Monday, June 13, 2011

June 8, 2011



Dear Brother and Sister Shaum,

Sister King and I were pleased to welcome your son, Elder Shaum, to one of the finest missions in the world, the Chile Santiago West Mission.  He is well and happy, and we are impressed with his enthusiasm for the work.  After greeting him at the airport and a brief tour of the beautiful city of Santiago, we arrived at our mission home. I interviewed your son and gave him a priesthood blessing.  My Assistants and office missionaries then gave him a brief orientation to the mission.  We had a delicious lunch together, he met his new companion, and that afternoon he left the mission home and departed for his first area of labor.

Elder Shaum has been assigned to work with Elder Lopez, who will serve as his training companion.  Trainers are chosen for their competence, patience and dedication, and are selected after prayerful consideration.  With this letter we are including a photograph taken of your son and his new companion with Sister King and myself.

Please accept our deep appreciation for raising such a fine son.  We feel a genuine fellowship with you in supporting and providing him this opportunity to grow spiritually as he labors to bring souls unto Christ.  It is my prayer that the Lord will inspire us all to sustain him in this challenging assignment.  Please write him frequently, weekly if possible.  Express your love, support, and confidence in him.  You will witness miraculous changes in his life as he engages fully in the service of others.

Being parents ourselves, we understand your desire to occasionally send packages.  For your information, packages sent to your missionary through FedEx often require large duty fees which must be paid by the missionary.  Those sent through Global priority mail, marked missionary supplies and valued less then $100 usually arrive duty free and within 2 weeks.

If you have any questions or if we can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to write.Sincerely,




President Richard W. King

April 4, 2011

Setting apart of Hayden Devin Shaum

as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

 

Tuesday, April 5 2011

8:25 a.m.

 

Elder Hayden Devin Shaum, by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood which we hold, we lay our hands upon your head and set you apart  as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, with the initial assignment to labor in the Chile Santiago West mission.  With this setting apart we bestow upon you those rights, authorities and responsibilities which are associated with full-time missionary service.  And we charge you to be faithful, to be obedient, to be diligent in your service, to be desirous of keeping your missionary rules with exactness.  We bless you that as you do so you will be blessed with an extra measure of the Spirit, which will direct you, and inspire you to go to those places you should go, to go to those homes you should knock on and approach people.  And you will be enabled to testify to them in such a matter that they will have a desire to hear the Gospel and change their lives.

We bless you physically, that you will be protected from harm and danger, and that you will be strong and healthy, your body will be able to adapt to the change in climate, the change in living conditions, diet and we bless you with the ability to adapt and your body will serve you well in the course of your mission.  We also bless you with a clear mind, one that is clear and clean from the sins and temptations of the world,.  When temptations arise you will have the ability to quickly dismiss them, and that you can use your intellect to recall those things you had learned throughout your life, and that you will be able to teach them and apply them in a manner that will be understandable to the people that you are teaching. 

We bless you that your fears about learning the language will lessen, even though it will not come immediately, in time, as the Lord has prepared for you, you will be able to communicate well and understand clearly and have the capacity to describe the principles of the Gospel which are important for people to understand to allow conversion to take place in their lives.

We bless you to truly be the means to allow the people to understand the gospel.  You will have a desire to teach clearly and concisely and bear testimony.  You will be prompted to do so at unusual times that might seem out of the ordinary context of discussion when you follow the prompting to do so, hearts will be touched, lives will be blessed. 

We bless you to be wise in your goings about each day, to avoid those places where evil lurks, where Satins influence controls.  As you avoid such harmful and dangerous circumstances you will be able to continue to have the spirit with you and guide you.  We bless you to be willing to adapt to missionary companions. Many of which will be native elders who have ways different than your own.  We bless you to be understanding to be patient, also to be able to teach them in some regards of a better way of living and dealing and interacting with others.

We bless you that others in the mission will view you as one who is happy, one who is a good and righteous leader and one who is setting a proper example of service, not only to non members but to members and fellow missionaries alike.

We bless you to be willing to take council and correction from your fellow missionary leaders and from your mission President and other leaders who interact with you.  We bless you with the desire to learn from their experiences, to grow from their strengths and their witness, and from their council.

And when you are in position to do so, to offer the same council and direction to others, to help encourage and strengthen them.

Now we send you forth with a positive spirit, with a mantel of a missionary which others will see and recognize and others will be drawn to you, because of this mantel.  Do not be lifted up in pride because of your successes, or because of your circumstances which come, but always be meek and humble and recognize the hand of the Lord in all your doings. 

As you do so you will return home from this mission with joy in your heart, with the tremendous gratitude to a Father in Heaven for the opportunity you’ve had to serve others and to grow and develop yourself.  We bless you with these things, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

I love the mtc I'm going to miss all my new friends... and vollyball but I will most likely call in both airports... I don't know I'M SO HAPPY

I HAVE NO FEARS.... haha I wrote that down the first week.... so ha but I guess it would be not being able to understand there fast spanish...NO NERDY MATRIX... but I have made up for it with other weird stuff we do! Onsies = wedgies.... so NO

May 28, 2011

Flight Plans to leave MTC

So we got our travel plans and heres the info...

 

Delta Flight 1306 Leave: Salt Lake City, 1:50 PM 07 June 2011 and Arrive: Atlanta GA 7:40 PM 07 June

Delta Flight 147 Leave: Atlanta GA, 10:00 PM 07 June 2011 and Arrive: Santiago Chile 7:35 AM 08 June 2011

 

So our district got split up when we leave which is kinda lame.  The 4 going to Vina Del Mar are leaving on Monday the 6th and then The 4 of us going to Santiago leave Tuesday the 7th.  Oh well.  I cant believe its here already, time has gone by sooo fast! Thats so funny about scott haha you will need to tell him to email me back and write me he has been slacking.  You should hire him to work in the yard or somehting since he cant find a real job for 2 days haha.  Also thats crazy about the lakers coach! Thanks for the update.  So anyways there are only a couple things that i may want.  Like maybe some wool socks, we talked to some voulenteer here who was from santiago and said wool socks are nice to have.  Also maybe that long sleve grey pocket t shirt, the surfing one, you know what im talking about?  Also me and elder Shaum think it might be nice to have some of those plane pillows but thats no big deal if you cant find them, and then just any fun plane package that might keep us entertained would be fun too =)

Also could you please send an email to Elder Mackay's mom and Elder Shaums Mom letting them know the flight info?  Elder Mackay is on the same flight and everything just the only thing different is he leaves on monday June 6th, but same times and everything

Thursday, M ay 26, 2011

We had to teach the third lesson in Spanish And me and my comp have never taught it... so we were doing real good until we got to repentance and did not know what to say...

Thursday, M ay 19, 2011

I'm doing awesome! just got back from the Temple and guess what me and my comp stayed awake the whole time! LOVE IT

So this week we had Elder Hinkley come speak to us... it was SO good and I have a good feeling that we are going to get another of the 12 before we leave!

TELL THE FAMILY I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!


DINNER TIME!!

 

 

P.S IT'S OUR DAY TO WORK ON THE TEMPLE!