9/21/09 Letter from Elder Shelhamer

Hello! Today is my 4th day here in Cape Verde, and I am loving it.
I am currently serving on the Island of Fogo, in the area of Fonte Aleixo.
On Friday, we went to the Mission Home where the Mission President lives and where the mission office is. We had a wonderful dinner in the Presidents house and then went off to the assistants and the secretaries homes to sleep.
On Saturday, we were split up into the different areas in Praia, and went out and worked with the other Elders in the area for the day. I spent the day serving with Elder Luthi and Elder Rodriguez. (sp?). It was a lot of fun. We talked and taught a lot of people about the gospel. I spent the night with them.
On Sunday, we went to church. The church building is one floor of a multi-level building. It was pretty nice. There were a lot of people there. Right after church, I packed up all of my stuff and went to the assistants home to prepare to leave for Fogo. Our plane to Fogo was supposed to leave at 4pm, but ended up leaving an hour late. The airline here is interesting, they seem to go at their own pace with no cares. I see that in a lot of the Cape Verdeans. They really have no worries in their life and are very relaxed. They are a very kind and patient people. It is wonderful. Well, we eventually made it to Fogo, and met the Zone Leaders at the Airport. The Zone leaders then took me to my new home where I met my first companion, and my trainer, Elder Nóbrega. He is from Portugal, and seems like a great person. I have heard many great things about him from other people, and so I am very excited to find out what he can teach me. He only has five weeks here until he goes home.
Today (Monday) we went down to the beach for a while to sit by the ocean and play around. Today (Monday) and every Monday, is our Preparation Day when we have some time for recreation, cleaning, shopping, and other things. The beaches here on Fogo have black sand. It is very beautiful. I love the beaches here. After the beach, we went up to the airport at 10am when our bags were supposed to finally arrive. We decided to walk there, being that it is not too far (only a few miles), and an announcement came over the intercom saying that the plane is not coming in today. I´m not sure if they said why. So then we came down here to a place called "The room of information" where they have Internet that we can use.
I love Cape Verde so much, and I am so excited to be here for two years and serve the wonderful people.

9/18/09 Letter from Elder Shelhamer

I arrived today in Cape Verde. We arrived safely, but we aren't quite sure where our luggage is. We are hoping it will come soon.We recieved a warm welcome to the mission with a wonderful meal from Sister Neves (The Mission President's wife) in the mission home.The first area I am serving in is the Island of Fogo Fonte Aleixo. I am very excited.

9/11/09 Letter from Elder Shelhamer

This is my last report from the Provo Missionary Training Center. In only 6 days, I will be leaving for Cape Verde. I have enjoyed every moment of my time here at the MTC, and learned a lot. I am so grateful for my opportunity to be here for 9 weeks.
I'm now in the phase where we are finishing our last week of classes, reviewing everything, preparing to leave, and packing.
There is a quote I like from Beryl Markham that says "If a man has any greatness in him, it comes to light not in one flamboyant moment, but during his ledger of time." A lot of times we may be quick to judge others and their goodness from our first impressions with them, and not notice the total goodness that may come from that person. Every single person, is a son or daughter of God, whose soul is of great worth. Charity, which is the pure love of Christ, is one of the attributes of Christ that we should all constantly try to develop and improve upon. This next week, when you meet someone, or deal with someone, I encourage you to think of them as a child of God, with great worth, and you will see your dealings with others will become much better.
I thank everyone for all of your letters and packages here at the Missionary Training Center. Please continue to send me letters/packages in Cape Verde. When doing so, please send them to the other addresses now. Letters now should be sent to the Salt Lake Address, and packages should be sent straight to Cape Verde. *Please also note that when sending letters to the Salt Lake Address, this is a special pouch mail service, and they will only accept "Letters." Anything else such as pictures, etc, should be sent to the Cape Verde Address.
I thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and concerns. They are all felt, needed, and appreciated. It is very comforting to know that people like yourself are there encouraging and thinking about my service along the way. Thank you. May the Lord continue to Bless you.

9/4/09 Letter from Elder Shelhamer

This week at the Provo Missionary Training Center has been another successful week. We are continuing to learn more and more of the Portuguese Language, along with continuing to grow spiritually.
I recieved my flight plans this week, and I will outline the overall plans:
I am leaving from Salt Lake City, UT USA on September 17, 2009 and arriving in London, England on September 18, 2009.
I leave London, England on September 18, 2009 and arrive in Lisbon, Portugal the same day.
I then fly from Lisbon, Portugal to Cape Verde Islands.
We are very excited to leave the Missionary Training Center and head to Cape Verde. This next week I am going to up my level of concentration even more, and do all I can to not waste a single minute of the Lord's time. I can learn a lot of things in my last full week here at the MTC.
I thank everyone for your letters/packages while here at the Missionaries Training Center. They were greatly appreciated and brought great joy. From this point forward, please use my other addresses now for sending letters/packages.
Serving as a respresentative of Jesus Christ brings great joy to my life, and the adventure is only beginning. I encourage you to keep updated on this blog for the many stories that will come from Cape Verde.
I know that there is a God, and that He is our Loving Heavenly Father. He loves us. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to Atone for our sins, that we might be able to return and live in the presence of God once again. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's Kingdom on Earth, once again established on the Earth. I know these things to be true, and testify these things in the name of Jesus Christ; Amen.
If you have any questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, go to http://www.mormon.org.

8/28/09 Letter from Elder Shelhamer

We found out this week that our estimated departure date to leave for Cape Verde is September 17, 2009.
I love the MTC, and I am constantly learning more and more Portuguese every day. It is incredible.
I was studying the topic of "Hope" this week, and I read a very good talk given by the Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. The article is called "The Infinite Power of Hope." If you have a moment, I would encourage everyone to take a look at it. The link is: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=bbd44bb52a73d110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
This past Tuesday here at the Provo Utah Missionary Training Center, we had the great privilege of having an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, Elder Richard G. Scott, come and address us. I would like to share just a few of the things that he shared with us:
One of the first things Elder Scott discussed was how useful the Holy Spirit is in our work. We read Doctrine & Covenants Section 8 Verse 2 where it states that the Holy Spirit will touch our Mind and our Heart. He told us that we need to "use both, and you'll be more productive."
Elder Scott then addressed "prayer." He said, "Sometimes things are going to be so important, that we may need to pray for a long time before we receive an answer."
He then shared an experience from his life when he prayed for 12 years about something before receiving an answer.
He then talked about "Humility" and described it as being "a fertile soil that you plant seeds of effort in."
Elder Scott promised us that if we approach prayer in the right manner, and listen for answers to come to us from the Holy Spirit, we "will be led, and protected."During Elder Scott's address to us, he exercised his keys that he holds an an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, and gave us some specific special blessings.
I will share one blessing he gave us in which he stated; "As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I invoke a blessing of safety upon you. A shield of protection. I invoke this blessing for your benefit, in behalf of the Savior Jesus Christ." *Note, a few words may be different. I was so into the moment, that my notes may not contain the exact words, but I captured the concept and idea.*
Elder Scott shared his knowledge, as an Apostle, with the keys he holds, and the impressions that he receives, that we will be protected.Elder Scott addressed how real Satan is, but how we can overcome his temptation and power. He said, "Satan is real. He has screamed capacity to create illusion and power, but has nothing compared to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Elder Richard G. Scott, as he was concluding his talk, made sure that we remember one thing. He said, "If you remember one thing from this devotional, remember that you know a person, who knows 'He is real.' He is compassionate. He is willing to strengthen us, when we know that He is real and trust in Him. The Savior of mankind lives. His atonement made possible the Plan of Salvation of our Father. Without it we would have nothing, with it, we have everything. Remember, someone who holds the mantle of the Apostleship said, "I know Him. I know He lives."Elder Richard G. Scott, along with every other Prophet and Apostle that has ever lived, testified of the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ.
Their testimonies are powerful.I want to share my personal testimony and knowledge of the Savior. I know that Jesus Christ performed the Atonement, as part of Heavenly Fathers plan, for our behalf. He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. His gospel blesses people in nations around the world. He lives.