August 4, 2014 - Long Beach, Exchanges and Bros.

Hello all, this week has been a busy and very packed time. It was eventful for so many reasons. Leaving my old area, saying goodbye to so many people that I love and getting ready for a new area and new work and ward. 

Monday night we got to say goodbye to some more people, like my recent converts and some invs, and some cool families, it's hard to say goodbye to loved ones. I can only imagine how God felt as he had to say goodbye to us and send us here. Must be hard. 

Tuesday morning came and we got to work.  My new area is the majority of the city of paramount and parts of Compton, It's ghetto and I love that. My new companion's name is Elder Calle. He is a boss. One of the most humble people I have ever met. I KNOW I will enjoy working with him. He is brand new in the calling as a Zone Leader as well, so we are going about it together. Changing this zone for the better. We immediately met with our District Leader and asked then how the Zone has functioned in the past and we established some visions, goals and plans. We were super excited. We know as it says in the white hand book we work through our leaders, the DLs are the ones to get out there and help the other elders. 

We established a vision, the Long Beach North Zone is special we have everything in out zone that people want. Y whats even cooler is that it's all Spanish elders and Samoan serving elders too. We call ourselves the Strong Beach Brown Zone. We are unique haha, but man there is tons of unity going on. The DLs came up with the idea to call ourselves the Stripling Warriors. Yeah we are young, in leadership, in age in whatever it may be, but we can win and do anything we put our minds too, we obey with exactness. In Zone Meeting we power housed it and talked about how we need to be better than ever before. We read in Alma as we applies it to ourselves. 

21 Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.

27 Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.

Our minds are set on God, and what he wants us to do. That meeting we had as a zone of pure elders was super spiritual and we all left ready to work. We committed to be exactly obedient. Just as the true sons of Helaman were.

There was a special spirit through the whole zone all week, everyone was texting out miracles, calling each other warrior. There was a little more kick in our step this week.  

As this week came to end, you could see our elders and how they carried the zone through. The numbers from the last week of the transfer to the first week of this one, doubled. In every aspect. So cool. We were all pumped. And the zone had done better than they had for the last 6 weeks average. So cool. They get it and I'm grateful to be learning so much from them. 

Unity...unites. I know that. haha 

Goals are achievable. and I know that. It takes dedication and determination but it's worth it. It's possible for the big goals, like zone goals or as simple as the little goals, like me and wanting to touch my toes (I'm going ham on that). Elder Calle and I wanted to take these goals and make them in all aspects of the mission. We are making our DL hold us accountable to eating healthy and working out. And it's fun! We are trying to live the law of sharing and buy food together, we are trying to show the zone that we are their friends AND leaders, not just people over them... I feel like this is going to be the moments when I stretch and learn the most. 

We had the wonderful opportunities to go on exchanges with Elder Brock and Woofinden (Elder Brock is my old comp, he is a DL up here, cool!) I was with elder Woofinden in my area, it was my 2nd day in the area. Good thing for area books. Well we stretched our faith and we knew in the first two hours on the morning we would find a new INV. We prayed, got the bikes and left the apartment at 11, we did all we could to find someone that was ready for the gospel before 1. Well, at 11:35 we contacted someone named Laura. She is a miracle. We saw her raking her lawn and we asked if we could help. She said, "Well, no. Not with raking, but there is something else, for 6 years I have seen guys like you riding bikes and preaching.  I have been waiting for you to talk to me and now finally you are here, can you help me and explain what you do, I feel like I need it.".....WOW. Um well duh!!! haha We sat down with her and taught her the whole first lesson. She LOVED it, she told us she knew it was true because of the honesty that she felt in our hearts. That was a huge compliment to me, I do know that I am being honest when I say I know the church is true. I love this gospel. Laura is so cool, we have a lesson with her tonight. As we implement faith, God pulls through. Always. 

Family I know this gospel is true. I can tell you I don't know everything, but I have desires to. That's why I love gospel. We don't need to know everything right away. We just need to trust God. 

I love you all. 

Elder Schooff