Week 8

Dear friends, and family,

Life is good here.  I leave on Monday at 8:25pm for L.A. and then leave from L.A. at 11:30 for Melbourne.  My mailing address is on facebook.  I'm really excited to go.  It's has been a fabulous week though.  I'm looking forward to calling everyone.  I will try to call you all before the first flight.  Can you call between flights I can't before?  It will be pretty late.  It was a fabulous week.  I read and heard some really inspirational messages.  I would highly recommend reading, Elder Maxwell's, "Putteth off the Natural Man and Become a Saint."  He says that if "various trials are allotted to you, partake of life's bitter cups, but without becoming bitter."  I love that.  I have thought about different challenges I have faced and how when I look back, I realize that have actually helped me in the end. They reminded me of my reliance on God and put me to my knees. I know when we are the weakest, or humblest, we are the strongest because we recognize that there is a great power than just us.  I also would highly recommend Elder Maxwell's talk on meekness.  Being meek has always confused me, so I have trying to discover what it exactly means.  I have generally thought of meek people as sometimes "shoulder shrugging people," but that is not the case.  As Elder Maxwell relates, Moses was called the meekest person on the face of the earth, yet look at what happened after Mount Sinai.  I think meekness means to never lift yourself above others, but to glorify God. To be meek also means to know when to speak and when to be silent. This is the difficult part, but as Christ shows what he did before Pilate, sometimes being silent is the correct choice and takes the most courage.  

My lessons with my companion, Elder or Anh Ca Marker have gone so well.  We had felt a little discouraged because he was asked unexpectantly to explain Isaiah in Vietnamese.  To say simply, it was a little rough.  I'm glad though that it happened.  It was a wake up call to me that this language, my increase in knowledge in scriptures and testimony, are gifts of God.  I can be diligent, but they are also only granted upon His will.  I am going to really try to understand Isaiah and apply the promise of 1 Nephi 15:9.  President Packard said in a talk to simply just read read through the Isaiah chapters, even if you don't understand very much, but I think I'm ready to finally delve into Isaiah? Any advice on this point?  My lessons though following this lessons have been so much better.  The Spirit has been so strong and we have so much in unison.  It is the norm when Elder Marker says something that I was already thinking, or the opposite, or when we have impressions to share scriptures that weren't planned in our lesson.  Don't worry?  We really do try to plan.  As Elder Jensen told us last night, teaching by the Spirit is teaching well that was planned.  Lessons can obviously change though if that is the best thing to do.  Elder Jensen told us the story of "Called to Serve."  President Packard wanted a song that could unify all missionaries.  I know this has occurred.  Elder Jensen even said that music brings the Spirit faster than anything else and to begin to sing if the Spirit is not present in a lesson.  I know there is power in music.  Whenever, I listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir here, I feel so much better.  Some of my fondest memories of growing are gathering around the piano and singing hymns and Christmas songs?  Remember, Christmas in the trenches?  I know that if whenever we feel down or comfort, singing songs can build us up like nothing else.  I love you so much.  Thank you for your examples and prayers

Elder Shumway