A decision to go on a mission….

Click on the link below to see a video of Elder Johnson's story:

Elder Skalla's Trainer and friend shares his decision to go on a mission.

Buurrrrrr!!!

Hey!! 

Yes it has been freezing...  I have been on my butt in meetings and things every day this week so I wasn't out in the cold much but I felt for everyone else that was.  It was freezing.  The lake even froze.  Its cool cuz it freezes in like waves.   The roads were bad a couple of days but I think Youngstown go it worse than us. 

Well it was another absolutely insane week getting ready for transfers and what not.  This week is gonna be crazy.  And then all of Feb. will be crazy.  We were looking at a calendar this morning and with zone conferences coming up we have meetings all over this mission every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the whole month...  its gonna be fun.  We got a TON done this week though.  We rearranged the huge transfer board on the wall in presidents office and made space for 60 more missionaries and created 4 new zones.  Also I have been using all my "spare time"  (which is early in the morning or late at night)  creating a new transfer board on Excel.  The old one is just crazy with all the weird things in it and it cant fit all the new ones so I have been making a new one.  Makes me wish I would have paid more attention in my information systems classes in high school and college though ha ha. 

We had interviews with President this week.  It was weird like going in and having an interview with him since I like talk to him all the time any way.  We had a good talk though. He told me he loves watching my face because he says he can tell I am constantly thinking about something or analyzing something or trying to make something work better.  I didn't really realize it but my mind has been going faster than ever in this assignment.  From the moment I wake up to the second I fall asleep ( which is like before my head even hits the pillow)  my mind has been occupied.  Which is a good thing.  Anything I was ever distracted with before is completely gone ha ha which is nice.  If only they could keep all missionaries as busy as we are. 

The work this week went well actually.  We didn't have a ton of time but we met 3 less active families we have never met with a lot of potential.  One he is the only member and hasn't been to church in 20 years.  We had an awesome lesson with him and I gave him a blessing because he has been having a hard time with things because of what he has seen in the army.  He has to see a psychologist and everything.  Anyway it's a long story but it was a great lesson. 

Well sorry this is short.  We need to get all our p day stuff done because we have to go to an area and pick up a missionary who is going home tomorrow.   

Thanks for the stories about Ashley and her Family and Elder Johnson ( still cant call him Brent).  I love them both and am glad they talk to you. 

Have fun in Boise.  Love and miss you! 

Elder Skalla 

Great Experiences

 Hey!!  Ya usually I wouldn't e mail you on a holiday but I am at the office so you get them haha.  Well this week was pretty boring.  Didn't really do much except teach and find people.  Kidding... I wish it was like that!  It was crazy as usual. I am starting to get used to it though.  I just miss getting to spend time going out and talking with everyone and finding people and just being out but this is still really fun and I get to do things I wouldn't normally get to.  On Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder Kay on the East side of Cleveland.  Him and Elder Buxton are the Kirtland Zone leaders right now.  It was fun. He was one of my roommates in the MTC and we have never served anywhere near each other so it was fun to catch up.  He has come such a long ways since the MTC.  We had a lot of long talks there and his first couple weeks in the field and it was cool to see how much he has grown.  It was so different working on the East side.  Brought me back to Youngstown.  Its interesting how you have to go about the work differently and talk to people differently depending on the area.  North Olmsted ward is kinda like the Highlands Ranch of Cleveland so we go about things a lot differently there than in Cleveland.  We met some nice people and taught a really good lesson with the first counselor in the mission presidency to a new investigator.  We have been having some problems with cleanliness in the mission and apartment functionality so president had a senior couple go to every single apartment in the mission for an inspection.  When I was on exchanges it was their turn to get checked and Sis. Vellinga came along to see because she has never been in a missionary apartment and was curious to see how we lived.  While the senior couple was inspecting with Elder Kay, Sister Vellinga was just asking all these questions about missionary living and life and it was so funny.  It was just fascinating to her haha.  I love her--the whole mission thing is just so new and cool to her.  The rest of the week we pretty much did office work had a bunch of meetings with president trying to figure out what were gonna do in March with missionaries and apartments and cars and beds and a million other things. Thursday we finally had like a couple hours to go find but of course something came up.  We planned to go stop by a former investigator and then contact around her house. So we pull up and park and shut the car off and we are looking at her teaching record. While we are reading it we get hit by a car.  I about fell into Elder Weavers lap in the passengers seat. Turns out the former investigator backed into us.  She like got out and started yelling at us for being in her way and we should have seen her and moved and all this stuff.  I were just like well I'm sorry we were parked and our car was off.  We got her insurance info so I think she is gonna take care of it. Needless to say I think the relationship was damaged so we decided it was best to no ask if we could come back and teach her haha.  Friday we had a really good leadership training meeting with all the zone and district leaders.  Sunday there was a fireside in Kirtland.  They have one every month for investigators and we can go if we have one but ours fell through but Elder Jacklin needed us to bring a car out there so we went anyway.  It was way good.  They had a recent convert speak and then Elder and Sister Edman spoke.  They are the directors of Kirtland and they go home this week. Elder Edman is amazing he has been a mission president and MTC president.  We met a lot of cool investigators from around the mission and heard some pretty cool stories.  A family named the ______ were there from the Youngstown ward.  They were on the PA side so I was surprised when she recognized me and that they were even there.  I was on exchanges with Elder Marshall when I taught them and they were great, but I thought they were a long shot to get baptized honestly.  That's why I was surprised to see them there.  We talked for like 20 mins and she told me about how the night I came over with Elder Marshall and Brother Nichols and taught them was her turning point and made her want to be more committed to the gospel and be baptized.  They are getting baptized this Sunday now! That was really cool to hear.  It kinda lifts your spirits when you hear things like that and realize that sometimes the things you say do get through to people.  

Well we have another busy week ahead.  We have the trainers meeting for the new trainers this week and transfer meeting to decide where everyone is going so that should be fun.  Tell everyone in AZ hi for me!  Love and miss you!!  

Elder Skalla 

18 months!!!

Hey!

 

I cant believe it either...  I try not to think about it.  I have already been an assistant for a month too.  Fastest month ever and it is only gonna get faster.  Its ok, I don't need packages haha I don't get much mail anymore.  I did get the calendar though!  It was perfect!  The sisters in the office LOVED it.  They wanted it to be hung in the office.  They liked that they were in it too haha. 

Have you liked this new youth stuff?  I was online looking at it and it looks way good.  I hope the youth are responding to it.  I wish they understood how much it can help them.  the Godhead is such a simple but deep and widely misunderstood doctrine.  I don't know if I told you this but back when we taught that guy you were talking about it was bothering me one night so I was up until 4:30 in the morning studying the Godhead so I knew what was true for myself haha.  President Uchtdorf gave an awesome devotional last night about truth.  What it is, if you can really know it and how.  He talked about how a lot of stuff out there is true a lot of it is not true and most of it is partially true.  He said Truth Exists beyond belief.  If something is truth and no one believes it it is still true and if something is not true but a lot of people believe it it is still not true.  I think were moving toward a time in the world where there is so much information available and so many different opinions and beliefs on literally everything its hard to see what is true and whats not.  Anyway I am rambling haha its good you should watch it. 

 

I have been everywhere....  I drove back and forth from Toledo 4 times in 24 hours this week.  Its like ridiculous how much we drive.  But I dont have to worry about miles anymore so I am happy about that haha.  This week was interesting as always.  We went on exchanges with the Toledo ZLs and Elder Hapairai is out there now.  I dont know if you remember him but he is the one from Tahiti and we got to be friends in Alliance and then we were on opposite sides of the mission for 9 months.  anyway he came to North Olmsted with me.  It was fun it had been exactly 1 year to the day since our last exchange.  We taught Holly about the Book of Mormon and committed her to baptism.  She wouldn't set a date yet because she wants to read and pray first but she is pretty excited.   We also had to take that sick Elder to the airport.  He had to go home for a while to get better.  It kinda stinks to see that.   Saturday was really good.  So we are getting A LOT more missionaries.  2 home 11 coming this transfer and 3 home and 30 coming next transfer.  By March we have to open 33 new areas...   and were not getting anymore cars and they want us to try to not have to get any apartments.  So I am just lucky enough to be an AP at the time where we have to figure all this out haha.  We have been talking with president a lot and it has just been crazy trying to work with stake presidents trying to figure out where to put missionaries and where we can open bike areas.  We have 2 biking areas right now ad we need 30.  Anyway president had what he called a "deployment meeting" on Saturday. We brought everyone who had been an AP in to figure it all out (there were 5 of us).  We sat in Presidents office for 6 hours meeting.  Not gonna lie, you have 5 assistants in one room discussing something and there is a lot of personality and opinions, haha but it was actually an incredible meeting.  We came up with all 33 areas without buying one new apartment or car.  It kinda sounds easy to do it writing but if you knew the dynamics and all the things that go into areas and stuff in the mission it was daunting.  We honestly weren't sure if we could do it.  But it all worked out and I think we are good to go for the next 2 transfers after we figure out if all the apartments will work and getting more beds and furniture and figuring out how we will transport all these missionaries and their bikes/luggage.  The biggest transfer we have had in 10 years is 13 so 30 is going to be a struggle. 

 

I do remember sister Pusey.  We served in the singles branch together.  I think she went home shortly after I came out.  Thats weird he met her haha.  The Bishop here works for NASA and goes to Lockheed all the time and stays in HR every time so he knows the area well.  Small world. 

 

haha President is just a goof sometimes.  He just calls randomly and says hey do you want to have a free meeting?  He is a funny guy, I enjoy spending so much time with him and sister Vellinga. 

 

Well I gotta get going but thank you for the pictures of Addie? Addy?  I don't know how I am supposed to spell it.  

Love and miss you!

 Elder Skalla 

"Free meetings" and cold calls

Hi!  

I do like boring weeks!  I wish I had one of those once in a while haha.  I love staying busy but it would be nice to not be so exhausted alllllll the time haha.  I guess that's gonna be like the rest of my life though.  We had zone training meetings this week so we were traveling all over the place.  The 3 of us had to take turns driving and sleeping and stuff haha.  It is fun spending so much time with president though. He has what he calls "free meetings" with us where we get to talk to him and he won't charge us for it.   haha I seriously have learned a lot though spending time with him.  

We saw the Elder that is in the hospital this week again too.  He is doing much better but he is still going to have to go home to get better.  There is like a ton of sickness going through the mission right now.  Sister Vellinga has been on the phone constantly with missionaries and stuff.  She has gone crazy trying to make sure every ones apartment is clean too.  I am just glad I have never really been too sick to work my whole mission. knock on wood....  

So like I told you AP's have their own phones and mine has like 600 contacts in it so I have been going through and just calling everyone in the phone.  I called a woman named Holly who had met with missionaries a couple years ago and we taught her this week.  It went really well!  She has a rough personality because she works in inner city Cleveland high school and has been stabbed before but she really opened up and she looks promising.  Its so hard to find people to teach in this are because we are always doing office work or traveling or at other appointments.   We had a mission fast yesterday to be able to find the elect which went really well so I am excited to see the results of that around the mission.  

I am hangin in there in this assignment.  It has been exhausting and hard but I know I have received help.  I have loved every minute of it though.  Time is gonna fly though.  The weeks are just more of blurs than they usually are.  

Well I hope you have a good week!  Love and miss you!

Elder Skalla

I did get the blue tooth and it worked great.  It took me forever to get it into pairing mode and once I got it I had a password for it so I spent like 30 mins putting every number combo I could think of in until I finally got it.  But thanks for sending it!  No rush but I need a couple more hair gels in  the next package you send me.  Thank  you!!! 

Busy, busy, busy…..

Hey!!  

I am glad I got to see the baby finally!  I love the pictures haha I think I have like 100 of her.  Poor girl.  I would hate that many pictures taken of me.  

This week was pretty slow with the holiday but it was fun.  Christmas night we had dinner with a family here and helped give their new baby girl Evalynn a blessing.  She had surgery the day after Christmas.  She has a ton of fluid in her head putting pressure on her brain so she had to have surgery to drain it all.  We had a ward fast for her last week and the surgery went well and it was successful so that was good.   This week was pretty slow teaching wise with the holidays and everything.  Its a hard time of the year.  It did snow a bunch though so we got some good service in.  Slow teaching but fast with the mission stuff.  

Friday was a pretty insane day.  That morning and afternoon we had our training meeting for the new missionaries in Kirtland which went really well.  Friday night every appointment cancelled but for good reasons.  We were just doing some stop bys and President called us and told us we had to come with him to the hospital in Sandusky.  Funny how when things cancel it's usually so something else can happen.  There is an Elder in the mission who has been sick and hasn't worked for 2 weeks and no one knew.  He ended up finally going to the hospital because his legs and feet were crazy swollen and they were hurting.   They don't know what is wrong with him so they are still running tests. He is feeling better though.  But we were out with President till like 2 am Friday night.  The poor guy has been exhausted with all his family in town and trying to run the mission.  You can just tell he has been running on fumes the last week.  He made us drive his car so he could sit in the back and make calls and stuff.   On the way home I drove and President was knocked out in the backseat haha.  I never woulda thought I would be driving the Mission presidents car at 2 am with him asleep in the back seat haha, the life of an assistant is so different.   So we get home and its 2 in the morning and Elder Hicken and Elder Curtis locked the dead bolt in the apartment and we couldn't get in.  We pounded on the door but they didn't wake up so we ended up crawling through the window.  President let us sleep in on Saturday morning which was nice.  We only slept till like 8 though.  I felt weird sleeping in.  It's funny how this thing has been happening where I realize that I have things I need to be doing that are more important than sleeping and I can't waste the day away haha.   Its like I am becoming a responsible adult with priorities now or something crazy like that. 

 

Well I am still at the office and have been e mailing off and on between President calling us in but I gotta go now for staff meeting.  I am gonna miss my p days haha.  I love and miss you!

 

Elder Skalla