January 30, 2013

Hey Mom! Yes it did snow around here and was down in the teens in terms of temperature for a while but the past few days it's been in the high 60's! It's weird weather we're having, and I'm sad I'm missing all the good snow in Utah :( But today because of the nice weather we went down to the beach and looked for shells and sharks teeth. It was fun and spent a couple hours combing the beach. It made me reflect on the story Grandma Jarvis sent about how she was beach-combing too. I've come up with a parable as well:

There once were two men walking along a beach. They were looking for treasure's, specifically shark's teeth. They looked and looked and looked but didn't find any until at last one of them found one. "Oh now I know what it looks like so it'll be easier to spot!" said he, but they continued to look and look and look but didn't find any more. "If only there were someone who knew what shark's teeth looked like that could help us," one of the men remarked. "Well we just have to trust in what we've been taught in how to find them," said the other. Along their way however they saw different treasures, not shark's teeth but other things that were just as cool and meant just as much. A couple shells here and there, a pretty rock or a really old penny. These things may not have been shark's teeth but were treasure's nonetheless and held value to those two who found them. They had gone out and searched and tried their best and at the end of the day, both were happy.

 

That's my parable of the Two Men and the Shark's Teeth. I hope Grandma Jarvis likes it :) Anyway this past week has been pretty good, we got a new investigator named Sharon who really wants to start coming to church and reading the Book of Mormon. She's a former investigator and so she's had the lessons before but I can tell she's confused about some things still. We're chugging along! The other day we did A LOT of walking around because we are low on miles but it was tons of fun to talk to people and do tons of tracting. But made me very tired haha.

 

LOVE you to the END of the UNIVERSE and as always TO THE EDGE!

Elder Schoemig

Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Quentin L. Cook

January 23, 2013 - Elder Schoemig got to meet two apostles and two senators today!

Hey Mom you'll never believe who I met today!  One guy in our ward, Brother P, works for Senator Murkowski's office from Alaska and he set up a Capitol building tour.  We were to meet in one of the Senate office buildings, the Hart building, and so we got there about an hour early.  We ran into Brother P and he said to follow him.  We went down to Senator Orrin Hatch's office and we just missed them going into a meeting.  But the desk people told us to stick around for a half hour and that's when they'd be done, so we did.  What I'm not telling you is who Senator Hatch had a meeting with.  That'll come later  hehe anyway so we're sitting in the Senator's office when Senator Mike Lee comes out!  We shake his hand and await the real prize  (is the suspense building?)  Next out is who we've been waiting for.... Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Quentin L. Cook!  And Senator Hatch of course come out.  But it was crazy awesome!  We got to personally meet two of the 12 Apostles in the Senate office building!  Talk about where the true power lies haha.  Well rack Elder Perry up on GA's I've met.  4 down, 8 to go.  That alone made the trip well worth it.  We then proceeded to take a tour of the prestigious Capitol building and see cool old rooms and paintings and see a statue of Brigham Young.  It was way cool.  Quite the day I would say.

Anyway in regards to the work I am doing, this week is set up to be our most lesson filled week yet!  We have been calling less actives and part-members and tracting and talking to people.  It goes along with what Elder Perry told me this morning, "Don't stop til you've got 20 lessons!"  and that's what we plan to do!  

It has a taken a sharp dive temperature wise.  I am fully appreciative of the warm coat and gloves that I have.  Though we haven't had any snow soon I expect it won't be long.  

I thoroughly enjoy my studies, and I even more thoroughly enjoy talking about what I learn in my studies.  Elder L and I have good talks about the Gospel.  Recently we talked about Kolob.  That was at night and not the subject of my morning studies but we are both so fascinated with the stars so it had to come up haha.

The news from home is great!  Sad to hear about Dr. Davis, he is one of my hero's.  I will pray for him.  Glad to hear that people are getting to be less sick.  Good to hear of ol' Lone Peak beatin people on the head.  Very glad to hear I'll be receiving a package soon.  So will you!  One will be in a box and the other is a flat.  The flat is especially for you Mom and all the other belated Christmas gifts are in the box.  They said should get there next Wednesday.  Love you to the edge of the universe!

Januray 16, 2013 - The fearsome missionary! Thanks to Tae Kwon Do. :)

Hey Mom, thanks for the great advice. I think you were the best Mom
and in the world and there's no changing my mind so don't even try.
It's not that cold here, mostly in the 30's and 40's with lots of fog
and rain. Makes for a mysterious atmosphere. I feel like there
should be zombies and werewolves and vampires jumping out of the trees
but so far we haven't seen any so that is good. The news from home is
much appreciated as always and I got your letter about the Piano Guys
and I've got some news for you. I already bought the CD! It was at
the LDS bookstore near the temple and I got it. However if you could
somehow find a way to get their new stuff like the Lord of the Rings
song to me that would be the coolest.

The work is going great! We had the Browns at church and are working
on giving them the new member lessons and integrating them into the
ward. They are awesome. We have an appointment with Deon, the one
kid I told you about before, tonight and hope to get him reading and
praying and stuff. We try to do some tracting everyday to hopefully
find someone new to teach. It is different tracting out here in the
country. We gotta little farther walk sometimes. But most everyone
is really nice even if they're not interested.

I love the Chesapeake Bay. It is fun to look at and to imagine what
it would be like to sail a boat on those waters.

Elder L and I have fun talking about lots of different things.
He's shy normally but will open up around me when there's not too many
others around. I'm trying to get him to be more open and give me more
input both in planning and in lessons.

I'm sorry I still have not yet sent that package. I found out where
the UPS store is so I just need to find a time to be there and send it
off.

I love reading from the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel everyday.
Some days when I miss I can really feel it. But I like to study and
wish I had more time for it.

Today was our zone activity where we did padded sword fighting. I was
the most fearsome on the field and everybody was scared of me. I owe
that to my TKD skillz and doing that for many years.

LOVE you as BIG as the UNIVERSE! _Elder Schoemig

S and K on their baptism day

Elder Schoemig with K, S and Elder M

January 9, 2012 - S and K :)

Hey Mom! That family we had an appointment with last Saturday but they had to cancel but we at least gave them more Book of Mormon's and a Restoration DVD. We will head back over there tonight to recheck on them and hopefully teach. We are doing work with the ward and trying to improve that aspect of missionary work, to work with the ward to coordinate lessons and things for less actives, recent converts, and investigators. We are having success with a few of the people on the ward list to reactivate them and teach them the lessons. One guy is Tom and the other is Rich. Pray for their continued progression.

We have lots of service lined up and we are hoping that through the service we can then be able to come back and have a lesson on finding people to teach the Gospel.

The biggest news is that the baptism was amazing! I got to baptize Seth and Elder Miyasaki came down from DC with President Matsumori and he baptized Kevin. It was a great to see them all dressed in white after working with them. This area has been so good to me, I have had the blessing of seeing and being a part of 6 baptisms in this area and I'm working to get more people to feel God's love for them.

 

"There can be miracles when you believe. Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill. Who knows what miracles, you can achieve. When you believe somehow you will. You will when you believe." I just thought I might share that line from that song. Good song, right?

I love you Mom and I hope all goes as well with you as it goes with me and that the Spirit be always abundantly poured out upon our family and friends. Love you TO THE EDGE of the UNVERSE! Elder Schoemig

January 2, 2013 - Spirit promptings

Happy New Year!  2012 is old news now and 2013 now rules the year.  I am reporting this day with a new companion!  Elder M left me for the streets of DC and Elder L from Blanding, Utah has taken his place.   Elder L is a really cool guy and we share some musical interests so that is good.  We are gonna have a great transfer and have tons of fun while also killing it in missionary work!  Thanks for the updates and stuff on all the kids and what's happening in their lives, I always love to hear those.  Give them my love and encouragement to keep trying their best!

I'm so glad we have health insurance now!  I've been doing ok without it, but I'm glad everyone can now go get checked out and make sure you're all ok.  

I'm sad Elder M left, we had a lot of fun together and really got along.  He's one of my favorite missionaries.  We had a good time together and managed to accomplish a lot despite being held up by sickness and the craziness of the Holidays.  Yesterday we had a fantastic day, we picked up a new family of investigators totaling about 9 people!  It was quite the miracle that it came to be.  We were outside a recent converts house making an appointment with the people who live across the hall from him in the apartment complex when we turned around and a man was coming up the steps.  I felt really prompted to talk to him.  It was a powerful impression.  I kinda explained what we as missionaries do then asked him if he knew anyone who needed our message.  He said his family did, so we set up an appointment for yesterday at 2.  We went over and knocked on the door.  They answered and let us in.  At first it was kinda awkward with mom and dad, they seemed like they didn't really want us over there.  But we sat down with the man who turned out to be a boy, he's 18, his name is D.  We got into our lesson with him and the Spirit was gently leading us to talk with him.  He said a lot of cool things about how he before was very religious and he was looking to get back to that.  On the second point, "The Gospel Blesses Families", mom jumped in and told us how impressed she was by us and how she would love to have us over to have a lesson with the WHOLE family.  She was talking about lots of stuff that I just couldn't help but think, "This family would make excellent Mormons!"  because everything she said was in line with what we believe.  It was really cool and we set up a return appointment that Elder L and I will go to this Saturday.  I can see this whole family getting baptized.  Their last name is G.  It's funny because our last recent converts are the B.  We are just gonna baptize all of the colors down here in Calvert hahahahaha.  

We are excited with K and S's baptism this Sunday!  They are fantastic and made it back home from Pennsylvania yesterday so Elder M got to say goodbye.  They are doing great and we just gotta keep on taking care of them.  

Our new ward mission plan was unveiled this past Sunday by our ward mission leader, Brother S.  It is truly an inspired plan and I can't wait to help the members get into it.  It was really cool when all the priesthood and auxiliary presidents testified about how much Brother S has been led by the Spirit for this plan and how much he's done to get this together.  I love Brother S he does a fantastic job.  

Anyway I look forward to this weekend and seeing some very good friends go into the waters of baptism!  Love you as big as the universe Mom!  To the edge, Elder Schoemig