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
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