Week 2 - Green Missionary

Sister Anderson and I have had a very busy and very interesting week as well! Sitting next to me on her own computer, she was super excited to hear about the results from the Utah vs BYU game. We don't need to talk about it. She wants to get a picture of us; me in my BYU shirt and her in her U shirt. I guess that one will probably make it to you next week.

 

Last Monday, we played Volleyball as a district! Got to show off a little. It was fun! Lots of dropped balls and lots of laughs. That night, we had dinner with the Huber family in our ward. They have a tradition where the make a green dinner for "green missionaries." Literally. Green soup. Green milk. Asparagus. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. It was so fun! They are so sweet. For our dinner message, we shared the Restoration lesson and invited them to act like investigators. It was my first time teaching that lesson with Sister Anderson, and my first time teaching it in English as well! The Spirit was so strong. We challenged them to think about people in their lives that they could share the gospel with and invited them to pray about it. Sister Huber came to us yesterday and told us that she took our challenge and prayed about it and a name came to her mind. She sent him a talk by one of the Apostles and it was an answer to his prayers. We are hoping that more stories and referrals will come as we continue to share this message with members. I didn't realize how important members were in missionary work until I became a missionary!

 

On Tuesday, we found a man named Shane who is here in town for a rehabilitation program for mental problems. He seemed interested in how he could obtain forgiveness from his sins and move forward in life. We returned to him on Saturday and taught him about prophets, Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ. He tried reading a little from the Book of Mormon, but is convinced that he cannot understand what we are saying because of his mental problems. We invited him to pray.

 

Also on Tuesday, we met with Lee. We have been trying to teach Lee tithing for some time now, but something always comes up. We went to her house determined to teach it this time and we were dismayed when we saw her. She had just started a new medication and she was really out of it. We talked to her for a few minutes and then asked if she would be okay for a lesson. It was a miracle. As we began teaching about tithing, she regained her ability to focus. We explained Tithing and Fasting as simply as we could because we knew this principle was what was keeping her from being baptized. After we finished, Lee agreed and said that the principles made complete sense to her. We started talking about baptism. Lee expressed that she felt the need to study more. We explained that you don't need to know everything in order to be baptized, you just have to have faith. Sister Anderson nudged me under the table, and I extended the invitation for her to be baptized on October 12. SHE SAID YES. We met with her again on Wednesday; members of our ward gave her a blessing because of some health problems. She quit smoking that day. On Saturday, Lee had a panic attack and yesterday, she smoked a cigarette. Her family is not very accepting of her decision, which is hard on her and she still is waiting for the results of some medical tasks. We set her with a new baptismal date of October 19 and we are determined to get her there. We know she can do this.

 

Also Tuesday, we met a man named Billy, who is missing a lot of his teeth, but he has a really cute dog. Billy just spent 40 days in jail because he pushed his ex-wife's car off a cliff. We left him with a Restoration pamphlet.

 

For dinner, we ate with the Slusser family. They are like the perfect missionary family! Their daughter's friend, Stella, comes to church with them each week and wants to be baptized. We may have another baptism here soon :) Brother and Sister Slusser told us the story of how they met. They met when they were both missionaries serving in Florida! How crazy! Such a good story! After dinner, we had a lesson with Emily. It was my first drop lesson. I dropped my first investigator. I know it was a good decision though.

 

We dropped another investigator, Jean, this past week. We had a lesson on the Restoration and asked him a lot of questions. The intent just isn't there, so Sister Anderson and I decided that he is not ready yet.

 

Wednesday was my first talk in District Meeting! It went well! My district leader says he might assign me a talk every week. We'll see how that goes. Our whole day was pushed back by some unexpected delays, but because of that, we caught our investigator as he was coming home and also met Lia! Lia does not have a strong religious background and is totally open to learning more. We had a lesson with her Friday and taught the Restoration. She said she would think about what we taught and would read Moroni 10. She is very open minded and we are hoping to teach her more.

 

We met with Carl on Thursday. He has been investigating the church for years and years, but we found out that he has still not prayed about the Book of Mormon for some reason. We are trying to figure out what is best for him. We are planning a lesson for this week on acting because of the faith we do have. We hope this will push him to make changes in his life and to pray about the Book of Mormon. We briefly met Barbara while knocking who thinks we are Polygamists. Some people's ideas are so funny. Later in the day, we knocked a house that had a Confederate flag and all these red-neck signs. We knocked twice, then a sick feeling crept into my stomach. I felt like we shouldn't be there, so we left. I hope one day, I will know why.

 

Friday I got my first letter here! YAY! It was so nice. I've missed mail so much. Sister Anderson also stained part of the table with a wet pink sticky note during weekly planning. My companion. 

 

Saturday there was a baptism! I wish it was one of our investigators. It was a student from Cal Poly. Sister Anderson and her last companion actually found him, but referred him to the elders over the Single's ward. It was a great ceremony :)

 

Yesterday, I spoke in church. I talked about missionary work, trying to inspire the members to be missionaries with us. Everyone loved it. I got so many compliments. The people in this ward are so great :) So many were impressed that I am only 19. As Sister Anderson and I were walking to one of our appointments yesterday, a bird pooped in her hair. We needed the laugh. We stopped, found something to wipe her hands off on, used lots of hand sanitizer, took a picture, and kept going. We also ran into an angry old man. We were walking the same way down the street, so we decided to say hi. He refused to tell us his name and then ignored us as we walked down the street going the same direction. People.

I love being a missionary. Sometimes I think about how it would have been easier to be home or continuing my studies at BYU, but I know this is where I am needed now! I love it here and I love this opportunity I have to serve the Lord! Hope all is well. Love you!

Love,

Sister Shipp

San Luis Obispo, CA - Week 1

So here is my mailing address (it is the address for the mission office, they forward the mail to me):

Sister Maryann Shipp

California Ventura Mission

3301 West Gonzales Road
Oxnard, CA 93036

I have been assigned to San Luis Obispo, CA! I love it. I can definitely tell I'm in Cali though. I'm making a list. You know you're in California when.... (Please don't be offended.. These are just my observations.. Very different from Texas):

-You run into 2 brothers named Forrest and River

-You are taxed when you don't supply your own bags at stores

-Drive Throughs are illegal in your town

-Someone yells out the window of their car while smoking weed and says "Nice Bible!"

-You see a sign pledging allegiance to Earth and life

-You pass a shirtless man carrying his life on his back, hitch-hiking to Long Beach

-The town has a "Thank the Whales" celebration

Kind of a whole other world over here, but I love it. No house looks the same. They are all different colors. And the weather is perfect! I cannot even describe how nice it is.

First week in the field! It has been incredible. I love Sister Anderson so much. She is from Salt Lake City and is a huge Utah fan, but we don't hold it against each other. We have seen so many tender mercies and I have learned so much from her so far. I love San Luis Obispo and am so happy to be here serving the Lord and the people here.

On Tuesday I met our investigator, Lee. Sister Anderson just wanted to share a quick scripture with her so she could get to know me. She asked me to share one of my favorite scriptures and I felt prompted to share D&C 6:20-23. As I read those verses, I substituted Lee's name into the verse. I guess it was exactly what she needed and had addressed some of the things that she had previously been through. It was definitely a tender mercy since I was not fully aware of all the details about Lee.

On Wednesday I attended my first district meeting in the field. Incredible. I am so impressed by the revelation that came as we met and strengthened our resolve as a district and worked to improve our teaching skills by learning how to ask inspired questions. It is definitely something I want to implement more strongly in my teaching. Later in the day, we met a woman named Liz who loves the Bible. We gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to read and pray about it. Hopefully we can catch her this week to follow up. After that, we ran into the mail woman who happens to be LDS! She gave us 6 referrals (some of which were for other wards). What a miracle. I don't know how many referrals we normally get, but apparently 6 in one day is miraculous. The Lord is looking out for us!

Thursday we had 5 lessons planned, but 4 cancelled. It was a little discouraging. We visited a less active Sister in our ward named Linda in the ICU. She was really struggling that day, so I think it was a really good thing the Spirit had led us to visit her. We were able to pray with her, talk about the Atonement, and about the purpose of life. I think those little messages really touched her and the support of a visit that day was especially what she needed. Later, we experienced a miracle as we met Larry when we were on our way to one of our appointments that eventually fell through. Larry is a super optimistic man because he "keeps Jesus in his heart" all day. It was inspiring to see his faith and how he manifests it to others. We left him with a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and have an appointment with him this Wednesday. We also had a lesson with our investigator, Gene. We taught about the Plan of Salvation since his wife died somewhat recently. I don't think he believes he can really know for sure if this plan is God's plan or that there is only one true church. We are trying to figure out the best way to help him understand.

Friday we spent a long time on weekly planning. I loved it. I really felt like we received some good direction on how to best help our investigators and who to focus on this week. I really am so thankful for Sister Anderson. She is so encouraging and is so easy to get along with. We have similar ideas of what we want to accomplish in this area and set goals to make them happen. We are really striving for 2 baptisms this transfer and praying everyday for the help to accomplish it. We visited Lee that day, walked her dog, and shared a scripture with her. She is going through a health scare right now. We don't know what she might be facing, but tests will come back for whatever it is this Friday. We have been planning on teaching her tithing, but with her anxiety and level of faith at the moment, we think we should focus on faith first. She is going to receive a blessing on Wednesday.

Saturday we found a college student named Crystal when we returned her roommate's iphone (we found it on the sidewalk while running that morning). I think it was a miracle. Crystal grew up Catholic, but is looking for a new church. We told her a little about the Single's ward and suggested it for her. We met 2 interesting guys later in the day as well. First was John who is conflicted between science and religion. He really likes the Bible so we left him with a Book of Mormon to read. The other man is Chase. Chase has been through a lot in his life. Part of the time, he was challenging us, especially when we pulled out a Book of Mormon to give to him. It got to the point where he wasn't letting us talk. He was just falsely criticizing this book. Sister Anderson boldly interrupted him and testified of the Book of Mormon. He was silent. I think there were tears in his eyes and he shook our hands and said he would read it. I really hope he does. I don't know what he is going through right now, but there is something and I know the Book of Mormon and the rest of this gospel will help him. It's amazing how strongly I felt the Spirit as Sister Anderson testified.

Sunday I attended the SLO 1st Ward. I love it. The ward members are so nice, welcoming, and excited that we are here. I had the opportunity to introduce myself to Joe, a less active in our ward who is struggling with his testimony, and suggest that he read "Lord I Believe" by Jeffrey R. Holland. We did a lot of tracting and met some nice individuals and invited them to church.

Overall, it was a wonderful week and I am so thankful to be here. I love this area. I love the ward. I love my companion. I love being a missionary. I know the Lord is helping me retain the Portuguese I learned in the MTC. It's incredible how much it has stayed with me and how I am still improving even though I only speak it a little each day.

I am excited and looking forward to many more miracles this week.

The family we ate dinner with last night actually served in Ribeirao Preto. He showed me tons of pictures and told me all about the area. I am excited! Excited to be here. Excited to go to Brazil. It is so nice to speak English. I said the prayed in Portuguese and he said it was really good! Yay! I'm trying to teach Sister Anderson Portuguese. She broke our key to the library this week. In the lock. Good times. Love her.

TUDO BEM (ALL IS WELL)

Love Y'all! Have an amazing week!

Sister Shipp

Final Days of the MTC and reassignment

What a crazy last half of the week! Let me tell you about my last few days here in the MTC.

Wednesday my district got to Host the incoming missionaries (take them from their families at the curb, help them get all their things, and find their classroom and dorm room). I knew my roommate Alli Yost was coming in so I was looking for her! I got to host a sweet girl named Sister Blood first. It was such a neat experience. Part of our job was being a comfort to the parents. It was so sweet because I went through the same experience 5 weeks ago so I could relate. The second girl I hosted was going to Milan, Italy. After we picked up her keys and name tag, I found out that she is Sister Yost's companion! And that they would be at the West campus so I wouldn't see them after that day. After I took care of her and assured her she had one of the best companions ever, I frantically looked for Sis Yost. I hosted another girl while looking around. As I waited for Sister Wood to get her name tag, I saw Sister Yost come out of the building in front of me. I ran to her and gave her a huge hug. She was still a little shaken so I went into mom mode and told her how much she will love it here and how great she was going to be. I knew I probably wouldn't see her again before I left, so we hugged a few more times before saying bye. What an amazing tender mercy. What are the odds that I would host her companion? Or that I would see Sister Yost before she left for the West campus? I am so grateful. Later that day, Sister Marchant played a piano solo at the new missionary meeting. She did amazing. She is such a great pianist :)

Thursday we had In-Field Orientation which was so great! We talked about what it would be like in the field and learned how to work with members and other leaders in the ward. Elder Bendel and Elder Gariety got their visas! They will be off to Riberao Preto on Monday. We were hoping reassignments would come, but they didn't. I guess the Lord knew I would be anxious and would need a little boost because that was the day I got 3 packages. I cannot express to y'all how loved I felt. Thank you so much. Letters and packages mean so much. I got fudge and pictures from my family; candy, letters, stickers, letter writing stuff, and a notebook from Sister Yost; and chips, queso, salsa, chocolate zucchini bread, reeses, picture (from my cousins Tanner and Porter), a card, and a letter from my Aunt Julie and Grandpa & Grandma Shipp. I've been sharing a lot with my Sisters and the Elders in my district as well. Thanks again! That night, Sister Baker got a Dear Elder from here mom who found out her reassignment from her Stake President and told her. Salem Oregon! Leaving Saturday. I started to cry. It became a little more real in that instant. I am so sad to leave these sweet sisters. I cannot express how much of a support Sisters Baker, Lewis, Hoffman, Vanhoven, and Marchant have been to me since coming here. I love them so so much.

Friday. I was so anxious, I didn't sleep much the night before. I was really anxious all of class that morning as well. After class, most of our district walked to the building where our mail is and waited for the district leader to come back with the contents of the mailbox. They were there! We went back to our classroom and read them one by one with our fellow district. Ventura, California! Sister Marchant and I are both going there. We leave for the airport 3:30 Monday morning. The reassignments for the rest of my district include Salem Oregon (Sis Baker), Portland Oregon (Sis Lewis), Seattle Washington (Elder Oxendine), Spokane Washington (Sis Hoffman and Elder Woolley), Riverside California (Elder Epley), and San Fernando California (Sis Vanhoven). How crazy! I'm nervous and excited. I got yet another package later that day. All the love is coming this week! I guess I need it. Thanks Sis Pope for the amazing package!

We woke up at 4:15 this morning to walk Sis Baker to the travel office. We walked her there in our PJs. We met our Elders there as well. We stood in a circle and said a prayer together, our last one as a district, before saying goodbye to Sis Baker. It was such a sweet and special moment. We all love Sister Baker. I know each member of that circle this morning will do amazing things.

I appreciate all of your prayers in my behalf. If I could ask, please keep me in your prayers this next week as I leave the MTC. I want to do my best in California and I know that I can't do it without the help of the Lord. I love you all! I still don't have my next address, but I'll get it out as soon as possible!

Love,

Sister Shipp

 

Week 5

The weeks are going by so fast! I LEAVE THIS WEEK. So here's the deal. I do not have a visa so far, so I will be getting a reassignment on either Thursday or Friday! AH! I had a dream it was Georgia a few days ago... We'll see. I will have a P-Day the day before I leave (which could be anywhere from Saturday-Wednesday) SO that is when I will be able to tell you! So I will be getting a new mailing address as well! Keep that in mind. Mom will post the new address as soon as she gets it. I would hate for any letters to get lost... :( I am so incredibly excited! But a little nervous as well. Life in the field will be so much different here! I just can't wait to find out where I will be.

So this week...

Tuesday: Elder Andersen came! How cool! He talked about love and sacrifice. The main take away I had was that you will not know in this life all the lives that you touch. This is encouraging but it also pushes me to be better! I want to live in a way that I am always reaching out to others in little ways no matter what I am doing. His main quote was "We sacrifice for the things we love and we love the things we sacrifice for." I know this is true. Think of when you serve someone consistently; you grow to love them. Automatically. And think about this: How much, then, does Jesus Christ love you? He suffered all for you. He lived a perfect life for you. He suffered for your sins. He suffered all afflictions, loneliness, and any negative feeling that you have had, are having, and will have. He died for you. He sacrificed so much for you. He sacrificed that because He loves you and He loves you even more because He sacrificed for you. Think about that this week. I know it's true.

After the devotional, they told us to stick around in the Marriott Center and sing some hymns since there was a thunder storm going on outside. We stayed for a little while, but then they told us to head back. The thunder and lightning had stopped, but it was still raining and it was a little chilly. It was a neat experience. No one was complaining. We were having fun in the rain even though we were not in good clothing or shoes to be trudging through. It's the little things, y'all. I love the attitude of the people here.

Wednesday: I saw Sister Jessica Bagley (my BYU visiting teaching companion)! It was nice to see her :) She is going to be such a great missionary. I also got a surprise package from home! Brownies! Thanks mom! My roommates/district Sisters say that you are magic. They loved it. Some people want the recipe from the coconut bread as well.

Thursday: We Skyped with a man in Brazil! He is a member and we gave him a 30 minute lesson on prayer and the Holy Ghost. It was scary. He could see us, but he didn't have a camera so we couldn't see him. It was awesome though! He was so nice. He said that we spoke well for speaking Portuguese for a month now. He shared a couple experiences and we thought we had some idea of what he was talking about. After hanging up with him, our teacher told us what he had said... totally different than what we thought. Oh well. It will come. The Sisters and I in our district had a funny moment. They have been calling me bonitinha everyday like 50 times a day for the past few weeks. We thought it meant cute, which it does in the dictionary and apparently it does when you are talking about objects as well, but not people. Our substitute teacher heard Sister Baker use it and immediately corrected us. Apparently when you use it to describe a person, it means that normally the person is not cute or ugly but because of some temporary circumstance (like clothing, make up, etc.), that person is cute in the moment. It's really rude. One of them found that out the hard way. Apparently it depends on who you talk to as well. We laughed so hard. Now they call me bonita instead.

 
Friday we learned more about prayer. I know I've talked about it quite a bit, but it is so important and so fundamental. The big take away for me was that when we pray, we should have the intent to act on whatever answer we receive. When we pray in this manner, Heavenly Father will be more ready and anxious to give us direction because He knows we will listen and obey. Another amazing thing about prayers is that you can bring the influences and guidance that your family/friends/loved ones need! How cool is that?

A revelation I had this week: We can pray for people all the time. Maybe we want them to choose a different path than they are now. When we pray for them, we can bring influences and opportunities into their lives they would not have otherwise. Maybe it won't change their mind because each person has the ability to choose, but they will have more opportunities to be guided in the right direction when we pray in their behalf. I testify that some of my most rewarding prayers have been pouring out my heart to the Lord in behalf of others.

Saturday we taught our investigators Landon, Maryann, and Bridgette. One of the lessons went completely off plan, but looking back, I realized how much the experiences I have had have shaped me and have been for the benefit of me as well as others. I was sitting in those lessons, and when they would ask a question, an experience I had would pop into my head. These experiences helped them understand what we were teaching about, but also help them to know that these things we are teaching are real! I know they are real because of the experiences I have had in my life.

Sunday was Fast Sunday! We had Mission Conference. We learned the importance of obedience. There was a quote that said something like: at the moment obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes a quest, at that moment we will be endowed with power. I also learned how much being the Young Adult Sunday school teacher for those short couple months blessed my life! I have looked back at those lesson plans several times when preparing lessons. It helped me understand and love a few principles of the gospel that much more.

Monday. We played Volleyball as a district for gym. My district is getting better :) I am so proud. It was so fun. That's one thing I'm definitely going to miss about the MTC. I learned all the Preterite Irregular Verb Conjugations later in the day when my district was practicing "Come Thou Fount" which we are singing this Sunday to say bye to our branch. All those verb conjugations are a bit of a nightmare right now. It'll get better though, I know! Since BYU started today, they switched teachers around so yesterday was our last day with Irmão Chamberlain and also our investigator Vander. Vander said he has prayed about what we have taught and believes! Such a sweet experience.
And Today... We went to the temple this morning. I ran into Elder Pate Cribbs from home :) He's headed to Las Vegas tomorrow! We got a picture together.
There are lots of things to look forward to this week! We get to be hosts for the new missionaries that will be coming in tomorrow! I will be looking for Sister Allison Yost! I cannot wait to see her! Thursday we have In-Field orientation most of the day. Thursday or Friday is reassignment day. And who knows after that! Things are crazy.

Thanks for the letters this week. I love hearing from y'all. I will try to get letters back to you! P-Day is way too short.
I love it here and I love being a missionary. I can see God guiding my life and I am so thankful for this opportunity. Take the time to thank Heavenly Father in prayer for all of your many blessings! Also think about Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I love you all! Lots of prayers for you! Have an amazing week!

Love,
Síster Maryann Shipp

Week 4!

Week 4! Time is going faster and faster! Some of the Sisters in my district now call me Sister Shippie because a couple of our teachers have. I think I keep forgetting to tell y'all that 700 missionaries entered the MTC with me on July 31. Also, no one from my district is from Utah. Neat :)

Wednesday we did some amazing stretches for our work out. It included putting our feet up against the wall, standing on our head, and running up and down stairs as well. Since we finished our cleaning assignment early, it put us ahead of schedule and I got a little power nap in! The first and probably very few of the mission I'm sure, but it was so nice! We taught Vander again that night. We taught about baptism and faith. He asked "Quando posso ser batizado?" which means when can I be baptized? BEST QUESTION EVER. We were so excited! I got a package from home that had 3 loaves of coconut bread and a big bag of Reese's! My mom is the best. Thanks so much! Still working on eating them. Roommates are in love with you and one asked for the recipe.

Thursday we had TRC again and taught the same man who is in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! We saw him during Music and the Spoken Word last Sunday and this Sunday. After the lesson, I felt a little discouraged with the language. During class we learned about setting goals and asking God for help. He told us to make a list of what we wanted to do this week. Make a plan of what you will do to accomplish those things. Then take that to the Lord and say "Okay, I want to accomplish this this week... I will do this... Will you please do _______________?" It's including God in your goals and asking Him for specific things to help. I love it. I used it during personal study and it turned the whole day around!

Friday we taught our 3rd lesson to Landon. We gave him the talk "Where is the Pavilion" that I talked about in my last email. The lesson went really well and he actually was excited for us to come back and teach him again. I found another conference talk about repentance and obtaining forgiveness from the Lord. I know that it is never too late to repent and remove any guilt you may have in your life. Pray to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. Because Jesus Christ suffered for your sins, you do not have to pay the price for them if you will repent. I testify that it is possible and it is worth it.

Saturdays here don't feel like the weekend. I learned some preterite tenses today. We planned 2 lessons today in one of our study times. I love planning lessons. I love learning about the people we are teaching and figuring out how to best help them with the questions they have or the trials that are going on in their lives. I learned today how far a simple testimony or statement of love can do for someone. I was sitting in a lesson pretending to be an investigator. Out of the whole lesson (which was a lot of great information and doctrine), the moment I felt the best was when the Elder stopped and said "I want to help you" and shared a few things that he knew. I felt so loved and hopeful and warm. Don't underestimate your testimony!

Sundays are so great! A member of the new General Young Woman's Presidency (Carol F. McConkie) came to talk to us for Relief Society and the Sunday Devotional with a Brother Stephen B. Allen was really amazing as well. So uplifting. Brother Allen really impressed upon us to live our missions in such a way that Heavenly Father will say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" at the end when we pray and ask how we did. I am really going to do that! I have 2 more weeks here, but I'm really getting excited to leave and work, work, work!

Monday. An Irmao Belchor taught our class who happens to know Elder Josh Menden! Surprise! He had some crazy stories. We talked a lot about the Holy Ghost in both classes and how to follow the Spirit. If you are trying to live in a way that you are doing good continually, don't worry about whether those thoughts are from yourself or the Spirit. Any good thought that invites you to do good and brings you closer to God is from God so ACT. Don't hesitate! We were supposed to teach Landon that night. Basically, the other sisters went over their time and the teacher was ready to leave because it was already 9 pm, but Sister Marchant told him to get back in the classroom and please let us teach him. We taught for 5 minutes, half outside the door and half standing inside the door. He read the talk we gave and thanks us immensely for it. We gave a brief lesson and gave him the other talk about repentance to read before our next lesson. After saying bye to Landon, Irmao Taylor asked how we had selected those talks. I explained that I'd been thinking a lot about Landon's needs and the Eyring talk just came to my mind. He said that he would send them to the real Landon. It impresses me how much Irmao Taylor trusts the sisters. He picked people that mean a lot to him to act as for our investigators and is actually using things from our lessons to help the real people. I cannot express how much joy I had knowing that I am part of something here. Just like Irmao Taylor trusts us with his loved ones, Heavenly Father trusts me as a missionary with His children. I cannot wait to go out and teach people.
I had an interesting experience sitting outside writing in my journal while waiting for laundry (by the way, it was the best laundry day ever... empty machines instead of fighting for one... what a small but significant blessing). An Elder came up to me and had his scriptures. I thought he was just fulfilling an assignment from his teacher to share a scripture with so many people everyday (gotta love the MTC), but I got suspicious when he was only talking to me and not my companion. He stuttered as he shook my hand, asked my name, introduced himself, and asked to share a scripture. He pulled out Mosiah 18:8-10 which talks about the promises we make at baptism, including to be willing to bear others' burdens. He then said that he felt that I was really good at this and in fact doing it right now. He testified how powerful that was and that he could feel it as he walked by me and just felt compelled to share that scripture with me. He said he hoped that it helped me in some way. He thanked me for listening, thanked me for allowing him to have this experience, and with tears in his eyes, he shook my hand and walked away. How could this Elder have known the thoughts and feelings of my heart last night and this morning? It was the Lord. I testify that God knows you. I testify that He is directing your life even if you cannot see it right now. I testify that He will guide your life more as you look to Him and ask for His help. I know He loves you and wants to help you. He wants nothing more than for you to return to His presence after this life and you can. I promise there is no greater joy than the joy that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ and following the example of Jesus Christ. I love y'all! Thanks again for the letters. Have an amazing week!

Sister Shipp

P. S.  I have not heard anything about my visa. I will either get a reassignment to somewhere in the states or my visa next Thursday or Friday, a few days before my estimated departure date of Sept 9.

 

Week 3

Half way done with the MTC! I literally cannot believe it. This week flew by. Like I really don't know where it went. Let me tell you about it :)

Tuesday night we had our regular devotional. Rumor was that someone big was coming. I sang in the choir (along with over half of the MTC). The devotional was broadcasted to all the other MTC's as well. Apparently this is the first time they've done that. So guess who came. ELDER SCOTT. Oh man. We were so excited. I had no idea until he walked into the Marriott Center. He talked about prayer. I wanted to just share some of what he said.

-Every good thing that's happened in his life came from serving a mission

-He talked specifically to the sisters and said how much his wife's mission blessed their home

-To reach a goal never before attained, you must do things you have never before done

-Prayer is a GIFT... think about it. The most supreme being has allowed us a way to communicate with Him. What's better is He WANTS to hear from us. Get down on yours knees and don't rush.

-He sent us to this earth to succeed. That means He knows we can do it. It also means that any trials we are given are ones that we can overcome.

-Seek for His will and pray for the ability to fulfill it.

-Sometimes when we don't get an answer, it is because he wants to test us a bit. We need to keep moving forward, choose the right, and act in faith. Be patient. He WILL answer.

-Do not wait passively for an answer, act.

-Pray even when you have no desire to.

-Check out D&C 6:14-15,23 and 8:1-2,10-11

-He also left an Apostolic blessing that we would be able to learn our mission language if we put in the work.

So amazing. I am so grateful I could be here for that devotional.

Wednesday we had our first lesson with a new "investigator" (teacher pretends to be an investigator... they usually act like someone they taught on their mission). His name is Vander and he started to fall asleep during our lesson. Totally threw me off. He did the same thing for most of the missionaries in my district. He was trying to teach us the importance of asking our investigators lots of questions.

Thursday I could see that our studying has become more effective. It's kind of hard to figure out the most effective ways to study and how to be focused all the time, but we're getting better. We had our first experience with TRC that day as well. TRC is when members who speak your mission language volunteer. They come in and you teach them as a member in your language. Our first was Irmao Haynie. Oh my goodness. He was the Sweetest. We walked out feeling so much better about our abilities. He gave the closing prayer and just asked Heavenly Father to bless us. It was such a tender mercy to be able to spend 20 minutes with him. At dinner, I ran into Elder Brian Steiner! He was really concerned about his first lesson in Portuguese the next day. I told him it gets better. His classroom is down the hall from mine, so I talk to him every once in a while. It's good to see familiar faces :)

Friday we had our second lesson with Vander. Good news! He stayed awake! Better news! He said yes to being baptized! I cannot tell you what it feels like when they say yes. I cannot imagine what it will be like when it is really someone saying yes instead of your teaching pretending. We also started teaching Landon who has fallen away from the church. During gym time, I got to enjoy some sand volleyball with my wonderful district! Too fun. I love that they have volleyball stuff here. I still have some of my reflexes! I love it.

Saturday. I realized that a year ago Saturday was the day I left home for BYU. What great memories! That year changed my life forever. I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend school here in Provo, for all my experiences, and for all the people I met. I cannot wait to return to begin the nursing program! (I'm wearing scrub bottoms right now in honor of making it into the nursing program... just kidding... they're just really comfortable P-Day clothes. Everyone's jealous). Later that day, Sister Marchant and I memorized Moroni 10:4-5 in Portuguese! Now we have James 1:5, JSH 1:16-17, and Moroni 10:4-5 down in Portuguese! YAY! So great to feel like your making progress.

Sundays are the best days. It's a nice break. Relief Society was so good. Sister Torres from the General Relief Society Board came and talked to us about her mission and how it's blessed her life. We got to attend yet another New Sister's meeting. Unfortunately, this one was not as entertaining as last week's. They took a picture of all the Sisters here in the MTC. They said they were going to put it in a time capsule. Hopefully I get a hold of that picture someday. I'm wearing a brownish/grayish shirt in kind of the back corner (just a reminder to myself if that picture ever does show up in my possession). The temple walk was so nice. I walked over with my district, we found some shade, sat down, and just talked. On the way to the temple, there was a protester holding a cross, a Bible, and yelling at us. It made me sad. I don't know what point he was trying to make. All I know is I am right where I need to be doing what I need to be doing. I know what I'm doing is right and I know the message I'm going forth to share is true.

Monday. It's like a frustrating game trying to get a Brazil shirt from the bookstore here. They never have any. We found out they got a shipment in, ran over there, found out they only had XL and XXL left and the shipment had only come in 2 hours earlier. I give up. We had our second lesson with Landon. We were really just trying to get a feel for where he was and what he needed. He gave us a lot to think about. The thing about Landon is it's still our teaching pretending to be someone they know, but instead of a former investigator they had on their mission, Irmao Taylor picked someone he knows now that is struggling. This way it's more personal to both of us. It's a real person. We're praying for them. He doesn't know the outcome and neither do we. As we teach, the Spirit is present and we are hoping that it will bring ideas to Irmao Taylor as to how to help his friend. So after our second lesson, we knew we needed something different and something big for our next lesson. Sister Marchant and I talked a lot about him and kind of threw some ideas around. We took a couple minutes to ourselves to think about Landon. She looked in the scriptures while I got on LDS.org. The talk "Where is the Pavilion" by President Eyring popped into my head. (I love this talk so much. If you don't remember it or haven't read it, look it up on lds.org and listen to it or read it. It will be worth your time, I promise). It talks about periods of time in our life when we feel like a pavilion is covering God. He explains that God never hides from us, but sometimes a pavilion is covering us and keeps us from seeing Him in our lives. Sister Marchant and I watched it during one of our study times and feel that it is perfect for him. I'll let you know next week how this lesson goes! I'm excited!

My Portuguese is continuing to come along. I learned a lot of conjugations yesterday. I find that I have to plan less and less in Portuguese for lessons. We write down the main idea of what we want to say in English, get to the lesson, and figure out how to say it in Portuguese. It's working well. I just talk pretty slow. But hey, always improving. I love it :) I love Portuguese and I cannot wait to fluently speak it.

I've really been focusing on personal study this week. I started reading the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon. I start out with a prayer and ask to know what Heavenly Father would have me do this week. As I read, thoughts come into my mind. Most of the time it has nothing to do with what I am reading, but the fact that I am reading the scriptures shows Heavenly Father that I love Him and am trying to follow His commandments and therefore invites the Spirit. It puts me in the right mindset to listen, brings the Spirit which is the means by which Heavenly Father speaks to us, and provides an opportunity for inspiration. This week for instance, some of the thoughts were just "hey, I should write so and so." Whenever those thoughts are good, act on it. I know the Lord hears your prayers, knows your situation, and will speak to you through thoughts and feelings if you allow Him to. I love this gospel and know that it is true. It has blessed my life tremendously and I know that it will bless everyone that will accept and act on it. I know the Book of Mormon is true and will truly bring us to Christ if we will read it and make it a part of our lives. Have a good week, y'all! I think about and pray for you often.

Love,

Sister Shipp

Week 2

Week 2:

Thank you to those who sent me letters! Seriously. Y'all are the best! It's been a crazy week here, but another great one! This P-Day has been the fastest day EVER though. Let me tell you about the week!

 

Wednesday! Elder Valentine came to the MTC! I ran into him Wednesday night and we got a few pictures together, with my companion OF COURSE ;) It was so amazing to see him! We also taught our "investigator Lucas" that night again in Portuguese.

 

Thursday! Sister Marchant auditioned for a musical number in one of the many programs, firesides, etc and SHE MADE IT. I am so proud of her :) We're still waiting to figure out when she will be performing. I might add that I was a pretty good page turner for her. We also taught Lucas for the last time. We asked him to be baptized and HE SAID YES. It was the most incredible feeling. All we could do was get to the end of the hall and kneel down to pray. We were so grateful and just had to express it. It's amazing how much you pray here. I should start counting how many times we pray each day. You really need to though. Being a missionary is hard. It's so easy to feel inadequate with the language and teaching skills (especially when you are teaching in a new language). Sister Marchant and I are always praying for the spirit and help and thanking Heavenly Father for our progress with the language and the opportunity to be here. Thursday was also the day I got cookies from my wonderful mother. Thanks mom! They were so great! I finally finished them last night. My roommates loved them as well. So here's a funny story that happened to 2 Elders in my district... they were teaching Lucas and asked if he had any questions. He asked why Nephi cut Laban's head off in the Book of Mormon. They frantically searched for the verse that says that it was better for one man to perish than a nation dwindle in unbelief in their Portuguese O Livro de Mormon. They guessed which verse it might be and asked Lucas to read it. They then said that that was why Nephi killed him and moved on. They found out later that they had him read the very verse where Nephi cut off his head instead of the intended verse. Oh, man. Good times. Yesterday Sister V and I were roleplaying and she accidentally said that Jesus Christ was the investigator's son rather than brother. It is fun learning a new language! You just have to learn to laugh.

 

Friday! We got our second teacher and guess what... IT'S LUCAS. Well, that's not really his name. We were SO excited and he is such a great teacher. His name is Irmao Taylor. He explained to us that sometimes the Gift of Tongues isn't the ability to speak or for the investigator to understand the words you are saying, sometimes it's that the investigator can feel the Spirit of what you are saying in their hearts. I thought that was the coolest thing. I know I'm going to need all the help I can get when it comes to actually teaching the people in Brazil. I have a goal to be able to teach all the lessons in Portuguese by the time I leave here. I'm working hard at it!

 

Saturday! So It's a little hard having Elder Valentine here and not knowing where he is or how he's doing since we cannot write each other while we're both here. So Saturday at the beginning of personal study, I said a prayer and included asking that I could see him soon just to see how he was doing. I looked up from scriptures a few minutes later and there he was! With his companion! Walking towards me! The church is true, y'all. It's the little things. My district played a "guess which missionary" game. The sisters drew stick figures on the board and we had to guess which missionary in our district it was. I am known as a stick figure girl balancing 10 packages on my hand. HA. People were so good at sending me things, especially the first week. Thanks again! I love to hear from y'all and see how you're doing! I almost fell asleep during the additional study times that day. It was so hard to stay awake. I taught a 15 min surprise lesson on the Restoration in class! It was such a confidence booster to see how much I could say and use the words I know to convey the message.

 

Sunday! Sundays are so great here. I became the Senior companion, and Relief Society was with the Primary General President, Sister Wixom. It was so great! We then had a New Sister's meeting where we learned stuff like "if you don't wear lipstick, the first thing someone looks at is your eyes and the second is your nose," how to sit and not "plop," that we should glide when we walk (Miss Congeniality much?), and that every time someone slams the door in our face we should see "Thanks for the nice breeze!" Good stuff. The essentials, you know? I saw Elder Valentine quite a bit Sunday. It's the only day we have the same schedule. It was good to see him and see how he's doing. Don't worry, we keep our distance. Sacrament meeting is largely in Portuguese and it's awesome! They call on 2 random missionaries to get up and talk for 3-5 minutes though so I have to prepare a little talk each week. One of the members of the Branch Presidency had a couple visiting from Brazil that talked to us for a little bit. The woman was actually one of his converts when he served his mission! It was so inspiring to see. Because she joined the church, there are 1000 more members. There are people waiting for me in Brazil. I cannot wait! I had my weekly interview with my Branch President. The first thing he asked was, "So how's Elder Valentine?" My heart like stopped for a second. Word gets around fast. Those darn District Leaders ;) He totally just wanted to make sure that I was doing okay with the fact we are both here. He's so sweet!

 

Yesterday was a little hard. We taught a "new investigator," Manuel, who is really our teacher role playing. Our lesson went totally in a different direction than planned though. We were a little bummed by how it went. I guess we just realized that there are a lot of things we still need to learn and apply to our lessons. It gets a little frustrating sometimes. Today has been the perfect follow up though. We went to the temple this morning. After, Sister Marchant and I have been so happy! Even through doing laundry (which is probably the worst thing about the MTC by the way).

 

The Lord will bless you. After that hard lesson with Manuel, I was reading in 1 Nephi 17 where he says that the Lord will provide a way for you to accomplish what He commands. He has called me to be a missionary and to speak Portuguese which means there's a way, and I CAN DO IT WITH HIS HELP. It's the greatest feeling ever and so important to remember. I love this church and all that it teaches. I love the MTC. I love my district. We pretty much have every personality possible in my district of 6 elders and 6 sisters. It's incredible to see how inspired the companionships are as well. I love my fellow district sisters. I love my companion. I love Portuguese and one day I will master it. I love this opportunity to share something I love so much with others. I am so blessed. I cannot express it. I hope all is well with all of you! Write me a letter and let me know how you're doing! I pray for the people at home all the time. Heavenly Father is watching out for you!

Love,
Sister Shipp