Week 94 - Yosemite!

  I am always amazed by the photos that other missionaries post of spots they have toured and visited. It is awesome that some are able to take in the history, culture and scenic locations within their mission. Elder Schaff has never really had that opportunity, but this week he was able to go to Yosemite National Park on his preparation day. He was so excited to have a change of scenery. I challenged him to take a lot of pictures, he told me that he took about 90! He sent one, of the group that went to Yosemite, so far. I am so happy that he had the opportunity. Of course, Yosemite covers more than 1,100 square miles, so I am sure he would love to return in the future. You can only see so much in a day.

  "Well, I finally made it to Yosemite. What a trip it was! It's a lot of driving for us poor missionaries, since we had to go up and down in a single day. It's 5 hours of car time. Despite that fact, it was well worth it. It was a nice adventure! I feel energized and fulfilled. It was also very peaceful.

   There was so much to do up there though! We hardly did any of it! The park is so huge you could go there dozens of times and hike new trails or do new things. I attached a few pictures. I took 90!

   This week has been one of growth and reflection. We had the Temple trip on Tuesday, my last one before departing. I felt impressed that we needed to work with our members more to find the success we are seeking. We are working on employing that.

   I did two exchanges with our Elders in Madera, Elders Meyer and Vargas. We had some good experiences growing together as we served. Elder M just began his mission, and we had a good discussion on how to make it worth the while and enjoyable. The first exchange was Wednesday, the second Friday. Elder V was on Friday.

He did a nice job with his teaching, and we discussed being motivated by charity instead of just duty. This and many more things did we do, but I grew from it.

  On Thursday we did yard work for a member, because her husband's job makes it hard for him to be home. We mowed her lawn, weed whacked, raked grass clippings, and pulled weeds. She was quite grateful for our service.

  Friday was Mission Leadership Council, and we had some excellent teachings come from the Assistants and President. Also, a training from the Sisters on how Elders and Sisters can better serve together without being awkward or inconsiderate. (President assigned the topic.) It is now being called the "How to talk to girls teaching." XD"

-Elder Schaff

Yosemite National Park
June 4, 2018

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

Week 88 - "I Got Hit by a Car"

  I think I am a typical parent in that I pray for my children each day. I pray for their success at school, that they will be watched over and protected and return home safely, etc. Well, one of those prayers was definitely answered this past week. Unbeknownst to me, until reading the weekly email, Elder Schaff was hit by a car while riding his bike last week! Thankfully, he sustained no injuries, and his bike is fine as well. Our family is extremely grateful, we realize that it could have been much, much worse. I am very grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for watching over and protecting my missionary son, and for the power of prayer.

Met an old friend at DLC, Elder Derbidge and Elder Schaff

"Social Justice League" graffiti

Elder Murray had a birthday, and as is Mexican tradition, got his head shoved into a cake

  "Well it was a great week! Here's the highlights:

  I finished exchanges with all the Elders. I got "hit" by a car. We'll get there. In that process I lost my phone. Our investigator, Roberto, prayed for himself! I recovered my phone 3 days later, and on Sunday, Bishop taught some impressive teachings--they brought the Spirit and really helped the ward to understand the significance of the Gospel better.

  I exchanged with my old companion Elder Corless, as well as Elder Lilly. Both seem to have grown since the last transfer and are doing well. On the exchange with Elder Lilly, we began teaching one of their investigators at about 4:20 pm, and finished near 5:00, so we had to hurry to dinner to meet up with the other 4 Elders. On the way there, we passed by an alleyway. I had never been to that part of town, so I was unfamiliar with the existence of this alleyway. Elder Lilly made it past the alley, saw a car in his peripheral, and slowed down enough to see my destruction as he tried to warn me.

  From my perspective it went like this: (in mind:) "alright, we're almost there, I'll catch up to Elder Lilly." "Path is clear!" <<Car pulls out of alley>> "!?!?!" *Hits brakes in vain* <<Crthunk!>> *flops on hood of car.* *Climbs off car.*

  All was roses, and then in about 3 seconds my life changed. Fortunately, I made a seamless transition from the bike to the hood of the car. I didn't smack any knees or scrape any limbs. I was totally fine. I just got right up after I stopped moving and addressed the situation. Unfortunately, all the contents of my pocket spilled out on their car. I picked up my planner and pass-along-cards, but I didn't notice my phone, it blended in quite nicely with the gap, it was in between the hood and the windshield. So I gave these people a pass-along-card and rode off. The bike didn't even take damage! I just put a small dent in their car, but they said they would fix it and not charge me. Then they drove off.

  Elder Lilly and I traveled the next minute, arrived at dinner, and then I discovered I had no phone. We looked everywhere, to no avail. That was embarrassing. I was the first in the California Fresno Mission to lose my phone. (they just received new phones, and his is borrowed, so we didn't have to buy one for only 3 months) Well, I wasn't going to just give up, so the next day we went back to the place where I got hit, because it had 8 apartments there, and the guy that was in the passenger's seat of the car that hit me was there. His girlfriend (the driver) found the phone and had it. He gave us her number. She responded to one text message, which only said "I told him to tell you I'm in Fresno today and can't give it to you." Subsequent trips to the location of the crash were required to eventually get the phone in her boyfriend's hands, and then to ours, 3 days later. These were the flakiest people I've ever needed to contact. Even worse than former or non-progressing investigators! They never responded to calls or texts, and it was a mess. I had hope I would get the phone back, but Elder Wyne later told me he thought I had no chance of getting it, so I guess it was a miracle.

  The moral of the story? I forgot to pray for that "basic" blessing of protection. All day! You know, the line we usually just throw in there. I'm not sure that necessarily made the difference, but it was an interesting note we made. Regardless, God was still merciful in helping me out.

  Aside from that mess, there was also District Leadership Council. President clarified rather precisely the bounds of technology use. I had to teach my district to use it more wisely, because we weren't doing the best job in following all the rules. Fortunately, with clarification, most of the problems were fixed up.

  Roberto learned to pray, which was amazing. I wasn't there though, it was the day that I was out with Elder Lilly. Other than that, Elder Wyne and I have been working hard to talk to more people and find new people to teach. We found a basketball tournament that is apparently held every Sunday at a local park. Lots of Hispanos allí. We tried contacting some of the crowd, some went well, others not so much, but it's a good place we know about now!

  At sacrament meeting, Bishop taught about the Restoration clearly and powerfully. During second hour, they combined all the classes, and he taught about the importance of tithing, which became a discussion on conversion. It was filled with the Spirit, and best described like Nephi's words: after the manner of plainness. If you were in Madera Spanish ward, you would have liked it. Ha ha.

  This week I was given several commitments in the District Leadership Council to study about leadership. I had a wonderful opportunity to grow from this experience. I will expound on these later--Ezekiel 33 and 34, as well as Doctrine and Covenants 104:13,16.

  The whole district is going to lunch, and for the first time ever, I just was given permission to pause email time, so I will return and tell you more!

--Elder Schaff

  Alright, well the remainder of what I was going to say:

  Ezekiel 33 is, as we know, the teaching of the watchman on the tower. It was  a good chapter to help me to understand more clearly the responsibilities of being a leader. I feel like I have understood them well, but these passages made it even more clear. The chapter teaches after the watchman example that: if the righteous [turn] to iniquity, all his [past] righteousness shall not be remembered." Additionally, it says: "If the wicked turn from his sin...he shall not die." The Lord wants us to be consistent, to repent constantly. We are to set the example for others to make those changes, by living that constantly. Doing so will help others to bring the wonders of repentance to their lives, and we will fulfill our role as watchmen.

  Chapter 34 teaches of the "Shepherds of Israel." The chapter chastises the false shepherds that had blessed their own lives from the flock, rather than helping the sheep. These could be those who exercise unrighteous dominion, or those who attempt to exercise power without the priesthood of God. Though they seek to guide, they lead astray. The words of Christ then enter and explain that he himself will reclaim the sheep."I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick." No mention of other shepherds is made. It dawned on me that if we are to contribute to leading Zion at all, then we had better have some Christ-like character and attributes, and be willing to sacrifice to bless those around us. If not, we cannot be those shepherds.

  Finally, I enjoyed Doctrine and Covenants 104:13 and 16. The verses in between aren't bad either. The Lord describes that stewards are part of his plan to make all accountable. Accordingly, in verse 16, we learn that stewardships "provide for the saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low." Thus, stewardships establish the harmony and consecration of Zion, bringing peace and joy to all. I found that interesting, as it is marked as Christ's way to provide for his people. I am engaged in a part of that. Some things to consider next time you have anything to do with teaching or working with anyone else in the church. Or even in life. We have an example to watch over people.

  That's all I have this week for events. Have a great week everyone!

--Elder Schaff