Getting adjusted!

Bonjour, the holidays have been amazing. Our ward is so cool and have been taking really good care of us! Christmas eve we went to a German family's house named the Vols, I think, haha but we ate duck and had all this fancy french bread and cheeses and desserts yum! Thank you for sending me Ty's blog. It sounds like we are in the same boat lol People here talk so fast and then just look you in your soul and I totally blank. But it comes little by little just have to trust in the lord! Yesterday- aka Sunday we had our first baptism! It was amazing. It was a guy named Gontie and he is from the Congo and is 24!

Such an amazing guy and he loved it. He could not stop smiling, it was so funny! Only bad part was we forgot to make food for after so we ran to our apartment, grabbed some orange pop, bag of salt and pepper chips, and some oreos haha Not much but it was something. Also on Sunday we had a member of the 70 come and just was passing through with his family so they stayed for all of church. I got to meet him and his family and they just praised us for serving missions haha! Pretty tight if I do say so myself! Also during the week we got to hang out with the Davis family. The guy is from Belgium and his wife from Pakistan but crazy right! Super nice. Made me so much food and they were like "wow you can really eat" haha much needed ;) But they both served missions and we talked all night and we lost track of time and got home super late but Brother Davis said it was okay haha! Also on Christmas my companion had to skype early at the Vols- that german family so I watch Tangled with the little son who is 7 and we watch it in german so you can say I was totally lost but its my favorite so I was jamming and dancing haha Language is still really hard but all you can do is try ;) happy new year and love and miss ya

Life is hard!

hey so I will skype call you so be ready haha um people are mean, food is expensive so I eat oranges, bread, and lots of peppers and onions lol starting to like vegetables alot more on my mission! so missions are the hardest thing on the planet haha muslums throw fire works at us on the metro, its so scary so thats lame lol Im pumped to talk to you in 2 days!

(So I find, the longer Ariel's emails are the shorter Shane's are..lol.. This morning he was still online when I got here so we received a few more one liners. Luckily we will get to talk to him in 2 days!!)

btw I got a card from your brother davids family and they sent it to the mtc, and i really want it lol and idk what the mtc does with them when you leave because i know they dont forward them sooo .... yeah 

(so it looks like if you used his old MTC- Utah address, he won't get it! Thanks for trying LeeAnn!)

hey not long email since I can just tell you in 2 days lol but super rough
here, so hard lol But I have my first baptism this sunday!!! success baby!!!
lol so excited

(Any punctuation that you see, aside from !! are mine. lol..)

First letter from Belgium

bonjour, belgium is very cold lol and their are so many muslims. It is so hard to type on these key boards lol. So let me catch you up on whats been going on. Monday: Woke up super excited got ready we grabbed our bags and headed to the airport. Had an 11 hour flight and I didn't sleep a minute lol, we land in Paris at 11am on tuesday and it is beautiful. We got to got to notre dame, Eiffel tower btw my camera is broken it got smashed in my suit case ;( so yeah but then we go to the mission home and meet the pres. He is pretty cool and then meet our trainers mine is Elder Eldredge he is a big hawaiian who is from hawaii lol spelling is bad these computers are strange and no spell check. (I've changed some spelling to make it legible!) Anyways he is cool and we get along really well, I have done a lot of tracting already very little success but some. We have a baptism set up for the first week of jan so that would be awesome to get one already. French is so hard here they have strange accents in belgium and half speak dutch and whatever musliums speak haha. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. And we never eat, I have to eat toast and oranges everyday lol I gonna die. But all is well I think haha love ya Elder Karl

Elder Karl's address is posted on the right of this blog.. International stamps are $1.10. All letters would be highly appreciated, I am sure!

Wisdom teeth out in time for Thanksgiving! Off to France!

Hey things are good here. My wisdom teeth came out really well and I had almost no swelling! I can't believe you guys are on a cruise that sounds so fun lol. This is my last P-day here I leave for France on monday, how crazy is that!? They told us we will be able to call home at the airport to let our family's know we are safe and what not I will try to call but you might be in the middle of the ocean lol. Btw it was Russell M. Nelson that came and talked to us on Thanksgiving it was really good but I was kinda high and goofy from the pills lol. But I still went to all my classes and didn't take a break! With leaving so soon I know I need as much study time as I can get! I'm so excited to go to France. je t' aime both of you! -Elder Karl 

Week 4 Photos!

P-day # 4 for me in the MTC. This place is starting to feel like my home. I can barely remember what the outside world is like! One of the up sides of being here tho is all the talks we can to hear from amazing speakers. With this being Thanksgiving week they told us that someone really really good is coming so i'm really excited for that. French is a constant battle, just when you think you got it down you go an teach someone new and have no idea what they are saying. But that's why they teach us to speak through the spirit so much. It's pretty strange watching people come in and out so fast. Since most only stay around a week and a half I have seen group after group leave and I just really wish it was us who was leaving! But only 2 more weeks so I'm really happy just want to serve so bad and help people. Much love always - Elder Karl 

Week 3 SO many blessings!

Hey good to here the grandparents are doing good! Last time we could go to the temple was today because I guess its going under reconstruction so that kinda stinks! I love the temple so much!  Most peaceful place on earth. The coolest thing happened tho the MTC president asked to having a interview with my companion and I!!! we thought we were in trouble but turns out he knows my companions dad so we got to take pics with him and hangout with him for like 1 hour! so crazy most people never even get to talk to him but I got to tell him about my family and get to know him and got a hug! so many blessings here! Same old same here tho lots of studying and very little sleep! love ya Elder Karl

Week 2.. back from San Fran

Hey! San Fransico was so beautiful and amazing! I got to walk across the golden gate bridge!

so blessed! The french is really coming along I can now teach lessons, give prayers, and bare my testimoney all in french, so mazing! I love being a missonary so much I feel like it gives me a purpose now! I feel at peace! love you guys and you mean the world to me! I have grown up alot and im sorry for the person I was before! but i love you , Elder Karl

Week 1.. Going to San Fransisco!

Shane went entered the Missionary training Center on Thurs, Oct. 30, 2013. He will be there about 6 weeks before heading to the Paris, France Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

hello! first p-day is today monday. um the MTC is way different then i thought. my companion is elder beck and he is really cool. I was really lucky to get someone I like haha, but we are like best friends already and things are going amazing. The french is coming really slow but it is coming! the gift of tounges is so real. I have already taught 2 lessons in french! Its such a beautiful thing to learn. Last night we had a fireside and watched a talk by elder bednar it was life changing! I finally understand that this mission is not about me but doing the lords work. Its crazy how much i have already grown up in such a short time. Sleeping has been rough a elder in our room snores really loud and talks non stop and we are trying to be patient with him lol. miss you guys already would be nice if you sent me some photos of my friends and of you guys..;) but i am learning so much and love it here. love Elder Karl

Hey i forgot to tell you tonight they are flying me and my companion to san fransico to go to the french consol to get interviewed for our visa's and stuff. its so amazing. i am so blessed