AUSTRALIA here I come! .... Tomorrow, leaving at 5 a.m.!

oh HELLO there family! well, first things first i guess!

I GOT MY VISA! PEACE OUT JERSEY TOWN! wow i am leaving on a plane tomorrow (tuesday at 5 a.m.) to the land down under! It was scarey because President called me to tell me haha. Man i am excited now but when i found out i was sad! I totally started crying on the phone. Who will take care of Jasmyn and Eileen and Steve and Mina and Pegah? My trusty companions of course. Im just glad i was able to come here to Jersey and have this amazing experience! And go to the Manhatten temple and street contact in New York City :) How lucky i am.

View from the Ferry on the way to Liberty Island

Allllrrrighty to this week my friends was awesome. We taught lessons and then taught some more. Miracle time? Okay. So we were out tractin the other week and this family said to come back later. So what did we do? we came back later ! But they werent home, and then we saw this man walkin down the road and we drove up to him and rolled down our windows and started talking with him. So GET THIS. He's read half of the Book of Mormon! Say what?? And he is a pastor at Church of Christ! And we had this amazing gospel discussion with him! And he told us miracles he had seen and we answered his questions about the Book of Mormon. And the spirit was felt. And his name is Pablo. And we tried to get an appointment with him but he wouldnt, but we got his number. But our talk with him was so good and we prayed together. What are the odds my friends? He told us he goes walking at night to pray and be close with God. And then we, missionaries of the Lord Jesus Christ drive up and we talk. Maybe its a sign, said Pablo. I think so!! 

Sister Schaelling and Kranewitter on their way to work at Liberty Island

So story time again. We went to say hi to a PM family but they werent home. (are we seeing a theme here?) So i had seen this family in an apartment near by and wanted to knock their door, so we did. They werent interested. So we knocked to door next to them and this Jamaican lady comes out. So backstory, i have been praying to have charity and love for everyone even if they are super rude or frustrating. And praying to not have contention when i teach. Because sometimes it makes me angry or upset when people diss my religion or my Savior. So anywhoo Joy, the Jamaican lady starts talking to us in her mesmerizing accent about how organized religion is all man made and terrible and we were hypocrites etc etc...and as she was going off i just looked at her and realized how calm i was. I wasn't upset or contentious. I really just loved her. And when she was finally done i just bore testimony and we left her with a Book of Mormon. Everything calmed down when we bore testimony and didnt argue. Then i got in the car and thanked God for helping me have charity and love and answering my prayers. Because Carly would have been like you crazy lady! you got issues! But Sister Schaelling whom the Lord helps because she needs it, is much more calm now. hurrah! 

Just landed, and excited to work at Liberty Island

One more story! So at the beginning of the transfer we met this man who had lost his cat. So we prayed with him that he would find it and asked him if he or anyone he knew wanted to learn more about our message. he said maybe his daughter and showed us where she lived. So in our planners we wrote Carol the Cat Lady. And she lives my less active Sister Stewart. So we always planned on visiting her but never did! (shame on us!) and then yesterday we went to visit sister Stewart and who comes out and says hello to us? CAROL THE CAT LADY. hurrah! She joined the lesson for a few minutes and we got a return appointment and she was already planning on coming to church on sunday with Sis Stewart! wow that was awesome. 

Sister Schaelling and the Manhattan view

So yesterday during personal study i was reading in the Book of Mormon. I was thinking about how i am leaving to Australia and how everything is so unsure and what if i dont make my flight on time and what if i get eaten by a kangaroo etc etc....and then this verse stuck out to me in 1 Ne 17: 13 "And I will also be your ^alight in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the ^bpromised land; and ye shall ^cknow that it is by me that ye are led."

how special! The Lord will always guide us and be our light in the wilderness when we show our love for him by keeping His commandments :) i love you all!! Remember He who leads you :)

Sister Schaelling with Sister and Brother Murray, the ward mission leaders in Newton, NJ

oh and ALSO  i got to volunteer at Ellis Island! Well actually Liberty Island but it was amazing! We were just in charge of sign up sheets and i met a ton of people from all over the world! and i attempted to use my spanish haha :) Did i mention my trainer speaks five languages? Yeah so now i can pray in German and Spanish. yay! haha

love,

Sister Schaelling

p.s.  pictures are of the ferry to liberty island and Manhatten skyline and also Sister and Brother Murray at church. we are at their house all the time and i totally love them. 

Morristown New Jersey Missionaries
(Sister Schaelling is right above the 2nd "e" in Jersey in the caption, 2nd person from bottom, well maybe you
would say 3rd from bottom, hair pulled back)