Dear Mom, Dad, and Everyone
The last week has been good, just like always. The good news is
that we are finding more people to teach! Elder Rose and I started teaching
them from step one, getting to know them. Our other investigators had
previously been contacted and taught by the missionaries, and we just continued
teaching. I had wanted to teach from the start, so it was a good experience. We
had just studied about "How to begin teaching" in Preach My Gospel,
so we used that, and it was good! one of the people we taught called about
English class and asked if we could teach her and her son personal lessons, and
she said she wanted her son to have good examples around him. So we agreed with
enthusiasm. The first time we met her was on the street by the library, and she
started telling a story that I could understand pretty well, but every time she
asked me if I understood, she would ask me in a weird way, or there would be a
lot of street noise, so every time I had to ask her to say it again. So pretty
much she thought I couldn't speak spanish well. It was definitely a change from
the norm, because people in the branch almost always complement my spanish. I
figure I need humbling. I think I
mentioned them last week but we started teaching them this week. we had a
lesson with them and then another day we shot hoops a little bit with the son.
It was nice and I feel like we developed a stronger bond and trust with them.
Last night we also had an investigator over to dinner at a member's house.
It was really fun. Elder Rose and I squeezed into his tiny car with him and
drove from his house to the sanchez's after visiting with him shortly. The
Sanchez's always have friends from another branch and missionaries over for
Sunday dinner, and they didn't hesitate to invite him to dinner too when we
asked them about it. The people here are great and really welcoming. He
had a good time, told everyone his stories that he always tells to new
missionaries when they come over to his house, and I had a great time just
listening. I also ate a ton of food. They make plenty usually and want you to
eat up, so I was filling up and just about done when they pulled out some
tamales for everyone. They are super filling, and I was already almost maxed
out, but I was determined to conquer. They gave us two apiece, and I finished
the first one (which was a little bit of a struggle) and was making very slow
but steady progress on the second one before we left because one of the sister
missionaries in our district needed a blessing. But dinner at the Sanchez's
with him was a great experience. I feel like doing something fun and more
relaxed with an investigator, or anyone, is a great way to develop your trust
and relationship. After he dropped us off Elder Rose said that he felt
like our relationship with him just jumped way higher. I felt the same, and
we hardly even talked to him at the dinner. I just listened and ate. When we
visited the sisters to give the blessing, they asked me to give it. I felt a
lot more pressure blessing a person instead of just an area or apartment. But
the blessing went great. It's really cool to use the priesthood. It's really
cool to be directed so clearly and specifically to bless someone and put into
words what God wishes to give them. The Gospel is sooo cool! I have noticed
blessings of the Gospel a lot more in my scripture study and overall
experiences recently as a missionary. All things in the Gospel lead toward
blessings for us. I have "Blessings!" written on a lot of pages in my
Preach My Gospel. Because it's what it's all about! God wants to bless us, so
he gave us commandments so we can earn blessings, He gave us the Holy Ghost,
scriptures, prophets, apostles, agency, families, the Priesthood, bodies, the
church organization, activities, blessings, EVERYTHING so we can be blessed,
and have happiness! Heavenly Father is the best.
This week we had interviews with President Calderwood. Mine was
short because he was getting behind, but it was good. Whenever I see President
Calderwood, he always makes me feel so loved and important. It's probably just
me, but I feel like he seems particularly happy to see me among everyone else
in the district or zone. He probably makes everyone feel that way. In the
interview he talked about how we as a mission have gotten good at setting
inspired goals, but haven't gotten good yet at planning daily and even more
frequent sub-goals to accomplish these. I hope to be able to master this and
conquer my goals. As a companionship and district we have some pretty high
goals, but I know we can make them. We just need to do work.
Thanks all who have written letters of love and encouragement. I
love them. Sorry I haven't written you all back, I'll work on using my time
better. Katie, I am repenting and have tried to find a postcard at a couple of
places, but they didn't have any. Today we shouldn't be too busy and I am
determined to find one.
Love you all! Have a good week!
Elder Schenk
Hey Dad,
My week was great, as always. Elder Rose and I have a lot of fun
together. Our personalities mix well, and we find a lot of funny experiences
and situations that happen daily. It's great that you are looking for ways to
share the Gospel. One way that I want to try to get members here more involved
is to share a short lesson to bring in the spirit, maybe about the restoration,
and then ask the members who they know that they want to have the gospel. What
friends and family do they want to see in the Celestial Kingdom? And then I
will ask them to pray about what they can do to best share the Gospel with
them. So you could try that. If you want ideas of how to share the gospel, or
copies of the missionary lesson pamphlets, or anything like that, just talk to
the missionaries. They really want to help you with that kind of stuff. This
plan to help the branch get more missionary active is a newer idea for me and I
haven't gotten to use it with many families, but I hope it helps them. It's too
bad I couldn't help out picking a basket for Mom! maybe next year you can shop
for it on a Monday and send me pictures of the options and I will check my
email and let you know which one is best. So we'll see. Give Mom a hug for me! and give her an
extra good one on Sunday for me!
I'm learning more what it's like to use the priesthood and give
blessings. I now know what you mean when you say a mission is worth it because
of the experience you get using the priesthood on someone that's not your wife
or child. I will be practiced and experienced when I get home. I'm really glad
you are such a good strong priesthood leader Dad. Our home is a lot better off
because of it. A couple of families in the ward don't have fathers with the
priesthood, and it's really a bummer that they can't bless their families in
that way. They just have to helplessly wait for someone to bless their wife or
children. Thanks for being a powerful man of God. I've seen your example and
that's how I plan to be.
Love you so much Dad! Thanks for your prayers.
Elder Schenk
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