Happy Everything

I don't have much time today, but I just wanted to let all of you know how much I love and appreciate all of you!! I am staying in San Bernardino with Hermana Martinez for at least another transfer!! We are so excited!! We know that good things are to come!! 

We found an amazing new investigator named Lupe. She live right across the street from church and it is perfect! We are so excited to start teaching her the restored gospel :) She has had such a hard life and wants to find the truth, we are more than happy to help her find it! She has the cutest kids. 

There are so many people out there who are searching for the truth "...who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it."  Doctrine and Covenants 123:12 

Before coming on a mission I did not realize the role that I had to share the gospel and help bring others unto Christ. I took the knowledge of the gospel that I had for granted. I am so grateful for my mission. It has truly opened my eyes and taught me how to be a missionary!! Missionaries are not just the Elders or the Sisters. It is all of us. "The Lord has declared that missionary work is the responsibility of all who follow Him (see Matthew 28:19–20; D&C 88:81). Members of the Lord's Church can, by the goodness of their lives and the strength of their testimonies, share the gospel message and help prepare family members, friends, and other acquaintances who are not Latter-day Saints to be taught by the full-time missionaries." We are all called to invite everyone to come unto Christ! We are all missionaries forever and always :) I am so happy that my mission doesn't end when I take off my name-tag, this is only the begging!! 

My mission has taught me that we have success in so many different ways. There is success in the INVITE, whether they chose to accept it or not. When we are truly converted we will want to share this amazing message with everyone we see!!! 

My email is all over the place today!! Sorry about that!! Shelby and Daddy HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH!! Daddy you are not old because if you are then so am I :) 

Until next week! 

xoxo Hermana Shea McCartt

Mormon Road

Love these hermanas

HELLO!!

Hello my dear family and friends! I hope everyone's week was great :) 

This week has truly been a one of learning!! We had a zone-wide meeting with our President and it was so good. And we learned some crazy exciting  We learned how to teach even more simply than we have been in the past. There is such power in the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ!! There is such power in teaching simply and testifying of the Book of Mormon. Yesterday we had an experience where we starting talking to a man on the street and he all of a sudden started telling us how the Book of Mormon is false and how we have no idea what we are talking about... I looked him in the eye and testified of the divinity of the Book of Mormon. I told him that God loves all of His children and wants all of them to return to Him. I told him of the promise that is in the Book of Mormon, that if we read it truly desiring to know if it was true that we would come to know for ourselves that it is. He didn't say anything after that. We then wished him a good day and left. I know that there is no power on earth that compares to that of the Holy Ghost. I am so grateful for it. 

Yesterday we went to a baptism with one of our investigators named Juan Vazquez, it's the second one that he has been to in the past two weeks! He loved it. He said he can't wait until he gets baptized, but he wants his family to be as well. He loves coming to church and learning and feeling the spirit :) He even went out and bought a white shirt and a tie!!! ahhh I love how the gospel changes people and makes them want to be better. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!

The other day we had a great lesson with Benjamin. And he accepted a baptism date!!!! We brought out a calendar on his phone and told him to chose a date. For some reason it was highlighted on June 10th! My birthday!! Coincidence? I think not. He decided to go with the 10th!! :) That would be the best birthday ever!! He thinks he hasn't received his answer yet though. We told him he will after he is baptized. He reads everyday and he came to church all by himself yesterday!! He loves what we teach and we know he knows that it is true. 

I love being an instrument in the Lord's hands to help others to come unto to Christ. I love seeing the light of Christ that comes upon their countenance as the learn the truth!! 

"The following has been written about discipleship: “The word disciple comes from the Latin [meaning] a learner. A disciple of Christ is one who is learning to be like Christ—learning to think, to feel, and to act [like] he does. To be a true disciple, to fulfill that learning task, is the most demanding regimen known to man. No other discipline compares … in either requirements or rewards. It involves the total transformation of a person from the state of the natural man to that of [a] saint, one who loves the Lord and serves with all of his heart, might, mind, and strength” (Chauncey C. Riddle, “Becoming a Disciple,” Ensign, Sept. 1974, 81)."

We are all disciples of Christ as we learn His ways and follow them. I love being the Savior's representative here in San Bernardino! I am so grateful that He has given me this amazing privilege to learn to be more like Him little by little. 

I love all of you!! I am so excited for you Mary!! Richmond isn't even going to know what hit them!! Just go home and get to work on our stake and wards :) Thank you for the example you were to me your whole mission!! Can't believe it has already come to an end!! But truly it isn't the end though, you have the rest of forever to be a missionary :) it's just the beginning :) No te preocoupes :) te quiero mucho!

Nos vemos!! Until next week! 

I love you all

Hermana Shea McCartt

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to the most wonderful and beautiful mom in the world. I don't even think I told you that yesterday!!! But I did read you my poem! :) It was so great to see all of my family and have the chance to talk to you each individually for a second :) Including Amanda and Cailtin! :) I am so grateful for my big family who is so missionary minded! I love hearing about how y'all are sharing the gospel and helping the missionaries, you are all missionaries :) Wow I am just really smiley and happy! Can you tell!? :) 

We had a really funny experience yesterday. We have been teaching two little 8 year old girls whose families are members. Well anyway our Bishop was out of town this week and the parents and the rest of Bishopric thought that we were in charge of the baptism, but it was supposed to be the ward because they were not investigators. They had a dinner after church before the baptism and around 5 the baptism was supposed to start. We told the young man that was preforming the ordinance that he should get changed, he then went on to tell us that the dressing room was locked.. Hmmm well if the doors are locked then that means that the doors of the baptismal font are locked.... meaning that it hasn't been filled yet!!!!!!!!!!!!! Haha when that clicked we ran to find the 1st counselor and he said he didn't have the keys. So we called our Elder's and they said they had the keys but they were over at their apartment and so we ran to or car and drove over to get the keys! They told us that the font usually takes a hour to fill! We were both pretty stressed because there were 40 people waiting for this baptism, including 3 of our investigators and the font hadn't even been filled yet!! It was then that we decided to stop and say a prayer that the font would fill quickly and that we would be calm and relaxed :) Either way these cute girls would be baptized. We walked quickly into the church and down to the room where the baptismal font was and it was open and already 1/2 way filled!!! Hno somehow found the key and started filling the font. We had never seen a font fill so quickly! It only took half an hour! the power of prayer is real :) And plus I learned a real good lesson of not stressing the little things! Things will always work out when we have the Lord on our side :) I am grateful for the lessons that the Lord teaches me everyday. 

The baptism ended up being wonderful. Our investigators spoke about how he wanted to be baptized :) That made everything more than worth it :) 

If we have faith that all things are possible then they will be done. 

I love that the first principle of the gospel is faith because without faith we have nothing. Everything links back to that divine power. I'm reminded of a scripture in Mark 9:23, A father carrying his so who was possessed with a spirit. He desperately asks Jesus to heal his son. 

23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

I know that in our lives we may think that we aren't able to things, that we aren't strong enough or have enough faith to accomplish what needs to be done. That we aren't spiritual enough or that our testimonies aren't what they should be. I testify to you that you are!! If we have but even a tiny bit of faith that is enough!!! Jesus Christ will help fill in the rest. We need to rely on Him fully and put all of our confidence in Him! I promise that as we do that we will see miracles in our lives and our faith will increase along with our testimonies :) He is always there to fill in what we lack, there to help with our unbelief :) 

I love you all and pray for you daily :) 

Kyle I am so happy that you got into VCU! You have a very proud sissy :) I love you :) 

Thank you for everything.