He's HOME!!!!!!!

Best weekend ever!  So happy to have him home.  What a wonderful 2 years it has been!  Thank you so much for the love and support all of you have shown Brad and our family!

He is off to Utah State in August!!

Last Letter from Elder Skalla

Hey!  

It was nice to see my truck is still in good shape!  Now just don't drive it for 3 days so it survives haha That parade and stuff looks pretty fun.  It was weird seeing Jason Grover in that picture too haha.  

I was thinking the same thing of saying just see you Saturday but I guess I will tell you about the week.  I was supposed to come home Thursday but a few months ago we had to switch some things around with transfers so it is on a Friday this week.  That's why I am coming home on a Saturday.  

We had a great week this week.  Tuesday we had mission council for my last time and had a great meeting.  At the end of the meeting all the missionaries going home just share some thoughts.  It was a weird experience just because I have sat there and watched missionary after missionary stand and bear their testimonies in that room at mission council and never believed it would ever be me.  On the 4th we had my last zone training meeting.  It went really well, we talked about the Book of Mormon and all the missionaries going home share their thoughts in that meeting too.  Between all these meetings and things I think I have shared my "farewell testimony" like 8 times now.  haha Hopefully President doesn't make me do it again at transfers.  I think everyone is getting sick of hearing me talk haha I have been some of these missionaries leader for their whole missions I think it is time for someone else haha.  We had some miracles happen this week too.   We have found a lot of people and we are meeting with them this week.  I wish I could stay so bad.  Every time we have set an appointment this week I have tried to make it before Friday haha Things are finally starting to pick up a lot.  One cool experience was with a Less Active.  The other Elders were in the library and someone came up to them and gave them his number and he lives in our area so we called him.  Turns out he is a 29 year old convert of 3 years who just got back from his mission 6 months ago.  His name is Darren, he served in Minnesota and has the coolest conversion story.  He went less active shortly after his mission and just got caught back up in the business of living.  He has no family and lives alone.  It was so cool though we just talked to him about his mission and we went through his journal with him and talked about the things he experienced and read some scriptures.  It was a great conversation and he is so committed to coming back.  We need him too.  A solid black return missionary that has overcome the things of the world will do wonders for so many of the people we are teaching. 

I am gonna miss it, I am going to miss all of it.  I have never been so happy in my entire life.  I am so scared for it to end. I never thought I would ever feel like this or be where I am.  I thought I knew what sacrifice was before my mission.  I thought giving up worldly things and life at the age of a missionary was a great thing to do.  I thought that I was showing Heavenly Father something giving up a great life and school and a girlfriend and a truck and sports and everything that I love. And it is a great thing but I know what a sacrifice is now.  A mission is not a sacrifice.  And the only thing that can teach us that is His great and last sacrifice.   Learning it and applying it and becoming what it is intended to make us become.  It is hard to know when we have done enough for the Atonement to change who we are and what we think and what we do to qualify us for the blessings promised.  The last few weeks and in my interview with President I have talked and thought a lot about that.  Have I done enough?  Did I miss someone? Have I learned and changed enough? Have I helped others enough?  Have I done everything Heavenly Father wanted me to do on a mission?  Do I know why I was sent here? It is hard to know.  But what I do know is that for some reason I was sent here by Heavenly Father and have done all that I know how to do.  I feel good about it.  As hard as it is to leave I am prepared to do it because I know I have given it my all.  I know I will be forever changed and will continue to learn from the experiences on my mission.  It honestly still hasn't really hit me.  I think about it and talk about it but part of me still expects to be in district meeting next week or to the lessons we have this weekend.  I will work these last 3 days though like that is true and will continue to learn in my time left.  I am eternally grateful for missions, for the people I have met and the experiences I have had that have shaped who I am today and who I am becoming.  I pray I will be able to remember them and never look back at who I used to be.  

Love for one last time, 

Elder Brad Skalla 

ps I told President I was going to get some Panda Express at the airport before I met you and he told me you would shoot me if I did and if you didn't he would haha.  So I guess I will have to wait till after I see you haha

Final stretch!!!

Hey!! I cant believe its the second to last letter but I am excited to see everyone and start the next chapter in my life. We had an ok week this week.  Frustrating with the comp still but I am trying to work through it and be happy and work hard even though we sit in the apartment half the day.  I just miss Elder Curtis and Weaver and Ingersoll haha but it isnt too bad. 

I did talk to Chaz this week!  (the guy from the bus)  we are meeting with him tomorrow night.  I am actually really excited... For some reason I feel like I need to teach this guy.  I hope it keeps.  

My interview with President was really good.  He was running behind so he let me go over to the Thompson's in Lakewood and visit so I really enjoyed that. We talked for over an hour haha I took way too much of his time but there was so much I wanted to talk about.  I could talk to him all day haha I miss those 4 hour car rides with him. He is incredible at giving advice and council and he has a story for EVERYTHING from his life.  He definitely made me feel more calm about going home and more confident in myself and the future.  It was a conversation I will look back to often.  It was kind of weird talking about all that stuff and then just coming back to work for 2 weeks haha. 

Ya I thought it was weird too being the only white guy....  there are some funny things that happen on the bus and just in the streets in Cleveland haha I would love to take you there sometime.   

I am glad Joeys homecoming went well...  It sounds like he has changed a lot on his mission.  I did hear about Tom haha President and Elder Ingersoll have been calling me and keeping me updated.  Sounds like he is still going through a rough time though...  

Tell Elder Johnson Happy birthday for me on the 9th since I cant because he never e mails me so I don't have his address.

So for things at home the stuff on Saturday night sounds good.  Definitely put it on FB and you should also but that I am speaking in church and the address and stuff.  Who knows maybe someone will come.  Have you invited any of your friends to come?  Its a good reason to invite!  

I would love some new underwear haha I am planning on getting rid of most of mine cuz they are nasty.  So get me some large spandex ones and medium tall crew neck shirts.  Thank you!  I will probably get rid of most of my shirts but I don't need any new ones.  I actually have 1 long sleeve and 1 short sleeve still brand new in the package that I never used.  As for food I eat special K (the fruit and yogurt kind is the best)  Or honey bunches of oats peach and raspberry and a banana every morning so it would be nice to have that! haha Sorry the cell phone thing is so hard!  You have usually had your way with sprint so I am sure you wont fail this time haha  Just get an I phone.  I am pretty sure that is what I want but you should have like 30 days that you can still take it back right?  

Man I can't believe Ryan is going to be an Elder...  that will be cool to be a part of and to bless Ali's baby.  I have never done that.  

Sorry for the randomness of the letter haha it will be so much easier to just tell you about everything next week haha
Although I probably wont know where to start like all the times we have skyped.  Well I will send you my last e mail on Tuesday next week!  Love and miss you! 

Elder Skalla 

Nearing the end…

Man what a week...  We struggled a little more teaching this week but had some good things happen.   On Monday we went to Kirtland to play Frisbee and stuff with the zone.  We were playing ultimate and an Elder Nailed me right in the face with the Frisbee from like 2 feet away.  I guess it slipped out of his hand but there was a nice stream of blood out my nose for a while and a pretty nasty bruise right under my nose on my upper lip.  It still kinda hurts but the bruise is already going away.  It hurt though haha.  It was funny because the whole zones concern was that I was going to go home with a bruise on my face and look ugly haha but it will be fine by then.  

Tuesday was an answer to prayer...  I guess President talked to the assistants and told them to go on an exchange with us because he felt bad I wasn't getting to work all day.   So Elder Ingersoll came to Shaker and worked with me all day Tuesday and slept over Tuesday night.  I love that kid.  It was so fun just to work all day and teach and be in a totally different area serving together.  I had a blast and his excitement and work ethic motivated me.  I miss serving with him.  I would love to do it again but just be normal missionaries without all the extra stuff to worry about.  I did get my birthday present from him too. haha he got me a really cool Boise State shirt.  

The rest of the week was pretty slow.  We got back in contact with one of the families that was facing opposition from her relatives this week.  I wrote her a letter and left a Book of Mormon and Restoration DVD on her doorstep and she texted us and said she was going to start reading over the weekend so we are going to talk with her again this week.  

I really enjoyed the broadcast!  There were so many rumors flying across the mission it was insane.  It was wayyyyyy too hyped up out here haha.   But it almost made me more like sad than anything since I am leaving.  Some of those videos of the kids preparing for their missions and getting their calls and going to the MTC were tear jerkers for me.  And then seeing all those missionaries in the MTC was amazing.  I just hate that I will never again be part of this in the capacity I am.  But it was inspiring especially as far as member missionary work goes.  So I guess I will get to apply some of that in a few weeks.  I am glad you drug Ryan to it.  He needed to see that.  He is the one that will be doing all of that.  

I have my exit interview with President on Thursday... I am sure that is going to be fun haha. 

That is funny about Elder Hapairais girlfriend, I heard that story a time or 2 haha.  I am happy for him though.  I don't know what it is but everyone is getting engaged lately from this mission...  And all to people they met on their missions haha. There is one AP engaged to a training sister another AP engaged to a sister and an Elder engaged to a member from here and Elder Hapairai engaged to someone from the MTC...  weird stuff.  I tell President that is why we aren't baptizing haha 

I would love to come teach the 4 year olds with you.  I have done it a time or 2 out here and am still alive haha. 

Boy that is quite the topic...  haha I am supposed to share all of that in only 15 minutes??  I will do my best,  I feel like I could talk for days about that. I am excited though.  

I did not know that but I am glad!  She needs to do something else! I haven't talked to her in a little while.  How is her progress towards the temple do you know?? 

i will send you her address next week.  

I hope you have a great week!!  

Love and miss you! 

Elder Skalla

Oh I forgot about part of my week.  On Friday I went on exchanges in East Cleveland with Elder Tam.  That was a blast too.  They dont have a car so they take the bus train and walk everywhere.  IT was soooo different but a ton of fun.  There are some pretty crazy people on busses haha  I did have one amazing experience though.  It was really crowded and we were sitting on different sides of the bus and I started talking to the guy next to me.  Turns out he joined the church in the Navy in 2006 and just got out of the marines 3 months ago and came back to Cleveland.  He was such a cool guy.  He said that the time he was active in the church was the happiest he has ever been in his life.  He said he had looked up the church around here but was too afraid to go back alone so he goes to a Non Dom with a friend of his. We talked for probably 20 minutes and got his information and stuff.  It is just amazing the people that Heavenly Father places in your path.  No one probably knows where he is living and his records are probably floating around somewhere and Heavenly Father sticks me on a bus in the ghetto of Cleveland right next to this guy.  incredible.  His name is Chaz and he is working with the VA teaching an addiction recovery program.  We will hopefully meet with him this week.

No clue what they are missing….

I dont have a whole lot of time so I will just tell you what happened real fast. 

We actually had a really good week.  We found a lot and taught a lot of new people.  I am so frustrated though.  We found 2 amazing families and had great lessons with them, then when we go back for our return appointment we hear about a spouse or family member that doesnt want them to meet with us and all this dumb stuff.  I just wish people would give it a chance.  They have NO clue what they are missing out on but no one wants to take the time to see what the gospel can do in their lives.  

We were at the library this week and some guy came up to us outside and started talking about Mitt Romney and Howard Hughes only hiring Mormons and all that stuff and like 15 minutes later he took off running because he had to go to the bank or something.  We managed to give him a pamphlet though.  Like 20 mins later after we are finished at the library we were walking to the truck and he comes running down the street holding the pamphlet in the air yelling wait haha he said he had some time now so we got to sit down and teach him the restoration.  It was just funny seeing him run down the street waving a pamphlet haha.  

We took our investigator Marcia to the Kirtland fireside last night.  She is pretty great.  Just a really sweet older black lady.  She really liked the fireside though and should be getting baptized the day I go home haha.  

You dont need to send me any more packages haha.  It is just a waste of money, I dont need anything haha Just save it for a few weeks.  :)  I appreciate the thought though!   

Sorry for such a lame letter!  We are going to play ultimate with the zone at the stake center.   Have a great week!!

Elder Skalla

Setting Goals

Hey!  Ya I got a post card from Brandi this week from Hawaii.  She told me all about it and is really excited.  It is weird cuz everyone I know is like doing all this crazy stuff and moving on in their lives and I feel like I haven't even started mine haha.  Oh well that is coming sooner than I want it to.  Its hard not to be trunky.  Not like in not wanting to work but EVERYONE is constantly reminding you about going home and your mind just wanders about what things are going to be like and what you are going to do with your life.  It's hard not to think about haha.  

I don't think I got a birthday present from Elder Ingersoll... He sent me a nice letter though so I liked that haha.   Last week we went to this place called The Melt.  We are going to have to go there when we come back.  Its all grilled cheese sandwiches but they are like the biggest most insane grilled cheese ever with all this stuff on it.  It was so good.  

We had a pretty good week.  We had mission leadership council on Tuesday and it was really good.  I felt like I got so much more out of it not as an assistant.  I didn't have to focus on running the meeting just talking so I liked it.  We had our zone training meeting this week that went pretty well.  It is different with all sisters, but it was fun.  I told Elder Christensen that he needs to just cut me off and chime in a lot because I will just go, but that didn't happen.  I did pretty much the whole meeting.  I felt bad because I thought he thought I was just taking it over but I talked with him after and he thought it went great and said he didn't have anything else to say or do.  We have been trying to increase our new investigators so we talked a lo about goals.  Sisters are hard because they always want to set way high goals.  They wanted to baptize 30 people in the zone in June.. That's double what the mission gets...  I asked how they planned on doing that and all they could come up with was faith and prayer.  I said I didn't want to be the faithless Elder here, but were not going to get 30 baptisms and it's going to take a lot more out of us than faith and prayer.  I have just been sick of seeing month after month the mission having these massive goals and never even coming close to them.  We also talked about how to find.  There is one thing that frustrates me the most when tracting and contacting.  When a missionary is mini mouthed about the message and hides behind a pass along card.  So I demonstrated a couple different contacting and tracting ideas and how to use a pass along card or pamphlet as a tool rather than something to just offer because they didn't accept you right away.  Also getting away from the "Hi were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were here sharing a message about Jesus Christ, would you be interested in learning more?"  "no"  "ok , well can we give you a card."   That's what everyone says and its dumb.  Offering merely a pass along card will do little to nothing to help a person come unto Christ and achieve Salvation.   But they came up with some great, not new things, but less robotic, more natural and persistent ways so I was proud of them. 

I went on Exchanges with a missionary on the east side of Cleveland too. Man we had a great time.  We found like 7 potentials and set 4 return appointments.   It was the same day as our zone training meeting so we just applied the things we practiced and it worked!  I just wish I could do that in my own area for once.  

Teaching is going alright though.  I still haven't taught a white person since I have been here so its a little different than North Olmsted.  Oh and Elder Ingersoll told me Tom came to church yesterday so he is doing well!  

I do not have a Chic Fil A... haha sorry but I did get all the food I needed.  The Wal-mart here is soooo ghetto though.  I hate going there.  I loved the pictures this week.  She is adorable.  I am excited to meet her.   

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

Elder Skalla

Here is the guy in "tighty whities" that they found in their apartment (last weeks letter)

GROSS!!!!

New Companion, Elder Christensen

Happy 21st Birthday!!!

HA I cant believe I am 21 either...  I dont feel like it.

I had a great last week as an assistant with transfers.  I can not thank Heavenly Father and President Vellinga enough for that opportunity.  I learned more in those 6 months than I think I have my entire life.  I saw myself doing things I didnt know I could do. I will think back on those times for the rest of my life.  Everything went pretty smoothly with transfers.  I think we finally have how to do these big groups down.  Transfer meeting was great.  President had me conduct one last time and he said some really kind things about me being his assistant.  It was hard calling up all the missionaries up who went home. I like almost got a little choked up.  I have spent my whole mission with those guys and there were 3 assistants and 4 zone leaders so I was around them a lot.  It was hard to say bye to such a solid group.  

I am loving my new area!  My new companion is pretty good too.  Kinda frustrating though.  He goes home the transfer after me and I am pretty sure he is way trunky.  He is way too concerned about getting his "personal time",  his days revolve around what he is going to eat for lunch and getting to P day. He refuses to take less than an hour for lunch and dinner.  He also has a little planter faciitis or whatever so he has to stretch and ice his feet like 4 times a day which takes forever so that is frustrating but whatever, I think we will be fine.  Its always going to be different coming from "heaven" with Elder Weaver and Elder Ingersoll to someone else.  

This area is soooooo different though.  The Shaker Heights part is way nice but we only cover a little bit of that.  Our area is either really, really nice or really really, really ghetto.  Its part of the East side of Cleveland.  Its the weirdest place I have ever been.  You can be on a corner and look at one street with huge, nice, beautiful, historic homes and then turn your head and see one of the worst parts of Cleveland.   I have already seen some pretty dang funny stuff too.  People are so weird.  Just last week the Elders came back to the apartment and there was a huge black man in whitey tightys asleep on Elder Christensen's bed.  haha They were in the back of the apartment and then he just walked out and there was a big black man in his bed, haha.  They took a picture and called the cops and they came and got him out haha.  We always make sure the door is locked now even if we are just inside the apartment for a minute haha.  We live with the East Cleveland Elders too.  The apartment is pretty cool.  Its in a place called Shaker square which is a nicer part of town.  Its beautiful, you should google it. (like I hadn't already!!)  The buildings are really old though.  We have all hard wood floors and stuff.  Its cool though I like it. We have a truck so we dont have to bike at all.  I am actually working on selling my bike so hopefully I can get rid of it soon.  The ward here is pretty good.  We share it with 2 sets of Sisters.  It is mostly all young medical students.  I think it is the loudest ward I have ever been in. haha (lots of babies??)  The baptism on Friday went great and it was cool but really weird to see Elder Weaver with his family.  She gave me a hug from you haha.  

So one of the brand new missionaries Elder Flinders lives with us.  His birthday is today too so we are going to go out and eat to celebrate.  He is turning 19 though haha.  Do you want to buy my lunch for me?  :)  And groceries is exactly what I was going to ask for for my birthday.  I always need stuff when I get transferred, mostly cleaning supplies because missionaries are not very clean and also I will need a lot of food.  We never get fed in this ward so we eat at home every day. I have had a PB&J every meal since Wednesday.  I am so sick of it haha 

President called this morning as well as the Thompsons from the Lakewood ward and Sister Vellinga.  Sister Jacklin e mailed me another picture of her granddaughter and said she says happy birthday, but I have a feeling Elder Ingersoll and Elder Labar had something to do with that one. haha I laughed though. 

I will be back in the office on Tuesday for mission council. 

 So I am confuse about what you sent me.  Should I go home and check the mail before I go out to eat and use that money?  

Love, Elder Skalla

Brad's new apartment…yes, they sleep in the living room haha

Current and Former Assistant's

 Saying good bye is always hard.  These two have been great examples to Brad.

A "District" run

Last Transfer….to Kirtland Ohio!

Hey!  Man that is weird to see him graduated!  It looks like you had a good time though, I am glad everyone got to come see.  Its hard to describe how surreal all of this is from here.  I have just been in my own little world for 2 years and everything else seems fake haha.  

We had a really good week this week.  A lot of it was spent getting ready for transfers as you probably guessed.  We had our meeting with all the new trainers.  It is weird because 20 of the 23 training were ones that I picked up from the airport throughout my time here haha.  

We taught Tom a few times this week. He is progressing really well.  The poor guy has no vision or purpose in his life and we have started him start to see what he can become since we have been helping him and teaching him.  The roof really is as high as it looks haha its pretty far up there.  haha Sister Vellinga told us we weren't allowed back up there after she saw the pictures haha.  Elder Ingersoll and I spoke in Sacrament meeting yesterday.  I think it went really well.  I spoke about blessings that come into peoples lives from accepting the gospel.  It was weird too because we invited Tom to church but he said he couldn't come because he had family stuff for the holiday but then when I was giving my talk I looked to the doors and saw his reflection in the little window standing in the foyer.  Elder Ingersoll and I ran out there after but he was already gone.  I thought I was just seeing things or something but then I got a text this morning from him saying how much he liked our talks and how he was sorry he didn't come in haha. So it was cool that he at least came to church!  

We spent a lot of the week just figuring out transfers.  I say this every time but this one was by far the hardest one as far as where to put people.  We just didn't have enough strong, experienced missionaries.  We fasted a lot, prayed a lot and just finished with everything about an hour ago.  One of the biggest tricks was where he wanted me to go.  He had me all over the board.  He had me as a zone leader in 3 different places, opening up a new area with a missionary who is having a hard time loving his mission, traveling around to a different area every week training and even in a triple up as assistants where he would pull one of us out whenever he needed something done or someone to go with him somewhere.  It was crazy.  Saturday night he called me with what we thought was where I was really going to go since I was pretty much the last one on the board.  He told me and it was somewhere I was least expecting.  I tossed and turned all night and just never felt good about it.  I just love this mission and want to do everything I can to help it and get all these new missionaries trained and I just felt like this wasn't the right spot.  He called me early Sunday morning and knew I wasn't feeling right about it.  We talked for about an hour and had a really great conversation.  He is such an amazing mission President.  I think I have learned more from him this week with all this stuff than my whole time here haha.  This morning we changed half the board around, ended up creating another zone and I got moved again.  I ended up in the spot he had me first which was funny.  I will be in Shaker Heights and be the Kirtland zone leader.  Or the Relief society president as the Elders here call it haha.  They call it that because there are like 6 elders and all the sites sisters.  I am happy about it and I think it will be a good spot to end my mission. It is actually where Elder Weaver is now.  That area is weird.  Almost every AP has either come from there or went there since I have been on my mission.  Elder Ingersoll came from there.  They are having a baptism on Friday and Elder Weaver and his whole family will be there so that will be cool to meet them.  

My address is 

(email Julie for the address)

Although I will be at the office on the 4th for mission council so you can send mail there still if you want.  I will be totally honest with you I didn't even realize it was my birthday next week till this morning when Sister Jacklin mentioned it in staff meeting.  I have just had so much more on my mind I didn't realize it was that close haha.  I dont need anything for my birthday.  If anything I need to get rid of everything.

  Sister Frampton one of the sisters in the ward with us is shotgun training in Alliance. They are splitting the area and she is going to the part I was in for 11 months.  President wouldn't let me go back haha.  

I hope you have a great week! Love and miss you!! 

Elder Skalla 

Weird days…

hey!  

Sorry I didn't e mail last week.  We had to go out to Perrysburg to pick up a missionary that went home... That was an awkward 2 hour drive.  It wasn't for health or homesickness either.  I hate doing that.  I have had 8 missionaries go home before they were supposed to since I have been an assistant for various reasons.  Its hard to see.  This one kinda acted like he couldn't care less though so that is why it was awkward.  

He is getting big! (Ryan) I can see me walking off the plane and him looking straight to the top of my head standing up tall just making sure that he really is taller than me haha.  I can't believe he is graduating.  He definitely looks older than when I left though.  I hope everything goes well with graduation!  Don't forget to send me pictures.  I can't believe all those kids are going on missions too, only weeks after they graduate...  Hopefully Stephen can get a visa.  We have 6 here waiting to go to Argentina.  

After I skyped with you last week we went to my MTC teachers house for dinner.  It was fun!  We had dinner with their entire summer sales team.  It was fun talking about the MTC and things I have done on my mission with her.  We had a pretty interesting week.  A lot to do but it was good.  We helped Tom  a couple times this week.  Were making good progress on his roof and on him!  We had a couple really good lessons.  I have some pictures but I forgot my camera so I will send them later this week.  The rest of zone conferences went really well!  I am sad that they are over.  I have grown to love training and helping missionaries.  Sometimes I don't feel qualified, but I love to do it and practice with them.   We went on exchanges with 4 missionaries that have been struggling this week.  Elder Ingersoll spent the day with one companionship and I was with the other.  It was much needed.  It makes me just want to go on exchanges with every missionary in the mission.  We had a weird day.  They don't get along the greatest so it was weird.  I kinda just sat back and watched and didn't say much through their companion study and first few hours of the day.  They were just kinda dragging and I could tell they were just trying to fill time.  When we went back to lunch I just talked to them about having a goal and a purpose in mind as you work and not just wandering around doing missionary things.  They were just not having any fun so after a few hours of just stopping by random people I kinda took over and said we were gonna go find some people.  We went to a park where there was a ton of people and it was great!  At first they just kinda followed me as I talked with people and stuff but then I started seeing them get a lot more excited about it as I talked with them and showed them how to just talk with people.  But we found like 5 potentials there so I had a great time.  Its been forever since I went contacting.  Then we taught one of the weirdest lessons of my mission.  They have been teaching this Pentecostal guy and honestly I think he thinks he is teaching them because they didn't even say anything the first 20 minutes and I thought I was the one getting the lesson.  We finally started talking about something relevant to what they planned to teach so I established purpose with him and tried to figure out why he was meeting with missionaries and just bore testimony to him.  Then it got kinda weird.  So we meet a lot of people who want to "teach" us or just argue or whatever and they're really smooth about it and its hard to kinda teach or get out of the situation.  They try to tongue tie you and fluster you.  I don't remember what I was saying or if I was bearing testimony or something but he got me in a stare.  Something all these guys do.  I don't like people telling me what I believe or trying to tear it down and this guy wasn't, but it was the stare that they all do.  I never break eye contact with them anymore so we were kinda just staring at each other and then he says "You have a strong faith in what you believe young man. Your testimony has come from experience" and I just said ya I do.  Then he like stuck his hand in the air and started like trying to prophesy or discern or something and was like telling me about my past.  I mean he was right about a lot of stuff but he was still very general.  It went on for a couple minutes and I felt the spirit just being sucked out of me and the room.  It was on of the weirdest experiences of my mission. haha We walked out and I asked them if he has ever done anything like that and they like freaked out and said no and how weird that was and they didn't know what to do haha.  It is hard to explain the whole situation but it was really weird and I encouraged them not to go back haha.  Definitely a weird day as a whole though.  That is one of those days I just wish I had a camera on my head so you could see all this.  

Friday night was Kristen's birthday and President really wanted us to give her this horse in person haha he was excited about it.  He wanted us to come to the bowling alley with all her friends and give it to her but I told him no haha. So he made up a story about how we needed to give him something before they all went out and got ice cream so he took all her friends back to the house and then he made me put on his cowboy hat and ring the door bell on the horse haha.  Kristen about died.  She was bright red.  Her friends had no idea what was going on but it was funny.  They loved it.  She did turn 17.  

I am getting transferred but I don't know where yet.  We cant bring the new AP in yet because he is too far away like Elder Ingersoll was so he will have to do what I did for him to train him.  Pretty much the only reason I started working with them before transfers was because I lived next door.  He has had me all over the board though so I don't know what he will have me do.  Probably be a zone leader.  We have no leadership and way too many new missionaries. 

So yesterday President had a meeting with the 5 stake Presidents, area authority and the temple president all day.  Man how I would have like to have been in that meeting.  It was at the stake center while we were at church so President Kirk from Youngstown came out to see me.  He is one of the coolest people I know but he gave me a big hug and told me he would put in a word for President to put me back in the stake haha.  President gave me a hard time for it this morning haha but I don't think I will go back there. I have a feeling where I am going and its probably the best for the mission.  

Well I hope you have a great week with all the graduation stuff!  Love and miss you! 

Elder Skalla   

Happy Mother's Day

No letter this week since we got to FaceTime with him for an hour, but he did send these two great pictures!!  He looks so good and is very happy.  He isn't ready to come home, and has loved his mission and the people he has met and served.  This has been such a wonderful experience--"the hardest thing he has ever loved to do".   We are so proud of him and WE are excited he is coming home soon!!

Elder Ingersoll, Elder Skalla and President Vellinga

Bugs….

Dang that sounds like a sweet service project!  I wish we could do big service projects here like that but for some reason we don't do big ones.   Thanks for looking for the Spirit (the kids movie) stuff.  I cant believe that its that expensive!  A card would be fine if you cant find anything.  Sorry I don't have any plans for Skype yet...  We haven't had time to set anything up haha but I will have someone call or text you this week and let you know.  I am excited to talk to you again though!  It especially doesn't feel like that long ago this time.  I did get Ryan's graduation stuff and that was way weird, I cant believe we will like go to college together.  I remember thinking before my mission that Ryan would graduate right before I came home and thought it would never happen. Ali's baby shower looked fun--I guess haha.  Jessica is tall!  Its weird how much those little girls have changed.  Sister Maxfield is the one that served in Omaha.  We are having dinner over there this week I think and I am like nervous!  It is going to be like a test to see what I have learned haha.  

We had a really great week this week.  Tuesday was mission council and it about doubled in size because we have more zone leaders and then all the Sister Training Leaders come to mission council now so it was huge.   After we had to go to Toledo to pick up a missionary.  Some of them were rough housing in the apartment and one broke his leg so he had to go home.  We went and picked him up and took him to the airport the next morning.  It stinks seeing missionaries go home when they aren't supposed to.  Especially something stupid like that.  He was pretty sad to go. We went on 2 exchanges this week.  I went one day with Elder Burch in Solon and man did I have a blast.  I seriously like forgot how fun it was to go out and work for an entire day.  We tracted and taught and I stopped by and saw dads friend Mark Taylor.   We met some really cool people too and this sweet old lady.  We just talked to her on her porch and sang her I am a Child of God and she LOVED it.  She was in tears and wanted us to come in but we couldn't so she like loaded us up a with all this food and drinks and they set an appointment to come back.  I think she was the nicest lady I have ever met, she told us how cute and nice we looked probably 50 times in like 15 minutes.  It was just fun and made me miss just going out and working.  Especially since it was beautiful weather this week.  I heard you got snow like every place I went.   They all said how glad they were they didn't live in Denver haha. We also have been teaching our investigator Tom and helping him with his barn/shed thing.  We're almost done with the roof.  The other night we were in his house teaching just in our service clothes and half way through the lesson I saw a bunch of spots on Elder Ingersoll's shirt.  I thought it was just saw dust or something but then I saw one of them move  and I looked closer and there were like 50 little tiny bugs all over his back.  I quickly wrapped up the lesson and we went outside.  I was like don't get in the car, don't freak out or anything but you need to take off your shirt. He just like looked at me and like ripped it off and threw it on the ground haha it was so funny.  But we got all the bugs off.  We have all just been paranoid because bed bugs have been a huge problem here so any type of bug freaks us out. We also had a really good stake conference this week.  It was a regional broadcast so we heard from Elder Hales and President Uchtdorf.     Other than that we have been preparing for zone conferences which are this week.  Its my last round of zone conferences in my mission...  not good.  We had lunch with the Vellinga's last night after stake conference.  It is always crazy when we go over there.  They are so fun.  President had us role play for like 2 hours with Kristen and Sister Vellinga and it was so funny.  They are good sports about it.  

We have also been dealing with flirting and inappropriate relationships between missionaries and missionaries and members.  It is getting ridicules.  I got 3 phone calls in the last 3 days about 3 different situations.  It's only going to get worse when we continue to get more and more young Elders and Sisters.  It's tough to deal with and correct.  

Well, I gotta get going, there is still a lot we have to do for zone conferences and we have to find time for p day stuff and then go back to the mission home tonight.  I hope you have a good week!  I'll talk to you Sunday!  Have some questions for me too!  There is so much that goes on I cant think of what I have told you and what I haven't.  I love and miss you!  

Elder Skalla 

I just never dreamed I would fall in love with a place and a people like I have

There is no such thing as a normal week anymore!  haha I just live day to day on the fly now.  There is just SO much changing right now it is crazy...  Everything we do is just on a huge level now so we have to plan differently.  It is so cool to see though.  I was making a new mission map this week and I just looked at it compared to the one when I first got here and it is a miracle to see what has happened the last 2 years.  It is just a cool time to serve a mission and see all these new missionaries and especially be an assistant and be able to see the whole picture and participate in making plans and changes that will effect this mission for years to come.  I could have cared less about Ohio and what goes on here before my mission, but now I treat it and think about it so differently.  We know the areas and the mission geography and the work a lot more than President just because we have been out there so he relies a lot on us for advice on where to put missionaries and stuff like that and it has been interesting because it is something I fast and pray about now.  I just never dreamed I would fall in love with a place and a people like I have.  And its Cleveland of all places! hahaha No matter where you are called you love your mission not because of where you are, but because of the people you get to meet.  Thats why everyone loves their mission because you have to serve where there are people haha.    

We had our training meetings with all the new ones this week.  We had to do it in 2 separate meetings because of the size.  It was good though.  It is fun to see how much they have already changed in the week they have been out.  One of our meetings was in Bowling Green so President let us stop at Panda again on the way home.  We also had a mission Presidents fireside in Lima last night which went really well.  The only bad thing is that Lima is 3 hours away.  We left right after church and squished Me, Elder Ingersoll, President, Sister Vellinga, Kristen and 2 Sisters we picked up in Bowling Green.  It was funny like right after we left Sister Vellinga pulled out a notepad full of questions and wanted to know what they need to do better as mission President and what has changed since President Sorensen left and all these other questions.  It was funny but they are seriously so great.  I have enjoyed spending so much time with them the last few months.  Speaking of them, Kristens birthday is in May.  Will you look on the internet for me and see if they have anything from the movie "Spirit"  its a long story but just like a lunch box or t shirt or little horse or something like no more than 10 bucks?  thank you!  Also can I send a package of winter stuff home??  

So yesterday at church was crazy.  This new young family moved into the ward, just a couple and a new baby and they walk in and I shook their hands and I like was staring at this lady cuz she looked so familiar. Then she says Hi how are you?!  and I remembered.  It was my MTC teacher Sister Maxfield. It is something different now but  How random is that.  Her and her husband moved into the North Olmsted ward for 6 months while he is doing sales.  She couldnt believe how long I had been out either.  She asked if she was pregnant when she taught me and I said no you werent even married yet and she was like OH well than you must be going home soon then.  I cant believe she even kinda remembered me though.  It was fun to see her again.  

So we finally found a new investigator this week.  It was a guy Elder Weaver and I met a few months ago and he is a great guy just really busy and stuff but he is building a house.  We offered to help all the time but on friday night we finally got a call from him.  He said he just needed help holding something so we just went over in our suits to see if we could help. Ha it was crazy.  It was him and 2 foul mouthed construction workers and we were putting a roof and this huge garage shed thing he is building.  So they have us get up there on like these beams and have us hold the roof frame while they nail it in and stuff.  We were there for like 2 hours standing like 20 feet up in our suits haha.  But the next morning he met us at the church and he accepted baptism and tonight we are going back not in our suits to help.   

Man I was ecstatic when I heard about Steph.  That is so crazy.  I hope she serves in our stake cuz I will give her a million referrals and go teaching with her. I bet she felt a lot like I did though.  A call to Denver south is kind of like a call to Cleveland in terms of excitement, but I know she will love it.   As for apartments and stuff I trust her with my life, so I trust her with that.  I wish I did know someone that was for sure going there though.  There are a bunch of guys from the mission who are thinking about it but haven't made a decision.  Oh well I am sure it will be fine.  I don't know if I even have any questions about school but I will think of some.  I totally forgot I was talking to you on mothers day! haha  I didn't realize that was so soon.  But I am excited!  My church is at 11 so I will get out at 12 your time. I will let you know when to get on.   

As for homesickness advice I am the wrong one to ask.  I have a hard time helping people with that kind of stuff because I am not very Christ like in understanding them because I would just say buck up get over it.  But I understand it is a real concern and some people do have a hard time with it.  Hopefully that doesn't make you feel bad that I don't miss you so much that I can't even stand to focus on anything else ;)       

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

Elder Skalla 

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

The Blessing of Panda Express

Hi,  Sorry it has been a crazy day...  This last week has been busy and this week is even worse...    Im not even sure where to start so I guess I will just tell you day by day haha.  We spent most of the week meeting and going places with President.   Tuesday we had mission council which went really well.  I remember when those were like the highlights of my weeks haha.  It really is a cool meeting to be with some of the best missionaries you know, President Vellinga and Elder Sorensen and talk about the needs of the mission.  Wednesday we were out on interviews with President.  We went from Cleveland to Akron to Medina to Wooster to Massillon to Canton and back to Akron then back home.  It was a long day.  That night we had a few good appointments with some less actives and recent converts.  The recent converts we ate dinner with about gave me a heart attack.  We were talking about what we were going to do after our missions and stuff and I told them I was going to USU when I got home and stuff and she was like oh thats cool so you are going to go to BYU Logan?  I just kinda thought they weren't sure what it was because they were new members so I explained to them it wasn't a church school and they were like no I think BYU just acquired it.  She like pulled out an article and everything and showed me and I was sooooo mad and like freaking out and told her to show me on another website because I didn't believe her and she was frantically trying to pull it up and then she found out it was an april fools joke.  But it about scared me half to death.  Then I was thinking that you could seriously mess with missionaries,  like we are so disconnected you could tell us anything and we would believe it.  Anyway I was glad to hear that was a joke haha.  

Thursday was the best day of my mission....  We were on interviews again.  We went to Fremont, Bowling Green, Findlay and Lima.  So I am sure I have told you there are no Panda Express' in the entire mission.  Well we heard a rumor they put one in the student union building at Bowling Green State so after much convincing, President let us stop and look.  He stayed in the car and Elder Ingersoll and I were like running around campus looking for this place because we only had 30 mins before our next interview.  We finally found it and the 21 month void in my stomach was filled.  It was so worth all the driving.  When we went to pay we handed the lady Presidents card and she asked for ID.  We said we didn't have any and then she started laughing and said "well if I can't trust you guys I can't trust anyone" and let us go haha.  President has been making fun of how excited we were ever since.  We had to go see a missionary that went to the hospital that night too and Elders Weaver and Berryessa were there too (they are companions now by the way)  and they were soooo mad at us. (for getting Panda without them)  haha President doesn't understand why we all love it.  I told him we want to go back and buy like 30 of them and sell them for 50 bucks each to missionaries.  I also told him I would gladly be transferred to Bowling Green now haha.  

Friday was Cleveland interviews.  This included ours.  I am with him so much and tell him everything so I wasn't really sure what we would talk about.  We ended up having a great interview and talked about a lot of things and one sparked a question that I took to prayer and to General conference that was answered this weekend.  I love when that happens.  He also gave me a temple reccommend interview.  Hard to believe that expires this month.  That went really well too.  It was amazing to me how much more those questions meant to me this time than the last.  I feel like the answers came more from my heart and I understood the importance of them now. It almost brought me to tears.  I cant wait to go back one day.  We have a former temple president that just got here a couple weeks ago from Mississippi and they work in the office some times and man do they have some cool stories.  Saturday and Sunday we spent the whole days watching conference and working on transfers with President before and after sessions.   We had dinner with the sisters in our ward at the Vellingas Saturday night.  They are like the most distracting members to eat with, its funny.  I really loved conference though.  I hate that it was my last one on my mission.  I liked hearing Elder Golden speak.  He is the one that came to Youngstown last year.  In the past 2 conferences every general authority I have met has spoken.   I think my favorite talks were Elder Callister, Elder Bednar, Elder Corbon I think it is and President Packers testimony at the end of his talk.  You ought to go back and listen to his phrasing of that testimony.  Incredible.

Well transfers are next week and I am staying as an AP for another transfer, looks like I will only get one more in the field...  This transfer has been such a trick though.  We just dont have enough places and trainers.  We are getting 24 this transfer so we also had to split 2 zones.   What made today crazy was the surprise Salt Lake gave us.  We are getting 11 additional visa waiters with this transfer...   So we had to find places and trainers for 34 missionaries.  It has been stressful. we still dont know what we are going to do with them all.  Last time with 29 we had that extra day that President spent the whole time interviewing.  This time we cant do that because President has a MP seminar to go to right after transfers.  We still dont know what were going to do.  They come in on Monday afternoon and Transfers are Tuesday afternoon and we need to figure out how to get 34 people interviewed, dinner, some sleep at who knows where and then to Kirtland in less than 24 hours...  But it always works out.  They come in on Monday too so I wouldn't expect an e mail next week.  I am not sure how that is going to work.  We are going to be running. 

Tomorrow we have trainers meeting Wednesday and Thursday we have interviews and Friday we have our final Transfer meeting with President and Elder Sorensen so we aren't going to get to work much in our area. 

Man every week I just blab to you how busy we are haha but as stressful and hard as it is its all for the right reasons and it really is a good time!  I wouldnt want to be anywhere else.  I know this is where President needs me and the Lord needs me and I will give it everything I have for another transfer. 

That is so cool you got to meet Elder Ingersoll's family!  Last night at like 11 we were finishing things at the office and Elder Ingersoll got that picture from his mom but it didn't explain why you were there so we were trying to figure out why you would be at the Taco Bell arena haha.  That is cool you got to go to the Davis cup too! I am jealous. 

Well I gotta get going! Pray we survive this week and next!  Love and mss you!!

Elder Skalla 

Kirtland Missionaries for a day

Hey! 

 

Sounds like you had a good week!  So did I!  It was really a fun week too.  Way busy though.  Last night after numbers I was really burned out.  I have just put everything I have had in the tank into the last 3 transfers and it has been great but man it weighs heavy sometimes.  I don't know if that feeling means I am getting released this transfer or what.  I guess we will see what President and the Lord have in mind. 

I did get your package!!  I liked the tie and I wore it yesterday!  I was mad at you for sending candy but I just put it in the office candy jar thingy.  I was talking to Sister Vellinga last night and she feels the same way about Jared.  She says he doesn't like candy or food sent to him but she feels obligated as a mom to send him something so I am assuming that's how you feel too :) So that is really funny about the matching purple ties thing cuz guess who got matching purple ties?  Elder Ingersoll, President and I haha.  I don't have a picture yet but I will get one soon.   It was funny we bought them and then Elder Ingersoll and I both wore them to staff meeting last week and were asking President if he thought it was an ok tie and if he would wear it.  He has to be super Conservative with his ties so we were taking a risk getting him a purple one but it was so funny because he thought we were legitimately concerned that our ties weren't ok and when we asked him he was like well I don't know what do you think? Is it too much? What does your handbook say?  Then we gave him his and he said he had to pray about it to see if he could wear it haha.  He is such a goof, he liked it though.  President asked us to go to interviews with him around the mission over the next few weeks to meet with companionship's and do some training on Area books and planners so we were in Kirtland and had quite the experience.  We all wore our matching ties to interviews and all the sisters just thought it was adorable haha, they are funny.  But he tells us we have to be at his house at 7:30 so we can drive to Kirtland Thursday morning.  I get a call at 5 am Thursday and I was like dead asleep and he says Elder Skalla?  Ya?  Guess what?  Uh I don't know, what president?  You have an hour to be at my house, I messed up on the times.   It was funny just getting a call from him at 5 with him saying guess what haha.   So we go to interviews and man it was rough.  It went really well but it was just like the same thing over and over with each set of missionaries.  Then President had about 2 hours of interviews with senior couples where we didn't have anything to do so we went and talked to Elder Sorensen, the sites director and he let us be Kirtland sisters for a day!  haha We probably had a little too much fun but we got to go in their little call center chat room which is like forbidden for Elders and got to chat!  You each have your own computer but you chat to someone as companions.  We talked to a few crazy people but then taught this really sweet guy that was like almost too good to be true and committed him to baptism over the Internet.  We thought it was someone messing with us but he was totally real.  We were like getting all excited in the lesson and high fiving each other and then got all excited when he said he would be baptized and said that they should get like a bell to ring when that happens.  The sisters kept having to tell us to be quiet and that it was a sacred place haha, but we were just having too much fun.  It was a pretty cool experience and we are like the only Elders who have ever done that so it was fun. 

Friday and Saturday I was on Exchanges in Akron again so I got to see more people I knew down there so that was good.   Easter was pretty quiet.  Well Kinda.  We taught primary 3rd hour with the sisters since all the teachers were in the combined thing so that was a little crazy, but the rest of the day was quiet.  We practiced our musical number we are doing in church on the 14th and then we had dinner with some members and met with President for a lot of the day. 

Sorry you got released from YW...  I am sure that was hard but you will be fine in any calling you are in!  If you lived out here would have already been relief society president twice and every other leadership calling you can think of. 

I did get Tina's e mail!  And I would be soooo tempted if you went to the temple with her!  Is it bad if I get sent home for sneaking  to Columbus to go to the temple? haha Last time I told her to just wait till July and fly out to Denver or Salt Lake and go there.  I am glad she is preparing well though. 

Well we have a super busy week with Interviews, ZTM's, mission council and starting to get ready for transfers.  We have a couple lessons this afternoon.  We had to schedule them on P day because we have no other time during the week that worked.  It is going to be weird having a full one again. 

I love you and I am so thankful for all you do for me and the support you give me.  Have fun in Boise!  That's where Elder Ingersoll is from.  His mom has run into 2 of his companions that are home and the parents of another so I wouldn't be surprised if she runs into you some crazy way. haha 

Love and miss you!!

 

Elder Skalla 

Happy Easter

I know its not much of spring here either.  It is snowing right now.  We got about 4 inches last night.  I am so sick of it it has been a long long cloudy winter.  I am ready to see some sun and green.  
Man I wish I was complaining about 200 in a sacrament meeting! haha That's pretty darn good for here.  So do you still meet in the stake center or are you back in our building?  Its going to be so weird coming home to so many changes.  Speaking of coming home stuff.  I get home July 12th now.  We had to move that transfer back a day.  Second I am pretty sure registration for next semester is soon.  You may want to talk to Brandi or someone to see about getting me back in school.  I also need somewhere to live... I don't even know where to start with that.  oh and a new Ford Raptor if you have time... :)  haha Sorry I am so needy but there is not much I can do from here.  I think I gave you a folder before I left that tells you how to do everything.  Lake Powell sounds good to me! haha I don't care what we do.  I just hope I don't fry in the sun.  I'm pasty white now unfortunately. Its going to be weird without Ali and Ty.  And Jenni is a mom now so she she isn't fun anymore.  And Dad is an old man it sounds like now so looks like me and Ryan are going to be the only ones that can have any fun... haha kidding.  I am excited and it all sounds great to me.  Not like I have any plans.  
That is sad about that guy.  If only he understood what the gospel could do for him.  I will keep him in my prayers. 
This week was pretty normal.  A bunch of meetings and exchanges.  We had our training meeting with all the new missionaries and their trainers in Kirtland.  Man was that a trick.  It was like 2 zone conferences. There were 63 missionaries there.  We let them watch the Kirtland video and the sister take them on a short tour and then Elder Ingersoll and I did some training for another 2 hours.  It was fun with that many people.  We also picked up 25 pizzas for lunch.  I probably told you about him last time but we bought the pizza from the same local pizza place and man does the owner love us.  He was all giddy 6 weeks ago when we ordered 12 pizzas you shoulda seen him with 25!  He was buttering us up big time.  I think he likes our money.  
We got a couple new investigators this week.  One is a guy a member met outside of Walmart and another is a La's boyfriend.  His name is Durio.  Which is my suggestion for Ali's sons name.  You say it like Darito but without the T.  
So I got like the best news of my whole life last night!  Brother and Sister H went to the temple on Saturday and got endowed.  Man that made me soooooo happy.  Its like the ultimate goal you strive to help people get to and they made it.  They are finishing up the adoption process for C and then they will go get sealed. Smoking and Drinking to Active, endowed, young mens president in less than a year.  No one will ever be able to tell me that someone isn't ready to be invited to prepare for the temple.  It is President Monson's rescue working perfectly.  You have so many people say "oh well they aren't even active or living the commandments we cant invite them to prepare for the temple, they aren't ready."  Not true.  It worked for them! 

That's funny I was thinking about that letter from Easter last week!  The Atonement is a miraculous thing. 

I hope you have a great week and a good Easter! Love and miss you!! 

Elder Skalla 

More thought, prayer and effort…

Hey!! 

 

Sorry I am e mailing a little earlier...  President switched the schedule around a little because we have to get some missionaries going to Brazil to the airport.  They finally got their visas. 

This week was really good!  Semi normal.  We were across the mission from Bowling Green to Ashtabula going to zone training meetings and picking up visa waiters.  We actually got some time to find this week too!  We have been working with the mission on finding the elect and using every tool we have been given to find and not just mindlessly tracting.  We need to be more confident in the message we share and start to find because we are struggling.  Elder Ingersoll and I kinda cracked the whip on it in the Zone meetings we went to.  This week I finally got to practice what I have been preaching and do some finding for the first time in like 6 weeks.  We planned to stop by a few formers and tract some specific places and set goals on what tools we wanted to use and how we were going to focus our efforts on the days we got to go out.  Over 3 days we knocked on 4 doors and got in all 4 and taught lessons and set 2 return appointments.  It was awesome. I have never had that much success in such a short time.  We had planned to go a lot longer but every time we got out we knocked on the first door we felt impressed to and they let us in every time.  I definitely have a testimony of putting a little more thought, prayer and effort into finding.  Hopefully one day ill get to go back to the field and use is more haha. 

When we went to Youngstown ZTM we showed up and Dylan was there in a suit!  The Elders there invited him to the meeting.  It was fun to see him and talk about how he was doing and see him get excited to go on a mission.  I kinda embarrassed him I think because I pulled him up in front of everyone and talked about his miracle of how he prayed about a date that was 1 week away and we had to get moving to make sure he was ready and everything was set for the baptism.  He got a lot more comfortable though and by the end was practicing and talking with all the other missionaries.  It was cool to see. 

I did get my running shoes in the mail, thank you! Sorry for the short e mail.  I hope you had a good week!  

Love and miss you!!

 

Elder Skalla