Sunday, October 26, 2008

September 8 2008

(this is anni first time of posting on here so we will see how well I can reach to the bar that shay set. :) I definately have a challenge!)

Email! (I lost the number we are on)
Well this is week has been good but pretty hard because I don´t understand what the people are saying. Anyways the Baptism went well, I was nervous, (her name is like 21 letters in it! wow!!!!) Yeah they have long names here. Although I do have the Baptism prayer memorized so that was nice just had to remember her name, that was kind of a stuggle but my companion helped me. (he sent some bug spray and stuff back home because he thought that his suit case would be too heavy with it and he didn't want to pay a truck load and a half of money to take it with him.... which he ended up doing after all but not as much I guess. * it was a little shorter for me to edit*) All of the houses have fences and we would knock on the door a lot or sometimes the house has a door bell to ring. Also here are a lot of tiny stores that have the same things, and I think it is part of their house or at least some of them are. The people here are CRAZY Drivers! (worse than Utah drivers that must be really bad) Our apartment is nothing to look at really just empty, Also a couple of times this past week we didn´t have hot water, so we would have to heat up some water to take a shower, but today we just decided to take a cold shower, and boy was it freakin COLD!! (I wondered if he turned blue?) (shawn is telling stories now...... I think shay would call it rambling.) I don´t drink the water, well the dirty water, everyone purifies their water so it is all good. (WARNING!!!!!!! DO NOT DRINK THE WATER IN MEXICO!!!!!) About half of the food is good and the other half is just okay. My favorite so far would have to be the quesidilla here are amazing!! Plus Americans say that word wrong, like we are not even close to what it is suppose to be. (more stories! He doesn't know where the post office is. its lost..... sad day. stories, stories, stories) Well that is it so good day eh
Love ya all
Shawn

so hopefully I did good on the first post i've done! do i get the stamp of approval? I will try to be more on top of things and post more. until next time!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

August 28, 2008 (again???)

Okay I got my travel plans today!!!!!!!!!! (YAY!!!) And another awesome thing is that I get to call tonight to talk about the travel plans, for like 5 mins so that will be awesome as well! Just to let you know so you can be home or something, But I will try home first then the cell phones so yeah. by Tomorrow at 2:35 I will be in mexico With huge eyes, and with a big grin on my face. Also I get to call again tomorrow at the air port, we leave to the air port at about 6 in the morning, the plane leaves SLC at 9:35 so i will call at about 7:30, or 8 ish. We are flying on delta so yeah Just let everyone know! (rambles about stuff he needs to get done before he leaves tomorrow.) Okay love Ya!!!!

yay! so he is on his way to Mexico now! (finally!) He called and talked to my folks that night, (and Anni was there to listen! She said he sounded more mature on the phone. That child is growing up!) and heard about his plans for the next morning. Then in the morning they just got to talk to him again for a little bit. So he was doing good before he got on the plane! We will see what happens next as our missionary continues on with his adventure to MEXICO!!!

August 28, 2008

Email # ?

So I am all good, but I will need those photos soon because last monday Me and 3 others in the district got to the consoluate of mexico and get Our VISAS!!!!!!!!! (Yay! that means he will be leaving soon!) Yeah, so another words I haven't got those photos but hopefully today sometime (they have to have photos with them. we forgot to put it with him when we sent him to the mtc. oops!), and then yesterday the other two in our district ( we only have 6 now because my companion and two other missionaries left on tuesday morning at 3) got their visas so we are already to go, all we need now are some travel plans which might be today and if so I will type again saying that I got it! So yeah almost to mexico! Oh the cool thing and kinda scary thing was that earlier today we had some missionaries from a different zone get their travel plans today, and they are leaving at 12! So they only had like 3 hours to pack! Because the Mission president wanted them there ASAP so yeah things are going crazy! Oh yeah yesterday we got 10 more missionaries going to mexico somewhere and 2 going to peru. Oh I can't remember if I told you but last sunday I got released from ZL so now I don't have that autority anymore but it was fun while it lasted. It is weird not having a companion, well the companion that I have had for now 8 and a half weeks, so on the first day I just floated around whoever needed me, but now I am with Elder Snook and Elder Tanner who are my roommates so it is all good. well I better save some time just in case I get some travel plans or what not, so tell everyone about my visa! love YA

August 21, 2008 Another fun week....

Email # some thing or another....

Yep yesterday, Sunday, and today have been pretty interesting days. Yesterday we checked out to see how long it would be for our visas, and they said at the travel offices is that we will be getting them in the next two weeks so they are just going to keep us here til we get them. When we asked them yesterday they got kinda mad at us because I guess a lot of missionaries that are going to mexico are wondering the same thing and the travel office people were getting annoyed with that. So yesterday was kinda of a bad day, but then today Elder Goates (my companion), Elder Meyers, and Elder Lines are getting their visas today, infact that is where they are at right now!! They are with the consulate of Mexico getting their visas! It is kinda werid not having a companion with me, well him with me anyways. So that got everyone excited to go. We as a district have decided that the people in the travel office don't know what is going on the visas either, so really we are just playing things by ear. Which is dumb but oh well not much I can do about it.
On Sunday, the devotional speaker was Elder Dallin H. Oaks! He came sunday and spoke about The Sacrament, and how it is important in everyone's lives and especially in the lives of missionaries. how it is important is that partaking the Sacrament is that the blessing that comes from it is the constant companionship of the holy ghost, which we definitely need as missionaries to teach with the power of the Spirit. So overall it was a Good Talk. So actually My companion just got back!! He is leaving MONDAYish!!! It is so awesome! They just take a picture, thumb print, and then they stamped, plus they got to see part of the olympics! So now I am pumped about things here! Well that is basically the best part of this week. Me and my companion also taught another lesson in spanish, which I thought it went well.
(he just rambles about stuff like a suitcase and memory card, nothing really important unless you really want to know how he is sending all that fun stuff...) So no travel plans yet, and I have had heard that missionaries do get to call home before we leave. Sounds like home is going to be quite without me and shay, and tyler and kyle doing their own things. Yep so I think I am done now Love Ya!
Shawn
ps I will let you know when the visas come, or what is going on here about traveling.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

August 14, 2008

Email # some thing (i will fix it later...)

Things are going good here. We got more missionaries yesterday, so we took them on the amazing tour of the MTC and they were amazed at everything. Well, not exactly but yeah, any who.... So Spanish is going good. Como Estan? Donde es mi Perro? Yeah that muy chistoso. (K, Translation...(by shay, and she took spanish like 2 years ago, so we will see how well she does... hm...) How are you? Where is my dog? (this next few words are hard) um, y-e-ah that very Something! look it up i'm not sure! anyways back to Shawn.) If you don't know what I said, well good it is a inside joke. (well no wonder I didn't get it!)
So yeah um.... Yesterday we taught the second lesson in spanish with the El Palabra De Sabiduria. AKA The Word of Wisdom. The lesson went well. Elder Goates spole his spanish well as I did my broken spanish as best I could, but the cool thing is that sometime I don't have to think about what to say it just comes so yeah. It is way awesome. And as a district we are doing a whole week of just spanish. It will be hard but it will be worth it.
Yep, about the visa tomorrow I might get my travel plans and stuff so I don't know how things are working out with that. But I am hoping that we are just going straight to Mexico. Because it will be fun!
(Now he is giving advice to a friend who left on his mission about the beginning of September.)
My advice is just to work. If he has a preach my gospel go to Chapter 6 in the Christ like attributes in the heading: diligence there should be a quote by President Benson about work. Yeah that is my advice is to just work, work, work, and work. (So for you over achievers, there is a quote for you to read from Shawn.) It helps a lot plus the studying and knowledge that will be learned will increase as well. So yeah just work. (wow, inspirational.) We are not studying the language for us, it is for the lord to work through us to talk to the people. So in reality it is for the people of whom we are serving. (Whoa, where did that come from?! Is that the same person that I know?)
(Ramble, ramble, roommates want some more rice krispie treats.) So yeah, I have next P-Day then that is it for the MTC! (Wow already? Well, it's october now so i guess it's not that soon anymore...) Well, I think so, yeah I am excited to go.

Oh!

Shawn forgot to wish me a happy birthday! Some Brother he is! Just thought I would throw that tid bit in. Just for kicks and giggles!

August 7, 2008 ( I don't know what happend to July 24.... It ran away I guess...)

So this week has been pretty good. Elder Goates and I was appointed as Zone Leaders on Sunday (way to go. They weren't behaving there so they got a special calling. Goodness! Jk) and yesterday we had 10 new missionaries come into the zone which 8 of them are going to Mexico City West and the other 2 are going to Peru.
So as Zone Leaders (or ZL's we should say) we got to five a little orientation about the zone, and obedients to rules, along with that we took them on a tour of the campus and showed where things were. I was pretty excited yesterday doing this, and it was a lot of fun! Also as a ZL I get to interview the district leaders every friday morning, and go to some more meetings on Sunday, and hust make sure everyone in the zone is doing good.
Also this past week Elder Goates and I taught a lesson in spanish again. It went a lot better this week than last week. The guy that we had was extremly nice about it all and did the part of an investigator. So it was prett awesome.
My spanish is coming along well(well, we hope so, he's been there for over a month. He should know something by now....) these next two weeks is going to be nothing but spanish speaking to each other in the district, but only on special occasion that we can speak English. It will be a challenge but I'm going to do it, the best that I can anywasy. Oh another story! (Story time, everyone get your pillow and blankets!)
So the mexican visas are hard to get right now because the consultant of mexico is doing something i'm not sure, so the missionaries that were gong to mexico and didn't have their visa were just staying here at the MTC longer until they get it or until they get temporally called to some other mission state side. Now they are doing it is that if we don't have our visa on time then we are just going to be shipped somewhere else till we get our visas. (sounds like they are just extra luggage right?) So yeah that is the scoop of things. (nice story right?) (okay so it's just alright)
So yeah that is the scoop of things. Things are going great, the devotionals are good. (well, then he rambles on for a while longer............ still rambling...... k he's done!)

Spanish is amazing, the mission is awesome! Well till next week family.

Love your amazing, handsome, coolest, best, loving, smart, spanish speaking hermano y hijo.
(for you spanish speakers you will get that ending and if your not, you better figure it out! JK it means brother and son.)(and if i'm wrong, which i'm pretty sure i'm not, then correct me.-So says Shay.)


Shawn

July 17, 2008

Email #3

Yesterday, was pretty much amazing because me and my companion did another teaching lessons thing on the plan of salvation, and it went amazing!! Like it was our best lesson yet, the spirit was strong there and the lesson and everything just went smoothly! Also before the teaching we had to act like we were picking up our investigator to go to church, and go to a buss stop which we had to talk in all spanish for it you know, carry a conversation so that was fun, I did okay at it. Also yesterday a companionship left because they are going to Lima Peru, MTC which is cool. They were pretty nice and good people. Elder Cope is from Provo, and Elder Evans is from some small town in Colorado I don't remember where, but they are excited to go and kinda nervous about the language and stuff but I think that they will be just fine. But on a sadder note unfortunately another Elder from the district had to go home today. He had Surgery (he couldn't spell surgery! he put surgerily!! funny child!) on June 25, the day that we checked in and i guess the doctor said it would be heaked enough for him to come to the MTC on the followng Monday, and do the missionary work. But it heal didn't heal as fast has it should have and wasn't really getting any better here so he got sent home this morning. But he said taht he will come back to the MTC when he is ready, which could be like a month, but still, the face he is coming backis pretty amazing!
Oh! My district goes tot he choir and stuff and last Sunday we sang "Blessing" or Come thou Fount ofEvery Blessing, and I as on the Screen!!!! So now I am really popular!!! Okay, not really but it was still cool.
Oh another thing, you know the cleaning paper that tells us how clean our room is, well, the funny thing is that my desk was a mess,a dn my bed wasn't made so I thought I should tell the truth on that mark. (that liar! He told us that his room was clean!!! Goodness!)
Also just out of randomness, my comp acts almost like Kyle so it is always fun here. "I know kung fu." "Is it ice tea?"

There you go folks, Shawn knows kung fu and drinks ice tea. That is what he is learning. Maybe he will teach us when he gets home.....

Saturday, October 4, 2008

July 10, 2008

Email #2

K, he thinks he typed the wrong email address! (well, he's wrong cause we got it!)
It's p-day at the wonderful life of the mtc where they play church music all the time. Says happy birthday to mom again (he's not very good at keeping track I see... hm.....) Talks about fireworks again. Got to talk to people on the phone about requests and everything.
K, so yeah, that is basically all he wrote so there we have it for email #2! (yay!)

July 10, 2008 (at least we are guessing he wrote it then. It's dateless!)

Letter # 3

Hi family!
Email now yadda yadda yadda..... what is your email address (he didn't even think he knew our email address.... :(. ) Before the fireworks we had a devotional where we played chimes to partiotic songs and Pioneer songs. We watched the fireworks happening at the Layville Stadium. Miley Cyrus was singing there. So we got to see a little bit of the outside world that night. we got pics and videos. Yesterday we went to the teaching experience and taught the first lesson to an "investigator." But before we could teach the lesson, we had to talk to someone in spanish. I'm glad my comp can speak spanish because I didn't know what was being said at all. That was fun... anyways on to the lesson! We taught the lesson (the restoration.) the spirit was there and it went really well. We did everything pretty much right so the teaching was pretty much easy. It was fun!
Rambles on forever............. (man this child rambles on..........) (tells kyle to listen to motab, not Michael Jackson......) yadda yadda yadda (details details details.....)
K finally he says love ya!

July 3, 2008 (Email)

The last one was a letter letter!

Email #1

Hi family!
They are letting me email! cool eh?! (Wants to say random stuff because he can't remember what the last letter said....)
The MTC is great! Food is good! Elder Tanner is from Gilbert Arizona and Elder Snook from Carbin County (where ever that is. Shawn didn't say!) And my Companion is from Cold Springs. He has 2 older sisters and then him and his parents in his family! One of his sisters is getting married next week. (Oh and Shawn wishes mom a happy birthday... That child is late! :( ) Languge is great. My comp took 4 years of spanish so he helps a lot! The fireworks were great and all (4th of July if you didn't already think of that...) The monkey is great ramble ramble ramble.... (he is gone a lot so he doesn't take care of George!) The days are long here. (tries to type in spanish but gives up...) yeah he just rambles on! For the rest of it.....
K love ya all!
Elder whatshisbucket

Note from Anni- I am going to kick his butt! He typed kyle's love shawn in at the end of the email... not a good child... he is pretty much dead! :(

(two not so happy faces in the letter. He is a dead child!)

July 3, 2008

Letter #2

Okay, now that I have the letter with me! I can answer questions! (yay!) Elder Goates is going to Mexico Tuxtla, Gutierrez Mission, which is a ten hour drive from Mexico City. We have 10 Elders in my district. Two to Bolivia, Two to Oaxacaco Mexico (don't know where that one is... anyways) The rest of the elders are going to the same mission as I am. (Which is cool because they are all cool! We get along just dandy!) The language is coming good. Learned how to pray and testify in Spanish, so it was pretty fun. Good report on house keeping! (Yay for clean room!) Kyle, you are missing getting after me for a dirty room! (ha ha!) (ramble ramble ramble...) P-days on thursdays. So we got to go the Temple today (which is like the Ogden Temple) They are going to close it for a few weeks here soon.
Most of my days are learning the language and some of it is to study. My teachers are not native speakers; for instance, one teacher went to Spain on his mission and is now teaching here. MTC is great! The spirit is nice.
Also on Saturday my companion and I taught the first lesson. Also we introduced oursleves in Spanish. (Yay!) On Tuesday we sang in the choir. Anyways love ya all!

THE MTC!!! June 25, 2008

K, we are finally putting up Shawn's letters (YAY!) So, enjoy and we will try and stay updated (we have Shay working on this so we will see what happens!) (Anni will make sure everything will go alright!)

Letter #1

It was a good day. Elder Goates (Todd...) my new companion (yay!) Yeah, I'm pretty much unpacked, and we are writing letters in class before the ZL's come in. We have 4 Elders including me in each bedroom. There is Elder Tanner and Elder Snoock. They are also going to Mexico city east also five other elders are going to the same mission.
I saw Skot today. We were getting food and we saw him so we talked with him. He is leaving tomorrow at Nine and has to be ready at Six tonight.
Anyways love ya, thanks for all your help. Thanks Shay for the Monkey (by the way the monkey's name is GEORGE!!! Yay!) That was a surprise.

(P.S. each letter is summarized so you don't get everything. He kind of rambles on every once and a while so you don't want to have to hear that all!)

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The Beginning

Hey Shay and I are going to be posting missionary letters from shawn while he is on his mission. This is a good way to know what that monkey gooberboy is up to! :)

Followers