Letter received by the Shurtz Family from the Mission Field

Dear Sister Shurtz,

I'm writing this note to wish you a happy Mother's Day and to thank you for the amazing young woman you raised and then shared with us at the Mesa Temple Visitors' Center.  Our Sister Shurtz is such a dedicated, capable young missionary who is blessing the lives of many people in our mission.  She is so sweet and friendly that she immediately puts everyone she meets at ease.  Guests who come into the center love to visit with Sister Shurtz, and that makes such a huge contribution to the VC.

 

My heart ached with hers this past two weeks while she has been mourning the loss of her sister.  I would like to offer my condolences to both of you and to your family, and hope you will be blessed for the loving care you gave Lacy while she was in your home.  I cannot imagine the sacrifices you had to make to care for her special needs.

 

Sister Shurtz sings in our VC choir, and I wish you could hear them - they sound like angels.  I admit I am guilty of the sin of pride when they sing at the Mission President's Firesides.  They receive rave reviews from all who hear them.

 

Sister Shurtz is a favorite with all the sisters at the center because she is so warm and loving.  I'm sure she's a favorite with the members in the wards in her area as well.

 

President Faust once said:  "There is no greater good throughout the world than motherhood.  The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation."  I truly believe that statement.  Thank you so much for the influence you have had in helping Sister Shurtz develop her love of the Savior and the desire to serve Him.   She is a wonderful example of what a young LDS missionary should be.

 

 

Thanks again for your example, your support, and your sacrifice in letting us enjoy your beautiful daughter.  We love her so much!

June 11, 2012

Hello All you peoples!

I am learning alot here. My companion teaches me so much. She helps me realize how much more obedient I can be than I was even being before. It's interesting to see that even when you are already following all the rules, there is always more you can do to be better.

My companion is really struggling with the heat. She says that in Pakistan it is not hot like it is here. She says that it is nice and cool like Utah. She said there are places in Pakistan that are hot like in Mesa, but not in her city. She gets really faint and weak in the sun, she won't say anything but I can tell. She will start swaying every now and then and If I don't catch her in time and tell her to sit down and drink water she will faint. So crazy. I think I am just extra blessed to not have this heat bother me like it does some people. 

We are teaching lots of part member families. I feel like all the people we  are teaching already know that the message we are teaching is true, they just don't have a strong enough testimony to make and keep commitments and change. Seriously. We have like 10 investigators. We call and go over to their homes before church and even provide rides for them to get to church, and still none of them will come! AHH! I just sometimes want to take away their agency and make them come so that they can see the blessings that will come to them as they do! But I know that is a bad wish. That is Satans plan to take away our agency, so I don't REALLY want that, but boy, I can see why one third of the host of heaven followed Satan. I of course am being phesicious. I believe in and love Gods Plan and support it whole heartedly!!

Well something neat that happened at the Visitors Center was that Sister Javed and I got asked to do a tour for a lady that is from Iran. She was Muslim. She flagged down the Elders and in broken English told them she wanted to read our book. They got her a persian book of mormon and a translator and have been teaching her. Well they have only been teaching her a couple weeks but she is so prepared! She has read the persian book of mormon 5 times already! They haven't really taught her any of the discussions yet because they have just been answering her questions, which she has MANY! She is like a sponge. She soaks it up. When we gave them the tour. I felt impressed to tell the Elders to invite her to baptism, she is ready! They said well she doesn't want to yet because she doesn't know everything yet etc. But I persisted. I also talked to them about staying on track with preach my gospel and instead of answering all of her questions immediately, to teach her the lessons outlined and then and most of her questions will be answered as they follow this pattern. I explained this to her (via her translator) and she said okay. Also the elders let me set a baptismal date with her for July 21st! I explained to her about how I was baptized when i was 8 and didn't know everything but I knew enough to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. I told her that baptism was just the gate and that once we promise God that we will follow him we can learn much more and much better because of the Holy Ghost. I asked her if she wanted to follow Jesus Christ. She said yes and then commited to be baptized! It was a really really neat and spiritual experience. The elders have invited us to teach her at the Visitors Center with them for their other lessons too! :)

well I better Go!

Thank you for your emails and letters and prayers and love! I love you all and miss you all so much!!!!

~ Sis Shurtz

Sister Shurtz and Sister Lewis

New Transfer

HeY FaMiLy!!
I we got transfer news on Sunday! ................... Drumroll please?
Yep I'm finally leaving my Greenie area! After 5 transfers there I am finally gettin kicked out! Aw it's weird. I really honestly dont want to leave. I think that it'll be good and I am super excited for what's next but wow. I didn't think it'd be so hard to leave. I really got attached to all these lovely people here! But hey I at least got to see Beth get baptized! Wow that was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was glowing. She took out all her piercings, was wearing a dress and everything! She was just so happy! Also, her husband and 3 daughters were there! That was a miracle all in itself. If you remember last time Brian was threatening not to go to the baptism and saying that the girls couldn't go either. But he was there with the girls and they all sat together and smiled the whole time. Guess what else? Brian came to CHURCH! Ah! Yeah Beth said that would never happen in a million years. I told her to not underestimate Gods power and his awesomeness and to pray really hard that he would be there, and that we would too! Well He was there with the girls once again! She still had her earrings out and was wearing a dress again! She looked so nice. It was such a wonderful thing seeing them all there in the back row as a family. Brian was so great. He thanked us over and over for what we had done for Beth. He said that he knew that we had made her happier and that this was good for her and what she wanted and needed. He said "Well, i'm sure the girls'll be next!" Whoo! I am so happy! He's already thinking about letting the girls be baptized! That's another miracle in and of itself! I am sad I won't be there to get the girls baptized, but it's okay. they'll get there. Sis Lewis will take good care of this area. It's crazy because we now have 15 investigators in this area and a lot of potentials! We have just found and found like crazy these last couple weeks and now there are a lot of solid investigators that will be on their way to baptism. If all goes according to plan there will be 10 baptisms in my greenie area this next transfer! Of course things tend to fall through.. but still there should be at least several solid baptisms this next transfer. I am not going to lie- I am so sad to leave after our area has blossomed so much! But I know it's time. It'll be good. I am going to Mountain View in East Mesa. My new companion will be ............... dun dun dun... Sister Javed from pakistan!! I am so excited to be her companion! She is an incredible missionary and is such a hard worker! She has beautiful looong dark hair and she is the must humble and sweet and obedient missionary I know.

 We are going to tear it up there! I am excited. Also, I will be in a car! Haha first time in my whole mission. It's weird to think that I spent almost half my mission in one area and on bikes, and in an apt and trained after two transfers and went fullfield while training. All things that don't generally happen to anyone in the mission. I have had an awesome and unique mission so far! I love it. It will be interesting living with members. And driving.... we all know how much I hate driving- and how terrible I am at it. I'm terrified! Ha especially after having not driven for 9 months! Plus I have to be the driver the whole time since sister Javed doesn't have a drivers license.. Oh boy.. Please pray for me- even harder than when I was on bikes! Ha I know that this is silly- most people would be the opposite. They would be more worried about everything if they were going to be on bikes. But I am worried for my safety and Sister Javeds saftey and everyone who drives near us safety.. hahaha. It'll be fun.
Well I am excited for all this newness! It'll be great. Sister Hansen, my trainer just left yesterday. She's home now. Weird. I'm taking over her area. She was with sister Javed. She knew I was coming to her area. She told everyone that she trained me- no pressure right? Haha oh well, it'll be great! I don't know much about my area or anything yet. Today I will be packing like a mad woman to get it all done in time for transfer mtg eeeaaarly tomorrow morning. I won't get a chance to say good bye to anyone really. Oh boy oh boy! Herrre I GO!!!! :) :) Love you all. Sorry I didn't read Emails yet. I love you all though! 
~ SiSteR ShUrtZ

Missionaries and Family at Beth's Baptism

Hello! 
AHHHH! It was so good to see ALLLLLL of you! Gosh it's weird, I talk to other missionaries and they said they feel all homesick and trunky after skyping with their families- Weird since I feel the opposite. I just want to be out here working harder to make my family proud of me. I can't tell you all how much it means to me to have all of your love prayers and support! That just makes me want to work harder and be more obedient and diligent. Elder Beckstrand talked with all of us VC sister missionaries the other day and he said that we need to strive to BE the kind of missionaries that our families think that we are. It's so true. After talking with ya'll - you just think I am so much better than I am. But it's okay- it gives me something to strive for! I want to be that missionary that you think I am! Thank you each and every one of you for taking the time to sit in front of the computer and talk with me for a minute.  You are my world. I hope you all know that. 
Family has come to mean everything to me. I hope all is going well back home. Looks like you all are doing well. I am so excited for all of you with your new adventures coming up!!! What an exciting time this is in all of our lives! LIVE it UP!!! Our time is so short! Can you believe I've already been out for over 7 months? Wow. I look at my area and say i've been here the whole time- what do I have to show for it?? I better get moving. I still don't know half of the members and I feel like we all of the sudden have NO investigators- well none that are progressing. boy oh boy. We just gonna start from the ground up again. Satan can't get me down- nope nope! 
Well Beth Berela is still on for her baptismal date on may 28th She wants to be baptized really bad- she believes the Book of Mormon and that Joseph Smith is a prophet. She said she knows she needs to come to church and take out her million earrings and some other little things. 
We also set a date with a man named Ernie Miller. I think I mentioned him before. He is the Eternal Investigator that is black that we were teaching before and then dropped because he doesn't keep commitments. It's so frustrating though because he comes to church almost every week and he is always outside and comes over and talks to us. He always ends up being taught again, and then just dropped. He finally kept a commitment though. We asked him to read Alma 5 and he did! He read the whole thing 66 verses. Then we asked him to read 2 Nephi 2 and he is started on that. So then I was like okay good you're ready to start keeping commitments then huh? Will you prepare yourself to be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God on June 9th? and he said I'll think about it. We said will you pray about it and we'll call you tomorrow and get the answer. He said yes! Well i'm not letting myself get too excited because he is always just messing around with the missionaries and never takes anything seriously. But at the same time if he says he's going to do something than he will do it. So I'm really hoping! :) Ernie is such a character. There are so many issues with his home life though that I don't know what will happen!
Harmony Ward is as frustrating as ever. I honestly just don't know what to do to help it. We simply cannot find anyone to teach there! Even most of the less actives are not open to letting us come by and teach them. So frustrating. 
Well our mission is pushing for this huge miracle in July. We are trying to get 160 baptisms in the month of July by doubling our faith and finding now. It's never been done before. Our average as a mission per month is usually 70 baptisms per month. President Ellsworth has said that he has received from the Lord that we can do it if we will all work together to double our finding. That means we need to be find more people weekly to teach. Uh.. no bueno. I need more faith. These last two weeks have been awful. We received no new investigators. yuck. We should be getting at least 3 a week. blech. Well we're working on it. Like I said- I need your prayers!
P.s. my companion was really touched by your comment about her being a good companion to me. She doesn't get a lot of encouragement and love from home. Aw I just love her, and I know this companionship is being so good for her, and for me too. 
Well I love you all! 
MWAH!
~Sister Chelle Shurtz