Zoned Out....

Well I'll be honest, I don't think I recognize one of those girls in that picture! haha I tried really hard but I think the only ones I may have recognized were the Cali girls and I think a Babbitt maybe.  I can't believe how much has changed either.  Its gonna be so weird to come home to a different building, bishop and no one I know haha oh well.  I will definitely write a letter this week.  You should tell some of those families moving in to come to Youngstown! We have had a move out about every week.  The stake is really struggling right now.  

This week went really well!  It was kinda slow teaching wise.  Everyone is busy going back to school and that kind of stuff but it was still a solid week!  We had stake conference yesterday which was really good!  I cant believe this is my second one here haha.  From all the exchanges and things I have done here I know like a ton of people in the stake.  haha I just realized that yesterday when we were all in one building haha.  It is a small stake though.  Sounds like our ward at home is probably about half our stake here haha.  Brother H was ordained an Elder yesterday.  Man that made me happy.  He is like one of the most amazing guys ever. 

After Stake conference D got his baptism interview and it looks like its gonna happen this Saturday so we are excited about that! 

Earlier this week I got to go on exchanges in Alliance.  They moved into the bishops second house so I didn't even get to see my old place.  Every apartment I have lived in on my mission is gone now.  Right after I leave they always move out haha.   It was fun though I stopped by all the old investigators I taught and some less actives and stuff.  I love going back there, although that will probably be my last time for a while. 

Saturday we got to stain a deck for a part member family!  That was like the best part of my week cuz we got to get out of proselyting clothes and work outside.  Its nice to do that every once in a while. 

The next couple weeks are gonna be really busy with Zone Conference, Zoned Out, Zone Development, Zone leader council haha-- all kinds of zone stuff and of course we have to run it all.  Its all good though I enjoy doing it, it just stresses me out. 

Well I hope you have a great week and a safe drive to Utah!  I love and miss you!!

Elder Skalla

Fleas instead of bed bugs???

haha Mom I haven't been with Elder Anderson in like 6 weeks... haha I told you I had a new companion from St. George and you even said he knows Brad Dorius! haha getting old?  (I typed Anderson but knew it was Elder Berryessa!  It was late!  LOL  and yes I am getting old!)

This week was good but nothing too exciting.  We dont have bed bugs so thats good.  The East missionaries had to stay 2 nights in a hotel while the exterminators were there haha.  It ended up being fleas not bed bugs.  (Fleas are better???)

Wednesday was transfers so I drove up with everyone that was leaving and picked up the new missionaries.  Its weird cuz like I am one of the "old" missionaries now since our mission is so young.  It was a good transfer meeting.  We got 3 new Elders and they made another new sister area in my zone so now we have 3 sets!  On Saturday we got to go to Kirtland again but with our investigator M.  It was really good!  He is a way nice guy.  I am so sick of driving to Kirtland though, haha but its a huge blessing that we have that so close.  

Probably the only exciting thing this week was D.  He is an 18 year old kid I have been teaching since I got here.  He has taken the lessons for like over a year but last night he said he prayed about it and wants to get baptized on the 1st.  So now we have to get our crap together and get ready for that the week after stake conference.  I hope he is for real about it, but we will see.   Its weird that this is my second stake conference here haha. Its been sooooo long in this area.  Its a good thing I like it.  Brother H is getting the Melchizedek priesthood at stake conference.  They are still doing so good, he blessed the sacrament yesterday and went teaching with us again last night.  Talk about a mighty change of heart... the first time I met him he was grilling us ribs in a wife beater drinking a beer and smoking a cig haha!  He is sweet.  Elder McClellan came back yesterday.  He went to church in our ward.  It was so weird.  He was the one that picked me up from the airport and the first person I roll played with and stuff.  He was the AP when I came out.  Its weird to see your friends not as missionaries. 

I haven't gotten a package or anything yet.  Hopefully today.  I think I am doing pretty well. All my stuff is holding up nicely.  Thank you!

Well I hope you have an amazing week and I will talk to you later!  

Love ya!  

Staying in Alliance Zone for another 6 weeks!

Looks Like you had fun in Cali!!  Ryan looks tall... I cant believe he is a senior either... That is so weird. This is the last year I don't have to go to school. :( I seriously cant believe I have been out 13 months... I hate the fact I have been here longer than I have left... oh well, progression I guess.

So I am staying here 1 more transfer! I am excited about it. I made it pretty clear to the assistants and president that I didn't want to leave haha.  I am excited for the transfer. At the end of this one I will have spent 11 months with the same people. It's so weird haha.  We had dinner with the Warner's last night. They are a cool family I have gotten really close with in the Alliance ward. They made me my favorite french toast since they thought I was leaving ha ha.  Everyone says this is the longest they have ever been around 1 missionary, but its all good, I really like the Alliance members.

This week was another awesome, busy one. On Saturday we went on exchanges with the other Elders in our ward and I spent the day on the PA side of the ward with Elder Read. He is a way solid missionary and we are pretty good friends so I was excited.  All the appointments canceled the whole day so we pretty much had nothing from 11 to 9.... It ended up being such an awesome day. We found like 4 new investigators. We were tracting on this one street and there was a lady smoking on the porch and we were walking up and she was like "I feel like I should be scared" we just told her who we are and stuff and she was like "well I am gonna stop you guys right there. I am Russian Orthodox and don't wanna talk" and all this stuff. I asked if we could sing her a song and she even said no to that haha!   It's like the first time ever I have been rejected when offering to sing!  We just kept talking to her and I don't even know what happened but she just all the sudden invited us to sit with her on the porch and she said she had one question. She said she didn't understand what the Holy Ghost was. We explained the Godhead to her and Elder Read told her about what the Holy Ghost was and then I just like bore testimony of what the Holy Ghost is and the feelings she was feeling were the Spirit and she just started crying and was like oh my gosh that was the most heartfelt thing I have ever heard anyone say. It was like amazing. But then she like got scared and was just like ah I don't know what I am feeling, we need to change the subject haha.  It was funny.  I don't understand why people are afraid of the spirit. They just freak out and don't understand how they could possibly feel good and not be drunk or smoking a cig. We taught her for like an hour and they are goin back tomorrow to teach her again. Then we stayed up till like 3 in the morning…. haha Sunday was a rough day staying awake.

We did get to go down to Alliance for the baptism. I seriously felt like it was my homecoming or something haha, it was so nice to see everyone again and stuff.  I talked to brother G for like 30 mins too.  He is going through a rough time with his kids. He has a 14 year old girl that's giving them so much trouble.  Her and I were friends when I was there and she listens to me so I figured she might listen to me if I had a talk with her haha.  Even like the little kids remembered me. The G's 5 year old came up to me right away and hugged my leg and told me I was her favorite Elder hahaha- I miss that place.

The baptism was awesome too!! Mary has come such a long way! It was so good to see all of them again. It was definitely an amazing week. Oh except for the fact East has bed bugs and I slept over there Saturday night and now we might have them… but other than that its been good!

So I am gonna tell you my frustration as of late. I am getting tired of so many peoples desires, but not following through on action. I meet so many people who like say they have strong testimonies and want to come to church and go to the temple and all this stuff but no one ever does anything about it! We can say we want to read our scriptures and go to church or whatever all we want, but it means nothing till we actually do something about it. There are just so many people that are less active in the church and in the gospel that are just lazy in their testimonies. I think it was president Kimball who said if people could see just seconds of Christ suffering for us they would crawl on their hands and knees to be at church to partake of the sacrament. It's so frustrating people--don't understand. I guess I didn't either for most of my life though haha.  Just go partake of the sacrament!

Well I hope you have an awesome week! I love and miss you!!

Elder Skalla

Letters like these make it all worth it!

Hey!!

I am glad that scouts is over for him (Ryan got his Eagle)! haha It's good to have and I am glad I did it, but man it's rough haha.  I got a little freaked out looking at those pics of (pregnant) Jenni too…  that's just weird! haha

So I think this week was one of the busiest, most exhausting, best weeks of my mission.   Monday we went to Warren and played tennis with Elder Dowley and Elder Porter and went to the mall and stuff.  It was way fun.  I have only been to the mall twice on my mission haha I don't like it.  Too many distractions haha but tennis was fun!  We had 4 rackets and I got stuck with the wooden, long 1930's racket haha It was so weird.  It took a while to get used to but after I did I still beat them all.  I did end up breaking the strings on it though haha oops.  It was nice to play again.  Monday night we met with some crazy guy we got a media referral for.  He was ridiculous.  He went up to the Palmyra pageant for 3 days and went every night to pretty much argue with cast members.  He is like a professional anti-er.  He is really nice and not contentious but still wants to bash.  I am pretty sure he knows more about the church than I do though he was like quoting the scriptures, discourses, lectures on faith and Mormon doctrine and stuff with page numbers.  It was crazy.  We had a good talk though.  It didn't get anywhere but it was kinda fun.  Elder Berryessa didn't even say 2 words the whole discussion though haha.  I hate talking with people like that.  I don't know everything but I feel like I know what I need to to defend what I believe and I am not one to concede to those people.   So I just talk with them and it gets intense sometimes.  I need to work on that though.  I swear anti follows Elder Berryessa haha I have never seen so much since I have been serving with him! 

Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much all meetings and exchanges.  We had mission council in Cleveland and then 3 different district meetings to go to.   On Wednesday we were down in Alliance for DM and after we went to see the J family .  I don't know if you remember but I taught Mary there the whole time I was there.  It was fun to see them again.  I guess Mary is progressing really well and is getting baptized on Sunday.  When I was there she asked if I would baptize her so I am excited for that this Sunday! 

So like a week and a half ago we were coming out of an appointment with a recent convert and the truck pulls up and has us stop.  He rolls down his window and says, "Man I have been looking for you guys for forever!"   We set up an appointment with him and then left.  We saw him on Wednesday and he is awesome.  His name is Jeremy.  He was baptized like 5 years ago in Chicago, was active with his family for a while, went through a nasty split and then fell away.  He was talking about how he kept calling the church to get them to send him a Book of Mormon so missionaries would come by but no one ever did.  We had an awesome lesson with him and now we are teaching his 12 year old daughter and 7 year old son that aren't members.  It was sweet.  I love when God puts people in your path.

On Saturday we finally got to take Tina and Alicia to Kirtland.  Andrea was supposed to come as well as another investigator but the morning of they both bailed.  We have to have one to go to Kirtland so I had to call President to get permission to go.  It wasn't an easy yes either haha.  But Kirtland was amazing as always.  Tina LOVED it.  It was cool cuz when we were in the School of the Prophets in the Whitney store the sisters had me bear my testimony and I talked about how exactly one year ago almost to the day  (one day late)  I started my mission on my knees in prayer in that room on the same chair Tina was sitting.  How I prayed that I would be able to find and teach people like them and help them to feel Gods love.  It was an amazing experience and a great reminder to me of that prayer I said sitting there with someone I had watched gain a testimony and seeing that prayer answered.  Man I have trouble explaining it all but it was just awesome.  The sisters let Tina and Alicia have some time to ponder in there alone too.  Such a great day.  

Man this week was seriously just awesome.  There is even more but I don't have time to write it all.  I am just grateful for the experiences I have had this last year and all that I have come to understand.  The Lord truly is anxiously engaged in our lives and especially in His work if we only allow him to work the miracles.  Notice them in your life because they are there every single day, all because He loves us.  I know he does. 

I hope you have an amazing week!!  I love and miss you!!!  Elder Skalla

Elder Skalla and Elder Berryessa

Mission Council-July 31, 2012

President Vellinga with the AP's and Zone Leaders

July 31, 2012

Back to boring at home...

Hi!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love

Elder Skalla

Good week!

Hi!! 

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Skalla

106 degrees!  Wonder what the humidity is!  

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

President and Sister Sorenson  and Sister and 

President Vellinga with their daughter Kristin.

Pres. and Sis. Vellinga

Mission Council--July 4, 2012