His Timing is Perfect!

Area:  Kansas City, Missouri (Fleming Park Ward)    
Companion:  Elder Monroe

Howdy Howdy!

I can't believe another week has gone by already, they just come and go so quickly and I just can't seem to keep track very well.  With the new transfer I am still here in Fleming Park with Elder Monroe!  The zone didn't really change all that much either, only three missionaries left and three new ones came in.  There were a lot of companionship's that just flopped around with each other, which will make it a little interesting.  I am excited to see what this transfer brings.

Elder Monroe and I have really been thinking and praying on what we can do to help out this zone and the missionaries.  We really have been thinking about how we can help further than just these six weeks....we want to help for the rest of their lives!  This transfer we have created a little program that involves doctrine each week and an action associated and it all is revolving around the Book of Mormon.   We have been working through the district leaders and they have been helping a lot.  We also showed our idea to the mission president while we were at stake correlation this past Sunday and he loved it, so we will see where this one goes!

This past week we had a really cool opportunity that was brought to us by the church.  There was all all missionary broadcast.  All missionaries around the whole world were watching it at the same time.  It has been about 10 years they said since the last one.  There were several of the apostles that gave some amazing training's on working with members, how to use/receive the Holy Ghost in our lives, and most importantly, teaching repentance and baptizing converts!  I was a really good spiritual pump up.

We laid some hardwood flooring this week, that was pretty fun.

With the new mission in Logan, do you see to much of the missionaries in the ward?

Yesterday we had a really cool miracle that really strengthened my testimony of how the Lord works and that His timing is perfect.  We pulled into an apartment complex that a few of our investigators live at and it turned out to be the wrong entrance, so I flipped around and went back into the other entrance.  We pulled into a parking stall and there were some people in a couple stalls down unloading groceries.  One of the guys asks us if we are Mormons and my first thought was, oh boy he's going to want to bash with us (because that is typically what happens).  But, he didn't do that!  He was a very kind and loving guy named Josh who had met with the missionaries before in Joplin, MO and wanted us to come over and he also wanted to come to church with us soon!  It was a huge miracle that the Lord placed right into our hands.

This week at church we had the less active kid that is our age, Kevin, come!  That was a huge miracle!  It was really good to see that family all at church together.

So I have thought a little already about what I want to do as far as schooling goes.  Yes, that is still my plan to go to Utah State!  I am really excited to get going.  The mission has really helped me develop some good study habits and also has helped me know how to study, something that I hardly ever did in high school...

I think I will start in the Spring 2017 so I can get a little money under my belt and not be to stressed with money, time, coming home a transfer early (:O that one sent a shock through my system), etc. That way I will have time to find a job and work a little bit.  I will promise you that I will not be in the basement all the time, I can hardly handle that anyway.  I love being outside too much!

So with me starting in the Spring I don't know if I need to differ any longer or what all needs to take place...  Do I need to do anything? If I do, I can get permission from the mission president to get online and do school related things, just let me know.  I kind of have forgotten anything that has to do with what I did as far as schooling before my mission so it might be easier to do it over there...  Haha!

Some of my favorite set of scripture in the Book of Mormon is found in Alma 7: 11-14.  It is an amazing set of scripture that focus's on the Savior and a need for the Savior.  He truly did suffer for each one of us, for our sins, sicknesses, trials, troubles, and tribulations.  All of those things are plural because Heavenly Father knew that it wouldn't be just a one time thing.  We all mess up, goof up, get beat up and thrown down in our lives.  But with the Savior, it makes those things easier to bear and we know that we have someone we can turn to who will never let us down.  The Savior takes away the statement that "no one knows what I am going through!"  He does, because He loves us!

That is about all I have for you this week!

Love you all so much!

Elder Shoemaker