! We also got a
million referrals and I know the Lord is really blessing us with
success. He really is in charge! Funny how that works.
4) I also did a really dumb thing this week because we went to go
visit Arcenio (who is a hairstylist) and I had seen his work and he
said he could do my eyebrows for free. I didn't really understand that
he uses CLIPPERS and well, I raised my eyebrow and he shaved off a
huge chunk. BAHHHHH bad idea! So I have just been drawing it on. It
was PRETTY classic. I about died.
5) I am still studying in the New Testament right now and I just love
it so, so much. I love Jesus the Christ and I have come so much closer
to understanding the Savior than I ever have. I just love studying on
the mission. Some cool insights I got this week was in Matthew 10 when
he sends his disciples out to preach the gospel. He says, " I send you
forth as a sheep in the midst of wolves." That is definitely how it
feels to be on a mission. You really are in scary situations and
especially as women it is not always the safest thing. But he promises
us safety and I always feel a protection with the Lord with us. He is
so aware of us and I love in 30 when it says, "that the very hairs on
your head are all numbered." Last night we taught a lesson to a kid
named Artie who has been through a lot and was baptized at 8 but
didn't know what he was doing. It has been amazing to teach him the
restoration and last night we watched the Joseph Smith movie which is
always so powerful. After I challenged him to ask specific questions
to the Lord, because when we ask specific questions we get specific
answers. A time came to my mind when I was about 6 or 7 years old and
I had always heard that Heavenly Father loved me, but I remember
kneeling down and asking if he was there and if he loved me and I had
the most overwhelming feeling of love. That really carried me through
my life in gaining a testimony. As I bore witness of that I couldn't
help but get emotional and thought about this verse...."that the very
hairs on your head are all numbered." I keep gaining a witness of that
more and more as I watch the work pick up and how he is in the very
fabric of our lives. Also in vs 37-39 it talks about sacrificing all
you have, including your family to be disciples of the Lord. On a
mission that has been the hardest thing for me ever, missing my family
and thinking about them so much, but it brought comfort that I am
doing what I need to and that by doig this and sacrificing those
things is how we can become true disciples of Christ. And the last
thing I love is in verse 32 when it says "whosoever will confess me
before men, him will I confess before the Father." As we bear our
testimonies of the Savior we have this great promise that he will
confess us before him. I love that promise!!
Thank you so much for all the support! Also, I got a few letters that
were sent to the mission home and I just wanted to let everyone know
to send them directly to the apartment because the Elders NEVER go
down to the office because we are in boony land. So just send them to
the apartment.
I promise you with all my heart that this gospel is true. I love
thinking that even by some crazy chance that it wasn't true, I know
that by living the standards and teachings of the gospel would make us
right with any God. It is the way to happiness. It is the way we can
be safe in this world of so much doubt and confusion. God is our
Father. He loves us SO much and just wants nothing for the best for
us. He is standing there ready to give us all great gifts, we just
have to ask. Know how much I love you and how much I pray for each of
you and hope everyone is doing well! Keep us and the work in your
prayers. We always need it!
Love you oh SO much!
Love Sister Sheltz
I was so excited to hear from so many of you!!! What a great
week....so, SO great! The work has picked up so much and a lot of
really funny things happened this week.
1) The fireside is coming along really great and we could use all the
prayers possible to make sure it goes well! It is this Sunday and we
have a GREAT program lined up. It ended up making it to the stake
level so I think we should have a great turnout. People are really
excited and a guy yesterday bore his testimony on how he took our
challenge to find someone to bring the Lord put someone in his path
that he could share the gospel with. I don't know if he will bring
them, but it was a great thing to see people take our challenge. I am
getting ready to sing in it also and I think it will be good to try
and sing again. It has been a while and I am excited to do it.
2) We found A LOT of new potentials this week. I have really enjoyed
contacting for once and I love doing it with Sister Madubueze. It
feels comfortable for the both of us and we usually have really funny
experiences doing it. I have a few favorites of the week:
- We went to visit one of our referrals and there was a kid named
Chris outside. This is how our conversation went:
Chris: Oh missionaries! I know you guys.
Us: Oh great! So you have met with missionaries before?
Chris: Oh ya! I heard all of your stuff. I even got baptized.
Us: Oh really?! That is great! So you go to church and stuff?
Chris: Well, no, there are just some things I don't really agree with
in your church.
Us: Oh ya? Like what?
Chris: Well, I don't understand that if I picked up this grass right
here and decided to smoke it no one would say anything, but if I smoke
weed, everyone says I am doing something bad. I mean weed is the tree
of life!
Us: Hmmm....
Chris: Like my Grandma is a Mormon and she is like full blown. Like
she does the whole thing.
Us: Oh, so she goes to church every sunday and stuff??
Chris: Well, no. But she takes Vicadin and I tell her that that stuff
is really bad for her.
Us: Well, she probably has a prescription and stuff..
Chris: Ya, but some people when they can't afford it and stuff they
come to us..er...I mean dealers and get it off the street...
Us: Wow....
Chris: Ya and I just tell her she could just smoke away the pain with
weed. Weed is the CURE all. I mean, then she wouldn't be taking
prescriptions and eating away her stomach.
Us: Interesting....
Chris: Ya, (he sits down on the ground now so he can get really into
the conversation) I mean, if the government wouldn't be so stupid and
just sell weed like at Walmart this economy would be SO much better.
It really would fix everything. It would put some of us out of
business, but everyone has a price.
Us: Really? Hmmm....
Chris: Ya and I just can't be like God, God, God, God, all the time.
Everything about God. LIke I know there is a higher power but I am not
going to think before I make a decision, 'I wonder what he would think
if I would do this right now'..like I don't really care.
Us: Got it.
Chris: But I like how you guys care about families a lot!
Us: Sweet, well, thanks for uhhhmm...giving us your opinion! It was
really...great to hear. Have a great day!
That was the best. So funny and I was biting my lip the whole time so
I wouldn't laugh.
- Situation number 2:
* Knock, Knock, Knock.....
Us: Hi! We're missionaries from the Chur...
Lady: Oh listen hun, I don't want to waste your time but I am a
Southern Baptist and have been since the days I was born. But you
sweethearts are doing just exactly what you are supposed to keep
going!
Us: Oh well, thanks so much for the encouragement! Here is a card for
a free DVD about Christ that you can order though and if you ever have
questions give us a call.
Lady: Oh perfect! Then I can pass it on! Have a blessed day!
I just love nice people. We really don't try and push people at all
and I much like that way of contacting and leaving a good taste in
people's mouth. We have a good time and meet the craziest people.
3) We found a lot of new investigators like I said, Shaluan a 19 year
old single mom who is looking for a church. Good times! Love when they
say that and we have an appointment on tuesday. Also Cheryl is a new
one who is super nice and is really interested in the church. Steve, a
referral named Melissa, Alisa and Kirk, Hoepfully Arcenio's mom and
grandma, and we are working a lot with our focus on 15! We also got a
million referrals and I know the Lord is really blessing us with
success. He really is in charge! Funny how that works.
4) I also did a really dumb thing this week because we went to go
visit Arcenio (who is a hairstylist) and I had seen his work and he
said he could do my eyebrows for free. I didn't really understand that
he uses CLIPPERS and well, I raised my eyebrow and he shaved off a
huge chunk. BAHHHHH bad idea! So I have just been drawing it on. It
was PRETTY classic. I about died.
5) I am still studying in the New Testament right now and I just love
it so, so much. I love Jesus the Christ and I have come so much closer
to understanding the Savior than I ever have. I just love studying on
the mission. Some cool insights I got this week was in Matthew 10 when
he sends his disciples out to preach the gospel. He says, " I send you
forth as a sheep in the midst of wolves." That is definitely how it
feels to be on a mission. You really are in scary situations and
especially as women it is not always the safest thing. But he promises
us safety and I always feel a protection with the Lord with us. He is
so aware of us and I love in 30 when it says, "that the very hairs on
your head are all numbered." Last night we taught a lesson to a kid
named Artie who has been through a lot and was baptized at 8 but
didn't know what he was doing. It has been amazing to teach him the
restoration and last night we watched the Joseph Smith movie which is
always so powerful. After I challenged him to ask specific questions
to the Lord, because when we ask specific questions we get specific
answers. A time came to my mind when I was about 6 or 7 years old and
I had always heard that Heavenly Father loved me, but I remember
kneeling down and asking if he was there and if he loved me and I had
the most overwhelming feeling of love. That really carried me through
my life in gaining a testimony. As I bore witness of that I couldn't
help but get emotional and thought about this verse...."that the very
hairs on your head are all numbered." I keep gaining a witness of that
more and more as I watch the work pick up and how he is in the very
fabric of our lives. Also in vs 37-39 it talks about sacrificing all
you have, including your family to be disciples of the Lord. On a
mission that has been the hardest thing for me ever, missing my family
and thinking about them so much, but it brought comfort that I am
doing what I need to and that by doig this and sacrificing those
things is how we can become true disciples of Christ. And the last
thing I love is in verse 32 when it says "whosoever will confess me
before men, him will I confess before the Father." As we bear our
testimonies of the Savior we have this great promise that he will
confess us before him. I love that promise!!
Thank you so much for all the support! Also, I got a few letters that
were sent to the mission home and I just wanted to let everyone know
to send them directly to the apartment because the Elders NEVER go
down to the office because we are in boony land. So just send them to
the apartment.
I promise you with all my heart that this gospel is true. I love
thinking that even by some crazy chance that it wasn't true, I know
that by living the standards and teachings of the gospel would make us
right with any God. It is the way to happiness. It is the way we can
be safe in this world of so much doubt and confusion. God is our
Father. He loves us SO much and just wants nothing for the best for
us. He is standing there ready to give us all great gifts, we just
have to ask. Know how much I love you and how much I pray for each of
you and hope everyone is doing well! Keep us and the work in your
prayers. We always need it!
Love you oh SO much!
Love Sister Sheltz
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