In Trujillo

Erynn's first letter from outside the MTC in Trujillo.

So Trujillo is wonderful. I really enjoy it here, the work, the food, the people. Really it is so funny to be me here because everyone else is just so short and I am...well...not. I am also pretty white, so everyone just stares at me like I'm from a different country or something ;)

Really, though, the people here are wonderful. My companion for the next three months is Hermana Parque...like a park, which is funny to most people here. She is an itty bitty little lady, but she is awesome and she definitely is in touch with the spirit. I was having a decently rough night a few nights ago, only when we were getting ready for bed, and I prayed about it and basically just expressed my feelings to Heavenly Father because I needed someone to lean on, and I always can lean on Him. Anyway, basically right after she started talking to me and said exactly what I had prayed about...she was an anwer to a very pleading prayer. She is a great missionary and a great example to me. She helps me see how I can improve every day and I feel that things are going very well and it has only been a week!

People here say that I speak very well, though I don't believe them, but I guess I'll go with it. It is fun to teach the gospel in spanish. As a matter of fact, we met a man the other day that wanted me to share it in english and I had so much trouble with it that I just went with spanish anyway. We are really seeing a lot of miracles.

We are teaching a family right now, a mom and her 3 sons. They are really special to me and I just love seeing them walking around in the calle and just coming up to say hi to me. I really saw how much they believed the words we had to say in the first visit with them! They went to a baptism with us the other day and it was really quite amazing. It is amazing to see the spirit work so quickly and so powerfully. As missionaries, we have been set apart from the world and have been given the power and authority to act in His name, and there is nothing better. So many people can feel the power of the spirit working through us every day, every time we speak, and i love that. I am definitely grateful to be able to teach people and to share this message for 18 months. The people and the experiences are incredible and the language is wonderful.

I loved Elder Uchtdorf´s talk for the relief society when he said 'forget not to have patience with yourself'. I really need to remember that always and have the patience wiith myself that i have with everyone else.

I have to get off of the computer, but Know that I have a testimony of this gospel. It is the true church here on the earth, restored and established as that of the church in Christ's time. I am a dedicated servant of Him, my savior. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it has every answer to every question we could have, especially where we come from, why we are here, and where we are going next! This is a powerful work and a powerful book. I see the changes that it brings in many people's lives and I love seeing the joy it brings them. I love you all and I hope you can findthe same testimony in your hearts too. Con tanto amor,

Hermana Erynn Shearman

MTC-Peru Aug 31

Wow! Perú is amazing! Let me just tell you! I really am having a marvellous and incredibly humbling experience here. I have a native companion (se llama Hna Mamani). She is incredibly humble and very happy and fun to be around. I am constantly amazing by her love and her desire to help me. I am truly grateful to be down here to learn and grow in the culture instead of in provo. I was extremely grateful to have the opportunity to be in Provo, and I was more than a little sad to leave all of my amazing friends there (including one of my companions), but I am beginning to love the elders and hermanas here just as much. They truly are all amazing and are all called of God. Spanish is coming just as fast today as it was in Provo, but now I literally HAVE to speak spanish in order to plan and teach and just talk with my companion. I get to go to firesides and such that are in spanish and I don't even have to get the translation! :) My companion likes to learn some English, so thats kind of fun to teach, and she is cute. She always asks me how to say cute things: she now says 'I love you a lot, sister shearman' or 'you are my sister, enserio.' It is so great! She is so sweet. All of the elders are great too and we just have really bonded as we've been able to teach and share spiritual and life experiences together.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be on a mission. It truly is the Lord's work and I am incredibly lucky to be able to be a part of it. I am constantly amazed at how Heavenly Father is changing and healing my heart, as well as how He is helping me develop as a person. It truly is a constant process that we all have to go through, the changing of a person's heart for the better in the love of Christ. I have had the opportunity to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ and I just love it; it is so simple! Have faith, repent, be baptised, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. I am so excited to share that with the people of Perú and I know that they have been prepared and will be receptive to the message that I bear, the message of the Restored Gospel.

I got to go to the Lima temple today...it was beautiful! It was such a great experience to know that I am in exactly the right place and to be able to understand spanish without translating it back into english. It was a bit tricky to say some things in spanish, but that will come with time. It truly is the House of God, and He really does reside there. What a blessing temples are! It was interesting, and a little weird to be outside the CCM and walking the streets of Lima, as well as riding the buses. It is a bit crazy, but I enjoyed it! :) We had a great experience, and things are really pretty crazy and different, but great here. In all of our classes I end up being a 'translator' of sorts, helping americans understand their latino companions as well as helping the teachers explain things in english...it is pretty great. I truly do love spanish!

I am so glad that you got to speak in a baptism! That sounds amazing. I'm sure that you did a wonderful job and that the investigators felt the Holy Ghost testify of the truthfulness of the gospel. I am sure that they understood more fully how they could feel the spirit. In my lessons I always end up saying 'yo sè que cuando lea y cuando ora y pregunta a Dios, recibirà una respuesta de Dios mediante un sentimiento en su corazòn. Este sentimiento es el Espìritu testificando sobre estas cosas.' It is truly powerful what a testimony can bring. I see it in every time that I teach, bearing witness of the truth, that you KNOW that it is the truth, and then letting that resonate with them is so strong! It is in those moments of silence that the Spirit will truly testify with so much strength to their hearts that it is difficult for many to deny that testimony and the spirit.

I don´t have much else to say. The country and the food are great...well most of the food. I think I may have eaten donkey the other day, but I am not entirely sure. Their desserts, though, are ALWAYS amazing...or at least they have been here. I have eaten more starch in the last week than I think I ate for a full year before that. It is pretty intense, but it is muy richo. I am doing well here, tired as usual, but that is the life of a missionary. When I get home I can sleep for 2 days or something...maybe.

I love you all and I know that I am where the Lord would have me be. I know that I will be able to bring the Spirit and the Gospel to many people and that they will be blessed because they listened to the words that I will attempt to speak! These people are truly prepared to hear the gospel and I know I am being prepared to teach it in a way that they need to hear it. I know that this work is the work of the Lord and that I will find a pattern for my entire life through my service here. I know that this church is true, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and I will testify of that truth to anyone and everyone who wants to listen. This is His time, and I will try to be obedient and humble and to learn and develop to be more like Him. That is my ultimate goal. I love you all. Nos vemos.

Hna Shearman

MTC-Provo Aug 6

Hola mama!

How are you doing? I hope that you are doing well. My P-day is today, Saturday, but for the remaining few weeks that I am here it will be on Friday, I believe. Just so you know.

The MTC is going pretty well, not much has really happened that I feel like I need to tell you. I have two companions, Hermana Jackson y Hermana Pethebridge. They are both wonderful sisters and I am very blessed. The language skills are going well, and I think that I will be ok down in Peru...I just need to keep studying and praying as much as possible. We taught our first "investigator" last night, in SPANISH!!! It went pretty well and I asked if he would read the book of mormon and pray to know that it is true, and he agreed. We said a prayer and explained how to pray, not using prayers that are already written or anything. He said that he thinks that he understands and he complimented us on our spanish. We were having a somewhat difficult time telling him the differenece between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, explaining that some parts of the bible were lost, but then I bore my testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and that I have felt the Holy Ghost bear witness of it to me, and he seemed to understand everything. Once I began bearing my testimony, the Spirit was very strong, and I had explained what the Spirit is, more or less, so I think that he knew. It was really pretty wonderful. After I bore my testimony, Hermana Pethebridge did so, and then Hermana Jackson did so as well. It was truly a humbling, but very amazing experience.

We are the only three sisters in our zone, which includes 4 other districts including ours, so that is pretty interesting. It is somewhat odd to realize how few sisters are here in comparison with the massive number of elders, but the elders are great. I really do love the elders in my zone, as well as my companions. The elders are so helpful and so kind and loving toward us, and we help each other with our language as well as with life. It's really special that we've been together only 3 days but we feel so close! It is truly a blessing to be here with all of them and to have them as my MTC "family" because they help me learn a lot, especially humility and learning to teach in the spanish language.

I have to say, I am having a difficult time writing this in English...I know I've only been here for 3 days, but I have been speaking spanish for most of those 3 days and I have begun thinking in spanish a lot as well...it's weird, but some words I don't know how to say in English without thinking for a long time. It's pretty cool though...helps me learn more and more each day. I definitely pray for help from Heavenly Father to learn both the gospel and Spanish. One of my goals for this week is to be able to pray in Spanish by Sunday, as well as to memorize the missionary purpose in Spanish (in English it is to "help others come unto Christ and receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end). I've got it down in English, so now the trick is getting it down in Spanish...but I have a lot memorized already, so I'd say it's going pretty well. We also have to have read the missionary handbook (the little white one) by Sunday...or tomorrow I suppose. Tomorrow is fast Sunday, so that is pretty exciting...I keep hearing from people, including from Scott and Dave that "Sunday will come". It is said a lot around here as well. I can't wait to see how it goes, especially being a fast Sunday! :)

My MTC address I will send in another email today because I don't remember it :/ I will send it right after this so you can send me stuff here. All-in-all I am doing very well and everything is going well. The Spirit is definitely here, and even though we are all very tired, the work continues, and the love of Heavenly Father is felt. I pray for you each day and I hope that you can feel His Spirit as well. I love you!

Hermana Shearman

On The Topic Of Best Friends

So I've read a lot of blogs talking about best friends and good friends and family and all that good sort of stuff. Tonight as I sit here working I thought about who I would consider to be my best friend right now.

I guess it all started when I first decided to move back to Arizona from my beloved Provo. I didn't want to move and leave all of my friends up in Utah, but I thought (and strongly felt) that it was what I should do. I moved in with my sister, Rachel, who was quite pregnant at that time, and her husband, Dave. It was a little awkward at first, living in someone else's house again...using their shower and tv and kitchen. I don't really like to 'mooch' but I didn't have a whole lot to do. I was still living there when my darling niece was born, and I lived there for a few weeks after. Then I moved in with my oldest sister, Jeni. We have a great time together, when we actually see each other, but that is pretty rare. I guess it's funny to look back to when I moved back and realize how I really didn't know either of my sisters very well. They are a number of years older than I am, and we never were really friends until I moved here.

6 years ago...

A few months ago...

Rachel, I would say, is my best friend. We pretty much do a ton of stuff together. We've had a lot of good times, and I've become very attached :) haha. I guess it's funny to think that I never really was very close with her during the 15 years that we lived together, but in less than a year we have become so close. We definitely have fun and drive Dave crazy, but it's all in good fun! I love being with her and Leila (her daughter) and it's so fun to watch both grow together and see how Leila is getting so big and watching her learn to sit by herself, to eat real food, to get her ears pierced. It's all pretty crazy. I have to say, now that I'm leaving on my mission, it'll be weird not to see Rachel every week, not to clean her house and play in the kiddy pool with her and Leila, and not to text her almost every day with questions or just to hang out. I don't really think I've ever had a friend that I felt completely 100% comfortable talking to or calling just to hang out with or even cry in front of (not a normal occurrence, but it has happened). I'm definitely grateful for that, and I've learned a lot from the relationship that we have. It'll be weird being gone.

Here is Leila (the CUTEST niece in the WHOLE WORLD!):

One week old...ish.

8 Months old! :) 

Isn't she just so ADORABLE and she's getting so BIG!!! Love her!

Has It Really Been a Month and a Half?

So I logged on today and realized that I haven't posted anything for about a month and a half...that is CRAZY stuff...but I guess I just never had time, nor did I have anything to say really. A few things have happened since then, so here's the lo-down.

Shortly after my last post (as in a few days after), my BEST FRIEND got married! I was so blessed to be able to attend the sealing ceremony among her family, as well as his. It was a wonderful experience and I'm grateful to have been able to be there with them on such a special occasion! I was the "Maid of Honor," for whatever that means, and I got to help with a lot of the planning, decorating, picture taking, and dress fixing. I really had an enjoyable time the whole time! Here are a few of my favorite shots! :)

I seriously LOVE her family!

Maid of Honor/Bride; Best Man/Groom :)

 I just love her! And weddings! Man...good times!

My niece got her ears pierced and is just as adorable as ever! :)
I've gone to the temple almost every week...sometimes twice a week! :)

I FINALLY tried a BAHAMA RAMA MAMA (or is it bahama mama rama?) from Bahama Bucks (soooooo good!!)
My best boy friends hit their year marks!! :) Studs I tell ya

Elder Macaulay "Moose" Wilson

Elder Garrett "Milkshake" Black

 I stinking LOVE these boys SOOOOO MUCH!!! <3

 I hit my 8 week countdown....Only two months and I'll be in the Provo MTC and then...just 3 SHORT weeks later, I'll be in the MTC down in Peru, trying to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and bearing my testimony of His divinity and bearing testimony that the Book of Mormon is TRUE!!! I am so excited and so nervous. I keep myself very busy with work and such...trying to stay out of trouble until I get there :) lol.

Life is good...hard and busy, sometimes harder than I think I can handle, but it's worth it and the path that I'm walking down seems to be the right one, I just need to keep following it and I'll return to my Father someday in the (far) future!

Joining the Eagle's Nest

This morning (Saturday) I got off work, and drove down to Tucson.

Why would I do this crazy thing, being so tired?

MY BROTHER'S COURT OF HONOR!!!

Russell, my 16 year old brother, was presented with his Eagle Scout award today.

I am so proud, and I love that boy a lot. He's so fun to be with! 

I'm glad to have a brother like him, no matter what situation we're in, 

I know that I'm safe and that we'll have fun!

I Love to See the Temple, I Went There Last Week :)

Scott and I at the Mesa Temple! :)

So, I got to go to the temple, and my family all got to go with me! I was very 

grateful for them being there because I wasn't really sure what to do, but 

they were all very helpful. 

I have to say that I am especially grateful for my brother, Scott, because

every time I have questions about the church I can just text him and he 

answers almost immediately, and he does it with a lot of love...not

judging me for my possible stupidity. 

He even knows me so well that when when I had cried like 10 minutes before, 

and he walked in, he immediately said "What's wrong?" 

I really am a lucky girl, with a wonderful family.

My Siblings and I Have a Day Out

My family, I love them.

Shauna, 18 and engaged? Love my little sister!

Russell is a stud...and 16 already? What?

These two look like my 'protectors', which is totally true!

We're crazy! But we have fun!

Rachel, Dave, Leila! Love them!!

Scott and Chels...great couple..awesome siblings! :)

Me [obviously]

Jeni, the oldest, and my lovely roommate! :)

All of my siblings, and their families!

We siblings got together to take some pictures for our mom for her birthday!

We went to a park in Queen Creek, and we had a TON of fun! It was a great idea [props to rachel]

It was a long day, but it was worth it. My mom was surprised and she loved them! :)

Missions are GRRRREAT!

Ok, so a lot of you already know that I'm going on a mission...well if you didn't, here's the news!!

I'm going on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I will be teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Peru in their native tongue, Spanish. My mission is the Peru Trujillo Mission. I report to the Provo Missionary Training Center in Utah August 3, 2011 and will be there for approximately 3 weeks. After those 3 weeks I will move to the Missionary Training Center in Peru to further my learning of both the Spanish language and of the gospel for 6 more weeks. I am so excited to go and serve the Lord there and to bless the lives of those that I get to serve.

I have always wanted to go on a humanitarian service rendezvous to Peru, and now I really get to go! I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself. I have a lot to do to get ready for the mission, but I know that I'm in good hands and that I will be able to do all that I am supposed to do!

I will get both the coastal weather and atmosphere of Peru and the mountainous weather and atmosphere. It will be a great experience and I am very blessed to have this opportunity. Here are a few pictures of Trujillo.

Ahhhh, Missionaries.

You know how 'Mormons' always go on those things called missions? You know how they go around and knock on doors and tell people about Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation? You know how boys can go when they're 19 and girls can go when they're 21? Finally, did you know that they can submit their 'application' to go on a mission (aka their mission papers) 120 days before their mission?

Wellllllllll......

My birthday is June 26th, and I was born in 1990.

That makes me 20 years old right now...annnnnd it is 

117 days before my birthday!!!

So, you may be asking? What the heck is she talking about? (or not..)

I submitted my mission papers last week!!! :)

That is all. I'll hear back soon (I hope) and I am wayyyyy excited! 

(but nervous for sure...a bit at least)

Friends?!?? WHATTTT?

Ok...so I have a tendency to be bummed because I don't have any friends here...but I now have

SCHOOL FRIENDS!

Last semester I really didn't like a whole lot of people from school...I mean I liked them, but felt awkward and 'different' around them, like I didn't fit in I guess. I really only had 1 friend...who I still talk to sometimes, but we're not in any of the same classes, so it is very rare. Anyway, this semester my whole Abnormal Psychology class loves me! I went to sit in a different seat than normal, and the boys that normally sit in front of me and behind me said "No way, you can't move...I like talking to you!!" It made me feel...well....special...like I mattered to people here in Phoenix other than my family...now I like the class a lot better (and it doesn't hurt that I'm #3 in the class and have only taken one Psych class before...went from 101 to 266 and still rock!). I have to say, that made my day! They love me! I am sure glad too since I have to give an Honors presentation to them this semester...I was really nervous about it...until today! :) Woot...Life is good, my friends, life is good...even if you have to have a bout of time that's not so good!

A Day for Couple's Everywhere (no couple here...)

Things have been quite good lately...more or less...

Valentine's Day found me finishing the audit during the wee hours of the morning and then talking to a good friend, whom I have only actually talked to in person/met once (3 years ago) and have only been talking to again for the last 4.5 months. He is a sweetheart, and I think he has told me EVERYTHING about himself and his life. It's fun to listen to, especially since I don't get to talk to him much seeing as how he lives in JAPAN and is in the Marines...makes for conversations in the middle of the night my time and the evening his (the evening of the NEXT DAY!!! weird...). Anyway, he randomly asked me to be his Valentine, which was all right with me, and he surprised me by having someone in Phoenix deliver a dozen yellow roses to my house that morning! They were/are beautiful!

 

I went back to sleep after I got those, smiling because I was definitely not expecting anything! A few hours later I got another *loud* knock on my door. I lugged myself out of my sister's nice warm bed (my room is always terribly chilly...and really bright) and opened the door to find another beautiful set of flowers being delivered. These were white Mums from my sister! *thanks Jeni* (I got her some red tulips...now we have a garden at our house! lol)

 

I also got a letter from my BEST FRIEND who is in Canada right now (eh?). It was short, but it was exactly what I needed and wanted to hear then...crazy how missionaries can do that, huh? No...it's just the Spirit. 

All in all, I had a surprisingly wonderful Valentine's Day. ANNNNND I didn't have to work!!! It's been a few days, but I may still be hung over on the happy :)

If There Was A Day That Would Cause Me To Drink...

It would be today.

I don't like to complain or whine (though I loooove cheese, haha) because 

I generally dislike the way that people pity you and treat you differently after

they know what's got you down...they overcompensate.

Well...with that said, I'm not going to complain, I'll just say it like it is.

If I were to ever go off the deep end and drink, the last 24 hours would probably have

been the breaking point, so I guess I don't have one! (a good thing I think)...

Anyway, I was in a generally unpleasant mood (to myself) last night and had to work. 

I finally got a little peppier this morning when I was so tired that I couldn't help it.

I slept for a few hours and woke up realizing that I had lots of homework to do.

I worked on my homework and a girl from my ward called and asked if I was 

going to go to FHE tonight...since she is almost literally the only friend I have in my 

ward (and yes, I know that's my fault, I'm just shy) I decided to go since she'd be there.

I stopped my homework, showered and put on some makeup...I looked decent.

She said, I think, 4 words to me...which was introducing her friend to me.

That is all.

I decided that I felt really uncomfortable and didn't know anyone so I went and 

played piano for about an hour, which was a very welcome relief, both because

I really love to play and sing, annnnd I haven't played in literally 5.5 months. 

I then came home and made brownies and did my laundry (both are still in progress)...

Alone.

Sometimes I forget that I'm alone 95% of my time, but nights like tonight, I remember well.

And tomorrow off to Tucson where I get to hang out with my Mom and little younger

brother for a few days (and get a physical...lame). 

I have to say, still, that I am grateful for the few hours each week that I get to spend with my 

sister and my niece, as well as with the sister that I live with. Highlights of my week.

My Brother Is Marrrrrrrried!!!!

Oh boy, I love these two! :)

I Need a Vacation.

Wow, did you realize that the year of 2010 is gone (I did)! I also realize that it has been a whole month since I wrote anything, so I figured I would write about....well....life.

What has happened since you last heard from me? Well, not much.

I really liked a boy, a lot, and he and I got along so well, but then I realized that he had completely lied to me about everything he was and was trying to be. Broke my heart a little. Maybe he and I will still be friends. Maybe not.

I permed my hair:

I got to talk to my friend, Macaulay for a little bit on Christmas Eve. I was so nervous, and definitely shed a tear or two...mixed feelings for sure, happy to talk, sad to say goodbye [again].
My little sister got engaged. Lisa apologized like it was terrible that my little sister would be getting married before I will...I reassured her that I would be fine.
My work schedule has been insane. I have slept very few hours in the last month, at least comparatively. Some days I don't work at all, while other days I work 20 of the 24 hours in the day (not really my favorite by a long stretch).
I almost lost 1/3 of my pinky because, while my keys were in my house door, my pinky was shut in my locked car door....had to rip it out. OUCH!
I have tried to keep contact with a lot of people, but I feel like they don't care anymore, since I live in Arizona now, so I just have eventually almost stopped trying. I am a little tired of trying so hard and loving so much when I really don't feel much love from most people (Depressing, I think so...but I had a friend that said, when I moved to Arizona, that I was "basically out of her life." Broke my heart). 
All in all, my 2010 was pretty great, mostly ups with a number of downs, but I'm doing my best, living each day as best as I can.