October 7, 2013

This was a crazy week. Alot happened. But at the same time, I feel like nothing happened. haha. I don't miss you guys, of course. But yeah. We FINALLY got a new investigators yesterday! After 3 weeks of not having one we prayed to God thanking him right after our Chapel tour with him. But yeah. Conference was sooooo great! I loved every second of it! I think my favorite talk was Edward Dube. He was the one that talked about learning from the past, not living in it. Which is some I TOTALLY do! I am so bad at that! haha. But yeah.

Something cool that happened this week. On Tuesday or Wednesday Sister Webb and I were tracting in a neighbor that we felt was dead but we did not want to go to the other neighborhood we had planned because it was a rich neighborhood and they NEVER answer the door. It is always super frustrating, but we decided that we were jsut going to go for like 30 minutes.  So we drove over there and parked. It was about 7 pm so the sun was setting and it was going to be dark in about 45 minutes. So we just started walking down the street. We walked around for probably 20 minutes and felt like none of the house were ready to be knocked on. We were about to turn around and go back when I got the prompting to just do more house. I looked around and just said lets do just this one more house. We walked up to the front door and knocked. We were not expecting anyone to answer at all but this lady opened the door with a smile on her face. We said hello and she said I was almost baptized. We brushed it off assuming that she meant in the catholic religion and asked if she had ever heard of our church before. She said yes, I was almost baptized, into your church, the mormon church. It was SO weird! She took the discussions down in Venezula. What are the chances of that? She knows EVERYTHING! She's read the while Book of Mormon, Doctrine and covenants, and pearl of great price and knows that they are true. Her only problem is the priesthood. We were so excited to meet, thinking that she was going to an investigator, but when we asked if we could come back and teach her she said no. She did not want to talk religion. She is so ready but I am not her missionary. But how crazy is that?! The only house we knocked on! We were the first people to contact her from the church in the US? So cool.

Well that's all the exciting stuff that happened this week. Tell Aaron and Dilene Pulsipher THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGES! I was so happy to get them! I am eating all of the candy and snacks like crazy. I really loved the pictures I got too! Thank you so much!

Have a great week! I love you!

Love

Sister Shaw

September 30th Letter

Hey mama!
so great to hear from you :) The members in Mason are so great. I love
everyone. My favorite family so far are the Hondas. They are HILARIOUS! The
parents are Puerto Rico and they are so funny. We had dinner with them
yesterday and they fed us fish and guess what... I LOVED it! First for
everything right?! :) haha. But yeah. I'm glad this week went well. Mine
was alright. The work is not moving too fast in Mason. We have a couple
investigators but we didn't get 1 this week. That was really hard on me and
I am trying really hard to not get discouraged. I think we figured out the
tool though. The youth! They love missionaries, and the work and
they invite their friends to everything so we are gonna try getting the
youth more involved with us. :)
We don't have family Home Evening and we aren't allowed to go to members
homes on monday nights so I don't have it but I'm looking forward to having
it when I get back :)
Are you guys excited for general conference!? I am! I cannot wait. I have 5
questions that I am taking to conference and I have been praying for an
answer for the last 2 weeks so I hope they get answered :) I am nervous
though. I keep getting the prompting to listen to the Prophet and do
whatever he says, so we will how this weekend goes. Hopefully it is nothing
too crazy! :)
You don't need to worry about a sweatshirt. I found a running sweatshirt at
Walmart today that was on sale so yeah. But any music will do. Any all
church music. Sister Webb has 4 CDs but they are getting kinda old now so
whateever works for you mama. :)
Well. I hoipe you have a fantasic week. I love you and all my family. I
pray for each indiviually every morning and night. I don't miss of at all
of course! Tell abby I'm gonna write her back today! Oh and I got your
package! I loved it THANK YOU! The pretzel chips are super yummy! So is
everything else :)
Love you,
Sister Shaw

September 23rd

Whoops forgot to hit post like week!! sorry folks.....it is a learning curve!!

Oh mommy it is great to hear from you!

Yeah... well... all of our investigators dropped us this week. We have this 11 year old named Elijah. He wants to be baptized so he'll probably be baptized next month. His family is not very active so we don't know what we are going to do with him yet. Our ward mission leader is going to come with us on Wednesday to help us decide where he is at. Thank goodness for President Guffy (Recently released Stake President). Our bishop right now is actually a counselor in the new stake presidency and the bishop of our ward. He is sooo busy! But this last was bishop appreciation week so we heart attacked him and made him some chocolate chip cookies. 

So funny story! On Wednesday Sister Webb and I were tracting and she ran into two guys that were sales men. We tried to talk to them about the gospel but they were not interested in that. One of them was a minister for a church here... can't remember which one... but we gave him a pass a long card. He took it and asked if Sister Webb's phone number was on it and she was like no and then he started apologizing for no reason. He was like, Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were married! hahaha. Since sister webb only has her left hand, she wears her CTR ring on her left ring finger. She totally got hit on!!! It was sooooo funny! I could not stop laughing! Way too funny! That was a great day!

but yeah, So Friday was a hard day because we planned on tracting our last 2 hours of the day but of course, it POURED rain! We were trying to talk to people while we were soaking wet. Luckily Sister webb had a jacket with a hood and I had an umbrella but no one would answer the door or anything. So that was annoying and really really really hard to love missionary work that night. The next day though, we were TOTALLY blessed by the Lord. We found like 6 potential investigators. It was really cool to see those blessings.

I've been reading my patriarchal blessing a lot and it is so comforting! I feel so blessed and loved everytime I read it. It is such a blessing to have one! So neat! God blesses me so much and I have had so many reconfirmations it is CRAZY! :)

But yeah, so this morning in personal study I was reading in 2 Nephi 27:23. (President Porter gave us the challenge to read it by Thanksgiving and the highlight the godhead in red, miracles in black, and story line in blue. it is a really cool to see how my entire book of Mormon is highlighted. Ill send it home to you when I'm done with it.)

WELL.... I still haven't gotten your package. I hope it didn't get lost. You should friend sister porter on facebook because she takes a lot of pictures so you might be able to find some there. I would like my cds and a sweatshirt I could run in if possible... I don't think I need anything else.

I love you so much! Thank you being so amazing. I am so impressed with all the letters and love I am receiving. I don't miss you at all. Of course. You're the best mom anyone could ever ask for! Sister chapa figured out that we are coming home on the March 5, 2015 transfer! Crazy right! Right before my birthday. Sad I'll Rhys and Grandpa's birthday though!

Well. I love you. Keep spreading the gospel. It is easier than you think :)

Love,

Sister Leslie Shaw

Week 3 Ohio

Hey there mama! :)

Yeah I am driving but it is all going well. I am enjoying it. Have fun camping! I am SUPER jealous! Tell everyone that I don't miss them but I will be sending out letters to everyone today hopefully! We get fed a lot! It is really nice. The people here are so great! I guess Mason was voted 7th best place to live? Random I know but it reminds me so much of Temecula! But yeah, it is nice and they are feeding us good food. I told everyone that I am lactose intolerant so I have been great! :) hahaha. but yeah, we make our own lunches :). Oh and good luck in LA! That'll be cool! I have not gotten my package yet. Hopefully sometime this week. But, we got a referral. The bishop's daughter, who is a senior  in high school and super cute and adorable! I love her. Her 2 best friends are going to the local colleges and we taught them once last week and they came to church yesterday! They are so awesome! They want to learn more and they are such miracles! They are so prepared! They are so ready for the gospel. They read 1 nephi 1 and things are looking good! I am really hoping for a baptism this transfer! That would be amazing. But God knows us and our desires. I fasted twice last week to find these 2 girls. I just keep praying that they will get baptized!! So everything is going well. I have some hard days where I just want to go home but I am fighting against that because I know I am suppose to be here. I found a CHIPOTLE here! So excited! I made Sister Webb and I go get some! SOOOO yummy! I loved it! Well. That is pretty much all I have to say. Life in the mission is really hard but when I am teaching it makes it all worth it. I love being a missionary. Keep working on finding people to teach. Tell everyone I love them. Look for a letter from me this week :)

I don't miss you ever! 

Love

Sister Shaw <3 :) 

Week TWO

Short and sweet and to the point.....Sister Shaw leaves for OHIO on Wednesday!!

Wow! This has been crazy week. Being Sister Training Leader is really hard but this is my last day technically. I am still going to be over the sisters I have been because the new sister training leader ask me to. So I'll still be stressed out! Thank you mom for sending me something for this tuesday. I am so excited! I did get the pictures. They were great. Thank you. Ill be calling you at the airport anytime between 6-830 your time. I sent my Ohio address to Abby in a letter so if you could have her put it on my blog that would be great. I would love more postcards and letters. I miss seeing California. I saw Jeffery R. Holland on campus on monday. I walked like right in front of him and he waved at me. That was pretty AMAZING! Neil L. Anderson also gave us a devotional on Tuesday. It was so awesome. It made me so happy. My new companion is Sister Wheeler. She is really sweet but she is a total tomboy so not the same in that way. But I think she is great. Sometimes she tests me but I think I can handle it. I hope Rhys gets better and I can't wait to hear more about the boys soccer and stuff :)

I dont miss you guys AT ALL!!! 

Love,

Sister Shaw

August 24th, 2013

Hey,

So my P-days are Saturdays right now... Well. This has been an exciting couple of days. I know in my letter I said that I wouldn't receive mail until next week but we got it yesterday so start sending more :) Thank you so much for the bear and postcards.I am going to try and write abby back some time today. If I can find the time.

So... I have some big news... shocking actually... you're writing the new Sister Training Leader! Yup, I am like the girl zone leader. It is me and two elders so I am over about 17 other sisters. It is super scary! I can't believe they chose me! I thought it was gonna be this other sister. Well, I start that calling tomorrow and then I get released in a week. I got my travel plans. My flight is on Wednesday SEP 4 and my flight is at 9:15 in the morning. So expected me to call you pretty early :)

Well the MTC is AMAZING!!! the food is gross but everything else is great! I am in west campus so I am staying in these nice apartments but I don't think I will see sister grant at all. which makes me sad. But it's ok. I have been doing well in the MTC. I know more than I thought I knew and I am a more loving person than I thought. My companion is Sister Chapa. She is from Payson, Utah. But more than half my zone is from Utah. I'm pretty sure everyone here is from Utah pretty much. But she is super sweet, I adore her. She is from Utah. Like pretty much everyone here. :) We are a lot a like so we get along great. She is so strong and loving and I am learning so much from her already. I cannot wait to see what happens this next week. I have picture with her but I forgot my camera cord to get my pictures on the computer so that will be interesting... if you could find it and send it to me that would be awesome! it is probably in the bottom drawer of my night stand? good luck :)

Well I have so much more that I want to write but I am already late for class and I have to go get my laundry. I am sorry. I would love to hear from you guysI want dear elders and letters.I understand why people like letters more. Well I will try writing you soon. Please forward this to abby. I don't have her email. Sorry again that it is so short. I hopefully can write more next week.

I love you,

Sister Shaw

She's OFF!!!

Sister Shaw was set a part on Monday night August 19th. Tuesday morning we headed up to provo.  Leslie entered the MTC on Wednesday August 21, 2013!!

It was so exciting to see her so excited and ready to serve the people of Ohio!!

Loading up the car......

In front of the Provo Temple

See you in 18 months!!!!

If you want to keep up with Sister Shaw, follow her blog in the corner....or email me to be forwarded her weekly emails! altrapp@gmail.com  PLEASE check the contact me tab and send Sister Shaw letters she would love it!! Thanks for your love, support and prayers for Sister Shaw!!!