December 30, 2013

Hello! 

Well hello my good family! This has been such a good week and guess what it was CHRISTMAS! And it was 75 out for Christmas, a wonderful day! 

We started out the day and went over a member's house who invited us over for breakfast and then went straight to SKYPE! That is right, we got to Skype and I saw all the wonderful faces of my families! That was at Mariana's house and it was so nice of her and her brothers to let us use their computers. 

After we went to the stake center and watched a movie we got to watch Ephriam's Rescue and that was fun, (suckers I already saw it) haha. But yeah, so there at the stake center it was the funnest time ever! We opened all the presents there and it was a blast! 

I need to say thank you all so much for all that you have sent me! I am so loved and have such a wonderful family! 

Well yes, I will all be writing you all soon! So thank you! 

After Christmas was Thursday and it was fun, a weird last weekly planning we didn't really know what to do! haha, but it was good! Just prepared the area book for the elders of Anaheim! They will do great! 

So this week was very hard for the one reason, but a good hard and it made my testimony grow. we were supposed to have 3 baptisms this week,  yesterday on Sunday. We had a lesson with the three kids that were going to get baptized and they were so pumped and the mom was so happy to see them getting baptized! She approved and all that! Anyways we finish up teaching them everything and then we asked if we could talk to their mom so plan  the baptism, so the kids go and get her and she comes out. She tells us, yeah do the baptism and we asked if 4pm on this Sunday was good. Then the bad news... She said "Oh well actually I'm going to Vegas this week and won't be home until Tuesday. Maybe we can do it next week!"

 

It was so hard for us to hear, so yeah. As everyone knows we are both closing this area and it going to Anaheim, and they will be getting baptized next week! It's hard because I have seen the whole family be taught! BUT BUT BUT, I realized something that night. That it doesn't matter, I was sad but still super happy! Because they are still getting baptized! Like how cool! We are all on the same team and I am so happy that we get to leave the area set up for success! I love the work of the Lord and I'm so happy to see and know that the area will be in good hands. 

I was asked to speak in church yesterday too to say goodbye! It was fun and our mission president was there too to talk! I got to talk to him a little after! 

Ok so I'm guessing you wanna know where I am going, you will literally NEVER guess!! NEVER......Cerritos! Yup, that's right I am going back to the same area I started my mission! Haha One Ways here I come! Man I'm so pumped! Now that I know Spanish I can actually do something! haha. Also I got called to be the District Leader, my District is huge 10 people. haha And also a call to train! So White Washing, training, and District Leader...what am I doing!! haha, but yeah. But news also, I was supposed to train but...BUT the trainee that I was supposed to train got sent home from the MTC...haha so yeah. Um, now I am with Elder BROCK! Yay! We get to stay together, how cool is that! 

I'm excited! It will be good, I just cant believe it! I dunno how to be a DL too, I'm not too good at that stuff but right on! 

Well I love you all! Have a good week and I will write you all soon! 

Elder Schoofff 

December 23, 2013

Hello, well this week has been so fun, and I love my mission! This week has been super good. 

Well so start out this Wednesday is..CHRISTMAS! Yay! haha I love this time of the year so much and I would be nowhere else but right here in CA enjoying the 74 degree weather. :) haha. Man it's just tooo good here! I love it! We are all excited to see what happens that day, and we even get to talk to y'all family!! I can't wait. I'll let you know when I can call and talk. 

 So this week, we again really focused on members coming out with us. We had a member with us last Tuesday night but last minute he canceled. But for the lesson we had set we NEEDED a member! So we were calling EVERYONE! But no one could go short notice, we at least called 20 people or more. But no one could, then we thought of a convert that is the brother-in-law of the familia Sepulveda! We bring Hmo Sepulveda out with us all the time and he is SOO good to bring out with us, he could go out that night but we decided to ask Martin the son-in-law. He was baptized three years ago and told us he only went out with missionaries once before and that was three years ago! So we had to bring him out! The lesson we went to was PERFECT! He was just the man to come! haha, And after he asked for pamphlets of the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation to share with his family! How cool is that!! He is the best member missionary ever! 

On another note...we had a baptism this week! Yay! haha, It was a blast. He name is Viri, she was a member referral from a recent convert. She is actually a miracle, we invited Gena, the recent convert, to a member with us to a lesson and she by chance brought Viri. The lesson fell through but we just decided to have a little lesson with them and to see how they are doing. We committed them to pray. 2 days later Gena texted us saying that Viri did it and now she wants to talk to us. We had another lesson with her and it was powerful. We started teaching her on the 7th of December, and I was on splits with Elder Wilson that day as we started to teach her. That day we committed her to baptism on the 21st. We KNEW that day was for her. We got to meet with them a lot in between and near the end she told us that she wasn't ready or was scared to be baptized. They also told us that they are going out of town on the 22nd, until the 2nd of January. We leave the 31st of this month. We were super bummed because we KNEW that the 21st was her day. So during weekly planning this last Thursday we decided to call and set up an appointment to just say our goodbyes I guess you could say. But on the phone we felt inspired to say, "So Viri you ready for your baptism this Saturday?" and what do you know, after some talking she told us, Ok! So we had the last lesson with her and then the interview and she was baptized on the 21st and confirmed yesterday and yes!! It's so cool! It was awesome. As some of you know, the 21st of December is a very significant day for me, well one I went through the temple one year ago on that date, and also mom passed away on the day in 2001. How great the Lord is to me to bless me with joyous memories on that day to look back on. Knowing that I got to see a baptism happen and someone make that eternal convent with God! How awesome! I love my mission! I know this work is true and I love my mission, it's a ball. I know this work is true. The Lord is so good to me. I hope you can all remember the true meaning of Christmas: that we do have a Savior and He loves us! 

Elder Schooff 
 Merry Christmas

December 16, 2013

Hello Family! 

OK well, what is up with all of you today this fine Monday morning? 

Let me just first out say, happy birthday to my sister that will have a birthday in three days! Woot woot! I love you so much Ash and I hope you have a great bday! I love youuu. 

Ok well this last week has flown by and wow, I feel like I just wrote home yesterday to y'all. Where does time go on a mission? 

Also, I am in the Cerritos library right now, where I started my mission because the internet was down in Cypruss so we had to come here. Man the memories are flooding in! No joke! ahhh, I love my mission!

But anyways like I was saying yes, this week went by too fast, and know I only have two more here in Cypruss with the BP3rd ward! Ahh so sad. This ward is like my family! I love them all so much. 

We had the opportunity to just have a good talk with bishop this last week and man do I have the most upright respect for Obispo Becerra. He is the bomb. I love the guy so much, he is sooo sad to see the ward have to split the split and see LB leave the ward. He just told us how proud of us he was, he really is a great bishop and runs the ward so smoothly. You know you have a good bishop when the ward is doing its job, when people are home teaching, when callings are being fulfilled and the ward is overall excited! Man he is the best.

We had some really cool things happen this last week with some really powerful lessons, we had a lesson with one of our investigators this week that was a member referral. Y we have been teaching her a lot! We committed her to pray about baptism and she told us her answer the next lesson. She told she was nervous to be baptized and didn't know 100 percent if or when, but when she did pray she felt and "weird but good feeling". So we were in the church building and we asked if you would pray and feel that feeling again with the question of should I get baptized, would she do it?? She told yes if I felt the same way, so we told her to pray right then and there. To go into the chapel and pray and she did! She came out and told us, "I know I need to be baptized, I just don't know when." It was sooo cool to hear her say that! I was sooo happy! No joke! So now we are working with her on the date! Coool! 

We have a whole family that is investigating the church right now and the whole family has come to church for the last two weeks! They are so prepared and I love them all so much, the wife told us she wants the Holy Ghost with her forever to protect her family! We are working sooo hard to help them.

So yesterday we met with the Anaheim mission. That's right Caden, I met your Mission President and a bunch of your future Zone Leaders! haha But we met with them with all of our mission presidency and the APs, and also us. We helped them rearrange the borders of the areas showed them the area book and told them basically just about the whole area. It was fun! Our area will actually stay the exact same, pretty cool. This meeting helped a lot to let me know the area will be well taken care of! The elders seemed like really good workers who will take over the area. We even get to go on splits with them when we want to so we can show them the area. It's pretty sweet. Going on splits with someone from another mission! haha Cool. 

We have a ward Christmas party this week and a zone Christmas meeting! 

Well I love you all soo much I know this work is true, I also know we cant do it with out LOVE. It's the thing that makes missionaries keep going, LOVE is necessary. I love that, I love my mission, I love the Lord and I love my family! Ok bye!!! 

Elder Schooff

December 9, 2013

FAM FAM! 

Hello all, this is has been a wonderful week of wonderful experiences and I love it! It's been a great week full of personal revelation! Coooool! 

So let's see, we are still working super hard this time of year with member, and one of my personal revelations was that I am sick of riding my bike at nighttime the the freezing cold weather. No I'm just joking. But really, so we decided to have members out with us EVERY NIGHT! Set appointments or not. From usually 6:30 to 8:30 we get members to drive us around and not just members but less actives too! It has had HUGE success! Like no joke, every night we have had SO many lessons. It's funny to see the Lord has..like...pity on us when the members are with us! They are really having tons of spiritual experiences!  On top of that we asked the members to share their experience with the Priesthood on Sundays, that was super successful too! 

Like one of the members we brought out was actually really cool. He is named Roberto and he is from Cuba, I LOVE this guy! The English elders knocked into the house he lives in. He rents out a room from a lady named Loordes. We can't go into the house cause Loordes does not like any type of religion so we sat outside with him. The reason she like no churches is because her son was very religious and he died 15 years ago and then 2 years ago her husband died too, so she was left alone. She does not believe that God would allow someone to be "alone". But we talked with Roberto  So we went by on Saturday and it turns out He was baptized 20 years ago and hasn't been to church for about 5 years. He came to church on Sunday and we asked if he would want to come out with us on the next Saturday and he said Claro!! haha So we met at the church and we went out for 2 hours with him and all of our appointments fell through that WE had planned, but the Lord had a different plan for us! We went by the Family Luna, out recent converts and talked to them and had a really spiritual lesson about the Spirit. Hma Luna told us some SUPER cool stuff and it made Roberto bear his testimony about the church. We left, and as we were driving in his car with him back to the church we told us that he hasn't felt the spirit is so long and he was "eternally" grateful to the church and us for bringing him out. The next day at church he acted on his prompting and brought the lady (Loordes) that he rents the room out to church with him and she LOVED it! So now we are teaching her and about eternal families! So cool, member work is the best! I love it! I need to write this is my journal! haha, Don't worry I write in my journal all the time! 

The members with us brought a ton of success! And the result was 10 people at church this last week! Man, that's a lot in this mission! Is was so glorious to see so! I love it!

My companion is the best and I love him to death, everyday I am learning new things from him. 

I love my mission and I love to see the man I am becoming in the day and age. I love this place so much! 

Well family I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week! 

Elder Schooff 

December 2, 2013

Hello Family. 

This was one of the weirdest weeks of my whole mission! Without a doubt, but so cool. 

Well let me explain to you why. haha, This week my sister (Ashley Elizabeth Webster Schooff) was here in my mission, not just in my mission but in my Area, for a good 2 days I believe, I really don't know but yeah. haha. It was truly one of the funniest things ever though, because we were all over my area this week and always near Knotts Berry Farm. We have a member who works there and he saw Ashley and Bryson too. haha, So then Sunday comes and my recent convert texts us and says, "I'm seeing you sister today after church." haha I was like what?? So Ashley went over there and then ate some nice pancakes and stuff, and she left and 20 minutes later I was there to pick up the nice stuff Ash left for me! Haha, thanks ash! I was like a good 2 minutes away from my sister at points, knowing that she was at the house! haha So weird but so cool! I'm so happy my recent convert got to meet my family! How great that is! Ash thanks for the food :) 

But anyways, this week also was...El Dia de accion de Gracias or... El Dia de Pavo! haha Thanksgiving! Sick! It was sooooo fun! We were able to have as many dinners as we wanted that day! 

We started out with Sister Newman. She is an English member that we know pretty well, don't ask me how I know so many English members. She invited us and some English elders to Seal Beach to do some service. So we got permission to do it! In all it was 10 elders going to a place called Leisure Land. The gnarliest place I have ever been! It's an older retirement CITY! Yes people a retirement CITY! It was HUGE and truly straight out of the 60s! It was weird, and we served a bunch of turkey to some older people that served in the WW2! It was soooo fun! haha, A good experience!

After we went to the family Luna, out recent converts! And man, it was good with some good ol' Fried shrimp! Then after we went to Marianas house with some Carneasada and after we went to the Family Pablo y had Pozole! So so good!  It was the best, and at the Pablo's house we played the thanks game! Where we go around the circle and say what we are grateful for in our lives! There was the 6 elders there and the 6 of the pablos! So fun and it was a blast! 

Thanks family for all your packages and lovely mail! I love you all so much. 

We had a super cool miracle happen this week! We got a referral from the English elders and man was it BOMB! We got a set lesson with them and we had a lesson about the Restoration and we were talking about Prophets and the example of Moses and how he guided the people. Our investigator asked us why don't we have that today? Like this world is more corrupt  and we need that! Lo and behold we talked about a living prophet today! So cool! At the end of the lesson all he said was, 

"Estoy de acuerdo" Which means, I agree! haha It was soo cool! The Lord has prepared them to hear our message! 

Well family! I love you all so much have a great week and I'll talk to you on the phone soon! Will we do like a big conference call again?! cool 

Elder Schooff 

November 25, 2013

Hello my beautiful familia! Como estan?!? haha Well I love you all and I love my mission so much. 

So this last week was transfers and I got my new companion and his name is Elder Brock. He is legit! Man I love him so much and we are working ourselves to death and man, it's so fun! We have a determination to be the last missionaries ever from LB here and end it with a BANG! It's so fun! 

So let's see, yes I am still here in Buena Park and in the 3rd ward! And let me say I could not be more grateful! How blessed am I! haha, I love all the members and the recent converts so much and how blessed am I to stay here with them for Christmas and Thanksgiving. 

This week we had a super cool Zone Meeting and we really wanted a new zone motto per say, It's Christmastime and we couldn't be happier to just go GIVE to others. I just was joking saying, "Oh we should be called Man like Christ"! haha, and well what do you know the whole zone loved it! So now we are all trying to be Mas like Christ! haha, It's the best. We are trying to focus on getting other referrals for other missionaries, basically going out of your way to contact on the street for others. It's kinda gnarly but already we have seen so much success out of it! We are trying to forget ourselves and go out and not just work but go and and find someone directly to serve. It's cool! 

This week I have a cool story to go along with that, we got a referral from the English elders and they even set up an appointment for us! This happens a lot! Most everyone that will stop and listen to a contact is Spanish, so we get tons of referrals. We go to the apt but it turns out no one was there, so instead of just leaving and doing something for us we decided to contact for like 15 minutes and ask the Lord to help us help the other elders, Well it worked. We had such a good contact and the guy just opened up to us on the street and even let us in his house and told us his whole life story and also, he was super into Larp. (Google it) so it was pretty gnarly. We taught a lesson and got a return appointment and gave him to the English elders, and now he is progressing wonderfully! It's so cool! He is so nice, the Lord put us in that area at that time for that reason, to help others! It's so cool! 

This week I studied a lot about Hope, and what that really means, it does not mean just to endure and "get through it" but it really means, to LOVE to get through it, with optimism and a smile on your face. It's funny to see that when you really apply TRUE hope it makes life so much more fun and happy! Man how cool is that! 

This last week...it rained!! Sick i know right, this is the second time it has rained here for the last 10 months and let me tell you, it was such a blast!! haha  We biked out hearts out in the rain and got soaked, it was a tender mercy of the Lord. Or at least I felt. 

So as you all know, Thursday is...Thanksgiving! I want to take this time to say how much I love all of you so much, and how grateful I am to all of you for what you do for me! I could not be in a happier state of life right now! haha, Thank you for all your support out there and the love and prayers that you send my way (and letters too). 

Family I love you and I will talk to you all in one week! And also, talk to y'all on the phone in 1 month!! woot woot! 

Elder Schooff 

November 18, 201

Hello Family! 

How are all of y'all doing in your fine areas, wherever you may be in the this beautiful world! California is getting a bit chilly...NOT! haha, It was 84 degrees this last week. 

Anyways, the Christmas season is coming and it's pretty cool here, different than Colorado, cause Cali doesn't have snow. haha But it's still good! 

This week was a good week! We had a cool miracle in it and TRANSFERS! But before I tell you about the gnarly news, I want to share this story! 

It was a regular day here in CA, and we were about to leave the apartment at about 3 after lunch and Language study. So we go out and I get on my bike! We get going and I can NOT bike, the derailer thingy was NOT working, it was like pedaling a 200 pound weight and it got to the point where the rail and the chain got jammed. It was impossible to pedal, so I tried harder to pedal and that made it WAY worse, the derailer bent and was completely off place. We stopped and tried to fix it, and I was very...well let's see...stressed at the moment. We had to sets and then a dinner with investigators at 6 and I did NOT want to miss any of it!  I was getting really frustrated. So I flipped my bike over and tried to fix it. But I could not think of anything, in my mind I was so upset. I thought of Pres Hinckely and his words, "The best time to pray, is when you don't want to pray at all." So I sat down there on the sidewalk and said a prayer. Just asking for patience and for help, to keep me happy and calm. A warm feeling came over me that, getting frustrated solves NOTHING. It only makes it worse, also I got the impression that I need to kick the derailer, which I do not know why, I thought it would be worse, but I did it. and boom!  It fixed it just enough to get back to the apartment to get my wallet and to ride the the bike shop, still super bad, I went in there thinking I would have to get a whole new gear set and derailer. The guy walks up, and unscrews something and moves his screwdriver around and boom it was fixed. Better than before! He told me to not worry about the price because he says it happens all the time! So I left that bike store so happy! My bike was like brand new, but that's not where it ends! We had to sets, and yes we did miss the first one, but we went by and turns out the person wasn't there anyways, so we tried to go by a woman that is super interested but is NEVER home, we found her 3 transfers ago and still haven't taught her.

We go by her house just feeling she was there, we knock and...nothing! haha, We were kinda bummed, but as we are walking away...she is walking into her apartment! We go back and knock and she lets us in! And we taught a whole first and she is doing so good! She said, "It just seems right and real".I love that! Heavenly Father really does know where we need to be, even if that does mean breaking my bike to get me there to her house! I love that! 

OK! So transfers!!! Let's see, guesses guesses anyone, I have been here for 4 transfers and....I'm going to....to...TO....I'm staying!! haha Yes that is right I am staying here in Buena Park for another transfer. Isn't that crazy!! Almost 8 months here in the BP3rd! haha, I love it! I'm so happy to stay here for Christmas and Thanksgiving, how cool is that! Also on top of that...I will be THE LAST Long Beach Missionary to serve in my area, that is right, after over 20 years of having the ward split into two missions, it ends in 6 weeks and the whole ward finally goes to the Anaheim mission! So we are "closing" the area kinda here in Long Beach. It's insane, it's basically waiting it out and just preparing the move, to transfer it over to Anaheim. I'm happy! The Lord has entrusted us to stay here and work our hearts out one more transfer and show what we have! I'm going HAM! The district got dissolved so we have no DL, the Spanish elders here haha are sitting ducks basically and we are waiting it out! haha, We just got placed in English districts for the time being! haha, It's been good and I LOVED training Elder Creasey and now he is going up to Whittier West with another Elder, and I'm staying here back up training an elder! So it'll be good! 

This is going to be a great transfer with a lot happening! I love my mission so much, I hope you all have a great week and have so much fun doing all you do! 

Elder Schooff 

November 11, 2013

HELLO FAMILY! 

How are you all doing today? It has been a steady week here in the wonderful state of California and especially in the area of Buena Park! Perfect weather and all. 

We started out like so:

As you all know Last Sunday we had a Baptism for Hma Luna! She is so awesome and I LOVE her whole family to death. It will be SO hard to say goodbye to all the families if and when I do leave this area. I love my mission. Anyway we went by their house on Monday night to talk with her and the family and to see how she feels and to give her her present. We asked, "Well hermana, how to you feel right now?" Her response was one of the sweetest and most wonderful responses I have heard in my mission. She said that Sunday night she didn't really have time to think about it because of the dinner party she had at her house with the people that went to her baptism. She said she felt good on Sunday but just couldn't process it yet. But then in the middle of telling us that, she started to just cry. Let me tell you I have NEVER seen Hma Luna cry. She told us on Monday morning that she just woke up and started to cry, she woke up and felt clean. She said for the first time in her life she was clean and that nothing in her past mattered because she knew God had forgotten it and it was a new life basically! 

That was the coolest thing I have ever heard. That is the reason a missionary serves a mission. For all the hard times and the trials we have, for moments when people say "I feel clean." It was the best. I LOVE my mission. 

Also this week we directed a parade in the La Palma city parade, so that was a cool, fun thing to do. Our whole zone did it!

This week also was the the Children's Program, it was simply the coolest thing ever. Very different, but very, very sweet to hear it. 

I love this ward and the people in it. I can tell you every one's names now in the ward and man I might as well just move my records over here. (Would you like that dad? ;) ) 

Overall, this week was fantastic. Transfers are coming up and next pday is the last one of the transfer and Saturday we get calls for where we go, we are guessing I am leaving and going to a new area. This week will be so sad for me but I know Elder Creasey will make this area grow so much!!! Yesssss!!

Ok well I love you family! I'll let you know what will happen to me! 

Have a great week! Yes bye!! 

Elder Schooff 

November 4, 2013

Hello Family! 

Well let's see, this week was full to the brim and man it was good! It was a very constant week but probably one of the best in my mission. 

To start out, Thursday was...Halloween! And guess what, we got a late notice the day of that we could not go out that night, due to past problems and things. We had to stay in and clean the apartment, and let me tell you, that was a blessing to us 100%. We needed it bad. But we went all out, we didn't just clean, we rearranged the apartment too! It was so fun, and it made it have a fresh, new feeling. It made the apartment "ours". So now it's super clean and a place where the Spirit can truly preside!

So this week we really, really focused on our investigators the Familia Luna, let me just say how much I love this family. I have been here now in BP for 6 months and we found them right when I got in! I had the opportunity to see the 2 children be baptized and guess what...the mom got baptized yesterday!! Yes!! It was not easy to get them all here, but man was it is amazing. But I'll talk more about her baptism in a second.

Friday we went to their house and did service; yard work and cleaning and that kind of stuff (Dad I wish I would have helped you more with that stuff at home before my mission to learn! haha). We went and were with the family for a good part of the day, preparing her and also...she taught us how to knit! Becky and Nam, you would be so proud of me...until you saw the "progress that I made." Man is it hard! Like no joke, I have a lot of respect for y'all! haha. 

Her baptism was simply amazing! The Stake President baptized her and we were both the witnesses! It was an honor, and I will forever remember that moment just actually seeing it happen, going into the water and coming out. She kept telling us before the baptism, "Maybe I'll slip my foot up out of the water so you'll have to do it again, so I will feel more clean." She was joking of course. But in all it was fantastic, I consider that whole family my family now, I have seen them so much and wow it just makes me love my mission so much more now! One year from now to the temple for them!

So usually after the baptisms I like to go get my converts something to remember their baptism. I wanted it extra special this time, so we bought a big picture frame with the border around it all white, and we went to church and had all the Relief Society and bishop and stake president and her family sign it with some words of congratulations, with a pic of us and her family at the baptism inside! The whole ward was SO excited for her baptism and she even asked me and Creasey "her missionaries" (in her words) to play a musical number...this was a problem because I do not play the piano, but we practiced a little and we played I Love To See the Temple with me on piano and Creasey on the Violin! It was very cool and a great thing to do to invite the Spirit even more! 

After the baptism the Lunas family invited us over to their house to eat, all the missionaries, so clearly we all said yes! There she dared us to eat a habanero pepper! If any one knows me I am HORRIBLE with spicy stuff, but we all did it! And last night I think I became a man, I did it! And it wasn't even too hot! The mission is making a man out of me. ;) 

This week also, my other recent convert Mariana bore her testimony in church, Creasey was sitting next to her in church and I was with our other investigator but cCeasey told me that her heart was thumping and she knew she had to go up, so he told her..."That's the Spirit! Go up!" It was so cool to hear her and her testimony! It just shows how true the gospel is! 

Ok family! I love you all so much and this week will be great, I implore all of you to keep going! I was studying about the prodigal son this week and how even though the son left, the dad opened his arms and let him in with pure joy! That is amazing, God will always be there for us, we just have to show our faith and reach out and ask him for help! 

I was also studying about The Sons of Mosiah, and how they desired to go preach to the Lamanites so they asked their father King Mosiah. Even though the king knew it was a righteous act, STILL he went and asked the Lord for guidance. And days later he told the sons they can go but to be patient in their afflictions, but in the end you will have Eternal Life. 

The same applies to us today. Even though we think something is righteous, we still must always ask God for His approval letting us know all things we are doing, sometimes it will take a while to get our response, and even if we have His blessing it doesn't mean it will be easy! Remember that family; God it there for us, and in the end we will have eternal life! Forever! I love my mission. 

Transfers are coming up in about 2 weeks and man has this one has flown by! Love y'all 

Elder Schooff   

Clean apartment

Baptism

Eating a pepper

October 28, 2013

Hello Family! 

How are all of y'all doing today! We went to the temple today so that is why we did not have Pday yesterday and moved to today! Yay! 

Well let's see what happened this week on my mission, SICKNESS. Haha, insane no joke, everyone and their dog was sick, more than half of the zone was all out with something and for a while too. I was and am fine, so it's ok. But my companion was another story...haha we was sick BAD! We woke up in the morning to go running and he was sweating like crazy and shivering at the same time. So we just walked until he could take it anymore and we went back in and got him a cold shower, but that didn't really help. We had a bunch of set appointments that day so we did splits for the day. And during the splits my companion and then my DLs comp got sick even more. So we stayed together for 2 days. haha, The whole zone was out including our ZLs for a day. But we still go work DONE! Woot woot! 

We had such good lessons this week, we have really been trying to focus on the people more that the numbers of a mission, and ever since that...it's been taking off. We have a baptism this week and probably another on the 10th too. I love my mission and helping people be better when coming unto Christ. 

One of the baptisms we should have is with one of our miracle story. Othelia, the strongest woman I have ever met. She has had a rough life and fell away from the church basically without knowing. For 27 years she just fell off the Earth when it came to church, she even forgot she was baptized but the English elders knocked into her and gave her to us because she only speaks Spanish and yeah, now she comes to church every week and is more than just active, she is a missionary herself. Kaytle her granddaughter is the one that will be getting baptized. The whole family is really, really cool, and we have seen just some really cool miracles out of members and less actives now! So cool! 

So as you know this week was Mom's birthday, and it didn't really hit me hard until I got Kaydog's package and then...haha yeah the emotions flooded in. I just gotta say that I LOVE my family so much, with all my heart. To celebrate mom's birthday my companion and I made the noodles with rice and cheese toast (mom's favorite) and just talked all night, about our families and how much we love them, I love talking about my family. Y'all pump me up to be a better missionary every day! I love how close we all are, and how even though I'm on my mission, it's not too hard to be away. I know it will be a grand fiesta when I get back! Kinda like it will be when we all see Mom again after this life. One big grand ol fiesta! Haha, I love it! 

But yes, so today we went to the temple and it was so good, I love the house of the Lord and I love being able to enter in. I know the things inside are from our loving Heavenly Father that wants us to return.

Ok well family I love y'all so much, I don't have too much time because temple pdays are always a little bit busy but I just love y'all so much. It's been a blast! For Halloween we decided to buy our nice costumes and go all out, that's right...we bought some nice polka dot socks. Woot woot! Haha, I know we can't go out that night but maybe we will go to a member's house or something! 

Love you all! 
Elder Schooff

October 21, 2013

Hello there family! How are y'all doing today?

I bet just so good. I love it. Well this week was a very good week, and we have seen a lot of miracles go through. I love my companion and it's pretty crazy to see how I think I am training him, but really he is just making me learn how to be such a better missionary. Man it's the best.

Ok, so let's see, this week was packed full to the brim with TONS of service and other good things, we painted for the first time in my mission (which was always one of my dreams of the mission to do) haha and boom now I have done it! Yes! Cool huh, but yeah we painted an entire club house and had some really, really good lessons after with our investigators. It had been fun. I love this area and as I feel like it's coming to the end of the transfer too fast, I still have 4 weeks and I'm already freaking out about leaving. I LOVE this area on Buena Park, I can basically call it my home. I have so many people that I would consider family here. And it's been a ball. Like I think about it and a fourth of my mission is spent in this one area and I can name it inside and out. Cool. Man I love my mission.

We started those classes this week with the members and it was a pretty good success, we taught and it was fun, we decided to change it up and not take them out with us this week just for the invite so cool. I loved it!

This week was a typical funny bike probs. Cool huh, in the last 7 days there have been a total of 4 blown tires, haha man it's so funny, and every time the Lord has shown us why. Every time it happened we just laughed and started to walk, and contacted more. I feel like it was the Lord's way of telling me that I need to contact more.

We have a really cool investigoter who is awesome. She is named Petra and is 80 years old and really, really wants to be baptized. It's the coolest thing ever and I love her to death, she is a very wise lady who has a lot of good ol stories to hear. It's fun.

So this next week is going to be different, we go to the TEMPLE on Tuesday next week! So pday will be changed to then. I love the temple and the miracles it has inside. It is the work of salvation and I love it.

So the one less active, well inactive that we found named Otalia is the coolest person I have ever met. I dunno if I have told the story of here, but the English elders knocked into her and we went over and it turns out she was baptized 27 years ago, so we are trying to find her records. And she is the STRONGEST woman I have ever met. She lives in the house that was owned by the person who made Knott's Berry Farm. Sick! And now she wants to teach her family, so we are and they came to church this last Sunday, it's so cool to see the Lord and His hand in his mysterious ways! Soo cool.

Well family I love you all so much and I just gotta testify that I know with my heart and mind that this is the true church of Christ, not just a church to go on Sundays, but the one the Living Christ dictates and runs! I love it!

Love you and have a good week!

Elder Schooff

We helped and member decorate his house for halloween, hjahah

October 14, 2013

helllllooooooo family! 

How are y'all doing, guess what...I LOVE my mission! I say it all the time but man it only gets better and better as I go on! I was thinking this morning and man, I don't know but I just love my mission, I would be NO WHERE else but here right now! 

Ok let's see, well this week is the first week of the transfer and I'm crying already. It's so sad because it's inevitable..95% sure I am leaving this area in 5 weeks, this is my home Buena Park 3A man, it's my home! It's a whole 1/4 of my mission! And I know soon I'll have to say goodbye to it! Boooo! 

This area has taught me so much, I truly have and still am learning how to be a true man of God, that true happiness is only in following the bounds of the Lord! I love the gospel. Yes! 

Also, this week was kinda cool. I had to go to the office like 3 days in a row. So it was a lot of driving other new elders around and good old stuff like that, oh and woot woot! A car hit me this week! My first official car crash on the mission! We were at a stop light turing left and there were cars behind me, and boom, the lady behind me...her foot slipped off the break and BAM, she tapped into me, very major damage! Haha jk jk, I didn't even feel it. But Ndb, I got the mission some nice money. Cool. haha, 

So yesterday, we taught both second and third hours of church. To the youth class and the Elders quorum to talk Missionary Work. This Friday we will be starting our classes on how to be member missionaries and to say the least...we are PUMPED. We will teach for one hour and go out for one hour! Cool huh! Yeah! And the Anaheim elders will be with us the whole time, so we can get this ward unified! Woot woot! 

This transfer our zone leaders really wanted to focus on being People missionaries and not "number" missionaries, which I think is a really good thing to focus on! Sometimes we can get wrapped up in the ways of numbers and that's all we care about. But really, it's the souls to Christ that is important! Woot woot! Ok. Legit! 

Well family I love y'all so much, and I just have to testify that I KNOW that this work is true, it brings eternal happiness for so much good! I love it, also I love the temple! Yay! 

Ok well have a good week Family! 

Elder Schooff 

October 7, 2013

Hello there! 

Family! It is so good to be here again, it's insane how this mission is so so so fast. It's kinda sad to think.

Well let's just start out on how awesome Conference was! Seriously here in the mission, it's like christmas morning! So so so fun. We went over to a member's house in the morning and made some nice breakfast sandwiches and had a really good 10 hours of hearing from the prophets! So cool. 

I think my favorite one was the talk from Bednar about tithing, he threw down on us! It showed the true meaning of tithing and what it really means. 

Also Elder Packer's was so good about the family being sealed and also Elder Funk, I feel like Nam and Nampa might know him, is that true?

Ok well also this week we had a pretty cool miracle happen! We found this woman named Otalia. She was a referral a LONG time ago from the English elders, they told us that she talked to missionaries in Mexico and wanted a Book of Mormon. Well...that's what they thought she said, get this...she was BAPTIZED in Mexico 27 years ago and even went to the temple! Like what?! And when she moved here, she kinda forgot about it all. She couldn't find a job and the church and life just weighed down on her shoulders. But now, we are trying to find her records in Mexico. It's just hard because she can't remember anything! But it was a pretty cool story about how the Lord will never forget about anyone, even if we forget about Him sometimes.

So this week was transfers also. Like I predicted all is the same with my area, a few changed in the zone a district but I'm staying here in BP for another one finishing training! Woot woot! 

It was been a weird week, it really makes you love the time you have to have lessons, we had 2 days full of meetings on Saturday and Sunday and now p-day here. so really sometimes when all that is going on you have to fight to be out on the streets! It makes you appreciate it so much more! 

Cool.

Well family that is really it right now, I'm  really excited for this transfer and the things we have in store! I love you all so much and let me know if I can do anything for y'all! 

Elder Schooff 

 

September 30, 2013

Hello there family! 

How are y'all doing, I bet so good, and let me just say happy birthday to my little niece! Woot woot! I love her so much! 

Ok well let's see, this week has been super good, like every week in the mission. We actually had a ton of success and it was awesome. 

We really have a really good pool of investigators right now that are awesome y some really cool miracles that happen with them daily. This week one of the English members that we know pretty well called me up and asked that we come teach her friends who can speak both Spanish and English. She told us the English elders have been trying to teach her and get her to church for about the last 6 months. But they never did go to church and they just didnt "feel it". The member that called us and said maybe Spanish  would be the key. Well we went over there knowing we had to make a very good impression, so we got a sweet Proclomation to the World in Spanish and gave it to them. We went over there and had a really good first visit and set up a next lesson, but they addressed their concerns to us of why they haven't gone to church. They didn't want to because they felt like everyone they knew in the church was raised in it. So they couldnt relate. Soooooo, we decided to bring a recent convert with us, who was baptized  6 months ago and is the STRONGEST member we know. Truly it was the BEST lesson in my mission, because we didnt speak! It was Rosie, (the recent convert) just bearing her testimony and saying how much she loved the church!! So, so cool. When we left the lesson, they told us they have never been so excited to go to church. Sunday came, and they came! Wow! It was so cool, literally, I can't express the work of the member helping us! 

So those classes we are going to start are coming along great. This Sunday was a little differnt than others, because we organized the sacrament meeting, and talked about the lessons of the missionaries. So my ward mission leader asked me to talk on the Plan of Salvation, 2 recent converts to speak about the restoration and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then Elder Olsen to talk about the commandments.  Those are the topics of the 4 lessons of missionaries.

Well, Sunday comes and I prepare a sick talk, (we were asked to talk for about 15 minutes) my talk was about the Plan of Salvation, or so I thought...haha I was assigned to speak second but the first person got up and said..."hello today I was asked to speak of the Plan of Salvation"....haha so yeah, my ward mission leader looked at me and just with a terrorized face! Haha, so quickly I had to adjust my talk to the restoration, I dunno it was actually kind of cool. I felt ready for it. And excited to kinda just get up there in front of everyone and be led my the Spirit! The talk went super well and many people told me it was great and touched their hearts. Cool! 

Speaking of Spanish, got another really cool compliment this weelk, some one told me that I sound like a native, I don't have a white boy accent. Or a "huero accent" in their words. I have been really trying to work on that too! Cool! Yay. 

Also, we had a baptism. Fun times! It was Emily, Mariana's niece. Mariana is my recent convert from 3 months ago! Cool to see Mariana and her strong testimony, and how she has spread it to all her family too! It was a great baptism and Elder Creasy baptized her! I was sooo happy to see him do that! I am so glad my greenie got to have that expreience! I love my recent convert Mariana! It is so cool, because she comes out with us all the time, we go walk around with her an see potentials and everytime, there she is preaching her heart out! I love it! 

It's fun to see that. Also, today is my 8 month mark. Wow. What the heck, where has the time gone? 

Is anyone ecxited for conference!?!?!?! I am. It's so cool to see that 6 months ago I was there in Cerritos finishing my first transfer and still being trained, to now finishing my first transfer of training! What the heck?? 

Ok well I love you all! Have a good day,transfers  are this week but I know I'm  staying here with Creasey! Cool! 

Love y'all,

Elder Schooff