07/25/16 - Raleigh, North Carolina

Top of the morning to all of you beautiful people! I hope that you all had a great pioneer day yesterday! Last Saturday was my 10 month mark and I cannot believe it! Double digits.. It is seriously flying by so quickly. We had a good preparation day on Monday eating a lot of food and saying goodbye to members for the other missionaries that left. On Tuesday we had the training meeting for all of the trainers and their trainees. It went very well! I was asked to play the piano for it and as I was playing prelude music, President said to everyone "Does anyone know of something Elder Shearer can't do?" But the meeting was really great. We met our trainees and let me just say that I easily got the best one! Elder Summers is such a winner. I am pretty sure he was called to train me. I am learning so many things! We have a super young district now. We have four companionships with one of them being the zone leaders and the other three being us trainers and our trainees. Tuesday night Elder Summers extended his first baptismal date and we set a date for the end of August with Ina! We also played some soccer with some random Hispanics that we found playing. Super fun! We visited one of our investigators by the name of Ramon on Wednesday night and it was a very sad lesson. We have been teaching for quite a few weeks and he even came to church once! He told us in our lesson that our church lacks power. All we could do was testify to him of the truthfulness and Priesthood power of this church. The Spirit kindly reminded me that we are called to teach the elect. We are not there to convince people of the truth. Very sad night, but we must have downs to have ups! And boy oh boy did we have many ups this week. We have been meeting a lot of the families that the other Elders were teaching in their area and they are soo nice! I cannot wait to continue to teach them, they are so ready to be baptized. Elder Summers and I had a really good tracting story this week. We had covenanted that we would find a new investigator and just as our time was almost up, we knocked on one last door and we met a man named Hilberto. After speaking with him for a few moments about the purpose of our message, he let us inside and we began to teach the message of the restoration. The Spirit was SO strong! Hilberto began to cry and as I asked him if he would like to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet, in the most humblest of voices he said "Yes. I really would." I am so excited for him to learn more about this message as he reads the Book of Mormon and prays to know! We have had quite a miracle this week. Our investigator by name of Josefina and her son Ronny are getting baptized on Saturday! They have both asked that I baptize them and I am beyond excited for it. It will be such a sacred day for them as they make these covenants with the Lord. Josefina has the strongest testimony I have ever heard an investigator have. She has told us that this is the church. That it is her church. That she will defend it until the end. She even invited her friend to one of the lessons this past week and was bearing testimony to her the entire time of the church. It was so powerful! She told her friend that I was very special and that I was an angel sent to her. It almost made me cry! She shared that every time we leave her house at the end of the lesson, something leaves. She said there is a noticeable change. The peace slowly fades, the lights grow dimmer. She is so aware of the Spirit and I love it!! We visited her a few nights ago and found her husband, one of her sons, and a few other guys drinking outside with some loud music playing. She quickly ran out very embarrassed and began to apologize. She told us not to change any plans and informed us that she was going to make it on Saturday. She told us that Satan has been really attacking hard but that she is not going to let him win. The joy I feel when I speak with her is indescribable! Just an incredible woman. We were blessed to beat a few records this week having 6 investigators at church on Sunday and teaching 23 total lessons. This area is on fire! We are working so very hard. I just love to think about all of the people were are meeting and hopefully helping. The Lord is truly working through us. I can't take credit for any bit of this success, it is all thanks to Him. He has blessed me with this great area, these elect investigators, and this prepared missionary as my companion. Elder Summer is so strong. He is such a hard worker and always ready to go out and do the work! He let me know in our companionship inventory that he feels very loved, supported, and confident with me as his companion and that was a huge answer to my prayer. I have been praying and continue to pray everyday for his success. For him to feel loved. I want him to have the best mission in the entire world because this truly is the best mission in the world! I couldn't have been more blessed to go anywhere else. I am grateful for my call and love what I do everyday! I have never been happier!!! I love you all and promise you that the love of the Lord is real! Have a blessed week y'all!!

Filling the font,
Elder Shearer