Week 44 - Everything is Fantastic

  I was in a rush this morning and went to get my haircut. I had Hayden's sister in tow and asked her to email her brother while I was getting my haircut. My plan was to drive home, eat lunch and then write to him, but when I opened my email to write, he had already written and was gone! I can't believe I missed him this week. Good thing his sister wrote to him. He generally emails around 5:00 pm in California, which is 8:00 pm here, so I thought I had plenty of time this afternoon. So, I guess I better do what I used to do, and make sure I write before I go to bed on Sunday nights. Sometimes it is frustrating when we miss each other because he needs a new pair of pants and I need his pant size! That will have to just wait another week.

  President and Sister Clark are almost done with their 3 years of service and will be leaving around June 30th, then he will have a new mission president and wife until the end of his mission next summer. That is why he is referring to their last interview and mentions the Jeopardy game being an "end to it all." Here is his email-

  "Okay, everything is fantastic. It really is, but we are losing 40 minutes of our email time, because we can't pause it, and we have an appointment at 11:00am. It would have been fine, but the Selma Elders don't have a car and we have to chauffeur them across town and they apparently need us right now, so we have to leave soon and lose that email time. Oh well! That's how it goes....

  Elder D and I are doing great. He wakes me up at 6:00 on preparation day and I prefer sleeping until 6:15 on preparation day, but it's ok, I'll get over it. That's not so bad. But when we email, he types like 140 words per minute,  so he finishes in 30 minutes and wants to go do other things and I'm sitting here like: please let me use my whole hour and 30 minutes! But nay. Can't win everything.

  Our teaching is superb. Everyone in the area is progressing along very nicely. "E" came to church for the 4th time in a row this Sunday and, to our surprise, brought his family along with him! "M" also came. Elder Ennis and I met "M" in a park one day and he said we could come over the next day. Ever since then he has been preparing for baptism. "M" and "E" have set baptism dates for the end of the month. It should be exciting!

  Last week I couldn't write because there was not much time and we had to send an email to President Clark for our concluding interviews. I had that interview on Friday. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. President gave me some wonderful, personal counsel and an amazing promise. He told me he was "well pleased" with my efforts, which filled my heart with joy, because sometimes I've wondered how well I'm doing! I knew then that the Lord knew of my sacrifices and what I am seeking to accomplish.

  Sorry I couldn't send anything for Father's Day. I began writing a letter, but was informed that it is against the rules to write letters on any day other than preparation day. I love following all the rules, and now I don't have a choice because Elder D likes them too, and enforces them. So I wrote no letter. I didn't know that rule! Love you Dad! Obedience isn't always easy! Hopefully the card I was able to send for his birthday was enough!

  I'm placing a request for a scaled map of North and South America. I want to see if I can work a bit of relative geography as I read the Book of Mormon and get an idea of where all these places are.

  Other than that, I got some pictures of what we did at interviews this week. I'll try to send them.... normally we do a training with Sister Clark, but since it's our last one, we played Jeopardy with Missionary style questions. (Preach My Gospel, Scriptures, Missionary Handbook, etc.) It was fun! A good experience to "end" it all. (The official end is Zone conference.)

  I hope I can write a better letter next week!!!! But sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven..."

​Love,

--Elder Schaff