Sister Shelby Lynn Dana: April 19th Letter and Pictures

Hello!!!

How is everyone over there?! Life over here is great...as usual! Ok, I have some good stories to tell today! Muito animado!

To start this thing off, last P day kind of sucked. My companion got wayyy sick, so we spent a lot of time in our residence. Then in the giving spirit of this place, she decided to pass it on to the other chicas in our district! All of them except Sister McCleve and myself got soooo sick and had to go to the clinic. I'll be selfish, but I was kind of glad that they got to be the ones to stay in our residence all sick together with Sister Butler, because I hateeee missing class! Thank heavens for splits I guess.

On Sunday we had this stellar lesson from Sister Mary Edmonds in Relief Society. That woman has served 4 missions! Apparently to be awesome, you have to just be too cool for marriage, because both she and Sheri Dew are still on the market. I'm not sure how that went down, but they are both fabulous and it was really cool to hear her stories. Sis Edmonds talked all about the miracles that happened on her mission and I think that she comforted a lot of us who are wondering what in the world is going on in this crazy place. I know I was so grateful to hear that message!

Sunday night, our devo was by Brother Droubay, who is the head of Missionary Media. Basically the long and short of his message is that our church is spreading far and wide, and we'd better be ready to keep up with the rising tide! There have been huge mormon.org campaigns all over NY and London and pretty much our church is super tech savvy. It made me miss texting. Go figure!

Ok, so our devo on Tuesday was even better though. It was by....ELDER RICHARD G. SCOTT!!! And I was in the Choir so our seats were, once again, the bomb. I can't even describe the Spirit that came into the room when he walked in. Thousands of missionaries sometimes have a hard time keeping things quiet, but as soon as he entered, we all shut up and paid and attention. This man is an apostle of God. He gave this amazing talk about prayer and the blessing that it is and how we should never ever take it for granted. I found quite a few answers in that thing. Lately, I was feeling like I wasn't sure exactly how I got here on this mission. like, it's required for elders, and all this sisters just snuck in somehow when we should have been being good and finishing up school and getting married. But Elder Scott talked just to the sisters for a while and told us how we are needed here so much and each call is given by complete inspiration. It was just what I needed to hear! Then he gave us an apostolic blessing that those of us learning foreign languages would master them...definitely needed that one too!! So at the end, my Sister McCleve gave the closing prayer! Actually she almost tackled the apostle because after the closing song, he decided he wasn't done talking and came back up. She was in such a rush that she almost didn't see and got dangerously close to taking out an apostle of our Lord...all captured on the big screen;) I love modern technology!

Oh, and about the Boston Marathon? Yeah Elder Hendrickson's mom was running in that and was saved by a serious of miracles. I guess she finished like a minute before the bomb went off and all of this other stuff and his parents attirbute it completely to Elder being on his mission. I can't believe I didn't hear about anything like that!! This is major news!!! Will you please tell me what is going on in the outside world sometimes?! I know we are supposed to be separate, but I feel like some stuff...like bombs...should be told in order to keep a person properly informed. Please and thank you!

Alright, story time. So there is this guy from Quebec who speaks only French and has class on our floor. He stalks me. You think I am kidding. I wish. He started leaving drawings and notes in my scriptures and follows me around when I am in the hall or waiting for Sister Butler in the bathroom. At first I thought to just be nice and talk to the fellow, but then it started getting weird, He sits at a table across from us at lunch and literally just stares. The elders in my district are getting super protective about it. They don't let me sit facing him and have started to escort Sister Butler and myself to the bathroom or wherever we need to go. Like, when we go upstairs, we have to have elders with us because otherwise he will literally sit at the bottom of them and wait for us to come back down. But the best part happened yesterday. So I was just being my usual healthy self at gym and running around the track when I hear these keys jingling behind me. French guy. So I started running faster and then hid in the bathroom for a bit. I thought the coast was clear, and so I went back onto the track. I was running around and when I passed a guy who is in French guy's district, he yells "FORTIER!!" (French Guy.) then I hear these keys coming behind me...again. So I pick up the pace. And every time I passed the other guy, he would yell "Fortier!" to let him know where I was! This continued for like five laps until he was literally right behind me and then I bailed and hid in the bathroom for the rest of gym. Elder Hanna, in my district, saw the whole thing and thought it was the funniest thing of his life, but definitley said it was a new level of creepy. All is taken care of though, so no worries!

Ok , I should be able to send some pics home today so I hope they work! Thanks for the luggage strap package! I got it and we should be good! JACQUE: I LOVE YOU AND MY DISTRICT LOVES YOU!!!! Thank you for that package! It was seriously like Christmas and our elders have done a number on all the food...but it was the best thing ever!

Mom: That is so cool about EVMCO! I seriously freaked out when I got your letter! So So exciting!! Also, do whatever you'd like with that poem. It was just something I felt like needed to get out of me, and now that it is, I don't really care where it goes! Just make sure my name is on it ;) I love you and thank you so much for the dearelders! Keep them coming, please!

Dad: You're not the new Stake Pres?! rats....just kiddingggg. It'll be so weird when they get released! And it'll be wayyyy weird not to be released by President Ahlstrom! And I almost can't remember Leslie's daddy not being up on the stand...but they have done a fabulous job and deserve a break I think! Pretty sure you'll be a stake pres at some point, so here's to hoping you get those tears under contol. Love you:)

Cooper: WRITE ME. I have almost been here a month and haven't heard from you. What! I even wrote you a letter by hand! That takes some real effort! WRITE YOUR MISSIONARY SISTER. IT IS A BIG DEAL.

To my roomies at USU- Good luck with finals! I sent you a letter...to the wrong address. I am ashamed!! So you'll be getting one this week.

I love you all and hope you have a great week! I'm about to go to the temple with my district:) Loveeeee you!

Tudo Bem!

-Sister Dana