Always Make Sure You Have the Keys!

Julia's baptism was on Saturday!! It was so purely wonderful. Julia has come such a long way and has waited for this day for so long! She first requested a Book of Mormon about one year ago. The Elders who taught her were Elder Hansmann and Elder Wilson, but after a month or so, Julia had to move to Sevierville, where I got to teach her! But due to situations outside of our control, she still wasn't able to be baptized. She received a priesthood blessing in which she was told to be patient. Little did we know just how patient we would all need to be. Julia moved back to Newport, and then the virus hit. In the meantime, I was transferred to the Newport area! And THEN this transfer, BOTH Elder Hansmann AND Elder Wilson were transferred BACK!! The Lord so perfectly orchestrated this baptism for Julia and being patient definitely paid off! All three of us were in attendance at her baptism.

I cannot describe how powerful the Spirit was, and we have the most supportive and wonderful members who helped us out and who have been supporting Julia. 

BUT. Before the baptism. We had quite the adventure. OK. Let's set the stage: Baptism is scheduled for 11:00 am, it is currently 8:30 am, and it takes 30 min to get to the church building. We had planned to go to the church early so we could fill the font, practice piano, finish writing a talk, and set up the chairs. Sister Blair and I were both carrying a bunch of stuff, and as we walked out the door I went to go unlock the car. But I didn't have the keys. I turned around RIGHT as Sister Blair was closing the door. "Did you lock it?", "Yep." And that's how we got locked out.

We thought it would be an easy fix, we have plenty of time, the Olsen's who have keys to ALL the apartments in the mission only live 45 minutes away, it'll be fine! But when we called Brother Olsen there was no answer. Sister Olsen? No answer. The APs? No response. At this point, it's 8:50.... and we have transfer calls at 9. So we just sat on our porch like sad little children with no keys to listen to transfers.

Please enjoy this intermission while we talk about transfers: I am SO sad to be leaving Dandridge! So many good things happened here, even if I didn't get to go tracting a single time! I will be leaving Sister Blair and going to Lebanon Tennessee! It's practically in Nashville, and it's right where the tornadoes hit earlier this year! I will be companions with Sister Allen, which I'm so excited about! But leaving the nicest house in the mission, which I'm not excited about.

Okay, welcome back! After having found out what was happening to us, our phone started ringing in the MIDDLE of the transfer call, so we just hung up and answered the incoming call. Hopefully we didn't get called on for the closing prayer, cause we definitely missed it! The call was from a member who was on their way to pick up Julia, but since they were going in the opposite direction, they couldn't help us. It's approximately 9:30 and we still don't have a way to get to the church building. We finally got a hold of the APs and they said they would try to send help, but we had lost all hope of driving ourselves up there. So we started calling members.

Luckily for us, the SWEETEST member lives just down the road and was SO kind that she dropped her entire Saturday morning to come rescue us, drive us to the church, stay for the baptism, and bring us home. She was such a life saver! She picked us up at around 10, but then missed the exit to the church building so what should have taken 30 min ended up taking almost 50. 

We finally made it to the church at 10:50, and we have the best Elders who came early and filled the font for us, so all is well! Elder Olsen finally got our message and unlocked our house and left the keys under the doormat for us while we were at the baptism, so at the end of it all, we made back INSIDE our home safe and sound. 

So the moral of the story is: ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE KEYS. 

Anyways. Sorry that took so long. And now I'm all written out. So just to summarize the rest of the week, I loved it, I know the gospel is true, and I have seen the changes that repentance can make in an individual's life! One of the ladies we are teaching has become almost a completely different person as she has begun studying the Book of Mormon and bible more, praying, she even fasted, and is recognizing the influence of the Holy Ghost more and more in her life. I know the gospel is true! I know the Book of Mormon is true! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

I love you all, but most importantly, I love the Lord! 

-Sister Shumway 

Mini Transfers and Walls of Rain

We had another mini transfer call on Saturday and Sister Blair and I get to stick around Dandridge together for at least another week until the next mini transfer. 

I witnessed an actual and literal wall of rain this week. We were driving back from District Council and as we approached the big huge storm clouds ahead of us, I could see the LINE where the completely dry pavement gave way to the POURING rain! It was so funny!!! When we hit it, I thought we had driven into a big huge waterfall! But we drove out of the rain almost as quickly as we drove into it, the South just can't decide what kind of weather it wants to have. 

The fireflies have been coming out more and more this week, but I haven't been successful in my attempts to catch one yet. . . any suggestions? 

Sorry that there isn't very much to report on this week, but just know that even in the face of very present opposition, the Lord continues to move His work forward. 

I want to share with all of you that I know my Savior, Jesus Christ, lives! I know that it is only because of and through Him that we have the opportunity to seek forgiveness of our many mistakes and one day return to live with our Heavenly Father. I know that the Book of Mormon and Bible are both scripture! They come from God, and will draw us closer to Him if we take the time and effort to read, study, and apply them!

 I love serving the Lord, I love you all, and I love the Lord! 

-Sister Shumway 

Two Decades Later

I'm so sorry that I didn't write an email last week!

Quick recap of last week: I had to say probably the hardest goodbye to the sweetest companion. It was especially hard because I felt like I was losing my best friend and I was genuinely scared about how I well I was going to get along with Sister Blair. When you leave a best friend, it just seems like there's no one else you could possibly get along with as well. But I was proven wrong in the best way possible. The Blair way! Sister Blair is amazing! She is so talented and funny and easygoing and we are just having a blast!  We have even been on dates with the same boy from home/college!!! What are the chances of that?! Haha!!

Last week we had the opportunity to watch the live stream of Elder Bergeson's memorial service. It was such a tender experience to hear how resilient and faithful his family is. 

We had our last interviews with President Pickett last week as well. It was quite sad. But I am also super excited to welcome the Grahams to Tennessee next transfer! 

OKAY. Back to the present. This week was pretty fantastic as well. We are seeing more and more and more success in our Facebook efforts. In fact, we found 6 new people to teach this week! Wow! (We haven't found that many people in a week since before this whole isolation thing started).` We have taught some amazing people who are so excited to be learning more, and we even got to plan a baptismal service! (Which is on hold until the virus goes away. . . . But still! It's all planned and ready to go!) 

We also had our last Pickett Zone conference this week. So sad. And so good! And so suffocating. We had to wear masks for like 5 hours straight. It was terrible. But guess what I learned from it? It is okay for your DESIRE to live and share the gospel to exceed your CAPACITY to do so. Because guess what? That's where the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ comes in: His Grace. He not only makes up for what we cannot do, but actually enables us and EMPOWERS us to do what He needs us to do! As long as we let Him. As long as we step back and hand Him the reigns and say "Okay. I'll go where you want me to go. I'll do what you want me to do. I'll be who you want me to be." (As dad would say it: "Just say OKAY!"). So don't get frustrated with yourself if you feel like you are falling short of your expectations of yourself. If your capacity is just a little lower than you'd like it to be.  LET THE LORD HELP. 

We also got to see the first fireflies of the summer!!! It was Sister Blair's first time seeing them and she just fell in love. I love the South for their fireflies. I could do without the million different kinds of wasps and nasty chiggers and ticks and swarms of mosquitoes and cockroaches. . . . But the fireflies almost make up for all that! 

Lastly, thank you all so much for such wonderful birthday wishes!!! I have never felt so spoiled in my life! I think the funniest part of it all was that my companion and I were fasting on Sunday for one of the people we are teaching, and as I opened presents throughout the day, 90% of them were snacks and treats and food! I love it all!! 

But to be honest, the best gift I got was being able to wear the tag that has my Savior Jesus Christ's name over my heart. To be His representative full-time for these 18 months. I will strive to be His representative full-time for the rest of my life, at all times and in all things and in all places. But there really is something especially powerful when you get to remove yourself from the distractions of the world. Especially during these sad and worrisome times. I had the privilege of talking to the most wonderful ray of sunshine-Sister Pickett yesterday, and she said, "there is nothing more fulfilling than serving a mission for the Lord." I have no words to describe how much love, joy, peace, and growth I have experienced here in Tennessee. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He restored His church to the earth in its fullness and it is under His direction. I know that the Book of Mormon is true! I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each and every one of us. We may not understand it yet, or even acknowledge that yet. But He does. He is so very involved in our lives. 

I love my mission. I love this gospel! I love you all, and I love the Lord!

-Sister Shumway