This Keyboard Just Doesn’t Do Justice Anymore

Hey there family!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying these last few days! I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by! In some ways I am kind of having a hard time wrapping my head around and accepting the fact that my work in the mission field is coming to an end. But at the same time, I feel so much peace and happiness in my heart for the things that I have been able to do in this time. I am dedicated to serving the Lord for the rest of my life!

This week went great! We had the opportunity to do divisions with some hermanas that have really been struggling. It was such a good experience because we could really see the difference after the divisions were over. I have really loved working closely with a lot of the Hermanas because it has helped me become a better person and a better missionary. I have been able to experience a lot of things right along with them and it has helped me completely lose myself in this work.

One night we went and visited one of the families that we have gotten really close with. We helped the dad get baptized about a month ago to complete the family. This family is one of the poorest families that I have met in my time here, but I love them so so so much. Some days they go without food and struggle to find work. They live in a little shack and the humblest of circumstances, but they have been able to live the gospel despite all of that. They have found that the gospel is the one and only thing that makes them truly happy when so many things in there life don’t. When we went over there, we shared a message and at the end they decided to gather the little money they had earned that day to go buy some soda and some bread to share with us. It was such a humbling experience and we love them so much!

This week we went to Managua again because I had to go to Consejo de Lideres again and it went really well. At the end of Consejo I gave my last testimony and it was a bittersweet experience. Thinking about all of the things that I have been able to experience over the last year and a half makes me feel so grateful. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the changes that I have experienced and the conversion that I have been able to see in others and in myself.

I really don’t know what more to write because my heart is just so full! Know that I love each and every one of you with all of my heart and I am so grateful for all of your support. I can’t wait to see you all in one short week!!!

Love, Shay
Hermana Staker
Mision Nicaragua Managua Norte
Febrero 2016- Agosto 2017

The rain here is nuts and in some spots its up to our calves. We walk through rivers! And we got tshirts made for the district. LEGENDARY MISSIONARIES!

Time is Winding Down!

Hey there family!

I hope everyone is doing well and holding on tight because the time is flying by way fast!! I cant believe we are down to two weeks! Here we go!

This week was such a special week! It started out with interviews with President Poncio at our house! They went to all of the missionaries houses to do inspections and did interviews at the same time. It was funny in my interview because the members little kitten waltzed into the house and started rubbing up against Presidents leg while we were in the interview! AWKWARD! But it was cool because President and I are tight.

Later in the week I got to go and do divisions with my girl Hermana Beck! It was so fun to work with her again and catch up!!

The most special part of this week was the baptism that we had this weekend! This hermano is named Luis. Luis cant walk because his legs dont work. It has been so special teaching him and trying to get him to church. The members have been so helpful in getting him to the chapel and helping him get baptized. One of the members has a triciclo which is basically a bike with a cart on the front to drive people around. He has been there to take Luis everywhere. Saturday was his baptism and it was so special. Two hermanos had to be in the font to help hold him up and then baptize him. Then on Sunday he was able to get confirmed. The member with the triciclo was lost in drugs and alcohol about 6 months ago and with the gospel he has been able to get out and become a better person. Being able to serve Luis has helped him so much and given him another motivation. On Sunday, that member was able to confirm and it was such a beautiful experience. We were able to see the conversion of not just one, but two people.

I am so grateful for how the gospel blesses our lives. We all need the healing power of the Atonement and we are all capable of recieving it. I know that God loves each and every one of us and has a plan for all of us. He knows us and if we trust him, He shows us the path that is meant for us and helps us get on it.

I love you all so much! I cant wait to see you in a few short weeks! I wish I had more time to write more about this week, but soon we will be together again and we will be able to talk about it in person!

Love, Shay
Hermana Staker
Mision Nicaragua Managua Norte

Happy 24th of July!

Hey there Family!

I can’t believe how quickly the time is winding down! There are definitely still some days when I feel like I still have forever to go and then someone reminds me that I go home in less than 3 weeks and it’s just real crazy! I feel so grateful though!

This week was another week full of adventures and miracles. We have been really trying to be exactly obedient. For awhile it was a real test of our faith, but we are truly starting to see the fruits of our labors and God is blessing us so much!

The week started off with a fun little adventure. My companion is obsessed with bananas and has always wanted to see a banana tree in person. Well, lucky her, there’s a banana plantation here on the outskirts of our area. So on tuesday I took her over there and it was actually pretty dang cool! The little security guard guy gave us a little lesson on bananas and told us all about the plantation. We were standing on a 150 acre banana plantation. Those bananas get sent straight to the United States to Walmart and Walgreens. Yes, I was beyond excited about that! It takes 3 months for one bunch to grow and after about two or three grow, the tree dies and grows a “child tree”. So there’s your fun facts for the week lol!

Later in the week we had a pretty cool experience with one of our recent convert families. They had told us that they didn’t feel peace in their home and they had been having some scary experiences with things that are out of the normal. We felt it necessary for the Elders to come and bless their house. When they did, we all came into their humble little home. You can imagine 4 people living in a 10 foot by 10 foot shack made out of wood and tin slats. We all knelt down as the Elders gave the blessing and as we listened to the prayer, the feelings of emptiness that we felt in their house turned to peace and my heart felt full. Their house became a home protected by the Spirit. It was a very special experience and I am so grateful for the Priesthood that is upon the earth again that blesses our lives in every way.

This week it rained some more and it was wild. The streets filled up with almost a foot of water! Luckily we were able to camp out in a members house for a little bit!

This weekend we were able to have another baptism and it was so awesome! It was a day filled with lots of patience and faith. It was a young girl named Massiel who has wanted to be baptized for over three months now. We have been able to teach her and we were able to get permission from her mom to be baptized. A little later we even found out that her mom is a member but fell away from the church! The day of her baptism was a little crazy. We waited 4 hours for the baptism to happen. She wanted her mom to be there but her mom couldn’t come so she wouldn’t get baptized. It was so stressful, but finally some member went and picked up the mom and brought her to the church. As we waited, I was so stressed and found myself murmuring and doubting. So we sat down and I started reading my scriptures about faith and was reminded about the scripture in Ether 12:6 “la fe es las cosas que se esperan y no se ven; por tanto no contendáis porque no veis, porque no recibís ningun testimonio sino hasta después de la prueba de vuestra fe.” (Sorry, I couldn’t remember how it is in English). That was an important lesson for me. After I changed my attitude to an attitude of faith, the members showed up to the chapel with her mom and the baptism finally got started at 8 oclock that night.

I love you all so much and I can’t wait to see all of your beautiful faces in a few short weeks!

Love, Shay
Hermana Staker
Mision Nicaragua Managua Norte
Febrero 2016- Agosto 2017

Here’s some more pictures from a couple of weeks ago!

To explain some of the pictures that I sent:

The horses here are like stray dogs, they’re everywhere!
We love eating fruit in the morning! Every morning we eat something different!
One day we found a little baby pig running in the street and I went and picked it up and took a picture with it.
I am absolutely exhausted. I come home at night and struggle to keep my eyes open.
I am teaching Hermana Harding how to speak spanish. Every day we have “whiteboard time”. Shes progressing really well!
Annnd the natural drinks that they give us here are called frescos and they just serve them in a bag with a straw. Well one day we went and got one thats banano con leche and it was so gigantic, we about peed our pants 1. Because of how much liquid we drank and 2. because we were laughing so hard at the fact that we were drinking a drink out of a huge plastic grocery bag.

GOOD TIMES! I LOVE NICARAGUA!!

7/17/2017 SEVENTEEN MONTHS!

Hey there fam!!

This week was another one full of adventures! It sounds like all of you had a busy week as well which is what I like to hear! OH and when I opened up all the boating pictures, all I could think was “four. more. weeks” Lol! It looks like you guys had a blast!!

The week started off in Managua AGAIN. We went to the new missionaries meeting which was really fun! I loved being able to learn from all of the new missionaries and being with them. I have been able to experience my last 12 weeks of the mission a little bit like my first 12 and it has been really really fun!

Wednesday we had a multizona and it was my last one! What a crazy day! I decided it was time to overcome my fear one last time and play a special number at the multizona. I have told myself my whole mission that I would do it in a reunion with all of the missionaries and I finally worked myself up to doing it. I felt really good and I rocked it!

That morning I was thinking a little bit about my talent and how I have mistreated it a little bit and hid it. I remembered when I was twelve years old and some things were happening with Corbin. That one weekend when he totaled the truck and then got kicked out of the house is a weekend that I will never forget. I remember going downstairs that day and seeing that my world was unraveling in a way. Watching my brother walk out of the house was not an easy sight. I remember that I stopped Corbin in the hallway and made him promise me one thing: that he would come to my piano recital that weekend. As he left, I was afraid that I would never see him again and that things would change forever. That weekend rolled around and so did my piano recital. We got to the recital and I remember seeing the blue ranger parked there and Corbin was there waiting. After it was all over, we went to lunch at Rumbi and things started to get a little bit better after that.

As I sat there meditating about this huge life moment of mine, I had quite the impact in my heart. My talent for piano was something that brought my family back together in a very ugly time. I felt a huge love in my heart in that moment for the talent that God has given me. I regret having hidden this talent for so long having fear to share it. But now I realize how much this talent will bless the lives of other people and I need to take advantage of it.

In the Multizona, I also got to share my final testimony which was so surreal but it felt so good!

This week was also a bit stressful, but we were able to have a baptism at the end which was really awesome! It was really hard getting this little guy baptized because his mom wouldn’t give us permission, but God finally touched her heart and she let him.

AND today is my 17 month mark which is just sooo surreal and I can’t believe how fast time has flown by! We celebrated with some icecream today at an ice cream parlor named POPS.

That’s about all for this week! I am happy and still just trucking along! I love you all so much and I will see you all in a few short weeks! WOOHOO!!!

Love, Shay
Hermana Staker
Mision Nicaragua Managua Norte
Febrero 2016- Agosto 2017

Training Mi Hija!

Dear Fam & Friends,

I hope you all enjoyed your fourth of July! It looks like you all had fun and enjoyed the traditions back home!

This week was such a fun week! Maybe one of my funnest weeks of the mission! It’s been crazy, but I have been soaking up all of the memories! On Monday I headed to Managua to be there when mi hija would get there. We had a reunion on Tuesday when they all got there and when they told us who our companions would be. It was so cool when they all walked in because I looked at one of the hermanas in specific and I just felt in my heart that she would be my companion. When the moment came, I got up front and introduced myself and then President told us who my companion was and sure enough, my feeling was right!!

So now I am with Hermana Harding and she is from Spanish Fork, UTAH!!! I have LOVED my time with her so far and we are already best friends! This week has been full of miracles. So many people have opened up their hearts and welcomed us into their homes to listen to the message of the Gospel. It has been interesting because my companion has a bit of a hard time understanding and speaking the language, but we can feel the spirit working through us which is the part that matters most!

It’s so much fun learning from my companion. The excitement that a new missionary brings to the mission field is incredible. She is blessing me in more ways than she thinks she is because she is helping me give 110% of myself in these last weeks that I have on the mission! Literally she gets me laughing so hard to the point of almost peeing my pants and I love it too much. I love all of her questions and watching her get used to the Nica culture!

This Sunday at church was pretty special. We were singing the first hymn and it was “I need thee every hour”. I took a second to take it all in and look at everyone as they sang. Everyone was having their own little moment of “trully I need Thee, every hour”. I thought about how true that is and the spirit was so strong for me in that moment. Each and every one of us need the Savior in every moment and He is willing to help us always!

This week I also had the opportunity to give the message in our zone meeting and to prepare myself, I was studying a little bit from The Living Christ. It is a short but powerful document! In it it explains how Jesus Christ has shown us our potential as children of God. I thought about how He showed us that potential. He is now at the Right Hand of God. We too have that potential! And then I thought about how He reached His divine potential and it was by doing the will of God. He showed us that doing the will of God is not impossible. If we too choose to do the will of God, we WILL reach our divine potential and be right there with God again one day.

Jesus Christ came to do so many things on this earth and He suffered the most bitter suffering. The least we can do for Him is live His gospel with every fiber in our beings and then when we fall short depend on Him to help us back up. It really is so simple and so beautiful.

I love you all so much and I hope you all have an incredible week!

Love, Shay
Hermana Staker
Mision Nicaragua Managua Norte
Febrero 2016- Agosto 2017

Shaylee Welcoming her New Companion to the Mission!

I love getting surprise pictures!

VIVA NICA! 6 Weeks Left!

Hey there Family & Friends!!!

I hope all is well and that you all had another great week! Can you even believe that we are entering the last 6 weeks here?? This is crazy and I can’t believe how fast it has all gone by!

This week was a real good one! It was my last one with Hermana Ward and we tried to live it up and leave it all on the line! I feel so much excitement about the fact that I will be going home in 6 weeks and I have tried to put that excitement into the work and it has worked out really well for us! We have been meeting a lot of special people especially 2 families of 5 that have our hearts. We went with one of the families and taught them about the Restoration and invited them to pray and ask God if what we had taught is true and they said that they wouldn’t do it. We were really bummed when we left. A couple of days later on Saturday we were having a pretty rough day because our baptism fell through and then all of our lessons as well. So towards the end of the night we thought that maybe we should go back and see the family and ask them how their prayers went. We figured they hadn’t prayed and we weren’t too excited to go back but we went anyways. Sure enough they hadn’t prayed, but we explained to them how they have the right to pray and ask God so that He can give them direction. After that they committed to praying. We are excited to see where we can get with them!

Another night in the week we went to see another family whose dad just got baptized and we were able to enjoy some time with them. After we were done with our lesson, they gave us their dinner that they were making for themselves. They insisted that we eat and enjoy ourselves. It was so humling being with a family who quite literally lives in a tin shack and gives you their dinner for the night. They expressed to us how since Francisco’s baptism, they have felt joy come into their home and they have been able to keep moving forward in their trials. That’s what the gospel does for us, it brings us peace and joy! No matter what happens in this life, if we have Christ and His gospel, everything turns out to be okay.

This week the member that we live with went to Honduras to the temple and left us alone at the house lol. Her daughter has been coming at night to check everything out, but everyday during the day was an adventure lol. Out of nowhere this little kitten showed up at our door and has been there ever since the member left. This cat tries to come in and hang out with us and the whole ten yards. It has become quite the little adventure with our little friend. She’s really sick and one day we decided to give her a bath lol. She has been getting better day by day. Pretty much we don’t know how the member is going to react when she gets home because the cat has made itself at home lol!

So today we had changes and they were pretty tough! It was really hard to say goodbye to my girl Ward!! But I am really excited for these last 6 weeks because I get to train a newbie! She should be here tonight and I will meet her tomorrow! I am so stoked! I am also still the TL which is exciting! So while I wait for my companion, I am here in Managua and I am staying the night in my old area La 14 and I am so excited!! I am so ready to give it all I’ve got in these last couple of weeks and see what my Heavenly Father has in store for me!

So until next week you will learn about MI HIJA! I love you all so much and I hope you all have an amazing week!

Love, Shay
Hermana Staker
Misión Nicaragua Managua Norte
Febrero 2016- Agosto 2017

Here are some pics! Ward got sent to Matagalpa which is the coldest area in the mission. She begged me for my Riverton Rods and Rides sweatshirt so I sent her off in that! lol There’s a pic of us with our ZL’s and our DL. We were an epic team!!!

Surviving the Acome Rivers!

Hey there family!

I hope you are all doing well! Another week has gone by and I can hardly believe that soon I will be entering my last 6 weeks of the mission. Before we know it, we will all be back together talking about all of these great adventures!

This week was kind of just a normal one. There wasn’t anything too exciting that happened. The week started out with interviews with President Poncio. Those went really well! President asked me to remind him how much time I had left on the mission and when I told him I only have two months left he freaked lol. He couldn’t believe how quickly I am going to be leaving! We had a really good chat about the success that I have been able to have throughout the mission and he asked me how I felt about what I have done. He told me how proud of me he is and how he has been able to enjoy watching me change and grow throughout the mission. He expressed his love and trust towards me which meant a lot. He has been there for me through a lot of things and I feel so blessed that the Poncios have been my Mission Presidents.

For the last two weeks I have been battling a nasty cold and for a week I took cold medicine that did nothing for me. I figured things would just get better but they didn’t. After being in air conditioning all day at interviews, I left there in rough shape. I got hit with the body aches and a really bad fever. Hermana Galbraith came to stay the night with us because she would be going with President to the interviews in another zone here in Chinandega. It was such a blessing because I got permission to stay in the house for the last hour of the night with the member that we live with and Hermana Ward and Hermana Galbraith went and got the antibiotic that the nurse prescribed me. I hadn’t been that sick in a very long time. It was a tender mercy to have Galbraith there with us because she was able to help Ward while I puked my guts out and layed helpless on my bed lol. I am doing a ton better now and I am back on my feet. The elders came that night and gave me a priesthood blessing. I was blessed to be back on my feet working the next day and that’s exactly what happened!

This week we had a lot of success re-activating some members. We have been visiting them and teaching them and doing all that we can to get them excited to go to church again. With one of the families, we simply have developed a really good relationship with them. One day they wanted us to try this really nasty food and drink that they have here and so we decided to make a little deal. We would eat it if they would go to church on Sunday. We were supposed to do our end of the deal first but it didn’t end up working out because they weren’t able to get the nasty food. My comp and I said it’s because God wanted them to do their end of the deal first lol! There was another family that we have been visiting and they simply haven’t wanted to come to church out of laziness. So we went and did an activity with their boys one day and we made them do puchups for how many days they hadn’t gone to church. The boy collapsed and couldn’t finish his pushups because they were too many. We reinforced the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy because it is our day of rest. If we go to church every sunday, we won’t ever spiritually collapse. So come Sunday we were greeting people at the door and BOTH of the families walked in!! I can’t even explain how happy I felt seeing them walk through those doors! I can’t even imagine how happy God felt!

I testify that this Gospel is the only way to true happiness in this life. I also testify that I know it’s not always easy. But the blessings that we recieve far outweigh any of the heartaches that we will go through. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I am eternally grateful for His Atonement that takes away the sting of all trials and gives me hope to move forward.

I love you all and I hope you have an incredible week!

Love, Shay
Hermana Staker
Misión Nicaragua Managua Norte
Febrero 2016- Agosto 2017

16 Months, 4 Baptisms!

Hey Family & Friends!

I feel really grateful to be writing all of you again! This week was an incredible one and I feel grateful for the experiences that my Heavenly Father is giving me! I also can’t believe how fast the time is going by. I’ve said that a lot, but it really just blows my mind!

This week was full of hard work and miracles for us and I can’t express how grateful I am! To start of the week, we had 7 possibilities for baptism and we were really excited for that. We knew that Satan would work hard, but we were willing to work harder! We had to do everything in our power to overcome his many many tactics. We knew that our one most powerful tool would be prayer, so that’s what we used. We decided that in every prayer that we said (which we say a lot), we would pray for each and every single one of our possibilities by name. It was such a beautiful experience because each time we prayed for them, we could feel in our hearts the things that they were passing through and we were able to pray for them and help them overcome it. We were prepared before Satan even had a chance! Throughout the week, we learned what sincere prayer really is like and we were able to see the blessings that we receive when we are sincere with our Heavenly Father!

So on Saturday, we had the blessing of having 3 baptisms and then Sunday morning we had another one. And the other 3 that didn’t happen were for things that were outside of our control. We knew that the four that did get baptized were because that was what the Lord wanted in His timing.

Seeing the preparation of these four people has been really special. They are people who have a testimony of this restored Gospel and are willing to keep moving forward. One of the hermanas was taught by the members and we came in simply to get her ready for her baptism which was an experience that we had never had before. But she has such a profound testimony of the Atonement which really touches my heart!

The day of our baptisms was my 16 month mark and I can’t even describe the joy and gratitude that I felt in my heart. In my personal studies that morning, I found this scripture in Alma 29: 9-10,13. This scripture describes it all for me and I would like to finish with this.

“I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.

Yea, and that same God did establish his church among them; yea, and that same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full.”

I know that this work is the work of God and I am eternally grateful and joyful to be an instrument in His hands!

With all of my love,

Hermana Staker

OH and the rain has been CRAZY here!!!

The Savior Makes Me Whole!

Hey there family & friends!

I hope you are all doing well! It was good to hear from you this week and hear about your adventures! It’s always good to hear what you are learning about and the experiences you are having.

This week was a really special week that I am really grateful for. We started out the week with divisions. As TL, sometimes I have to deal with tough hermanas and help them with the things they are struggling with, but it usually turns out to be a really beautiful experience. I try to do it with prayer and guidance from my Heavenly Father and then I am able to see His hand in the work. So this week I did divisions with one of the Hermanas that doesn’t really like me and it ended up being a good experience. I tried to go into it with a good attitude and we were able to help a lot of other people. There was this one youth that was supposed to get baptized and he said that he didn’t want to anymore. The sisters were going to give up on him, but I insisted on meeting him and helping him out. So I talked with him and I was able to help him committ to baptism again. Then he came up to me at the Stake Conference that we had this week and he reminded me about his baptism on Saturday and told me he hoped I would be there. I love taking the time to help people and trying to simply listen to their point of view. The spirit is always there to help us say what they need to hear.

Also in the divisions, we were finished working and headed to the house. We walked past the most ghetto circus that I have ever seen in my entire life and I saw one of their monkeys outside. So I wanted to take advantage of the situation and walked up to the people in charge of the circus and asked if I could see their monkey. Turns out the monkey was really nice so he jumped up on my shoulder and sat with my for a bit. Then he jumped of and I grabbed his hand so that he would jump back up. When I did, he jumped up into my arms and curled up in my arms, huddled his head in my arms, and fell asleep! It was the most tender moment ever!! I didn’t have my camera, but it is an experience I will never forget!

This week we also had the privilege to meet Elder Renlund. We had another Multi Mission and it was such a cool experience! We got to shake his had and get to know him. He asked us what our names were, and where we were from as well. It was a cool moment and I felt that in that moment he truly cared about me personally. In the reunion, I was really able to recieve a lot of spiritual guidance. They talked a lot about the joy that Jesus Christ gives us. Elder Renlund also talked about how the Atonement can heal us. He said that with the Atonement there are no scars. Our physical bodies develop scars when we get hurt and they are a constant reminder of the things that have happened to us. But with the Atonement, there aren’t even scars because the Savior makes us whole. The Atonement makes it as though we were never even broken. God doesn’t care about who we were, He cares about who we are and who we are becoming.

I know that Jesus Christ is the source of all Joy. He suffered the most bitter suffering, but was able to support it. WHY? Because He focused on the joy of saving each and every single one of US. The same with us when we suffer. We too can support our sufferings if we focus on the joy. The joy of being healed. The joy of having peace. The joy of helping another person. The joy of having joy. I know that He loves us so much and wants us to have JOY in this life. He is the one who has made me whole of the several times that I have been broken to pieces. He is my master, He is my Healer, He is my Savior.

I love you all so much and it is my hope and prayer that this week you all can experience the Joy and healing of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Until next week, I send all of my love!

Love, Shay
Hermana Staker
Misión Nicaragua Managua Norte
Febrero 2016- Agosto 2017