Hark Work!

Oklahoma is as flat as a freakin pancake and so the wind just rages across the plains! If you stand on one of the small hills you can see forever!

My area is dead and I'm in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere called Elk City. Everyone hates us but I don't care what they think. We always get yelled at and it's funny because most people are very uneducated and have a southern accent. One guy told us to go back to Utah ..... (but I'm not from Utah. haha!)

 Me and my comp have a good time. He plays sports and grew up on a huge farm in Utah. He likes to go duck hunting. He is cool. We have had our struggles and we often say to each other,"Guys just arent meant to live together for long periods of time." But we have worked through our issues and we have a good time as we work. Neither of us were transfered so we are with eachother for another six weeks.

Until the next transfer (Thanksgiving) I will be at:
220 Ridgecrest Dr #E-59
Elk City OK 73644

  The work is soo hard here especially in my area. But I'm learning a ton! I'm nowhere near being an awesome missionary yet, but I'm sure that it will come over time.

  

It's pretty awesome knowing that I have been assigned to be a mouthpiece for the Lord and to bring souls unto Christ. It starts with inviting them by helping them recieve the restored gospel through Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the holy ghost and most important, enduring to the end!! Those doctrines are so important. Everyone, even members can apply these principles into their lives. Our mission prez hits very hard on thoes five doctrines and we teach them through the scriptures to members and investigators.

 

I'm heading into the city (Oklahoma City) where I hope to buy myself a winter coat.

I'm working hard! I love y'all!

Elder Shumway

 As a missionary, I have actually seen situations where the Lord sets up situations or little miracles. One that comes to mind was a time we were in Burns Flat about 20 mins away frome home and a place where only two member families live. We were deciding whether or not to stop by a potential's house before we went home, but we didn't think he would be home because he works as a chef at a restaurant and usually works the dinner shift.

 As we drove by his street we saw his daughter hanging out with her boyfriend on the sidewalk. We passed them but quickly decided to turn around and ask her if her Dad was home. She said that he was supposed to get home any minute. We waited for a few minutes and he came home. We talked and followed up for a little bit and now he is an investigator with a baptisimal date! Little stuff happens like that every day. We just don't notice it all the time.

General Conference

General conference was pretty cool. It does really mean a ton more as a missionary. A lot more applies to a missionary and his/her day to day work. There was a ton of stuff about practicing the priesthood and the Book of Mormon. It also felt like they were warning us of somthing big about to happen. Or perhaps just being more bold about these being the last days. We should all live our lives the best we can to be prepared for trials, and for the Savior to come. These are the last days. I'm glad I'm on a mission.

  My companion had some meeting in the city last week, so I was on exchanges in El Reno with Elder Cobbley, a fellow MTC comrad. We are both still not very strong missionaries, but we were stuck together, alone in El Reno. We were together for two days. One day we tracted for seven hours because an appointment was canceled and so was dinner. That day was exhausting but satisfying because of the work we had done. I became much better at my door approach.

One thing that was super awesome was when we knocked on the door of a methodist preacher. He came out into the hot, sunny day and talked with us. He was very nice but disagreed with some of the things we tried to explain to him. We finally concluded with him not wanting a BOM or anything from us. We kept on tracting down the street and around the corner. As we were knocking on other doors, I saw him drive his truck by us but not seeing us. I also observed him driving around the neiborhood until he saw us. We were knocking other doorsso he parked on the the road by us. He called us over as we crossed the street and wanted to talk to us again. He tried to call us out for mentioning the BOM and Joseph Smith so quickly in our earlier conversation. He told us that we worship those things instead of Jesus because he didn't remember us mentioning Jesus.

We calmly listened and then pointed out that we had introduced ourselves as representitives of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day-Saints and that the BOM is another testament of Jesus Christ. We explained some other things also but I don't remember exactly what they were. I just remember feeling so happy and confident when he started his truck with frustration and drove off. We didn't bible bash but we were close to it. That was the first time I have taught something as a team with a comp. and I was happpy that we, as greenies, were able to awnser all of his questions trying to prove him wrong. You had to be there to actually feel how I did. It was cool!

I love ya!

Elder Shumway