No television, no radio, no phones and no girls.
For two years Hollister resident Spencer Shattuck, 21, abided by
these strict rules because he had a mission
– literally.
No television, no radio, no phones and no girls.
For two years Hollister resident Spencer Shattuck, 21, abided by these strict rules because he had a mission – literally.
As part of his Mormon faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he spent the two years after he graduated from San Benito High School in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, working to invite people into his church.
“I knew it was the right thing to do,” Shattuck said. “The hardest thing was adjusting to the culture. The people have a totally different lifestyle.”
In order to embark upon the undertaking he had committed himself to, he first had to acquire a unique set of skills.
Learning the Portuguese language, acclimating to an average temperature of around 117-degrees Fahrenheit and walking almost 10 miles a day were just a few of them.
Under church-employed teachers in Brazil, Shattuck studied for 16 hours a day for two consecutive months to learn the basics of the language. After that, he was emerged in the population, and about three months later he had mastered it.
“I don’t think I really realized I was in Brazil until maybe a week that I had actually been out in Rio,” he said. “Then it was just me and another guy, and lots and lots and lots of Brazilians.”
Shattuck and his companion, either another American or Brazilian who changed every six weeks, worked six days a week, 12 hours a day spreading their beliefs.
Much of their activities involved either knocking on doors or talking to members of churches, inquiring as to whether they knew anyone that would like to learn about their faith.
In his two-year stay, he was able to invite about 30 Brazilians into the Mormon Church, but the selfless reward of giving other people the chance to be a part of something important to him was only part of the benefit.
“I received the testimony in my heart,” he said. “It’s a feeling that doesn’t just go away. It kept me going even during the lowest points – that would be the last thing I could hold onto.”
He was able to call home only twice a year – once on Christmas and again on Mother’s Day, although he e-mailed his family at least once a week. Though he felt a little homesick at the beginning, the underlying adventure of the task at hand, along with his commitment to his endeavor, overtook any feelings of doubt or heartache.
Not being able to hear her son’s voice was hard for his mother, Linda, but when they did speak it was a great treat and she cherished it more, she said.
She kept tabs on him via e-mail, and the differences she has witnessed in him since his return makes up for any feelings of loss during the duration of his trip.
“I heard people say that you send out a boy and you get back a man,” she said. “But I sent out a boy and got back an angel.”
While he was incredibly excited to see his friends and family by the time it was over, it’s obvious to see how Brazil impacted him, he said.
His experience pervades his thoughts every day and is included in just about every conversation he has.
“I didn’t cry, but I miss it,” he said. “It’s 10 percent of my life so far.”
Along with the spiritual growth he experienced came an intellectual growth he hadn’t been looking for. The realization that there is so much more to the world than the materialistic confines of American life brought much of his youthful naivete crashing down around him.
Gaining a more worldly perspective about America, both socially and politically, and how other countries view Americans changed his thinking about many aspects of his own life here in Hollister.
“In the past, I wasn’t analytical enough,” he said. “I didn’t really look to see how much truth there was in something.”
Witnessing first-hand Brazilians’ negative reactions to the United State’s involvement in Iraq and the hatred he received from some people simply because he was American, didn’t deter him but made him determined to understand why people had these feelings.
“I haven’t depreciated in my gratitude for (America) or lost interest in what’s going on here,” he said. “I just have a more objective view.”
Shattuck, who is currently attending classes at Gavilan College, will take his broadened perspective to Utah in the summer, where he hopes to attend Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business.
Brigham Young University is based on the Mormon faith.
The price tag attached to Shattuck’s two-year stint in Brazil totaled about $9,000 – over half of which he paid himself with money he had saved from jobs at Round Table Pizza and Hollister Roofing.
Learning how to be social and brave and stand up for one’s beliefs are traits he said he developed on his mission and can only be described as priceless.
“I know how to expound, I know how to defend myself, I know how to teach,” he said. “Nine thousand dollars wasn’t what it was worth. It was worth way more.”
