How are you doing?
That is exactly how I felt when I was called by our secretary that I have received the papers now. I had mixed emotions about it too. I have been preparing for this time for so long now and it is coming to an end. All the time from when we are kids to when we turn 19 it is always just like go on a mission, go on a mission, get out there, go to work. Now it is closing up. Now when I get home, all anyone will be saying is get married, she is nice, marry her, etc. ha should be fun. Anyway, yes I would really love to have Eric here, that would be just so much fun, but if it doesn’t work out then it is alright. I would still like to come back with you guys in late March, or early April. That way you guys can see Semana Santa here, and also we can go and visit some places where I have stayed and we can go visit my old areas.
Has the Gilbert temple been dedicated yet, or is it still being constructed. That would be cool to be there for the dedication. But we gotta have some serious connections for that. So we are for sure going to Carlsbad in October, but aren’t we also going the week after I get back. What are some of the plans for when I get back, just so I can have a little bit of an idea?
Yeah a lot are starting to check out in their minds, it is like how president says, their minds are at home but their bodies are still here. He does get a little annoyed but all we can do is try and teach them that it is not over and that there is still time. We are in this till the end.
This last week we had a special conference – multi mission, with north, central and south mission. Elder Richard J. Maynes of the presidency of the Seventy came. He was AMAZING. Oh man, mom, he was so good at the way he talked to us and taught us and everything. He taught us the plan of salvation. What is it that we need to do here in order to get there successfully? He said something that impacted me so much though; he told us that people speak a lot by the things that we do everyday. For example, he said a family that does not do their family home evenings, what is the message there? The message is that it is not important. Then he said, alright let’s look at this on a deeper scale of what we are truly saying. October comes around and the prophet, Thomas S. Monson gets up there and he tells us, Family home evening is important. What will the kid’s think when their parents say it isn’t important. They are going to think that the things that the prophet says are not important, and from that moment on we have taught apostasy. That impacted me so much, because really it is so true, the little things that we do, we are leaving such a bigger impact on the people who see us. Our example is so crucial in what we do everyday in every moment, even to ourselves. He also was telling us and comparing the atonement to a banker. He said that a banker does a lot of stuff, and in their categories is to loan money to people. He asked us, do you guys think that a banker would loan money to a guy who he doesn’t trust, or to a guy who he does trust. The answer is clear. Then he asked us, do you think that God will give Celestial gifts to a person who he trusts, or to someone he doesn’t trust. That really got me thinking, what am I doing to show God that I am worthy of His Celestial gifts. Gifts such as the Holy Ghost, which is a MEMBER of the Godhead. It was just a really good talk and I really appreciated it. He said in order to change someone, you need to first get rid of all the worldly things that they hold in value over the celestial things, and take them out, line them up and kill them one by one. It was a cool analogy. But anyway, that was on Tuesday.
Wednesday we switched cars with President Stay and we had to take his car out to an area where it was going to be worked on a little bit. It was cool driving his car because I was thinking, wow there are some pretty powerful people who have driven this car. Such as seventies, presidents in the past, general authorities, and etc. From there I stayed out there on divisions with Elder Walker in Barberena. It was a lot of fun, we worked so dang hard and we had some powerful lessons. People committed to go to church after not going for a long time, and we put fechas for baptisms and etc. The next day when were going to go get the car to come back to the capital, people brought us a whole entire box of food for breakfast, and that will probably last the missionaries for a week, then they brought us a huge lunch and they took care of us really well. I felt really blessed to be out there and to be taken care of like that. The Lord really does look out for us when we do what we need to do.
Yes, Elder Pollock will be coming home with me. All of my group and from central mission will be on that plane too.
So as for my comp, he is doing great. I really am a lucky guy to have him, he is so humble and we have both learned a lot here on the mission. We were talking about it the other day of all the things that the mission has benefited us, and the little random things we have learned, like to never have white tile in a house, always dirty, or just dumb things like getting mad at someone does not make you get what you want in a good manner. It is the Satan way of doing things, yeah maybe someone can get their things quickly, but there are no good feelings about it. We have received a lot of calls of people yelling and wanting things, but we help them understand that principle.
That will be great to go to the temple in San Diego, and also in Redlands, and I really want to go to the one in Salt Lake, we will have to do that in October when we go to conference. There has been a few RM´s who have come back to visit Guatemala with their families. I want to come back to Guat soon so that you guys can see where President Stay lives and see him and Sister Stay, as well as see the white house, maybe there will be someone in the office I know. We will see.
So here is the question, the guy makes these murals the one about 3 or 4 feet for 150 dollars, and the other one which is 6 feet long, for 300 dollars. He said though that since we are missionaries he could probably give us a discount. It would be really neat to have that at home too, I love that painting, and it is my most favorite. I love seeing them in the temple, or in the cafeterias of the temple and etc. If I ever have a sufficient amount of money one day, I plan on getting one of those paintings really big.
Let me know soon about Eric coming to Guatemala. Yes, please set up the appointment for me to go to the stake offices to get released. That is really important. Just imagine, 3:20 I’m landing in Tucson, walking around getting my stuff all organized, and around 3:30 or 3:40 I’m walking out and hugging you. Ha ha, then from there I would like to go to In and Out and eat a good American burger. Roughly around 5:00 or 5:30 we could be in the stake center to where President Polley takes away my life, my name tag. So just let me know, then that night we can go to dinner or something. Anyways, well I better get going. I love you guys so much and I miss you a ton. I hope you have a great week and I will talk to you later.
Love Always,
Elder Daniel Shipley
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