December 22

My  questions:

1) Has someone offered the use of their home and internet on Christmas Day? 
2) Have you received invites for Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day?
3) How is the weather there in Blanding?
4) Does Blanding decorate much for Christmas?
5) How is it trying to be in three wards at the same time on Sundays?
6) How long have the three Elders you are living with been out on their missions?

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Mom,

Merry Christmas! Those pictures of the He Is the Gift advertisements at Times Square are awesome! I knew that they were there because I had heard about it, but it's cool to really see it and see how the Church is really out there! I hope a lot of people have watched it.

1) Yes, the Einerson family invited us over and their son Cole is on his mission in France right now and they will be Skyping from 9-10 so I'm not sure if 10 o'clock works best for you guys with the brunch or what. The Einersons said we can do anytime other than when their son is calling. If 9 o'clock works better a few other people offered the use of their homes so we might be able to call them and see if I can do it over there. 

2) Yeah, we have some invites for Christmas and so we should be able to stay busy sharing the Christmas story with members and others all throughout Blanding! 

3) The weather is getting colder, but it's probably not as cold as up there. We have had some snow and it has been raining this morning. 

4) Yeah, there are a good amount of Christmas lights up! There are a few houses that are pretty decked out! 

5) It's pretty crazy. Yesterday we went to two ward councils, and then Elder Salmon went to 7th ward with the ward mission leader over there and I went to 1st ward with the new ward mission leader there who was just sustained and set apart yesterday. He was the high councilman responsible for missionary work so it's cool to have him with us there now. He has a lot of pretty awesome ideas on how to get the missionary work rolling forward in 1st ward. 

6) Elder Salmon and Elder Thomas both came out 6 weeks before me, so they've been out for 19 months. Elder Ball has been out for 22 months, he goes home in February.

We had some pretty cool experiences the past few weeks. First, just how the Lord prepares people and puts them in our path. We were out meeting people in a trailer court about a week and a half ago and met a guy named Ferris who was working on his car. We got talking and we asked him where he was from and he said 5-Points (an area that I covered in Bluff) and I had actually taught his mom while I was in Bluff! We asked if we could come by and share a Christmas message with his family and he said that would be fine. Then the next day Bishop Moses from 1st Ward calls us and asks us if we could be witnesses for a wedding on Saturday. So we showed up Saturday morning and asked him who was planning on getting married and he said Ferris and Rayleen! As their family showed up for the wedding at the church we had also just met Rayleen's mom over at her apartment complex and helped her take her trash out! Then Ferris's mom and sister who I knew from Bluff showed up and so it was just so cool how they had decided that after being together for so many years to get married and take a big step in keeping the commandments of God and how we had so much contact with them and their family and we're looking forward to working with their family because they are both non-members.

Secondly, we got to have a big dinner at Brother Bennett, the seminary teacher, with him and his wife and an active young man, a less active young man, and a non-member young man (who are all enrolled in seminary) with the active young man's family and we ate smoked ribs and cornbread and shared a message and it was such an awesome opportunity to work with members!

I love you all and will talk to you on Thursday! Merry Christmas!

Elder Schaelling

December 15

Greetings from New York City!  I am typing this at a desk in our hotel room which has a beautiful view of the Chrysler Building lit up with lights out the window in front of me!

Questions:
1) What do you know about Skyping on Christmas Day?  I'm so excited!!!  We can make it work at any time, but our schedule at this time is as follows:  We will be home all day until we go to Grandma's house at 4pm.  The Neilson/Carling Family will come to our home for a Christmas Brunch around 11:00 or 11:30am.  We can adjust those times if necessary.
2) Do you have any specific plans for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day yet?  We will be at Grandma's home on Christmas Eve this year.
3) How are Duane and the husband of the part-member family doing?
4) You've mentioned grocery shopping in Blanding.  Is there more than one grocery store?  Does Blanding have a Wal-mart or anything of the sort?
5) You mentioned picking up a new truck in Farmington.  What kind is it?
6) Is that truck just for you and Elder Salmon or do yo share it with the other two Elders in your home?
7) What are the names of the other two Elders?  Where are they from?

--------------------

Mom,

Sounds like a good time in NYC! That's awesome that you have such a good view of the Chrysler Building.

1) I don't know anything, we're still trying to get to know the people around here and no one has specifically offered to let us use their computer yet so hopefully someone will offer soon and we can get it set up. I should be able to do before 4 o'clock, hopefully. It's mostly up to the member's schedule. 

2) We don't really have any specific plans yet. Grandma's house should be a good time for Christmas Eve!

3) Duane actually moved, but we are hopefully going to start teaching his significant other who is still in town because her sister is a very active member and so we are hoping to have the lessons in their home! Kevin is doing pretty well, he didn't make it to church yesterday but we are going to see him again tonight with his fellowshipping family. Having a family to fellowship someone as they learn about the church makes a world of difference! It's pretty cool to see it here.

4) No, there's just one store, Clark's which is part of Associated Foods. There is also Alco which is a pretty general store (a smaller version of Target/Walmart), they have some food (mostly junk food) and then other items, but Alco across the country is closing down so they'll be gone sometime in January. The closest Walmart is in Cortez, CO.

5) Nissan Frontier, it's pretty nice but the Toyota Tacoma is still my favorite, it is such good truck. Handles really well, drives smooth, very comfortable, and looks nice.

6) Yeah, it's our own truck and the other elders have a Frontier too, ours is silver and theirs is charcoal grey, but we mostly walk here in Blanding to save miles.

7) Elder Ball is from Rexburg, ID and Elder Thomas who is from Lubbock, TX. They are both really good guys and fun to live with.

I can't believe that Stevi is married and it's especially weird to think that Jackie and Trevor bought a house in SLC! They aren't too far from Emigration Market which has Eggs in the City which is a pretty awesome breakfast place on the northwest corner of 13th South and 17th East and then also 15th and 15th which I think has Mazza and Caputos. The Lord has blessed me, I have lost most of my knowledge on non-mission related things but I can still remember all the best eats in SLC. I hope they have that extra bed/couch in their home for me to stay at occasionally. Grandma mentioned all the house shake-ups last week in an email, it sounds pretty crazy!

All of the packages arrived today, thank you so much for all the gifts! There are a ton of them, many more than are necessary but thank you! I'll be excited to find out what they are on Christmas. Enjoy the rest of your time there in NYC!

Things are going pretty awesome here in Blanding. This past weekend was Stake Conference and President and Sister Batt came and spoke in the Saturday evening session and everything was really good. It was so good to be able to see President and Sister Batt again and we actually just got to see them this past Friday in Cortez for a mission Christmas party with the Utah zone and Durango zone, it was a lot of fun. Me and Elder Salmon were in charge of organizing an hour and a half worth of games and we had a couple of big group games at first and then the end portion we opened up for people to play different board games with whomever they would like. We got to play Mormon Bridge with President and Sister Batt and Sister Batt got a little competitive, haha.

We also got to set a baptismal date with another investigator from a part member family, his name is Chuck and his wife is a member and they seem pretty awesome. We have also been working with one of the two seminary teachers because he is in 3rd ward and we are planning on starting to work with the youth a lot. The youth seem to be the place where missionary work is at for Mormon communities because they have so much more interaction with non-members and less active members and they can really embrace and fellowship the kids at school and show them their love. And youth are probably a lot more open to learning about things because they have less prejudices at the younger ages. There are a ton of awesome families here in Blanding and a lot of missionary work to be done.

Merry Christmas! I hope I already mentioned it, but if you haven't seen the He Is the Gift video onchristmas.mormon.org YOU NEED TO WATCH IT AND SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE! Christmas season is such a special time of year because it is one of the few times where everyone's minds and hearts are turned towards Jesus Christ. I was reading through the Christmas story in the Book of Mormon the other day in 3 Nephi 1 and it discussed the signs of Jesus Christ's birth. One was that when the sun went down there would still be light and the other was the new star in the sky. I felt those symbols were significant because they showed that because of Jesus Christ light will even shine in the darkness and that regardless of where we are or who is lost, He will always be guiding us by the beacon of His light even as the North star gives the traveler direction. This Christmas season think of those who are lost, who need His light in their life, and invite them to discover the Gift and embrace the Gift of Jesus Christ. I love you all and am so grateful our Savior who all the prophets have testified and taught of. 

Love,
Elder Schaelling

December 13

Matt is now in Blanding, UT!  I'm sure he would love to receive some Christmas Cards.  His new address is:

Elder Matthew Schaelling

329 South 100 East

Blanding, UT  84511 

His e-mail address will stay the same during his mission.

I was full of questions this week:

1) Are you in a trailer?

2) How are things with Elder Salmon?

3) Where is Elder Salmon from?

4) How many stakes are in Blanding?

5) Will you still have a lot of interaction with Elder V and people in Bluff since they're in your zone?

6) Do you know if the investigators in Bluff are still progressing nicely?

7) How are you doing working with white people again?  I'm sure you are truly missing the Navajos that you truly grew to love.

8) What exciting things are in Blanding?

9) Is the work a lot more difficult since you are whitewashing an area?

10) Can you check your mail daily or not? I notice it is NOT a P.O. box and didn't have an apartment number.

11) Did you go straight to Blanding or did you go to Farmington last Tuesday?

!2) What is the name of Elder V's companion?

13) Were you able to watch the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional tonight?  We did and it was wonderful!

---------------------

Mom,

Missionary life in Blanding is pretty awesome, howbeit very different! I am a little homesick for Bluff and the wide open space on the rez.

1) No, we live in a house with two other elders who are also here in Blanding. There is also a set of sister missionaries here in Blanding who cover the YSA branch and 5th ward but obviously we don't live with them.

2) Things are awesome with Elder Salmon! He's a super hard worker and good things are happening so far, even though we've only been here for 5 days. 

3) He's from a smaller city called Troy, Alabama. 

4) There is only one stake in Blanding. There used to be two but they merged them a few years ago because they took one of the units from the west stake and gave it to the newly formed Tuba City Stake. Blanding has 7 wards (but no 4th ward, so it is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th) and a YSA branch and then there is the White Mesa Branch (Ute reservation), Montezuma Creek Branch (Navajo reservation) and then the Bluff Branch/Todahaidakani Ministry (Navajo reservation). Elder Salmon and I cover Blanding 1st, 3rd, and 7th wards and they all meet at almost the same time so we're trying to figure out how to rotate church attendance.

5) Yeah, I'll see Elder Vicznesky every other week at district meeting and then once a month at zone training and whenever he and his companion come to Blanding to grocery shop on p-day. I probably wont be able to see people from Bluff unless I go on exchanges there. I do see members of the branch presidency sometimes around town here in Blanding since they all live here.

6) I believe that Briannon and Wilbur, who are both set for December 27th, are still progressing towards their date and attending church! They just need to get married before their date, so hopefully that all works out well. 

7) It's different definitely. I taught my first white person actually a week before I came to Blanding while I was on splits with some missionaries in Farmington before MLC, but it's weird to have dinner appointments every night with members and to have SO MANY members in our area that we need to try to get to know in our three wards. It's especially hard because we are whitewashing, so usually when you're new to an area at least your companion knows where all of the members live and who they are and what the boundaries of the wards are and whatnot. I miss Navajos a lot, but luckily there are still a decent amount of natives in our area but they are still a minority.

8) There is a USU campus in Blanding. A few museums. Other than that, it's probably mostly just exciting because of the scenery and sites to visit around the area. Cedar mesa is really pretty (so I hear, haven't been there yet). 

9) Kind of. We are just lost a lot especially since working in the city is different from the rez. On the rez, missionary work is pretty old fashioned. Go out and knock doors until you find people to teach. So that's what Elder Salmon and I are both used to because we've both been on the rez our whole missions. So we have been knocking some of the apartment buildings and trailer courts in our area and visiting the ward mission leaders and bishops mostly. Luckily, the sisters who were here before us left the area book in an awesome condition, but it's just overwhelming to have to try to learn so many new names and what is going on with them.

10) Yeah, there is a box at the end of the street where all the mail for the block comes and the other elders have the key and they said they usually check it every day, so if I have anything they'll just give it to me.

11) I went to Farmington last Monday and worked with some elders there all day Tuesday while I waited for Elder Salmon to ride the transfer van from Gallup to Farmington so we could grab a new truck and then we got to Blanding Tuesday night about 9:15. 

12) Elder Frazier, and he's from Virginia. He seems like a really good guy, he'll do awesome in Bluff.

13) Yes, I did, it was wonderful! I love Christmas so much, and I think this is the first Christmas where I have really purely looked at the meaning being that of Christ and not think about all the other stuff at all -- Santa, reindeer, etc. I hope I can stay close to this way for the rest of my life.

I can't believe that the whole family will be back in Utah before too long. That'll be funny if when Jackie and Trevor move back I'm still in Blanding and we'll have the whole family living in the same state for the first time in a long time! Jackie and Trevor better find a cool house in a good location with a spare bedroom so I can crash there for the weekend when Provo is lame (if I end up going to BYU). It wouldn't be a bad idea to forewarn them of this.

I love you all so much! Things this week in Blanding went pretty well. We knocked into a guy named Duane who was pretty open to meet with us and he and his wife and kids came to church yesterday and we're meeting with him again tonight! We also set the husband of a part member family on baptismal date forJanuary 10th, but we might move the date back a little bit and we're seeing him again tonight also!

Merry Christmas, or Ya'at'eeh Keshmish as they say on the rez!

Elder Schaelling

December 1

Mom,

1) Yes, Tiffany was baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday! It was an amazing service.

2) I am moving to Blanding! Bluff has been the zone leader area since the Utah Zone was formed in this mission, but now we are moving it to Blanding so we can coordinated with the stake presidents better. Elder Vicznesky is staying in Bluff and training a brand new missionary, and I'm whitewashing an area in Blanding with a new zone leader, Elder Salmon. He was my district leader down in Steamboat for two transfers. We'll be in 1st, 3rd, and 7th wards in Blanding and there have been sister missionaries there thus far but the two sister missionaries who were there both are finishing their missions this week so President Batt decided to put elders there instead. I'll miss Bluff a lot, but Blanding should be a good experience. It'll be my first non-reservation area so that will be interesting! My new address is 329 South 100 East Blanding, UT 84511.

3) It was great and the ribs at the Gruettes were awesome. I might have to adopt that Thanksgiving tradition and eat ribs instead of turkey. 

It was pretty amazing to be able to have a baptism this weekend. Elder Vicnesky baptized Tiffany and I was able to confirm her a member of the church on Saturday and also ordain her husband to the office of a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood after church yesterday! Right after her baptism Tiffany got up to bear her testimony at her service and she gave a beautiful testimony about how her goal is to go to the temple with Lyle and how much different her life is since she has started meeting with us and began living the gospel and how she feels like God is with her and how she has even been able to help family members return to the church who are not active and everything! She was talking about how as we were confirming her during sacrament meeting yesterday she felt like our hands were magnets and she could feel the power pulsing through our hands and that as we were ordaining Lyle she opened her eyes for a moment and saw a golden glow around our hands that were on his head. A truly wonderful experience, I cannot wait to be able to see them in the temple a year from now!

Nelia, the elderly Navajo lady who attends church that we gave a blessing to a few months ago whom I have mentioned, has a daughter that lives in Layton that I met yesterday. She came down to visit her mom because they were having a beauty way ceremony for her son down here so I talked to her for a while, she was very kind! It was just cool to meet someone from the reservation down here that lives in Layton!

I know that the gospel is true, and I am so grateful for the blessings that come from our Savior Jesus Christ. I'm not sure if you have watched the He Is the Gift video from the Church yet. If you haven't, watch it! It's amazing!christmas.mormon.org

The other picture is a picture of a hike me and Elder V took two weeks ago in our area (this is just a few miles away from Tiffany's house) that goes down to a TON of ruins called Poncho House. It has great beauty and majesty out there.

Love,
Elder Schaelling

November 24

Mom,

I can't believe Thanksgiving is coming up so quickly either! Yes, we are still going to the Gruette's home for dinner and then we'll also be going to Tiffany and Lyle's home and we've also been invited to eat with all the senior missionaries from the Bluff Fort so we'll be stuffed just like the turkey this Thanksgiving! Brother Gruette worked for the oil industry for a long time in Montezuma Creek/Aneth area here in Utah and also in Bloomfield, NM but he is retired now. I'm not sure what Sister Gruette's background is. Cottonwood Steakhouse closed in mid-October I think, and Elder Vicznesky and I actually saved up money and went there and got ribs, it was heavenly. The ribs fall right off the bone!

Tiffany made it to church yesterday and is on track to be baptized this Saturday! Woohoo!!! Nelia is either 80 or 88, I can't remember. We are hoping that someday in the future we can use those wireless headsets to translate the Navajo service into English for all the visitors so that the people here can learn and teach the Gospel in their native tongue! We'll find out what happens with transfers this Saturday, so it'll be interesting to see what goes on.

That's awesome that you're listening to The Undaunted, I've heard a lot about that book. I'll have to read it when I get home. Las Vegas sounds like fun and I'm glad you got to see Donny and Marie's show for the third time. Elder Vicznesky's mom loves Donny Osmond also, hahaha.

Sounds like a lot of house hunting! If I stay here in Utah much longer on my mission then pretty soon we might have the whole family in Utah even before I get home from my mission! When I left, everyone was out of state, and around the time I hit my 18-month mark we might all be back in Utah, eh? Glad to hear that Jackie and Trevor will accompany me to go to San Francisco when I get back!

I hope Thanksgiving goes well for you all this week! I would like to give you all a Thanksgiving challenge, either before or on the day of Thanksgiving I would like you all to think about a principle of the Gospel such as prayer, repentance, faith, the sacrament, continuing revelation, temple work, etc. that you are most grateful for and find a scripture (or scriptures) out of the Book of Mormon or any of the other standard works along with a testimony of that principle! I would love it if you all could send it to me sometime this week or next, either by email or Pony Express. I'll try to get one written up by me and mail it off you to at home! I wish I would have thought of this earlier so I could send it off today so it could be there by Thanksgiving, but that is unlikely. So hopefully by Saturday or something haha. I love you all!

"[H]umble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." - Alma 34:38

President Uchtdorf's talk from April Conference:

"Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God. It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true.⁸ By being grateful, we follow the example of our beloved Savior, who said, “Not mywill, but thine, be done.”

True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will.

In any circumstance, our sense of gratitude is nourished by the many and sacred truths we do know: that our Father has given His children the great plan of happiness; that through the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, we canlive forever with our loved ones; that in the end, we will have glorious, perfect, and immortal bodies, unburdened by sickness or disability; and that our tears of sadness and loss will be replaced with an abundance of happiness andjoy, 'good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.'"

I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Elder Schaelling

November 17

1) Did you get Gentry & Holly's wedding announcement?
2) Were the cookies I sent you last Monday edible?
3) I sent another small package and a card on Thursday.  Have you gotten them yet?
4) Did winter arrive this week for you also?
5) Is your trailer warm enough?
6) Do you need me to send anything like a space heater, blankets, more warm clothes or anything?
7) How was church today?  Were your investigators able to come again?
8) Is Nelia the lady that you kind of "happened" upon that had fallen and you gave a blessing to and helped her get back in her chair?
9) Are the Gruettes Navajo?  What takes them back and forth between Bluff and Mancos, CO?

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Mom,

1) Yes, I sure did! That's exciting. I thought he was getting married pretty quick, but then I realized that he's been back from his mission for about a year and a half so I guess he's not too crazy.

2) They sure were! They were fantastic. I was able to take them to district meeting on Thursday and shared them with my district and they loved them. One of the sister missionaries took the whole bag of chocolate cookies though, haha.

3) I did get them, thank you for the CD and card! And thank you for the card that was talking about Cottonwood Steakhouse. Cottonwood actually closes down for the winter because the tourists slow down in Bluff but I'm sure Elder Vicnesky and I can enjoy something in Farmington next Monday when we go. 

4) Yes, there was snow in the southern portion of our area Saturday night/Sunday morning and I got to see it yesterday because the portions that were in shaded areas hadn't melted yet. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures because I didn't have my camera. The reservation is so pretty in the wintertime with the snow, in my opinion. 

5) Yes, it is great.

6) No, I should be okay. I might need a few more pairs garments, both regular and thermal, but I'll get back to you on that.

7) Church was great, I stayed in Bluff yesterday and one of our new investigators on date game to church. Her name is Briannon and her fiance is a member and he is Kervyn and they live here in Bluff but they are Navajo. We set three people on date this week, Briannon for the 27th of December and a man named Wilbur for the same day and another lady named Janine for January 3rd! Unfortunately, Tiffany didn't make it to church so she may or may not make her date for the 29th of this month, but we'll see. She left Ganado back to Bluff late because she was cleaning up after her and her husband's wedding reception yesterday at her parents' place. 

8) She sure is! She is such a special lady. She drove herself to church again yesterday because her grandson Cody wasn't really around. We also just got a bunch headsets for all the Navajo speakers so that Sister Clark can translate and up to six people can listen to her in Navajo while the services are being conducted in English. 

9) Nope, but they both grew up on the reservation. Sister Gruette's father had a few trading posts and Brother Gruette was on the reservation for other reasons, but I can't remember. They just like the climate in the varying places better at those times of the year, I believe.

It has been another wonderful week in Bluff. We have been walking and biking a lot more to save miles as much as possible. This past week we were able to have interviews with President Batt and it is always a great opportunity to sit down and talk with him and also with Sister Batt. Also a cool yet somewhat small spiritual experience that I have had this week is with 2 Nephi regarding the Isaiah chapters. I started the Book of Mormon over a couple of weeks ago and as I was approaching the Isaiah chapters I was pondering just skipping over them to the end of 2 Nephi because the past couple of times I've read through them I didn't catch much and I'm trying to pace myself through the Book of Mormon so that I can finish it relatively quickly and get a good overview of the entire book but I decided not to and it was amazing that as I read through it this time I have actually understood a lot and been able to learn a lot more. I know that it is because of my increased spiritual sensitivity that has come through daily obedience and prayer and especially as I pondered upon the scriptures that I was reading along with prayer. I'm grateful for the scriptures and the beauty that they have brought into my life! One of my recent favorite passages I have come across recently is 2 Nephi 1:15 - "But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love." What a beautiful passage. I know that as we seek His Love, we will find it. Within His holy word and through His chosen servants, and especially within His house, the temple. As it invites also in 2 Nephi 12:3, "Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths." I love the Lord, and I am so grateful for the gospel and the truths and peace that comes from honest, daily study in the scriptures. 

I love you all!

Elder Schaelling.

November 10

My questions:

1) How are you doing in Bluff?

2) What is the weather like there?

3) Do you have fall foliage there?

4) How are your investigators doing?

5) Do you have an invitation for Thanksgiving dinner yet?

-----------------------

Mom,

1) Things are going amazingly. So far I feel like the things I am witnessing in Bluff is the most success I've been blessed to be able to see since I've been on my mission, things are seriously coming together here. We were able to be blessed with 8 investigators at sacrament yesterday all from the reservation who drove 20-30 miles to Bluff to come to church (the second Sunday is a combined meeting with the Toda Ministry on the rez and the Bluff Branch). Three of them couldn't even speak English and so Sister Clark translated the service for them and it was a seriously spiritual and touching sacrament meeting. It was the best one of my mission. It just showed the amazing qualities of the Bluff Branch. And a less active lady named Nelia who is 80 years old and doesn't speak any English has been reactivated and we have been teaching her and listening to the Book of Mormon in Navajo with her and she is such an amazing and inspiring lady to meet with. There is a serious spirit about her whenever she prays. I'll definitely introduce you all to her whenever we visit the mission, she is the sweetest. She's the same lady we gave a blessing to a month or two ago. 

2) Weather is getting cooler but isn't too bad. Just kind of cold in the mornings and the daytime is 60 degrees most of the time.

3) Bluff the town has some leaves but the rest of the area doesn't. Really we spend about 90%+ of our time on the reservation, that's where most of the work is right now. Out of the 12-15 lessons we teach a week usually only one or two of them are in Bluff. 

4) Tiffany got married on Friday and she is doing fantastic! Keano and Pearlphina are doing great. We taught them on Friday and Pearlphina asked in her closing prayer if the Book of Mormon was true and said to God that if she finds out that it is true that she can't wait to tell all her family and friends about it. They weren't able to attend church yesterday because of a family reunion but they said they will make it this week. Cody made it to church and we pushed his date back to December 20th so we can work with him on some more stuff. We picked up a new investigator named Briannon who is engaged to a less active member here and we're planning on setting a date with her tonight for the 20th or 27th. 

5) Yes, the Gruettes here in Bluff are planning on having us over. They live here during the winter and in Mancos, CO in the summer so they just moved back about a month ago or less. 

It sounds like things are going really well back at home! I'm glad to hear that Karson was able to return to his mission and that Eric is getting to enjoy camping out. I don't think my camping in the RV was quite as intense as his. Here's some pictures of the area here. I love you all!

Love,
Elder Schaelling

November 3

Mom,

I don't know how it's already November! The time sure is just flying by. Thank you so much for your prayers for everyone. Tiffany and her son were luckily able to make it to church yesterday and it was really cool to have her there. She is super solid and is excitedly working towards baptism. We were able to see many miracles this week. Last week we had MLC and President and Sister Batt asked each set of zone leaders to fast for another zone and so the Page zone leaders fasted for the Utah zone and we fasted for Kirtland zone and it was a pretty awesome experience! Many miracles. We were able to set two new baptismal dates with Keano and Pearlphina for December 13th. They are a young couple and her father recently passed away and they have pretty awesome questions and a strong desire to learn.

We had a really interesting experience this week. We decided to do our fast for Kirtland zone on Friday and so we started fasting and we were over on miles already from our trip to Farmington so we decided we would ask one of the senior missionaries to drive us out to a part of the reservation where we could work and walk for a few hours and we told him we would call him when we were ready to be picked back up. So we had him drop us off at a group of about 7 houses about 13 miles away from Bluff or so and we would try everyone there and then walk to an area called White Rock which was about 4 or 5 miles away from there to be picked up there. So we walked about 5 miles in the sand while fasting and praying and at the end of our journey we met a really interesting guy who was struggling in life and was even considering ending his life but we found him and talked to him about the Plan of Salvation and had a very spiritual lesson with him! It was an amazing experience. 

I love you all, have a great week!

October 27

My questions:

1) Congratulations on the huge attendance at church last week!!!  How did things go today?

2) That is wonderful that you have so many baptism dates scheduled!!! How are they all doing?

3) I loved hearing about your solution to the mean barking dog problem!  That made me laugh out loud! Does the Force and/or Harry Potter spells still seem to be effective?

4) I remember that the Shiprock Ward had a pretty good Halloween party last year.  Any party plans for either of your branches this year?

---------------------

Mom,

1/2) Things were pretty good today! Cody was able to make it with his grandma again to church and a member we have been working with to get the Aaronic Priesthood, Leroy, made it also! And a recent convert who had missed church for about two months made it yesterday for the first time, so that was good. Tiffany unfortunately didn't make it because her son got sick and they took him to the Shiprock hospital on Sunday morning. We are looking at organizing a marriage for her and her husband to make it official so she can get baptized and she's pretty excited to get baptized on the 29th! We haven't been able to see Rose yet since we set the date so hopefully we'll catch her soon!

3) Yes, it is highly effective! Usually dogs are "rock trained" so if you bend down like you're going to pick up a rock to throw at them they run away but they always come back. When we cast spells at them they seem to be super confused and they leave us alone after that haha.

4) Not yet, there was a Halloween party at the preschool in Toda (the same building church is at) but it was a family thing not church sponsored.

That's pretty crazy, the church building is going to be an exclusively YSA building? That's awesome that Lauren and Jaymee were in the Primary presidency with everything! How long ago did each of them get baptized? Is the pink chapel going to be a stake center for a YSA stake or anything or is the YSA ward still under the jurisdiction of our stake?

Sounds like there will be a lot of family for me to meet when I get back home! I'll be excited to get to know them all. That's good to hear that the Civic is still in the family. Do Nate and Natalie still have the maroon Civic that I drove?

This past week we had a zone training meeting where Elder Vicnesky and myself gave a training on "Being the Message of Jesus Christ" and about how important it is that we as members and missionaries are the message of Jesus Christ so that it might be able to shine forth unto the world. I feel like that is the theme behind the Meet the Mormons movie that came out, that it's less about the doctrine that we have that will attract others to us, but about the people we are. As Elder Robbins said to us when he visited our mission "Between 'being' and 'doing', 'being' is the weightier of the two verbs." Also, in his phenomenal conference talk delivered this past conference he talked about how to know Christ was to know the Father, and that they were in perfect unity as Father and Son. Our objective as disciples of Christ should be to know us is to know Christ himself. "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." 3 Nephi 12:48 Also, I love a passage that I came across recently in regards to this. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6. I do know that as we strive to be like Christ the power of the Atonement comes into our lives. Go forth and be the message of Jesus Christ!

Love,

Elder Schaelling

October 20

My questions for Matt:

1) Did Tiffany come to church today?  I sure hope so!  Thanks for sharing about the wonderful testimony meeting you had with her family and the timely opportunity of helping them with blessings.
2) How many senior couples are serving at Bluff Fort?
3) How long do most of those couples serve there for?
4) How many companionships are you serving as Zone Leader?
5) Are any of those companionships sister missionaries?
6) It seems early to ask this question, but President Batt wanted everyone's Christmas packages pretty early last year.  What is on your Christmas list this year?  I know you don't need or want unnecessary stuff, but what would benefit you and help as you serve The Lord?  Clothing, music, church materials, household goods, money?  We want you to know we're always thinking of you and want to help in any way we can.

--------------------------

Mom,

Yes, I am still in Bluff with Elder Vicznesky!

1) Miracle of miracles, tons of people came to church yesterday! We had 75 or more people at church yesterday in Bluff (because it was a combined meeting of Bluff and Toda with the lunch afterwards) and there were lots of people we have been teaching who came, and for many of them it was their first time at church. Tiffany was able to come with her three sisters-in-laws, Cody came with his grandma and aunt, Sister Lameman (a new awesome family we have been teaching) came and it is about a 35 or more drive for her to come to church and she made it! It was their first time at  Bluff for all of them! There were some others who came that had come before too. Tiffany is now on date for November 29th, Cody for the 22nd, and we are going to put Sister Lamemans three sons on date and her soon to be son-in-law will hopefully get baptized also! Miracles are happening here in Bluff and it is pretty awesome. We taught Tiffany and her sisters on Friday and talked about the Holy Spirit some and we sought to help them recognize and understand the Spirit and they testified about how they felt it on last Sunday night during our "testimony meeting" and that they felt like it told them to come to church and they came so it is so awesome. 

2) There has been 10 couples here throughout the year but two more have arrived in anticipation for the winter. A majority of couples go home in about two weeks but the two new ones and two of the more seasoned ones will be staying for the winter. 

3) Most of them serve for the season, March through October, but some of them stay around for the winter and some of them have done two or more seasons here. 

4) We serve 8 companionships throughout San Juan County basically. We cover Blanding and Monticello stakes. There are elders in Montezuma Creek (Navajo), White Mesa (Ute), Blanding (3 of the 7 wards), and Monticello (all 4 wards). There are sisters in Blanding (3 of the 7 wards) and another there in Blanding (YSA branch and one ward), and then a set of sisters in Dove Creek, Colorado and a set in La Sal, Utah (they cover Paradox, CO too). So four elders and four sisters plus us in Bluff make up the Utah Zone in the New Mexico Farmington Mission. There is one zone in Colorado, four in New Mexico, and four in Arizona. 

5) Yes.

6) I am doing pretty well right now, I don't think there's anything I really need. My short sleeve shirts are kind of gross but I'll be wearing long sleeve until next March/April. I'm not sure if you've gotten any word from the mission/church about the deal with the iPads, President Batt said it will cost between 300 and 400 dollars so that can be my Christmas.

Sounds like an awesome time in California! I'm glad you all got to go visit Jackie and her family. I have shared a lot of spiritual experiences the past few weeks and so I thought I'd share a funny one today. Here on the reservation there are TONS of dogs, and a lot of them are pretty mean so just about everyone's house has 2-10 dogs and they usually don't bite but most all of them bark at you and try to act tough. We found out that casting Harry Potter spells or using the Force on them causes them to run from us and no longer bother us. I can't really describe it over email, but it is hilarious because some dog runs up at us to bark at us and we just wave our finger in the air and then point it at him and make a zapping sound and then they jump up in the air and run away, almost without fail! Haha, missions are some of the coolest times with spiritual experiences, but there are ton of pretty funny experiences. 

I love you all! Have a great week.

Elder Schaelling

October 13

Questions:

1) Where did you watch the "Meet the Mormons" movie?

2) Did you go to the Post Office last Saturday?  There should be one letter and one package there for you!

3) How are your various investigators coming? 

4) What is in Bluff, if they don't have a grocery store?

5) When is the next transfer day, is it still October 20?

----------------------

Mom,

1) We watched it in Cortez, but just at the church on a projector for zone conference, not in a movie theater or anything.

2) Yes, I did get the letter but I haven't been able to get the package yet because there was no one at the desk on Saturday and today is Columbus Day and so it is closed today too. 

3) The investigators are all going pretty well. Unfortunately, not really any of them have attended church so they aren't progressing as much as we would like them to. 

4) A gas station, four restaurants - Twin Rocks, Cottonwood Steakhouse (which looks good but is pretty expensive, so Elder V and I are saving up so we can go get ribs there), and two small places I haven't been to, Dairy Cafe and Blue Moon Cafe - and four hotels/motels, the Bluff Fort, our church, and an Episcopalian church and that's just about it. 

5) Yup, transfers are a week from tomorrow and we'll find out this Saturday what's going on.

That's great you were able to see Meet the Mormons! It is truly such a good movie, and I'm glad to hear it's doing okay in the theaters. Park City sounds like a lot of fun! I remember riding on the rail trail up there with Dad when I was younger. Tell Gentry and Holly congrats for me! No more uniforms?! That's nuts! Aimee's probably glad, though.

Tiffany, who was on date for November 8th fell off of her date due to her not attending church, but we were guided by the spirit to her home last night and we got there and her sisters-in-law and their families who are members from Kayenta and Tempe were there and they were just talking about one of their sons and about how he has been having bad dreams at night and wanted him to have a blessing and we showed up 10 minutes later! We gave him a blessing, and her less active sister-in-law, and then we were inspired to talk to them about church yesterday which was testimony meeting. We said, "Since testimony meeting is such a wonderful experience, we would love to hold a small testimony meeting tonight with the 10-15 of us that are here in this home (about half of them were members)" and it was very powerful! Tiffany's two sisters-in-law bore beautiful and simple testimonies and Elder V and I shared two scriptures by the Spirit. The Spirit was strong in that room and we know it touched Tiffany's heart and thoroughly believe she will attend church this upcoming Sunday. The mission is a wonderful thing!

I love you all!

Elder Schaelling

October 6

My questions for Matt:

1) Where did you watch General Conference?
2) What were some of your favorite conference moments?
3) How was your big week with MLC and Zone Conference?
4) How are your contacts going?  Were you by chance able to check on the elderly Navajo lady you gave a blessing to yet?

-----------------------------------

Mom,

1) We watched General Conference at the church in Montezuma Creek, about 15 miles east of us and on the reservation. We spent the whole weekend working their area with the Elders over there. It was lots of fun!

2) Some of my favorite conference moments... It all happened so fast and so much awesome stuff that it's hard for me to think of things on top of my head because I don't have my notebook with me right now. I loved Elder Robbins talk and Elder Kacher's. I think our mission really lucked out that we got to hear both of them speak about a month ago because I think they gave two of the best talks by members of the seventy in conference! I loved how Elder Robbins discussed about how he represents the prophet to the people, not the people to the prophet along with the importance of always reflecting upon which way we are facing. Amazing talk, I can't wait to listen to it again. President Uchtdorf's talk in Priesthood Session was awesome, it about the apostles asking, "Lord, is it I?" when he said there is a betrayer in their midst. It was awesome because it focused on the importance of not judging others and never being prideful in ourselves. Elder Christofferson's was fantastic, "We do not become immune to the law of gravity by resenting it. But rather, we find freedom as we apply eternal laws." Elder Callister gave an excellent talk on parenthood that will probably be more applicable to me in my life at some future time. Sister McConkie did a FANTASTIC job, I think! Elder Bednar was an awesome capstone to the conference. 

3) MLC and Zone Conference seem so long ago already since so much has happened this week. We go to see Meet the Mormons which was AMAZING!!! Everyone needs to go see it opening weekend! Such a beautiful and spiritual movie that would be interesting and enjoyable to anyone of any faith. MLC and Zone Conference focused on "You are the message." It really talked about how us as missionaries and really everyone as members of the church are the message. It's not so much about what we believe or what we do, but who we are that is the message we want to send to the world. We are a loving, family-oriented, Christ-centered people and that is exactly what Meet the Mormons demonstrates. Warning: You will cry. Everyone should take someone with them to go see it! It'll be amazing, that movie will change the world! 

4) This week was awesome as usual, but I don't really have much to share with you about what happened because we only spent Wednesday and Friday and Thursday evening in our area, the rest of the time was in Farmington, Cortez, or Montezuma Creek.

I love you all so much! Reflect closely upon the words of the prophets and apostles, for their words are the words of Eternal Life. This conference as I watched the Sunday Morning session I was able to receive a spiritual confirmation that President Thomas S Monson truly is a prophet of God and that this church is truly the restored church. As Elder Ballard said, "Stay in the boat." I love you all and pray often that your faith does not fail thee.

Love,
Elder Schaelling

September 29

Mom,

My week has been pretty good! Glad to hear the Phillipps did make it safely, but that's crazy they had such a big trailer full of stuff! I'm glad to hear the General Women's meeting was good! I'm jealous that you women get to hear from the leaders a week earlier than I do, because I'm very excited for this upcoming weekend! This is a pretty crazy week for me. We have MLC tomorrow which is an all day meeting with President Batt, it starts at 7 and goes until about 3 or 4 usually and then Thursday is zone conference which is also all day and then General Conference all day Saturday and Sunday! A lot of spiritual uplifting events this week, hopefully I can soak it all in! 

That's awesome that Ashley had a good mission experience even though it was cut a little shorter than she would have hoped. It's true, missions are invaluable experiences and even if I went home right now it would all be worth it definitely. When we heard from Elder Holland a few weeks ago Elder Robbins of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke with him and spoke of the mission as a "graduate-level schooling experience on Christlike attributes" and I definitely think that is true. He said that we learn some introductory life skills like "Housekeeping 101" and "Cooking 101" and whatnot, but we go through rigorous courses such as "Charity 501" and "Obedience 501," etc. He said there is no other school as rigorous in these attributes as the mission-field is. I'm so grateful for the mission because I have had the opportunity to study and become close to the Savior like I never would have in any other way if I hadn't come out here. It has definitely helped me try to become as Christ desires us to become in John chapter 17 as he encourages us to be "not of the world, even as I am not of the world." I know that happiness and peace can only be founded upon living the Gospel and that happiness found through anything else, whether it be money or prestige or any other worldly pursuit, because each of those things come and go. I think before my mission I would have agreed with that, but I wouldn't of had any genuine idea of what that entails. 

Yes, Elder Aguilera did get his visa for Brazil. He left at the beginning of this transfer right after Elder Holland came, so luckily he got to stay for that. But he is now in Brazil! I just emailed him and I hope to hear from him soon!

We had a really awesome experience this week. We were driving around the south end of our area near the stateline and we were turning onto a dirt road and as we were turning I looked over to a house on the other side of the road that I had never knocked before and Elder V and I determined to go knock it on our way back out a few hours later. We went over there and there was an old lady (probably about 85+) sitting on the floor of her hogan in pain barely being able to sit up straight because of the pains in her leg and back and her grandson came out from the house next door and we asked her if she would like a Priesthood blessing. She accepted, and she doesn't speak too much English, but we blessed her as she sat on the floor because she couldn't get up onto her chair. We had told them we would come back the next day to see them again and we came back and we saw her sitting up on her chair smiling looking much better than she had before and she was so kind to us and you could tell that she knew that we had the true power of God! It was truly amazing! We taught them a little about the Book of Mormon and we are hoping to see them again soon. This week might be a little crazy, we'll probably have a hard time getting into peoples homes because we have such limited time to proselyte with all the meetings going on, but I hope we can see them again soon! She is the nicest and funniest old Navajo lady. 

I love you all and I hope that things are going great back at home! 

Love,

Elder Schaelling

September 22

Mom,

Nope, unfortunately I wasn't able to go to the temple dedication. I'm not sure if it was being broadcast all the way down here, I didn't hear about it at all in Blanding either. However, on Saturday we went into someone's house on the reservation and they had KSL playing and it was showing some stuff from the afternoon cultural celebration and I saw it real quick and said, "Hey! My little sister is in that!" That's such a cool experience for Aimee to be able to do that. I just told Elder V that the Calins are from Woodstock and his house is right on the boarder of Acworth and Woodstock! But they probably have never heard of each other because there are tons of people who live in the area.

I'm glad that Brother Judd was able to get that to you! It was so convenient for him to take all that stuff home! I almost forgot to put the SD card in the box then I remembered that I had been meaning to send that home.

This week has been a pretty good week. We went on exchanges with the assistants to the president and they are such good guys. Elder Harward is one of them and he and I were actually in the Business Scholars program together back at the U which is pretty funny, but we never really talked to each other much at the time.

Lots of miracles have happened as always. Truly, we see miracles every day as missionaries but a lot of them are pretty similar and they are hard to discuss over email. We taught a less active guy who lives in the area who has been attending another Christian church about how to discover which church is the right church and we taught him very powerfully and with a ton of unity as missionaries. It is so cool because Elder Vicznesky and myself are able to teach so clearly and distinctly by the spirit when we go to lessons, it's unreal to me. We were just talking after we taught that less active guy about how each of us said the things the other person was thinking and we were extremely bold with him but in a very loving way while respecting his agency. It was a lesson in watching the Spirit touch someone's heart and what happens when they turn from it. We saw it touch the heart of the man we were teaching and he was lighting up slowly and then we asked him a question and he pondered it for a moment and we could see as he decided to ignore the gentle whisperings of the Spirit because his countenance darkened. I am so glad I have learned how to go and teach by the Spirit as a missionary because I know that this will help me for the rest of my life as I serve the Lord as a home teacher and as I seek for opportunities to share the gospel in casual conversation with those around me. As well I am trying to learn more about the principle of councils and how to both preside over a council and how to participate in a council because I feel as if learning how to council about things by the Spirit is the key to having a successful marriage, family, and succeeding in a church calling.

There is a less active lady we have been teaching named Doris who is a lady of great faith. It was amazing, she was in Cortez a while ago and as she was walking she was hit by a car in the parking lot and it ran her over but she was safe and protected and she attributed it to the fact that she had the copy of the Book of Mormon which we had given her just a few weeks ago. It is amazing to be able to work among the Navajo because no one has as much faith as they do, and it was a testimony to me of the power of the Book of Mormon!

We met a new lady named Tiffany and we set a baptismal date with her for November 8th! She is such an awesome lady and she has been keeping her commitments to read and to pray and she said that she has talked about baptism with her husband and she feels like it is the right step, so we are super excited!

Awesome news for us as missionaries, we are going to be getting iPads by the end of the year! We should be getting more info next week so I'll have the info to tell you two weeks from now. Crazy! And we are going to be able to watch the new Meet the Mormons movie before it comes out in our zone conference a week from Thursday!!!

Life is good, being a missionary is awesome, I love the gospel. 

Love,
Elder Schaelling

September 15

Questions:

1)  I learned from Elder V's Mom that he's from Georgia, what town?

2)  Were you affected by the huge amount of rain earlier this week?

3)  Have you been able to visit with Annie and/or her husband?  Thanks for sharing the experience of teaching her to pray.  I take so much for granted, like knowing how to pray.

4)  Have you gone back to the man's home who tried to stump you?  I'm impressed with how well you and Elder V handled that situation with the Lord's guidance.  I bet it was amazing to personally witness the change in him from the beginning to the end of that encounter.

5)  I noticed that you and his Mom write Elder V.  I hope it's okay for me to use that "shorthand" also.  Thanks for the pronunciation help though.

6)  Do you know where you will watch General Conference this time?

--------------------

Mom,

1) Elder Vicznesky is from Ackworth,Georgia! 

2) Yes, we were. We got quite a bit of rain. We actually were tracting out in an area called 5 Points which is way on top of the mesa about 30 miles away from Bluff and it is very remote up there and we were trying to save miles on our truck so we parked it and started walking from house to house to knock on doors (each house is about a mile apart or so) and we got about two miles away from our truck and it started sprinkling and then we got to the door of a NAC (Native American Church) roadman (priest/medicine man type deal) who wasn't too happy to see us and so we were just as nice as we could be to him and then right when he shut the door on us the rain came REALLY REALLY HARD and we ran back the two miles to our car in complete mud and we were totally drenched hahahaha. 

3) Yes, we have. They are both doing great and her husband is paralyzed from a work accident a few years ago but we are helping him do physical therapy a few times a week by putting braces on his legs and having him walk back and forth (using his arm strength and relying on the braces to hold him up) and he has the goal to walk again. Hopefully he'll be able to make it! Miracles can happen by faith in Jesus Christ, and not many people have more faith than the Native Americans. 

4) Not yet, but we'll return next time we're in his area with a few extra minutes. We don't go out as far as he is too often, he lives pretty far off the beaten path.

5) Yeah, no problem for me.

6) We'll probably either watch it in Montezuma Creek or at one of the senior couple's homes here in Bluff, I'm not sure yet.

I'm short on time, which is not unusual I suppose but we wanted to tell a cool story of how we met a guy who spoke only Navajo and it was so cool, Elder V and I taught him by ourselves and testified of the Book of Mormon and listened to our Navajo Book of Mormon tapes with him! It was the first time I had taught someone completely in Navajo with out any help from a member who also spoke Navajo. It was a miracle and super awesome.

I love you all and I'll have more experiences to share next week! That's so heartwarming to hear that Rachel and Skot pray for me every night! That's super nice of them.

Elder Schaelling

September 8

This explains who the Nielson family is that Matt refers to (no relation to Carol's family, different spelling):

It sounds like you and Elder Vicznesky are both happy to be reunited as missionary companions!  That's way cool!  We were very excited and appreciative to have the Nielson family from Blanding send us a photo of you two last Thursday night!  She sent it to me and to Elder Vicznesky's Mom so there was a little group text going on for a bit.  I told his Mom that you are excited to be with her son again and she wrote back that Elder V loves you!  I hope things are going well for you two.

The questions I asked Matt:

1) How do you pronounce Elder Vicznesky's name?

2) Are both of you zone leaders?  Dad said that's how things worked on his mission. 

3) Do you have any difficulty getting to a grocery store?  

4) Do you spend much time at Bluff Fort?

5) Do you have much interaction with the Senior Service missionaries there?

6) Do you have specific responsibilities at church on Sunday?  Like always teaching or serving as a clerk?

7) What language is spoken at church?

8) Have you been able to meet with the newly wed couple again?

--------------------

Mom,

Awesome! The Nielson family was really nice, but we only met them briefly. That's awesome that you got to talk to Elder V's mom! 

1) His name is Polish and it is pronounced basically how it is spelled. The only trick is that the "cz" is like the "s" in "pleasure" or "vision." 

2) Yup, we are both zone leaders serving the Utah Zone, so it's interesting. Things are awesome already, we had tons of spiritual experiences this week. We have tons of companionship unity in our teaching so it is way cool.

3) Don't worry about me too much, but you can send me cool stuff whenever you want. No need to load me up, I still am working on those Indian food things that are awesome so those will hold me over for a while and we get fed dinner by the senior couples quite a bit. 

4) Not particularly, we just stop by here and there and go for Friday Night at the Fort, a community thing that goes on every week and provides free entertainment and whatnot we just go there to meet people from the community.

5) Yeah, we get to know them as we eat dinner with them and also we take a few of them out to appointments with us to help us conserve miles and whatnot. There are some really awesome people here serving their missions!

6) We usually help with the sacrament at both Bluff and Todahaidekani sacrament services and then we teach sometimes but not every week. We'll probably be starting a youth class because a recent convert 12-year-old boy got the Aaronic Priesthood so we'll teach that with him.

7) Both services are in English. Toda might have occasional Navajo, but mostly English.

8) Not yet, but we are hoping to see them this week. He was helping his parents move to Blanding from Oregon this weekend so he's been out of town. 

This week was super cool! We met a new investigator named Annie and she is in her 50s or so and it was so cool. We had taught her husband before so we stopped by to see him but he was sleeping and she stepped out onto the porch to talk to us and we sat down and talked to her and just had a normal conversation but we were teaching her the gospel as we were sitting on the porch but in the most casual way. She told us that she never learned how to pray and always wanted to learn so we taught her so Elder Vicznesky and I both said simple prayers, one in English and one in Navajo, and then invited her to pray before we left and she did it and the spirit was there so strong! Her eyes were watering as she felt the spirit and power of prayer and it was so amazing. She had grown up traditionally but I guess never really prayed so it was so cool. We are supposed to go see her tonight again and we're hoping to teach her and her family about the First Vision and how Heavenly Father truly does answer prayers! 

Secondly, we were lead by the spirit to a house last night of this man who was very hard hearted. There are some people who just like to try to stump you or press your buttons and make you angry as missionaries and he was trying to do this but Elder V and I just listened to him and to the Spirit carefully and continually prayed for the Lord to give us enough charity to understand how to help this man and as we testified at the end he was confounded before us and could no longer talk and we could see the Spirit touch him as we testified of the power of God's love and how he does love His children and His reality. It was amazing to see him transform from ridiculing us to telling us to sit down on his porch to inviting us in his house to telling us to come back. We don't have an appointment, but we will go see him again sometime soon.

I love you all and know the gospel is true. We had a once in a lifetime experience to go to a meeting this past Saturday and hear Elder Holland speak to us. IT WAS AMAZING. Elder Robbins of the Presidency of the Seventy, and Elder Katcher of the Second Quorum, and Elder Rhien who is the Area Seventy were all there too and it was so amazing to be able to see and hear all these servants of the Lord speak and to see how different of people they are and how their personalities are all different but they are all such consecrated and righteous people. Elder Robbins discussed about how the mission is the most rigorous school available in developing Christlike Attributes and about how important it is to use this time to be able to become those people we need to be, which I know to be true. I have changed and grown so much since I've been on a mission and I know the virtues I have been able to develop even in this first year will bless me and my family throughout my life and I can't imagine how much more I'll learn over the next year! Elder Holland was such a nice and funny guy too. It was really cool because normally around a person of such high rank in any respected organization I would feel uncomfortable or nervous, but I just could tell he is such a loving guy and felt completely calm with him. It was a truly unforgettable experience. 

Love,

Elder Schaelling