Changes

  Well Family I finally got a moment to write you guys. It just so happens to be at 1:30 in the morning because right now my companions are working on the changes presentation. I was doing it for about 45 minutes but i was starting to go crazy. And took a break. Sometimes on changes week I just feel like a bird in a cage. Because it just seems like endless meetings, and long lists of errands to run. I live to walk on the streets and talk to people, and to teach. Thats when I am happiest. This week will be pretty much office work, hopefully next week we will get back to the pavement. 

    This past week was pretty ordinary, not much to report. I did get some good news from Izalco. Do you guys remember the J and L? The family that I baptized with Elder S last October? well if you don´t they are super amazing people. Since then they have stayed super active in church and have worked hard to help others. J is the Elder´s quorum president, and is working hard to reactivate many less active men in the ward. L is the Relief Society President, and spends her time between her part time job, new born baby, and her calling. I was told this past week that They are going to get sealed on November 15th. two saturdays from now. I am so so so excited for them. And even more excited because I will get ot be there! We already have the Belize trip planned out and we are going the week after. That was my biggest concern. 

   As far as changes go I get a little bit of a sneak peak. The biggest news for this change is that there are now going to be a total of six AP´s, which seems rediculous, but actaully makes sense. Two of them are going to be in Belize, and will work with the different zones there to try and help them out some more. Its good because the whole country of Belize doesn´t get much follow up or support. They are basically on their own. And guess who the two new AP´s in Belize are...... well you don´t know one of them but the other is ELDER S!!!! I just about shouted for joy when I heard that. He is going to do great. He is obedient and a hard worker, just what they need. What that does mean is that normally now we won´t be flying to Belize for multizones, but we will be going for one last time for thanksgiving. Super happy about that. 

    Right now seems surreal. Elder R and Elder R are both going home. which means that I will now be the oldest missionary in the mission. I wan to make the most of my last change. talk to more people, teach more lessons, and learn much more! I am going to live it to the max! sounds like you guys are as well. Have a good week and I look forward to hearing from all of you soon! love you guys! 

Elder Schriever

Changes

Well this week is changes week so I don`t have enough time to write, we have lots of stuff to do. I just wanted to let you know that I am alive and will hopefully write you guys another day. Love you all! 

Elder Schriever

October 20th

Well family all is good in the neighborhood, 

     We just finished up a pretty crazy week! we had several baptisms of K, M, and J were all baptized. It was a little stressful making sure everything was okay, we had the plug stop break on us, a baptismal clothes mix up fiasco, Elder R had to baptize M four times. But at the end everyone was happy, and baptized. We had a really amazing story happen with M. Her husband died a little over a year ago from complications from diabetes, and so she has had a hard time. She didn`t have any food for her four children. So after we did the baptismal interview she prayed and asked "If this is the true church, and Joseph Smith was a true prophet, please let me know by giving my children something to eat." About fifteen minutes later someone stopped by her house and gave her a pizza. Now I don`t know the whole story, but I do know that where she lives is not the place where people would be walking around handing out pizzas. God loves his children and he helps them according to their needs and their faith. She is a remarkable woman. 

     Another cool experience from this week was with a guy we met named R. An former branch president works with R and has been sharing the gospel with him for over the past two years. He was big into his church before, and was a leader of a group of over 80,000 people. But due to some family issues he has been a little distanced from his church. Seven years ago his mother passed away. When he found out that it was possible for him to be sealed to his mother, It`s what has opened the door for him to learn more. He told us in the first five minutes that we met him. I know your church is the true church of God, and I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He is going to get baptized on November 2nd. I know that the Spirit of Elijah is present not only in family history work but also in missionary work. 

    We are right now planning the tour of the temple. Its gonna be crazy, there is lots to do, but it should be fun. I will probably be the one who directs the meeting and starts the presentation. Last time there were over a thousand people that came over the course of the day. I just hope everything turns out well. This week is the last full week of changes. Which means that we need to clean the house, and get things ready for when the new missionaries come, and for when we move people from and to Belize. It is going to be a busy week as usual. Well thats it for now I hope you all have a good week and i`ll talk to you soon! 

Elder Schriever

October 13

Another great week come and gone! 

    This week was pretty crazy, we had lots of stuff to do and not much time to do it. But thats nothing new. We were really busy for the last few days preparing the wedding for the M and A. Which was one of the highlights of the week. Along with other things that I will tell you guys later in the email. 

    I was super glad to hear that you are all doing well, sounds like everyone is busy making lots of trips to Provo and Arizona. Staying busy with school and having fun. Our house is getting pretty baggy. Elder R and Elder R go home at the end of the change which is in a little over two weeks, They are both starting to feel it. Elder C and I finish the change after. So we are all basically in the same baggy boat. It doesn´t help that we are playing Christmas music already, I say if Walmart has Christmas decorations up we are allowed to listen to it. 

    It was a great week for the misson work here in our area. We had the marriage and baptism of M and A on Saturday and Sunday. At the end it was awesome but it was stressful planning everything. We had the time change about three times, changed lawyers once, and almost ripped out my hair for most of Friday. But we got everything ready and we had the support of some great members who helped us decorate, be witnesses, and just came to support. After being so stressed it was hard to relax and enjoy the baptism, but as M was standing in the baptismal font, while his wife watching from the stairs. It just hit me, an overwhelming sense of happiness and joy, knowing that they had made the right decesion and that heavenly father is happy which them right now. It´s what missionaries live for, and it was a great day, even if it started out stressful. 

    On Saturday morning we had a visit with K who we have been working with for a little over a month now. She knew that the church was true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that she wanted and needed to be baptized. But for some reason she wouldn´t accept a date for her baptism. We were wondering what to do. But this saturday she told us "Elders I made my decision, can I get baptized on a Saturday?" We were super happy and said yes. She asked "is it okay if its this next saturday?" and we almost lost it. So she is going to get baptized on the 18th. on the 19th we are going to baptize a woman and her daughter that just came on their own to conference. They have a ton of faith and are loving church.  So basically we are super excited right now about how things are going. We just need to find some new investigators so that we can have investigators in November. Right now we don´t have anyone else. 

     I got to do some interchanges this week and I got to be with some great missionaries. I learned from one of them about the importance of being specific in prayers we got down on our knees to pray at the end of the day, and he asked for blessings in about every way possible for what we had done that day, for the reading assignments we had left, and for all of the people we have talked to. This missionary is super obedient and you can tell he has a great releationship with Heavenly Father. I am going to try working on that this week having more meaningful prayers, and trying to involve Him in every aspect of my day. I think that will make everything a lot easier. That elder inspired me. Well everyone I hope that you all have a great week, thats it for now! love you all!

Elder Schriever

October 6th!

   Well family today has been a very baggy day, this morning the travel secretary gave me a nice phone call asking which airport I want to return to. I think that he will be buying my plane ticket in the next few days... I couldn`t believe it. I don`t even feel like its that close, but he and the calender tell me otherwise. Changes week was insane. We had to worry about four groups, we had the news coming in, the old guys going out, the elders coming from belize to el Salvador, and those going from El Slavador to Belize. From Monday to Thursday we had between 15 to 25 Elders in our house at one time. They all had things that they wanted, their last pupusas, more toilet paper, water. We had spent all saturday night cleaning the house, we were up until around 2 in the morning scrubbing, mopping, and sweeping everything up. and now they left it worse than when we started. I think I unclogged about four different toilets. It was rediculous. next time we are going to ration out the TP and only hand them 10 squares when they get to the house. But the new missionaries were really cool, they were all excited to be in the mission and were really happy. 

     We also found a Smashburger about three blocks from our house. Its the only one in El Salvador and it is AMAZING. I had forgotten how much I love sweet potatoe fries. best hamburger I have had in two years. when they first brought out the burgers my companions were dissapointed because it looked small but once they took a bite they were convinced. It tasted so real. I was was worried because I had told them all that it was really good, and that it was worth the price. I am glad Smashburger didn`t let me down.

     General Conference was awesome! It was so different than most of the ones I have seen. They focused more on having a direction in life, and working hard to meet goals. Thats what I got out of it anyways. i realized that I need to set higher goals and work harder to meet them. I want to learn a third language, get good at guitar, minor in spanish ect... basically I am going to set higher goals and try to make more of my life. They also mentioned lots about following the prophet, and supporting our church leaders. It was interesting. I liked the new addition of having the general authorities speak in their native language. mostly because there are lots of them who speak spanish! I really liked Elder Cook`s talk from the Priesthood session about how our daily life should reflect our life goals. I definatly need to make some changes. but thats what it is all about.

     The Romero family (Moses and Angela) are going to get married on October 11th, and baptized on the 12th. They are just an awesome family! they told us this week that when we met them they were about to seperate. But now they are excited to be an eternal family. They are great. We showed karen jerez the Joseph Smith video and I think it clicked a little bit mroe. She says that she believes he was a prophet and that she needs to get baptized. But she is still missing something. Its starting to puzzle me a little bit. But we`ll keep working there. 

    it was so good to hear from all of you this week. I was bummed to hear BYU lost to Utah State. President Hintze graduated from Utah so he gave us all a hard time. next year... I love you all and look forward to hearing from you soon! have a great week! 

Elder Schriever