Sister Hope, the owner of the sombrero
A family in Rosita
New friend in Saltillo and his pet snake
Elder Shipley with Elder Daines and Elder Gallegos
Elder Martin and Jeffrey waiting for the locksmith to open their house!
The chapel where Jeffrey goes to church
Another great ride...horse drawn buggy in Monclova!
Sunset in Jeffrey's area in Saltillo
The hills of Saltillo
Dear Family and Friends,
Since last Monday, I have had one crazy week! I have been in 3 different cities, slept in three different beds, gone on five bus rides, and trying to start working here in Saltillo without knowing anybody! It's been super fun, very enriching, and overall very exhausting. This week was highlighted by the visit from Elder Valenzuela of the Quorum of the 70. He taught lots of lessons about the importance of unity, between companions, missionaries, and members.
This week started with packing and cleaning the house in Nueva Rosita until 2 in the morning last Monday night and then the 5 hour bus ride down to Saltillo. I met my comp and we made our way to our area. My first night with Elder Marin was interesting because we realized that our door didn't work. In fact, we spent our first night together climbing through the window of the house to get back inside because the doorknob to our front door broke. We got really lucky that we left the window open! I don't know what we would have done if we had shut it!
We quickly realized that it was going to be tough to get to know our area. On Wednesday morning, we had a long but very instructive training by Elder Valenzuela of the 70. We quickly realized after arriving at the house that we had shut the window and officially were locked out of our house. We spent the afternoon calling locksmiths to fix our door and got soaking wet while waiting for him to arrive. :)
On Friday, we made our way to Monclova! I finally got to see Monclova! After 14 months on the mission, I have yet to work in the famously named, Monclovita la bella, or the beautiful little monclova (even though it is rather ugly). We had another conference with Elder Valenzuela and I really enjoyed his message. He, along with President Cahoon and the assistants have taught me a lot about unity.
They shared great examples from the scriptures such as the account in 4th Nephi were the people were very unified and there wasn't any contention.
3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.
Also, there is a great verse in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 38: vs 27:
27 Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if you are not one ye are not mine.
I learned that unity means, to be one in thought, desire, and purpose, first with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, as well as the members of the church. I would like to extend that definition and include family unity. After having unity with God, through keeping the commandments and living as the Savior lived, it's super important that we have unity as families.
Even though I am not with my family, I learned a few things that we can all do so that there is more unity between us. I learned that there will be more family unity if we 1. Fast 2. Always show respect 3. Develop patience 4. Share spiritual experiences 5. See others as God sees them.
I really like these 5 tips, my companion and I are putting them in practice to help us develop more unity so we can better help others come unto Christ. Thank you for your love and support! I know that the church is true! And regardless of the trials we have, a broken door, travels all over Coahuila, not having power on Sunday morning, or being super tired, if we trust in the Savior, everything turns out well!
All the best!
Elder Shipley
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