A Baptism and a New Companion

January 16, 2017

We'll transfer news has come... I'm still in the office. Elder Anusiem will still be here. Elder Harris is leaving though which makes me sad because we became really good friends. He is going to Koforidua with Elder Buys who goes home in a transfer. I will be receiving a new companion though. Elder Helm from Idaho will join us in the office to be a three-some. He had previously gone home to have surgery on a bad knee and it is acting up again so Pres wants him here to rest his knee a bit. I'm super excited because the guy is a really solid and mature missionary. 

The week was good. I got to go on a full day exchange with Elder Gamil from the Philippines and it was super awesome to be out for the full day teaching people. Also this week President and Sister Heid played tennis with Elder Harris and I. I thought it would be pretty fun and chill but President Heid turned from President to Coach and things got pretty intimidating. It was fun though.  

Miracle of this week. In the office it is easy to feel like the work you are doing doesn't really influence anything. This week I was able to do a baptismal interview for the assistants. I originally found the woman on our referral system. She had contacted the church and had spoken to Elders in the U.S. over google hangouts. I called her and found that she was a Kenyan who is here at a university and is a super genius. She gets paid to go to school there. Anyways she lived in the Accra, West mission and I referred her to them. About a month later for some reason I had the prompting to call her again and see if the missionaries had contacted her. They hadn't but she told me that for the Christmas Break all the international students from her school would live in the University of Ghana hostels (the assistants area). I gave the referral to them and they followed up and taught her and now she is baptized. As I was doing the interview it was really cool because I've never seen someone who knows so much and is so prepared for baptism. At the end she bore her testimony about how she was always searching for the truth and could never find it but she had really come to find the church was true through her prayers. It made me so happy to know that I was a little part of that long chain that was able to connect her to the truth and to Christ. I've really never seen a convert so converted before. It was way cool. 

Today is transfers so everything right now is pandemonium. That's why I'm using my phone today. Anyways I feel like I am forgetting a lot but I can't remember anything right now. 

I love you so much.

Elder Shelton 

Elder Shelton, his two office companions, the AP's, and Pres. & Sis. Heid

January 23, 2007

I was able to proselyte this week with a missionary named Elder Magda. It was nice to get out for another entire day. I have noticed that when I proselyte now I proselyte in a very different way. I think I care a lot more about getting to know people and loving them rather than just presenting a message. It truly is a treasure to meet and visit people.

I guess you are probably wondering about Elder Helm as well. He is from Idaho. Was a stud track star and football athlete. He was in the MTC group a transfer before me but might go home with me because he went back home for a couple months to have surgery on his knee. That is actually why he is in the office, to rest his rehabbing knee a bit. Hes a really cool guy. We can just talk for a long time and get along well. Its weird to have 2 companions though. Its like one is always the third wheel. Sometimes I just get left here in the office and it is really weird.

I don't know when I will be transferred out of the office. I think I am about half way done with my service here. I don't know though.

What was a miracle or spiritual moment this week? Good question. President allowed us to be a bigger part of the decision making process when the new missionaries came in. It was really cool to see how a transfer works and the prayerful decisions behind it.

Anyways. I love you.

Elder Shelton

Fun Fact: I Ate Rat

Well this week was pretty busy. We were able to get lots of work done around here. Lots happened. We visited these 2 less active girls on Saturday with the young women's presidency. They actually came to church on Sunday. It was a miracle.

Elder Falk was sleeping here at the mission home on Friday night. I was able to have a long conversation with him. I remembered how much I love that guy and miss him. The office I think really changed his perspective on missionary work and he is enjoying every moment as he is out there.

On Friday the Assistants were gone so they invited us to go teach their investigator at the university. I was actually the first one to contact this woman. She is a super genius and is from Kenya. She has a full scholarship to this prestigious school in Ghana and actually gets a stipend for going there. She is super cool. I asked her what she knew about Joseph Smith. She explained to me like perfectly the whole story. It was really unique for me because I haven't really been able to illustrate the Joseph Smith story in a long time. I have told that story probably over 1000 times. This time it just hit me. Like I always say I know it is true but sometimes in the field it became monotonous. This time as I heard her tell me the story I again believed it was true. It was just a really cool experience to be able to teach that again, especially to someone who knows it so well and has come to believe it as well.

I thought you might enjoy a little thought I sent to President Heid this week in my weekly letter to him:

 "I have taken some opportunities throughout my mission to read my call letter over again. I took one of these opportunities when I was about 1 transfer in the office. I remember at that time I was really struggling in lots of different aspects. I think I had just had an argument with my companion. I read the line that promises, "Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children." I remember reading that and just laying in bed, thinking if that was really true. I wondered why I didn't feel like I had had a fulfillment of that blessing. I asked God why I hadn't found more happiness on my mission than I did before. I cast my mind back on my mission, on the people I had taught and baptized, on my companions, on the people I had come in contact with. I was overcome with indescribable happiness. I just laid there and started to cry because I was so happy. I truly have a testimony of the call letter and the promises that were made to me. Most of the time it seems like life is difficult, but I know that God is always aware of us. He always wants us to find happiness in all of our situations. What a beautiful thing."

Also some fun facts: This week I at pig brain, I also ate rat. Pig brain is just really bland. Rat was actually way nice. I thought you might enjoy learning that.

Cooked Rat

Well, That was my week. I love you all.
Elder Shelton

Yes, there is a big, fat rat in that cage!

Yummy!

Note from Brigham's Mom:

   Just before Christmas I got an email from the Mission President's wife, Sister Heid. In part she said about Brigham, " He is so very competent and reliable, and always does what is needed with a smile, a nod, and a willing attitude. Please know that he is doing well, happy in the work, and growing into a strong, service-oriented priesthood holder. You can be very, very proud of this young man."  We certainly are proud of him and appreciated her words.

  On Christmas morning our family was able to skype with Brigham for about an hour. He looked great!  We were able to meet his companion and one of the AP's. He seemed so at ease and happy. He bore his testimony to us and answered all of our questions. It was wonderful to talk with him!