Back to boring at home...

Hi!!

Good!  I like boring. (I told him we were back to boring at home)  I do want to go to California with you though haha I could use a mid mission vacation...  kidding :).  I can't believe school is starting again.  I was thinking about that the other day and how I have to go back to school next year!  ugh it goes fast...  I liked Ryan's talk!  Elder Berryessa gave a talk yesterday about the same scripture!  good stuff.  I am impressed even that many girls are gonna finish the 90 day thing!  Heck there are some missionaries who didn't even finish it when we did it.  

I thought Ryan already had his court of honor and stuff a while ago, haha guess I need to pay attention more.  Thats cool though.  Send pictures.  There is a new family that moved into the Alliance ward and he served his mission in Denver.  He served in both wards in Montrose in 2000 and 2001 but he didn't know any Skalla's or Bailey's.  Still a small world though. 

This week was way good!  We went on exchanges again and I went to Warren with Elder Dowley.  Then the next morning we had our first interviews with president Villenga.  They were really good!  Still not a President Sorensen interview but we had a really good talk.  We got to talk to Sister Villenga a lot too while we were waiting and I love her, she is awesome.  Church was really good on Sunday too.  Elder Berryessa and Elder Read spoke and then all the RM's and missionaries had to sing a song.  There was only like 10 total including the 4 missionaries but it was pretty good.  At first they wanted just me and Elder Berryessa to sing, but we shot down that idea haha.  Andrea has been coming to church too!  We still haven't officially started teaching her again but hopefully soon.  It's been sad,  you can just see the light has gone out in her.  Bishop and I had a good talk with her at church though.  We are gonna try to go to Kirtland on Saturday with her and Tina and Alicia and Kessa.  It was a 5th Sunday so we had a combined third hour.  I gave a little presentation about mormon.org and using it to share the gospel and stuff so that went pretty well.  Then after church Brother H got the Aaronic priesthood and we were able to participate.  Man it was so awesome, they are still doing so amazing.  We brought him out teaching with us the other night for the first time.  He thought we had a pretty interesting life haha he was shocked about all the things we do in a day and all the crazy people we meet and stuff. Especially that night haha he had fun though.  So after church I misplaced my scriptures somewhere and it seriously made me sick haha I was like freaking out.  I have never lost them before but when I did it was like separation anxiety!  haha You get so attached and accustom to them.  I found them after searching the church for 30 mins haha. 

This week is gonna be pretty boring.  I think we have a meeting every day this week.  We're going up to Cleveland tomorrow for mission council and then other meetings all over the stake the rest of the week.  I get to go down to Alliance though so I am gonna go stop by the J. families house.  Mary is supposed to get baptized on the 12th so Elder Berryessa has to interview her. Then hopefully Kirtland on Saturday, but we will see. 

That is weird about Dillan!! Man more people keep running into him, its weird haha.  That's so cool about Bro. Robinson too!! That must be an amazing feeling to get to see that.  I  want to come back and go to the temple with Tina next year sooo bad but its usually easier said than done haha.  They are still doing amazing.  On Friday we were talking about where Elder Anderson went and when I may get transferred.  They hate the whole transfer thing, haha then Alicia (11) was like I have really liked all the other missionaries I have met but I really don't know what I am gonna do when you leave Elder Skalla.  I might die haha she is funny. 

Well I hope you have an awesome week and enjoy the last few weeks of summer!  I love you and miss you all!!!

Love

Elder Skalla

Good week!

Hi!! 

I hope you had a good birthday!!   It's ok, I wrote all that stuff about conversion at like 11:30 at night so probably none of it made sense anyway.  I am glad the lesson went well.  It is so hard to get people to participate.  You would think missionaries would be better but we had ZDM on Wednesday and like no one would participate.  We just kinda yelled at them but you probably cant do that with young women haha.  Sounds like camp was really fun, that's good!  Did you buy that huge tent just for girls camp? haha you're crazy. 

This week was really good!   We had ZDM which was good except for the lack of participation.  I gave a workshop on trusting in our purpose and how no effort is wasted.  After we went on exchanges with the assistants. That was quite the experience...  I swear every time I go on exchanges crazy things happen.  We did some service the next morning for an older less active lady scrubbing her deck.  It was way hot and humid and took longer than we thought it would.  Like the second we finished it just started down pouring and we had ridden our bikes there.  We helped them put up some curtains inside and they fed us lunch while we waited for the rain.  Then these two kids one is 18 one is 20 came over.  They are brothers and I guess do house work for this lady.  She invited them in and told them that they needed to sit down and listen to us cuz we were gonna make their lives better haha.  We were in service clothes and had no teaching material but we taught them all about baptism from 2 Nephi 31.  they both grew up Catholic but they don't really do anything with church.  The older one was actually really sincere and really wanted to learn more and change his life.  We got them books and stuff and set up an appointment for Sunday night.  It was still pouring so we ended up just riding our bikes home in the rain.  We were in normal clothes so we didn't really care so we just had fun and got soaked. 

Our appointment Sunday came and we were sitting in Sister C. waiting for Ethan and Tyler and they walk in just bright red and sweating.  They walked 5 hours from north Lima for our appointment!  I was impressed.  We had a really good lesson with them and Tyler had already started reading the Book of Mormon. 

The H Family is still doing AMAZING.   Brother H was set to get the Aaronic priesthood this Sunday.  I got chills when I raised my hand in church for him.  President Kirk ended up coming and the Bishop was busy with him all day but he is gonna actually get the priesthood this next Sunday.  They are awesome.  Things are going well here though!  I don't feel very good today.  We went running this morning and I have just felt sick all day since then.  Other than that everything is awesome! 

Hope you have a good week!!  love and miss you!!!

Elder Skalla

106 degrees!  Wonder what the humidity is!  

I got these pics off of a blog someone in the mission home does :)  

President and Sister Sorenson  and Sister and 

President Vellinga with their daughter Kristin.

Pres. and Sis. Vellinga

Mission Council--July 4, 2012

1 Year shirt burn & New Companion

Sounds like you guys have a busy week this week.  Any luck with the fire ban or anything??  I like your new car!  It looks exactly the same but I like it haha. That stinks about Clayton!!  Poor kid has had a rough time so far haha.  Man never in a million years did I think Clayton and Dillan would go out to lunch on their missions haha weird...  

So I got my new companion!  My new comp is Elder Berryessa from St. George.  Everyone thought I was young when I got called up but this is only his 4th transfer!  They just keep calling them younger and younger.  Its weird cuz this is only his second area and first time being transferred and stuff so he has to deal with that plus all the zone leader stuff haha.  He is an awesome kid though I really like him I think we are gonna do really well together. He just wants to work hard so I like that!

As for the teaching pool it is still scarce.  We are teaching people, they just aren't very solid.  We have like 4 REALLY solid referrals but its people that actually have cars and jobs and lives so its really hard to meet with them.  We did have a couple people to church this week though and like all these less active families came on Sunday so that's good!  I think I already told you about the H family but they are still doing amazing.  Brother H never ceases to amaze me!  He has read the Book Of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants,  Pearl of Great Price and Old Testament in the last like 2 months.  And he is actually understanding everything in them!  Its crazy.  We were over there on Wednesday and he was just like "I am committed now man, my sights are set on Columbus (temple) and I'm not looking back."  Coming from a 2 pack a day smoker, alcoholic, filthy mouthed, stone mason.  Now he is just a stone mason!  Its been sweet to see.  I wanna go to the temple with them SO bad. 

Overall it was a pretty good week.  We have ZDM this week so I have to give more workshops... yay.  Then in the next 4 weeks we have 6 exchanges to go on so its gonna be pretty busy.  Everything is condensed because of this 5 week transfer. 

President Villenga is awesome!  I have only seen him like 3 times but he is good!  He is not like President Sorensen, but I think I am really gonna like him once he kinda gets things figured out.  In mission Council we all kinda felt that he thought we didn't know what we were doing or much about missionary work.  Everything he said it was like ya we know, we already do that haha but he will be amazing once he gets to know us better and the mission better.  It's just weird that President Sorensen isn't here anymore haha. 

Well I hope you have fun in all your camping this week!  I love and miss you!!

Elder Skalla

One YEAR!!!!

Hi!!! 

 

Glad you had a fun in Utah for the 4th!  Mine was pretty lame. haha We just went to Cleveland for our meeting and that's pretty much it, haha Nothing special for the 4th.  It was a good meeting though! 

I am so happy for Jenni and Greg!!  I wanted a boy but I will always want a boy no matter who is having the baby haha.  That is exciting though!  Watching that made me sad I missed it though!  You aren't supposed to distract me!!  hahaha

This week was pretty quiet.  We have so many potentials its crazy but we cant meet with them and its driving me nuts.  Hopefully the area takes off here soon.  I am staying in Youngstown!  Elder Anderson is getting transferred and I am pretty sure I am training a new zone leader but I am not sure.  They are blowing my whole zone up though.  No one has ever seen this much happen in one transfer to a zone.  We have 8 missionaries being transferred and were getting another set of sisters (lovely)  in the zone as well as 2 greenies.  I have all brand new DLs too so its gonna be kinda crazy for a while with all the change.  I am excited though.  

I got to go to a giant Greek Orthodox festival this week haha.  That was different. There is a member whose husband goes there and I guess volunteers the missionaries to help out with their summer fest each year.  It was fun we just helped clean  up and mostly just talked to people.  They thought it was pretty funny to have the Mormons there though haha.  Not much else to tell you about though. Hopefully I will have some investigators to tell you about soon though! 

I did get your package!  Thank you haha I have never heard of that before.  I seriously cant believe it has been a year either...  I try not to think about it though haha.  Sorry I don't have much to tell you this week.  I feel like I have just got progressively worse at telling you what happens haha Its just so normal to me now haha I never know what to tell you.   We are going bowling today with Elder Barlow since he is going home tomorrow.  Its so weird to see missionaries go home. Especially when you have served around them your whole mission. 

Well I hope you have a good week and I will try to be better at writing next week.  I love and miss you!!

 

Elder Skalla

New Mission President & Baptism

Hi!!

 

This week was a little better!  Still struggling to find people to teach.  We have like 7 really solid potentials but they all have jobs and cars and family and stuff so its hard to find time to meet with us... it sucks haha. 

Saturday we had mission tour in Akron!  It was fun to drive back through Tallmadge and stuff.  It was stressful getting everyone ready.  The AP's had us all like line up and stuff and sit in order so we had to figure that out before President got there.  We were the first ones to meet him since we're the zone leaders.  I was so nervous cuz I still wasnt sure about the whole thing, but the moment I shook his hand and looked into his eyes I knew he was supposed to be here and cared about me.  It was pretty cool.  Then I met Sister Villenga and their daughter Kristen.  Sister Villenga held my had for like 5 mins talking to me and was like "Oh my goodness you are georgous! Isn't he georgous Kristen?  I just love looking in your eyes."   Pretty much the most embarrassing/awkward moment of my life.  I am sure I was like turning purple haha!  I didn't know what to say. They were all so nice though.  They are definitely not the Sorensens though...  The meeting went very different, it was kinda funny.  They were all just like greenies, wide eyed and not sure what was going on, haha it was fun to see.  They seem a lot more laxed too but I don't know, I still dont know him yet.  We will see in mission council on wWednesday. 

So I kinda forgot to tell you I kinda had a baptism on Saturday too.  There is this 15 year old kid Brandon whose dad is in our ward and he decided he wanted to get baptized, but he lives with his non member mom in the New Castle branch and splits his time.  So we taught him half the lessons and the New Castle Elders taught him half.  His dad has some back problems so I actually was in the water with them to help lift Brandon out of the water--haha it was interesting.  The first time his knee came up so we had to do it again.  I told Brother L that so then he just like throws him under again while I was talking to Elder Barlow hahahaha I guess he didnt know he had to say the prayer again haha but the third time we got it haha it was funny.  Thats about the only 2 exciting things that happened with me this week haha.

I like that idea with the new curriculum!  I think it will help actually convert people.  Most members have a testimony, but few are truly converted.  I think thats an awesome idea for the youth.  Well I gotta get going but I hope you guys have an awesome 4th of July!  I wish I could be there!  I love and miss you!!!

 

Elder Skalla