My 20th Birthday

Arrived 13Feb17

I made me a birthday brownie cake

Love the family more than ice-cream cake! So birthdays in the mission are pretty much like every other day, and when you are in a new area and its Sunday, it doesn’t change. I made brownies to celebrate Sunday night but when we had to go to the mission home today to see the mission doctor for my companion, they had a surprise. While I was playing some songs in the children’s hymn book, including the “You've had a birthday” song,  they came up behind me and surprised with a BON ice-cream cake! I can’t remember the last time I tried ice-cream cake.

 

Cake with Elder Millward, our assistant and my best friend

      So Monday we found out there were transfers. So Monday and Tuesday we mixed preaching in with saying goodbye and packing. As always on Sunday we had taken pictures just in case I was going to be transferred. Tuesday we went to a district meeting in Bonao. One of my favorite missionaries played on the guitar and sang “God be with you till we meet again” in English, Spanish and Samoan since he is Samoan. We all bore our testimonies and took pictures. That night I was up late as I finished packing.

Our Bonao district 

     Wednesday, I woke up early and we headed off to Santiago. There we all gathered at a bus station and talked and group by group were sent off. I already knew my companion from meetings, but we got together as companions on the bus/van we rented.

     My new companion is a funny little, a little wide as well, Guatemalan who finishes this transfer. We are going to work well and hard. I’m excited! In mission lingo he is "dying" and I’m "killing".

     It is weird to be here where the weather is hotter and the people a little different. Every pueblo has its own little identity. Here I will be serving in a decent sized ward instead of a branch.

    Another surprise came when we got together for our coordination meeting Thursday and when somebody I knew before the mission came walking in. Turns out, Sister Gabbie Lynch from the Old Post Ward (in my home neighborhood) is also serving here!! It’s weird to see somebody I knew from before the mission. She kept calling me by my first name haha, she only has a few months in the mission.

     Things are good here. I don’t really know very many people yet, but the ward is really great and there are a few investigators who want to be baptized. The house here is officially the nicest in the mission that isn’t the mission home, the senior couples or the office elders. For the first time in 19 months I have a microwave!! We also have hot water, a tostada maker and my waffle maker. It’s a third story apartment that is super secure. I also have my own bathroom and closet.

     Our mission is starting to see the changes with our new goals and schedule. The day feels longer and I really feel the focus not on the lessons but on the people and on committing them to change (repent). It’s a little weird to study as a companionship and to plan for the day, and our poor area book! But things are good. I’m even better at writing in my journal.

This week we are going to have a zones conference.

 

The "cake eating crew" (my companion is second from the left , the assistants and the mail elder)

In the district meeting we talked about loving people as Christ loves. D y C 50:24 and 1 John (Juan) 2:8-11. When we love we are light. Amar es alumbrar. It really made me think about day-to-day life. I can love everyone as my brothers and sisters, as God's creations for the little things. Sometimes it is discouraging when people don’t fulfill commitments or baptism or whatever but every small act to love and help repent means something. Every improvement no matter how small is a step towards the light. I want to have that light and be able to love as Christ loves. 

Con luz y amor,

Elder A. Sheffield

District meeting

Brownie

Cake with Millward, our assistant and my best friend

The cake crew (my companion, assistants, the mail elder)

Im being transferred to Naverette

Arrived 6Feb2017

I am being transferred Wednesday to Naverette, to be the last companion of a Guatemalan. The future is bright but I will miss things here.

Love the family more than reading el Libro de Mormon in English with my companion. Everyone who has met us these past couple of weeks, automatically thinks my Dominican companion is gringo like me. He has kinda been feeling bad about it and now has changed his desire to learn into a goal. Everyday we read in English the Book of Mormon. First I read a sentence in Spanish and then he reads a sentence in English. We are in Joseph Smiths testimony.

By the way thanks for the birthday money, I now have a few pairs or new g´s that the senior couples bought when they visited the temple.

To be honest it was another good hard, but definitely not short, week. Every once in a while my companion will ask my why the area is the way it is or that he has never seen anything like this for a while. Sometimes you feel the spirit so strong and yet people don’t act. It’s been a good week with faith and understanding that even though you want to help somebody they don’t necessarily need help. 

We keep meeting a lot of amazing people.

Last Sunday a gringo visited because he served here 20 years ago. He was in the capital with a group of doctors and dentists and decided to visit. Without expecting or recognizing anybody he came but met a convert from 20 years ago. The convert was baptized right before the missionary finished his mission and they lost contact but they met again Sunday. The convert is now the first counselor in the district (like a stake) presidency.

Hermana Gramaja from Guatemala has been visiting. She has been a member for 42 years and we ran into her first week here. She couldn’t find the chapel but they came up to us and we brought them to church. She has a served a mission and everything. 

A 5 month recent convert from Niceragua that is 12 left with us during the week and I guess really enjoyed it. His mom was super excited. We only were able to teach a bout two lesson and walk several miles but it is amazing to see the desire to help and the courage to do it.

Our progress with investigators is a little slow. Lots of looking. 

The golden investigator Joelvi was going to fast with us Saturday but ended up at the beach Saturday until today. Still wants to be baptized but needs to put in his part.

We had a zone meeting and talked about the new daily schedule. We used to combine lunch with study time and dinner from 12 to 3 but now we are all figuring it out through trail and error. I personally find it hard to make my rice, beans and chicken in a half hour for lunch and then have the desire to walk back home to eat something small for an hour but its interesting. We are eating out more and from about five to five thirty we find and eat a pica pollo (kentucky fried chicken like stand with tostones)  

We did exchanges and again I went with the elder that I did my very first exchange with. MY second week in the mission I went with tigre Elder Verde for an exchange. He hasn’t really changed much but I speak Spanish now!

This week I was thinking about Samuel the Lamanite. He is so amazing. He was called to do what the Lord put into his heart. He then climbed the wall and said hey, this is what the Lord has put into my heart. I love that theme in the scriptures. The requires not animal sacrifices but a broken heart and contrite spirit, a personal sacrifice. We are to sacrifice our hearts to love and do what HE loves and does. In the previous chapter it talks about how hard is mans heart, we are supposed to give it up, sacrifice it, toss it out in the trash and make his heart our heart. 

Con mi corazon quebrantao  (Dominican Qubrantado)

Elder A. Sheffield

The Lord requires more than just reading

Arrived 31Jan2017

Love the family more than decent Internet. With a new focus and initiative there was a big capacitation for all the missionaries across the world. We were in charge of getting the zone together in a few groups to see the transmission. After a lot of stress and a decent hour working with the Internet, we finally got to see the message. It was so amazing! We have a new daily schedule and new key indicators (focus points) for the work. We are working on being more healthy, being our own agents and taking home what we become on the mission, something my companion won't stop nagging me about since I’m "casi muerto"

Tuesday we went to Constanza for a baptismal interview. The pueblo really reminds me of a small Utah ski resort town, but without snow. However it is the coldest part of the Caribbean and in the past couple weeks a few parts have gotten below 0 (celcius) and they have gotten ice out of the streams. 

Wednesday we watched the worldwide mission broadcast. It was so amazing and mind blowing. I am privileged to have my part in the work. The Lord confides a lot in his missionaries. 

Thursday we planned, we need to drop and find more news. Lots of contacting, but few people turning into investigators. A recent convert from Nicaragua invited us to eat at her house a long with the senior couple Los Decker. In the end she made us fish and shrimp, which is against the rules here for us to eat. It turned into a risky game of get rid of the food on your plate without the member seeing. We tried explaining the reason to her but she insisted and was getting offended. My companion dumped all his onto Elder Decker’s plate and I got stuck solo on the other side of the table. In the end I used a plastic bag I had brought, to shovel the food off my plate and into my pocket. I know the family would've cracked up watching. Overtime the member turned around or left the room, the four of us missionaries with hushed voices and quick actions worked to find a place for the food.

Friday we had the mission council meeting where we went over the new schedule and indicators. In a few words we have been given freedom to do what when need to whenever we want. The Lord has given us liberty to work in his vineyard, develop his talents. There are going to be some that take advantage and be lazy, a few that try but don't use the work effectively and others that truly become servants of the lord instead of just doing his work.

Friday we had exchanges again and I feel really blessed to have my companion. We aren't perfect but we understand what we are supposed to do and for the most part are able to do it. I have felt that I had to figure out for myself without a lot of help how to improve and maybe before I felt a little bad about it but I have come to realize how it has made the difference.

Sunday we had church and a little bit of a discouraging time, but our final appointment was amazing. I started fasting that afternoon and we managed to wiggle our way out of the sudden surge of invitations to eat with people. It really made a change when in our last appointment we went way out of the normal. We began to teach the lesson about the restoration but the spirit had it change. The investigator named Edgar takes everything lightly and as we found out doesn't really believe too much in God. He loves to read and had read the pamphlet but nothing else. The Spirit really gave it to him for not putting his part in, the Lord requires more than just reading. He requires honest prayer and searching to do his will. I have very few times seen a lesson so strict. We left amazed at how things went. Maybe he doesn't follow through but we felt the Lords approval for having sought to do what HE wanted and what Edgar needed.

Yesterday we weren't able to write since it was a holiday (just like every other week) but we played baseball and bought food and had fun.

Random other things I had a black eye for a week when someone threw a baseball at me when I didn't have my glove, we enjoy our time in the streets by identifying the different fruit trees like mamon, calmito, tayota, guanabana and guyana and as we wait for the public transport we people watch and guess what model the car is as it drives by.

I have reading been thing of the importance of committing oneself to the lord. We no longer are counting how many lessons we teach each week but how many have baptismal dates, and how many people come to church. ITs a focus on commitment. The Lords church is the only one with his covenants. For other people it may be nice to not have to commit or only a little bit r in another way but for us the Lords disciples we can commit ourselves to him because he committed himself to us, with eternal covenants. The Lord is increasing his work and making his saints and we are all lucky to have these commitments and blessings placed on our shoulders.

Love 

Elder A Sheffield Sheffield

I don't have time but here are a ton of picture without descriptions