Week 4

Dear Friends, 

I just finished my 4th week on my mission! I have been gone for a month! It's crazy how at times it has seemed to drag on and at other times it seems to fly by. Thank you for your many emails this week. I really do appreciate hearing from home and staying in touch. This week was so funny. I was laughing so hard most of the time. 

For the first time in my life, a bird pooped on me. I was just outside with my district of a few other missionaries and then everyone started to laugh at me (good naturedly of course) and I didn't understand. Some bird had just flown by while I was practing my Spanish and just let it fly and nailed me. It  was terrible. I had to go home and change my shirt and worked all night to clean it. Luckily, it came out and my shirt is still white! 

Also, my compainion, Elder Stockard, and I have become over the last week basically  Legends of the MTC. It all started a couple weeks ago when we started translating "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift from English to Spanish purely from memory during a language study time. It was actually pretty productive beacuase I learned many new Spanish words. We ended up translating much of the song and performed it for our district! Our district loved it, especially the three girls that are there. We did it purely for fun and to change up the routine a bit but then the last few days I guess our Hermanas told other Hermanans and other Elders and now the two of us perform Blank Space in Spanish 2 or 3 times a meal. It's becoming hard to find time to eat! Everyone loves it and it's all in good fun so we really enjoy doing it. People I have never talked to before now refer to us as the "Blank Space Boys" , I just shake my head and laugh. It's nice to have fun in the MTC. 

We have a new cafeteria, a new classroom, and lots of new missonaries. Come Monday, we will be the big men on campus! There is only one generation older than us now and it's really great! It's almost like the same feeling you have as a senior in high school when you truly know the ropes of the MTC and can help other people around and everyone looks up to you and asks when you are leaving. It's a lot better than being the new guy I can assure you. 

Today we got to go to the temple visitors center here in Mexico City and it was wonderful. We would have been able to visit the temple but unfortunately it is closed for cleaning and repairs. The visitor's center there is the best I have ever been to. Hands down. It is beautiful and incredibly well made. It was so nice to be able to leave the CCM again. It's crazy to think, that the next time I leave, it'll be for good and I'll be on my way to Satillo! Speaking of Saltillo, I am now longer alone! I HAVE FRIENDS! On Sunday and Monday about half a dozen Latino Missionaries showed up at the MTC and they are all going to serve in Saltillo with me! They will be traveling with me next Monday so I feel much better now and I am super excited to get to know them!

Before I conclude, I would like to share a short scripture in the Book of Luke, Chapter 6, verse 37. We had a fabulous lesson on Sunday about not judging others and completely fogiving others as Christ did. Here it is: "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged. Condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned. Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven". I LOVE that scripture. Basically, if we don't judge, condemn, or hold grudges, Christ and God will do the same for us! I know that I need my Savior everyday and that he is such a wonderful postive influence and focus of my life. We can turn to him every day for strength to overcome our challenges. I hope you are all happy and well!

All the best, 

Elder Shipley