Back in the Good O' Woods of Estacada!
This past week has flown by so fast...I don't
know where the time went!?! I feel like one of the luckiest missionary's ever to
be able to come back to where I started my mission to see the changes and growth
in the ward and in myself. Not only was I super excited to see everyone, but the
ward was excited to see me! Elder Hansen and I were asked to speak on Sunday and
share our testimonies and it truly felt like my homecoming talk...WEIRD! I am
not ready for that! This week we have hit the ground running! The elder before
us only taught an average of 2 lessons a week...this past week we taught 20!! We
had 6 member presents, 2 other lessons, 12 RCLA's, and we found 3 new
investigators as well as 2 new families to teach!! In ward council this past
week Bishop Hawkins called us the energizer bunny, we keep going and going. It
was such a blessing to see a lot of the less actives and former investigators
this past week as well as meet new members, new investigators, and watch in awe
some of the less actives come back to church. It has been a real blessing to see
some of the fruits of the efforts here. I know that we can sometimes feel like
our efforts aren't good enough or that all of our hard work may not pay off
sometimes, but the blessings come. When I shared my testimony I was doing all
that I could not to get too emotional...I only got choked up 5 times no big...
;) I guess I have gotten a little tougher!
ITS THE FINAL COMPANION! Elder Hansen is
incredible! He is a farmer from Logan, Utah specifically Hyde Park, Utah. He is
so funny, is a hard worker, and a great comp to end my mission with. Another
blessing!
The Brown's are incredible. They aren't the
Peterson's, but they have brought so much good to the ward. So sad that they are
leaving on July
20th. ;( We aren't sure if they will have a replacement so it may
just be back to 1 set in Estacada now that the Spanish is gone. The cool part is
that I will be able to go to the departing temple trip with the Browns and bear
my testimony with them. Sister Brown is from Mesa, Arizona!!! So is such a sweet
lady with a great sense of humor. Elder Brown is the prankster and jokester. We
love them so much and work really close with them. We have our nightly prayers
with them and for p day this morning we were able to hang out with them. Such
great people.
So Monday we rushed over to Estacada...I forget
how Estacada is in they middle of nowhere. A lot of travel time, but boy did it
feel good to drive into town. It has felt like nothing has changed. It is so
cool. When we have been going around town I have been able to talk with people
(non members) that I did when I was a Greenie. They were so happy and surprised
to see me back. It feels like home! So we got here and dropped off our things in
our apartment, but then we learned that we would be moving into the Spanish
Elders apartment which is a lot cooler and nicer (apartment number is now #104
mommy;) We scrambled and moved all of our stuff downstairs and tried to get
things settled in our new apartment. We then raced over to a dinner that we
didn't know we had (the area was sooo disorganized!!). Our 1st dinner back was
with Marilyn and Tom Jones!!!! I was dying inside!! So excited to see them. It
was sooo funny...on our way to dinner we saw a butch of little kids jumping on
the trampoline nude and I told Elder Hansen "Welcome to Estacada!" I was dying
laughing!!! Marilyn and Tom are doing sooo good. They were so surprised to see
me again. We were able to have dinner with them and we set a date for Tom to
receive the Melchizedek priesthood for July 31st...my last Sunday of my
mission. They are so sweet...I love them sooo much! Both have been coming to
church weekly...another tender mercy to see them grow and their testimonies
strengthened...I felt like a parent!
Kinda cool so we had Sister Billows text us when
we got here and asked if we could come over and have a lesson. What is funny is
that my first dinner on my mission was with the Billows so that was sweet! BOTH
of them came to church this past Sunday!!!
We were able to teach and catch up with Gena
Chasteen, Sister Felicia English, the Darity's, Edie Karlin, the Steens, and the
Higley's this past week and invited them to church. It was so good to seem them
all again and to try to finish what we started here. I love them all so much. It
was like catching up with family, but things were different...I was different. I
could feel how I have gained so much confidence and a burning testimony on my
mission. The atonement has really changed me and it was really cool to have a
lot of the members comment how I have grown. :)
This
past week we were able to meet with some new investigators. Sara Dysart,
April Newton, and Troy Schupp. We are planning to set some dates here this week
with Sara and April. April is already praying about getting baptized! So much
potential here. We also have a lot of youth from Job Core coming down to attend
church and wanting to meet with us! One week there was 12 people from Job Core
coming down to attend church with us. We were able to meet with Keith and
Zedekiah and will have lessons with them both this week probably on Thursday.
Soooo much potential that we are busting out the seams! We got a referral from
Bro Trujillo the elders quorum president of a family, the Ferguson's who were
interested in learning about the church. We will be going and teaching them with
bro Trujillo this weds. WE ARE SOOO EXCITED!
We were able to do service for several non
members this week. We did service for a family we met, the Haggstroms and
started teaching Matt (the dad) the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon.
He was really interested and him and the family were so good to us. We will
hopefully teach the family this weds. We also meet a gal, Melodie and was able
to help her on her clients property. She takes care of a man named Gary who has
altimeters and Parkinson's and keeps the property ship shape. When we got there
we shoveled rotten straw and oh my gosh...it smelt so bad!! I was dry heaving
and was dying....I had to smile and say, "It's soo good to be back in Estacada."
Elder Hansen was laughing sooo hard because he was use to it...I had to laugh.
We will be going over there Tues and hopefully will be able to teach her. She
has been taught before so we shall see how it goes.
One Sunday we were able to have dinner with the
Browns who invited the Higley's and the Lazott's (Summer and Jason got married).
As you know the Higley's are less active and Jason is a non member. After our
yummy dinner we taught the gospel of Jesus Christ and had an amazing discussion.
Jason and most especially the Higley's really opened up. I was bawling....it is
so sad to see and hear of some of the terrible things that happen to people. My
heart just aches...I couldn't imagine how the Savior feels. It was a humbling
week. I am so grateful for my savior who knows and loves me.
Something that the Browns shared with all of us
at dinner really stood out to me this past week. "Are you a part of the INN
crowd, or one of the STABLE few?" Referring to Jesus Christ's birth it really
makes you think about where we are at spiritually compared and where we are at
in the world. Where are you? In the Inn or with Christ at the Stable?
Until
next time! Have a great week!! I love you all!!
Love,
Elder Shaw
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