Playing catch up

We have been so busy that I am behind on posting for a couple of weeks so I am trying to catch up :)

Jan 23-27 Letter

This week was great.  On Saturday we had two baptisms.  The first was Giovanni.  I have been working with him since I got to this area 5 months ago, and finally on Saturday he was baptized.   He was sooo happy and I was surprised because his mom even came to the baptism.  He doesn't have very good circumstances in his home.  His mom works all the time and always seemed very uninterested and his step dad is not nice to him.  Giovanni has wanted to be baptized since the first time we talked to him and his mom finally gave him permission.  She was very happy at the baptism, I know the spirit touched her while she was there.  After the baptism Giovanni, his mom and his little brother were playing basketball together when we walked by.  It was the cutest thing ever!

The other baptism was for Roberta.  She is great, and her mom also is working toward baptism so I am excited for that. 

We received transfers on Saturday night though.  So I will be leaving this area, but not to far.  I will be in an area that borders this one called Nuevo Amanacer.  I will be comps with Hermana Birch.  She is also a sister training leader so it will be nice to be comps with her and not have to make phone calls to each other to get our work done.  I am super excited about this new area.  I have already done intercombios in this area and I love it!

Jan 30 - Feb 6 Letter

My first week in Nuevo Amanacer was awesome.  Things are going well.  We have alot of people to teach here.  We have a goal to find and baptize three families this month.  We found one family already, well the other sisters did before I got here.   The story of how they found them is very cool.  They were looking for an old investigator in an apartment building but he wasn't there, so they decided to contact the entire building.   Nobody wanted to let them in until they got to the fourth floor last door (just like in Elder Uchtdorfs talk)  and they found the S. family.  They are a wonderful young couple.  They have a baptismal date for the 25th and we are working on their papers to get them married before then.  They are so ready and already have such big testimonies of this gospel.  

We have also found a few other families who have potential.  Things are going good. I am so happy to be in the service of my heavenly father!

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Love Hermana Shepherd

Miracles great and small

This week was so good!  We have been working really hard.  We received our transfers and my companion and I are staying together until February 1st, and then we will have some sort of emergency transfer for the sisters.  President received a revelation that we should all stay put until February.   I am not sure why, but I am good with this because I have some baptisms that I don't want to miss.

Two really cool things happened this week:

Miracle #1 - 
We went to teach Sylvia.  She is a less active due to her health.  She has some sort of disease in her lungs which make it hard for her to get alot of oxygen.  She is very strong though.  We visit her once or twice a week.  We went this past Saturday and I told her that we were having transfers and it was very likely that I would be leaving the area.  She got really sad and said "they always take them when we get really close."  Then she thanked me for everything and reminded me of a time when she was really sick and hooked up to her oxygen tank and we showed up.  She said she hadn't slept for days due to coughing and pain, but that night we showed up and shared a scripture with her.  Lucas 22, when Christ was atoning for our sins.  In that scripture in says that an angel appeared to strengthen him. Then we told her that she had angels around her and she looked hard enough she could see them. She explained that we were her angels who had appeared to strengthen her in her time of need.  She said that after we left she was able to sleep peacefully for the first time in days. I left her house crying.  I was the answer to her prayer.  I am so glad I was able to be a tender mercy in someones life.

Miracle #2 of this week -
I went to the doctor and got an ultrasound to see if the nodule on my thyroid had grown.  At the end of the ultrasound the tech asked me why I was there and I told her that I needed to know if the nodule on my thyroid had grown and she said she could not find a nodule!!  So, in the course of time my nodule has reabsorbed into my thyroid and it's gone!!!  YAASSS!!  On top of that I have been feeling great.

On Wednesday I will complete 14 months in the mission.  Can you believe it!!

Love you all, 
Hermana Shepherd

This is Tammi, I just wanted to share a special email that Brittin received from her mission president.

Dear Hermana Shepherd,

I just have to tell you what a wonderful, bright light I see and feel shining from you these days! Congratulations! You are so positive and powerful and confident and full of faith, and it is amazing to see. Hermana Corbitt told me how you exercised faith to be healed through a priesthood blessing and you were! Of course you were! You have tapped into (and are tapping into) that exceptional, exceedingly great faith you also possessed in the premortal world and you are bringing it to bear here and now - for your own health and happiness, for your investigators.

Thank you, thank you. I'm so glad you are in that zone where there are so many sisters who can benefit from your goodness and your faith. Keep up the good work.

The Lord continue to keep you and bless you, dear friend!

Pte Corbitt

Amazing week

Holy cow this week was amazing. On Tuesday I had exchanges with Hermana Jovel.  She is so cute and sweet.  In our mission they made a rule that we cannot wear backpacks now so I decided to wear my hip bag to be obedient.  I couldn't walk that night because my hips hurt so bad and they still hurt the next day.  The struggles!

Anyway, we had a meeting with the Stake President and President Corbitt.  It was a great meeting.  After the meeting President Corbitt gave us a ride home.  On the way home I asked for his permission to let us baptize Fany even though she had only attended church 2 times and they are supposed to attend 3 before baptism.  He was thrilled that she was wanting to be baptized and gave his blessing.  He had met her the week before when we took her to the temple and he knew she was ready.  So on Saturday we baptized Fany, her daughter Shantel and her son Emmanuel.  I have never in my life felt the spirit more strongly than at that baptism.  Everything went perfectly.  Hermana Castillo (my old companion) even got to come.  Fany was so prepared and has such a strong testimony already it is amazing.
They were confirmed on Sunday.  In Shantals blessing she was told that she would help many people come into the gospel, and Emmanuals said that he will prepare to go on a mission.  I feel so grateful to be part of this chain, and for the knowledge that just from my mission  generations can come unto the knowledge of the truth.  We have already received  a few references from people who have baptism dates.   I am so happy, my joy is full!   When we met with them after church on Sunday Shantal was already talking about how excited she is to go to seminary.  This family is so converted to the gospel and so ready. 
I am so blessed to see the miracles and the changes that these people go through to be an instrument in the hands of the lord.  I love this work and the happiness it brings to me.  I recommend to everyone to serve a mission.  There are things that I have learned here that I never could at home.  I would not trade this experience for anything.

D&C 88:77 - "and I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom."

Fany and her children

Change in assignment

Dear Hermana Shepherd, You have been called to be a Sister Training Leader. This calling will permit you to more fully serve the Lord while you guide the other missionaries in their proselytizing efforts. I am sure you will do your best to magnify this position to serve the Lord during the period of this temporary assignment. Please re-read the leadership section of the Missionary Handbook (pg.63-65). As a Sister Training Leader you are responsible to minister to the sisters in your stewardship and help them achieve success as missionaries and official representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are also responsible to plan and carry-out companionship exchanges with the other sisters and serve as a contributing and valued member of the mission leadership council. In addition, a Sister Training Leader: You should continue to be an exemplary missionary who is very familiar with Preach My Gospel and the prophetic priorities that guide our mission. You are responsible for the training and well-being of the sister missionaries assigned to you, and will serve as a member of the Sisters Security Committee. Maintain your proselytizing area active while you work with the other sisters in their respective areas. Participate in exchanges for 24 hours every six weeks with every companionship assigned to you. You are assigned to a zone or various zones according to the needs of the mission. You will act as a member of a district and zone, and help the mission president, assistants and other leaders in training meetings and zone conferences. Report once a week to President Corbitt and to the assistants. The report is to include any issues, problems or concerns of the sisters. The Sisters of the zone look up to you as a role model of appropriate behavior and demeanor. A missionary who breaks the rules of the mission cannot serve effectively in a position of leadership. Every month the Mission Leadership Council will meet and review the goals and accomplishments of the past month. We will council about the condition of the mission and how we can improve. You should teach the sisters in your area the things that were taught in this meeting. This is a crucial element in the functionality of the mission. You have my full confidence. If you serve with humility, having love for the sisters of your zone while seeking direction from the Lord and his prophets, you will have success. May the Lord bless you as you serve in this assignment. Sincerely, Ahmad S. Corbitt President Santo Domingo East Mission
zczsc

Merry Christmas!

HELLOOOO! Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a great time. I got to talk to my family so that was fun. I may have cried a little.

This morning at about one in the morning I woke up to a lizzard biting my arm. I always laughed when people said they were afraid of them. but IT HURTS. I was on the verge of crying.   Holy cow. 

We went to the Gardens today. It was gorgeous. I want to go back. I could have spent hours there. We also contacted a guy who was visiting the gardens and wants to know more about the church and was so happy when we testified to him and said that we answered one of his life questions. We are sending the missionaries to him!

Everyone invited us to eat which was AWESOME. I opened all my presents!

Thank you to all who sent me things  :)

We had the chirstmas party for the misson. it was very funny. My mom sent in some of my baby pictures and they showed them on the big screen.... thanks mom.... haha. 

I sent my mom a ton of pictures so I hope she will put them up for all of you to see. I hope you all had a good christmas! love you all bye!

 At the gardens

 This is Fany and her husband, they are investigators that has us over for Christmas, they are such great people.

 Mission Christmas party!

 Me and my comp Hermana Villamar

 The mission Christmas party

 Me and my old comp Hermana Jackson

At the gardens

Sorry it's sideways, I am not sure how to fix it.

Enjoying the fruits of our labors

Hello all,

It's been a great week. I have a new companion, Hermana Villamar.  She is from Peru.  She is alot of fun and we get along great!  I am very excited about this transfer.  The past two transfers have been pretty hard because we have really struggled in finding people to teach.  But now I can say that we have 6 people preparing for baptism on Dec 23rd.  We are finally seeing the fruits of our labors over the last few months.  It is so exciting!  On date for baptism are : Roberta and her mom, they are Hatian.  Melvin who is the son of a less active member.  Then we have Fany and her daughter and son.  On top of that we two more people who are potentials and two others we just met who came with us to a conference we had yesterday.  I am so excited!!    Also we met a Hatian couple the other day that we are going to walk to church on Sunday :) 

 I feel so blessed to be able to teach so many people.

On Wednesday we had new leader training meeting with the Mission President.  It was amazing!  We started by defining the word prophecy.  In every calling we have we are called by prophecy.  This means that before the world was even created we were called to the callings that we have.  Most importantly we have been prepared in the life before this, and we are being prepared everyday in our lives until we receive the call on earth.  So when we receive callings we can have the faith that we are ready for them.

As Christmas approaches let us all remember that we each have great worth.  As leaders and members and children of god, everyone around us has the same potential that we do.  Let's help them see it!   

Love and miss you all!  Can't wait to skype with you soon!

Hermana Shepherd

Me opening one of the scripture presents my mom sent.

Transfers

In the August 2016 Liahona there is a talk by David A Bednar called "The lords will and timing."   This is something that I have been focusing on a ton this transfer.   The talk tells of a newly married couple that  after only 3 weeks of marriage the groom finds out he has cancer with only a 30% chance of survival.  Elder Bednar went to visit this man and before giving him a blessing asked him a few questions.  One being "John, do you have the faith not to be healed?"   "Do you have the faith to submit to his will?"

The talk goes on to say that certainly Heavenly Father can heal him, but maybe that's not what needs to be done.  John decided that he didn't want to die, but if it was the will of the father then he would accept it.   John commented after the blessing that he thought because Elder Bednar was an apostle the blessing would be different, but it wasn't.    He used the exact words that all the others did when giving a blessing.  God's power and will is the same, always!

I have been working a lot lately on following Gods will whether or not it be what I want. Transfers are this week and President came to me and extended the call for me to be a Hermana leader.  He went on to say, sorry it's long awaited.  I would have extended the call a long time ago, you have enough wisdom, you are diligent, obedient, and a great missionary.   I just didn't want to push you more than you could handle with the health problems you have been experiencing.  

I am thankful to him and I know that I am now ready to handle the calling of Hermana leader, it's all in the lords time.  I am staying in Los Frailles with a new companion Hermana Villamas from Peru.  I am very excited about this new adventure, but sad to not be companions with Hermana Castillo anymore.

Great news - we had 6 investigators at church on Sunday.  We have struggled to find new investigators in this area so that was awesome.  Again in the lords time.  We just have to put in the hard work and the lord will do the rest.

We are working with a woman named Roberta. We found her on the street and she is golden :)  She is very excited to become part of our religion. 

Everything else is good here, I am feeling better and it's only 20 days until I get  to skype for Christmas.  Yah!!!

Love you all,

Hermana Shepherd