Why Are We Here?

 Wow, there were some things that happened this week that hit me like a brick wall. You see a lot in the office. But it helped me reflect on my life, and I am grateful for that. Hi everyone, Love you all, hope you're doing just fantastic.

This week has been ... interesting. But also fantastic, especially in the area. The office was crazy.. It's always something new. We had conferences and some emergencies in the office that we had to deal with, (some fires to put out). Elder Garrido and I almost missed our conference with the President because of it, but we made it just in time. 


Giuliano is sooooo close to His baptism, he is prepping, doing everything, and really changing through the teachings he is applying. It really has inspired me.


We found a couple families that are really quite interested, we'll see how it goes. One of them, we've just had one lesson, but heard the son is just reading the Book of Mormon like someone binging The Mandalorian. So I'm super excited.


There's been lots of rain this week, I've been drenched and have run through so many puddles  ... I Love it!


Also, something else I really love and my spiritual note of something I've gradually been reflecting on and learning this week...

I love coming to understand the Doctrine of Christ. As we come to really understand his Doctrine, it leads us to understanding the principles Christ has taught, and how to apply His teachings really, truly in our lives. As we come to learn the Doctrine of Our Divine Identity and understand that God is Our Loving Heavenly Father, we will see why we should follow the principles Christ has taught, to love and follow Him. Then we take action, apply this. How do we show our Love for and Follow Him? One way we can apply this knowledge is by giving our all to live His commandments with exactness. why, what, how. 

Many times in our lives, I know especially for me, we get caught up in the action, the application. I'm going to Church every sunday or I'm reading my scriptures or I'm not lying, just not giving all the truth, so I'm keeping this commandment. But if we understood better why we should live this way, it changes everything. As we understand that God Reveals His Teachings to Us Through Prophets (including prophets in the scriptures and living), we might take a different look at why we are invited to read the Book of Mormon each day by the prophet, because He has something he wants to reveal to us or to help someone else in their journey in this life. But if we just read because we should read every day, it's good, but it will not affect the change that God is trying to show and give us in our lives. It applies to repentance daily, to going to the Temple, to keeping the Word of Wisdom, to everything we do. And sometimes we miss the point, sometimes we are ignorant, choose to be ignorant, or just caught up in checking off the To-Do/Not-to-Do, and miss the blessing of what Christ has taught us, what He wants us to understand. And oh boy, we are all witnesses of it.

I know Christ lives, I know that He loves us, and has given us His doctrine to help guide us in this life, give us our why?. I know that His atonement was required for us, so that we can overcome and change in this life, because we are imperfect. As we apply His atonement in our lives, as we come unto Him in prayer and whatever other method necessary, with a broken heart with a desire to change and a spirit that is willing to accept His will, learn, and grow -- He can Change us. I know because I have seen it. 

I hope that made some-ish sense. I'm still working on grasping it completely, but the basics that Christ teaches us, how it can answer everything that we need to have answered in this life, will never stop to amaze me. 
I love you all!

La PLAY

 Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing fantabulous!

Big Busy Week! Just had 16 new missionaries arrive yesterday, that's group #5. It's always something special to experience new missionaries getting here with the mixed emotions of being so disoriented/confused and excited. And yet in all that, they are going to do amazing work. Through their spirit, smile, and their testimonies, even if imperfectly spoken, (the Lord makes up for that, He surely has and does with me) they will touch countless lives.

Our friend Giuliano is progressing a lot, he is making changes to his life (even dropping "La PLAY"/Playstation, to wake up for church and to spend time with his family on Sundays). That's a big step. And he's seen the blessings. He is taking the initiative, which as we see a lot is something that God often asks of us. He knows how to bless us and to help us, but oftentimes as we use our freedom to make decisions and try to do what He would want us to do, is when we learn and grow the most. That's why the answers to all our prayers aren't just things falling from the sky. Giuliano has seen this. He has taken steps of faith to share his testimony with his family and especially his father, and his testimony has grown through doing so.

This is something that the story of an-example-so-humble-that-they-didn't-even-put-his-name-in-the-Book-of-Mormon (the brother of Jared) has taught me. Something I always need to work on improving, asking the Lord not just for what we want or the path that sounds the nicest... but ¿Qué quieres que yo haga...?. Lord, what is it that you would have me do? 

It's not always easy.
Sometimes I'm the worst at it.
Sometimes we don't want to ask it, because we're not the most excited about the answer we will receive.
But as we learn to do so, we will see His Will.
His Love for us.
His Plan.

I've been here in the office now for more time than I've been in the field. And I know there are many changes coming my way. I know there are many responsibilities the Lord has now and has yet in store for me. And I'm not nervous, I'm just not the most confident. (ahhh, that's a little reference). But I am confident in the Lord and what he has in store, that it will be for the good of His children here in Argentina. We'll see what happens. 

Love you All,
Elder Shepherd

here's some family photos for the scrapbook 

The Power of His Word

> Something I truly love is that the Lord allows us to be tools in his hands to help and serve one another in this life, even as we are "unprofitable servants." It allows us to grow and to develop love for one another. Hi everyone, I hope you're doing just absolutely fantabulous! I'll keep it short, but these past couple weeks have been really great. I got to take my shoes off in the house of President and Hermana Janzen to have lunch one day and I got to walk around in socks, so I'd say I'm doing great. But really, we have had lot's of spiritual experiences these past few weeks, especially with people looking for answers and guidance in their life in the Book of Mormon. If you haven't read the Book of Mormón ever, or it's been a while. I'd invite you to pick it up. I started to look through mine recently and ask myself why I had marked what I had, why it was important to me, to see the impact it has had in my life, and how it could help others. Sometimes I receive answers to my questions as I read, sometimes just the spirit and peace I get as I read helps me throughout my day and helps me to focus more on the Savior, and the best of all is when what I read wasn't for me, but someone else. We're teaching a friend of ours Giuliano right now, he is learning a whole lot, and has good support from his cousin, Tomas, in the ward. He is reading, praying, and has been going to Church for the past couple of weeks. One of our focuses with him is that as he is learning and applying the teachings, that they can be spiritual experiences and not just a chore. And it's been really great recently. He came to us with a question the other day about something he was reading, in Alma 5:7, and was a bit confused. So we took the time to study it out with him. It was great to reflect on what Alma is feeling here and why he is sharing the testimony he is. He came a long way and had been through a lot. He had thought that living a life without commandments or guidance from God, if he just lived his life and did what he wanted, he'd be happier. He, from experience, learned that wasn't the case. He found the light and the freedom that really comes when we apply God's teachings in our lives. It is the guidance from a loving Father. As we better come to know Him, His love, and better understand the commandments, we will see that, as Alma did. And he wants so badly to be able to help others find this joy and freedom that we come to find as we follow the commandments and the words of God. They are the light that can illuminate our lives. Giuliano saw this, and applied it to his life, and his Grandma shared her testimony of conversion and how it brought this life to her life. At the end we sang a Hymn together, "Keep the Commandments." (it's like the shortest Hymn ever I realized, but wow, it's pretty good, unlike my singing. Really had to crank the volume) Another friend we just met, Facundo, read 1 Nefi 2 in just about 2 days and right after our first lesson with him. We saw his desire, and we read together and talked about the introduccion with him, so that he can continue to seek the guidance and answers he needs in the Book of Mormon. I saw a week ago, first hand, God answer prayers through a scripture alone in the Book of Mormon, that brought light into the life of a friend of ours in a moment of doubt and unsurity. Not when he was expecting, but just what God knew he needed. God loves you. He loves me. I have never been perfect in following the guidance of an earthly father or my Heavenly Father. But I have seen enough times the blessings of following our Father in Heaven, that I can see his love for us. He knows you and your difficulties, but He is always there to help you. As we turn to Him, through the tools he has given us including his scriptures, we may not get the answers we want, right when we do. But we can be sure that all will be in our best interest. Love you all, Elder Shepherd

(also everyone always asks me what I want to study or work in after the mission, I got it)