Hearing the alert on my phone signal that Elder Schaff's weekly email had hit my inbox was a relief this week. I was very anxious to know who he had been teamed up with to train and wanted to know all about his new companion and area. I was so happy to learn that he is once again serving in a Spanish speaking area and will be able to train and teach in Spanish. All in all, everything sounds great for him.
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This week was crazy. I miss Elder Laughlin a bit. Elder Corless is still nearby, so that wasn't as big of a loss. I got put into Echo for Tuesday and Wednesday while we awaited our trainees. I was with Elder Wake during that time. (He came in near the start of my office time.) We were able to learn and grow a lot together, and I also got to meet with Matilde (she was Elder Schaff's first baptism) again, which was awesome, because it really seemed to give her a boost to be more committed to the Gospel and to make the efforts to get to church consistently. I didn't even have to crack down, she set a plan with me to improve. Elder Wake was shocked because he and the other Elders there haven't had much success with Matilde. A lesson to follow up with your converts I suppose!
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| Elders Schaff and Mendez with Matilde on her baptism day in 2016 |
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| Missionaries waiting to hear who they have been paired up with to train for the next 12 weeks |
Then I met Elder Wyne! Fortunately, in the line of meeting companions President called all the other Elders first, so we had a normal hug and didn't go crazy. No glasses were broken. (in the past, several of the missionaries have sustained small injuries or broken glasses, etc when they are introduced to their trainee and have their first hug)
Elder W and I have been doing great ever since we left the Mission Office. I have learned more about his story and told him mine, and we feel united and determined to do the Lord's work. Elder W is pretty incredible actually. He is a convert of a year and a half! He was baptized in 2016. He explained to me that the moment he was baptized (and even before apparently) he knew he was going to go and serve a mission. He says the change was so immense in his own life and brought so much joy that he had to go and share that with others. This is an Elder of a lot of faith. He's already starting to get the hang of things, and it's just day 5. He really knows what he's doing and what he is in for, and I couldn't ask for anyone better to work with at the start.
He was baptized, and then had to stick out his year before he could apply to be a missionary. So he finished high school and went to BYU Idaho. He likes to sing. We'll have some good times for sure!
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| Elder Schaff's Companion/Trainee, Elder Wyne |
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| Elder Schaff is paired with Elder Wyne |
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| Trainer/Trainee Meetings |
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| Trainers and Trainees March 2018 |
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| Elders Schaff and Wyne with other missionaries at the Training meeting in March |
As for the work once we got to Madera, the goal has been to meet the members! We talk to everyone we can in our path, and bike when we can as well. When we drive around we try to knock some doors in the vicinity. I haven't knocked doors in forever, but it works in Spanish areas. They are way nicer than us English speakers. Ha ha.
As I write this out, it's shorter in writing. There was a lot of spiritual experiences during this week, which have safely been recorded in my journal. Other than that, I'll tell you how things go as we go into week 2 of training! We have interviews with the President tomorrow. Other than that, just know I am loving my mission! It's a bit stressful to plan each day, but other than that, everything is grand! I'm living the dream here!
I finished reading the Book of Mormon again this week! Oh Elder, I nearly forgot that! The President Clark challenge Book of Mormon was finished Tuesday morning, around 10:12 am or so. I then prayed about the truth of its contents once again, that my faith in that promise could be strengthened as I testify of it to people. I testify to all that read this that the witness of the truth of the Book of Mormon came again. You can get it more than once. I really appreciated Moroni 10:32-33.
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
That's the fullness of how the Atonement works in two verses. It's wonderful. No better way to end that inspired book. I know this is God's work! I am a disciple of Christ, the son of God.
Love you all,
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