WORMS, COCKROACHES, AND RAIN

(EMAIL SENT MARCH 16, 2015)

My dear sweet family,

I wanted to start with some good ol´ Gee-Whiz Facts this week:

1. I found a worm on my toothbrush the other day. That´s new!

2. I have grown accustomed to seeing cockroaches on my desk during my studies. We have a lot of them, and you remember how I couldn´t kill bugs before, well now I am a pro.

3. I GOT YOUR Package! That is definitely a great fact, and I have to let you know I LOVE YOU ALL TO PIECES. Thank you thank you thank you!! Really though, thank you fam!!

4. IT RAINED - talk about a miracle!

5. We didn´t have electricity for one night.

THIS WEEK FLEW BY! I can´t even believe it. Here are some of the highlights of the week.

We have a Multizone Conference coming up. And that means that as a zone we are going to put on a show of some sort. This conference we are putting on a show of the story of Ammon and King Lamoni. Oh my heavens it is just too great. I am Lamoni´s wife (oh boy) and our zone has gotten pretty into it so it should turn out really SUPERB. We are performing it this week!! The Multizone Conferences are always great!

Also the family we contacted a little bit ago are continuing to progress. They are still a little hesitant about everything, but they want to keep learning more because they love hearing about the family! We hope that they continue to progress but overall they are doing just so great.

We also found a new investigator the other day in the street!! His name is Percy! He is so great and VERY INTERESTED. He lives with his wife and two kids and we have only had a few lessons with him but he is very excited about it. He said that he only wants happiness for his family! We shared a little bit about the families and that they can be eternal. And also that the gospel is truly the thing that has brought us joy in our families. He loved hearing something like that. We have a lesson scheduled this next week so we will see how it goes. But he truly was such an answer to prayers for us.

I wanted to share two scriptures that I read this week that I just loved!! The first is in Alma 7:11-12. It talks about Jesus Christ and when he suffered for us. I have never been hit more by a scripture in my life. Our Savior suffered so much for us. But what hit me the most is that is why we feel so much strength from him. He knows EXACTLY what we are feeling when we suffer, and he knows exactly what we need to be strengthened because he has felt it too! I have never felt so much love for my Savior. We truly are so lucky to have someone who loves us so much that he suffered everything. Another scripture is in DyC 58:2-4. It says: "... He that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation, come the blessings..."

I love that scripture. There is an absolute purpose in everything we go through. Everything. If we hang in there, and trust in our Heavenly Father, he is so ready to bless us in the end. I just loved that scripture!

Overall, the scriptures are incredible! I love this gospel, and I am very excited to start a new week and find more people to share this gospel with! 

My sweet fam, I love you guys to pieces! Thank you for everything!! You are all incredible and mean the world to me! 

Keep on keeping on, and no regrets!

XOXO - Hna. Shumway

Who needs electricity?!!

Me and Hermana Hualinga

Looking outside our window at the fresh rain

One of the streets I walk on each day

Another street I walk on each day

Love from our moto in the rain

Soarin ... flyin' ... having fun at the Parque Alas de Gloria

THE MANGO MAN, STICKERS, AND LOVING LIFE

(EMAIL SENT MARCH 9, 2015)

FAMILIA,

I don´t have a lot of time so my email is short this week.

I LOVE YOU ALL!! Thank you for all your support, prayers, and love! This week I have felt it more than ever. Thank you thank you!

Here are a few fun facts about the people in my area - 

1. The Mango Man - There is a man that we teach who gives us mangoes after EVERY lesson. He lives in a little shack and has barely enough food to eat, but he is so willing to give us a fruit after every lesson. I truly look up to this man. He also has so much love for the gospel and he says that the gospel is what brings him true happiness, not other things. I LOVE THIS MAN! I look forward to every wonderful appointment with him.

2. Every time we pass a certain group of houses in our area, there is a little girl that always runs up to me and asks for a sticker! She is the sweetest angel! She is one of my bestest little pals in this area, and I don´t even know her name!

3. I love my ward! There are SO MANY children and the members are so wonerful and kind. I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such incredible people.

This week we found a family!! Woot woot! They were sitting on their patio enjoying the day and we stopped to talk to them. They are the sweetest and are so willing to listen to us. They invited us in, we had a lesson, and we scheduled another appointment. It was a miracle. We´ll see where it goes from here, but it truly was a HUGE blessing!

This week I have learned that we truly can´t do anything without our Heavenly Father. He absolutely loves us! I don´t doubt that one bit. 

This gospel TRULY is what brings joy. The scriptures truly strengthen us. I love my Savior Jesus Christ.

I promise I will write more next week, but thank you for everything!! 

Keep on keeping on!

XOXO - Hermana Shumway

Love from Algorobbos!!!

WONDERFUL PEOPLE, ADORABLE KIDS, AND WORKING HARD

(EMAIL SENT MARCH 2, 2015)

Hola Familia,

Happy Birthday MCKAY!!!!! 17 ... so crazy!!! Hope it was the greatest!

I really don´t have that much to write this week. But overall I am trying to get to know my area and the wonderful people that live there. My comp is Hna. Hualinga. My new area is filled with a lot, A LOT of dust, sand, and bugs. I get sunburned everyday - and yes, I am using sunscreen. And I got an eye infection this week where I couldn't open my eye for a day. BUT, I feel so much joy and happiness. The people are INCREDIBLE!!! They are so humble, and the sweetest people I have ever met. There are so many kids in this area too that are always playing soccer in the sand, and I have made a few best friends! The kids here are seriously the cutest. They all want to touch my white skin and learn English! Those stickers are coming in handy too Mama ... the little kids love them!! I know I am just going to learn to LOVE this area.

I really don´t remember the names of anyone in this area. But we are working hard and the people we are teaching are so wonderful! I love the members this area, and the kids in our ward are the cutest. Also, I wanted to share a story with you of a member that we had lunch with this last Sunday. She is a widow, with three little kids. Her husband passed away a few years and she said that was so hard for her, but the only thing that could bring true strength and happiness was the gospel. She is a convert to the church. Her story of conversion goes something like this ... when she and her husband were newly married, some missionaries we walking down the street and she just felt like she needed to talk to them. She asked who they were and they presented themselves and told her a little about their message. She felt so much power in their message and wanted to learn more. They scheduled an appointment, and after a few appointments, she was baptized one month later. She started to cry at this point in the story. She told us that she knew this church was true, and she and her husband had never felt so much strength and power in their life. She said that Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Strength brings that into our lives. Strength, love, and pure joy. 

I couldn´t help but cry when she told me this story. It is so sweet and simple, but so powerful. This gospel does bring strength and joy. A lasting joy that we all need if we are to make it through this life. I love love love this gospel. SO MUCH. 

I promise I will have more pics and more info about this area the following week. But for now I am excited and learning more about my new area everyday. 

Thank you for all of your support and prayers!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!

XOXO - Hna. Shumway

P.S. SCRIP of the Week: D&C 122 and 123 - So much power and strength from these sections.

P.S.S. As I was studying one day I looked over and saw a cockroach sitting on my Book of Mormon. This has become normal for me.

My new apartment

Our very efficient kitchen

Sending love from Algoborros

I'M NOW IN ALGOROBBOS!!!

(EMAIL SENT FEBRUARY 23, 2015)

Hola Familia!!

I cannot wait to meet our sweet little puppy Lizzy. She sounds like a doll. And Melissa Rowe!! Tell her I say congrats!! McKay Shumway ... you seriously are the brains of the fam. That is incredible!!! I could not be prouder of my little pal! I LOVE YOU ALL FAM!!!

I HAD MY FIRST CAMBIO DE AREA. I am now in Algorobbos - no idea how to spell that - and here is the description: dirt and sun. I sent a pic of a park in the area. It is super super dry! But I am super excited!! I have decided that I am coming home from this mission tan - but from dirt, not from the sun. Really though. But I have to say I am sure going to sure miss my last comp. I feel like Hna. Salamanca and I have known each other for all of our lives, and we only had 6 weeks together. I am sure going to miss her!! 

My new comp is Hna. oh shoot, I forgot her name. That is so embarrassing. But she seems like a sweetheart, and I feel too embarrassed to ask for her name, ha! But have no fear, by next week I should know! :) She is from Lima and this is her last cambio. So crazy! But we are excited to finish her last cambio strong.

So I said goodbye to my area in Piura Central this last week. HARDEST thing ever. I LOVE the people in that area. They saw my whole process of learning Spanish and seriously showed me so much love in those first few months. Family Cordova is one of the families I am sure going to miss a lot! They ended up being some of our bestest friends in that area. We enjoyed my last week eating Pollo a Brasos (hope I spelled that right), Pollo con Srroz, and having an incredible Noche de Hogar (FHE). When I first came into this area with Hna. Fernandez (4.5 months ago) they didn't even want to listen to our lessons. They were less actives and did not want to come to church or anything. My last week with them ended up with them ALL coming to church as a family, praying every night as a family, and their son getting ready to serve a mission. IT IS A MIRACLE that I will cherish for all of my mission. I spend my last night with them and we laughed until we cried, ended with a family prayer, and said our goodbyes. I AM GOING TO MISS THIS FAMILY!

Also, our new investigator family (5 people) came to CHURCH!!! They participated in the classes and everything too! I will not be in this area anymore to teach them, but I seriusly could not be more happy to have seen them coming to church. 

I do not know anything about my new area. The only thing people say when I tell them about my new area is "mucho tierra". Oh boy. But I have gotten more and more used to it! Just expect more photos as a red tomato with dirt on my face! But I truly am happy as can be. 

Thank you for the great quotes Mom, for the support of EVERYONE, and for all of your prayers!! 

Keep on keeping on. Doing something good for someone this week. Let your light shine and trust in your Heavenly Father always. He knows what you are going through.

XOXO - Hna. Shumway

Love this family and their adorable son Andree

We adore this little boy ... he is the cutest!

 Saying goodbye was really hard because I love these people

One of my best buddies at church

Me, Hermana Salamanca and two other hermanas in our district

Noche de Hogar with more people we love

Me with our investigator Jorge Chinchayan and his Mom ... I love them!

Saying goodbye with Familia Cordova

They're pretty much my kind of people

They are all so awesome!

STAKE CONFERENCE, FISH TANK, AND MIRACLES

(EMAIL SENT FEBRUARY 16, 2015)

Hola Shumway Fam!!

I swear these weeks are going faster and faster. I can´t even believe another week has flown by!

Here are the highlights of the week:

First our investigator Jesus. He is 18 years old, and doesn´t believe in God. He came to our Stake Conference this past week!! But the crazy part is we weren´t the ones who had invited him. For about two weeks we have passed by his house many times but he is never home. So we thought he might not be interested. BUT, yesterday we had a Stake Conference and guess who is seated in the audience?? We seriously could not believe it! He came with a member friend that is from Lima. And we now have a cita with him for later this week and we are so excited! Such a blessing for us!!

My sweet 14 year old convert Jorge hasn´t been coming to church these past few weeks. So we stopped by this last week to check up on him. He told us he has felt really far from God lately. But he prayed the other night and recieved an answer that his Heavenly Father really does love him and answers his prayers. This was such an answer to our prayers! We have been praying so hard that he would feel that the church really is true. And he got his answer. So this last week he set a few goals to read the scriptures with his mom, come to church, pray, all of those wonderful things. And guess what? He came to church this last Sunday. This was after many many weeks of not coming to church. I cannot even express how happy I felt to see him there! Also, we gave him a bracelet that says in spanish - Faith in every step. We told him it is his reminder to pray and read the scriptures. But he is doing so great right now! We have a Family Home Evening planned with his family later this week!

So funny fact of the week. I have been saying fish tank instead of pen all of my mission. I guess they are similar words in spanish and the other day I asked my comp for her pen, and I guess all of this time I have been saying fish tank. Oh my heavens, my spanish never gets boring.

Honestly, I can´t say these last few weeks have been the easiest. But this week I felt like Heavenly Father showed me that we can´t lose hope. I have experienced MIRACLES this week, and I can´t even express my gratitude. This is my last week in this cambio with my comp, and we plan to finish it off STRONG.  

We will ALL have hard times, but the great thing is also we will ALL have happy times. But the important thing is how we react to the hard times and happy times. Make the best of every day! I have learned that a GOOD ATTITUDE makes all the difference.

I know this church is true. I don´t doubt that one bit!

Keep on keeping on! Read the Book of Mormon EVERY DAY ... PRAY ... and look for some way to SERVE.

No regrets,

XOXO - Hermana Shumway

Shopping in Catacos with two other hermanas

A street seller with some cool Peruvian things

Looking terrified with the street seller and his bone sword

Smiling for the camera with my new friend

MORE HEAT, EATING ANIMAL PARTS, AND SPEAKING IN CHURCH

(EMAIL SENT FEBRUARY 9, 2015)

Fam!

Another burning hot, sweaty week in Piura! But hey ... I´m loving it!

Gee Whiz Facts:

1. I ate a meal with animal intestines, hearts, and some "connectary parts" to other organs. When did I find out about these specific item... after the meal. Oh boy oh boy.

2. A member who is always joining us in the citas with investigators told us that all we ever talk about is food. Some things never change. :)

3. SUNDAY - I gave a talk in church (prepared last minute) and sang with my comp too!

So this week passed by so fast. I feel like every week is going by faster and faster! It´s so crazy! And today I officially completed ... dudududu ... 5 MONTHS! Woot woot! 

As I said above, I gave a talk this last Sunday. Oh my heavens I was so nervous, because it was on a talk in the Liahona. I was nervous because my talk of course is in Spanish, and on top of that I could barely understand the talk in the Liahona that is in Spanish. Holy toledo, it was an adventure! But, it actually worked out better than I thought and afterwards we also ended up singing a special musical number with my comp to I know that my Redeemer Lives (in spanish). We didn´t have any electricity this day in the church or a microphone that worked but honestly it all worked out so great!! I seriously think the Lord gave me a lot of blessings that day.

So this week we found a few new investigators!! One is a teenager that it is 18 years old, who doesn´t believe in God or that there is a purpose in life. I actually talked with his parents about one month ago in the street, as a normal contact. BUT, they didn´t have much interest. But the other day we were walking down a street looking for a specific family and we saw this teenager. We stopped to talk to him, he had some interest, gave us his address, and we stopped by the other day to have a lesson! And what do you know, I know his parents! He is taking the lessons right now, but his family still is a little hesitant. BUT, possibly in the future they will have more interest! But it seriously was crazy how it all worked out.

Also, we have seen a lot of progress with the less actives in our ward. We have a LOT! And we have struggled to animate them to come to church. But we have had incredible progress with a particular family who´s son now wants to serve a mission! We are ecstatic! They are some of our closest friends in the ward, and they are all coming to church right now. It is a miracle because before they didn´t even want to take the lessons. Blessings from the Lord!

Our only difficulty right now is with the investigators. We don´t have any that are progressing, so that is a little hard. But, we do have a lot of new investigators that seem to have interest and want to learn. We are going to keep at it!

My thought of the week - I have learned that when in doubt, say a prayer, so much strength and power comes from something that may seem so simple!

Keep on keeping on! Never give up, and make everyday better then the last! 

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

XOXO, Hermana Shumway

Me and Hermana Salamanca enjoying our time together ... I love her!

Our district ... they are all so great!