Keldon was transferred and now has a new address. I updated it on the side bar :) He is now in New Canaan Conneticut So send all packages and letters there! :)
11 Spring Hill Apt D
Norwalk, CT 06850
Friday, March 4, 2011
In the land of the Canaanites
Dear family and friends!!!!!
How are all of you doing this fine wednesday morning??? I would like to hear how all of you are doing and what cool things are going on in your life, just remember that if you write me a letter you may not get a reply for sometime because I am really bad at that.(thats something that I said I would never do before I left, woops.) Anyway things here in New Canaan are absolutely fantastic!! Some really amazing things have happened this last week that have cause a lot of chances to me personally and to the mission in general.
The first big thing that happened was Elder Bednar came to NY and talked to all of us missionaries together. It was absolutely amazing to be in the same room with a member of the quorum of the twelve. When he walked in my companion tapped on my shoulder and said "Can you feel it?" The answer was yes, I could feel the change in the room the minute he walked in, he carried with him the spirit so very strongly that I don't think anyone in that room didn't feel it. I always thought Elder Bednar was a very serious guy but hearing him talk to all of us young missionaries I come to find out that he is actually really funny. As funny as he is though that doesnt take away from the message he had come to share with us. The things I learned in that meeting are things that I will never forget, he taught us wonderful things that will stick in my brain forever, but the most valuable things I learned, I learned through the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost touched my heart and brought truth into my heart that would help me to become a better disciple of Christ. It was such a powerful, and wonderful learning experience and one that will always stick with me. After Elder Bednar talked to us we had the oppurtunity to shake his hand and say hi, I cannot tell you how nervous I was and definitely can not describe the way I felt when I shook that mans hand. Meeting him and seeing the kind of person that he is makes me want to be much, much better. I have a lot I can impove on and I know we all do, sometimes its hard to make those improvements in our lives, but the Lord wants us all to do better and when He wants something done it can most definitely be done. I encourage all of you to reflect and pray about some areas in your life that you can do better in, wether it be scripture study, praying more, working more effectively, loving more, it really doesn't matter. You need to take it to the Lord and see what things you can do to better those areas and improve them, then after you come up with ways that will improve that aspect of you life, DO THEM. If we seek without the intent to do, our prayers stop at the ceiling because Heavenly Father knows you won't do the thing your asking for so He most likely won't give you the answer. Their is a great talk by Elder Bednar titled "Ask in Faith" it talks a lot about praying with the intent to act and then showing your faith in that prayer by doing your best to accomplish the thing you have prayed for. I promise all of you if you will read this talk, and then ponder and pray about certain things in your life that could be improved, and then follow the counsel of your Father in Heaven in how to improve, you will see a big change in your life for the better:)
Some other really cool things have happened this last week. I don't think I told any of you this but the missionaries that cover the New Canaan ward also cover a singles ward called Waveny Park. On sundays we get to church at about 7:15 and don't usually leave until about 5:30 because all of the meetings and what not. So we were in the singles ward on Sunday helping some of the people get ready for the linger longer that they have after church. We were helping them get the food ready and also eating some of the food because we are missionaries and pretty much eat everything. So as we were helping I saw these 2 girls walk in to the kitchen and I thought to myself, those two girls look so familiar but where do I know them from. A thought popped into my head that I knew them from high school but no way was that possible because I was 2000 miles away from my home town. Well then they both saw me and then I knew that I definitely knew them. I knew both of these girls (their names are Erika, and Carissa, I may have spelled them wrong) from school, they were in some of my classes and I knew them both pretty well. They both came up to NY to nanny for some of the families that live up here, apparantely a lot of girls from Utah or other mormon communities do that a lot. So now I am serving as a missionary in the same ward that 2 of my high school friends attend, I'm not going to lie that it was a little weird because I am a missionary. Its really cool though and it was nice to catch up with both of them and see that everything is going well and they are both active in the church. Then after we caught up on stuff I used my missionary skills to ask them to find some friends that aren't mormon and bring them to church so that they can recieve the happiness of the restored gospel into their lives. Hahaha I love being a missionary.
Now on to the really really cool miracle that happened on that same sunday that I ran into my friends. Another member of the singles ward brought a friend to church and her friend thought it was really cool and is willing to learn more. I asked her what she is looking for in religion and she said that she wants something that balances out her life and really focuses on the family. She wants something that helps her spiritually, mentally, physcally, and in a family way also. After I heard that I got really excited and told her that she has just come to the right place. We gave her a Book of Mormon and told her a little bit about the church, answered her questions, and set up and appointment with her and her friend on Saturday. Her name is Suzanna and if all of you could remember her in your prayers that would be super cool and very helpful. The Lord will definitely bless us in the ways that would best help us, all we need to do is be as obedient as we can be and trust in Him. Heavenly Father loves all of you, I know that He loves me, and I absolutely know that this gospel is something that He has given to us that will help us all find happiness. I want to hear from all of you and I love and miss you all. Remember who you are and what you stand for.
Love Elder Shepherd
How are all of you doing this fine wednesday morning??? I would like to hear how all of you are doing and what cool things are going on in your life, just remember that if you write me a letter you may not get a reply for sometime because I am really bad at that.(thats something that I said I would never do before I left, woops.) Anyway things here in New Canaan are absolutely fantastic!! Some really amazing things have happened this last week that have cause a lot of chances to me personally and to the mission in general.
The first big thing that happened was Elder Bednar came to NY and talked to all of us missionaries together. It was absolutely amazing to be in the same room with a member of the quorum of the twelve. When he walked in my companion tapped on my shoulder and said "Can you feel it?" The answer was yes, I could feel the change in the room the minute he walked in, he carried with him the spirit so very strongly that I don't think anyone in that room didn't feel it. I always thought Elder Bednar was a very serious guy but hearing him talk to all of us young missionaries I come to find out that he is actually really funny. As funny as he is though that doesnt take away from the message he had come to share with us. The things I learned in that meeting are things that I will never forget, he taught us wonderful things that will stick in my brain forever, but the most valuable things I learned, I learned through the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost touched my heart and brought truth into my heart that would help me to become a better disciple of Christ. It was such a powerful, and wonderful learning experience and one that will always stick with me. After Elder Bednar talked to us we had the oppurtunity to shake his hand and say hi, I cannot tell you how nervous I was and definitely can not describe the way I felt when I shook that mans hand. Meeting him and seeing the kind of person that he is makes me want to be much, much better. I have a lot I can impove on and I know we all do, sometimes its hard to make those improvements in our lives, but the Lord wants us all to do better and when He wants something done it can most definitely be done. I encourage all of you to reflect and pray about some areas in your life that you can do better in, wether it be scripture study, praying more, working more effectively, loving more, it really doesn't matter. You need to take it to the Lord and see what things you can do to better those areas and improve them, then after you come up with ways that will improve that aspect of you life, DO THEM. If we seek without the intent to do, our prayers stop at the ceiling because Heavenly Father knows you won't do the thing your asking for so He most likely won't give you the answer. Their is a great talk by Elder Bednar titled "Ask in Faith" it talks a lot about praying with the intent to act and then showing your faith in that prayer by doing your best to accomplish the thing you have prayed for. I promise all of you if you will read this talk, and then ponder and pray about certain things in your life that could be improved, and then follow the counsel of your Father in Heaven in how to improve, you will see a big change in your life for the better:)
Some other really cool things have happened this last week. I don't think I told any of you this but the missionaries that cover the New Canaan ward also cover a singles ward called Waveny Park. On sundays we get to church at about 7:15 and don't usually leave until about 5:30 because all of the meetings and what not. So we were in the singles ward on Sunday helping some of the people get ready for the linger longer that they have after church. We were helping them get the food ready and also eating some of the food because we are missionaries and pretty much eat everything. So as we were helping I saw these 2 girls walk in to the kitchen and I thought to myself, those two girls look so familiar but where do I know them from. A thought popped into my head that I knew them from high school but no way was that possible because I was 2000 miles away from my home town. Well then they both saw me and then I knew that I definitely knew them. I knew both of these girls (their names are Erika, and Carissa, I may have spelled them wrong) from school, they were in some of my classes and I knew them both pretty well. They both came up to NY to nanny for some of the families that live up here, apparantely a lot of girls from Utah or other mormon communities do that a lot. So now I am serving as a missionary in the same ward that 2 of my high school friends attend, I'm not going to lie that it was a little weird because I am a missionary. Its really cool though and it was nice to catch up with both of them and see that everything is going well and they are both active in the church. Then after we caught up on stuff I used my missionary skills to ask them to find some friends that aren't mormon and bring them to church so that they can recieve the happiness of the restored gospel into their lives. Hahaha I love being a missionary.
Now on to the really really cool miracle that happened on that same sunday that I ran into my friends. Another member of the singles ward brought a friend to church and her friend thought it was really cool and is willing to learn more. I asked her what she is looking for in religion and she said that she wants something that balances out her life and really focuses on the family. She wants something that helps her spiritually, mentally, physcally, and in a family way also. After I heard that I got really excited and told her that she has just come to the right place. We gave her a Book of Mormon and told her a little bit about the church, answered her questions, and set up and appointment with her and her friend on Saturday. Her name is Suzanna and if all of you could remember her in your prayers that would be super cool and very helpful. The Lord will definitely bless us in the ways that would best help us, all we need to do is be as obedient as we can be and trust in Him. Heavenly Father loves all of you, I know that He loves me, and I absolutely know that this gospel is something that He has given to us that will help us all find happiness. I want to hear from all of you and I love and miss you all. Remember who you are and what you stand for.
Love Elder Shepherd
New Canaan!!!!!
Hello Friends and Family
I am writing from the richest zip code in the United States, thats not bragging but I am just explaining what kind of place I am serving in. Its amazing here and I feel so loved and taken care of by the New Canaan members. I have a super awesome great companion who loves to work hard and have fun so I am really looking forward to serving with him for a while. Yesterday we went tracting on a street full of HUGE houses and it was way cool. Nobody let us in but we still had a lot of fun, I slipped and fell on the ice 3 times and one time I hit really hard, but we both laughed about how funny I looked when I fell. Elder Beswick didn't know what to do with me cause I kept falling over and stuff haha. We have 2 baptisms coming up in March, a girl named Sasha and a guy named Matt. They are both way ready for the gospel and have been prepared throughout their lives to be able to receive it. Its truly amazing to see God's hand in our lives and how He knows us perfectly well to be able to put certain things or people into our lives so that we may be influenced to come closer to Him. Every person that I have met that has accepted a baptismal date has had something in their life that has lead them to want to know more and more about God and ultimately leading them to the truth of receiving the fullness of truth contained in this Gospel.
People say that I am going to get fat while I am up here in New Canaan, the member feed us a lot and usually give us some stuff to take home. Since I got here on Thursday we have not missed a dinner appointment with a member, I fell really really taking care of. Oh and yesterday I saw Deer!!!!! Thats kind of random but its ok because I haven't seen deer since I left Utah and its really cool to see Deer!!! I don't really have any cool stories to tell since I have only been in this area for less then a week but I am sure that they next letter I send will be a lot better ( I think thats what I said in my last e-mail). Ok I have one cool story that is kind of spiritual too, Elder Larsen ( an Elder in my apartment) and I were on a split for a district blitz and we were tracting for the sisters. Well we came across this door and knocked and this huge guy opened up the door and just let us in. His name is Ramon and he is way way cool!! For a long time he has been searching for God and looking for truth, and every thing that he said connected to the message that we were there to share. We taught him a little bit about the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon and told him the sisters would be back soon to bring him one in spanish. Well the sisters went by that same day talked to him and they said he is way solid and definitely wants to learn more. I am going to keep up on him and finding out about his progression and it will be awesome to see him progress in the gospel. Sorry if this e-mail was confusing I am being distracted by a bunch of Elders talking around me as I write and since I get distracted very easily it is really hard to write a spiritual e-mail and have a lot of noise around me. I want to hear how everyones doing so keep the letters coming. I promise I will do better next time.. Love you
Love
Elder Shepherd
I am writing from the richest zip code in the United States, thats not bragging but I am just explaining what kind of place I am serving in. Its amazing here and I feel so loved and taken care of by the New Canaan members. I have a super awesome great companion who loves to work hard and have fun so I am really looking forward to serving with him for a while. Yesterday we went tracting on a street full of HUGE houses and it was way cool. Nobody let us in but we still had a lot of fun, I slipped and fell on the ice 3 times and one time I hit really hard, but we both laughed about how funny I looked when I fell. Elder Beswick didn't know what to do with me cause I kept falling over and stuff haha. We have 2 baptisms coming up in March, a girl named Sasha and a guy named Matt. They are both way ready for the gospel and have been prepared throughout their lives to be able to receive it. Its truly amazing to see God's hand in our lives and how He knows us perfectly well to be able to put certain things or people into our lives so that we may be influenced to come closer to Him. Every person that I have met that has accepted a baptismal date has had something in their life that has lead them to want to know more and more about God and ultimately leading them to the truth of receiving the fullness of truth contained in this Gospel.
People say that I am going to get fat while I am up here in New Canaan, the member feed us a lot and usually give us some stuff to take home. Since I got here on Thursday we have not missed a dinner appointment with a member, I fell really really taking care of. Oh and yesterday I saw Deer!!!!! Thats kind of random but its ok because I haven't seen deer since I left Utah and its really cool to see Deer!!! I don't really have any cool stories to tell since I have only been in this area for less then a week but I am sure that they next letter I send will be a lot better ( I think thats what I said in my last e-mail). Ok I have one cool story that is kind of spiritual too, Elder Larsen ( an Elder in my apartment) and I were on a split for a district blitz and we were tracting for the sisters. Well we came across this door and knocked and this huge guy opened up the door and just let us in. His name is Ramon and he is way way cool!! For a long time he has been searching for God and looking for truth, and every thing that he said connected to the message that we were there to share. We taught him a little bit about the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon and told him the sisters would be back soon to bring him one in spanish. Well the sisters went by that same day talked to him and they said he is way solid and definitely wants to learn more. I am going to keep up on him and finding out about his progression and it will be awesome to see him progress in the gospel. Sorry if this e-mail was confusing I am being distracted by a bunch of Elders talking around me as I write and since I get distracted very easily it is really hard to write a spiritual e-mail and have a lot of noise around me. I want to hear how everyones doing so keep the letters coming. I promise I will do better next time.. Love you
Love
Elder Shepherd
New Canon!!!!
Hi Everybody!!!!
Well this may not be a very long e-mail since I have a super a lot of things to do today but I wanted to let all of you know that I am working hard. I am also being transferred to an area called New Canon Conneticut which is a very high class place where many wealthy members of the church live. I am really excited for this change and looking forward to the new and wonderful things that will be happening while I am up their. Hopefull I will have the oppurtunity to see someone enter in the baptismal covenant with Heavenly Father. If not then thats ok because I am called to invite others to come unto Christ and if they don't accept the invitation then I love them anyway. I have been reading and pondering recently about faith and the power that it has in our lives. With an ample amount of faith in Jesus Christ one can do things that seem nigh impossible to most people. Our faith should constantly be growing throughout our lives as we continue to see the evidence of faith through the things the Lord has helped us to accomplish. If we just have faith in Jesus we will be ok. I know a lot of my e-mails talk about the same things over and over but I really don't think you can talk about faith enough. It is the first princple of the gospel and the first step in gaining a testimony of any gospel truth, the Holy Ghost cannot bear witness to us of truth if we do not have faith first. I have faith that every trial no matter how big or small in all our lives will be ok if we just have faith. I love you all and I promise that next week we I will send a much better and bigger e-mail.
Love
Elder Shepherd
Well this may not be a very long e-mail since I have a super a lot of things to do today but I wanted to let all of you know that I am working hard. I am also being transferred to an area called New Canon Conneticut which is a very high class place where many wealthy members of the church live. I am really excited for this change and looking forward to the new and wonderful things that will be happening while I am up their. Hopefull I will have the oppurtunity to see someone enter in the baptismal covenant with Heavenly Father. If not then thats ok because I am called to invite others to come unto Christ and if they don't accept the invitation then I love them anyway. I have been reading and pondering recently about faith and the power that it has in our lives. With an ample amount of faith in Jesus Christ one can do things that seem nigh impossible to most people. Our faith should constantly be growing throughout our lives as we continue to see the evidence of faith through the things the Lord has helped us to accomplish. If we just have faith in Jesus we will be ok. I know a lot of my e-mails talk about the same things over and over but I really don't think you can talk about faith enough. It is the first princple of the gospel and the first step in gaining a testimony of any gospel truth, the Holy Ghost cannot bear witness to us of truth if we do not have faith first. I have faith that every trial no matter how big or small in all our lives will be ok if we just have faith. I love you all and I promise that next week we I will send a much better and bigger e-mail.
Love
Elder Shepherd
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