It's a Boy!

Area:  Independence, Missouri
Companion:  Elder Thompson

Hi Fam!  

Sounds like Thanksgiving and the cabin work was a success!  The kitchen looks great!  I am excited to see all the changes and updates over the next two years.  I'm excited to come back and continue to help as well. :)

Thank you so much Mom and Dad for the bike too!  It helps so much and makes riding bikes in the 20 degree weather more enjoyable!  I don't have a picture of it right now but I'll send one next week.  Its a TREK bike called the Marlin, 2015 model.  Pretty sweet bike with 29'' wheels and disk breaks.  :D  I think I have a little bit to much fun riding it around haha! 

So, updates on me.  I am still here in Independence South Zone in the 4th ward.  I am now training Elder Thompson, fresh out of the MTC!  He is from St. George, Utah and is 21.  He is an interesting guy, but we have fun together and are working our behinds off!  This area is finally starting to bloom.  Except the investigators we have right now aren't really progressing.  Which is no good, but we are working with them and trying to have them keep their commitments!  Autumn is nowhere to be found right now so her baptism date is a no go right now...  not quite sure whats going on there.  Freddie, same story.  No new legit investigators this week but we met a ton of awesome people and have some addresses but no return appointments. 

 

Thanksgiving was great!  I had my fair share of Polly food!  It was almost like home, except I was in a room full of Polly's!  haha!  The Tonga's always treat us like family, they made me feel at home away from home.  They put on a nice musical program and sang and played the uke for us, it was a party!

 

I have a couple of funny, cool, interesting, miracle teaching moments this week with Elder Thompson.  I decided to take him tracting for an hour to work on his people skills and BOM handout at the door.  Even though tracting is not very effective in finding new investigators, it sure does work your people skills!  So, we were walking into the bathroom at the library for a quick pit stop.  On our way in we started talking to this guy who asked us for a lighter to light his smoke, but instead of a lighter we gave him a BOM and got his address and number!  It was kind of ironic.  After that we walked into the bathroom  and started talking to a guy in there who knew a lot about our church but wasn't a member.  We taught him the whole restoration in the bathroom!  I didn't even realize what had happened until after we walked out of the bathroom and just started laughing.  So after that experience we walked across the street to the some of the  ghetto apartments in the area.  As we were walking down a bunch of African American kids started yelling at us saying, "can we ha yo numba?!"  "Hey Jesus people, yo listn'n?"  So we walked over to them and I just said,  Want a picture of Jesus?  They were so confused!  We ended up handing out about 15 pictures of Jesus and invited them all to learn more and found out where they all lived and stuff.  It was kinda fun and funny!  

QOTW (question of the week):  What did I do this week that I didn't want to do and was I grateful afterward I did it?

 

Well, something I did this week that I didn't want to do was go out last night at about 6:30pm in the 16 degree weather with a nice humid breeze.  We had an appointment with a family we never have met at the opposite end of our area  and there was no way we were going to miss it.  So we headed off, when we got there they weren't even there!  So then I was trying to figure out why we were there because I knew Heavenly Father put us there for a specific reason.  I decided to go to a less active's house we have been trying since I have been here and have never even seen him.  When we pulled up to his house he got out of his truck and started talking to us and was very happy to see us and invited us into his house!  We had a great conversation and he recognized that we were sent there at the specific time by God to help him.  It was so cool!  I am very grateful we went out!  

Well, Thats about all I got! 

Love you all!

Elder Shoemaker

 

PS: Can I get a pic of you guys at home now?  I want to see all yall :)

 

Elder Tuakalau packing.  It was hard to see him leave!  We were such great friends and always will be.  He is serving in Platte City now.

 

This was at the visitors center, they did a Christmas program.  That picture reminds me of what I have always imagined at the second coming, but with a lot more people!

 This is Elder Thompson my new companion!