No Rest for the Weary…but happy!

Ha I dont know about rested but I did survive...  I don't know when the heck he got time to write a letter haha he must have snuck it in when we were working at the office sometime. (his companion wrote home last week, but he didn't.  To his credit, he warned me I might not hear from him)    It was crazy though, but really fun.  Everything actually worked out according to plan this time too!  But man 35 missionaries is a lot.  And a lot of luggage.  They fly on a little plane from Detroit to Cleveland and they took up the entire thing.  They had too much luggage too so they ended up driving it down from Detroit, haha I felt like some sort of travel coordinator the whole time.  It is so fun with the new missionaries especially in such a large group.  They just kind of flock around you and ask you a billion questions and do anything you say.  The smaller groups aren't really like, that but for some reason the big ones are. I was loading luggage one morning and I overheard some missionaries talking and one says "Man I lost my mini Preach my Gospel!  I need to find a Deseret Book when I get to my area, I hope they have them in Spanish"  hahaha! Poor kid, I don't think he has ever been outside of Utah.  I just smiled haha.  President and Sister Vellinga were champs too.  Elder Ingersoll and I entertained the whole night while they pounded through interviews.  I didn't think he was going to get them all done but man was he in tune that night.  It was really cool to see.  He finished at about 11 and we started our transfer meeting.  He knew exactly where everyone should go.  It was cool to see him work.  We went to bed about 1:30 and got up at 4:30.  Took 8 cars to Kirtland, did the tour and had the biggest transfer meeting ever.  It was really cool but after departures were over my mind was just fried.  President and Sister Vellinga had to leave that day to go to D.C. for a Mission Presidents seminar too.   Kristen (Pres. Vellinga's daughter) texted us and told us they were at Panda Express and brought us back fortune cookies to make us jealous. haha  I am excited to see what President learned at this seminar though.  The rest of the week is kind of just a blur, just trying to get caught up and everything updated.  We created 2 new zones and called 8 "sister training leaders"  so there has been a lot to update and stuff.   We are up to 88 companionships in the mission and 9 of those are triple ups.  We were at like 62 when I first started as an AP.  I counted a couple days ago and by next transfer we will have 99 missionaries out 6 months or less which is a little over half the mission.  And when Elder Ingersoll goes home we will lose every former AP and most of the current or former Zone leaders.  We are losing a lot of the little things training wise too because we have so many new missionaries training other new missionaries.  The little things are falling between the cracks.  There is just a lot of work to do in the next few months haha.  

Last week was a good week though.  I cant remember much of it but we finished up interviews with President.  We had kind of a cool experience in Youngstown though.  We were doing interviews and we were just sitting in the foyer eating lunch and some guy walked in and started asking about the septic tank and stuff.  I assumed he was a member with the FM group because they are always there.  I started talking to him and asking if he does the other buildings and then I just said wait are you a member of the church?  He said no so I asked if he had ever been in a Mormon church before and he said no so I asked if he would like a free tour and he was like really excited and said yes.  We took him on a tour of the church and talked about baptism, the priesthood, family history and the sacrament.  It was really fun! I am not sure how interested he was in meeting with missionaries but we got his number and gave him a Book of Mormon and stuff.  Oh and that morning we met President in Akron to drive out with him.  We met at the church at 7:30 and when we got there, there was a missionary car in the parking lot.  We thought that was weird for that early in the morning so we went in to see what they were doing.  We walk into the gym and 2 missionaries were asleep on the stage and like flew up and came down and were scared to death.  It was soooo funny.  I think they thought they were in trouble.  They were just there for seminary that morning and took a nap before studies at 8.  But they were pretty freaked out.  We got a text from the ZLs later that day saying "I don't know if this makes a difference at all but Elder ... is a great missionary and a great district leader"   I decided to call the missionaries and let them know they weren't in trouble or anything.  They were a little freaked out.  I guess any one would be if the AP's walked in on you asleep in your building at 7:30 am unannounced.  It was so funny though.  

So I think last week you asked about leaving blessings in homes.  We have been doing that for a while now. I don't know if we have seen a ton more success from it but we definitely get into doors we wouldn't have otherwise.  But I don't really know, I have tracted like 4 hours the last 5 months haha.  

I am glad you got to see Schoephle!  That is cool.  I hope I get to come back soon after my mission.  That is too bad his family isn't very open.  I am sure they will at least soften up as they see him progress.  

It was weird, we were at dinner last night at the Barnard's and was looking at the pictures on their fridge and saw David Sorensen!  I didn't really remember him but I was like hey what is that guys name?  I know him!  It was funny I guess Sister Barnard is really good friends with his wife.  The Barnard's area cool family though, I like them.  Cute kids too.  That is so weird those kids (the Bury twins) got their mission calls…  I forget everyone else's life keeps going when you are out here haha.  

Love, Elder Skalla