Joy!

Dear Family,

It has been a fun week!

I have gained a testimony that missionary work is FUN. If missionary work is not fun and if it is not awkward then something very large is amiss! 

"Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). 

Joy is laughter and excitement, it's reverence and feeling the Spirit, it's tracting a holler in the rain, it's connecting and bonding with the people you teach, it's FUN. 

Last night we had a lesson with one of our investigators who has basically NO concept of who God is or of religion in general. His progress in learning about the gospel has been slow and minimal but it has been marvelous! We have had to learn how to teach the basics of the basics in the most basic way! It has been a great learning experience for us as well as him. Last night we taught Mick about the Priesthood authority, prophets, and prayer. He had read about the Priesthood in a pamphlet we left him with and he grasped the concept immediately and with excitement! 

As we sat in the living room of this humble family, deep in a West Virginia holler, I wanted nothing more than to step back and watch the scene before us. There has been a change in M______ as he has begun learning about and accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is a light in his eyes that I have never seen before, and it gets brighter with every scripture that we read and every principle he learns. The Spirit was the senior companion in the lesson last night, and the Spirit was the true teacher. That was evident in M_____'s eyes and in his countenance. He is becoming a spiritual leader for his family and he is changing. 

"Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness" (Alma 27:18).

Missionary work is fun.

Have a fun week! I love you!

love,

Sister Shumway 

EVERYONE has a wreath on their door.... YEAR ROUND. This was by far the most impressive I have seen!