Wow! Theses weeks are just absolutely flying by! I can´t believe how fast it is all going. Crazy!!! Yes, in 3 short weeks we will be skyping! Fun! I am not sure because we haven´t heard for sure yet, but it looks like I might actually be calling on Saturday... we are in a really humble area and I don´t think we will be using a members computer, because they don´t have them. We will most likely have to come here to the cyber and call... that means I will have to do it Saturday since we have to pay. I will keep you updated. But just to know, everyone goes to church early now, right?
This was a great week!
Jessi is doing awesome and so very prepared for her baptism on Saturday! We are so happy and it is just awesome to see the progress of the whole family. I love it so much! The ward is really happy to have this family back. They really are a great family. In Brother Enrique´s words, they missed one Sunday and then it was easy to miss the next and the next and the next. The next thing they knew, 2 years had passed. Crazy, huh? But they are back and doing great!
Andrea is also progressing to her baptism which will be on Sunday!! She is a miracle! We found her through working with a less active boy, Nicholas. He is awesome and just needed an invitation to come back! For him, we met his 12 year old sister, Andrea, who a year ago was going to church every week with her aunt and was just about to be baptized when her aunt went inactive. Well, we have helped with the reactivation of the family, and Andrea will be baptized on Sunday! She was truly prepared and is so happy. She is a really sweet girl!
With Familia Vilma, we have to wait a couple weeks for their baptisms because they didn´t make it to church this week. Bummer. We still feel that we should keep working with them.
Orlando is still doing so great! Still not smoking or drinking and it is truly a miracle! We love him!
So the other afternoon, we had lunch with the Familia Maidana, a fun young couple and we were doing the normal getting to know you thing. They asked where I was from and I said Arizona. Hermano Maidana said that he had a companion from Mesa. I told them I was from Mesa, but that it was really big. He said that he knew but that his comp was Elder Rogers. I said that there are tons of Rogers in Mesa, but what was his first name. Well, it was Chase!! haha. Crazy. I don´t know... maybe there is more than one Chase Rogers in Mesa, but maybe it´s him. haha. I don´t remember what the name of the mission in, but it´s the most northern mission in Chile. Small world.
I have had a really great week with my studies! President Gulbrandsen has challenged us to catch the vision that the Lord has for our area and then to find out not only the What, but the Why (he took it from a talk from Priesthood Session from President Uchdorft). So we have been studying and praying really hard to understand what the Lord wants and why. Not why in a bad way, but why in an eternal perspective kind of way. It has been really neat to feel and know that the Lord is preparing many people right here, right now to enter into the waters of baptism, to return to activity in the church, etc. and I have received some very real very wonderful revelation. I know that all that the Lord does is to get ALL of us back into His presence one day. I know that we have to do all we can do to get ourselves back and then help others along the way.
Sorry that this is kind of short today... I have to update some paperwork that the offices called and said that they are moving to be online. Love you all! Know that I am doing really well and loving the mission. I know that this is the Lord´s work. I know that The Church is true and that it is truly The Church of Jesus Christ. I know that the Atonement is real. I know that Jesus lives. I know that our Heavenly Father lives and loves us. I know that we are lead by living prophets. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I love it! I am so grateful for each and every one of you and for the sacrifices that you are making so that I can be here. THANK YOU!!!!
All my Love,
Hermana Shelley
Pictures: 1. Kailei and Hermana Alvey (Kevin and Danette Houston's niece)
2. Kailei and Hermana Dunn
3. Kailei's 9 months out picture (it's a tradition with the sisters to take your picture sitting down and with something under your shirt-to make it look like you've gained a lot of weight!)
4. Chocolate eggs (in Argentina they pour chocolate into molds and then decorate the eggs)
5. Decorated Easter eggs (people thought they were weird for decorating real eggs)
6. San Miguel, Argentina
7. Kailei outside of the chapel in San Miguel, Argentina
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