Week 78-The last post of 2016

 Horses!  

 Christmas Eve  Dinner!

 Opening presents in the office!

 Elder Lopez in his new Washington Shirt and our families favorite book "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.

Skipping with family on Christmas Day!

Happy New Year!!  This will be the last email you receive from me in 2016!  This has been my year in Mexico!  This past week we celebrated Christmas Eve with two wonderful older ladies in our ward that treated us like we were their grandchildren!  We opened presents in the office on Christmas morning under the big tree, skyped with our families and prepared Mara and her son Oscar to be baptized tomorrow!

I really enjoyed this past December. It was filled with letters that Elder Lopez and I read every night that talked about the events that led to the birth of Jesus Christ. We went ice skating, bowling, played some great basketball games and enjoyed the gifts my family sent! Thanks! 

Elder Lopez and I have found several wonderful families that are all excited about getting baptized in the next few months. We have faith that many people will be able to make the sacred promise with our Heavenly Father to be able to be clean of sins. We are SO EXCITED to attend the baptism of Mara and Oscar tomorrow! Mara is an awesome mother of 4 kids and wants all of her kids to follow her on the path that leads to eternal life.

My favorite moment of the past week was when Elder Lopez and I invited 9 year old Oscar to be baptized with his mom this past Tuesday. He kinda looked at us for a few seconds and thought about it. He then said, ''well, I want to follow Christ and do what He did, so yes. Also, my mom is getting baptized, and I don't want her to be alone so I will be right by her side.'' The two members we invited to the lesson, his mother Mara, and even I got a little emotional when we heard this angel of a little guy express the love he has for his mom. Tomorrow is the last day of 2016 and will surely be one of the sweetest days I have had all year. 

Also, I don't have my personal 2017 goals ready to share yet.  I encourage each of you to think about a few goals that you can strive to achieve this year to improve and become more like our Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. I love a quote from President Uchtdorf:  

“An old proverb says, ‘The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.  There is something wonderful and hopeful about the word now. There is something empowering about the fact that if we choose to decide now, we can move forward at this very moment."

“Now is the best time to start becoming the person we eventually want to be—not only 20 years from now but also for all eternity.”
—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Best Time to Plant a Tree

I love this proverb and quote from President Uchtorf because it is so true! If you want to change or improve in anything, let this year be the year! For with God all things are possible.I know that God loves us and wants us to have happy lives. I know that Jesus Christ died for each of us so that we can be clean from sins and overcome the trials and struggles we have in this life. Don't be afraid to shoot for the moon this upcoming year, because if you miss, you will land in the stars. 

All love, 

Elder Shipley 

Sorry, I can't get the quoted parts to read in white!  Stephanie

Week 77 -Merry Christmas!

 The office Christmas Tree, the office secretaries, assistants and the President of the Mission

 Jeffrey and Elder Damuni, a new elder...who is going to play football at Utah State.  Yes, Jeffrey talked tons of college football with him!

 Opening their candy/letter advent that Grandma Jensen sent him.

 Free ice skating rink...fun P-day activity.

 Carts out in the square.

Another favorite P-day activity...bowling!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve tomorrow and a very merry Christmas on Sunday! Tomorrow I will hit 18 months here in Mexico! I am about to begin the last 6 months! This past week has been a blast! I wish I had more time to tell you all about the awesome experiences Elder Lopez and I have had but I don't have a lot of time so I will be brief. 

First of all, we are going to have a very warm Christmas here in Saltillo! Today I wore a short sleeve shirt the whole day and got sunburned! Last year, when I was in Piedras Negras, right on the border with Texas, Christmas was pretty cold and wet. It'll sure be weird to be sunburned on Christmas.

The funniest moment of last week was when several other elders and I were in the bed of a pick up truck traveling back home after the several wards had their Christmas parties in the stake center. One elder unwisely accepted a Styrofoam cup full of beans as he was getting into the bed of the truck and during the ride back home the truck hit a bump and all of the beans flew up in the air! I ended up wiping beans off of my clothes and face the rest of the way home. It was rather uncomfortable and yucky but we all died laughing. 

The most fun moment(s) of the past week were going ice skating twice with the assistants and other secretaries. There is a free ice skating rink here in Saltillo and we have taken full advantage the last two P-days. It is quite a sight to see a bunch of missionaries in their ties skating with many locals from Saltillo who have never skated in their life. The six of us started off pretty rusty, but after a while, we had a lot of fun racing and even falling down! 

The most spiritual moment of the week was one of the most powerful lessons of my entire mission. This past Tuesday, President Cahoon and his wife came with us to teach Mara and her son Oscar. The lesson was absolutely fabulous. We talked about the plan of Salvation and the reason why we are here on the earth. Mara started crying while the President was sharing his testimony and she mentioned that she wants to get baptized so she can be a shining light for her family and help them return to God. It was such a special lesson! We are hoping that Mara can get baptized next Saturday, December 31st! That would be an awesome way to start out 2017!

Have a very merry Christmas! Thank you for your love and support!

Elder Shipley  

Week 76 - Another Busy Week

 Office Christmas Tree with the elders who work in the office!

 Sister Mata and a "very cool" Christmas tree

 Elder Villeda before he headed home.  One of Jeff's first Zone Leaders

Sister Cruz as she heads home.  She has been in the same zone for about 7 months with Jeff.

Dear Friends and Family,

This was a pretty exciting week! We had transfers again! It seemed like they were just yesterday because this transfer only last 5 weeks instead of the usual 6. We are now in the rare 7 week transfer that will last until February 1st! After this change I will only have 3 left... that is crazy! 

This week was highlighted by the arrival of 13 new missionaries! This was the largest group to arrive to the mission since September of 2015! 6 weeks after I got to the mission! There are 7 american elders in this group so it was a blast to meet them all and hear about their experiences in the MTC and before the mission. As always with transfers, we slept very little (about 15 hours in 3 days) and had a bunch of Elders sleeping in our house! We also enjoyed a delicious lunch made by Sister Cahoon that she brought to the office yesterday that was a mix of mashed potatos, stuffing, gravy, turkey, and stuffing all mixed together and cooked like a pie! It was like having Thanksgiving dinner but all mixed together and 3 weeks later! 

Right now, Elder Lopez and I are really excited that our investigator Mara and her kids are listening to the discussions and loving the gospel! They loved church the first time they went and told us they are going to go to the Ward Christmas party tonight and church on Sunday. I love sharing the teachings of Jesus Christ with such wonderful people who want to hear about Him and follow His example! 

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season! This upcoming week is the last before Christmas! Be sure to take advantage of this wonderful time to spread the love and joy of our Savior's birth! 

Have a great week!

Elder Shipley 

Week 75

Christmas Conference for the 3 Zones in Saltillo

 Special letter from William (a convert of Jeffrey's) 

 Dinner is served!

 Elder Smith and Jeffrey

 The Zone with their Mission T-shirts on

The back of the mission t-shirts!

 Elder Lopez, Elder Ray and Jeffrey with Santa Hats in the office!

Jeffrey's Christmas tree, gifts and Christmas pillowcases!  

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week was super exciting and filled with many Christmas events!!!!! We listened to the Church's Christmas devotional from Salt Lake on Sunday and on Tuesday we had the mission Christmas Conference. The three zones here in Saltillo got together and we had a blast! 

Big shout out to Sister Cahoon for making a Christmas ham that was super tasty! I felt like I was eating Christmas ham back home! We had a wonderful Christmas devotional and listened to a trio of Elders sing Christmas songs. The trio is made up of Elders from the northern 5 zones so they have spent the whole week touring the mission and singing! My son, Elder Smith, was a part of the trio and they were awesome. It was super cool that he was a part of the trio because they all slept in my house for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night! We love sleepovers!!!

My most joyful moment of the past week was also in the Christmas concert when Elder Smith and I received letters from one of our friends who was baptized back in February of this year, William Rivas! He wrote both of us a letter to tell us that he is going to early morning seminary, went to the temple, and regularly goes out with the missionaries to visit others to prepare for his mission! I was so happy when I read that he was doing so well and is continuing to progress in the gospel! I love that kid! 

The funniest thing that has happened recently was when we had the day of service as part of the church's Christmas campaign called, ''Light the world''. We helped the mother of a Bishop from a nearby Stake move out of the house of her son and into an apartment in my area. She moved into a apartment on the third floor of the building! It was super funny because two other elders and I carried an old heavy refrigerator up three flights of narrow stairs which resulted in lots of smashed hands and strained back muscles but it was totally worth it to help out this elderly lady. Someday I'll show you guys the video of us trying to smash this fridge up the stairs and you will enjoy the groans of us sacrificing our bodies so this lady could have her fridge.

The service that we gave is part of the church's worldwide campaign to share the light and love of our Savior Jesus Christ! I encourage all of you to participate in the ''25 Ways in 25 Days'' by following this link: 

https://www.mormon.org/christmas/in-25-ways-over-25-days 

It's really cool and helps us remember the birth of our Savior! After all, if it wasn't for the Atonement of our Redeemer, the birth of the babe of Bethlehem wouldn't have matter in the first place. I close quoting a great talk from President Gordon B. Hinckley:

''There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection.

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal, Living God. None so great has ever walked the earth. None other has made a comparable sacrifice or granted a comparable blessing. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. I believe in Him. I declare His divinity without equivocation or compromise. I love Him. I speak His name in reverence and wonder. I worship Him as I worship His Father, in spirit and in truth. I thank Him and kneel before His Beloved Son who reached out long ago and said to each of us, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

For each of you may this be a merry Christmas. But more importantly, I wish for each of you a time, perhaps only an hour, spent in silent meditation and quiet reflection on the wonder and the majesty of this, the Son of God. Our joy at this season is because He came into the world. The peace that comes from Him, His infinite love which each of us may feel, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for that which He freely gave us at so great a cost to Himself—these are of the true essence of Christmas.'' https://www.lds.org/ensign/2000/12/the-wondrous-and-true-story-of-christmas?lang=eng

Have a great week! 

Elder Shipley

Week 74 - It's Beginning to Look A lot like Christmas!

 Elder Holmes...last year's Christmas Companion

 Leadership Meeting

 Office Christmas tree!

 Having fun with the elders in the Zone

 Yet another pose...

 Elder Leon and Elder Shipley

 Tie Battles!

Yep...the timer went off...good try on the Zone picture!

Dear Family and Friends,

We had a good week here in Saltillo! I am super excited for this upcoming few days! Tonight, our ward is having a talent show and we are planning to take a few investigators. On Sunday night, we are going to be able to see the Christmas Devotional that the church does every year from the conference center and it is so awesome!! It really helps to bring the Christmas spirit, listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing Christmas songs (in English!) and the words of the apostles and prophet. Then on Tuesday, we are going to have the three zones here in Saltillo come together for the Christmas Conference that President Cahoon and his wife have planned! I am so excited! I was in Piedras Negras last year for the Christmas conference, I can't believe it has been a year since then! 

Elder Lopez and I are really excited for this month because we have faith that we are going to see a few baptisms! We have had a slow start here in Valle two, waiting for the divorce papers of Lalo and Gabi and looking for other people, but last night, we received the news that the divorce should be finalized in about 2 weeks so that Lalo and Gabi can be married and baptized by Christmas or New Years!!! What a great Christmas present that would be! 

My Dad sent me a quote in his email this past week that I really enjoyed. Once President Hinckley quoted Jenkins Jones and said,

''Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed.  "most putts don't drop.  Most beef is tough.  Most children grow up to be just people.  Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration.  Most jobs are often dull than otherwise.  Life is like an old time rail journey--delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.  The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."  Jenkins Jones and Pres Hinckley

I think it is very applicable to a mission as well. The mission isn't perfect, isn't easy, isn't comfortable, but it is most certainly the most valuable and important thing I could be doing with my life right now. I am very grateful for the Restored Gospel and for the love of our Heavenly Father. The beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed that I experience on the mission are felt when others listen, understand, and apply the gospel in their own lives, and by doing so, changing who they and their family are. The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly miraculous and marvelous. Wonderful and life changing. It provides us with hope, peace, and love. Be sure to take the time to remember the Savior during this holiday season and all of the blessings we receive, thanks to Him. 

Have a great week!

Elder Shipley 

Week 73 Dogs!

Splits with some "older guys" in the ward.

 Sparky!

 More Neighborhood dogs!

Closer to the doggies!

 Companions taking a much needed Thanksgiving nap!

Cool sweater vests given to the boys because they had short sleeve shirts on!

Happy Black Friday!  I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

This week, I took many pictures with several of the neighborhood dogs here in Saltillo and I have got to say that I really admire dogs! Most of them are always so happy! This past week, we had a neighborhood dog named Sparky follow us around for close to 5 hours. Sparky is a pet of one of our neighbors and for some reason was out on the street when we walked by. His owner wasn't home so he decided to follow us around the whole day! Even when we went to a teaching appointment and were inside a house teaching for an hour, we left the house and he was there patiently waiting to continue walking around with us. He was so excited to be with us! He was wagging his tail and wanted to jump on us and play!

We had quite an afternoon with Sparky. There were a few times when Elder Lopez and I had to protect him from a few mean dogs. We also had to help him cross a very busy street when we went to the mission office. He didn't follow us very closely while crossing the street and I was nervous because he almost got hit by a car and killed! After spending an hour in the office, Elder Lopez and I left and when we left, there he was again! He was wagging his tail and super excited to see us! 

Elder Lopez and I brought him back to his house around 8pm and dropped him off to his owner. She was very happy because he had followed us really far away from his house and she was worried about him. This afternoon with Sparky the dog taught me many gospel lessons. First of all, I admire the always happy attitude that dogs have! Almost nothing gets a dog mad or upset! Even if you get mad at a dog, they will be happy again and start playing with you or licking your face! We should always be happy like dogs! Being happy is a decision! Don't let the circumstances that surround you dictate your happiness! Be a light to others and make the circumstances adapt to your attitude! If we center our lives in Jesus Christ and His teachings, we can always find joy and happiness, no matter the circumstances that surround us. 

I also realized that Sparky needed our help to stay safe. I compared that to us as people needing the help of our Heavenly Father. Sparky would have been attacked by the mean dogs if Elder Lopez and I hadn't protected him. He also never would have been able to cross the street and return back home without our help on that busy street. 

Our Heavenly Father is always protecting us. He wants us to return to our heavenly home. Sometimes we are very far away from where He wants us to be, but we can return to him through repentance and changing our lives. I know that if we follow His teachings and the words of His prophets, we will be able to avoid the mean dogs, busy streets, and make it home safely. Let us be more grateful, more happy, and more obedient to those that love us and want us to return to our heavenly home. 

I hope you have a great weekend! 

All the best, 

Elder Shipley 

Week 72! Mexican Black Friday!

 It's freezing!

 Now it's not!

 Yummy tacos in the office!

 All you can eat pancakes at IHOP for about $2.00!

 Go Seahawks!  Even in Mexico!

Christmas tree and decorations at the Mall!

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a good week in Saltillo! I think I mentioned last week that it was getting colder and that we are now in the winter season. Well, that was true, for about 2 days it was 40 and rainy. However, since Monday, it has gotten warmer and warmer every day, and now it's about 75 and sunny! It feels like we are back in September and it's almost December. I guess that's what happens when you live in the Mexican desert. 

Today we participated in the ''buen fin'' which refers to the Mexican version of Black Friday. Here in Mexico, they have their version of ''Black Friday'', the whole weekend before Thanksgiving. They started doing it about 5 years ago to discourage people from going to Texas a week later to buy things on Black Friday to support the Mexican economy. It's sweet that we have our P-day on Friday because today we went to the mall and I bought a tie for 40% off. It was cool to see Christmas trees and decorations in the mall already! Christmas is coming up fast! 

We had a special conference this past Sunday for all of the members of the church in Mexico. Sister Mckonkie spoke in Spanish and so did President Russell M. Nelson! It was super cool to hear them speak in Spanish. Usually, we have to listen to a translation of the talks in Spanish so we actually never hear the voice of the prophet and apostles. I was a treat to hear the voice of a living apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ in Spanish! 

The overall theme of the short conference was being obedient to the commandments of God. In fact, President Nelson started his talk by saying, ''Today my message is very simple, keep the commandments of God''. It was a very powerful and direct instruction. I have a very strong testimony of obedience, both as a missionary and before I started my mission. It is often said that obedience is the first commandment in heaven. I know that in my mission, as I continue to be obedient, I am happy and teach with greater power and authority, and better invite others unto Christ. 

I also have a testimony of the blessings that our Heavenly Father gives us when we are obedient. In Mosiah 2:41, we can read the words of King Benjamin, who said, 

''And moreover, I would desire that ye should  consider the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold outfaithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that thesethings are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it''.

I know if we strive to keep the commandments of God and repent when we fall short, we will be happier today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives. Have a great Thanksgiving! 

All the best, 

Elder Shipley 

Week 71 -Testimonies

The "secretaries" in a serious pose

The "secretaries" in a smiling pose

 Well loved and worn soles!

The secretaries and Lalo 

 Lalo, Gai, Jeff and Elder Lopez

The Elders going home...and Jeff

Dear Family and Friends,

This week went by super fast with the new missionaries that arrived on Monday, changes on Tuesday, and the departure of the old missionaries on Wednesday. I slept very little with all of the Elders in our house on Monday and Tuesday night! It's a blast being able to chat with them and catch up with them. Things got a little interesting on Tuesday night when we had a few wild Elders that had finished their missions in the house that started burning things, including a suit, and making a mess but it turned out fine. 

The big news of the week was of course Donald Trump being elected as the next President of the United States. I honestly thought that there would be a larger social impact here in Saltillo, since we are so close to Texas (about 6 hours in car) but I really haven't had any problems. Aside from a few uncomfortable questions and some drugged up teenagers shouting at me that I should go back to my country with Trump, everything has been calm. 

It has gotten a lot colder here in Saltillo. It is almost always 60 degrees or colder in my house. I'm fine though because I sleep with three blankets, sweats, a sweatshirt, and a heater on! We are staying nice and warm!

The best part of the week was church this past Sunday! We had a great fast and testimony meeting during the first hour. It's always a treat to be able to hear the testimonies of the members here in Valle de las Flores because it is such a spiritual ward! I love the people!

My favorite testimonies were shared by our investigators, Lalo and Gabi, two of my favorite people in the world! I am going to share some of my favorite quotes from their testimonies. 

Lalo mentioned that he used to belong to several groups of people that weren't always the best influence on him. He said, ''I used to be in the army, police, and even neighborhood gangs and always thought that I needed to be bigger or stronger than the rest to be able to defend myself and do my job. I always thought that having weapons or knowing martial arts were important. Now I don't need weapons to be safe because I know that the most powerful weapons that exist are prayer, patience, and love. Love and charity are really the reason why I love the gospel and I love this church. I am now part of this group, my brothers and sisters, and I have never felt so blessed or happy in my entire life''. 

While discussing the changes that Gabi has had in her life, she mentioned, ''before I started going to church, praying, or learning from the missionaries, I avoided my problems and ran away from them by doing things God doesn't want us to do. Now, I want to obey the commandments, even though I have problems, because I know that obeying the commandments brings blessings and happiness. I am now so happy and content that I could die and it would be fine, because I know that I will return to be with God. It is truly a blessing to have the knowledge that a family can be sealed together forever. Even though we aren't baptized yet, the most important thing in my life is that our family can be sealed in the temple''.

The spirit was strong as these two super investigators shared their testimonies this past Sunday. We are hoping and praying that they can be baptized this month. I cannot wait to see this wonderful family enter into the waters of baptism and receive the blessings that our Heavenly Father has in store for them. 

I love being a missionary and being able to play a small part in this great work of serving others and helping others come unto Christ!

Have a great week!

Elder Shipley