Itsy bitsy spider...

October 8-15, 2009

-Time continues to fly by for Shauna. She was able to be a Host to the new missionaries that arrived this week! 400 new missionaries arrived at the MTC. She helped two sisters go through the whole check-in process. She says "They were like a deer in headlights...I'm glad I was able to help them out and be their friend for their first hour at the MTC. Oh, and it was a rainy day yesterday so I wore my raincoat for the first time...love it!"

-Shauna's District has been going to the Referral Center each Friday. For a few hours they make and receive phone calls to those have visited mormon.org or lds.org and want to chat "live" with someone from the church. She reminds us "don't worry, I try to speak in my most womanly voice!" She says "almost like FB (facebook) chatting...but not. haha"! One of her calls found her talking to a "crazy guy" who immediately called her a devil worshipper and wanted to know where the cult was. She said, "it was scary." Luckily she was trained to pass the call to a supervisor. Then she chatted with a girl from Weber State University who wanted to know why she should go to the singles ward.

-Another district in her zone took off for the field this week. She said "There is only 1 district ahead of us to leave...and then ints my turn!! I honestly can't believe it. The MTC has flown by. I feel like I've been here about 4 weeks or so...and here I am leaving in 2.5 weeks! Eeeek! I am SOO excited to get into the field, but then part of me is like, wait, in 2.5 weeks I'll be the only one around who can speak english. Thats a little scary. But, I really just need to work hard and be diligent in my studies these next 3 weeks and continue to grasp onto Espanol as much as I can! My district now has 3 SYL days a week...meaning, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays we can only speak Spanish. It's really making us learn the language quick!"

-No news about travel plans yet. Supposedly 10 days before departure they will get their plans. Lots of missionaries are having problems getting visas. "No bueno" she says. She is excited to get her flight plans.

-"Jesus the Christ" has been her focus for personal study time. "It is an amazing book!! SO good."

-"So, the other night I was laying on my bed writing in my journal and outta the corner of my eye I saw something move on the wall. I look over and less than a foot away from me is this huge, nast spider thing. I immediately get up and shout to my roommates there's a bug. One of my roommates, Sister Magalay, is this Somoan girl, comes right over and kills the spider like it's no big deal. Umm...I really hope I have a companion like her down in Paraguay to do all that stuff for me. I really think it's the Lord trying to prep me to go down there and get over my fears...but honestly, I just can't handle bugs. If I see any more bugs by my bed I'll be tempted to get my canopy bug net out early and use it now!! :)"

-To wrap it up she says, "I love this church. I realize the more I study and learn about it, it just makes sense. It's logic. And, it's true. I am so grateful and feel so blessed to have it in my life."