Crazy Busy Day

Elder Shelley is hiking Table Rock today. His email came about 1pm and he had already done 2 hours of service, did wash, and went to the store. Then they are headed hiking, to dinner at 5, to teach a lesson at 6, another lesson with a recent convert at 7, visiting members at 8 and then at 9 they have to be back home to plan for tomorrow.

They are teaching two ladies that live in their apartment complex. I am going to cut and paste the next bit right out of his letter. It is interesting how I can turn almost any topic into something related to the gospel. Cynthia knocked on our door and asked if we had internet service and I was like no but wait we don't even have anything that works off wifi. Cynthia was like what, do you know what the internet is. And I was like ya we get to visit sites like mormon.org and LDS.org and then she was like what is LDS and then we talked more and she left with a copy of the Book Of Mormon. We have been able to teach her a couple of times and started teaching her room mate Jennifer and we prayed for the flies in her place to quit bugging her and she hasn't seen a fly in her house since then. Prays are answered. 

This is a photo of an 8 foot horse that a guy he meet
restored for a Shakespearean play. The is really cool he is
from Shelley Idaho.

P-day fun! He has learned to solve a rubrics cube.  
Alex will  be so proud for him...

Crazy Pork he made...

Soy sauce, honey, BBQ sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, chili powder, hot sauce, pepper, and hot chocolate powder as well, it turned out pretty good. He marinated it for a couple of days and then I reduced the extra sauce down and  had rice with it as well. I can't wait for him to come home and cook for me...Not

OEM Zone Conference

Central Point Zone

One Pillar Down...

Not Elder Shelley's week for biking!

Elder Ricks and Elder Shelley at a baptism  

He crashed on his bike three times this week. Only one of the wreaks were his fault and that one did the least amount of damage but he destroyed the rim of his bike.  Luckily the guy that he wreaked in front of gave him a new rim so his bike is all good! But he tore out two pairs of pants and burnt his leg when he fell.

Aug. 26, 2013

Elder Shelley has been very busy this week.  His mission covers some of Jacksonville and a little bit of Medford.  He is getting a lot faster on his bike because of the big area they have to cover. His leg muscles are getting big.  He said that it has been raining some and it is hard to ride a bike with his long rain jacket.
They didn't get a chance to go to the pear farm.  He was a little disappointed because tomorrow is the last day of picking so it doesn't look like they will have a chance.  The next picking is in Nov. if he is in the same area he might have a chance then. He is getting really good at making pan fried chicken and gravy.  They have been eating it a lot lately.
There was a new missionary training up in Eugene.  Elder Shelley said it was amazing and he got a lot out of it.  He got to see some of his friends and a lot of the people from his district. Elder Aragon was way excited to see Elder Shelley.

Amazing Sunset...

Jacksonville Area

Elder Shelley is in the Jacksonville area and is doing good.  He is close to a Pear Farm.  He is going to pick on the farm with an investigator on Tuesday.  He is really excited for the new area.  It isn't as smoky there so he can get out and go tracking.  They are in an all bike area.  So he has been a bit tired and his back has been hurting from all the biking they have been having to do.
Elder Shelley said "Elder Ricks is really nice. It is weird to be training someone. I have to be on my best behavior because I have to teach him how to work hard and be smart. Missionaries do things really differently so it is weird because Ricks hasn't gotten into his own mode of teaching. I am trying to work with him and teach him to be himself and teach from the heart."

They had a really cool experience this week. They were able to find a guy that is trying to make so changes in his life. He was talking about how he wanted to go back to church to one of his coworkers that day at work and they knocked on his door within minutes of him getting home from work. It was a really cool experience. They are hoping that he will let them come back.

Before Elder Shelley left the Grants Pass area he got to see his friend from High School Elder Riley Johnson and play baseball with him.  He found out the Elder Tanner Barnhill got transferred to the new Salem Mission so he wont get to see him until after his mission.

Elder Shelley has a new address.

1828 West 8th Street #8

Medford, OR 97501

6 Months/Transfer Day

So today is Transfer Day and he is being transferred to the Jacksonville, OR area.  The Jacksonville area is bigger than Grants Pass.  It borders Grants Pass and Medford.  Elder Shelley's new companion will be Elder Ricks.  Elder Ricks has been out for 6 weeks.
Elder Shelley has been out for 6 months. It is a tradition that if you are in one area for 6 months you burn a tie.  The photo is of him burning a tie.  It is not very common to be in the same area for 6 months.

Elder Shelley said that he really enjoyed Grants Pass.  

He made a lot of friends and is going to miss the area a lot. 

District/Zone Aug. 2013

The New Missionary Look!

New Missionary Look

 Elder Shelley has had a lot of down time this week because the fires in OR are so bad. They can't even go tracking right now because the smoke is so bad. Most of the days outside it is like the picture.
They can only go outside if we are going to a scheduled appointment. They can't ride bikes and are supposed to wear masks when they go outside, which is really hot. He likes to wear sunglasses to protect his eyes from the ash. He said biggest fire has already burnt 40,000 acres of land. No houses have burnt down yet. There are four fires that are burning and they can't get to them because they are in rural areas. He thinks they have two of them 10% contained and the other two like 2% contained. It is crazy because they don't know what is really happening because they can't watch TV or get the news. He is safe. There is a lot of ground the fire will have to cover before it gets to Elder Shelley and Atwood.
Elder Shelley mentioned that he got letters this week from some of his friends and he really enjoyed hearing from home.  If you have a few minutes I'm sure he would love to hear from you....
In Elder Shelley's down time this week he has been doing so genealogy and has asked that we send him some books on the Shelley history so that he can learn more about his ancestors.

Oregon Caves

This is the District/Zone Elder Shelley is in. The couple is the Watt's they are the Mission Presidents First Counselors. Elder Shelley has really enjoyed the Watt's they have had him over for Mother's Day, Fathers Day and the 4th of July.

The Oregon Caves

Elder Shelley and his district/zone got to take a day trip down to see the Caves.
 The Caves were so cool.  He hope's that one day he has a change to take the family and show us the area.  He has really liked living in Oregon.

Elders having some fun in the caves.

 This week (the week of the 24th of July) there goal was to work really hard for the pioneers that made it to Utah.

Just Chillin

Just Chillin in his apartment.

Testimony is grown.

Elder Shelley is liking Elder Atwood.  Elder Atwood is from Heber City, Utah. He has been on his mission for 15 months.  He is the youngest in his family.  All of Atticus companion have been the baby of their family just like him.
He had a good 4th of July.  He didn't have to work very hard.  They went to a couple of members homes and had to be back home by 7.  Luckily they live on the top of a hug hill so they got to watch the fireworks across the valley.

Elder Shelley and Elder Atwood got to go to the temple with one of the brothers from there ward. He was going to the temple for the first time.  Elder Shelley started working with the brother the second day of his mission. He had not been to church in years.  They got to start teaching him the lessons and got him to start coming back to church.  Elder Shelley said that it was a huge testimony builder for him.  To help someone so that they can return to live with our Heavenly Father.  He said that his testimony has definitely grown.  When you can watch people come from almost nothing to being able to have a home, a job, a live, being baptized and an eternal family.  How can it not grow? He is changing peoples lives for the better.

New Companion

Elder Shelley will be staying in Grants Pass but he did get a new companion. Elder Atwood he will be meeting him today around 1:30 pm.  Elder Shelley really enjoyed his time with Elder Clinkscales.  He can't believe how fast the time went by.

This past week he was with his zone leaders.  He said most of the week was spent doing service projects.  He helped build a house, helped a couple of people build fences, and of course helped some people move.  Moving people happens weekly.

Building a house

Elder Hall, Tidwell and Shelley

599 Days left...

Elder Clinkscales left this morning.  He has been called to serve in the Salem mission. They are just opening the Salem as a new mission.  Elder Shelley doesn't get a new companion until next Monday.  Next Monday is transfer day.  So he is with the Zone Leaders for the week.  Which makes life a little crazy.  He really likes the area so he is hoping to stay, but he won't know until Saturday if he stays of goes.

Zone Conference

So it is going good here. Our apartment is really clean, like aunt Peach and uncle Christopher clean. It is weird to have it so clean because everything is so bright.

Zone Conference 

Zone Conference on Tuesday was really good. He also got to see Elder Riley Johnson(one of Elder Shelley's friends he was the swim team captain at Alta the year before Atticus and played water polo with him) he is a district leader and training is Medford, which is only like a 30 min drive from Grants Pass. He also saw another friend that he didn't even know was out there. His name is Elder Jordan Ayre, he knew him because he played Cello in the orchestra. It was crazy to see them again. Elder Shelley is hoping he can see Elder Tanner Barnhill. It would also be cool if they get to serve with each other or at least in the same district or zone.

Elder Shelley wishes he could have talked to his dad on Father's Day for just like 10 minutes. It was really hard for him not to be around his daddy to celebrate Father's Day. He said that Mother's day was hard also but he got to call and talk to her.

He is really liking Grants Pass and the people in the area. He hopes he gets to stay a little longer.

2nd Baptism

On Saturday June 8 they had their 2nd baptism.  President Watts baptized him.  The brother that was baptized brought his mother to the baptism and to church the next day were Elder Shelley confirmed him a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  His mother was very impressed with the baptism, conformation and President Watts testimony. She stayed for all of church and then asked for a Book of Mormon.  They are hoping to start teaching her soon.
Elder Shelley went on exchanges with the zone leaders and had to walk about 7 miles in one day and it was 95 degrees and he got sun burnt.  Not a fun day!
They got invited to dinner at the uncle of one of the teammates that Atticus swam in High School with.  He said he was really cool.
The work is picking back up.  For some reason they had a rough patch for a couple of week but it is all good now.

The newest member of the Church with Elder Shelley and Elder Clinkscales

This was a gift from the Zone Leaders.  They left it on the floor in Elder Shelley's apartment.

Senior Compainon

Elder Shelley is Senior companion. He is really liking Elder Clinkscales.  Elder Clinkscales is 23 years old and from Thomasville, Georgia.  Both of the elders were in the MTC at the same time but because Elder Shelley knows the area and can drive, so he is the senior companion.  A lot of the other Elders in the area were transferred.  He is sad to see them all go.
This weekend was very hard. The ward had some very hard times. Elder Shelley found out that a 17 year old in the ward killed himself.  One of the sisters in the ward mother was very ill on the way to go see her.  She had a seizure while driving and was in a bad wreak that totaled the car. Before she made it to see her mother, she passed away.  An elderly man in the ward also passed away.  A girl that they are teaching who is pregnant with twins lost one of the babies.  He said that it all happened on Friday and Sat.  He is hoping for a better week this week.

Transfer Day

Elder Shelley will be staying in Grants Pass but will be getting a new companion his name is Elder Clinkscale. Elder Aragon was transferred to Springfield. Elder Shelley is a little frustrated. They have been trying to find a lot of new people this week but nothing seems to be working. They probably tracked about 18-20 hours this week, so a lot of walking and biking.

Elder Shelley has had fun this week.  He has played horse shoes, hacky sack, ultimate Frisbee, disk golf, and basketball.  He said that he is getting much better at these game because they play them so much in Oregon.  He can't wait to get home and teach us.

The Phone Call

Elder Shelley got to call home on Saturday May 11, we were having Beckham(his nephew) Birthday party so he was able to tell him happy birthday...It was so good to hear his voice. He will be calling us on Sunday at 3 and we will get to talk to him for an hour and a half.

Mother's Day phone call was bitter sweet.  It was good to hear from him, don't get me wrong but on the same note it made me miss him even more.

It was so good to talk to him, to hear his voice and to know that he is loving what he is doing.  He loves the people in Grants Pass.  He said that he has learned so much and grown up a lot.  He told me that he even makes his bed everyday (that is the only thing that we fought about when he was home and just so you know he has been gone for 2 months and I still can't make his bed.)  

With as much time as we got to talk to him each of us got to have some one on one time with him and then we put him on speaker phone and finished up the time.

It was the best Mother's Day gift I could ask for. 

The View from Elder Shelley's Apartment

Cinco de Mayo

So I sent Elder Shelley a cinco de mayo package and in it I put a bottle of homemade salsa which made him a little home sick. They were invited to a family's house and had a great dinner. They had gorditoes with beans, carne asada, queso and spicy fresh salsa. They were awesome.

It has been getting hotter and Elder Shelley is having a hard time sleeping because of the heat. One of the members in the ward had an extra fan and gave it to them. He sleep a lot better last night.

One of the investigators that they are teaching made a comment that made Atticus laugh he said " that we are all winners because we won the first race in life, against thousands of other sperm we were the one that reached the end first." That's what his mom used to tell him when he was younger.

Elder Shelley told me that if I know of any one that is going to Oregon on their mission to get them a care package that has a mask because of the weeds, chew toys to distract the dogs, shin guards because of the little dogs, he has been bit three times on the shins and some how not kicked one of them, a lifting belt to help all of the people move, some rain gear, a hacky sack, and a disk golf Frisbee.

They really enjoyed the temple. He said that it is a small temple but beautiful.

He is so thankful for all of us. He is experiencing a lot of crazy things in Oregon.

Saturday he will be calling us to setup a time to call on Mother's Day. We can't wait to hear from him.

Going to the Temple

Elder Shelley is only emailing and going to the store today but the rest of his P-day will be on Wednesday because he is going to the Medford temple. Hopefully that will be fun. Usually you get to go to the temple every other transfer, so about every three months. The next transfer day is on May 20. He doesn't know if he will be transferred to a new area but is hoping he gets a fun new companion.

Hopefully he will have a baptism this Saturday but he will see tonight.

Elder Shelley has never been so tired in his life mentally, physically and spiritually but he is having the best time in his life. He said "that when he gets home not to be alarmed if we don't see him for days because he will just be sleeping. A mission can be rough sometimes but awesome a lot of the other times."

He learned another game that you play with dominoes, it is called chicken foot. Elder Shelley and Elder Aragon went and shared a message with the empty nester's family home evening and they played chicken foot instead of Mexican train. He said it was fun but they need something to push to make a chicken sound like we have with the train. He can't wait until he gets home to teach us chicken foot. We love to play dominoes as a family.
Hopefully everything is going well, and tell Karen good luck on her mission...

Working Hard...

Elder Shelley and Elder Aragon have been working hard this week.  They are leading their zone for the most investigators and most baptizes on date.  They have 20 investigators that they are teaching and 7 of them on date to be baptized.  One of the guys they are teaching is so excited about learning...Elder Shelley said that it is so fun to teach him because he takes notes and wants to learn. Another guy they are teaching has been going through some hard times.  His friend told to find the LDS church and go. So he went to church last week and they have been teaching him.  
Elder Shelley is not liking that their car got sent to another area.  They are having to ride their bikes more.  He said that on Friday and Saturday alone they biked 20 miles.  When they are not riding their bikes they are walking but it gives them opportunities to talk to people on the streets.
He still loves the service hours he is putting in.  He did 10 hours just this weekend.
He ended his email saying "I can't wait until Mother's day because I will get to talk to you in person."

Only three more weeks until Mother's day. I can't wait...

At what point does this get easier????

Passed his Interviews...

Elder Shelley started his email this week with We had interviews with President Young and Sister Young on Saturday and I passed so I get to stay for at least a little longer. 

Elder Shelley and Elder Aragon are working with about 15-20 investigators right now and 4 of them on date for baptism. So hopefully there will be some baptisms coming up soon. They started working with this one guy that is so excited to learn about the church. He has been going to church and wants to be baptized. Elder Shelley loves seeing miracles like this on his mission. He likes going tracting because he is enjoying all the people he is meeting.  

Elder Shelley District.  Only one person changed.  He loves his district.

Looking for an address, made a wrong turn and  got a little lost!

He is glad he gets to stay a little longer because is just starting to figure out how to get around...and then he gets lost. He really loves the area.


I can't wait to go in a couple of years to see Grants Pass, OR.

The lesson plan for the Plan of Salvation. 

Elder Shelley challenged us this week to recognize all the ways that Heavenly Father has played a role in our life.  The example he gave was after a water-polo game we had just come out of the parking lot and was headed down the road.  The light was green and for some reason I stopped at the intersection.  Just as Atticus said "mom the light is green why" a car ran the red light going very fast and hit another car.  The car started on fire. We know that if I would not have stopped we would have been in the middle of the accident.  We were being watched over that day.

This week I took his challenge and made Stan and the kids also.  They each had to come up with 1-2 times Heavenly Father played a part in their lives before they got dinner on Sunday.  It was fun sharing them at dinner. I spent a lot of time thinking about ways that Heavenly Father has been there for me.  It's amazing the love he has for us.  

Right from Elder Shelley's email today..."Conference was awesome, I think this is the only time I have been able to watch all of the sessions and stay awake. I think three of the most important topics they pushed this conference was missionary work, faith, and obedience. You should write things down when you listen to what the people say. You might write down weird things but it is fun to have what you were thinking about. I wrote like six pages of things I liked and had impressions to write down. My favorite talks were probably Elder Jeffery R. Holland and Enrique L. Falabella of the seventy, they were both really funny. President Monson's talk about the fire was really funny also, especially his facial expressions. I also really liked the Priesthood session, hopefully dad and Alex watched it."

Elder Shelley got sick yesterday, Sunday, with a soar throat. He couldn't even talk really, He want to just sleep. He is doing really good now and can barely tell he was sick. He fasted and prayed that he would get better and he is better today. So fasting does work. 

 
He still hasn't gotten to ride his bike but their car is getting moved down to Medford, OR. so they will be car sharing with some other missionaries.  Now they will have to ride there bikes. It has been raining a lot and so he has been regretting biking because he doesn't want to get soaked. They hiked like 2 miles to go to this house and then found out the people were asleep. They talked to their son for a little bit. They will be driving up to their house because it was such a pain. The picture is of how far up the house is.

First Baptism

Elder Shelley had his first baptism (Christoper) on Saturday.  He said that is was awesome, he gave a talk and just when he said amen the ground shook and thunder rolled is was a really loud.  They usually don't get lightning and thunder so everyone was concerned   Elder Shelley confirmed Christoper a member of the church on Sunday during sacrament.

He had a great Easter.  He said "that he learned so much about the Atonement.   He has been very humbled lately by listening to people and having to understand things better so we can teach others."
They are always looking for service project or ways to help others. He likes the joy of helping others and feels it is much better than getting turned down at the door.  They have a new investigator that they are going to start teaching so his prayers are being answered.
He finally had time to build his bike so he is going to be riding more than driving.
Elder Shelley said...I can't wait to come home because I miss you guys so much but I will do as much as I can do to help here, my trainer (Elder Aragon) has a saying, "Get a straw, so you can suck it up."

Been waiting all day...

Elder Shelley and Elder Aragon

So I have been waiting all day for an email...but I am not going to get one this week.  I will have to wait for USPS.  I got a text from one of the members up in Grants Pass that had the Elders over for dinner. She said that they couldn't get into the church today to us the computers.  Because the carpets are being cleaned.  So he had to hand write me a letter.  I am so glad I got the text. I had been wondering all day if I was going to get my email.  I love to get pictures of him.  Thanks Debbie

I can't wait to go fishing with him...

I sent Elder Shelley and Aargon an Easter package. In it I put 12 eggs with scriptures and an item that represented Christ sufferings for us...Elder Shelley feels like the eggs are a little depressing. I remember when he was a little boy maybe 3 or 4 and saw a photo of Christ on the cross. He was so upset for day and could not believe that anyone could do that to him...He has always had a tender heart. Elder Shelley said he is talking a lot this week about, Jesus Christ and what he did for us. He said that the ward even got a letter from the Prophet to go over Jesus Christ on the 5th Sunday 3rd hour.

I am copying this next part right from Elder Shelley's letter...

We drove up to this one place looking for a name and this huge dog came up to my car door. The dog was taller than the car and it just waited for me to get out of the car, I was a little scared but the dog was nice. But I did get a little dirt on my shoulders because the dog put its paws on my shoulders as he was standing and licked my face. We did talk to the person that lived there and found out the people that we were looking for had moved. People move so much in Oregon.

We helped move this lady that was living in a retirement home. We packed and moved her stuff into a truck for three hours, my back really hurt after that. I also learned the importance of getting rid of things and cleaning things.

We have the baptism coming up this Saturday on the 30th. I am way excited for that.

We play a lot of disk golf, it is like the sport of Oregon.

We also had a funny experience on Friday, a guy stopped and told us how lucky we were to be Mormons because we will be the ones that are saved first and the 2nd coming is going to be on the Summer solstice in 2017. We gave him our phone # and a Mormon.org card, but he was just passing through Grants Pass to go fishing somewhere. I wish we could still go fishing because people talk a lot about fishing here. We will have to do a lot more fishing when I get done with the mission

I can't wait to go fishing with him.

Elder Shelley also said that he is really missing everyone. Both friends and family. He would love to hear from you if you have a minute.

Well everything is going really good.

The naked person count is up to three; this week it was a old white lady. Yes, that means opening up the door with nothing on at all.

In better news, the first scheduled baptism is a 9 year old boy (he's 9 so it counts as a convert) the baptism date was originally set for the 16th but has been moved to the 30th. They have been spending two or more hours a day tracting to find new people to teach, this has led to five new investigators in the past week. Because the Book of Mormon can be a little overwhelming, they have been marking stories before they give the book to investigators to help them have a little area to get started reading on.

Last week he went on exchanges with one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Henrie and said it was way awesome. Elder Henrie was Elder Aragon's Trainer so he learned a lot more about him. Exchanges are from 4:30 the one day until the same time the next day. He also met a family with 8 dogs and a bird, he helped to shingle their roof.

There has also been a world wide mission notice: Anyone can e-mail him! atticus.shelley@myldsmail.net

What a Disappointment

Monday's were my favorite day until I got a letter like this:

I really don't have time today so I will send a big letter next week. I have been doing great. We have a meeting that cuts into our time for the computer lab at the church. I love you soooooo much and read what I sent to Ali to hear a little about this week.
I might have time to write you later tonight. I love you.
Love
Elder Atticus Shelley

Luckily Ali's letter was quite a bit more informative. Though there seems to be a lot of dogs and even a few people not following the Word of Wisdom, he has found that if he turns to the Lord he has found the people's hearts are opened more to listening to the message and willing to let the missionaries come again.

The members have been especially good to him by regularly feeding him dinners and inviting them into their homes. A huge thank you to the members in Oregon; your kindness is greatly appreciated.

Nicest Email

I received the nicest email today.  It came from a mom of a missionary that Elder Shelley meet in the MTC.  This mom is in Grants Pass, OR.  She had Elder Shelley and Elder Aragon come over to her house so she could take a photo of them and send it to me.  Elder Shelley meet her son (Elder Smock) in the MTC playing hacky sack.  Elder Smock is serving in the South Salt Lake Mission.  He is in Sandy right now.

I miss that smile...

First Companion

Sorry I am a couple of week behind. I was out of town and couldn't make changes with my i-pad.

This is Elder Shelley and Elder Aragon...
Elder Aragon is from Boston.  Elder Aragon will be traning Elder Shelley. They will be be companions for the next few months. Elder Shelley's says that he is very nice, loving and definitely goofy.
They are living in a side house of one of the members in their ward.  He said that the house is very nice.  They have a washer and dryer so they don't have to go to the laundry mat.  The members in the area are very helpful.  They have prepared dinner for them every night so he is only cooking breakfast and lunch.  They have a car so he hasn't even unpacked his bike.  He said the weather has been great and that Grant Pass area is awesome.

President Young, Elder Shelley and Sister Young

Welcoming the New Missionaries to Oregon

This photo is of the 35 new missionaries in the Oregon Eugene Mission

Grants Pass, Oregon

I got a phone call from Elder Shelley's Mission President. He said "that Elder Shelley made it to Oregon save and happy...They are loving his positive attitude and his smile" (a couple of the things that we are missing).

Elder Shelley's first area is going to be in Grants Pass, Oregon. 

Stan remembers going there as a little boy with his Grandma May to see Aunt Daisy

Me being the mom I am, had to get more information on the area that Elder Shelley will be living.

Grants Pass is 140 miles south of Eugene, Oregon and 60 miles north of the CA boarder. The Population is 34,533 and the Elevation is 948 feet.

I think Atticus is going to love this area.

Grants Pass has its own Stake, 3 Wards...Elder Shelley's will  be in the Murphy Creek Ward and his Bishop will be Bishop Nelson.  His companion will be Elder Aragon (I hope I am spelling that right). His P-days will be on Monday...my new favorite day!!! 

LDS Church in Grants Pass, Oregon