Week 16

 The Rain Begins

 More Rain

 The "flood"

The Grocery Store!

The sink

Dear family and friends,

This week was another incredible week here in Piedras Negras, Mexico! I am doing really well and continuing to learn a lot! 

I hate to be that guy who is always talking about the weather here, but I think it is totally warranted! The weather here is incredibly unique! On Tuesday, it was 100 degrees, in October!!  It doesn't matter how much sunscreen I apply, I still come home red every night. Then on Thursday, we had a flood! The next day, all of the locals here were sweeping out all of the mud, water, and garbage out of their houses. We offered to help as many as we could but only one of them accepted our help. In fact, we are going to help later this afternoon. There was 6 inches of water in the house of our bishop and in certain rooms of our own house, there was 2 inches of water. Then yesterday, it was 100 degrees again. What can you do...

Update on investigators:

I am going to do a better job on updating everyone with the actual people I teach. This week, a young mother, named Cyntia, recently seperated from her boyfriend and moved in with her mom. We had a lesson with her on Saturday and she wants to get baptized! Elder Alcala, my companion, finishes his mission in 2 weeks so she agreed that the 24th of October would be a good day for her to get baptized! The last Saturday of Elder Alcalá's mission! I really hope it happens! 

I want to share a lesson on the Law of Sacrifice that my companion taught me, which we later shared during a Family Home Evening Lesson with a family from the ward. We taught them that there are three fundamental principles of the law of sacrifice and read scriptures to explain them. Feel free to look up the Old Testament references and read.   I won't take the time to write them.

1. A sacrifice has to cost: Genesis 4, Moses 5:18

2. We can't sacrifice what we want to sacrifice, rather, we have to sacrifice what God asks of us:   2 Samuel 17-25 

3. We are asked to sacrifice all that we have. For this principle, we shared Mark 12: 42-44 which state:

• 42. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 
• 43. And He called (Jesus) and saith unto them, verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury.
• 44. For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in ALL THAT SHE HAD, even all her living. 

I was really impressed with the story and how my companion taught that it is easy to give that which you have in abundance, however, to give that which you have little of is a true sacrifice. The Old woman gave all that she had to the Lord even though it was basically worth nothing in the eyes of men.  It was worth everything in the eyes of God. 

Thank you for your love and prayers! I miss you all and hope you are all doing well! 

All the best!

Elder Shipley