TEACHING FHE, TEACHING LESSONS, AND SWEET HERMANO FIDEL

(EMAIL SENT APRIL 27, 2015)

Shumway Familia!!

I sure do love you guys! And that list of people getting married from the 6th ward!!! WHAT??? In only 7 months everyone is getting hitched! Sooooo crazy!! Oh and good luck sibling with your FINALS. Always a little rough during that time, but I just know you are all going to kill it with your tests. And April is almost over! That month FLEW by!! And cannot wait to talk to you superb people in just a few. We haven´t figured out all of the dets yet, but I´ll let you know next week when we have it planned out.

To start, YES, we had our Family Home Evening with the Single Adults and our Investigators this past week. And about 20 people showed up!! It was a miracle. And our three investigators with baptismal dates came - Grabiel, Marlo and Alberto. And guess who gave the lesson!! Hermanita CHUM-way and her comp. All I can say is my Spanish and lesson was not perfect, but people were laughing and cracking up so it was worth it! And our investigators said that they really enjoyed it, so that was wonderful! 

BUT the sad news is none of them came to church. Grabiel couldn´t for his work, and Marlo and Alberto just didn´t come. It was a major bummer, and from the lessons we had earlier this week we felt like they are losing interest.

So after church, we were a pretty bummed. But in the afternoon we felt like we should pass by the house of Grabiel to see how he´s doing. We stopped by and he told us that he actually was watching The Restoration on his computer at that moment. We had NEVER even mentioned this video, but he was searching on Youtube looking up a Mormon message that we recommended, and then found The Restoration! Talk about INCREDIBLE! He said he loved what he had seen so far, and we set a cita for later that week. He is a miracle investigator. His baptismal date is in about 3 weeks, so I´ll keep you updated on how he is doing! But he is progressing so much!! 

We have a lesson with Marlo and Alberto tonight. They haven´t been reading, or coming to church, so tonight we are going to be really direct with them. It has been really hard with them, and tonight we are looking for inspiration because honestly we can´t figure out what we need to teach to get them motivated. I´ll let you know how it goes!

We haven´t finished painting the house of Hno. Fidel, but I should have a pic next week of the finished product!! He is a CHAMP. And mom, you remember that white shirt you sent me for Navidad, and I never ended up giving it away! The new proud owner of this shirt is Hno. Fidel. I found out he never had one, and so my comp and I prepared a little present for him and gave him the shirt, an extra scripture case I had, a bag I was given from a random person in the church one time, and some snacks! His face absolutely lit up when we gave it to him! He is ALWAYS giving us fruit and all of his food, and never receives anything in return. It was the highlight of our week to see his reaction when he received it. And this Sunday he came to church beaming in his white church shirt, with his bag and his scripture in the case! We love that man! I will take a photo next week with him.

This past week we contacted a lot of our contacts from the street and we haven´t found anyone who has lot of interest! That has been a little hard for us, but we are keeping at it! Hopefully next week we will have new investigators!

I have an interview with President this week and also we have a Zone Meeting! Oh … and the weather is a lot colder in the night now! I am actually using a jacket now! IT’S A MIRACLE!

Love you all soooooo much!

Have the most wonderful week!

XOXO Hna. CHUM-way

Sweet Hermano Fidel (The Mango Man)

Getting ready to clean the pen

The finished product turned out so great -- now it is super clean and organized

Me and my beautiful, fairy-looking companion Hermana Ore

PACKAGES OF LOVE, SERVICE, AND THE SPIDER TERMINATOR

(EMAIL SENT APRIL 20, 2015)

Familia,

Wow, love to hear about everything you guys are up to! LOVE the pic of our sweet little puppy, can´t wait to meet her. Also, brothers, I am pretty sure your little gaming fiesta was SUPERB, and filled with Chariton joyfully screaming and everyone cracking up with all of the jokes you all have! LOVE YOU ALL! 

To answer your questions:

- How are your eyes doing? SUPERB. I have to wear my glasses all the time, but hey it´s all good! But my eyes feel great now! At times I don´t even want to wear my glasses so I have to ask my comp who is waving at us, or if people are talking to me. Ha! I just wave at everyone who passes us now! 

- How goes the spider infestation? Those sweet things are officially all dead. We sprayed our whole apartment down, left to teach the gospel for the day, and returned to find them all dead. But officially I am not afraid to kill insects! Woohoo!

- Is your new camera working well? I love it!!! It is almost the same as my old camera! I am sending you a bunch of pics now!

This week was the BEST!! We had our good and hard days, but in the end we all learned so much and our very excited for a new week!! 

One special thing this week is we gave our sweet pal Jimmy a little Package full of Love. It was a Primary Book that simplifies the Book of Mormon with pìcs, food, and two photos of Christ. He loved it. That kid is such a stallion, we just love him! 

We had two investigators that came to church!! Grabiel, who has progressed so much, and Alberto. They both have baptismal dates for May! We have coordinated a FHE this week with the single adults and our investigators (because they are all about the same age) and we are going to teach about Joseph Smith and the Restoration. It is going to be so great!! But overall we have three people with baptismal dates, two brothers, and Grabiel. They have all progressed so much, but we are losing a little bit of interest from Marlo and Alberto. They are so wonderful, but it can be a little hard to find them at times. But overall, all is well!

We threw a little service project for our sweet grandpa, Hno. Fidel. We truly call him abuelo because he is so wonderful to us and has such a love for this work! We cleaned the pen of his guinea pigs that he sells and also of his chickens. And also we moved a lot of bricks around. He is just so wonderful, and we are going to paint his house this week! He has always wanted to do it and this week we are set on helping him out!

Overall, we are just falling in love with this area. My comp is incredible, and has taught me so much how to truly show people love. She teaches with such power and has helped me a lot. I love that sweet thing!! We laugh WAY too much. She is such a blessing for me!

LOVE YOU ALL!! Have another wonderful week!! Keep being incredible and always, always, always trust in your Heavenly Father. We truly can do anything with him at our side.

One thing I realized this week is that we can´t expect every day to be full of daisies and complete happiness. We need those hard times and little rocks in the road to help us remember that we need the help of our Heavenly Father … knowing that has helped me a lot this week.

Keep on keeping on!

Until next week,

Hermanita CHUMway!

Jimmy, Hermana Ore and me

He is such a little stud with an amazing future ahead of him

One of the little notes we included in his love package

Jimmy with his pictures and his present full of goodies

Just a little yummy breakfast I made for me and my comp

RECENT CONVERT, INVESTIGATORS, AND THE SPIDER INVASION

(EMAIL SENT APRIL 13, 2015)

Hola familia!

Oh man I sure do love you guys. Parker and Cass, you guys are one good looking couple! Holy smokes. Those pics are STUNNING! Keep em´ coming if you have more. I LOVE SEEING them!! I seriously cannot wait for you guys and your Marriage! And Em - I always knew you were smart, but now you are officially a genius for me. Keep it up sis!! Hope that you enjoyed your trip with Cade and all your pals Lovey!! Tell them I say hi! Overall, I just love hearing and seeing pics of what´s happening in your lives right now. Such a highlight for me. 

Fun Fact of the Week: To start, I wanted to let you all know that I am officially a pro at killing insects. I don´t know how this happened, but our bathroom is now filled with about 10 spiders on our ceiling. And ... they have invited all of their relatives, who now live all throughout our room. It is NASTY! Have no fear, we are buying bug killing supplies today.

This week was one of the most incredible weeks I have had in all of my mission! I have cried, laughed, and felt so much love for the people in our area. To start I want to share with you all an experience that had a major impact on me.

Right now we are teaching a recent convert named Jimmy. I don´t know if I have talked about him before but he is 13 years old and has a cousin who is a less active but overall he is the only member of his family. We have been teaching him for quite some time and I never understood his life story. He lives with ALL of his cousins and family members in a small home and has always been really sweet to us. But our LAST LESSON, we learned that he truly has suffered a lot in his life. It all started after my comp asked him about his parents. And then all of the information came out. We learned that he was abandoned when he was little, he lives with his Grandma (we thought she was his Mom) and that all of his cousins tell him he is worthless and is the outcast of the family. At this point in the lesson he started to choke on his words and broke into tears. My comp and I as well. All this time we have been teaching him and never truly knew his story. I didn´t even know what to say to him, but I felt like this sweet boy needed so much love, and had never received it. My comp and I testified that he has so much worth. That he will NEVER be alone in his life because he has a loving Heavenly Father who knows him PERFECTLY. We left with a prayer, and I decided that my goal before I leave this area is to make sure this sweet boy understands his worth, and that he is so loved. He came to church this Sunday, and actually surprised us that he had to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting. He is so amazing! I will try to send a pic when I have the chance. But this experience was such a blessing for me because I learned that truly EVERY PERSON has their story. Everyone goes through hard things, and challenges every day. But what an incredible blessing it is to have the knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father who absolutely knows and loves each and every one of us. Jimmy and his desire to do what’s right, even in the midst of so many hard things is such an example to me.

Also, I wanted to let you know about our Family Home Evening with Marlo and Alberto. It went so incredibly! Marlo was the only one home with his parents, so we shared a lesson with him, and then returned to visit him and his brother the following Sunday. AND THIS LESSON was incredible. We decided to teach The Restoration again to them. By the end of the lesson we finished with our testimonies, and then we felt prompted to ask them again about Baptism. We have tried to challenge them to baptism so many times, and they always said maybe in the future, but we felt so strongly to give it another chance. And they ACCEPTED!! For the 15 of May. It was AMAZING! And they told us that they really don´t feel sure right now, but if they feel positive by then then Yea, they would be baptized. So we are so excited to keep teaching them, and to help them feel with absolute certainty that this is true! And I know they will! We have another lesson with them tonight. 

So our investigator Percy hid himself from us the last time we passed by his house. It was a heart breaker for me because he was so incredible, BUT his brother in law now wants to listen to us. His name is Grabiel. He has a listened from a distance when we have taught his brother and told us he would like to learn a little more. Honestly, it was a miracle.

Overall, we are THRILLED to start a new week. We have so many things going on right now and almost feel a little overwhelmed, but we really have felt so blessed with all of the miracles from this past week. We have been praying so hard to find those that are prepared for this message, and this week I truly feel like Heavenly Father has put so many opportunities in our path to find those that need this message. We even contacted our taxi driver today and he LIVES in our area and would love to learn more!

I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!! I truly feel so blessed to have this incredible gospel in my life. I truly know that when we rely on the Lord above everything else, we can witness miracles. And that it is so important to listen to the spirit! 

Until the next week, I love you all and keep on keeping on!

Con MUCHISIMO AMOR,

XOXO Hermana Shumway


My beautiful comp Hermana Ore and I ... doesn't she look like a beautiful Peruvian fairy?

I told you I am like a giant here ...

ADVENTURES, CONFERENCE, AND A NEW COMPANION

(EMAIL SENT APRIL 6, 2015)

Familia!

Hola ... and WOW another week has flown by! I really can't even believe it! Oh and Happy Easter!! I have a few superb facts of the week for all of you:

1. I will officially be wearing my classy glasses for the next month, and maybe a little bit longer. I got ANOTHER eye infection in my area. It might be because we shake a lot of hands every day and then touch our face OR, it might be the dust that is everywhere and my contacts just couldn't handle it. BUT overall, I will be beaming in all my pics with my glasses for the next little bit.

2. A normal day for me consists of many man saying hello, how are you, good night as we are walking down the street. It is pretty hilarious! But the other day, as we were walking down the street, a man said KETCHUP, KETCHUP! I just about died! That's a new one!

So watching General Conference was a crazy adventure for us in my area. We watched it in our Stake Center and I started by watching it in Spanish. The truth is I really couldn't understand it too great, BUT, I loved trying my best and taking what I could out of the talks. We later tried to watch the other sessions in English but it didn't work out too well. So we went back to watching it in Spanish with everyone. And then in the second session of General Conference, the computer broke down and the sessions kept breaking up. Overall, we didn't get to see that much of conference. But I am just going to print out some talks and then wait for the Ensign that they will give us in the next month about the talks! Ha, but I hope you all enjoyed it and felt the incredible spirit that was present! I really only saw the first session, but it was such a testimony to me that this church is true! 

We had transfers, and I will be staying in my same area. I have a new COMP!!! Her name is Hna. Ore and she is from Lima. She looks like a fairy and is just sweet as can be. She only has about 4 and a half months in the mish, so we are both kind of newbies. But we are excited to get to work in Algarrobos! 

Right now we are working with a family with parents who are members and their sons who aren't members. Their sons are Marlo and Alberto, and I don't know if I have talked about them before, but they are so great! Marlo is about 20 years old and his brother 26. Alberto has a few things that he is struggling with, but really wants to change! He keeps on telling us that maybe in the future he will change, but we are trying to help him understand that he has the chance right now to be free from everything with the Atonement. We have a Family Home Evening with his family tonight and so I'll let you know how it went next week!

Also Miguel came back from his travels! We have lessons planned with him the next week. Oh and we found a new investigator, her name is Doris. She lives with her family and kids and we contacted her the other day in the street. She told us she always likes to listen about religions, but is very believing in her religion. But she has shown a lot of interest in our message! 

We had a great lesson with Percy this week. And guess what, his whole family brought in their chairs and sat down to listen to us too! It was a miracle. He is progressing a lot and said that he has a goal with his wife to plan their marriage. We hope he can come to church this next Sunday with his family!!

Also, you are all probably wondering, How's the Spanish Hermanita? Well, the people of Piura can officially understand me now. I still don't know too much, and struggle at times, but I can at least have a conversation when I need to and I can even crack jokes at times! I am getting along with the basics, and am just trying to expand my vocab right now. But it's a miracle how fast the language has come. I never thought I would be able to talk in this language, but I can do it now! It's a major blessing!

Overall, it's really hot, and I am excited to start a new transfer with Hna. Ore and see what our Heavenly Father has in store for us for the next 6 weeks!

I LOVE YOU ALL!! After the incredible conference we just had, I loved that they extended the invitation of after all we have heard and felt during the conference, what are we going to change? I truly felt that the talks and guidance given was inspired, and I am set on making a few changes in my life after listening to all the talks.

I know that our Prophet is a man called of God, and that he truly receives revelation for us. I know that this gospel is true, and that testimony was only reconfirmed with seeing our leaders of the church share their burning and powerful testimonies of this gospel! I love this work, and I cannot thank you all enough for your support!

Until the next week,

Keep on keeping on!

XOXO - Hna. Shumway

OOOPS ... I DRANK WATER FROM THE FAUCET ... AND GOT SICK

(EMAIL SENT MARCH 30, 2015)

HOLA FAMILIA,

I cannot believe another week has flown by. It´s absolutely CRAZY. The funny thing is most of this week we were sick. Ha. I have felt pretty sick the whole week, but no worries I feel great now, and my sweet comp the same. I think it was the water that we drank during one of appointments. It was water from the faucet, that they said tasted really sweet after all the rain that we have received lately. I was super excited to taste it, and then found out afterwards it was from the faucet. WOOPS. Didn´t feel too good for a few days, but no worries I feel great now! Lesson learned for Hna. Shumway!

We could only find two of our investigators this week. We stopped by to teach Percy, and he couldn´t meet right then. But he said he read the folleto and is really interested to learn more. We set a cita for this upcoming week! We found Family Pintado also, and the Dad had a LOT of questions. The mom loves what we are teaching, and wants to learn more about the Book of Mormon. We invited them to church and the Dad said that they need more time. I know that if they just come once, they would feel how incredible it really is to be in the church. But I just need to be patient! But both families are doing great! 

Manuel, our investigator who accepted a baptismal date, still hasn´t returned from his travels. He has been visiting his parents the last few weeks and should return this week. 

Overall, we are working hard, and we are set on getting back on our feet this week (after all of our sicknesses) and finishing off my comp´s last week with a bang! I CANNOT wait for General Conference this week! Also, I am so excited for the chance to celebrate Easter in these upcoming weeks! What an incredible time in the church. We as missionaries are sharing cards about the new video that was released about the Savior and Easter. It is called (sorry I only know it in Spanish) - Gracias que El Vive. If you haven´t seen it, look it up! It is incredible! I challenge you all to Share IT with you friends, family, neighbors, and whoever else might need this great message. It touches so perfectly on the great sacrifice and resurrection of our Savior. 

I wanted to share a quote that my mom shared with me this week that I loved:

“In the strength of the Lord we can do and endure and overcome all things.”

- David A. Bednar

This couldn´t be more true! I love this gospel!! 

Have the greatest week and thank you for all of your support!!

Hna. Shumway

I LOVE MASSIVE RAINSTORMS!!!

(EMAIL SENT MARCH 23, 2015)

Shumway Clan,

Soooo sad about BYU! But the great thing is they can learn from their mistakes and come back next year with a bang! And your FAMILY HISTORY... Mom and Dad. You guys are the greatest! That work has power, keep at it! And Lovey, I loved your pics of PROM. Holy toledo you guys are one good-looking couple. LOVE YOU ALL!!!

So this week I wanted to start by telling you about a little adventure I had this week. It rained again this week … okay A LOT more. It all started when we walked out of a cita, and my comp said she felt a raindrop. I didn´t feel anything and we kept walking. And then all of a sudden, BOOM, it starts pouring! We ran to our next cita, and by that time we were soaked. We thought it might die down, but then the water started flowing in from the walls in the house we were in so we decided it may be a good idea to head home. They gave us bags for our heads, and we headed out in the storm. The sidewalk was like a river, and as we were running home the streets turned into floods. We got home safely, and I couldn´t stop smiling and laughing because it was just so exciting. Ha! I sent a pic of our apartment complex. But it really never rains here ... EVER. It seriously is a miracle. One of the most exciting nights of my life. SO MUCH WATER!!!!!

Also, our Multi-zone Conference was so wonderful! I recorded our play and will show you it when I get home. IT WAS SO FUNNY!!! The latinos talked in English and the Gringos in Spanish. It turned out really great! Also, it is always so incredible to hear from President Rowley and his wife. I cannot even express to you how much I love them. They are amazing, and very inspirational. I only have one more Multi-Zone Conference with them in June and then we are going to change Presidents. Our new President is from CA - your homeland mama - and his last name is Rasmussen. It is going to be really hard saying goodbye to President Rowley and his wife, but I know that all mission presidents are incredible, and it will be wonderful getting to know President Rasmussen and his sweet wife. 

So a lot of our investigators weren´t home this week. We are still working with that family, but they couldn´t meet this week. And also the investigator Percy still has a lot of interest, but wasn´t home a lot of this week. We are going to give him a Book of Mormon this next week and I hope he reads it and feels that it is true! That is the key to this religion. That incredible book. But so far he has shown a lot of interest. Also, he and his wife aren´t married. But he said they are going to work on that.

We found a new investigator! I don´t know if I mentioned him last week but his name is Manuel. He is the grandson of a less-active, and he randomly came to church this last week with his cousin. We had a few lessons with him this week and asked him if he is willing to be baptized if he feels it is true. And he said YES. We are so excited for him and he is also so excited to see if this really is the path her should take. He had always been in the house when we had lessons with his grandma, but never had interest. And then one day he wanted to try it out and came to church. It was just incredible.

So this week, we have women´s conference -- woot woot!!! And I cannot wait for General Conference. I have realized how special and important that meeting is because we have the chance to listen to our wonderful Prophet. I am trying to think of questions for this general conference. I truly believe that if we go in with specific questions, we are going to receive specific answers. I can´t wait for that great meeting!

I LOVE YOU ALL!! I thank my Heavenly Father every day for all of you and your love and support! It means so much!

Make the most of this next week!

XOXO – Hna. Shumway

The flooded entrance into our apartment -- when it rains ... it definitely pours!

 Photo to document all of us soaking wet hermanas

Multi-zone conference where I got to be King Lamoni's wife

Hermana Hualinga and I with our nifty headbands

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