Muddin', Hypnotizing Chickens and Miracles

Area:  Kearney, Missouri  

Companion:  Elder Hansen

Hello family and friends!  We had a great week full of muddin', hypnotizing chickens, and miracles!!

It was interesting this week being in the trio this week.  They live in Kearney, which is still in our area, just about 20 minutes from where we live now.  It was a good opportunity to help out these two missionaries as one has been out for 6 weeks and the other 12 weeks.  It was also a good opportunity to help the one who is a district leader.  We had a fantastic miracle happen!  Bishop Walker texted me and asked if I wanted to go on splits with him one night.  Of course I said yes because any time I can spend with him you know you will be edifying and you will learn a lot.  We visited a less active returned missionary father who married a non member and she brought in two kids into the relationship.  One of the kids was at the lesson we had along with the father.  This is the Jackson family.  We has a great lesson
with them and they were familiar with both of us because we have been teaching the father for about 2 months on and off.  The spirit was so strong and I felt very prompted to invite the son to be baptized!  So I jumped on that and he said yes!  When I was showing him the picture of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus Christ, he pointed to the picture and asked who He was, I told him Jesus Christ.  It is just amazing to me that a 14 year old, not knowing who Jesus was, but so willing to follow something because he has had good feelings about Him.  That was a great experience and it seemed to rekindle memories in the fathers brain from his mission.

We haven't heard to much from Abigail this week.  We are going to try and watch a session of General Conference with the Walker family and have Abigail over there too.

We had a great experience last night with finding a new family to teach!  We felt like we should go back to that house where we did service on the farm a few weeks ago and just see how they are doing. They let us right in and we had a great discussion about the church and its programs.  They have a deep interest in family history and all that.  We tied in the Book of Mormon and invited them to take the lessons and they said of course!  We have a lunch appointment with them this Thursday and we are very excited!  Right now we are teaching the mother and her father.  Their names are Ken and Monica. They have three teenage daughters as well as a nephew living there who have potential too!

We have a member in our ward who is a green beret and has a ton of useless knowledge.  He mentioned one time how you can hypnotize a chicken and it will stay completely still and soundless.  I asked him how to do it and he told me.  I just had to try it after that!  I have a video to send you of it.  :-D

Elder Shoemaker the chicken whisperer?

We also got invited to serve food at a truck muddin' event!  That was pretty sweet and reminded me of going to the rodeo back home.  I have some pictures and a cool video to send you of that too.  These guys go all out!

Elder Hansen is doing well.  It is great to have him back with me. {Elder Hansen needed to go home for a week due to family circumstances}  Every day he seems to get better and better with a few hiccups in between.  Just happy to have him back out here!  His card will probably be arriving today.  Thank you so much for sending that for him, I know he will be very appreciative of it.

As I was reading in Alma 1 this week, this scripture stuck out to me:
 
25) "Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them."

This scripture was given in the midst of all an apostate time.  They were struggling with what to do and with staying on the right path. But, nevertheless they stayed on the righteous path and prospered just as promised in the Book of Mormon.  Sin brings us temporary joy and happiness but never ending torment.  Following the commandment brings us true eternal happiness!

I love you all so very much!

Elder Shoemaker

STAYIN' in KEARNEY!!

Area:  Kearney, Missouri  

Companion:  Elder Hansen

Hello!

Drum role please............  I'm still here in the Kearney 3rd ward with Elder Hansen!  I love it here so much so we were both happy to get that call.  The crazy thing is, is that the Liberty North zone which we had stewardship over and that had 7 companionship's, and the Liberty South zone which had 9 companionship's, got mashed together to make up the Liberty zone!  Another two areas were opened as well, so there are 19 companionship's in elder Hansen and my zone this transfer!  That's a whopping 38 missionaries we have to keep track of.  I have no idea how President Vest keeps track of almost 300 missionaries, we can barely do 38!

Abigail is on date for October 17!  We are so excited for her to make this next step.  The hardest part is to get her mother and father to O.K. Her to continue to take the discussions.  She is so ready right now at this time in her life to take the discussions as she has a wayward brother who is wreaking havoc on the family.  All she wants is to be a good person and she understands that the gospel will help her do that.  Pray for her and for her parents heart to soften.

This scripture fits perfectly this week.
 
Mosiah 23:21-22
21 Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
22 Nevertheless--whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people.

We go through many things in this life that we do not understand.  I think Nephi puts it in the best terms: "I know that he loveth His children; Nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things" (1
Nephi 11:17).

I love you!

Elder Shoemaker

Visit to Adam-Ondi-Ahman

Area:  Kearney, Missouri  

Companion:  Elder Hansen

A special treat from Elder Hansen and Elder Shoemaker

Sure do miss THAT face and his happiness!! 

This has been one interesting week.  Full of just about everything. First off, Keegan dropped us.  That was kind of a bummer because he was so ready to hear the Gospel, but sometimes our natural man doubt if we let it will override our spiritual side.  All part of life.  He will accept it later on in life, I'm sure of it!  But for now, the seed has been planted.

The weather has been fantastic these past 3-4 days!  In the 70's with really low humidity.  Now I remember why I like Utah weather so much more, because there is no humidity!  I sure hope it stays like this and that fall is coming.  Logan canyon is looking beautiful, it always does in the fall.

Elder Hansen nailed a rabbit yesterday while driving the truck!  We can add that to the squirrel, birds, and tons of frogs I have hit while driving it.   The animals around here are everywhere!

We helped out with a kids eagle project Saturday morning.  We cleaned up al old ball field laying asphalt, spreading gravel, and trimming trees and bushes.  It was pretty fun!  I enjoy doing physical labor, especially when you don't get to do it very often.  I felt like we were building the field of dreams!

Mosiah 16:5
"But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God."

I love this scripture!  As I was reading it this week, I kept remembering something a member told me while out here.  "This is a life of progression, not perfection". That perfection will come later in life but for now all we can do it to continue to progress each day. When we show our Heavenly Father that we have a desire to change and be better than we were yesterday, He blesses us.  I love the principle of desire...

Today we are going to go up to Adam-ondi-ahman with the whole zone!  I am pretty excited about that.  I'll try and send you some pictures today if we stop somewhere that has wifi.  Transfers are also this Thursday and I could stay or I could go, we find out Tuesday night.

Love you all!
Elder Shoemaker

Preachers Rock!

You can see preachers rock on my shoulder with all the other
missionaries on it.  From where I was standing I could hear them talking in just a normal voice.  About 200 yards!

Mission Leadership Counsel and Zone Training

Area:  Kearney, Missouri  
Companion:  Elder Hansen

Hello!

This week we had a great MLC (mission leadership counsel) at the mission home that went really well!  It was cool to see how the spirit works on people and how it can work on a whole counsel. We were working on a solution to figure out how to best improve the mission and as we counseled together, President Vest left the room to go counsel with the Lord.  When he returned the counsel and President had come up with almost the exact same ideas on how to help.  It was so cool!

We gave Zone training this week that went really well.  I gave a training on missionary countenance.  I read a section out of the white handbook and left everyone with an invitation.  That was to not quote unapproved movies, music, and to not use slang.  I gave them the promise that if they did this, they would begin to see miracles that they had never seen before.  Heavenly Father would see them trying and bless them because of it.  The response thus far from the missionaries is that it is really hard!  But that they are seeing many blessings from it.  I was thinking about how this would apply to each one of you at home.  As we shift our focus and view from worldly things to the Savior and as our mind focuses and ponders on the Savior, he will in turn bless each one of us.  Our understanding of the Atonement will increase and our appreciation will deepen within our hearts.  :-)

We had a fantastic lesson with Keegan and he is progressing so well.  His questions and understanding of the gospel are right in line.  He has a sincere desire to learn and grow spiritually which is always so great to see.  Our goal this week is to put him on date to be baptized!

We did some sweet service for a family on a farm.  That really is the life!  They had about 20-30 chickens with another 10 baby chicks, and a duck that was raised with the chickens so he thought he was a chicken.  They also had a lot of goats and baby goats!  The set up that they had was pretty sweet.  This family was from Spain and we met them through a member.  They have a lot of questions and want to have us over for dinner so we are hoping to be able to start teaching this family of 7.

"For how knows a man the Master whom he has not served...?"

     -  Elder Maxwell 

Luke 22:42 

"... Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

As we follow the example of the Savior, we will start to know our Heavenly Father.  His desire is to bless us, to help us, to exalt us!  He receives happiness when we are happy; as stated in Moses 1:39,

"For behold this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life or man."

Love you all! 

Elder Shoemaker