Mission Accomplished!!!

He's finally back home! First few pictures are from his departure in Osorno and the rest are when he arrived in the Salt Lake City Airport.

With President and Hermana Isom

Shawn and his buddy Emma! She didn't want
him to leave :(

To show the contrast:
Left - leaving SLC in 2016; Right - coming home in 2018

Best hug EVER!!!!!!!

Jess had a test for school that morning
but she still made it to the airport before
we left and got to surprise him!

Taking his picture off the missionary wall
at the Stake Center after he was released.

See you in 4 days!

(No big email today but here is a compilation of our quick chat back and forth)

I absolutely love the fotos momma thank you so much!!:) How are you this fine Monday??:) I’m doing great!!:) crazy no mas!! haha I really have flojera (Google translation: weakness) to write today... Currently I’m in a cyber in Punta Arenas...:) I leave tomorrow at 10:15 to Puerto Montt (by plane) then I go to Osorno Wednesday morning to finish and everything!:) Hey sorry is it ok if I don’t send an email this week and just send some photos?:) I’ll tell you all about this last week and this week on Friday!:) That feels so weird to say... hah and really I feel so weird, almost uncomfortable. I really am happy to come home but.. idk I still don’t wanna leave Chile! I have really come to love this place and these people! I’m just a mess of emotions right now... haha so.. no I don’t think I’m ready to go home!;( haha

But I love you to infinity and beyond momma. I’ll see you in a couple days!!:) Love you!!!!:)

With Claudio "Sushi"

Rest of the pictures are from our trip to Torres del Paine last week!

Trunky??? Naw, ain´t nobody got time for that!!!! :)

Did you catch the reference at the end there on the title??;) Haha. How are you doing this fine Monday momma??:) Everything here in Puerto Natales is pretty amazing!:) This last week we had intercambios with the Zone leaders and it was way sick because I had the opportunity to be with my ex comp Elder Arizmendi again!!:) We had an amazing day and we found a couple new potential investigators!!:) One of them was named Pablo. We decided to just contact a new street that I hadn’t ever walked down and that was where we saw and started talking to Pablo. We shared a little bit with him about the restoration and about how families can be together forever! :) He really liked the idea and we are gonna go back to him this week to teach him!:) Also my comp was with Elder Johnson (the other zone leader) and they taught Genesis, one of our other investigators and she accepted to be baptized by our church!:) (she was baptized in the catholic church before as a baby).

Oh and also this last week we played football, yes football with one of our less active youth here. Well more like we just played pass and taught him how to throw the ball, but it was still really cool!!:) Then on Sunday we had a reunion with the consejo of the branch to plan an activity for the Book of Mormon that they are going to do in April. I say "they" because I’m going to be at home when they do it....😥 but it’s ok, it seems like it is going to be a sick activity!!:)

I’m glad that things were pretty good this last week on your side of things as well!!:) I loved the pics that you sent me. That sounds like CJ and Jess´ talks were really good!!:) I knew that CJ of all people would try to put that into a talk!!:) haha but that is so true what he said. The best way to strengthen your testimony is by sharing it with others!!:)

But I love you to infinity and beyond momma!!:) hope you have a great week and I’ll talk to you next week!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners😄💪👊

At the entrance of the city with the Milodon!

Fall in the plaza

Me in Puerto Natales

Intercambios with the zone leader (and my former companion
Elder Arizmendi!!!)

Me with the papito's (this is not their son, just another
boy in the branch)

Cool statue in Puerto Natales

Bridge in Puerto Natales

Bridge in Puerto Natales

RUTA FIN DEL MUNDO!!!!

I´ve Dropped 7 Kilos!!!:)

Hey momma!!:) Thank you so much for the birthday wishes again!!:) Everything is going great here in Puerto Natales. This last week was really good here. We didn’t find any new investigators but we found Idee again because she had just like disappeared for a week!! It was way cool to find her and actually begin to teach her!:) We taught her about the Restoration and it went really well. She really liked it and she committed to pray about it!:) We are going to visit her again tomorrow so we will see how she is.

Also we have been working a lot with the less actives here in Puerto Natales as well because there is about 545 people on the branch list and only about 45 usually come to Church. So we have a ton of work to help out with there. And usually working with less actives we find "part-families" who someone hasn’t been baptized yet. So we can help them with that!!;) 

Also this last week on Tuesday I think we went and helped papito a little in his work because he had a few workers quit and needed a little help in his warehouse urgent. So we went and helped him for a while on Tuesday!:) Also making sushi with Claudio last week went really good!!:) On Sunday we were going to go make burgers and stuff with him for my birthday, but last second he couldn’t so we are going to go today before we finish p-day to maybe do them with him!!:) But overall it was a great week and great things are happening here!

Oh and also haha I have been doing a program called intermittent fasting and I have dropped 7 kilos or about 15 pounds in 2 weeks!!:) haha It’s great. I hope to continue and drop some more before I come home!!:)

Well I'm glad that you got the house all put back together this last week!!:) but oh man that is not so great about Grandma... That kinda hit hard when I first read it, but I was thinking that I know it's hard, and I know I at least don't understand why this is happening, but then the scripture came to mind where God says... your ways are not my ways and my ways are not yours.... I know that God has a plan for her.

I love the thought that you gave from Elder Uchtdorf!!:) Thank you and that reminds me a lot of his talk he gave about the 3 sisters!:) -- the thought I shared was actually from that talk :). My thought this week is 1 Cor 10:13. I love this scripture and I found it this last week in my studies. It’s so true how God will never let us be tempted above our ability to support it, especially with His help. Sometimes we just have to remember who we are and the power that comes with that knowledge that we really are CHILDREN OF GOD, and the divinity that holds!!:)

Love you to infinity and beyond momma hope that you have an amazing week!!:) Love you and talk to you soon!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners!:)

Chocolate raspberry birthday cake!! :)

Our apartment in Puerto Natales