So i got here on Monday and slept in the mission home. Then we had transfer conference on Tuesday which i like to call "The Reaping" (hunger games) where we find out who our trainers are and where we go. So my trainer is Sister Kranewitter (kran-a-vittah) and she is from Essen, Germany. She is 4 foot 7 and awesome! I am in a trio with another newbie, Sister Pack (we flew out together.) Then we went to our areas and taught a lesson to Peter, a 13 year old recent convert. They also fed us. It was good. On wednesday we taught Steve Pollack who is so amazing. He has a baptism date for June 30. He is super smart and i learn so much when we teach him. Seriously if he goes through with this he could be a stake president. We taught his lesson 3, Gospel of Jesus Christ. Man i love teaching but it is so hard. You have to be so focused and listen to the Spirit carefully. It is so interesting to think that as missionaries we are the window to Gods love for these people. We bring them the words of Christ and invite them to follow Him. After Steve we went to visit a less active but she wasnt home. We found this random man who said he lost his cat. So we prayed with him and he prayed that his cat wouldnt be dead. Then he gave us a referral for his daughter so that was awesome. On Thursday we had weekly planning, which was so long...oh my goodness. So much to plan! So many lists! :) Also, our monthly focus is Goals and Planning so Dad i am going to be the best planner ever! Who would have thought? After we planned we did a little street contacting and found a man named Joe who was with his daughter. He let us talk to him and were still working on an appointment. I thought about him a lot after we left. I remember asking him if he wanted to be with his family forever. He said he hadnt really thought about it, but yes. I hope he listens to us! I dont know if this will be funny but it was hilarious when it happened, we were talking to this guy and he said he wasnt really interested but as he left he was nodded his head and said "benevolent wishes to all of you"...like who says that?! Hilarious. That night we had dinner with less active/active Menendez family and it was great. Even though everything was in Spanish. They liked my attempts at espanol. The old father was there and thanked us for the spirit we brought into his home. He inactive son said he was grateful for youth that serve the Lord because so many do not. That was kind.
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| Sister Schaelling and Sister Kranewitter with some delicious concoction. |
On friday and saturday we had leadership training!! Two days, eight hours a day. i like to call this, RPTTCCH or Role Play Til The Cows Come Home. Man we role played like no other! President Jeppson, the assistants and other missionaries trained us on the eight fundamentals of missionary work. then we role played all of them. It was amazing! The theme of this training for me was boldness. It is so important to be bold and loving and straight forward with people. It is also very hard for me to do. I can tell people i love them with no hesitation, but calling them to repentance is a whole other story. One of the assistants, Elder Silva is always so bold. They were demoing where someone had a concern with baptism and he said "Do you know, that being baptized is the only way for you to make it back to your Heavenly Father?....Do you love him?...Do you want to be with Him again?" Well what can people say to that? awesome. I love role playing because you can recieve revelation for investigators. On Friday after leadership training we taught the less active Fabricio and his non member wife and kids. It was rough teaching them but also good. We know they have family issues so we taught Family Proclamation and committed them to have family prayer. We got a return appt with the non member wife. during the lesson we tried to ask her about her relationship with God and she said she didnt really know if he was there or what because of all the hard things that she has had to go through. We tried to talk more about it but she didnt want to in front of her kids. I testified to her that God is there and that He loves her so much. That Heavenly Father is truly her Father in Heaven and he wants her to pray to him. On Saturday we had leadership training again and the Spirit was felt. I love President and Sister Jeppson they are amazing and so kind. We went to a members house for dessert that evening.
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| Sister Schaelling, Kranewitter, Pack |
Sunday came and I met the Sparta Ward! The elders serve in our ward too. They are great. We had correlation with Bro Mathusek who is the ward mission leader. Then we went to p.e.c. and then church. Steve came to sacrament! yay!! He is great. Mina, another investigator also came and so did Fabricio and his kids. Church was great. After church we taught bro. Robertozzi who is a recent convert. He has some testimony issues. We taught him the restoration again and bore our testimonies. We knelt with him and his wife (member) and invited him to ask God again to confirm the truths to him, that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that this church is true. We then talked about how the spirit speaks to us, how it is different for everyone, how the fruit of the spirit is peace, joy, long suffering gentleness meekness, temperance. It was good. Then we moved apartments! Wow i love moving. (sarcasm.) We moved upstairs and Bro Mathusek came with his kids to help us! The elders came too.
New Jersey is beautiful. There are beautiful trees and hills and everything is green. It is humid like Korea! But it hasnt been too hot. I love it here and i love being a missionary! What a blessing it is.
I love you all! So much
love,
Sister Carly Schaelling
168 Spring St 2F
Newton, NJ 07860
i love letters..... :):) love you
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