Jungle Swords (Week 65)

Hey Everyone! This past week flew by. Crazy. Just crazy haha I can't believe how fast and slow time is on the mission.

We recently started volunteering for a forest service in our area and it has been sweet! This past Tuesday we went out to this part of the forest where there was a lot of overgrown and unwanted plants. We used a couple of different tools to take these plants out. One of the tools was this flat metal stick thing with a curved end that had sharp sides. I call it a jungle sword. No idea what it's actually called haha. A lot of missionary work is just the same things over and over again with not too much variation, so to get out in the forest and utterly destroy plants as tall as I was, was quite the therapy. It was some nice variety from the usual day to day things.

God really does put people who need us, or people who can help us, in our paths. However this looks like will of course depend on the situation. For us this happened quite literally. We went to a park to do some contacting and started following this path. We ended up talking to these two very sweet ladies. We got talking about God and His great love for us. Hailey, one of the ladies, got choked up because she felt that we had been a sign from God that He is aware of her. That was a tender mercy. For all of us. 

I definitely know God has blessed me with amazing people on my path. I have an amazing family, great friends, and have had some really good coaches, teachers, and mentors. I'm just very grateful for you all and being away from every one has helped me be more appreciative of you all. So, thank you :)

Gordon (Thomas the Tank Engine)

Well, I definitely would say to everyone to read the scriptures. I was a huge nerd about Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Marvel and all that other cool fantasy and fiction stuff before the mission. 

It would be a lie if I said I still wasn't haha, but I never knew how amazing the scriptures could be. The stories and the principles within are the greatest of all time. There is something about just letting go of everything else and just diving into the scriptures. It has become my new "nerd" stuff, but the scriptures are REAL. Focusing on Jesus Christ has changed my life. It's been pretty amazing :D

Love you all!

-Elder Shockley