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!

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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