MIRACLES, STAYING POSITIVE, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(EMAIL SENT JANUARY 4, 2016)

Shumway Crew,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Seems like 2015 flew by, right?! But it always the best starting a new year, setting new goals, and getting a fresh start!

This week for us was full of many different emotions. We focused on finding new investigators, which meant we ended up knocking A WHOLE LOT of doors. The first day we were excited, because we were ready to find new people and share the gospel! But we didn't end up teaching one lesson, and got rejected way too many times to count. The second day, we started again, thinking THIS IS THE DAY, and we even had a member with us all afternoon, and NO ONE. Can you even believe it? We even got to the point, around 7 o' clock-ish, when after getting rejected so much our poor member even looked bored. I noticed that and felt bad ... so I tried to make it more positive and fun. As we walked to the next door to knock, I said "Hermana Valencia, this is the family that is getting baptized, right?!" She looked and me and said, "Oh that's right!" The members eyes lit up ... and we just kept acting like the door we were going to knock was a family that was getting baptized! No one answered, and so we went to the next door. I said, "Oh wait ... sorry, THIS is the family!" Knocked the door, and no one answered. The member realized what we were doing and she just started laughing every time we said it! We did that until we finished knocking all the doors in the block. No one let us in ... but hey, we made it fun! It was just a testimony about the importance of being positive even when it seems to be the worst circumstance. It can make any situation better!

But we did see many miracles this week after spending many days knocking doors, and planting many seeds! Our investigator Ortencia, 16 year old investigator, told us she received an answer and knows our message is true! She said she was praying the night after we taught her and felt something in her chest, like a burning feeling, and she felt that what we had taught was true. It was such a miracle, and she seems to be progressing a lot! Also, Angelo, our other young investigator, said he had a dream after we had visited him, and he also knows its true! We finished teaching him the restoration, and he loves listening to us. It´s cute because his family always secretly listens to our lessons from the kitchen. Hopefully little by little they start listening to our lessons. So far they have told us no ... but anyone can change!

Oh and New Year´s was spent pretty calmly here in Talara. A member invited us over to eat a delicious meal with them, and then we got back to our room by 9:30pm. We got to see the fireworks go off all through out the city from our third floor room, and it was beautiful! It definitely was hard to sleep that night with all of the fiestas that went on, but it was quite an adventure!

But overall, it was a great week! We are excited to work with the investigators we have and I know the miracles will keep coming if we are obedient and trust in our Heavenly Father.

Today I just want you all to know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, loves us. This morning in my personal study I just felt his love so powerfully as I read the conference talk of Elder Ronald A. Rasband. I know he lives, and I know that this is his gospel!

I hope you all have an incredible 2016, and thank you for all of your support and love!

Be good, and do what´s right!!

Until next week,

Xoxo, Hermana Shumway

Dinner we ate with a member family (paneton, chifles, chicken, y noodles - pretty typical)