August 18

Mom,

TAMMY WROTE TO MATT:

Nate has been offered a job transfer to Hill AFB and it begins Monday, September 29!!!  We are all so excited!!!  As you know, they went to Tinker with a two  year commitment and a hope that a job would open up at Hill for them to return.  Nate talked to a lady with the A-10 program at Hill AFB when they were here in December and possibly again in March when they came for Sarah's wedding.  She was impressed with Nate and said that she hoped something would come up for him there.  Nate also liked what he saw there and was hopeful for that in the future.  Someone is leaving the A-10 program at Hill so this lady talked to Nate's supervisor at Tinker and the people at Randolph AFB that are in charge of the program that his job is a part of to see if Nate could transfer his obligation to this new position at Hill.  Everyone has okayed the transfer and they're just waiting for the official orders to be printed.  His last day at Tinker is Friday, September 19 and his first day at Hill will be Monday, September 29.  He'll be off the week in between to make the move.  They will live with us for awhile while they decide where they want to live.  We are all very excited!  We've had 3 of our kids out of state and soon we'll only have one out of state and the Norris family is hoping to move back sometime!  You never know what tomorrow may bring!

MATT'S RESPONSE:

Wow! Lots of changes! I can't believe the Phillipps are moving back to Utah. I remember they said they might be interested in looking at Morgan area because they like it where it's a little more quiet and rural. After being in the areas I've been to now, I think Morgan would be considered the "big city." After all, they have a grocery store and restaurants and who knows what else! I can definitely appreciate the small towns a lot better and now that I've been in Bluff, which is 6+ hours away from any big city, like SLC, Albuquerque, Phoenix, or Denver, I realize that Morgan and Logan actually aren't that far away from civilization. Let me know how the move goes! Selfishly, I hope the Norris family doesn't move back before I get home! I want to go to the Bay Area for a weekend and I sure don't want to have to pay for a hotel. Haha.

A WEEK AGO MONDAY AIMEE AND I WERE IN THE DESERET BOOK STORE IN CITY CREEK AND RAN INTO SISTER IRVING FROM SHIPROCK, NM.  SHE'S MATT'S "NAVAJO MOM" THAT I MENTIONED IN LAST WEEK'S E-MAILS AND WAS SEALED TO HER HUSBAND IN THE SALT LAKE TEMPLE ON SATURDAY 8/9.  SISTER IRVING TOLD ME THAT ELDER JOHNSON, MATT'S COMPANION IN SHIPROCK, WAS HOME NOW AS WELL AS THE SENIOR MISSIONARY COUPLE MATT WORKED WITH AND LOVED THERE.  I SENT MATT A PHOTO OF US THAT WAS TAKEN IN DESERET BOOK.

That's so awesome that you were able to see Sister Irving! Yes, the Watts are home now. I can't wait to be able to reunite with Elder Johnson and Elder and Sister Watts when I get home -- the Shiprock missionary crew. 

TAMMY WROTE TO MATT:

It sounds like being a Zone Leader can really change your week.  Do you think you'll be gone 3-4 days in a row very often?  Do you just take a sleeping bag and sleep in other companionship's trailers or place?  Good luck with all those changes. 

MATT'S RESPONSE:

Luckily I don't think that happens too often, maybe just once a transfer. It's mostly just lots of meetings, zone meetings, district leader meetings, stake presidency meetings, mission leader conference with President Batt, etc. I just took a pillow and blanket, so it all works out just fine! 

TAMMY WROTE TO MATT:

Kaleb spoke in our ward today with a high councilman, Nordell Peterson.  He did a great job again and I was able to talk to him for a bit afterward. He spoke on patience in missionary work and referenced Chapter 6 in Preach My Gospel a fair amount.  He spoke of the difficulty people have of legally marrying in Madagascar because it costs a lot and the government requires them to travel (sometimes great distances) to get their government documentation.  He spoke of a couple who has 4-5 kids who had been walking 4 hours to and from church for 7 years without being able to be baptized because they hadn't been able to be married.  Their goal of marriage and baptism happened shortly before Kaleb returned home.

MATT'S RESPONSE:

Good to hear from him! It's so weird that Kaleb and Tanner are both home, and that they'll have been home for a year by the time I get back! There are some crazy circumstances in the world and with faith, patience, and diligence you can get through just about any of them I think! 

TAMMY WROTE TO MATT:

Our Ogden Temple Tour with our new neighbors was wonderful.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it a lot.  We invited them to the Cultural Celebration the night before the dedication and the Mom was very interested!  I am continuing to study and pray for guidance and am really enjoying Chapter 9 in Preach My Gospel. Grandma's neighbors are going to the Open House with us this Thursday for sure!  Thanks for your inspiration, encouragement, example and guidance!

MATT'S RESPONSE:

That's fantastic the temple tour went well! Keep it up, you guys are doing an awesome job! It's so good to know that my family is striving their best to be involved in the missionary efforts back at home. 

Bluff is going great, we had an awesome week this week. We were able to teach a less active family for the first time, the Johnsons, and the lesson went awesome. Elder Waldo has really taught me a lot about how to teach effectively. I already understood the lessons pretty well and could teach the doctrine within them, but I am learning a lot more about how to apply the doctrine to someone's life and to help them have those "ah ha!" moments where the Spirit helps them recognize what they need to be doing, or how the Gospel will help them, and whatnot. I've realized this is an essential skill in teaching effectively because it doesn't matter how much we know things, it matters how much we can help others learn them for themselves! Also, we went to the temple this morning in Monticello! I'm not sure if I told you that we were going on a temple trip today but it was awesome and I loved it. I learned so many things, the temple truly is the most beautiful place on earth and it is the House of the Lord. 

I love you!

Elder Schaelling