A Work In Progress-Machala Week Eight

A big thank you for all the prayers that are headed my way. They are and always will be appreciated.

Karma Stinks

Let me first say that I know my mom will get a kick out of this. Whenever my mom made Rice and Chicken I would complain. Now guess what I am having for every meal. You guessed it...Rice and Chicken. It honestly never changes. I dont know how they do it, but for every meal rice and chicken. I think sometimes that the Lord has a sense of humor with me.

Elder Shanklins Casa

Drunk Experiences

Nobody ever watches them but we all know those TV shows about out of body experiences, or experiences with aliens and what not. I would like to relate or create a TV where I share my stories about what happens with drunks. For some odd reason drunks love me or should I say white people. I have been hugged multiple times, asked if I knew my country was at war and ask how come I wasn't serving?, and forced to write some random drunk dudes name down. Also, I would share experiences with these super weird dudes. They dress up like with balloons...and you get were I am going but they love missionaries too. They will yell at us and run up to us. Plus, little kids love me too. I am okay with that because I can sorta speak with them. They are amused that I can speak English. 

Elder Shanklins area is on the coast of Ecuador

#GringoProbz

There is a twitter handle called @mormonprobs and I would like to change that to Gringoprobs. I know my spanish isnt terrible but for some reason I think that just because I am a gringo some peoples minds just turn off when I start speaking spanish. It is all good tho because I have hope that eventually I will learn...maybe. I have decided that I would take a bullet in order to be fluent in spanish, under certain conditions. No future problems and I am good a couple days after surgery. Also on a good note I am starting to actually comprehend what people are saying.

Just some great views

Cool little boats

This picture was for Ryker

Investigators

L is still moving along great and we have a baptism planned for him on the 18 of October. If things keep going as they are it could be sooner. This week we came in contact with W. He has 2 kids and his girlriend who is a member of the church. Well we starting taking to them and he has a strong desire to turn his life around and get it in order for his kids. They came to church on Sunday and have a date for marriage too (story later). Both are super awesome. We are going to visit him tonight to see how everything is going.

Ecuadorian Scripture Case
The first of many treasures from this great land!

Sunday Funday

This Sunday I was asked to give the closing prayer in church. I think I did good because people told me they could understand me. So thats good, right? Also now for a story. W and E are not married. In the middle of Sunday School our ward mission leader ask them why they weren't married. They both said they didn't know. He then left, came back with the Bishop, and told him or ask him if we would like to propose. So yea there was a proposal in the middle of Sunday School yesterday. Never would have expected that.

Elder Shanklin and his Zone in Machala!

Another great week. Wish I had more time to tell you all about it but I dont. This defintely isnt a easy thing to do but I am having a great time out here. I think when I know the language it will get even better. Thanks for all the love and support

INSERT COOL SAYING LIKE BRADY

Elder Shanklin

Chapter 1: Life In Ecuador-Machala Week Seven

1st week is officially in the books. I think you will get a couple good laughs out of this letter.

From Minors to Majors

Let me relate this experience to baseball. The MTC is the minors. I was doing good there so now I am in the majors. Lets say I was batting .400 in the minors with 25 HRs, and 80 RBIs. I am now in the majors batting .001 and am the kid that cheers when he makes contact with the ball. It is like they dropped me off in a foreign country and I dont know the language. Oh wait....

From the Minors

To The Majors

Travel

We left to go to the airport at 10:30 on Monday evening. I got to Ecuador around 11:00am the next morning. I successfully made it through all the countries with my American Flag suitcase. Success. When we arrived in Ecuador I found out that my luggage had ripped mid flight so now I had to lug around broken luggage (don't worry mom i fixed it). Many of you know that I get motion sickness quite easily. Imagine me being on a bus for multiple hours for 2 days. It wasnt fun.(mom note: He did take many bottles of dramamine!)

A view of Ecuador

Area Assignment and Companion

After we settled in at a local church in Guayaquil and had lunch we sat down for area assignments and companionships. Pretty cool experience. The called my name and then my companion, Elder Quispe. He is 24 years old and is from Argentina. He only has 2 months until he completes his mission. Awesome missionary. However, we were originally assigned to labor in Guayaquil but right there on the spot the mission president changed it to Machala, Vencedores. That is about 4 hours from Guayaquil. Come to find out later the mission president said he felt that he needed to do it, and that rarely happens. When I got to the area I was informed that I was the first new missionary ever to be assigned there for their first area. Looks like I have something to prove now, maybe. They said usually zone leaders, and people who have been out for a long time serve here.

Elder Shanklin and Elder Quispe

Getting ready to leave to their new areas

Death by No Sports

My mission president has a rule of no sports. When they put my in Ecuador without a knowledge of Spanish they like shot my foot. I could still get around just it would be tough. When they told me I couldnt play sports it was like they took a .50 caliber to my heart and pulled the trigger. It is okay I need to be obedient so no sports for me. I will never get hurt though so that is a plus.

Story Time with Elder Shanklin

I have a couple of stories I would like to share.

1) Weed Man- I saw a man wearing a USA jersey so I thought it was appropriate to talk with him about it and his life. Not exactly sure how this came about but I found out that he has killed someone and been to jail for 6 years. He then proceeded to tell me in English "I like to smoke weed". Slowly I started to end the conversation. Before I could walk away he gave me a little polar bear. So I now have a polar bear from a killer.

Polar Bear from "The Weed Man"

2)Gringo- Not really a story but all the kids learn english here so they always say "Hello friend" to me and Im not really sure how to respond.

3)English Teacher- I met one of the English teachers and let me tell you. What a relief it was to speak english. It was so awesome. I didnt have to think about what to say it just came out. Wow.

4)Pina Colada Milkshake-If you are ever in Ecuador and offered a milkshake dont accept. We bought one and it was awful. 

5)Age- People have guessed my age anywhere from 18-28 and when I tell people I'm 18 it is like that have seen a ghost.

6)Soccer- Soccer is a way of life. Last night there was a soccer game on TV. The streets were empty and after they won everyone got on their bikes honked there horns and cheered down the streets.

The empty streets of Machala

Church

The church here is the nicest building in the city. Small,but it is a ward. We had 5 less actives and 1 investigator attend. The investigator is Luis. He is 14 and has a baptismal date for October 18. The ward has about 150 people but not a lot of youth. There are two young men who love to go out with the missionaries so that is cool.

Ecuador VS USA

USA 1 ECU 0- USA has stops signs

USA 1 ECU 1- Everything is cheap in Ecuador

USA 2 ECU 1- In america dogs and cats actually live in houses

USA 3 ECU 1- We speak English

USA 4 ECU 1- Hot water. I step into the Artic Ocean every morning

USA 5 ECU 1- Everyone has cars in America

USA 6 ECU 1- We eat dinner in America. In Ecuador I guess a big lunch is enough. 

USA 7 ECU 1- In America we use trash cans instead of the street

USA 8 ECU 1- Girls shave their armpits in America

It has been a great week. I can already tell this is going to be a special experience. One that I will treasure for my entire life. I dont want to make Ecuador look bad because I love it already but I thought I would have some fun.

Thanks for all the love and support

Elder Shanklin...In Ecuador

Adios Mexico; Hola Ecuador-Mexico CCM Week Six

Crazy to think that my time has come to a close here in the Mexico MTC. I want to thank everyone for all the love and support. Time is flying by and next time I send a letter it will be from the lovely country of Ecuador. 

Flight Plans

On Tuesday I recieved my flight plans to leave to Ecuador. I will be boarding a plan at 2:15 on this next Tuesday morning. We have a layover in Colombia Bogota. So if I dont send a letter that means I probably died and my American flag suitcase is lost. But anyway I am super excited to leave here and finally get to choose what I want to eat. 

Power Outage

On Tuesday night around 9 oclock all the power in the MTC went out. It normally happens but immediately the power will turn back on. This time the power stayed out. We went outside and everyone was out there with their flashlights just looking around. Everyone joked that since the power was out the cameras didnt work so we should jump the fence and hit the city. As you all probably have figured out we did not do that. Instead we just chilled in our houses. Then about 11:30 the power came back on and woke everyone up. It was rough but pretty awesome.

Homie from Atlanta

This week during one of the devotionals I was talking with one of Elder Thomas´s friend. Then all of a sudden his companion turned to me and asked me if I had family in Atlanta. I told him I did and that they were just at my house before I left. Come to find out he is practically neighbors with my cousins and that they go to his house from seminary (or something like that). The people you met in the MTC is ridiculous. I would have never imagined that happening. Cool stories from the CCM. 

Elder Shanklin and Elder Baker (his little brother is my Nephews Best Friend)

If You Like Pina-Coladas, and Getting Caught in the Rain

I am pretty sure in Mexico they have everything flavored Pina-colada. From candy, to water, to yogurt, and probably anything else you can imagine. In case you are wondering it isnt that good either. The weather in Mexico is ideal minus to the rain. It hardly ever gets above like 75 and there is always a nice cool breeze. However, just like Springfield, it can go from sunny to rainy in about 5 minutes. This week me and my companion got caught in the rain atleast 3 times. We forgot our umbrellas so we would just sprint back to class and by the time we got back we would be drenched. I guess it is good practice for Ecuador tho.

Elder Shanklin and Elder Thomas with packages they received in the CCM.
(Notice all the water bottles in the background!)

Adios Mexico

These past 6 weeks have been some of the hardest but most fun 6 weeks of my life. Of course I miss home and all but I realize the importance of what I am doing. These past 6 weeks have gone by so fast and from what I have heard from others is that when you get to the field it only goes faster. Maybe one day I will come back and visit Mexico City and instead of being trapped inside a ten foot concrete wall I will get to see what it is really like. Here at the CCM I have met great people, had great teachers, and I think I have learned Spanish. The Lord has called me to serve and I now he wont let me fail. The language will be a struggle, it will be like a foreign language when I get off that plan. However, that has been a moment I have long dreamt about and I am so excited. 

Sorry the letters have slowly gotten shorter. There is only so many things to write about it week. Days are repetitive. We did teach our last investigator here at the MTC so it really has hit me that me time here is over. (Not that I am sad or anything). Best of luck to everyone! 

Elder Shanklin

I Can Smell Ecuador-Mexico CCM Week Five

First off I would like to thank all those that have sent packages (especially the Garcia´s for the soccer jersey) and letters. It is like a birthday present when you open the mall and see a card or anything for you. It is crazy to think that it is already week 5. Wishing that I could just skip to the part where I am fluent tho. Well here we go

Fear of Diabetes

I don´t want anyone with diabetes to take offense to this. This is just my companion acting like a dingus. While we were teaching one of our fake investigators we were talking about how Christ can lift our burdens. He said Christ can help you with any problems or afflictions like diabetes. I wasnt expecting it at all so I kind of let out a little laugh and then had to look down for a second to laugh. My companion on the other hand just continued to finish the lesson like nothing had happened. After the lesson he tells me that he has a fear of diabetes and so he wanted to let her know. 

Cage Soccer

This past week I have been playing a lot of cage soccer. Practically it is a basketball court with goals at the end. The latinos here love it. So we always play Gringos vs Latinos. You wouldnt think so but occassionaly the gringos pull out the victory. The past two days I have played and let me tell you I am like Messi out there. 7 goals in 2 days is on the level of Cristiano Ronaldo if he was out there playing with us. Especially with my new Mexican soccer jersey I am drawing the respect of all people.

Mexican Soccer Jersey

When he wears this he is unstoppable!

District Across the Hall

We said goodbye to the district across the hall this past week which including some our zone leaders. That now makes us the most senior group in our Zone. We pick up our flight plans on Monday and then like the next Monday or Tuesday we fly out. I dont know how I am supposed to communicate with these people in Ecuador but hopefully they can understand white spanglish. Honestly when people say the time flies it really days. The days go by sorta slow but before you know it is time for P-Day again.

Elder Shanklin, Elder Clark and the Zone Leaders

Missionaries from their Zone

Elder Shanklins District

10 Things to Know about the CCM

1) If you ever wanted to have nachos or a prime rib sandwich for breakfast this is the place to go. 

2) It is possible to escape the MTC without the runs

3) Rice and beans go with every meal

4) They try and tell you that you will be fluent in 6 weeks and we all know that isnt true

5) Sundays and P-Days are equaivalent to Christmas

6) You have a better chance of marrying Selena Gomez then getting a hot shower. 

7) The Post Office is the root of all happiness and sadness here.

8) If the Zombie apocalypse where to take place this would be a great place to go because of the wall.

9) At night it sounds like the Hunger Games because there are loud explosions so we figure people are dying

10) The desired place for devotionals is the auditorioum...and I will neither confirm or deny that is a great place to take naps as well

Thank you for all the love and support. Heads up this is the last weeks for packages and letters so dont hesitate. 

Love 

Elder Shanklin

Half Way There And We Are Living On A Prayer-Mexico CCM Week Three

Thanks to everyone who sends packages (check out the links on the right if you want to send him something). Truly means a lot and one of these days Ill get around to writing thank you notes. Another week done and time seems to go faster and faster.

Pooped On

This past week I was enjoying a casual stroll through the palm trees on the beautiful MTC and I felt something hit the back of my shirt. Thinking it was just a berry that had fallen I continued my stroll. Moments later I realized that it was possible that in fact I had been pooped on. My dreams became nightmares when I asked my companion and he informed me that I had been pooped on. So I of course went home and changed. Still looking for that bird in hopes that I can somehow get my revenge.

Nice addition to his clothes

Just to prove that his story was true

Haircut

The man that said "the best things in life are free" has never had a free mexican haircut before. It was far from the best thing. Basically they called me over to a chair sat me down and just starting hacking away. Before I could even mutter a word half my hair was gone. Sad day. Especially because halfway through I figured there was no more hair to cut. I was wrong because she continued to cut hair. I will over you advice if you ever go to Mexico City do not get a free haircut.

Talk

This Sunday I was randomly selected to give a talk in Sunday. Like all of my talks I enjoy references sports in them. This time I decided to use a little bit of the other Elder Shanklin´s magic and reference the quote from Friday Night Lights. The quote is "Clear eyes, full heart, cant lose". It was a fan favorite. I guess it gave everyone a sense of home because lots of people came up and thanked me after the talk. Glad I got it out of the way so I dont have to worry about speaking anymore. Oh by the way the talk was 5-7 minutes and it had to be in all spanish.

The view of Mexico City

Another view of Mexico City

Mexican Homies

We said goodbye to our Mexican friends this past week. They were only here for 2 weeks. We did get a last selfie with them. In case you are wondering if you see a Latino Im sure, even if they dont know English, that they will know what a selfie is. They love them if you cant tell from some of the previous pictures.

Saying Goodbye

Prayers for Chicken

This past week the district that we share a house with decided that they wanted spicy chicken. Because of their desires they deciding that they would pray for it. So for 3 days they prayed that they would have spicy chicken as part of their meal. And low and behold we had spicy chicken yesterday for lunch. Prayers are answered. Next it is time for curly fries.

These are the Elders that "recruited Justin to be on their intramural team
at BYU!

Matching con Maestro

My teacher and I found out that we had the same tie so we decided that we would plan to wear it the same day. In the picture you will see to people. One person who looks really good in the tie and then their is my teacher. The teachers name is Hermano Salvador. He is so cool. If it is possible to make learning spanish fun that he deserves an A.

Elder Shanklin and Hermano Salvador

NOLA

Meet some missionaries that were leaving for New Orleans that night so I talked to them for a little bit. I told them that they had to go to Sal´s snowballs and to ask people if they remember the Shanklin´s. Sending my love (maybe) to the people of NOLA.

KRISPY KREME

I have talked pretty bad about the food here in the MTC. However there is one thing that they cant mess up and that is Kripsy Kreme. One of the people in our district got some and we chowed down on them. So good. Just another idea to how bad the food can be here. Taco Bell is fake Mexican food and it puts the food to shame here. I could go for a beefy crunch burrito anyday. 

Lessons

I will end on a spiritual note this week. This week as we were teaching our investigator we had opportunities that came up to use and teach by the spirit. We went it with lesson plans but walked out teaching a whole different lesson. One last thing to share and that I as a missionary need to remember when good things happen. As Ammon said, I boast not in myself but I will boast in the strength of my God. Remember that what we have is a blessing from God and always give him thanks. 

Much love to everyone. Thanks for all the emails and the support. Halfway threw the MTC and we are leaving on that prayer for curly fries. Ill keep you updated on if it works. 

Elder Shanklin...in Mexico

The MTC Is Like Drinking From A Fire Hydrant. You Will Get A Couple Drops But Mostly It Will Hurt Your Face- Mexico CCM Week Two

I realize I probably sounded like a Debby Downer last week. The MTC is a great place filled with meaningful learning and constantly full of the spirit. 

Thank you to everyone that has sent me a package or card it really means a lot.

Groundhog Day

Has anyone seen the TV shows about that neighborhood that all does the same thing everyday (I believe there was one in Spongebob.) If so then you know exactly what the MTC is like. Everyone wakes up at 630 and walks out the door all wearing the same thing 2 by 2. It is actually quite funny. And the idea that there is a 10 foot wall and then barbwired fence around us makes it that much better.(mom note: This is for the protection of the missionaries not to keep them inside the area) It is a beautiful place with a bunch of views too.

Elder Shanklin at Mexico Temple

Recruitment

This week I was approached by some missionaries asking if I played ball. Of course I said yes, played with them and then went on my way. The next morning at breakfast I was approached by one of the kids and he asked me if I would like to play for his intramural team at BYU. It was strange because then he followed it with a pitch and then told me I would have a starting position. Never thought I would get a recruitment visit especially not in the MTC. I told them I would think about and gave them my email and he told me he would email me in 2 years.

Enjoying some Rootbeer after the recruitment visit!

Teaching

Every day we get the opportunity to teach someone, they are our teachers. We had just finished up our last lesson with our first investigator and as we were leaving she told my companion that he had poor spanish. As soon as she said that I just busted up laughing and what made it even funnier was I dont think my companion knew what she said. This past week we have recieved 2 new investigators. They are progressing well and look to be on the right path. One actually offered us the opportunity to sleep instead of teaching her. I almost took her up on the offer. But seriously our language is continuing to grow. Sometimes I say words that I didnt know I knew. Crazy how the Lord works.

Mexican Homies

This past week me and my companion have become really good friends with these Latinos. They speak decent English and we speak decent Spanish so we can communicate quite well. Whenever we see them we just yell and they yell back. They love to take selfies too. So I have sent my mom a couple of the selfies that we have taken. It is amazing the love they have for the gospel. It is truly universal. They leave in a couple days and I am truly gonna miss them.

Elder Shanklin, Elder Thomas and Their Homies

I guess those long arms are good for selfies!!

Running from the Runs

This past week  there has been an outbreak of the runs. Ill spare you details and let you use your imagination. It is seriously the nastiest thing ever. I am one of the few who didn't get it and luckily have been safe. However, my companion on the other side was down for the count. I lost track after 10 trips to the bathroom one day. People say it is bound to happen to everyone but so far I'm good and couldn't be happier about it.

A selfie of Elder Shanklin in front of the Mexico Temple

PEVE

Peve is a holiday that is celebrating here in the MTC. It stands for PDay Eve. One of the greatest moments. Like if I had to compare it to something it would be either pay day or Christmas eve. It is seriously amazing. That downside is you really cant focus so you just need to work harder. Last night for peve we watched a movie. It was the Tyler Haws Mormon Message. It was super interesting and I advise anyone to watch it. His example for missionaries is amazing. 

One last thing. if anyone wants to send packages or letters I'm always open to receiving them  (see right side bar on mailing Elder Shanklin and for links to companies that deliver packages to him). Thanks so much for all the love and support. Gonna end this letter with two quotes that I thought were interesting. 

"Jesus Christ is not our last chance, he is our only chance. He will show us the way because he is the way." and the other is"The MTC is like drinking from a fire hydrant. You will get a couple drops but mostly it will hurt your face." 

Thanks again and may God Speed

Elder Shanklin...In Mexico

The Worst Three Days Of The Best Two Years Of My Life-Mexico CCM Week One

First shoutout of the mission goes to the fam for sending me a six pack of IBC Rootbeer. Much needed. 

Were shall I begin....

I asked Justin if he recieved our letters in the mail:  I recieved one dear elder letter. By the way tell everyone and their dog to write me. It is seriously the greatest thing when missionaries get mail. (mom note:  If you click on "dear elder" link above you can write Justin a letter that will be printed  off and mailed  to him.  It is FREE.  He will then get mail during the week and will have time to actually read them!!)

Arrival

First things first I made it here alive. Second, on the plane ride to Mexico City I meet an Elder named Elder Jarvis. No real relevance except that he has siblings that are all the same age as mine and we both played football in high school so I thought that was pretty dope. For those of you who do not know my carry on luggage was practically luggage covered in the American Flag. My suggestion, if you ever travel outside of the United States dont bring an American Flag suitcase. I got so many death stares that I wasnt even sure that I would make it to the MTC. Luckily, I escaped in one piece. The drive from the airport to the MTC was just as memorable. If you thought drivers in Springfield were bad then basically you are living in paradise. In Mexico City there are zero traffic laws that are enforced. So we nearly killed about 10 people on the way to the MTC. People just walk in the middle of the street trying to sell stuff and it is just crazy. When we arrived it was pouring. They said it was one of the worst rains they have had in a couple of months. Good start to the week. 

Companion

Basically my companion is a 6´5 huge super athletic guy. Just kidding. He is 5´7 and can barely shoot a basketball. Still they dude is awesome. His name is Elder Thomas. We hit it off from the beginning and have been killing it ever since. He has a love for the gospel and loves to work so I cant complain. He is from Utah and was a swimmer. He is neighbors to one of my dads mission companions so that is pretty awesome too.

Elder Shanklin and Elder Thomas at the Mexcio City CCM

Goolash 2.0

If any of you have ever been to some sort of summer camp like scout camp for example then you know exactly what goolash is. If you don´t you should be glad. Basically it is were they take a bunch of random ingredients throw it all together and make a meal out of it. Nobody ever ate it. If you want to know what the food is like down here than that is your answer. Sometimes I dont even know exactly what is on my plate when I get it. Even the american food taste average down here. Like we had pizza and corn dogs one time and they were not as nearly as good as they were when I was in America. If you thought American cafeteria food was bad then come to Mexico.

Spanish

Having taken a few years in high school and being placed in the intermediate class I expected to be decent at spanish. Let me tell you something. As soon as I arrived I was humbled because I understood nothing of what came out of peoples mouths. Slowly as the week has progressed it has slowly come back to me but I feel that I have a ton more learning left to do. Crazy to think that I have been here only a week and I feel like I have learned quite a bit of spanish. 

3 Days of Darkness

Im gonna be honest here the first 3 days at the MTC were some of the hardest in my life. I wasn't as homesick as I thought I would be but I still missed everyone. It was crazy to think that I wouldnt see them for 2 years. Plus the first couple days you really didn't even know anyone so you just kinda chilled there. The third day the expected to teach a 20 min lesson in only spanish too. It is really hard to explain the difficulties of the first three days unless you really experience them. However, right now I feel awesome and I can't describe how excited I am.

Elder Shanklin and his CCM District at the Mexico City Temple

1 Week Down, 103 to Go...but who is counting

First week is done and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Lets hope the other weeks go a little faster. Miss everyone the fam, Macy, Pierson, Taylor, and everyone back home. The people around here are about as athletic as rocks so I'm missing the courts league too. Only athletic person here is someone who has a full ride to play basketball for the UTES. 

Lots of emotions right now so I'm not sure if i got everything across that I needed to, but we will just learn.

Elder Shanklin and his district at the visitors center
Mexico City Temple

Much Love

Elder Shanklin