May 24, 2011

Mba´e te copia mi familia!

This week was awesome! We had a lot of success, and it was very funny, sketchy, almost died, and spiritual all in one! First of all I’m going to start with funny! Never in my life has so many people begged me to tell them how to repent. The people here flipped out cause the world almost ended the 21st! haha I laughed so much. If something happens in the United States then it is law here. They copy the states and when they all heard that the world was going to end, every body in the streets walk up to us and asked us if they could come to church and if we would save them and give them blessings. People quite their jobs and everything. They all thought that the missionaries talk face to face with God and know everything. One drunk man at night walked up to us and started crying cause he was so scared. Bad to laugh, but it was so funny. I laugh Paraguayans they are so funny. It was a big deal here. We have one investigator that is called arial ayala, and we have had 5 lessons with him. They are so spiritual and he always cries and has a huge desire to change. One of the lessons he pointed the spirit out to us, he was like ¨do you feel that, its raising my hair´´ . But this week we were just talking for a while in his house and i said i like his bracelet, it was a colorful weed (didn’t cross my mind that is was the weed sign) he smiled and said wait a second, left and came back with about 200 dollars worth of marijuana, and said i smoke weed like he was proud of it and he had been doing it for 15 years!!! We then followed to have such a spiritual lesson about the word off wisdom and he said he didn’t know if he could drop it but really wants to. We told him that when he has the desire to smoke to open the libro de mormon and read. So we left and returned 2 days later and he sat us down and said i quit smoking. When i had the desire i read your book and didn’t stop and i have read about a hundred pages! It was so awesome. I love that man, and he came to church!!!

Yesterday in the chapel we had 8 investigators!!!!! 18 with all 8 of the missionaries. 3 familias! and the one family that didn’t want to get married but knows it is true came and they are working with a family in the ward and are a little excited for their marriage. I think that they might get married soon. There were 2 other familias that are very good. They have a great desire to follow Christ and don’t’ have a church so that is good! diego y erica and nielson y mirta. they women are sisters and they came together in a car... that they own!!!! That’s the best part. We are still working with them. This week there is a chance that we are going to have a baptism. If he accepts all the commandments then yes, he already has the assistencia! His name is angel fermin. We are really excited.

It was a really good week there is a lot of action in our area right now.

Enjoy the academies Braiden they are bomb awesome and don’t let that rat hermano clegg scheme you out of your victory. He cheated us of two victories at the academies. Still bitter about that, ha ha.

I love you all, and I should get your package this week we have zone conference.

elder shaw

5/17/2011

mbae te copio fmailia

How’s every body doing? Sounds like everything is good with school ending! That was a really fast year it feels like, time is flying. I still feel like i am in March cause that was a long month. I always dreaded when you said we were going to plays or acts or something mom, but I’m bummed i missed Wicked. But really i get a show every single day. It was crazy this last week. Not much success but a lot of action that’s for sure. But first dad the name of the city is cuidad del este and its freezing, I wear gloves every night and sleep in a parka! Also i haven’t gotten the package yet but zone conference is coming up on the 26 and they will bring them to here i believe. All your talk about basketball and i got a little trunky (missing something) for basketball so i called up 6 member and 4 missionaries and we are playing in 2 hours at the church. I am so stoked!!!!!!!

This week was very action packed. Our couple that has 4 assistencias (go to church i don’t know the word is) had a bump and she found out that he cheated on here a couple months back and we talked on the phone with her for 3 hours at night trying to calm her down and get her to forgive him and then spent a lot of the next day with them all in all she forgave him but doesn’t want to get married anymore so they can’t get baptized until they do..... So we are starting from scratch but they are still bomb awesome. Then another familia heard that we worship pigs after baptism and that we get a lot of money for every baptism that the do and that we grow horns later..... ha! so he is a little doubt full but said he was going to come to church. Really all this talk about forgiving and repenting and becoming a better person made me think and learn, and how much i owe to the church, cause really the person i am i owe to mom and dad but really the gospel. It’s so apparent when teaching that if you put God first in your marriage relationship that everything will work out fine. I’m so grateful for the gospel. I love reading the Book of Mormon. It’s my favorite book on the mission so far..... and really the only book ha i don’t read the bible much.

We also found another couple this last week named ramon y lurces, and we have taught then twice and the spirit was so strong!! Both lessons ramon ended up crying and saying he wants to be with his family forever. It was really touching. He’s really sincere and has told us he knows the Book of Mormon is true.... he didn’t come to church (fail!) oh and when we did a kneeing prayer at the end, we taught him how to pray and said would you like to try and he said yes and then, lifted his hands in the air bowed his head like in the movies and gave such a powerful prayer. A little off with the hands but the prayer was awesome. I have the best stories in the world about some of the prayers I’ve had, drunk people making me hold there hands, screaming things, people that prayed to me cause they didn’t know what the heck was going on but we are going to help him again this week. He has alot of potential, all they need to do is come to church.. The big problem.

As for a funny story, a drunk out of his mindman walked up to me in the night and said o Lord bless me i need your help, and he threatened me to give him a blessing so he said put your hands on my head and give me a blessing Lord.... he thought i was Jesus cause I’m white and then he sat there. So i put one of my hands on his head and just sat in there in silence for like 5 seconds and then said you’re blessed and he said thanks and walked away!!! Blasphemy i know but he was drunk and won’t remember a thing it was so funny. My comp and I were laughing so hard. Right now I’m reading in Alma about the wars and stripling warriors. It’s really interesting right there, Where are you in you personal study. That’s about all for now, chou I love you Elder Shaw

May 5, 2011

Whats Up!!!!!!!!

So some quick news is that i stayed in my area with my short little Ecuadorian companion. We are still companions and its really good cause my Spanish has improved a hundred percent with him. i have so much to say. Okay, first I’m now from South Africa and my mom is black and my dad is white so I’m a mix, cause Osama bin laden died and there are a bunch anti-American here so the security for our area called the president and said that we are not allowed to say we are from the USA and we can’t speak English anymore at all!!! Turns out i am part black, dad that’s what you always wanted. As for investigators this last week was awesome!!!! One investigator named Aldo started and finished the Book of Mormon in 1 week and downloaded it to his computer to read at work. (He didn’t come to church though and i don’t know why). The next thing is we found a family of 15 and 7 of them have a date for baptism. They are all coming this Sunday to church!!! This last Sunday we had 5 investigators in church, it was awesome until priesthood meeting when a crazy member burst in the door and asked for a priesthood blessing with oil and all the investigator were weirded out, but i think it all went well. We also found out that the family that should get baptized this next Saturday is not married so we have to wait for a marriage before they can get baptized, but the spirit was so strong when we talked about the law of chastity (that’s’ weird) but when the wife said yeah I’ll get married (at first we ask him and he said for sure and then we asked her and she said no. You should have seen his face. He was crushed but we helped them a little and then she said yes. (Reminded me of you mom) It was so powerful. I’ll keep you posted on them. Then another investigator that went to church this last Sunday when we passed by his house later that night he said that the devil had over come him when he ate the bread at the santa cena (i forgot the word for the bread and water part) and that he couldn’t move and his mouth locked up and he never wants to go back. We didn’t know what to say but my companion remembered the part about Joseph Smith when he began to pray and how after the blessings came or God appeared to him. He says he will go back this Sunday to see if it happens again. Sorry I’m going really fast but I’m a little behind today.

Oh and i never thought that i was ever going to use the coat Devin gave me. i thought he was crazy when i got here and felt the weather but i just about died this last week. ITS FREEZING HERE!!!!!! i had garments, shirt, sweater, coat, and rain jacket and was still cold!

Hey i found out that we are going to do the skype this Sunday at 2 for you guys, its 4 for me. I’ll try and call you and make an account. i don’t know how to do it but I’ll call that account dad thank for giving it to me. i haven’t made one yet but 2 o’clock your time

I love you

Elder Shaw

CHOUUUUUU!