Happy New Year!

Hola, todos. Como estan?

Anyways, things are going okay for the most part. Christmas just barely passed, and it was fun, for the most part. Except for a small number I saw, I had a lot of fun this last Saturday. Here's essentially what happened this week.
We've had a program called the Living Christmas card going on in our ward, and here's how it worked. We would receive cards from ward members, and deliver them, as well as "Stories of Christmas" DVDs to the neighbors for these members. That has occupied the majority of our last two weeks, and it's been sometimes hard to do. We actually had cards that were well over 3 miles away from us UPHILL. That wouldn't have been fun if we had to bike all the way up there, but, thankfully, the ZLs didn't need to use their car for that time, and se we used it one day, and knocked out a large chunk of the cards. We put about 17 miles on their car, which they probably weren't too happy about, but it helped us out a ton. That occupied us from Tuesday till Friday night, so we didn't get much done in terms of missionary work.
On Saturday, I woke up, and went straight for my small present pile from home. I got some good stuff, including a sweater, two new t-shirts, a home haircut kit (really useful), and a Settlers of Catan expansion (We're allowed to play board games out here on P-Day, for those who don't know). I haven't yet used that expansion, but I plan on using it a lot on and off the mission, so I'm happy with that. Also, I got a picture of a gift I couldn't get sent out here: The Complete Calvin & Hobbes collection, a 3-book set of every Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, for all ten years of its circulation. I'm happy for that, and will enjoy it a lot when I go home. Anyways, we didn't do much missionary work on Christmas, but we got to spend the evening with a family called the Buterbaughs. They are all really good cooks, and they made some awesome food. It was fun, but when I secretly stepped on their scale, I saw that "small" number. (192.8) I have NEVER seen that number in my life. I am incredibly disappointed with myself, and am doing my best right now to lose weight. It's not going to be easy, especially since I hate working out, but I'll have to do it, for the sake of not being overweight.
Also, the call home was awesome. It lasted for about 2 and a half hours. Although the "White Bible" Missionary Handbook says only 30 to 45 minutes, our mission president said we can take "as much time as we need to feel satisfied." So, 2 and a half hours satisfied me. We talked about a ton of different things, I got to talk to everyone at the house, and learned so much about what's been going on. It was so much fun, that I want to call them up right now. But, I can't. I'll get to do it again on Mother's Day, but that's not for another five months. Around then, I'll have been out on my mission for 11 months, almost a year. Isn't it funny how fast time flies? Well, I better not focus on time, or else I'll make myself trunky.
As for Sunday, it was a fairly regular sunday. Not much. Monday, we did service. I personally wasn't too happy that we lost some valuable time on P-Day, but one thing that this transfer has definitely taught me thus far, is that missionary work always has precedence over your personal wants. That's definitely going to help me out. However, on Monday, I was feeling pretty lonely. I wanted to play Settlers of Catan really badly, but no one else did, and we didn't do anything at all. I was feeling pretty down, and feeling almost sorry for myself, because I realized I haven't really connected with the elders in my apartment. I want to, but they're so different from me that it's almost a bit hard. But, I'll keep trying. This week is looking to be better, anyways.
Well, that's about it. I hope all of you are doing well, Les quiero, and take care.

With Love

El Buen Pastor.

Missed Email, and missed week

Hey everyone

Sorry for not getting an email out last week. The computer I was using was being very problematic, and so I lost a ton of time, and had to end. But, here's my update,
I've been transferred to Northridge, CA, english work. I know that I'm supposed to be a Spanish-only missionary, but I guess I need to be here for some reason. I love the ward thus far. They're all really nice. But, the only gripe I have thus far is that things seem much stricter and a tighter ship around here. I loved the lax nature of Spanish work to a certain extent, so I won't miss English work when I'm done.
My companion's name is Elder Bills. He's also from Farmington, and we knew each other at one point. I've had some problems with him recently, and so I am scared that we may not be able to work as hard, but I'm doing my best to get along with him, so things should be okay, I hope.
As for last week, I was really sick. I was getting sick on Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday, I got hit by a truck. It was awful. I was like that until Saturday. I feel fine now, but it wasn't too fun.
Today was pretty fun, though. We went to the LA Temple. It's a really beautiful building, and the new Visitor's Center is really cool. There'll be pictures on the next SD card home, but that won't be for a while.
Well, I have another quick email to write, so I gotta go. Until next week, les amo, y que les vaya bien!

Love

Elder Shepherd

Last Week, and my 6 month mark

Yes,

You read the title right. This Thursday, I will have hit my 25% mark on the mission. It surprises me, too. I seriously can't believe that I'm already at 6 months. I couldn't believe it when I hit my first month mark in the MTC. It feels like forever ago and just like it was yesterday. Time really flies fast on the mission. But, enough about time, I'll probably reflect back on it when I hit my year mark.
As for the last week comment, this coming Monday marks the end of another transfer. I'm guessing that I'm gone, since I got a new companion at the start of this transfer. How it works is that you'll usually be in an area for a while, being familiarized with the area by someone who already knows it, then they leave, and you get someone new. You familiarize them, and then move on. I don't control the transfers, so I'm still guessing as to whether I'm leaving or not. I'm about 75 percent sure I'm gone, though, so if you want to send me letters or packages, hold off until next week, when I say whether I'm still in Van Nuys, or somewhere else. I'll have new information this week.
As for what happened last week, I'll go about it like this. On P-Day, we went to the church and played dodgeball. It was way fun. I was being pretty beastly on the court, if you ask myself. My comp even said I was playing good. I love dodgeball, but that, like all other things, comes to an end. On Tuesday, it was pretty normal as far as I can remember. The same with Wednesday. On Thursday, we went on exchanges with Elder McElderry and Torres. I went with Elder Torres into his area, and we got a missed lesson, and a dinner. The dinner was interesting because they had a mexican TV show on called El Chavo. It was weird because I couldn't understand a lot of it, but it was funny because one of the characters made some pretty hilarious faces. That was odd.
On Friday, it was fairly normal. Saturday was a slow day because on Friday, my comp tried to backflip off his bed, lying on his back, but it didn't go well, and he landed on his neck. He's fine, but Sister Martin told him to stay inside that day. Sunday was fairly normal. We had the Christmas devotional, though, and I got to watch it in English. I really miss English. I like Spanish, but I've been craving some English. As for yesterday, it was fairly dull. We went to another chapel to play indoor soccer, but I got placed on crappy teams, so that wasn't too fun. Then, we had to go to a dinner at the very unsanitary house of a less-active member. I faked being sick, but I didn't do a very good job. I think I made her mad, but I didn't want to eat the food, so I had to do something.
That's about it. I'll let you guys know next email what the transfers entailed.

Con Mucho Fuerte Amor

Elder Shepherd

No Time

Sorry, I don't have time to talk. I gotta go. I will email more next week. But this picture is for all you Big Bang Theory fans.

Elder Shepherd

[I think Elder Shepherd had a lot of personal emails to respond to this week. I know I sent him two myself. Oops! But he did reply to my emails, so I'll put a section of what he told me about his Thanksgiving on here. Coming from a sisterly point of view, I'm glad to see this picture. I miss seeing him. We haven't seen pictures from him since he was in the MTC. He is promising that he will send his SD card home. Expect more pictures when we get it!]

Hey Em.

I know I already sent you an email, but you sent me two, so I should only return the favor.

Yeah, for Thanksgiving, we had a lunch with a member in another elder's area, and, since Thanksgiving isn't the greatest day to go out working, we watched the new Sherlock Holmes. (Chastise me if you want, my District Leader watched it, too) It's a good movie. Also, we went to the Bishop's house for dinner. Their dinner wasn't nearly as good as the lunch, but they did have pumpkin pie flavored cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. That was SO GOOD! I know cheesecake isn't healthy at all for you, but I couldn't resist.
I miss butt rolls. I haven't had them in so long. I finally made myself not lazy and made tacos last night, though. So good. I've been craving those for the longest time. 12-layer jello also sounds really good right now. I really love Thanksgiving. By the way, what is this missionary calendar you talk of. I certainly haven't heard anything of that. Have you guys been counting down the days until I come home? That is a bad idea (mainly because it makes me want to count days, too). I won't tell you to not do it, but it'll only make the time go slower for you guys. I've got 734 days in the mission, and if I've done 165, I'm already getting closer to coming home. I bet you guys will be excited for that, as am I. But, let's not dwell on the future for now.
You bet your biscuits I'm calling home on Christmas. The good thing about that is that I'll be able to call straight from our cell phone. Normally, we'd have to do it at a member's house, but since it's on a weekend, we get lucky, and can call from anywhere. I'm thinking of calling you guys around 7:00 PM Utah time on Christmas day. I have to coordinate with dad, but I'm sure that shouldn't be too big of a problem. As for what I want for Christmas, I'm still coming up with some ideas. I already know a few, and I'll tell them to dad, but I don't know when. I do know, though, that I'm sending my SD card home soon (probably tomorrow, even), so keep an eye for that. I've got some interesting photos and videos, to say the least.

Well, thanks a ton for your prayers, and I'll keep all of you in mine. Love you.

Elder Shepherd

P.S. my main email may or may not have a few pictures in it. It all depends if this computer will cooperate.

Week number 4 of transfer 3

Hey y'all

Things aren't really changing around here. I've been doing okay, but things are still pretty much the same. We haven't been able to get any new investigators, really, and our current ones are still going so so. I wish I had more to say, but I really don't. Except, actually, for last night. We were doing family home evening with a less-active family, and their 3-year old son was acting up because their DS wasn't working, and nobody wanted to help him. He was crying the whole time, and abusing the DS like crazy. It somewhat depressed me that the kid was spoiled a bit, but a little more when I saw the poor DS taking that abuse. Is that a bad thing? Aww, whatever. It's probably nothing. Well, that's about it, so I'll talk to you all later.

Love, amor

Elder Shepherd

Here's my new year's resolution (In November)

So,

We haven't been having the best weeks, lately. The problem is that Elder Adamovich has insomnia, and so he doesn't get the greatest sleep in the world. He usually sleeps past 7:15, and so that's been a problem. It's not for him, since he has medical permission to do so, but it's a problem for the rest of the people in the apartment because it's contagious. We have been trying hard to get up, but it has so far been unsuccessful. We are going to try, however, from now on to get up, and work out at 6:00 AM. It's really hard, but I have 15 pounds of weight to lose, so I'll do anything to do it. Also, proselyting work hasn't been too great, so we're making a resolve to up our efforts in that. So yeah, there's my November years resolutions.
As far as the work, we haven't been getting much different. We found a less-active family, and we're trying to bring them back to church. As for our investigator, she came to church, but her autistic son was acting up, and so she excused herself and left. I was really disappointed when that happened, because she's progressing really well. We're praying that something good happens soon, though.
That's about it for this week. Stay tuned till next week.

Con amor

Elder Shepherd

Emailing on a Wednesday

Wednesday Email!!!

Yeah, we were supposed to email yesterday, but that didn't work out because the car elders had no free time for email. So, we're doing it today. Not too bad, though. Anyways, here's my update.
The area has been doing okay since the transfer. We got one of our solid investigators to come to church. She said she really liked it, and we have now begun teaching her the commandments. She is progressing really well, especially since she's already in the late Mosiah chapters. We're still shooting for her baptism this month, and things are looking up. However, we've noticed that our ward isn't as strong as what it should be, so we are going to focus this transfer a ton on less-actives. We're hoping that if we can re-invigorate the ward with some more members attending, things will start picking up.
As for any funny experiences, we decided to regress to childhood and make a fort on P-day. I've got some awesome pictures that I expect will be posted on my mission blog when I send the card home. Keep an eye out for those.
Well, that's about it, I'm almost out of time, and I got some more stuff to do, so, I'll talk to you all later.

Con amor

Elder Shepherd

New Transfer, New Companion, Same Area

Hey Everyone

This week was transfer week, so that means I'm now two transfers out of sixteen down. I'm not really trying to count, but I guess it just happens. I'm really excited because this week has been fun. Mainly because it was Halloween. I'll have to probably keep this short because I'm running out of time.
On Friday, we had a ward activity called Trunk-or-Treat. Elder Houghton and I chose not to go because it didn't seem to get much promotion, and sounded a bit lame. We chose to work, and eat dinner at a member's house. She said it was actually pretty fun. Serves us for our pre-conceived notions. On Saturday, because that was the day that we get our transfer/leadership calls, Elder Houghton gets a call that says he's leaving, I'm staying, and that he's going Zone Leader. I was excited for him, but also sad because he's come to be a really good friend. We stayed inside on Saturday packing. Later that night, we bought pizza from Costco, and had a small district party. We ate, played Settlers of Catan, and, don't freak out, watched a movie. We only watched it because proselyting on Halloween is pretty risky. It's the new version of "Bridge to Terabithia." If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's pretty cool. On Sunday, it was a lazy Sunday because we didn't have much energy. We continued packing, and had our regular dinner. Nothing too eventful. Yesterday, Elder Houghton left around 2:30, and Elder Adamovich, my new companion, came in around 3:00. We came inside, and played Magic the Gathering for about two hours. I should stop playing it because I'm starting to like it, and I don't need a trading card game to blow money on. Elder Adamovich is actually a really cool guy. He was actually my former Zone Leader for these last two transfers, and so he had to be released from that. He's pretty cool, though. He works a bit differently than Elder Houghton, but I imagine I'll be just fine.
Unfortunately, I don't have much else to report. The area has been fine, and we are going to start extending baptismal commitments. We haven't been doing it because for some reason Elder Houghton thinks that it'll be kinda pushy on our investigators, but we have to do it at some point. So, we're going to be doing a lot of that these next few weeks. That's about it. Thanks everyone for your support, and I'll still try my best to keep you guys up to date.

Con Amor

Elder Shepherd

Last week of transfer two

Hey everyone.

I'm just about out of time for this email, so I'm gonna have to be quick.As far as investigators, we've found a high school grad kid thatmy companion thinks could easily be baptized. That's a rarity, becausehe said that he never says that about anyone unless he's sure, andhe's been out about a year, so I trust his judgement. As for ourother investigators, nothing really. We've been working on them, butit's going a bit slower than we'd like.As for my apartment life, a funny experience happened to ourpraying mantis, Max. We stuck a snail in there, and, like always, hetried to take him out. However, his claw got stuck in the snail, thesnail retracted, pulling the claw in, and then proceeding to spray Maxwith slime bubbles. We had to spray him with water because we thoughtthat he'd suffocate. He's still alive, but I think his pride got hurta bit with that snail. It was funny, but I'm coming to be kindaattached to Max. It's weird. Also, I got a new board game calledPandemic recently. It's a fun game. Also, whenever I have time atnights after proselyting time, and on P-days, I'm making a board gameof my own. I know it sounds weird, but having something like that tolook forward to working on keeps me somewhat sane. I'll let you knowhow things are going with it soon.I don't have much more time, so I gotta go. I'll talk to you alllater, and please...PLEASE stay cool, y'all.

Con Mucho Fuerte Amor

Elder Shepherd

Another Week, I guess

Man, hombres

Things are kinda sluggin' along here. This transfer has really been somewhat slow for me. It's still only the second, but it's been a bit slow. We haven't really found anything different ever since last week. So, I guess that I don't have much to add. Except that our pet praying mantis fully devoured a bee one day, and I watched the whole thing. It was the most intriguing thing I've ever seen. He literally tore pieces from it. Nothing was left, no legs, no stinger, no nothing. It was cool.
That's about it, I guess. Watch for next week, where I'll try to post some pictures from my SD card. Stay tuned

Con amor

Elder Shepherd

4 months already?!

Hola mis amigos.

Like the title to the email says, I have already been away from home for four months. I really can't believe that. The time is going by way too fast. I got to the MTC thinking that two years would be forever, but I blink and I'm a sixth of the way through. Man, time is so unforgiving sometimes. Well, that's enough of my time spiel.
I've got the wonderful news that we have a baptism date at last. We've been working with an awesome investigator from our now-defunct English classes, and we challenged her to be baptized. She said she still has to learn, but we know that she'll be ready when the time comes. I'm really very excited for this. We also got a new investigator who has a ton of questions about life. He has been going through some really tough times in his life, and we think that the Gospel is just what he needs, especially since he has the question of which church would be the best for him. We're going to keep working with him, and see if we can get his questions answered.
As for me, I've got a cool story. On Sunday night, my companion was outside doing jump rope, and we say a preying mantis walking by. We caught it, and stuck it in an empty pretzel jar. His name is Max, and he's awesome. Yesterday, we put a moth and a pill bug in the jar, and when we came back, only the wings and the pill bug's shell were left. I even got video of when he caught the moth in his scythes. It was cool. Maybe you'll get to see it when I said my SD card back. But, I've still got a ton of pictures that need to be taken, so we'll see.
Well, that's my update. I hope all is well with all of you, and I look forward to more great weeks here in the SF Mission.

Les amo

Elder Shepherd

One more week gone, three more investigators

Hey everyone,
 
     So conference this weekend was awesome. I actually found it easier to listen in on it this time than I ever had in the past. Let's face it, if you are able to sit in on over four hours of class in the MTC every day, you are able to withstand practically anything. That, however, didn't stop me from getting a little heavy-eyed. I tried so hard not to fall asleep, but sometimes, the body does what the body does. I didn't fall all the way asleep though. And I did get some great messages out of the apostles and First Presidency. It really was awesome, and hopefully I won't fall asleep, I mean, shut my eyes the next conference.
     As for the area, we have just finished our English classes, and two of the regular students asked us to keep teaching them privately. Naturally, we're going to be teaching them English, but we're also using it as prime time to teach them the gospel. One of them had actually come in contact with missionaries before, and had a Book of Mormon. It was from forever ago, though, so we don't know whether she got dropped or not. We'll find out. As for the third, we were passing by a street one night, and she was out playing soccer with her son. We passed by, said hi, and found out she was actually being evicted from her house. She was housing a few friends, and they had agreed to pay their portion of the rent. But, she woke up one morning, and they were gone, and she couldn't pay, so she got evicted. We helped her move the next day, with the help of an awesome member, and she actually called us this morning to ask if we could stop by. If you ask me, that sounds pretty golden. I'm hoping that we pass by her soon and teach her more. As for our other investigators, it's becoming really hard to keep in contact with them, especially since Elder Houghton's bike got stolen. We've been forced to going on foot, which slows us down tremendously. We're just going to have to be a bit more careful with our planning. We're thinking about buying Razor Scooters, because they are cheap, you can take them into the house with you, and they're faster than walking. The other companionship in my apartment actually already have scooters, so we're thinking of copying them. But, we'll see. I still have my bike, so I may not have to buy one.
     That's about it for things going on around here. We are still working, and loving it. I really think that the mission is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. It's definitely the hardest thing ever, but it's the most rewarding ever.  Well, that's my opus.
 
Elder Shepherd.

A new week, a new transfer, a-nother bike stolen

So yeah

This is the beginning of the second week of the transfer. Where has the time been going? Things go by way too fast out here. But, I'll tell a little bit about what's happened out here. Which would be nothing. We're still working hard towards getting some of our investigators to baptism, but haven't been having much luck. Their schedules fluctuate so much that it's so hard to keep track of where everyone is at one time. So, things have mostly been the same for the past few weeks. But, I love the work I'm doing, so that's all that matters, right? As for the bike, it actually happened this morning. We had locked our bikes up to a pole for a lesson, and we knocked on the investigators door, hoping to get in. But, they didn't answer, and so we left. We were at the door for maybe 3 minutes, we came back, and Elder Houghton's bike was gone. He is not too happy with that. Thankfully, my bike was still there, which I'm really happy for. If it had been stolen, I don't know what I'd have done. But, the lock was stolen with it. I don't know why, considering how they had to break the lock to do it. But, these people are real weirdies sometimes, so I can't blame them. But, I'm still doing fine, and all is still well.

Elder Shepherd

One transfer down, 15 more to go.

Just for the record, I'm not going to begin every new transfer email with that line. I'm only doing it to show that I'm no longer in my first transfer. For those who may not know, a transfer is a six-week period that you serve in your proselyting area. At the end of six weeks, you are either transferred to a new area, given a leadership calling, or simply stay in your area. I'm staying in my area, so my address is going to be the same until Nov. 1st, at least.
As far as the work goes, not too much has been going on. I will say, though, that we got ourselves in a very interesting lesson with some people who claimed to have Christ in their lives, but not organized religion. Seriously? If there's no organization, it's chaos. Anyone remember what happened in Lord of the Flies, perchance? Ah, whatever. I don't care too much. They said that if it's not in the Bible, they won't believe it. We could've shown them verses in the Bible that say that there was other scripture to come forth, but they wouldn't have believed us anyway. We dropped them like a hot potato, unfortunately. It really kills me when some people think that the Gospel is seriously not important enough for them to listen to. It bugs me, but people aren't forced to change, so life goes on.
I really don't have anything else to comment on, so I'll catch you all later.

A new week, some new investigators.

Hey everyone

So this week has been way too fast. I barely blinked last week at email time, and now I'm sitting here in the library, writing out another email. The time goes by way too fast. But, I'll give the quick rundown of what is going on here in Van Nuys.
Like the title said, we've been finding a lot, and got some great new investigators. One of them is the Escriba family. They were contacted about a year ago by missionaries, and they were forgotten or something. It's really solid teaching them. They've accepted a Book of Mormon, and we're going to check on them tonight to see whether they have been doing their family reading, and teach them a lesson. However, with new investigators, comes some dropped ones. We have not been able to get in contact with Tony for a while, and so we've dropped her. I feel really bad about that. We're trying desperately to get in contact with Rosi's full family, but she's usually working. I hate jobs, now. Always interrupting the work. But, we haven't dropped them yet, so we're working on them. Also, yesterday, on P-Day, after 6:00 and we were out tracting, we taught 2 lessons. That's actually really good for a P-Day. We're hoping that something good comes out of those lessons.
That's basically it for the people, now for experiences, directly form my journal. On Thursday, we knocked a door, and the woman living there was being taught by two Jehovah's Witnesses. We joined the conversation, but didn't get to teach anything. They were on the soapbox, and we just sat back. From what Elder Houghton told me, they were teaching a good majority of the same doctrine we believe in, other than God is Jehovah, Jesus is just a prophet, and only 144,000 people will be redeemed in the Kindgom of Heaven. It was wierd, because we wanted to talk, but didn't get the chance. We did learn, though, not to teach like them. One of the women hogged the entire lesson, and read it entirely from a scripted JW book. It was funny, almost. But it was mostly boring. Great lesson for our teaching later on. On friday we had Zone Conference. I wasn't really listening that much :) , but I did get some good parts out of it. Thank heavens we had that though, because when we came back, our bikes were stolen. Yeah, that sucks. But all is good now. One of the soon-to-be-departing missionaries gave me his bike, and we are good. (Mom, Dad, don't you dare send me money to buy a new bike) Then, on Saturday, Elder McElderry woke up, and told us something wierd that happened while he was asleep. He was talking in his sleep, and Elder Ball said, "First, you said, 'No tiene nada!' (You don't have anything!), then, he growled, and said, 'Shiver me timbers!'" I laughed SO HARD at that. Ahh, the funny things that happen in a mission. Also, our black widow spider has made an egg sack. Everyone is getting pretty tense about that. We taped the lid shut, but Elder Houghton wants it burned. I kinda want to see it hatch. But, I don't know. We'll probably burn it.
That's about it for what's been happening out here, and I look forward to writing more next week. Talk to all of you later.

Elder Shepherd

Letter to home on 9/7

Hey everyone.

I'm trying something new this week. I'm going to give a quick report of what has happened this past week, and send that to all of you. I'm not sure what it'll result, but I'm going to give it a quick go.
As for what has happened this past week, we've really been going at it. We found a new family to teach. The father is Jorge, and he lives with his two children, and possibly his mother. We've taught them the first lesson, and plan to continue to teach them more. They sound really solid. He has a lot of questions about the church, and agreed with us when we showed him the Restoration movie, saying, "Yeah, it's kinda like Joseph Smith said. How can we know which church is true if there are so many?" I'm getting really excited for them.
We also found another family that was contacted about a year ago, started taking the lessons, the missionaries were transferred out, and the new ones never got in contact with them. We ran into them again with a tract, and we're going to be teaching them again. They said that they've been reading the BoM together ever since we came back, and so I'm getting really excited.
Also, our other family, Rosi and them. We haven't been able to get a solid appointment in where all of them can be together at the same time. We taught their son and daughter last night, but we didn't cover a ton. Because, well, they're 12 and 17. Not too much that we can work with there. But, we'll continue to stop by, and teach them more. I'm hoping for a good breakthrough with them soon.
Our other investigator, Tony, we haven't been able to see her recently. She works late-night shifts, and sleeps a majority of the day, and so she's really hard to get in touch with. We haven't talked to her for a while, and I'm itching to get back and teach her more. It's so odd to me that the mission can do this much to me, but it's cool.
That's basically the gist of what's happened. Yesterday, for P-day, though, we went to the Burbank Town Center, which is a huge indoor/outdoor mall. That was fun, and while we were there, I bought a game of Settlers of Catan. I miss playing that game, and so it'll be fun to be able to play it on P-Days. I'm trying to remember some event that happened this past week, but I can't really think of it at this point. If I remember it, I'll include it in next week's email. But, until next time, talk to y'alls later. (My trainer is from Texas, and he's been using that word a while. It's creeping into my head. :S)

Andy, Ferrari & Susan

Hey All!

First off, Details have been a bit sparse from me concerning the field, so I'll try and cover everything I can remember. When I got here, I was taken directly from the airport to the mission home. It's a nice house about a half hour from here. While there, I met President and Sister Martin. They are both pretty cool. Sister Martin has a funny running joke among everyone about eating fiber. Just to say I am, I've bought double fiber bread. Won't she be proud? I've never been so regular before. (TMI, yo se) We went through (boring) orientations, and I met my companion/trainer, Elder Houghton. Later that day, we came back to the apartment, had dinner, and went to English classes. Those were very fun, and still are. That's pretty much it for my first day.

Now, about Elder Houghton. He's from Dallas, Texas. He grew up a Mormon, but attended a Jewish private school. He has a strong testimony, and a strong work ethic. He's been pushing me out of my comfort zone to train me, and although I'll hate him in the moment, it's all for my benefit, so he and I are cool. He's become one of my best friends, and I know I'll keep in contact with him after the mish. Also, we have two other elders living in our apartment. One is Elder Ball, and the other is Elder McElderry. Elder Ball actually lives in Farmington, and we went to Farmington Jr. and Viewmont together. He remembers me from Jr. High, but I didn't :P He acts a bit immaturely, but he's a hard worker. Elder McElderry is from Arkansas. I don't know a lot about him, but he's an excellent card magician. He knows tons of card tricks, and performs them to us routinely. I know what you're thinking "52 card decks aren't supposed to be owned by Elders." President Martin has no problem with it, so it's okay. He has a trick where he tells you to fan out an invisible deck of cards, pick out a card invisibly, "turn" it face up amongst the face down cards, put them back in the invisible box, and give it to him. You tell him your card, and he takes the invisible box, turns it visible (by turning up the box of cards he hides in his hand), pulls out the cards, fans them out face up, and notices one card face down among the pack, and oh my gosh, it's the card you "Picked" and "turned upside down." I have no idea how he does it, but it's freaky! And cool. I'll video it sometime, and send it to you guys. That's basically it for the Elders I live with.

Now for the apartment, and it's funny little quirks. It's a nice little apartment complex, and our apartment is actually pretty big. I don't want to guess in case I'm wrong. When you walk in, the kitchen is on the left, and the never-used table on the right. Just past those to the right is Elder Ball & McElderry's room and bathroom. To the left is the main living room. It's got two sofas, a weight set, a desk and a supplies cabinet. Left of that is our room. We clearly got the master bedroom because our bathroom is bigger, and the bedroom, and we have a huge walk-in closet. So I'm happy about that. Now some unique things... On the table is a bottle/pretzel jar that live black widow spiders in it. (With a lid on of course) There were originally 3 in it, and their names were Andy, Ferrari, and Susan. We caught a 4th one recently, and, because it's so huge, we names it Viagra, LOL! Anyways, we woke up one morning, and Viagra was eating Susan. So yeah, it's now Andy Ferrari and Viagra. So yeah, he's a little monster. Also, there was a hamster named James Lively here. Since he was escaping from his box a lot, and we didn't want or have time to take care of him, we gave him to another companionship. Also, my room's window is broken. I don't know how, but it is. It kinda sucks, but life goes on. That's basically my apartment in a nutshell.

My daily schedule is usually different every day, so I can't give a solid outline for what I do, but here it is. We wake up at 6:30pm, have breakfast, and just get ready for the day. At 8-11, studies. After that we go work. We usually return home around 1 or 2 for lunch. Then, we work some more until dinner around 6-7. Then, at 7:20, we go to the church for English classes. We've been doing them Monday thru Friday, and they're free. We're hoping to get them switched to investigator status soon, but I'm not seeing much progress with that. But, my comp says it's the right thing, so I can wait. Also I don't know who said I'd have a on of referrals, and that I wouldn't be tracting a whole lot, but we've got O referrals, and whenever we don't have appointments (Which usually they fall through, anyway) we're tracting. Not the vision I had, but it's ok. Just another day in paradise. Oh by the way, the members feed us every so often. A popular dish of theirs is called mole (pronounced mo-lay) DON'T EAT IT! It's their crappy spin-off of barbecue chicken. The sauce tastes like burnt chocolate mixed with some incredibly bitter food. It's terrible. But since we don't want to offend them, we eat it all, say it was awesome, and get out before they notice we start gagging. Also, we had dinner with a family last night (awesome members, BTW) and after I had eaten, I thought that the meat they used was odd in taste. Then, my companion leaned over, and said in a whisper, "Who did that DOG meat taste?" I acted calmly, and said, "I thought it tasted weird." So yes, I've eaten a puppy :'( I don't know IF it was a puppy, but it was dog! So that's my basic schedule.

As far as memorable experiences, here's three. First, on my second night here, we were leaving from dinner, and a priest walks by. Not knowing that fact, my comp goes up to contact him. Then, we get into a 10-minute bash about stuff Joseph Smith "prophesied" about that he said never came to pass, telling that all prophecies from prophets in the Bible came to pass. That's not true, but those guys never listen.
Second, we passed a minister on the street, started a contact, he said he didn't agree with points in the Book of Mormon. and how Joseph Smith told the saints to leave out west. About the Book of Mormon, Elder Houghton tried to get him to say what he didn't agree with, and he kept saying "It's personal." He just didn't have anything to say on that matter. As for the immigration, Elder Houghten explained that if they hadn't, they'd have been killed. He tried to re butt, but his argument was a shot. The last is the funniest! I started a contact with this guy passing by, while Elder Houghton was talking with someone else. He kept telling me to stop going around confusing people. After about 5 minutes, Elder Houghton joins in and I was very happy to give him the reins. I'd have probably been destroyed if I did it all alone. Anyway, this guy was saying how everyone gets the chance to hear the Gospel, or Christ, as he put it. Elder Houghton, who's actually been to Africa and Asia, said that there are tons of people who die over there without even knowing, "what a Christ is," and he tried to say that they never got the chance in this life. He tried to explain the Spirit World, but this guy wouldn't let us talk. He simply said, "No, No, they had their chance." We asked how. First, he said that since their parents had the chance, but rejected it, their children had the chance through them. What?? Then, he said that people went over to preach Christ to them. Elder Houghton reaffirmed the above point, and he just kept saying no. After about 15minutes of mostly him saying no, he said "Be quiet, Be quiet. I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ." We shut up, all right. It was all we could do to keep from laughing. He said something, Elder Houghton tried to follow up, but we both saw he was a lost cause, and left him. The first thing I said was, "When he gets to the Spirit World, his reaction I would pay money to see." Ah, good times.

Well, Love all of dang y'all.

Elder Shepherd

1st letter & picture with mission president!

Click on letter to enlarge

Video to Home

He's a goof :) But we love him!

MTC Pictures!

Here they are! The long awaited pictures! Sorry it took so long! Marcus left for California on wednesday. We haven't heard from him. We are waiting for a new address to write him emails and letters. Enjoy these photos!Elder Shepherd and his companion, Elder Grandy.

Drinks that other elders left behind his mirror.

Marcus loves homestar runner. We're assuming he did this in class while he was bored haha

Marcus and Blaine. A great friend from our ward who left a week before him to Texas (Spanish Speaking)

Their impression of Abbey Road (Beatles cover album)

Marcus & Blaine

This elder has his bear praying with him. That bear is 19 years old and he can't sleep without it! Marcus said they did a lot of stuff to the bear to tease the elder!

Apparently they like Cactus Cooler!

Headed to California

Hey everyone. So, this is the last thing I'm writing in the MTC. I leave on Wednesday, and I'm ready to leave. I'm so done with 4+ hours of class daily, a lack of different activities, and BYU hamsters (the chicken cordon-bleu). Also, I am ready for a new companion. I love Elder Grandy, but I'm ready for someone new. As for the last week here, here's how it goes:

Monday: Just a typical P-day. But, we went to the temple for the 6am session. There was NO ONE there, practically. So we got through that quickly.
Tuesday: The devotional was awesome. The speakers gave the great advice of, "No recuerdo!" (Google translate that one, you'll LOL!)
Wednesday: I hosted new elders again. I got one going to Sweden, I believe, and one from Australia. So, I'm not even sure what else new I can say.
Thursday: My final TRC. I thought it was our best. Mainly because we used Starbursts to explain the law of tithing :)
Friday: a typical Friday, but the LGM was nothing new.
Saturday: I realized I was ready to leave. Crazy.
Sunday: Some elders were leaving on Monday. We spent the whole day with each other. It's amazing how much you can bond with someone in just two months.

So, nothing too much is happening ahorita(right now). I'm just packing, and I'll next be writing home from California. Until next time, see ya, and HAZ LO JUSTO (just do it!).

*Side Note: I spoke with Marcus on the phone this morning. It was great to hear from him. He was at the airport, boarding his plane within the hour. He said he was excited to go to California but a little nervous. He said he would just use the words "No Recuerdo!" until he could understand or talk in Spanish. He is a little nervous about the language, but feels that he will be lead by the spirit. I asked him if he was nervous about the food, he said "If it's any better than the food at the MTC, I'm sure I will live!" Haha he did mention that he loved the BYU creamery ice cream every sunday and Wednesday. So he is well. We're proud of him!*

Last week at the MTC!

So, I’ve gotten the unfortunate news that my blog hasn’t been getting a lot of attention, but that’s because I haven’t been supplying any material. I stopped doing it by email because 30 minutes of computer time seemed like a long time, but really it isn’t. I’ve been getting quite a few emails lately, so I haven’t had much time to write a blog one. Hopefully, when my dad reads this, he’ll compose and email, forward it to everyone who wants to read it, then post it on the blog. You’d better, dad!

So, my last week began today, the 2nd, and I’m super pumped to get out of the MTC/Spiritual Prison! LOL! Anyways, P-day on the 26th was, meh. Just a regular day. But an unexpected letter from a good friend made it so much better. That made my day, especially when I stayed up till 11:15pm just to respond to it. Tuesday was meh too. The devotional was good though. I always enjoy those. Wednesday, I hosted new elders for the first (of two) times. I hosted an elder going to Sweden, and a Tongan elder going to Peru. It was fun because I watched them go through all the stuff I went through my first day, and I felt very senior. My Thursday, TRC was cut very short, and thankfully so! We were teaching the Plan of Salvation in Spanish. Neither me nor my companion were really ready. So it could’ve been worse  Friday was hard for me. I’ve been having problems staying awake again. Not good at all! Saturday was too long, too. 7 hours of teachers, and nothing to distinguish the day. (Monday: P-day, Tuesday: Devotional, Wednesday: Service, Thursday: TRC, Friday: Large Group Meeting, Sunday: Fireside and Film, Saturday: NADA!!) Sunday was long too! Fast Sundays in the MTC are hard. But, I’m alive so I can’t complain. This P-day has so far been typical: Endowment Session at the temple, 1 ½ hours of laundry, and many more hours writing letters.

All right, my Aunt and Uncle want to know how I am doing, so I’d like to respond to them specifically and thank them for following my blog. “I’m doing fine. And no, I don’t know anyone here from Ephraim. If we meet, I’ll make sure I mention it. Besides, how do you know him is my question to you.”

So that’s about it. I’ll try to write an entry every week. Until next week, adios mis amigos!

Elder Marcus Shepherd

Pictures coming soon!

All is well.

Hello Everyone,

I've had some people ask about how Elder Shepherd is doing. He's doing fine. I have heard that the computer that he is using has been down so that might be why we aren't getting emails. But also, he's just out of things to write to put on his blog. I've been getting weekly letters and know that he is doing well, he is just busy learning!

So, I want to ask the readers to leave comments or email me the questions you have for Elder Shepherd. I think he'd really like to have a Question and Answer, or just a little quote or hello to him! I'll forward the comments and emails on to him! Email me at lil_m33@hotmail.com so we can get a letter on here from Marcus!

Thanks everyone who has been reading! We appreciate all the love and support!

I am not avoiding the MTC curse very well

Hey everyone. Now, I'd use spaces and enters and what-not, but the keyboard I'm on right now doesn't have a working enter key, so you'll just have to make do without paragraphs. Now, my week three was fascinating. On Monday, I spent a good portion of time writing email and letters, but I ran out of time to send a detailed email, so I'm sorry if my blog didn't get updated with one. On Wednesday, we did the usual Residence Hall service. I cleaned out the sinks again. I think that's something that I'm becoming the best at. LOL! Also, on Tuesday, I finally found the scale, and weighed myself. Now, the MTC curse is that you will overeat and gain weight. As I'm sure you've inferred by now, I'm not doing very well at avoiding that. I've gained about 8-9 pounds since I've been here. I blame the bad cafeteria food (Who told me it was good to begin with? The ravioli last night was just awful), but I also blame the fact that I'm over-indulging on sweets my parents sent me. Now, this week, all the new mission presidents came in, and half of the cafeteria was closed, as well as the gym. With half a cafeteria, and this many elders and sisters, room was tight, and there were no options for food. It sucked. As well as not having the gym. I've decided I want to do more cardio and strength training, because I want to shed some weight. So, I played soccer all week long. It was fun, but it started getting way too competitive, so I'm glad that we have our gym back. Now, everything else was normal. The fireside was awesome. The TRC stunk. And I'm at 50 seconds with my time, so I'll wrap up. With love, Elder Shepherd. P.S. DearElder.com is a great way to send me letters. Check It out. getting letters here rocks.

Time in the MTC

Hello everyone!

Just a little heads up. I received word that Marcus will be in the MTC until August 11th, 2010. Since he is learning Spanish he will spend about 8 weeks there!

So until them, all his letters will go there! He loves hearing from people, so write him a little note or something! He'll thank you for it!

After that he will head out to serve the people in San Fernando California!

Hopefully we will have pictures to post soon!!

My second week, and my first sickness

Hello everyone

Nothing too big has happened this week. But, I'll try and flesh it all out for people, because a good majority of you are interested. (Which is probably why you're still reading this. XD lol)
So, P-day on Monday was awesome. I get to do pretty much anything I want until after dinner. Then, I have to go back to class. But, when you're in the MTC without an iPod touch, a Wii, or even a book of Sudoku puzzles, your choice of options is severely limited. So, we just kinda hung out in our residence hall.
On Wednesday, we had our very first Teaching Evaluation. That is when you schedule time with an LDS volunteer who acts as an investigator and you teach him a bit. Our "investigator" was a cool guy. We didn't get to teach him much, but we were messing up left and right. There was no fluidity in our teaching, and we didn't seem to have a general direction. He pointed that stuff out when we were done, so I guess that nothing much can be done about that. We'll definitely be going back to do more TE's in the future.
On Thursday, we did our first TRC, an acronym that I can't flesh out because I forgot. We basically went to three sets of "investigators" and intro'd ourselves in Spanish for 5 minutes. Those five minutes with each one was hard. Then, for the third, we had to teach the Message of the Restoration. That was not a lot of fun. We got better as we went, but it was still hard. Of course, it's all for our learning, so I'll just keep giving it my all.
Nothing else has really happened this week. My progress with the language is getting better, but I still have a bit to go. But, I'm focusing a bit more on learning the Gospel. I read a scripture (don't remember which) that said that first learn the Word of God, then your tongue shall be loosed. I'm going to try and take that challenge. I'll still try to learn Spanish, of course, but I'll focus a bit more on the Gospel.
I'm almost out of time, So I gotta hurry. I did an ab workout with a few elders in my zone that was called the P90-X. It's an absolutely evil workout that I never want to do again. That's about it, so I'll talk to whomever is still reading this next week.

With Love.

Elder Shepherd

(Side note: Hey everyone! It's Emily. Marcus didn't really elaborate on the title of his letter here. But he wrote me a separate letter and he said that his throat has been KILLING him. I think he's got a cold or possibly strep, but sad. I feel feel bad for him! But overall, sickness aside, he's doing very well! Thank you all for your love and support!)

First Letter Home!

Hello (to every five people who will be reading this.)
I am currently sitting in the MTC laundry room, typing this email to the sound of washers, dryers, elders, foreign languages, and hopped up on peach rings. Ha ha! So, I'm not sure who will be reading this, but whomever is, I'm going to be sending out this weekly email to my dad, who can then forward it to you. (You better, dad!) So, what has the MTC been like? I think the best way to explain this is to start from the first day. When I hopped out of my parents' car on last Wednesday, I was nervous. I was ready for a new experience, but I was definitely nervous. It only took four steps before I turned around and looked at them one last time. They were talking with one of the traffic directors here, and didn't even notice I turned around. I silently said my last goodbye, then walked up to catch up to my Host Missionary. He took me to a building, where I went through and got the stuff I would need, including a special card, a first-day schedule, a room key, and *drum roll* my "Hello my name is" name tag. lol. He took me to my room, which is really a small room, about half the size of a regular classroom at Viewmont. I'm sharing the room with my companion, Elder Grandy, who, coincidentally, is going to the California San Fernando mission as well. He's a pretty cool guy, but what's cooler is that he's from Seoul, Korea. (That's where he claims he's from, but he's not asian) He was living on a US Military Base there, and went through all of Jr. High and High School there. Oddly enough, he doesn't really speak Korean. The other two elders, Elder Lyman and Elder Gregson, are also living in our room. And, also coincidentally, Elder Lyman is going to the California San Fernando mission too. We're practically the SFER triumvirate, I dubbed ourselves just five seconds ago. The first day was long. We had tons of class time, as we practically do every day. The longest we could be in the class is about 4 hours. It's long, but we're learning a lot. I feel like I've learned more Spanish here than my two years in Viewmont, and it's only the sixth day. So, the days after that were equally as long. It feels like the classroom goes on forever, and just when you think it's time to go to gym or a meal, you got more studying to do. Let's just say these have been the longest days of my life. But, every elder says that it gets better after the first Sunday, so I'll tell you guys next week what the current status is. So, I've heard that the food here is out of this world, and that I'm going to love it. So far, I'm pretty lukewarm to it. I've tried a lot of things I haven't had before, and I've mildly liked a lot of it. The only time I was really blown out was when they brought in BYU Creamery Ice Cream, with tons of different toppings. That made my day. Not to mention, they bring that in every Sunday, so a sundae on a Sunday rocks! Now, gym time has become my favorite time of the day. We get an hour to either play basketball, volleyball, four square, soccer, ladderball, or work out. Four Square has quickly become my game of choice, since I loved playing it in Viewmont. However, the other elders are ruthless in that game. They even have a saying, "There are no friends or companionships in Four Square." I believe them. I was actually playing so hard that I got a blister on my right hand. Not a lot of fun. My zone is pretty cool. A lot of them are experienced elders, that have been here for several weeks. They are pretty fun, and like to have some fun at night. I'm usually pretty serious at this time, because I like to write in my journal, but I'll enjoy the fun every so often. The greatest thing about my zone is that the zone leader's companion goes around each night, and gives out abrazos (hugs). Bro-hugs are kinda like saying, "There's no girls around here, so you'll have to do." Every one does it, but it's fun. Now, that's pretty much the extent of what has happened here my first few days. I'm looking forward to even more time in the MTC, but I can't wait until I get out into the field. (Because I'm already getting kinda sick of this place. Lol!) I know that the Lord will bless me for coming out here, and I know that my family will be blessed for sending me out here and supporting me. So, that's basically it. If you want to email me, just send it to shepherd.marcus@myldsmail.net. I was really looking forward to replying to some emails, but I had an empty inbox. :'( Also, if you want to see some pictures, my missionary blog is eldershepherd.blogspot.com. Now, this blog is private, so you'll need an account and permission, I think, to see it. Anyways, please write to me. I really do appreciate it when I get contact from the world outside of spirit-ual prison! lol!

With love, Elder Marcus Shepherd.

Till We Meet Again

Hello Everyone,

This is Marcus' sister, or should I say, Elder Shepherd's sister. Wow that is weird. Last night Marcus was set apart as a missionary. We had his favorite dinner, Taco's and his favorite dessert, Crepes. We also had a chance to play some games and spend time together. The stake presidency came over, along with the bishopric from the ward. It was a very spiritual experience to hear the testimonies of my loving parents, and of the people who care and love Marcus. A very special blessing was pronounced upon him when they were setting him apart. We could feel the love and peace just knowing that the choice he is making to serve the Lord is right. We are so proud of Marcus and love him so much.

After the setting apart, we spent the last few hours together just hanging out and playing a board game as a family.

Then came the goodbye's for me and my husband. Of course, I cried. I still get choked up just thinking about it. But it's not that I'm sad. It's the spirit testifying to me that he is going to be ok. Even though it is hard that he will probably miss 2 more babies born into the family while he is gone, Christmas, Thanksgiving and other major events, I know it's ok. He is going to have his own special experiences, and I know he is going to learn so much.

This morning our parents and Marcus got up early and finished up the last of the little things to do. Then they headed out to Provo. I talked to Marcus for a moment on the phone before they left. He said he's doing fine, and the nerves hadn't hit him yet. But he asked "Em, you promise to keep my blog updated?" I said "Yes, I am going to do my best." So this is my promise to him that I will keep this blog updated, with letters, pictures and any other news that comes home.

I called my mom just as they pulled up to the curb at the MTC. She called me back shortly after. She wasn't crying. I was surprised. Until I said "How is he? How are you?" Then she started getting choked up. Then we both lost it. I had done well all day long until I talked to my mom. I know she's strong though, so she'll be ok.

I don't think it has fully sunk in yet. For now it just feels like he is out of town on a trip or something... Until a major holiday or something happens, or until Kyle invades the basement and takes over his room. Then I'm sure it will.

Kyle is the only one at home now. That is weird. But he needs all the attention he can get :) Hehe, I love ya Ky!

Well, hopefully the hardest part is over for us. We know we get to look forward to great things!

Marcus will spend about 8 weeks in the Provo MTC learning the Spanish Language and other gospel teachings. Then he will fly to California. We aren't sure the exact date yet but we will keep you guys posted.

Here's to Marcus...

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

Whoops!

Hello again
Sorry, I'm not done with you yet. I just checked my e-mail, and I've got a new mailing address for the MTC. It is in the Writing Elder Shepherd tab on the side, but here it is:

Elder Marcus Keith Shepherd
MTC Mailbox # 226
CA-SFER 0811
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

This is the for-reals mailing address at the MTC. Please use this for letters and packages. And now, for really reals this time, I bid ado, complete with the same lame running gag!

My final 2 1/2 days, the official handing off of the torch, and wisdom teeth

Hello everybody (all 3 of you)
This is going to be my final 2 and a half days living in my house in Farmington, so I am getting very nervous, anxious, and excited. I'll admit, it's going to be a neat experience to get away from my family for two years, but I'll be frank...I'm gonna miss them! :'( I'm going to miss my parents, I'm going to miss my sister and her husband, I'm going to miss everyone in my ward, I'm NOT going to miss my brother (Total fabrication alert! Total fabrication alert! That is a falsehood!). So yeah, this is going to have to be a heckuva 2 and a half days with them. I'm missing them already. Also, from this point on, my sisters (and maybe parents) will be posting from here on. I'll give them a heads-up right now. You guys better report the facts, but be funny while doing it.......please! So yeah, nothing much to say right now, other than I got my remaining two wisdom teeth removed. I got the first two removed in February doing a reasearch study, so yeah, two wisdom teeth out for free. These last two I got out at an oral surgeon's office in Bountiful. Right now, it isn't hurting a whole lot, but it's reminding me why I hated getting them out the first time. Resisting the urge to suck in is not the funnest thing in the world. I'm surprisingly resistant to the pain, but fighting those natural tendencies sucks. I believe that covers everything. And so, I leave all of you to go and serve the Lord. May God bless you in your lives. Ado.*

*Running gag from last week. XD. LOL!

New Blog and Mail details

Hello to everyone that will be reading this. My name is Marcus Keith Shepherd, and I have been called to serve in the California San Fernando Spanish Speaking mission. Now, this blog is here for the sole purpose of keeping people updated on what goings on are going on out in California. I am posting this one right now, but, considering how I can't update a blog in the field, my family has lovingly taken on the task of updating it. You can come here whenever you want to know what the haps are in my service to the Lord.

So, I am sure people will want to send me letters, packages, email, and the whatnot. So, without further adieu, I present: *drum roll* my mailing addresses!

For the MTC:

Elder Marcus Keith Shepherd

California San Fernando Mission

Provo Missionary Training Center

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

For the Mission Office (Please don't use this when I have given the address of my apartment. It will be updated)

Elder Marcus Keith Shepherd

California San Fernando Mission

23504 Lyons Ave Ste 107

Santa Clarita, CA 91321

E-mail Address (I am not yet sure what my mission president's rules are on this. I will make sure it is updated when I know)

shepherd.marcus@myldsmail.net

Now, I will be posting one more time before I leave, and then you get two years of my family's wording. I'm not sure how funny it'll be, but just bear with me. They'll do a good job. And with that, I bid ado until next time.

P.S. I am well aware that it is "Without further ado," and "I bid adieu", I'm just weird, and like to do things differently. I just like to try to make people laugh. You never know, a single laugh, or even a chuckle, can make your day!