Killin' it with Elder Cuevas!!!

Hey mommmaa!!! How are you doing this fine Monday afternoon??:) Sorry me and my new companion Elder Cuevas went to "Torres Del Paine" well we went on a full day tour of the park and it was really sick!!:) Don’t worry I’ll send you lots of photos after!;) haha but well this last week was insane and full of lots of tears and goodbyes and getting to know new people.

After my email last Monday, I was saying goodbye to a few of the investigators and members in Alerce. It was sad almost every place I went they were crying... that’s the one sad part of the mission, but like you said the Lord needs us for specific reasons in the places where we are. But then I had the plane to Punta on Wednesday. We stayed in Punta Arenas until Thursday because we got there late and we had a reunion the next morning. Then on Thursday we came up to Puerto Natales.:) It’s 3 hours north of Punta Arenas, and may I say its SOOO BEAUTIFUL HERE! Haha it’s kinda weird. There is some parts that remind me a lot of Utah... but a lot more green. We also got to meet our mamita and a couple of our investigators Claudio and Froilem, they are such cool guys and I hope to be able to help them advance in their conversion!!:)

Then also on Sunday I introduced myself to the branch and they asked me to give a talk!!:) haha so I talked about the plan of salvation, more centered on Christ’s atonement and the sacrament and how it can help us endure to the end.:) (Our exaltation;) ) But it was a good talk and I really love this branch that I have met so far. They have about 45 people who are really active and are really excited to help out in member missionary work!!:)

Oh and today also with the Torres Del Paine park is my comps BIRTHDAY.!:) He is 19 today!! Also he is from California, Orange County and has 6 people in his family. His parents are from Mexico and he was born in the states!:) but he has 8 months in the mission and is a boss!!

Well that’s really good to hear about grandma, I hope that she can get everything cleared up real quick. Sorry momma I don’t have lots of time today... :( all the cybers were closed here so we had to come to the church quick to write!:) Tell everyone sorry and I'll write next week. And as for the package no worries, when I get home I can get it right? I just never know because Elder Cuevas is still waiting for his Christmas package... but thank you for your thought momma!:)

As for my thought during the conference with Elder Christofferson, I went with one of my questions, "What should I do after the mission?" haha no worries I’m not trunky but sometimes it’s stressing to think about that.... but then at the end of his time talking he was testifying to us and it was so cool he looked right at me and said "If you are faithful the Lord will always direct you in your decisions and path." I felt in that moment that the Lord was talking straight to me. It was pretty amazing.

I love you to infinity and beyond momma!! I hope you have a great week and let me know how it goes!!:)

Love you!!

Elder Shawners

Puerto Natales

Last pic in Alerce house

On the plane to Punta

Elder Cuevas!! :)

The famous foot in Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales

Rest of the pictures are from our P-Day trip to

 Torres Del Paine

IT'S CAMBIO WEEK...

Hey momma how are you doing this fine Monday afternoon??:) This last week was so amazing!!:) I honestly can’t remember a whole lot that happened because it’s all just one fast blur; but let’s start with the Christofferson Conference!!:) Oh man it was soooooo good. I loved it. He didn’t really talk about any super deep doctrine but just reaffirmed a lot of doctrine and taught more about it!!:) It was really amazing and cool because he talked about a few things that I never really thought about. In one part he was saying that our mission as missionaries is to find and help people get to the celestial kingdom – because if we want any of the other 2 kingdoms, we don’t need the gospel. We just need to be good people and do our best.... so it’s about going above and beyond and trying to become really like our Father in Heaven – nothing less.:)

I’ll share more about that next week but that’s one part I thought was really cool. Oh hahaha and he said "Aun hasta lo mas tonto puede llegar a la reino telestial." haha!!!😂 (Translated it means: Even the most foolish can reach the telestial kingdom.) It was pretty funny that part. Also we had an FHE with the Family Alverado and a family of investigators of the other Elders in Alerce!:) It went really well, we talked about the Sabbath day. Then we also helped a family move out of their house this week, they went up north close to Concepción!:)

Oh and as for cambios.....well I will be leaving this graceful and beautiful land of Alerce....:/ but I got my wish... haha I am going to Puerto Natales, in Punta Arenas! So that will be really interesting to see how that goes!! I’m sad and excited! I kind of wanted to stay and finish here but it’s about what the Lord needs right?:) So I’m super excited and ready to do some work there!!💪

Woah that sounds like you guys had a really great week until you got to the news, but I’m not too worried. I trust in our Heavenly Father. He knows what’s best for every one of His children, but I hope that all results well!!:) That is true that prayer is one of the most powerful tools that we have!!! Thank you for sharing that quote and your thought momma! It’s so true! 

I hope you have an amazing week. Let me know how all is going and if I can do anything else to help!!;) Love you to infinity and beyond!!:) Have a great week!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners

FHE with the family Sandoval

Conference with Elder Christofferson

Shawn and Pato!!!! (from Villarrica) at the conference.

At the conference with Elder Christofferson

The last chorrillana of Alerce.....😂

Fixing a ceiling tile I wrecked haha...

Fiesta de las Naciones!!!

Hey mama what’s cookin’ this fine Monday afternoon with you??:) haha. I love Monday’s as well because it’s the day we get ready and write the family so that we can just go out and rock and roll the rest of the week!!!:) This last week was sooo good, but it also flew by so fast. I can’t really remember what happened... hahaha. We celebrated the birthday of a hermana missionary in Llanquihue so we had our district meeting and surprised her!!:) Then we had intercambios with the elders of Puerto Varas and I stayed here with Elder Merchen. We had a sweet family home evening with the family Alvarado and the bishop’s family!!:)

Also we were working a lot on the activity we had here last Friday called the "fiesta de las naciones." We had U.S.A, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Brazil and Chile represented!!:) It was soooo fun and the members loved it so much!!:) The relief society really got into their country (China), it was so cool. Every organization was in charge of one of the countries. They had to do a food and a dance. It was really fun, and a bunch of families that we didn’t know got here so we could meet them!!:) Then on Saturday we had divisions with the other elders of Alerce. We found a less active family and it was really cool to meet Lesette Casanova and her family. The elders are going to be able to start helping that family!!:) Also today is Consuelo Alvarado’s birthday, so we are going to pass by and have FHE with them so that will be sweet!!:) And yeah this week we will have the conference with the Elder Christofferson here in Puerto Varas!!!:) I’ll let you know how that goes!!

No I didn’t see the Volcano Calbuco spewing any ash or anything... but yeah we are really close. That would be so cool to see!!:) (He said that Alerce is behind the cloud in the picture I sent him so that’s probably why they didn’t see it…) And Megs had her baby and now they have a family of 7!!! Like what??? He is so cute!!:)

I love the thought that you shared!! (The thought was from David O. McKay: "Man's greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others.") For my thought this week I just want to testify. I know the Lord uses us as his tools and his agents if we are ready. This last week on divisions we went to buy some french fries (because I was hungry) after we had a few hours of rough contacts and no one being home. So we started talking to the lady running the stand and she turned out being really interested and invited us to her house to visit her!!:) That was a cool example of how the Lord always uses us to do his work!!:)

Love you momma to infinity and beyond!!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners

Such a poser :)

Sunburned feet from p-day at the beach last week.

Another Week in Heaven!! :)

Hey Momma how are you doing this fine Monday??:) I’m glad that you liked the photos that I sent over to you this last week, and oh man it was such a cool experience to be able to baptize her. And now we are still working with her family helping them to reactivate and be strong in the church again. And also Pedro (one of the Alvarado's daughter’s boyfriend) our investigator came over this last week and help us cut the grass at our house and then he said that this week (like right now) we can go and teach him more because he really wants to learn more!:) He couldn’t meet with us this last week because he was really busy with work and family. But we also went and visited with Hno Alvarado and it was so cool because usually when he is in the house alone, he doesn’t really want to talk. But this last week he let us in. Now we have a lot more confidence with him and we had a really good time teaching and talking with him!!:)

Also we had intercambios this last week and I stayed here with Elder Brignone. He is from Utah and is a newer missionary and we taught a group of youth in a park. It was really cool. It was a really cool intercambio. Also we finally had our "capilla abierta" to show the church to the public. We didn’t have a ton of people that came, only like 6 people; but hey, that’s 6 more souls we have to work with and start sharing the gospel too!!!:)

Elvis and his family are doing really well. We are still teaching them and they want to be baptized!:) They are still a little hesitant to come to church so we just have to help them with this little challenge!!:) but I’m having so much fun in the mission. I love this work and the joy it brings to everyone included!!:)

Sorry I don’t have lots more time but thank you so much for the info on Chad. I’m glad he is doing better and yeah we talk almost every week!!:) and I’m SOOOO FRIGGEN HAPPY FOR CASS and the drill team!!:) I was the only one last year when they knew they were changing, that knew that they were going to win!!!:) ask mel!;) hahaha

Today we went to a beach called Llico Bajo and it was sooooo beautiful.... and we played soccer and ate chicken!!:) It was great!:) Hey sorry we don’t have much time today. I only am writing you and dad... can you tell everyone else I love them and talk next week?:)

Thank you for the thought and love you momma!!:) LOVE you to infinity and have a great week!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners

At Llico Bajo 

With Elder Brignone