Last Email

This is officially my last email from the mission field! It is incredible how quickly time flies. It seems like just yesterday I said bye to my family at the airport. At times, I just feel like I´ll be coming home after a long vacation, but so much has happened and changed over these last 18 months. I have been so blessed to be able to serve this mission in the great California Ventura mission and in Brasil Ribeirão Preto too. I have had experiences and met people that I will treasure forever. This past week, I have started to feel so many different feelings... Sometimes it´s hard to know how to feel, but reading these emails today have made me more excited to go home and see all the people I have missed so much. I know that my time here is coming to an end and it´s time to move on to the next adventure. I don´t know all that God has in store for me the rest of 2015, but I´m ready to go step by step and have new experiences. Between packing my bags, working, my interview with President Brum, lunch with all the missionaries who are finishing, and visiting the people I love in Bebedouro and Ribeirão Preto, I know this week will fly by. Just a few more days!

Thanks for all the support and all the prayers.

I will see y'all soon!

Love,

Sister Shipp

Happy New Year!

2015 already? New Year´s Eve we were sleeping when we were woken up by lots of noise and fireworks at midnight. We watched them from the window for a few minutes, wished everyone a happy new year and continued sleeping. Holidays sure are different on the mission!

 

As time winds down here, I feel like I have a lot less to say. We keep busy going on exchanges with companionships of Sisters. This week, we went on 2 exchanges. Between exchanges and trying to keep up with our area, time passes really fast.

 

We received our plans for our last week here... interviews with President Brum, lunch with him and Sister Brum.. we´ll visit people in my first area (Bebedouro), go to church in our area (Campos Elíseos) the last Sunday and Monday, we´ll get on a plane. Sometimes it´s too much to think about, but it´s all exciting too.

 

I am so grateful for this time as a missionary. It has truly changed by life.

 

Love y'all!

Sister Shipp

2015!

Feliz Ano Novo!

 

I hope Christmas was great for everyone! It was really amazing here. We had lunch with a family in the ward and then went to the church to skype our families. It was so amazing to talk to my family. Everyone said that my eyes were gleaming afterward. Talking to them made me more excited to be home with them soon! These 3 weeks will fly by.

 

We saw miracles this week, as usual. It is incredible all that happens here and how people´s lives change. I´ve really reflected this week on the people who have made a big difference in my mission. I have been so blessed to meet so many different, amazing people who have been such great examples to me. I am so grateful for all of the people that God puts into our lives.

 

I can´t believe 2015 is already here. Time to start off the year right :) We will be going on exchanges with 2 companionships with Americans in their first transfers. That´ll be an adventure ;) I´ll let you know how it all goes next week!

 

Love and miss y'all!!

Síster Shipp

FELIZ NATAL!!!!!

This week was awesome! We had our Christmas Conference. It was so great to see so many of the missionaries that I love here.  I am so grateful for this last transfer and for everything it is turning out to be. It is literally incredible.

Saturday was a little funny. We talked to a lot of people and knocked some doors trying to find more people to teach. The whole day was pretty awkward. We got rejected by a lot of people, but with each rejection, we just got a good laugh. With all of our work the day before, God blessed us a lot yesterday. We had an amazing lesson with Henrique and at night, we found a new man to teach that is really excited to change. I know that God blesses us because of our efforts, even if it takes a little while to happen.

 

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas this week! FELIZ NATAL! I am so grateful for this time of year and for all that we get to celebrate and remember.

Here is a Christmas video that I love that helps us remember why we celebrate Christmas:

http://www.mormon.org/christmas

 

Love you all!

Sister Shipp

Almost Christmas?

We got to visit Bebedouro (my first area) and go on exchanges with the Sisters there this week. It was so amazing! I got to see 2 of my recent converts there. It was a miracle. I am so grateful for how everything always works out so perfectly.

Between everything that is going on and everything that I need to do, time is going by faster than I can even keep track of. I feel like Christmas is still weeks away, but it´s almost here. And then New Years, and then..... CASA (home). In 5 weeks. I can´t believe it. It is going to be so hard... but I am looking forward to seeing everyone. Miss y'all.

Today is December 15. Today is Chelsea Larsen´s 21st birthday. I miss her so much. I had the opportunity to show my pictures of my friends and me to my companions and a few other sisters this week. I got to tell them all about the story of Chels, Chelsea, Hayley and I. It always makes me so happy to remember our friendship and everything that we did and accomplished together. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that God gives us all the time. He is always giving us good memories, friendships to treasure, and love and smiles that will go on forever. Happy Birthday, Chels.

Much Love,

Sister Shipp

The Best 6 Weeks

So my last 6 weeks will be in............. Campos Eliseos in Ribeirão Preto! I got to stay in my area and I gained 2 companions, so we´ll be in a trio. Sister Auna from Washington that will finish her mission with me, and Sister Palomino from Peru. I am super excited!

 

Sister Soto left for Chile this morning and Sister Kunkel (My MTC-São Paulo companion) is staying with me until she heads home here in a couple hours. It has been one CRAZY week with Sister Soto´s final preparations and THE BAPTISM OF UALAS which was yesterday! It was so so so great. He is amazing. And one of the other people we are teaching, Henrique, came to church and stayed for the baptism. It was the best :)

 

I guess the only other news from the transfer is that my friend from BYU, Elder Josh Menden will be serving close this transfer for the first time. That´ll be fun!

 

That´s about all the news I have. I am getting ready for a crazy transfer. I know it´ll pass by sooooo fast.

 

Love you!

See y'all in 6 weeks!

Sister Shipp

December 1.... Wait... What?

I cannot believe it´s December. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! I mainly just forgot about Thanksgiving since it´s not a holiday here and we didn´t have much time to do anything. It´s all good though! I just kind of forget that it was November and now it´s December because it´s hot here! It rained all week though, which was a blessing!! It was a little cooler this week :)

 

We had a pretty great miracle this week! We have been visiting Ualas this whole transfer. Last week, he got an answer that he needed to be baptized, but was having trouble feeling good about a date. Saturday we had a lesson with him and invited him to be baptized Sunday December 7. He thought about it for a while and then said he would answer the next day at church. Yesterday at church, Sister Soto and I went over to talk to him after the meetings and we asked about the baptism. He said that he will be baptized this next Sunday. We are so happy! So his baptism will be Sunday after church and early Monday morning, Sister Soto will catch her plane to Chile and I will be getting a new companion to start my last transfer. It is absolutely incredible how fast time is going.

Happy December First! Hope it´s a great week full of miracles :)

Com Amor,

Síster Shipp