Thanks Thomas Edison!

Area:  Independence, Missouri
Companion:  Elder Thompson 

Well, yeehaw!  Paul's home!  What in the world, he already has a girl friend?  atta boy, atta boy... 

As far as Facetiming, we will be doing it at the Kroeger's house (the one who called you my first week or so).  They told us to come over for lunch, so we will probably call around 12-1-2ish...  I'll try to find out more.  Which email am I calling?  We will be using facetime on the ipads they have. 

 

I did get my Christmas box!  Thanks a bunch!  Don't worry, I haven't opened it yet, its sitting nicely wrapped under the Christmas tree, like the turbo man doll in jingle all the way the movie.  haha I'm funny! 

As far as us receiving iPads, sounds like it's going to be next year.  They haven't really told us anything but there's rumors floating around. 

 

I want to see pictures of the cabin basement, it sounds sweet!

 

I gave a talk this past Sunday.  It was on goals and how we can achieve them and how to set goals we can accomplish.  It went pretty good.

 

Our investigators are progressing but at the same time, stuck in a rut.  It seems like we have just been doing the same things over and over and are expecting new results... it doesn't work.  (Thanks Thomas Edison!)  We are trying to figure out new ways to do missionary work.  Cody and Jayden are kinda out of the loop right now.  We don't really know where they went.  We are still trying to contact them.  

It seems like this week we have been running into members of the Church of Christ, RLDS, Restoration branch members, Community of Christ member, and many many others like it.  There are so many different break offs here...it's crazy.  They like to talk and it is really interesting to see all the different views and beliefs and how they interpret them. Everyone says it's harder to convert someone who is a break off of our church than it is an Atheist.  They are just so set in their ways.  They all basically stem off when Brigham Young went West and some stayed in Missouri and followed Joseph Smith The Third, that's them!  They think prophets should follow blood line, yet their prophet right now isn't from the Smith bloodline...  Anyway, there's a lot of stuff to learn and we get the whole run down every time we meet one of them!  haha

 

We had a pretty sweet experience this week with a deaf guy.  We were trying to contact a less active and she wasn't home.  There was this guy outside and we tried to talk with him but then soon realized he was deaf.  Then I looked over at my comp to see what he wanted to do and he was over there talking to this man in sign language!  It was pretty sweet.  I'm picking up a little as well. 

 

My greatest accomplishment this week?    Ummmm....  I would have to say the new traits and skills I have developed since I have been out here.  Mainly the ability to talk with anyone I see and knowing what to say!  I have no fear to talk with anyone and everyone about the Gospel.  I always know that as long as I try, the Holy Ghost will fill my mouth, I just need to open it.  (D&C 84:85)

 

Thats about all I got this week! 

Love you all so much :-)

Elder Shoemaker

We had an all mission conference this past week!  It was really nice to see everyone from the MTC and others I have met as well.

There was a lot of missionaries! 

This picture is of my son, me, my trainer, my trainers trainer, and so forth. (called a posterity picture)

This is of my MTC district minus 1, he was sick.