Hey there Mother, 


How are you doing? 

I had an Excellent week and even better hearing how  great yours went. That is amazing that Nanny is taking the gospel lessons as well and I am just so overjoyed for her. Keep those missionaries working hard and doing all they can so that she can stay on the right track. You mom are the primary source. You and becky need to be there at any moment she needs you. The missionaries cannot be in that place always but you can and you will be her support and strength. Tell the missionaries to take the Relief society president and always take a couple women with them when they go to teach. Bringing the bishop and mission leader is good, but she needs girl friends or have them take other widows too. That would really help her out. I really hope she can continue on this path and make the covenants that she needs to make with God. 


Anyway I am so happy for Scott. Wish him my best and tell him I would love to be there at his side as he makes this huge step in his life but I know he will do great and I will hang out with him after the mission. With him and his wife. I am so happy for him that he found the one to be with for all time and eternity. At the same time it is weird to me that everyone I know is now married. Just crazy. 


One thing that I love is that Jesus is always waiting for us to come  back. He wants us to come back and wants us to live with him again. We just need to get people to look past the next 2 -5 years, and get them to look into  eternity.  That is the secret to the hearts of everyone. Get them to look at where they are really going and why it is that we do what we do. I love this gospel so much and no one can ever make me do something that I don't want to do. I know now the huge difference between Right and Wrong and I hope I never make wrong decisions again. I know I probably will but I won't try to. I have seen the results of wrong decisions here. 

I can't wait to be in the temple again with you and dad and Kate and Jon. I love that place. We should be going here this next month. I am super excited. I have quite a long time without going to the temple. I want to go a lot when I get home so I can learn more. 

Anyways we had a good week. We went with quite a bit of people and we just had a blast. This week I went with the other district leader Elder Sagoe and we had a blast. He is the African American Elder that started near me too in the beginning of my mission. Do you remember him? He says he is going to come visit you guys in July when he gets home so he can say he visited my family before I got home. He is from Georgia. He really is a great elder though and works really hard. We went with this one family named the Family Alvisurez. We taught them the message of the Restoration. But we used a dvd and it went really well. It was actually a really spiritual lesson we had with them. 

Me and my comp are  getting along really really well. He is a great guy and we have a lot of fun doing funny stuff. Ha. We were actually invited to a lunch just last week in Milagro so we went there and we at lunch with a family there and it was pretty fun. Although it was kind of funny. Anyway after the lunch we did a panel thing where the youth asked us 6 missionaries questions of the gospel and we answered all of them. Then we were coming home and we were in a taxi and we were getting out of the car and i was walking backwards and I didn't see the big side gutter there and I fell into it, my right leg, and I fell up to my knee in water that was black and smelt horribly bad. I have no idea what it was but I dont ask. It was disgusting. 

Anyways the cool family of the week is the Family Bravo. They are another family we are teaching. The kids there are members and the parents are not married and not members. They came to church this last Sunday and we finally have them pretty excited.  

 Alright I love you guys so much and miss you a ton. I can't wait to be home with you guys again, but I still have 7 months to work my tail off.  Well, talk to you next week. 

Love Always 
Elder Daniel W. Shipley

Hey there,

I am really glad to hear that you had a great week and that everything went well for you guys.

Sounds like Stake Conference was good.

Here is a little bit about my week. So this past week we ended up doing divisions and it went super well. I went with a kid named Elder Ajanel and I went to his area in Santa Catarina Pinula. I can't believe I forgot my camera because I got to meet some really cool people and we had a great time. We found a lot of new people over there and we were able to really have some success. Elder Ajanel is one of our district leaders and so we had to train him last week and then this week that is coming we will be training the other leader this week. Anyways before i tell you about the 2 cool stories of the week, Yesterday in church they talked about eternal marriage. It was interesting. Ha, me and my comp both since we only have a little bit of time left, we were talking practically the whole entire day about marriage. How we cannot wait to get home and find that one girl who is the right one and then settle down. Haha, not... I am going to want to date around when I get home and get to know different types of girls. But it sure is weird how my vision on that has changed a little bit. Before I could not see my self settling down, and I thought I would of waited until I had about 25 years. but now I think I will be married by the time I have 23 years. Crazy.

Anyways last week before we started divisions we had on Tuesday our meeting with the President of the Stake and also with President Stay. IT went pretty well and we received a lot of assignments to get on. Right now the stake is really focusing on getting the stake converted into a mission stake. That being said, they have given us the responsibility to get all the youth motivated and ready to go for their missions. So we are working with them and getting them to go to their Mission Prep classes, and also getting them to work with us. However by doing that we are seeing that it is in turn bringing us a whole new set of investigators into our lives and it is getting the wards all really excited too, so that they are helping us as well. I really hope it works out well and we can maybe get a couple of baptisms out of it. The area where I am at is a really hard one and we are having a difficult time finding people who want to listen. The people where I live are pretty much a pretty rich type of people and they are not really accepting. They all work during the day and at night they are just exhausted. It can be really frustrating at times, but I think that is why God put us there so that we can help make this area better and get things moving. The good news is that we got the attendance up a little bit so they are now going to build a church within our area. They just bought the land for the church, they are just waiting to see that the numbers stay stable so that we can support a church on our own. Anyways after the meeting we had our zone had interviews with President Stay. I had  great time talking to him just about everything and opening my mind and thoughts to him. And also I shamefully lost again in arm wrestling to him. It was sad. But yeah so here is what happened during the divisions.

So we found this guy named Luis and he is a way nice guy. I kid you not he looks just like Mick Jagger. They could be identical. I wish I had my camera to take a picture of the guy. Anyway we were contacting this one street and we knocked his door and he opened it and was just like, "ahhhh... the Mormons... you've come back". and I was just like, "well what is that supposed to mean"?  He says, "well they used to visit me always at my door but I never let you guys in, I don't believe in what you all preach".  I asked him, "well what do we preach"? And he says, "well, you all preach that whoever drinks coffee goes to hell". I was just like, "wow that is a really bold statement, who told you that"?  He says, "well my brother is a Mormon and he doesn't drink, smoke, and doesn't do anything with coffee or tea".  I asked him, "well hermano luis, what do you think of your brother, would you say he is a pretty healthy guy, or is he unhealthy"?  And he responded that he was healthy. and I asked him, "what else do you notice about your brother would you say he is a pretty different type of guy or is he just like everyone else in the world". Then luis tells us, "alright come in, I feel like you guys have something I want to hear".  We entered in his house. and we just talked a little bit more about his brother and the church, and I asked him, "Luis, put aside all the things the church says, and what anyone has ever taught you, do you personally think that Coffee/drugs/alcohol or anything that is of the sort, do you honestly believe that it is good for your health". And he responded. "well to be honest, no". Then I told him, "well then we need to help you out then, we will come back tomorrow to teach you and read this thing and tell us if you have any questions tomorrow". So we then left, we went back the next night and he was a completely different guy. We walk in and we just sat there for like 5 mins. He then started the conversation by saying, "I'm miserable, I need help, I'm weak and I know that satan has control over my body. I need your help and I want to make my life good. I want a family like my brother and I want to have the blessings that he has. Please, can you guys help me"? Then we just started from there. we were asking him questions, what exactly it was he was doing. he said he was drinking, but nothing else. not coffee or tea or drugs. We continued, I told him every problem has a seed. and the seeds always grow to be a big tree, or in other words a big problem. I said a tree has a lot of branches, mini problems, but it is the main frame, or the seed that is providing it life that we need to take out. So we started asking him why he drank. At first he said it was for his work. He loved being at work drunk so he didn't have to talk to the people. But we found out it was a more serious problem than that. He was drinking simply because he hated himself. He hated his life and he just wanted to forget everything he has ever done. In that moment when we discovered that, 2 things popped in my head. One, the Photo of Jesus Christ I always carry in my scriptures, and Alma 7 verses 11 - 13. I took out the picture and set it on the table, and asked him, what do you think when you see that picture. He said, I feel like he is mad at me. He hates me and he doesn't want anything to do with me. I told him. Lets read this scripture and then you will see the Jesus Christ that I know when I look at that Picture.

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
 13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

We read that and then he just sat there and was like... "wow". I told him, that I knew that Jesus loved him, I knew that He has a plan for him and that we didn't just knock his door by any chance but that God himself really did send us to teach him. I promised him that if he stopped drinking beer, from that moment and forever that Jesus himself would accept him and forget his sins, blot them out as it says and remember them no more. I told him anytime he ever felt like drinking, to think first of Jesus Christ. Then to think of his lovely Wife who was in the other room and didn't want to listen to us. Think of his kids that he had and the things he had to do to support them. Think of his grand kids and the example he is for them. and Etc. I told him that if he really believed that he could change, we would make it possible for him. He then in that moment promised that he would never drink again. IT was an amazing lesson mom and the spirit was just so strong there. I love that feeling and listening to the promptings of the spirit and letting it touch the hearts of the people who need it in their lives.

I know without a doubt that Jesus Lives mom. He is the Savior of this world. There is no other one and He is the only begotten of the Father. He loves us all and wants us to come home. He wants us to make it back, but we need to do our part. We need to put on the shoes, get out the door and walk. We need to keep the commandments and do all we need to do, all we have been taught to do so that we can make it back to the Celestial Kingdom. I love you all and I hope you all have a great week. Sorry I didn't share the other story. I just figured that it is a little personal for the person in whom it involves. I will tell you about it when I get home. only 7 more months. yikes. haha


with love
Elder Daniel W. Shipley
official i know.

My letter to Daniel had included this poem from our stake conference - we all have habits or trials, I LOVED the lesson the Spirit taught through Elder Shipley to Luis I hope he can share this w/ him.

I asked God to take away my habit.

God said, No.  It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. 
 
God said, No. 
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary

I asked God to grant me patience. 

God said, No. 
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness. 
 
God said, No. 
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain. 
 
God said, No. 
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow. 
 
God said, No. 
You must grow on your own! But I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. 
 
God said, No. 
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me. 

God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea. 
 

WOW - I am so happy for nanny, that is great news. I just got her Christmas card and I will be putting one in the mail soon for her, as well as Ann, Sister Jenkins, and also the Nymeyer's.  I got their package. It was way sweet and really nice of them to go through all that and pay so much money for me. Tell them thanks a lot and they have a letter on the way.

I've just been ridiculously busy lately that it is hard to find time to do things. Elder Lopez is a great missionary and we are really having a great time here together and we are just trying a lot of new things. We are trying to really help the zone and our area at the same time and we are finding the best way to do it is through the divisions, so that way we have one elder working in our area and the other working and helping the other area. It kind of stinks because it takes away from our time as companions but it is working pretty well.

Anyway today we just went to go and play bowling, it was a blast. We played with about 12 of us, and the other elders went and played pool. I really hope your knee gets better. I worry about it and you and hope that you can be better. Maybe you should get the surgery so that you can just fix it once and for all. But also take this as an opportunity to eat better and go to the gym more. You can do things to work out still. Ab workouts do not require your legs so get to them. haha, but that way you can lose the weight and be healthy and strong. Health is something so important. In our ward yesterday, President Fabella, (president of Central America -70) came to our ward  and he told us something that was really neat that I'm going to put more into practice. He said us as members don't do the 3 necessary workouts. The 3 workouts are first our body. We need to workout our bodies DAILY, not Monthly. We need to do workouts every single day so that we can be more and more healthy. The 2nd was we need to work out our Minds more. Instead of going on the Internet and losing valuable time, we can read a book. There are many good books that are written by church leaders and other people who aren't even leaders, but we need to increase our knowledge in every category possible. The 3rd is that we need to workout our spirits, we need to read the Book of Mormon DAILY, not monthly. We need to make habits of these things. It is like the saying that I thought up, We need to make habits now, so that in the end the habits can make us.

I can't wait to come and see Scott and his new soon to be wife. That is way cool. Congrats for him. I'm happy that I will be able to be in the temple with him when I get back and a lot of my other good friends. Ha today Craig wrote me and finished by saying, "This is the year we will be in California again". haha. Plus tell dad I've got quite the group to go to Havasupai. There are a lot of missionaries that want to go when we get back, so in the summer we will be planning a trip.  They say they will show me Zion's camp when we get back too. ha. pretty cool.

President Stay and his wife, we'll sometimes see them somewhat kind of often but not to frequently. This last week we had our zone leader council and so we were able to be there with the zone leaders and president in his house. It was way cool. The Spirit was pretty strong there. But it was a neat experience to be there with President Stay and come up with ideas to make the mission a better place.

Anyways here is a little bit about my last week. Sorry mom, I forgot the cable today, so no photos this week. Anyway, so we went out and we worked pretty hard. I went on divisions with this kid named Elder Wootton, he is a really good missionary. He came to my area and we did a ton of work. ha, we even changed all the door locks in the house, and painted the bathroom, only because the assistants asked for it to be done. But the work we did and we tried something new which seemed to work really well. We are just looking for new ways to work because alot of the areas are gated communities. So we tell the guards that we are going to go with a member, and every single person we see in the street we talk to them. We just usually ask them if they know where a certain member lives and then they usually show us the way, and then we start up a conversation with them about something interesting. I've learned this way to contact that is way cool, instead of just going up to people and doing the routine. I get to know them a little more. For example we contacted this one lady who was gardening and I talked to her about how nanny loves to garden too and then the lady was showing me all her flowers and what they were called in Spanish and it was cool.  She was really impressed that 2 kids would take such interest in something like that, so we sparked up the conversation of why we enjoy little things of beauty like that because it reminds us that we have a God who loves us and helps us and wants us to grow. But just like how you need to put a seed in  the ground, you need to care for it and help it grow and help guide it so that it can be a beautiful flower one day, that is like Jesus, He is here for us and helps us and plants us and puts things in our lives to help us grow and be strong and beautiful. It was cool.

Anyways this last story and then I need to get going. We were Leaving from this one appointment and when we left I felt the need to knock a door. When we knocked the door this lady opened the door and Elder Wootton informed me that this lady was a lady they had a fecha with for baptism. So we went in and visited her. We taught her about 1 Nephi 8 and it was a sweet lesson where we talked about the type of people we need to be and the type of people we should avoid to become. It was cool, but then it ended by her telling us this dream that she had and we tried to help her feel good about it and comfort her a little bit, but then we ended that lesson by giving her a blessing. Mom, I've never seen the Spirit work through me so strongly by telling me what to say to her.  I have never met this lady before but I can only imagine that the Lord through me told her exactly what she needed to hear in that moment. It was a great and way spiritual moment for me. I thank God everyday when He gives me moments like that. I love this work and I love this church so much. I love all you guys and miss you a ton.

Next week I'll be hitting 17 months, only 7 more to go. Scary huh. Alright well talk to you next week.

Love always,
Elder Shipley

Hey there mother,

How are you today? I am a little tired as we had a super fun pday but just exhausting. We played human fooseball and it was a blast. everyone loved it. and we met up with my buddies zone, zone cuilapa. where I was last time. but my buddy elder erickson is the zone leader there. so it was good seeing him.

haha that is really funny that those kids are in your class and tell him i wouldn't hesitate to write crystal. ha kidding. but anyways that is so weird that they let fireworks be allowed this year. was it pretty noisy at night. it was crazy here. i felt like i just went through two huge battles, but this year i was apart of it. me and my comp bought a couple fireworks so it was fun. and man we ate a ton and we were so stuffed after the night was over. haha, new years night i had to eat slowly the last dinner we were eating because i was on the verge of letting it come out of my mouth. then me and my comp spent new years eve watching charly together and crying. haha. it was funny but that movie really is pretty dang sad. i've never seen a movie that can make me cry before. but that one got me a little teared up. anyways here is a little bit about my last week.

So on Tuesday we had a Christmas party and we had a zone meeting with it too where we taught the zone a little bit and then we had a gift exchange and it was pretty fun, the person who had me just gave me a yo yo and some cady and the person i had i gave a hat and some candy too. it was pretty fun though. then after the meeting we went on divisions with the assistants and that was a blast. i went with this one elder whose name is elder chavez. he is such a great elder. i learned a lot from him and i really do have a ton of respect for him after those divisions. it was just so much fun. we worked hard but found a way to have fun while doing so. We had some great lessons too and i got to meet some of their investigators that they have over there. it was just so much fun.

So those divisions ended on Thursday and then from there we went out with another area who is having a ton of problems,   anyways, we went on divisions with them and i went with an elder named elder Walker. He is a great kid. We worked so hard during these days and we had some really cool lessons. We just went and looked for a ton of new people those days and it was fun. WE found this one guy who is a pastor of a church and not to be rude or anything but he was an interesting guy. His doctrine that he was teaching was truly as i said it, it was his. IT made no sense, and had nothing to with what Jesus himself taught, It just makes me so sad that people can be so blind of the truth and just say that the reason prophets don't exist today is because Jesus stopped talking to us. I just want to grab these people by the ears and shake them and make them understand, but all i can do is just give them my testimony and share with them the truth. IT just makes me so sad that these people can be so blind. not only here but everywhere in the world. I know for a fact that God loves us, Jesus loves us and that they want us to be one, not hundreds but they want us to be one. Jesus still talks to us because He loves us and He has called a prophet for this day to teach us and to help us and through this marvelous church that we have here on this earth, we can be saved not only by the grace of God, but to have the opportunity to Return To God.

 About your question. Satan is still here on this Earth, We learn that Satan was cast here to the earth to dwell here and tempt us here. He will not be officially cast out until the second coming when Jesus locks him up for the millennium. Then Satan will be allowed to have power over us again and he will be more powerful than ever and will work as hard as he can to get us to fall again. But Satan is still here, his angels are here, and they are working with us every single second.

That is great that you got to see Devan, I hope he is doing great and i hope so badly he can just go on a mission. it will change his life.

Anyways haha, as far as school goes, that would be pretty nice if you could do that stuff, i think i would like to just work during that first semester when i get home, Maybe take a couple online classes at Pima or wherever it is that you guys are living and then in January transfer into the college life again. I don't know, tell me what you think. But yes those are my top 3 schools, MCC ASU or U of U. we will see. IT is scary how fast that time is coming up on us though. when we start having 6 months president says we can start worrying about that stuff though. But that's why I'd like to wait about a couple months so I can work hard and earn money, and really think and study what it is that I want to do with my life. But yeah, well  i sure do love you guys and miss you all a ton. I hope all is going well and that you guys are always Obedient to all the commandments of the old prophets and the current ones. Remember what the current prophet says, is always better than any other scripture or man can say. We are so blessed to have the prophet in our lives who guides us and protects us from the bad. If only the whole world could just understand that. Well I love you guys, Till next week.


Love Elder Shipley

**I use to worry about how much fun Daniel was having on his mission - until a man gave a talk at church and said - a mission is hard work - but you can and should enjoy these years and truly make them the two best years of your life so far.  Daniel has always seen the glass half full - he is a great example to me!!

 

Yesterday I was talking to Daniel's friend, Devan, at church - We both agreed Daniel has changed a lot - but he is still Daniel - which is AWESOME!

hey there mother, Wow it is really great to hear from you, and I am really sad to hear about that last news.

Everything is going great here. Here is the new news that believe me was a huge surprise for me. I had changes, and so I am out of Oratorio, I was moved to an area called Las Flores, which is located in San Jose Pinula. My companion is elder Lopez from Mexico and he is really cool and a nice guy. I am now the Zone Leader of Zona Guatemala. I was brought back to the capital, so I am happy for that. haha, good food once again. 

Monday we got the call for changes, and I was positive that we weren't even going to have changes so we went to some members house and started painting the house and then we headed home and were going to finish the next day. We got home and they called us, and my buddy Elder Erickson called me sad, saying that I was being taken out and that I was going to a new area. Ha, it was really weird because I was just so used to being in an area for 6 months so it was a fast change for me. My comp was really sad to see me leave too, he was almost crying.  Elder Peña was a great guy.  So all day Tuesday we went around saying good bye to the people. I didn't know that I made such an impact on the people there in Oratorio. The investigators that we found like Brenda, Sandra, Oscar, family Gomez, etc were really sad to see us leave. As well as some members. It made it hard to say goodbye, but I think the hardest was saying goodbye to this one family where it is the dad and his daughters. I felt like they were my family there in Oratorio, so it was hard saying goodbye to them. We got home at like 9 30, started packing and finished at 12 am, and then 6 am we were on our way to the capital for changes.

It was cool because at the change meeting my family from San Fransisco came and they brought me some presents. The family Reyes. They brought me some snacks and some other small gifts but it was just so good to see them after so much time. I really do miss them too. I'm so dumb because we didn't take a picture, but oh well. next time.

Here are some of the new families that are here, first off is the comedor, which they pulled a prank on me the first night. They were all there and I thought they were investigators and they were just being horrible. They were acting insane and I was getting a little frustrated with them. Then they just started busting out laughing, and told me that they were all members and that they are really good active members too. haha, it was kind of embarrassing, but they are a really nice family and they feed us really well.

There was a baptisim on Saturday. This ward is a really well put together ward and they are really unified. They work well together and it is just such a happy family feeling here in this ward. I hope I can be a good member my whole life so that not one person goes inactive for the guilt of me.  There is  this other family called the family Recinos. They are super cool and really funny, and have the cutest 2 year old girl. She is learning how to talk and it is just sooooo funny. Maybe she could be the girlfriend of paul. haha kidding. Then there is this other family called the family Bravo. We actually had a really cool lesson with them and really spiritual. We were talking about God and how he is and the type of stuff that relates to him and how everything proves that there is a God. It got into a really deep lesson and we were just talking about how much love and admiration we really do have for Him. Then we started talking about our Heavenly Mother and we can learn from that since God never reveals her name, we can just see from that how much respect He has for his wife and for all women. The love God has for the women in this earth is so unreal, I don't think we can ever understand that. It was just a really good lesson.

Anyways, we also had a zone meeting to try and get the zone hyped up for this change and get them going so that they would all go back and work really hard in their areas. I did a squeeze on the scripture Moroni 9 verse 6. I love that scripture so much, it just kicks my butt into motion and gets me working all the time. and it had quite an impact on the elders there too. The message is just so simple from it, even though these people may be really hard to work with and we may be struggling alot here as missionaries, we just need to keep working hard and doing all we can do so that we can bring salvation unto these people. If we don't do that then the comdemnation of their sins will fall upon us. That is something I certainly do not want so I will work my hardest to do all that I can so that that never happens to me.

Well mom I sure do love you. I love this church and I love all these things that I am learning and how I truly am maturing a lot here. I can honestly say I sound like a kid in that letter I wrote to you in the MTC but I feel aged now. haha, nah I still feel young but I do reconigize that the Lord truly has blessed me and is helping me progress here in my mission. He is teaching me things that will help me for the rest of my life. It is sad the people who don't serve missions that they will never have these oportunities. It's not to late for you and dad though, you guys can and should serve a mission. Read Jeffery R. Holland's conference talk from this past conference. It is great. Well I love you all and miss you a ton, can't wait to talk this Sunday.

Love Elder Shipley