Experience Requires Effort-Isla Trinitaria Guayaquil Week Fourty Seven

Sure this are a lot of mixed emotions as Brady is coming home this week. Wish I could be there, but the Lord has called me to be here and to that call I will be faithful. 

Capacitacion

Once a month the leaders from all the zones have a meeting with president. This week was it. Early of tuesday morning we were in the chapel listening to President Torres give us counsel and guidance in how we can better lead our zones. The truth is being new I learned a ton of things. How I can better myself and those missionaries around me as well. I dont have much time in the mission, but something that president said was "Experience doesnt come with time, it comes with effort." That helped me to realize that although I am not the missionary with the most time, I still have input at the table. The President Godoy from the 70 came and spoke to us. Was a very spiritual uplifting meeting. He directed most of his thoughts towards solving problems that stop us from progressing.  Good start to the week.

Elder Shanklin and Elder Narro at Zone Leader Training

Visits

The assistants came this week and spent a couple hours with us. It is always good to see and talk with them. They always have good things to say and help us improve and find solutions to the problems we encounter. 

Patience

One of the things that I have learned since being called as zone leader is patience. People always are calling you needing this and that and whatever thing. We have to run errands for the office and do a variety of different things. Really I just want to put work in my sector, but the time is sparing. I have learned patience and how to balance my time. This week we will be having 1 baptisms. It is the son of a less active that we recently have activated again. It has been cool to see them progress together. 

Scripture Case made from Iguana

Homecoming

I am sure everyone is anxious for the homecoming of Elder Shanklin in Norway. I can only imagine my mom right now. Crazy to think that 2 years already passed by and that wednesday he will be in the house. Make sure to say hi to him for me because you will see him before I will. Hopefully everything goes smooth, that there isnt any layovers, or any of that junk. The mission doesnt end after 2 years so I am certain he will keep working.

Elder Shanklins Iphone 7.   This made him feel better about his
brother being home and getting a new phone!

Thanks for all the love and support!

Life is a sport, make it count 

Elder Shanklin

Changes And Surprises-Guayaquil Week Fourty Six

First off HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my older brother, Brady. You guys will be seeing him in 10 days so make sure and tell him happy birthday for me. 

Well this week was definitely filled with changes and surprises...

Changes

So last week I think I said that my companion was for sure going to have changes. Monday night I was joking with him as he was packing when the phone rang. I handed it to my companion knowing it was for him. Unexpectedly he passed the phone to me and said "Its for you". I answered and was told that I had changes. Then I proceeded to pack and my companion began to make fun of me. The roles practically switched. My new companion is Elder Narro. He is 27 years old, and has 21 months in the mission and is from Peru. We are the zone leaders here in Guayaquil. Pretty crazy and unexpected change. Like I wasn't expecting it at all. Everything is good though. It is a new experience and I am learning a ton everyday. I know I will need the help of the Lord to be able to fulfill this responsibility that the President has given me.

I love the soccer jerseys.....I am pretty sure his entire suitcase will be full of these.

Baptism

There was already a baptism programmed for this week here in my sector so that was nice. Her name is Ana. She is super cool and has actually been in the church for like 4 months just not baptized. She gets super nervous and sometimes backs out of the commitment. This time we made sure that she stayed committed and she ended up getting baptized Friday. Super awesome. She asked me to baptize her when her friend didn't show up, but then he showed up like right before i was about to baptize her so he changed and then baptized her. That is where there are photos of me in white and regular clothes.

Elder Shanklin, Elder Narro, Ana and other missionaries

Elder Shanklin, Ana, Ana's friend, Elder Narro

Visits

On Saturdays we always have a Zone meeting. It is something normal. Saturday was my first one and just by chance the assistants showed up. Everything went good and we talked with them after. 

This week was filled with lots of changes and surprises. Most for the better. Thanks for all the love and support.

Life is a sport, make it count

Elder Shanklin 

It Was An Awesome Four Weeks-Bananeros Guayaquil Week Fourty Five

 This week has been a great week. It was me and my companions last week together and we made it count.

Changes

First of all, it is a yes or yes situation that I will being having changes this week. Or my companion will be having them. I will just recieve a new companion here in my sector. My companion has to go for just a short 2 week period to do some paper work and take some interviews so that his family can move and get there residencia. It is unknown whether he will return to this mission or stay in Peru as a missionary. It was an awesome 4 weeks with him. Probably the best 4 weeks of my mission. We pushed each other to our limits to have the success that we had. Thanks to the Lord and his blessings we were able to find, teach, and baptize many in just a short time period. Although he is leaving the work is go forth is this sector. Big things are coming from this sector. Just you wait and see.

Elder Shanklin and Elder Montoya

Elder Shanklin with his district

Baptisms

This week we had another baptism. Her name is Gladys and she is 82 years old. I dont know what it is but for some reason the elderly ladies are attracting to me and my companion. We took some awesome pictures. I am only able to send a few because my memory has a virus and this computer is not helping that what so ever. Hopefully the next week i can send some of the pictures we took. Hopefully we keep the streak alive and have another baptisms this week. If not we will focus on the next week so we can move the Lords work along. It is a privilege to be here in this sector at this time.

Elder Shanklin, Gladys and Elder Montoya

Elder Shanklin, Gladys and Elder Montoya

Fun Facts

Thought I would throw some random facts in for those of you back home

=I think this week me and my companion took more than 200 photos. Must be because he is going home or something

=I learned something new this week. Just because someone has a barbershop in Ecuador does not mean that they know who to cut hair. That was a lesson that was tough to learn. 

=A young man recieved his mission call in the ward this week. He is going to Chile East MIssion and leaves on July 29.

Soccer Jerseys for the Elders

=I completed 10 months in the mission the other week. That means my 1 year mark is coming up.

Yes i do accept packages.

Thanks for all the love and support. Ecuador is great,hot, but great.

Life is a sport, make it count

Elder Shanklin

It Makes No Sense To Work Alone In The Work Of The Lord-Bananeros Guayaquil Week Fourty Four

Compared to the last week this week was a little bit more of a challenge.

Trust

Something important that a learned this week as a missionary is that we always need to have our trust and faith in God. All the success we enjoy and the good weeks we have our not because of our efforts that are because of the Lord. I learned the importance of putting our trust in the abilities of God and not in those of man. I am not saying that this week  was a complete bust because we worked super hard and the results did come just not as much as we would have liked.

Elder Shanklin with a future missionary

Elder Shanklin who looks so happy!

Baptism

 This weekend we had a baptism and it was super awesome. She is an elderly women who is like 80 years old. She asked me if I would baptize her so of course I said yes. We only took a couple pictures because she made the joke that if we took more pictures she wasn't going to get baptized. Although it was only a joke we got the baptism rolling shortly after that.

Ready for the baptism

Pictures with the Elders

Enough pictures elders....or I am not getting baptized!

Full Big Party With the Primary

The primary in this ward love the missionaries. I don't know why, well i do know why it is because we are awesome but still. We entered in there class for like 2 min and ended up taking a bunch of pictures with them and then the started  a chant saying that they wanted the missionaries to stay in the class. We have to leave to go to a meeting or else we would have stayed. Yes i will send the pictures.

The primary children and the Elders

Elder Shanklin and his companion Elder Montoya

Eyes on the Horizon

This coming weekend we will be having a baptism and hopefully the next weekend well.  I know that the Lord will continue to bless us as we work by his side. It makes no sense to work alone in the work of the Lord. There are so much tools that He has offered and this week we are going to use them all to there maximum potential. 

Thanks for all the love and support. Hope everyone has a great week!

Life is a sport, make it count

Elder Shanklin

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