Brownie and a Qtip...

Me with Elder Hampton at the beach in
Southport after a zone activity

So this area (Raleigh) has been pretty slow overall, but that is how the South is in general, unfortunately.  J. Golden Kimball once said the easiest way to get baptisms in the South, is to burn it down and do baptisms for the dead.  Fortunately, that's not what we are resorting to, but I can see why he said that. Still working hard though :)  So, Elder Searle got transferred to Durham, so it is just me and Elder Norris now.  It was fun being in the trio for a little bit though :)

We came into the area with pretty much no investigators to teach so we have been trying to find a lot. Easter was good, we had a little Easter program with the choir and they did a good job.  Other than that we went contacting a few hours and didn't find anyone interested.  

Elder Norris had his hump day so me and Elder Searle got a brownie and stuck a Qtip in it and lit it on fire for him, so that was fun.

Thanks for the Easter package!  It was so good!

That's how this week went.  I love ya and i can't wait to see all y'al on Mother's Day.

Love, elder Shields

Stick Pull...

I am loving being a missionary, the ward here is great!  We actually get member support here, and the members are feeding us.

We have put in tons of work these past two weeks with little results so hopefully we will start finding success. Well, actually we are finding investigators, the problem is that they all speak Spanish so everyone we find is getting transferred over to the Spanish missionaries, haha.  Here's hoping we can start finding people who speak English, or else I will need to learn Spanish!

One of the things that our mission president is having us do is covenant with the Lord in finding people to teach.

The trio is interesting, we are all pretty introverted so that was a trial at first but things are starting to get better :)  We were playing stick pull one night and Elder Norris ripped his pants and pulled his groin.

Well, I love ya, and hope y'all have a great week,

Elder Jake

Transfer and First Bike Crash...

Elder Searle from Clinton, Utah 

Elder Norris from Modesto, California

Hi Everyone!

We made it to Raleigh, North Carolina!  We packed up our stuff, threw it in a car and drove up to Raleigh.  It was pretty crazy.  We had to fit Elder Hampton, Me and Elder Jorgenson in the car along with all of our stuff so we were pretty crammed.  Transfer meeting was kind of a nightmare, but OK.

My new companions are Elder Searle and Elder Norris.  Elder Searle is more quiet, but a hard worker.  Elder Norris is a licensed massage therapist and is very sassy, haha, he is a lot of fun though.  I like them and I am excited to get to work with them.  None of us have been in a trio before so we are still getting used to that.

I love the new area, the ward is great and functions and there is a lot to do here!  Southport was very isolated, we were an hour thirty minute drive away from the nearest elders, so I am excited to be somewhere where we can actually see the other missionaries.  Not quite sure yet what the investigator situation is.

Our apartment is bigger than the last one, but we are fitting three missionaries in there now so it is about the same amount of room as in Southport.

I got in my first bike crash, apparently it looked really cool.  It was pretty amazing that I didn't get hurt. My bag took the brunt of it.  What happened was we were going down a hill and I put the front wheel brake on too hard and it flipped over.  One of my pairs of pants is so done.

We can't keep up too much on March Madness but Missionary Madness is coming up.  Some of the missionaries make brackets and try to predict who will be speaking in General Conference and their topics.  Haha, so we will see how that goes.

In my studies I am studying how Christ fulfilled the law of Moses, how the law doesn't save us and grace does, but we still need to show our gratitude for the grace that has been given us, and things of that nature.  We have an investigator who is struggling with the whole works versus grace deal and I feel like I have a decent handle on that subject so I am excited to try and resolve the concern.

I love ya, and I hope everything is going well,

Elder Shields

Going to Raleigh...

Just a couple weeks ago we had a gator in the bushes at our church building right next to the entry doors!

This last week was great, it was the most successful week I have had yet, I will be getting transferred so it will be nice to leave the area on a high note.  I will be going Raleigh to be in a trio.  We are getting whitewashed in.  I don't remember what the other missionary's names are but I have heard that they are very hard workers!  I'm excited!

Elder Hampton keeps freezing my name tags in water, he is going to get it on the day before I leave!

I don't need any new bike tubes, mine don't fit Elder Hampton's bike, he has a road bike.  I have liked biking better honestly, because I can't drive the car and I get control over the bike, plus biking is just fun.

We still weren't able to go crab fishing.

Spiritual Experience for the week:  While we were tracting down a road there was a house we skipped.  While we were on our way back to the car we knocked at that house and we found an elect new investigator! (my first one!)  It was good we walked past it the first time because they had just got back from somewhere.  We have an appointment with them later this week, I won't be there :(.

For PDay we have a zone activity at the beach and we will also go to the aquarium.

Tell Kenyon I say congrats and Elder Hampton wants to know if he's invited to the wedding.

Scripture for the week:  Mosiah 2:22-26

22.  And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.
23.  And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.
24.  And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he thath paid youl  And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
25.  And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves?  I answer you, Nay.  Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.
26.  And I, even I, whom ye call your king, am no better than ye yourselves are; for I am also of the dust.  And ye behold that I am old, and am about to ield up this mortal frame to its mother earth.

These scriptures help remind us that we are unprofitable servants and without Jesus Christ no one would be saved, we all have reason to be grateful for Christ, but yet we often forget about the sacrifice he made for us.  I am trying to keep him on my mind more often.

I love you,
Elder Shields

More Questions...

1.How was this last week? Great we had an investigator come to church! He likes our church more than any other church, but I think he fears marriage and that is one thing that may be holding him back.

3.  Investigator Report: So one sister finished reading the book of mormon ( I don't know if I told you that already) she had some concerns about women and leadership, we were able to resolve her concerns and gave her a family proclamation to read.

4.  Spiritual Experience? When our investigator came to church we had a lesson in priesthood on mothers and that lesson really hit home with him, I think that was that message that he really needed to hear.

5.  Funny Story? Elder Hampton got three flat tires on his bike this week, and the last one he got was when we were 15 miles away from home and we had already used up all the tubes and we had to have a member come pick us up, (sorry not super funny but that's the funniest thing we got this week)

6.  How did the crab fishing go...details please! So it was raining bad last Monday so we are going crab fishing this Monday.

7.  What are you going to do today for fun? crab fishing

8.  If you could be any animal, what would it be? (random, I know) I would so be a megalodon duh!:) The largest most powerful apex predator of all time:) I could just explore all of the oceans aswell:)

10.  I love you sooo much!!!

Questions...

1.  How is your mission changing you? As I have been out here I have been able to see my confidence grow, I didn't realize how insecure I really was and it is being overcome slowly but surely.

2.  Tell us all about tracting, and how much time you spend doing that: We tract a lot, President James tracted his whole mission and he is pro tracting. Me and Elder Dudley tracted a lot, probably 2-3 hours a day less so with Elder Hampton. The hours from 6-9 are considered prime time proselyting so President James really wants us out contacting during those hours. 

3. Give us an investigator update: We have not really had any progression with our investigators, J finished The Book of Mormon but she still has her concerns, hopefully we will be able to work those out. We haven't been able to see our investigators that we have had because they are all so flakey, but we did find a young family that seems like they are wanting to learn the gospel. They didn't come to church this week, but hopefully they will want to progress. 

4.  Spiritual experience for the week: I gave a less active member a blessing this week on Wednesday and that was a good experience, he texted us afterward and he said that it really helped improve how he was feeling and gave him more spiritual strength.

5.  Funny experience for the week:

6.   What does an average PDay look like? Wake up and do studies, go to the library and email, then we go out some where for lunch and then we will do something fun, we might go crab fishing with string and chicken legs today:)

7.  Please just tell us how you are doing…for real:

I have been doing great, but honestly, these last couple weeks have been hard, I feel as though I haven't been able to have the spirit with me and I have been worrying about things that I don't need to be worrying about (schooling and work) and the more that I am out here the more I recognize my weakness, and I worry that it will keep me from being successful in life and in missionary work. I have been working hard on trying to just focus on missionary work but these thoughts keep coming back into my head. So that's what I have been struggling with recently. Hopefully it passes and I think it will. But I definitely need to work on not thinking about and dwelling on the future.  

8.  What things make you the most nervous? Teaching Instructions and lessons in front of other missionaries and members.      

9.  What things are becoming easier for you? Just talking to people and worrying less about what others think of me, and teaching and talking in general.

10.  What makes you the happiest on your mission? What makes me happiest is probably when I make a plan or lead a lesson and it goes well and the person wants to progress.

11.  Is there anything you need or want? Nope i am doing just fine:)

With Love from Elder Shields

The 1st Epistle of Jacob...

The First Epistle of Jacob to The President Shields:

Jacob, a Missionary of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master, yea, even our Savior.  I write unto you at this time concerning the ministry of Elder Shields, a servant of our Lord and his brother, yea, even his fellow Elder, Elder Hampton.

And, lo, they did go forth among the children of men in the land of Southport.  And they cried repentance unto this people all the day long, yea, even until the hour of nine p.m.  Yea, they did voice this message unto this people everyday, even until this late hour.

And lo and behold the people of Southport were angry with them, and they sayest unto them,"Why doth thou come unto this people, know ye not that this people is already a righteous people?  Yea, the Lord hath already saved us in our sins."

And behold Elder Hampton spake unto them saying, "Oh ye wicked and perverse generation, ye have forsaken thy Lord and Savior, ye go about continuing in your sins."  And Elder Shields spake unto them saying, "Yea, this thing of which Elder Hampton spake is an abomination in the sight of the Lord.  Know ye not that ye must not continue and live in your sins?"

Now when they said these things they we're angry with them.  And they cast them out of their presence.  But, lo, there were a few who believed on their words, and they journeyed out with them and were baptized.

HAHA, sorry I just wanted to do something fun and different.  So, my new comp, Elder Hampton is a great missionary, we get along great and we work and teach well together.  He was a debate guy in High School. I have been very fortunate and blessed with the people who I have been working with.

Our investigators:

We have one who has almost finished reading the Book of Mormon and wants to come to church but always bails at the last minute.

We also have one who has still quit smoking and has read the whole standard works and the Book of Mormon three times and began reading for the fourth time.  His wife does not want him to pay tithing, so that is what is holding him up.  He wants to get baptized.

We have two younger kids that we met.  We have mega trust with them, they think we are amazing.  Their guardian loves us because one of them hasn't accepted Jesus yet, and she wants us to get her there.

We are also teaching a young couple.  Very, very nice people, but not taking the lessons for the right reasons, we will try to change that!

One spiritual experience we had this week was when we were not going to go over to someones house but I had the impression that we needed to go over, and turns out their grandparents that they were close to passed away so we were able to share a little bit of the plan of salvation with them, and they were very interested in hearing more.

I love teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the restoration.  I don't always feel comfortable, I'm still getting there and working on it , but I am improving.

love to all,
Elder Shields