Week 64: Hope for things Unseen

Hello family and friends!

I hope you all had an awesome week!

This week I learned a lot about what Jesus Christ expects of me and
who He needs me to be. I am striving to strengthen my relationship
with Him as I do what's hard for me. I am thankful for the hope that
comes as we trust in Him. :)

This week was tough because a couple of the Sisters went home
unexpectedly and that's really hard to watch. :/ missions end???
Nooooooo please no!!!

I reflected on a lot of experiences in my mission during one of the
exchanges that we went on this week. One of the Sisters asked me why
I'm still on a mission. I hadn't really pondered that ever until she
asked and the first thing that came to my mind and heart was
gratitude. My gratitude for what the Lord has done within and without
me during my life but soooo much more during my mission. Another
reason that came to my mind is CHANGE. The miracle of Christ's
sacrifice is that now the world has the chance to change. Everyone of
us. It is such a blessing to be shown a weakness and it is such a
miracle to be able to feel the love and power of Jesus Christ to
strengthen that weakness. "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him."
This week, new weaknesses have made themselves manifest!! I'm excited
to start the journey to strengthening them through Christ and
deepening my love and relationship with Him and with those around me. :)

We can't use the Atonement by doing things we're already good at and
feel comfortable doing. There is no stretching, no growth, if we never
touch the hard stuff and keep going ham with the easy stuff hoping for
a different result. Now I feel like I understand! Haha thank goodness
for mission leaders. Inspired!

Well, I love you all so much and hope your week is miraculous. Open
your mouths and share eternal life! :)

Con todo mi corazón y mi amor,

Hermana Shumway

Some Sisters in the zone saying good-bye to
Sister Mehr!

Mama Bell!! Krispy Kreme's to eat our feelings after going
to the airport. Haha, I love her!!

The Rupper Family!!! Cousins to Bruce Rupper!! I knew the
connection to Stephen would come sometime. Fourteen
months later....

Training at interviews.

Week 63: New town Newton!!

Hello from Wicheeta!!! :)

This week, I was not in Wichita at all!!

We did a 5 day companion exchange! I went to Newton, KS and served
with Sister Wall while her companion, Sister Mehr, served with Sister
Bringhurst here! It was a lot of fun and we saw a ton of miracles!!!
I'm pretty sure I have worked more there than I have here in my own
area...haha I felt like the investigators and members were my own! I
got to speak a ton of Spanish which was so fun!!

One of the greatest miracles was that an investigator who the Sisters
have been teaching for over a year accepted a baptismal date the first
day I was there!!!! We helped her understand what faith REALLY is -
how it's a principle of power and ACTION - and helped her see that she
will not receive the answer she is seeking unless she ACTS on what she
does know. So she accepted to be baptized and take the steps to
prepare. I know she will be baptized because she has shown her real
intent as it describes in Moroni 10:3-5!!

Really awesome things happened last week and I wish I had time to tell
you all of them but I don't!!! Haha

All I can say is this past week I have realized that I wake up soooo
happy and excited to have another day to be a missionary :) How
grateful I am for this choice blessing and privilege in my life.

I hope you all have an awesome week! Love ya!

Con todo mi corazón y mi amor,

Hermana Shumway

I played volleyball with her in middle school!
#smallworld

Two mosquitoes tried to bite me at the same
time......best believe I wasn't about to let that
happen! 

New convert!

Sister Wall and I :) She is serving in Newton!

Week 62: In West Philadelphia...

Home to Bel Aire :)

Happy Birthday Sister Guillen!! I love and miss you already :( Congrats to your new sealed family!

Happy Anniversary to Linsey and Stephen, and Carly and John!!

Happy Birthday to Kendon and Daddy!! I love you!! Have awesome days.

So this first week in Bel Aire was a dream! Sister Bringhurst is awesome. I love her so much and we are going to see so many miracles together!! 

We found some solid investigators this week who we are stoked to work with more. Sister Bringhurst felt prompted to stop the car and talk to someone so we did. We found someone who has always been interested in the church and learning the gospel!! It was a cool experience to act on a good thought, see a miracle, and know it was a spiritual prompting. I LIVE for those experiences!! Haha!

We got to teach in Relief Society yesterday about....MISSIONARY WORK!!! Best and most easy lesson for a missionary to teach - probably for me because I just love it and feel so passionate about it! It was so great.

It's so weird being in a ward after so long...I feel kind of intimidated because there's just....a lot of people. Haha, but I know missionary work is the same and soon I will know everyone, and we have a solid vision of uniting with them to strengthen the Bel Aire ward with returning members and baptisms!

We are just excited to get work done for the Lord. :)

The field is white. Don't forget that their souls are precious - lets do all we can to bring in this harvest for the Lord!!

Con todo mi corazon y mi amor,

Hermana Shumway

Sister Bringhurst and I!!

Getting the car washed :)

Sister Bringhurst and I with a member of the Bel Aire ward :)

Week 61: WICHEETUH

Hello! Another week has flown by out here in Kansas!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINSEEEEEEY!!!!!! And Rizek on Wednesday! Happy days
:) hope you both have great birthdays!

Transfers are this week....President Bell called us last night and told us that I'm getting transferred to the Bel Aire Zone in Wichita (in his ward) and the Lord has called me to be a Sister Training Leader! It's like a Zone Leader...but for Sisters! It will be a huge learning curve and I'm excited to be in close contact with the Bells
so I can learn a ton from them. But in all honesty I am completely heartbroken about leaving Hugoton and western Kansas. :( so much has happened out here in the heartland, in the plains, and it just makes
me so sad to leave it. I have never cried over transfers before until now. I will miss Hugoton and the wonderful people here so so much. I love them! I just absolutely love them! This week I felt so overwhelmed with the joy of being a missionary and a disciple of Christ. There is nothing greater than those moments of pure joy that only come when we have the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives and we are striving to live it.

This week had its challenges, but so many more miracles of seeing the Lord's hand in preparing people to receive the gospel and leading us to them. One quick experience I'll share!

So it was like 5 minutes before we had to go in for the night and we still knew we had things to do that day before going in. We knocked a couple more dead doors but we knew we had to teach someone. We knocked
on a door we felt good about and they immediately let us in - a couple with a young daughter. We talked about Jesus Christ and His love for us and families. We showed the Because of Him video and one of them expressed how he has been praying a lot lately to receive direction and help from God. We testified to him that God hears and answers prayers and that's why He led us to their home! We invited them both to be baptized on August 29th and pray about it right then and there. We all bowed our heads as they prayed. When they finished, they described their feelings as "worriless" (don't know if that's a word, but that's what he said) and "just giddy and happy!!" We testified of the Spirit and that they were feeling God's answer to their specific question made through prayer :) we went back the next day and asked how their praying was going and they had prayed together as a family for the first time and felt so good about baptism!!! There is nothing like helping the Lord answer a prayer :)

I know the Lord is preparing and changing hearts - softening soil to be prepared for the seed of the Gospel like in the Parable of the Sower. This is the Lord's work. I know He leads and guides us everyday if we would just be willing to yield to his Spirit. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored and it's here on the earth today in its
plainness and glory. Take new courage this week to share the Gospel and reach out to those in need of light and love.

Go change a frowning foe into a smiling friend :)

I love you all so much, have an awesome week!!

Con todo mi corazón y mi amor,
Hermana Shumway

Bye Hugoton!!

"Daughters of a Promise" District!! haha!!

Had to do a funny one! Haha!

Cross the border every week for District
meetings!