Come unto Christ...

Hi Everybody,

Yes, we have big plans for the Fourth of July!  We have a big missionary event and there will be a Hawaiian/Samoan fire dance at the church that will be going on so we are excited for that and getting the members to bring their friends to that.

I was able to go to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday!  We went this week and it was funny, we got our cheesecake comped because they took like five extra minutes to bring out our food so that was fun!  They were all apologetic but it was just barely late so we didn't really care, but hey, FREE cheesecake!

My cardboard cover for my little scriptures is coming along GREAT, it's all done!  I took a lot of space pictures from the ensign and put them on the cardboard.  I would send a picture but I think I left my camera at Defy Gravity.  We will have to go back and try and pick that up.

Investigator/Finding Update:  We found a young guy named Caleb, we taught him about the Book of Mormon and we are going back this Saturday.  He was raised Catholic and Methodist.

Funny Experience:  We started playing the "bingo" car game while we were driving with the Raleigh four elders and it gets quite heated sometimes.  Some of them may or may not cheat...a lot!

Scripture for the week:
Omni 26  And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption.  Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

Love,
Elder Jake

Keeping the faith...

Hey Family!

I got my birthday package, thank you so much!  It had everything that I wanted!  I was most excited for the little scripture set.  One of the protein powders in it opened so there was powder over everything but we got it cleaned off.  I am working on making a little cardboard case for my scriptures, I will send you a pic when I get it finished.

To celebrate my birthday we went and got ice-cream near the end of the day, oh, and late Saturday night, after curfew, the first counselor asked me to give a talk on Father's Day.  Luckily it was just a youth speaker talk, but I got up at 4:30 AM to prep for it.  I talked about how God is our Father before he is our God.

Funny Story:  We got a new car and we named it Lady (it is red and is a girl car, and looks like a lady bug).  We were a full time car for a few days , but the zone leader stole it and gave it away the day before my birthday.

Investigator/finding Update:  Still in the works, finding has been a struggle.

I have had a really hard last few weeks, we haven't been able to find anyone and all the people we have found have dropped us which has been really disheartening.  It has been a struggle to stay happy and keep the faith that we will find someone.  I am doing OK and I am not keeping my feelings hidden in me.  This is a test from the Lord to try my patience and to motivate me to try new things.
Mosiah 23:21  "...yea, he trieth their patience and their faith."

Scripture for the week:  Alma 60:23-24

Six Month Recap...

Hey Family,

So I am pretty happy be staying here in Raleigh with Elder Lofgreen.  I thought that I would be staying, but I'm pretty sure I will be transferred next transfer.  We get along great.  There were some things that we had to talk about and get worked out, but the good thing is that we can communicate with each other and both of us are willing to adjust.

My investigator update won't take too long.  We got dropped by everyone, H got antied and doesn't want to meet anymore and no one is answering our calls or the door so we are back at square one.

Scripture for the week:  Be Like Moroni!

Alma 48:17  Yea verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

Six month recap...What have you learned on your mission so far?
I have learned how to truly understand and study the scriptures and that life is a whole lot easier when you don't focus on yourself.  The best thing you can do is get our of the way and let the spirit take over and guide.  It knows everything a whole lot better than you do.

Love,
Elder Shields

Elder Smyly Goes Home...

Hey Family,

So I will be staying here in Raleigh with Elder Lofgreen.  We are going to Red Robin today to celebrate Elder Lofgreen's birthday and Elder Smyly going home.  I have my bike back now and it is working even better than before.
I was hardly in our area this week because of meetings etc so I don't have much to update you on as far as our investigators go, and none of them came to church this week.

I found a cool connection between my two scriptures of the week.  While we were teaching Ken about the priesthood I was telling him about the Matthew scripture and the connection just came into my head about the Ephesions verse.

Matthew 18:18  Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:  and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Ephesians 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

The gathering is taking place as we speak both on earth and in heaven.  I am so grateful that we have God's authority here on the earth to make the ordinances binding and recognized in heaven.