Celebration Of Life Elder Fowler - Families Can Be Together Forever - Sting Of Death Is Swallowed Up In Christ

 

The week started off pretty strange when I woke up to see a Facebook post about two Elders passing away the night before in a car accident.  It really shocked me when I saw the photo. Eli Fowler. I knew him.  I met him about 6 years ago at EFY.  He is such a light.  Really exemplifies Christlike love and light.  He was driving home during a rainstorm in Denton, Texas when he was hit head on by another car, killing him and his companion.  It's sad to hear of a missionary dying, but it's even sadder when it's a friend.  Eli is from Colorado so of course I never really saw him.  But he would constantly reach out to me and check in on me, even though we hadn't seen each other in years.  

It was his dream to be a missionary. So he became one in January of last year. He was assigned to the Fort Worth mission. He spent a few months there when he was sent home with the health concern missionaries for covid. Eli wanted to go back, so he did. He arrived back to Texas on April 28. Then just 3 weeks later he lost his life on May 18. 

My mission President gave me permission to watch the celebration of life that the stake that Eli had been serving in held. So tender. I loved hearing all the good things people had to say about such a good person. 

After all of this, I have been very humbled. It's sad that it almost always takes a tragedy to remember what we have. I have been so unbelievably thankful for my family. That I have been sealed with them for eternity. And someday I will be able to be sealed to someone and my own children for eternity. The sting of death is swallowed up in Christ! The grave hath no victory because we can have eternity with our families. This life is not the end. I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have of a God who wants the best for me. I have received comfort in knowing that God has a plan for me and for Eli too. He was needed to finish his mission in the spirit world. It's also comforting to know that Eli has an eternal family. His parents make promises with themselves and with God that have bound their family together forever. What a priceless blessing. 

That's all my mind has been thinking about for the past week, so that's what I wanted to share today. Everyone please hug your loved ones a little tighter tonight. Life's to short to not say I love you. And life's just too short to not become more like Christ.

Love you all, thank you for the love you've shown me over the past week 

Hermana Shauna

1- me, giving sister sinema a lash lift

2- me, getting a lash lift

3 - driving to the VC #HomeAwayFromHomeAwayFromHome

4 - yet another virtual tour :)

5 - the sunset <3

6 - mi bebé

7 - just trying to talk to every person in these houses about Jesus!!!

8 - honestly I just thought this was hilarious

9 - we got to tour the Salt Lake VC yesterday! Honestly was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life, and I did it on a couch in my apartment in California. I felt like I was home again. Seeing the Christus after so long brought me back to my childhood. I remember how much anticipation I would feel walking up the ramp to that statue. Shout out to the temple square sisters. They are awesome!

10. the members of my ward left these at the VC for me because they heard Eli was a friend of mine.  I love el barrio 6to! 

Back to a Duo - Sister Sinema! - 5 months in Oakland Visitors' Center - Finally Open During Longer Hours - He Loves Us

We dropped sister hardy off at the transfer lot on Wednesday and she headed down a little south to San Leandro. Since she left it's been a lot more spacious around here, a lot more quiet, and since she was a vegan lot more meat has been consumed since she left haha.

When I first got to this area about 5 months ago, there was a man named victor that we were teaching who wanted to get baptized. He wasn't eligible for a long time because he wasn't married to his girlfriend because he was married to someone else in his home country (you'd be surprised how much that happens). We called him one day and he said he could get baptized and he wanted to do it asap! We didn't hear from him after that call. 5 months later...at zone kick off (yesterday) for the transfer...one of the assistants walks up to me and asks me if I know Victor Valencia. I actually had called him like an hours before with no response. Elder Fuller told me they met him and Victor wanted to get baptized into the English ward (which really makes no sense because he doesn't speak English and neither does his wife but hey at least he is getting baptized!!!). So that was a little sad for me because I've been hanging on to him for a while. But I'm happy for his future baptism!

As the VC continues to open more and more our shifts there are getting longer. Literally. We used to go either 12:30-5 or 4:30-9 but now...we are there from12:30-9. I'm gonna be so tired after every VC shift for sure! But at least that means I'll sleep well! In all seriousness, I love the VC. It's a good thing to break up the week a little. If any of you find yourselves in the Bay Area any time soon, let me know and I'll meet you up on temple hill.

Since I've been serving in the Visitors Center I have learned something really profound to me (I'm not 100% certain I haven't written about this before so bare with me). When we look at the Christus statues, we see the marks in his hands, feet, and side, right? When I see those marks I think of the sacrifice he made for me. That he suffered and died for me. But I think when he looks down at them, he remembers us. He remembers what he did for us and why he loves US. Me. You. Amazing that we have someone who has so much love that it cannot be measured. I love my Savior.

Have a great week!

Hermana Shauna

1- me and sis lu literally ALWAYS wear the same clothes on the same day. I don't mind cause she's one of my favorite humans on earth. 

2- this one would take a lot of time to explain. but let's just say there's a game going on with the missionaries in our ward...and we are losing right now.

3- Don't know if you all heard about the BYU football player that came to the mission on Wednesday, Elder Damuni but we met his cousin at the temple the day before he got here! Everyone has ties to this mission 

4- zone kickoff yesterday!

5- the Christus <3

6- apelu. a queen. 

7- today is elder Butterfield's birthday so we went on a hike to celebrate:)

The End Of Another Transfer - Staying In Oakland Visitors' Center

I feel like I say this really frequently but...time is flying! Another transfer has come and gone. I'll be staying in the Visitors Center for another 6 weeks here in Oakland. I've felt really blessed to be able to share my testimony all over the world through the Visitors Center. It's a blessing that I get to continue my service a little longer as a Visitors' Center Sister.

This week we met a lot of fun people. We spend a lot of time at Supermercados and talking to the Latinos there. We met a woman named Lulu. She willingly gave us her phone number so that we could call her and chat for a while! When we called her for the first time she yelled (in spanish, claro que si ;)), "my sister missionaries! How are you?!" Needless to say she's one of my favorite humans on earth. We are excited to be teaching her about the gospel!!

We gave an AMAZING tour about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Definitely the best tour I've ever given. We took a member around the visitors center, told him the story of Joseph Smith, showed him paintings and videos of all kinds about that life altering event in history. The spirit was so strong. Through that one tour, my testimony was strengthened immensely about the Prophet of the restoration, Joseph Smith. I'm grateful for the Visitors Center and all that I have experienced there. 

If any of you ever find yourself visiting the bay area, shoot me a message and we will take you around the visitors center so you can feel of the same spirit that I feel so often!!

Les quiero!!

Hermana Shauna 

1- I found the world's tiniest avocado and sis hardy was hungry for more i guess... 

2,3,4-  one of my happy places. ecap. this are some of the kindest people I've ever met in my life. I can honestly say that I love them with all my heart. 

5- LULU!!

6- Oakland 6 Dimond Sisters

7- the Dimond District <3

8- they literally brought us pizza to ecap!! yet another reason why I love these people.

9- lowkey was the squad of the past transfer. RIP elder thompson, he's heading home on Wednesday 

10- pretty girls 

11,12, service 

13- district pday!! we celebrated sis cooks birthday and went bowling!!

14- hbd sis cook!!!

Oakland Visitors' Center Open To The Public! - Ate Inside A Restaurant For The 1st Time In Over A Year! - Dallin Turns One!

Not many wild things happened this week to fill you all in on. BUT I have some very exciting news!! The Visitors Center  is open to the public! We can take people on in-person tours! We got to take multiple people around the VC. It was WONDERFUL. We are finally able to do things in person again. I think we are inching out of the pandemic here a little slower than other places but it really makes me appreciate that things are finally turning around!!

Not much time left so I just am going to send my photos hahaha so sorry!!

1- sis crowley sent me this photo and I felt like I should give her a shout about because she's out of this mission and heading down to Mexico really soon 

2- sis sinema warming up my feet on a cold morning

3- sis sinema!!

4- there is a shake shack in OAKLAND!!!

5- we got like 6 companionships to go the shake shack after service and got to eat in the restaurant! That was the first time I've eaten inside a restaurant since I left for Mexico last year!!

6-   this is hanging on the wall of one of our friends home! The last supper. Beautiful!!

7- canelo the puppy

8- my little ones <3

9- DALLIN TURNS 1 YEAR OLD ON WEDNESDAY!!!! I miss my best friend!!!!! Hes getting so big!!

10- this is me on hold for like 35 minutes with byui trying to get into my own account. So fun.

11- happy birthday last week to mom <3