1/24/2011 Letter from Elder Joshua Shelhamer

This week has been a week of hard work and great success here on the island of Sal. This past Saturday we held a church activity. All of the church members gathered at the church building and we traveled in a bus to a family that lives outside of town. This family had not came to church in some time due to family problems and lack of transportation to and from church.

This event reminded me of a scripture in the Bible when Jesus gives the parables of the lost sheep. In in the New Testament, Luke 15:3-7 we read:

"And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

We found the lost sheep (the missing family) and warmfully layeth them on our shoulders (spent some time with them) and rejoiced, for we had found the sheep which were lost (they arrived in church the next morning).

The life of the Savior Jesus Christ was a life of service and love for others (us). I continually see the Savior´s love manifested as I work daily to serve "His sheep" in His name. I am thankful for the many opportunities that we are all given in our lives to serve others and experience the joy and happiness that comes from the service we provide.

I testify that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Good Shepard. He came to earth to show us the way. As we live according to His words, we shall find eternal peace.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

1/17/2011 Letter from Elder Joshua Shelhamer

This week was a great week here on the island of Sal. We had some great times as we celebrated my companion´s 20th birthday and held a baptism service for one of our friends that we have been teaching. It has been a week full of joy and the spirit as we worked to bring the gospel into peoples lives.
I am so thankful for the many blessings of the gospel in my life. As I find and talk with new people everyday and share our Heavenly Father´s plan with them, my own soul is comforted in knowing that God is our loving Heavenly Father that loves us and cares for us. We are blessed everyday to have His spirit to guide us in our lives and help us follow the right paths.
I pray that as I continue to work hard and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, that we all might find the true happiness that comes from the knowledge of our Father in Heaven and a testimony that he continues to guide us today through revelation given through His divinely appointed servants on the earth today. I invite all of those that may not yet have a certainty of these things to visit this site to learn more. I testify of these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

1/10/2011 Letter from Elder Joshua Shelhamer

This week has been an exciting week as I celebrated my 21st birthday here in Cape Verde. It was a great day spent with my friends while learning many new things in a missionary conference.

As I celebrated my birthday and taught people about the gospel of Jesus Christ this week I thought about the importance of "today" and how I and others need to focus on the things of today, and not wait until tomorrow to do our best. I remember hearing the words of Marvin J. Aston, former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, when he stated:
"To live more fully each hour and to glean the most from each day is wisdom. How unwise we are to waste our today's when they determine the significance of our tomorrows. We should wisely live a day at a time because that is all we have."

How true these words are in showing the importance of striving our best to be who we can today. I know that Savior Jesus Christ taught principles that help us become better every day of our lives. As we try to become more like Him, we become more perfected through the gospel. I am thankful for my parents and my brother who in the past 21 years of my life have been an example for me so that I am able to be who I am today. It is my prayer that each of us can remember the importance of today, and always try to be our best now to be an example for others. I leave you with this words, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

1/3/2011 Letter from Elder Joshua Shelhamer

This week has been a week of new beginnings for many. For me it has been a new beginning to serve in a new area. For many of the people we encountered, it has been a new beginning of following Christ. For all of us, it has been a new beginning of a brand new year.

One thing that I experienced this past week was the blessing of sharing with people how to gain faith in Jesus Christ.

In the Book of Mormon, Alma 37:27-37, we learn that experimenting on the word of God brings true conversion. Many people that I am currently teaching are in the process of finding renewed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. My faith has been tested and proven this week as I helped people, one by one, understand how our loving Heavenly Father communicates with us, and how we, as His children can gain more faith in Him and His son through studying the scriptures and communicating with Him through prayer. What an experience it is to meet someone new, share with them the knowledge and testimony of the things that you know to be true, and watch a seed of faith be planted in their hearts. I am very excited to see these "seeds" that I have planted this week grow and strengthen into a steadfast and sure testimony that Christ lives and that His gospel has been restored.

I know that as we are willing to learn more about our Heavenly Father and His plan that he has for our lives, and communicate with Him daily through prayer, our faith within us can grow to limits that we might even think is not possible. I testify that Jesus Christ came to earth to atone for our Sins and teach the way and the path that leads to eternal life. Of these things I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

To learn more about how you can find Faith in Jesus Christ visit the site http://lds.org/topic/faith-jesus-christ/index.html .