Week 93 - Ministering and Meetings

  Our family enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. We had family visiting and it was nice to take a break from the routine and relax. We fired up the grill for a few meals, made a fire and roasted marshmallows for s'mores and went to our town's Memorial Day parade to see our daughter march with the high school band. Unfortunately, for a missionary, routine carries on. Elder Schaff was hard at work, but didn't email much this week, we may not hear much next week either, but he would love to visit Yosemite on his preparation day, hoping that works out.

  "Well, I sent an email to Dad covering most of the week. We're out ministering to the other district, so I have to email by phone and it's very difficult compared to a computer.

  This week was slow until Saturday, when we brought out our bikes.

  We brought 2 less active families to church this week and it made our efforts worth it to see the light in their eyes as they were welcomed back by the Ward.

  Elder T and I had Stake Correlation, where we visit with President Mackay and the Stake President. It was an interesting meeting to be a part of. We discussed how to better unify members and missionaries, and came out with good plans. The question is, can 4 men implement changes across a Stake? We will see.

  That's about it this week. We may go to Yosemite next week, so email may be limited. One thing is for certain, I will be very grateful to use a computer next time!"

-Elder Schaff

Week 92 - Ministering to my Fellow Missionaries

  Anyone else in survival mode, or just me? The month of May is a true test of endurance. It seems that every group that our family is involved with decides to have a final concert, game, recital, you name it, we have been sitting in the audience for it. So, our days and nights are planned out before we even wake up, and it has been exhausting, yet, rewarding. With all of this crazy going on, I couldn't find much to say to Elder Schaff this week except to recap the events and send a few photos, but here is his news from the California Fresno Mission. And, since I am counting down, 9 weeks until he is home and we are reunited as a family!

  "Hi, everything is going well. The area is still slow, and the only thing I can think to do is push myself to talk to more people, as many as possible. We talk to probably 50 people a week, but we aren't even getting an investigator out of that, so I've got to step it up. I don't want the end of my mission to just drift away at the end. I want to be fighting for someone's salvation! The emails of my friends inspire me to go and do more. I'm setting goals and hoping things will improve this coming week.

  We did have some form of success in helping our investigators see that we really do care about them. Some of them wanted to give up on the church because they felt like they couldn't effectively make the change in their lives, but we testified to them that learning the Gospel isn't an all-or-nothing deal, nor is living it in fact. We strive to do all we can, and Christ lifts us when we cannot go on.

  As usual though, my forte has been ministering to my fellow missionaries. I've been watching the missionaries in our zone more closely, seeking to understand what we can do to edify and uplift them. The zone has been faring alright, there were two baptisms this weekend in Madera for the English wards. One was by Elder C and his companion, so that's a good clincher to finish his mission on. I was able to talk with Elder M a bit, an Elder that's been here for 3 weeks now. He's passionate about maintaining his strength and physique, and restricts his diet a lot, and sometimes the other Elders don't respect that so much. I asked him how things are really going, and lifted him a bit.

  We had exchanges with the assistants on Friday. I was with Elder E. He hadn't seemed to be his usual self, but we pressed forward in the work. He was still the friend I knew though. Halfway through the evening he opened up the heart of the problem, and we discussed it together for a good 40 minutes. It was really tearing at him on the inside. I helped him see some steps to take to reduce the stress and suffering he was causing himself. I'm no psychologist, but he told me it gave him a lot of peace. My heart was filled with charity toward my fellow-man and I was glad to have helped a friend. It reminded me to what extent I'm supposed to love everyone.

  Though I've never been the stellar missionary finding the prepared people by the dozens, I press forward, knowing that I am also not incapable of finding people to teach. But I'm always glad to lift where I stand and ennoble those other missionaries nearby.

  The assistants had also caught a black widow spider in a jar. For the fun part of the exchange (yes, the fun is mandatory) we caught bugs around the property of the assistants' house and added them to the jar. The point was to see what the black widow would do. We managed to catch a moth and a second black widow. They didn't do anything while we were awake, but when we checked in the morning, the original spider, Charlotte, had consumed all. They really do like to live alone. This experience slightly reduced my fear/discomfort with spiders.

  Three friends/investigators came to church, but none of them are able to be baptized in the near future, because two of them have parents that won't allow it, and the other one is an older guy that just doesn't want to.

  Zone Conference is tomorrow, and Elder T and I are giving a training, in Spanish, about being unified with our companions, even when using technology.

  In the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 15:7-9,11 caught my attention this week. It testifies of the need for the Atonement, and how the Savior stands between us and justice, which would surely condemn and destroy us for our mistakes. It speaks powerfully of why the Savior did what he did. 

Verse 11 is the qualifier, testifying: "I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto [the] words [of the prophets], and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins,  I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God."

  Combined with Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5, it is a great testimony of why the Savior loved us so much. This I add as my witness of Him. Jesus Christ lives, and does intercede on behalf of all those who will have him to be their Savior. This decision is made not by word alone, but also by deed. It is not made once, but throughout a lifetime. It is the character difference between someone who is God-like, or likes and knows about God.

  I love this work and press on! I love you all."

--Elder Schaff

Week 91- Mother's Day Call Home

  This past Sunday we had our fourth and final video call from Elder Schaff. It was Mother's Day and he was able to Skype with us after he attended his church meetings. Since the missionaries in Fresno now have smart phones, he was able to Skype directly from his phone, using the wi-fi at the church. It was wonderful to see and hear him. We laughed and smiled and talked over each other, and the 45 minutes flew by, but it was perfect. He was happy and doing well, so that makes me happy. Since we were able to talk on Sunday, we didn't have much to email about on Monday. So, here is his short email and some photos from the week.

Skype session with Elder Schaff.

  "Well, it's good to know that I still have a reserve fund. (He had asked me to give him the balance of his checking account, since the statements come here) That's another thing--Elder W has also been enjoying the mission, because he is learning to budget. He said he went through money way too fast in college, mostly because he didn't know how to cut his costs. I think I'll be fine. Dad taught me well.

  How many more races does Maura have in track season? Maybe we'll keep fit and run together when I'm back! (his sister has been running the 400m, 800m or 1500m at track meets this spring)

  I explained most of the week, but we had interviews with President Mackay on Tuesday. He interviewed by companionship, so it was less personal. Elder T and I also taught the rest of the missionaries in the Zone while he interviewed. So, that was quite the task, that amounted to 3 hours of teaching. We practiced role-playing teaching skills with the missionaries, such as using scriptures effectively, teaching doctrine to meet personal needs, asking effective questions, and listening. It was good. After that, we exchanged with the District Leader in Fresno. (There are 2 district leaders in each zone, and zone leaders exchange with both of them.) I was not with the district leader, but his companion, Elder Lavatai.

  There weren't enough helmets for the bikes, so we actually walked all day. It worked out though. We talked to some cool people because of it. We had to run a mile home when we got out of a lesson at 9:20. We needed to make it by 9:30, but we made it at 9:33. We gave it our all though, running with a proselyting bag is difficult!!!

  It was a good learning experience for me and Elder L. It's the best crowd I can work with I feel. It's never been easy to work with investigators, but I've had great success lifting other missionaries and less-actives.

  That's about it for this week though! I'll send some pictures.

"We've got a Skype filter that gave me a beard."

"The contents of the board before we arrived for interviews. I thought it was a pretty great addition to the Primary song, Follow the Prophet."

"The Fresno temple as we walked by."

"We walked on a dusty trail when the sidewalk disappeared and took some shots like we were traveling on the roads to Jerusalem or something. I'm no model, but I thought it was funny."

"A drawing by Elder James (who took my spot as the Secretary). I enjoyed it."

--Elder Schaff

Week 90 - Zone Leader

  Elder Schaff has jumped right into the work and responsibilities of being a Zone Leader. In a mission, the missionaries are grouped into districts and several districts comprise a zone. It helps to organize all of the missionaries and gives them a district leader to report to. The District Leaders then report to the Zone Leaders and the Zone Leaders communicate problems, concerns, statistics, etc to the Mission President and his assistants (APs) After serving as the mission secretary for 6 months, Elder Schaff was able to serve as a DL for a couple of transfers, and is now a ZL as he continues to train Elder W. Here is his email for the week-

  "Alright, well this week has been full of things to do.

  I jumped right into Zone Leader responsibilities, and we collected the mileage reports from all the companionships for April, and then made Zone calendars the next day.

  We had one day of normalcy on Thursday. Then Missionary Leadership Council (MLC) was on Friday. We discussed how to use technology better, which honestly was difficult to implement. We actually taught a technology class on Thursday for the ward. The ward members are illiterate concerning technology use. 4/4 of the people that attended the class did not know how to post something on Facebook. So when talk of using technology via the members (having them share our posts, contact friends, etc.) it seems a bit distant...

  Also in MLC, President talked about the difference between getting people to do things and helping people to do things. It was quite profound. Of course, helping people do things is more in an interest for them to grow for themselves, and support them in what they cannot do. For example, helping someone read the Book of Mormon would be showing them what it can do in their daily life to bless and strengthen them as they go out into the world each day. It's guiding them through tough words, and showing them how to pull doctrines and teachings from the scriptures. On the converse, getting someone to read the Book of Mormon is sitting down, reading it with them, and telling them they ought to do it because they will get blessings they wouldn't otherwise get. Then you expect them to read afterwards. This usually doesn't work well. That was inspiring, and I will seek to apply that these last 12 weeks!

  On Monday of last week, Elder W and I contacted a referral we got from a member. We started teaching her, her name is Adela. It was probably the first successful member referral I've had my whole mission, sadly. She has had some extreme sorrows in her life, which I won't expound upon, but needless to say she was in quite a low place.  On Saturday, we taught her again, all three of us. We taught the Gospel: faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We taught clearly and boldly, and the Spirit flowed in the lesson. She decided to set a goal to work towards baptism, around May 26th. She started with a frown on her face, but by the end of the lesson she was vibrant, bright, and happy, and clearly feeling the Spirit. Oh, how great a joy the Spirit can bring to one's life!

  I finished reading Acts in the New Testament this week. It strengthened my testimony of the Restored Gospel and church. The teachings, fruits, and miracles we see today, and in the Book of Mormon, are the same. It is amazing to see how the Lord ministers to His children one-on-one, but also how He works in His ways and patterns, such that one can trace how He works.

  As for this week, we have two pictures of getting "shnakes." A certain Elder in the district pronounces them as such, and now we all say it, we may call it Maderalect.

Eating "shnakes" at Sonic

Elder Schaff and Elder Tapia with their shakes

  Elder T saw a bull and honestly considered riding it--but after he and Elder W inspected the conditions, and the required jump over a barbed wire fence, they decided against it.

Why was this even a consideration?! The answer to bull riding should always be NO for a missionary.

  The picture of us at Sonic is the final hours of the last day before transfer hub last week, where we also got shakes together.

  We picked up chicks (actual live chickens) at a potential investigator's house.

  And I saw Elder K at MLC, and some old friends got in one of the pictures. It's weird, if anyone changes callings, I will probably not see them again. The end is real and nigh!

  Well, that's all I've got, love you family!

--Elder Schaff

Week 89- Just Two More Transfers to Go

  I wrote to Elder Schaff and told him everything that was going on at home. Then I noticed on the calendar app on my phone, that it was a transfer week for his mission. I figured that he would not be affected by this transfer, since training a new missionary typically lasts for 12 weeks or 2 transfers, and he and Elder W have only been together for 6 weeks, but I was wrong. There was a change. This is what he wrote to me-

  "I did get affected by the transfer actually. It was the most suspenseful and nerve-wracking process of the week. At the end of it all, I got called to be a Zone Leader, assigned with Elder T, and we will finish training Elder W together this transfer. I'm glad I got to stay with Elder W because I was scared to death that we would be separated. To be honest,  I'm bummed about the transfer. Elder W and I had a great thing going. Elder T is going to play football after his mission, and well, he has the mentality of a football player. Usually not my crowd. I've been around him a lot though, so I know how he functions. When I was in Selma he was in the other district. He and Elder K have been companions the last 12 weeks here in Madera, as the Zone Leaders. Elder K is going back to be a Zone Leader in Fresno, and I'm taking his spot.

  Elder T holds himself tough, is a little rough and seldom takes correction from others. He's very firm in his opinions and slow to change. However, he does have a soft spot, and if you can keep him peaceable, then he will be an excellent help to you and whoever you teach. So here's to not getting him angry or beyond his temper. I know President did this because my strengths can help Elder T fill his weaknesses, and his strengths can fill mine. Unfortunately, there is that looming risk of unnecessary aggression that I am not looking forward to. Elder W was also glad to stay with me. We've had a good time together, and been able to uplift one another. Other than that, not a lot happened. The Zone Leader area is in our ward. We've been working closely with them this whole time.

  Elder W and I found a few new people to teach. We will probably continue teaching one of them and leave the rest to the Elders that enter into our area. We also made more progress on the Ward Directory. We discovered that 50 households have moved! That explains the low statistics the ward has. Two Sundays prior, Bishop taught about tithing and mentioned that the rate of full tithes is 7% in the Ward. I suppose you are off to a rough start if 40% of the ward has disappeared to new places!

  Elder L and I had a chance to give talks in sacrament meeting about Missionary Work. We both prepared a lot, and the Spirit did most of the teaching. I felt a lot of power as I spoke. That was a good time to rejoice. When the work goes right, it brings me peace. That's what I seek after now. The Lord has given me another challenge to grow, and I expect that this pattern will continue each transfer. I thought training would be a challenge, but Elder W made it easy. Hopefully I'm saying that again in 6 weeks!

--Elder Schaff