Music in the Streets and Tracking

Hello Family!

Happy Belated Birthday McKenna!

Wow has it already been 3 weeks? It feels like it was pday yesterday but at the same time it feels like this week was the longest week of my life. I'll explain later in the email how it went hah.

This week has been a very interesting week. It's hard to remember everything that has happened during the week but here it goes.  The most important thing is we confirmed Elizabeth this week and she is so strong and loves us. She calls me her son, hah. She feeds us like we are dying and I love it because we don't get a lot of chances to eat but the relief society feeds us everyday. I'm loving the food, especially the dulces.   Back to Elizabeth, her one daughter is ready to be baptized too, and we are working on the 20 year old daughter right now who is interested but still wants to sleep instead of go to church in the morning. Their family is soo rad and we love going to teach them and just being with them. Hopefully we can get the whole family baptized!!

Elder Gneiting and Elder Shepherd
District Meeting

I saw Reese again this week at district meeting and I'll see him tomorrow too! So I'm getting my final Reese spottings in before he leaves. Feels weird and cool at the same time because he is leaving and I have just begun!!!  Some days this week have been really hard. For example this Friday I was about to die in the road because we just walk and walk and it's pouring rain and you pretty much are soaked and muddy.  My companion is a cool guy and he´s really good at teaching.    I´m glad he is my companion. I'm learning patience and perserverance. Well, in the pench we have 4 elders living together.   One elder is from Hawaii (Elder Kupihea) and we totally hit it off.  At the end of the day we can talk to each other.  This past week has been awesome. We have seen miracles too.  A girl that is ready to be baptized got into a fight with her father who was drunk and he told her she couldn't get baptized.  A week later we stopped by her house and she said she has permission to get baptized now!  It's awesome. The ward members are so awesome. The ward is small though, about 45 people attend on average but they are so cool. Everyone loves my ties hah. I´m getting to know the members better because I'm not that first day elder that doesn't know any Spanish anymore. They love me hah.

Sunday and Saturday nights are awesome for tracking because the main street is alive! Music playing everywhere and the flea market is there too so everyone is out. We only pass by there like for 5 minutes because it's on the way to some houses but it is awesome to hear music from here, Bolivian, etc. Oh yeah a lot of people play Rugby here and the usual soccer. I´m ready for the World Cup. Some members always try to talk to me about Soccer but I only know so much and especially in spanish hah. Flags are out everywhere! We usually walk but it's fun to take the collectivo(bus) around town. Its funny hearing some english music. I´ve heard Bob Marley too. That was a good day haha.

Well even if the days are long and hard. I love being here. Feels normal now but at the same time it's super hard. Everyday is a challenge but you just work through it and keep going. You find miracles everywhere. Every time we teach people it's amazing to testify. We have so many people we are teaching and I know I have forgotten to write about them in this email.  We are teaching many people but most of them fall through because they don't commit  to anything. But we are trying everyday. Next email I'll make sure to take notes every night to have better emails.


Here's a picture of Elder Gneiting and the Elders in my pench.  Elder Gneiting spent two nights with us!  

Here are answers to some of the questions you asked me last night:
Q. What are your plans for P-Day?  A. We went to walmart this morning, cleaned the pench and right now emailing. Next we are getting some food and going to sleep till we have to go back to work!
Q. Do you go shopping for food for the week?  A. Yeah we are going right after this.
Q. How often do you cook for yourself? A. We usually never cook unless its right after we get home and are hungry.
Q. How are your clothes and shoes holding up? A. My shoes are fine and everything else is holding up!
Q. Do you need anything? A. Not at the moment.

Tell Ragie I got her dearelder letter and I´ll write back soon, but it takes years to get back to the States!

Love you all and talk to you next week.

Love you guys,

Elder Shepherd