October 28, 2013 - Two baptisms last weekend :)

Hey Mom!  I had a fantastic weekend with two of my brothers in the Lord taking the covenant of baptism upon them!  I baptized J on Friday night, and last night I witnessed R's baptism.  They are truly special sons of God and I look forward to the friendship that will continue to grow throughout our lives.

In College Park, we received word that some of the baptism's that didn't happen a few weeks ago, probably will happen in the near future.  We have been talking to them, and they just needed some more time.  Pray for E, E, and F to have the Holy Spirit touch their hearts and for them to listen to it.  Also, we picked up a really cool new investigator named K and his daughter D.  They really want to read the Book of Mormon and come to church.  Pray for them as well!  K's wife and other daughter will be new investigator's this week, so pray for them too please!

Elder Giles and I are doing well, tryin to get our wheels churnin and movin.  I've discovered that on a mission, you are more successful the faster you can get mobilized and get communication with the ward and just hit the pavement hard.  So that's what we're trying to do.  

We had zone activity today, we called it "chili-ing" out.  We had homemade chili courtesy of Elder Treasure and just chilled.  It was fun. 

Well I love you and I love Halloween!  Hope it's really really really fun and you get to scare lot's of people! LOVE YOU TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE! closer to the edge, Elder Schoemig

October 21, 2013 - New P-Day: Mondays!

Hey Mom!  Thanks for good email update about the family, not much to report here, other than I'm still off my feet and not doing much.  It's been a hard time for me.  I can't wait to see the doctor this Thursday and see if I am good to go.  It's just difficult to not work, haha a few years ago I probably would've never said that.  But I have really learned what Grandma says is true, "A little hard work never hurt anybody."  I have come to love the hard work.  It's really the only satisfaction that you get in life, knowing that you worked hard and you saw something great come to pass.

Well, we are gonna do some stuff this week to inspire ourselves and help to lead the zone.  Being a zone leader is weird, I've got to learn to have a little bit of a different mindset.  It'll come soon.

J and R in Gaithersburg are getting baptized this week, I'm so excited for that!  I can't wait to go to them.

Bryan Kehl, former BYU linebacker who now plays for the Redskins, spoke at the Visitor Center last night.  His wife did too.  They are great, and it is refreshing to see a successful professional athlete and his wife with such great testimonies.

Well I love you to the edge of the UNIVERSE!!! to the edge Elder Schoemig

October 16, 2013 - Zone leader and new transfer and companion

Goooood Mormon! How are you Mom?  I haven't been up and about recently.  Last Friday I went to the podiatrist and he said that he didn't like the way one of my toes was looking from the surgery two Mondays ago, so I've been pretty much bummin around the apartment, except when I have activites that I JUST HAVE to be there for, which turns out there are more of those than you think.  Anyway I've been trying my best to keep off the feetsies and use the medication well so I think they're looking good but what I think may not be what's right so we'll see tomorrow morning how far I've come. 

In other and more happy/sad (weird that those words are next to each other) news, I've been transferred :(  So that's the sad part.  I love love love Gaithersburg 1 ward and will miss it terribly.  I developed fantastic friendships with the members and investigators there.  I will especially miss J, but I'm glad he's gonna be baptized soon.  Also I will miss R, but he's gonna be baptized soon too.  But here's the good news... I've been transferred, and I'm now a Zone Leader (oooooohhhh the claaaawwww) in the College Park ward which means that I will see all my ASL branch friends every Sunday whoo whoo!  My companion is Elder G, who's a pretty cool kid from Idaho.  I'm really looking forward to working with him and the ward to build up the Kingdom in this area.  My prediction?  This is my last area on my mission. 

It was really hard to see this group of missionaries go home this morning.  I think the hardest yet, besides President and Sister Matsumori.  I've been really good friends with many of them and it's gonna be different without them.  From here on out each transfer I will lose really really good close friends until it's my own time.  I would say I would lose myself but that would be sad to finally lose yourself at the end of your mission.  Hopefully I've already lost myself, because that means I'm totally focused on the work right?  I think that's what that means. 

Anyway, I'm just rambling now, so I better go.  I love you and stay classical!  TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE!  to the edge, Elder Schoemig

Missionaries at the mission home for Family Home Evening

                                  Elder Brimhall and Elder Schoemig giving the instruction on the game.

                                 Missionaries, investigators and others - songs

                                   Playing the game.  Looks like fun to me.

Mom's note:  You can read more about the Washington D.C. North mission at http://calledtoserveindcnorth.blogspot.com/

October 9, 2013 - Faith is an expression of agency.

Greetings Mother from this side of the country!  Things are ummm, interesting, here in DC lately but the road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began.  I love that the Standard of Truth has been erected and that 183 General Conferences later, we are still standing on the truth that makes us strong.  We are a peculiar people we Latter Day Saints, but we are as the heroes of old, we do not doubt that God will deliver us and we know in whom we have trusted.  My favorite two talks were President Uchtdorf's Saturday morning talk and Elder Hollands talk.  President Uchtdorf's I have decided to make my "battle cry" for the rest of my mission, and maybe for the rest of my life.  Elder Hollands talk will be important for me to study so that I can fulfill my divine callings.  All the talks were amazing.  One weird theme that I noticed was... windows.  Lots of talks included windows in them... maybe the Lord is telling us to pay attention to receiving inspiration, for as a window let's in light, we must to be able to let in the Spirit.  Clean your windows, open the curtains, buy new windows if you have to, but feel the light of the Lord on your face and know that He is God.

To Codie, happy birthday this week!  Hope it's a good one brother!

Temple today was very good, as always.  I understand now that even when Satan tells us to do something that may not be "wrong" it is still wrong but Satan is telling us to do it.  Don't listen to Satan.  He tells truth after truth after truth just to fit in the one little lie at the end and he wants to see you crushed and dead dead dead.  Listen to God, for He loves you and he has a gift of eternity to give you, life.  

Really good quote this week from my ward mission leader, "Faith is an expression of agency."

J's baptismal date has moved from the 26th to the 25th so we're still excited for that.  He loved Conference, especially Edward Dube because he loved the part about not looking back.  He is looking forward with so much faith and we're all so excited.  R is still on for the 2nd, so we're pumped for that too!  He has read all of 1 Nephi now and all he needs to do is hear it, then he'll believe it and keep moving forward.  We have so much good things going on in this area right now, we have C and M who actually went to the Church building this past Sunday and no one was there!  So that was sad but cool too!  Fall has brought an abundance of miracles.  We were going through a summer drought but the hard work the Lord wanted paid off and now we're rolling.  

Wellllll, I LOVE YOU BIG AS THE UNIVERSE! to the edge! Elder Schoemig

Washington D.C. Temple at sunrise

Elder Schoemig took this picture last week at sunrise, isn't this gorgeous?

October 2, 2013 - Facebook miracle and last General Conference as missionary this weekend!

WEEEE OOOOO WEEEE OOOOO WEEEE OOOOO!!! This is a Washington DC North Mission Miracle Alert coming at you from Gaithersburg 1st ward.  After befriending an awesome guy by the name of R, he reached out to Elder Schoemig on Facebook and mentioned he wanted to take the lessons!  So after setting up a time and date on October 1st, 2013, Elder Schoemig and his companion, Elder B, prayed, thought about, and prepared a lesson for R.  The lesson was fantastic!  It resulted in one soul taking a step closer to Christ by accepting a baptismal date for November 2nd!  Throughout the lesson, R kept commenting, "I guess I'm going to have to read the Book," to which Elder Schoemig would reply, "Yep you gotta read the Book."  Concerning the lesson Elder Brimhall remarked, "I felt the Spirit so strongly, throughout the entire lesson but at two points in particular.  One when R was saying something, and another when [Elder Schoemig] extended the baptismal invitation and date.  There was no way he was going to say no."  What a miracle ladies and gentlemen, and how great the mercy of our God and King for allowing these two servants to take part in it.  Many more mighty miracles may multiply as more Men make the move to their Maker.  Stand by and be on high alert as the Lord proceeds to do His marvelous work and wonder among the children of Men.

Yeah.... so that was awesome.  

 

In other news, J is still on date of the 26th!  We're excited about that and he is too still.  He got invited to a dillion people's houses to watch General Conference.  Last week we almost had a crisis but we averted it on account of the Lord being so good to us.  

Biggest and most heartfelt congratulations to all the black belt testers this past week!  Especially to my little bro, Chandler Schoemig, for "beating" his older brother and becoming the "first of him."  Congrats!  Now I can call him teacher instead of the other way around!  Cool!

 

Well I've been so excited for General Conference I just don't have any more words for it!  I'll put in my email what I put on Facebook just so anyone who didn't see it can have a chance to hear my testimony.

"I love General Conference! The Prophets and Apostles and other speakers speak the words of Christ. "And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them

 unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.
And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will  show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.
And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day." 2 Nephi 33:10-12

Go to General Conference. Watch with open eyes and listen with open ears. Your understanding and faith will increase. Your joy and peace will deepen. I love Conference!" (I don't know if it's against a copyright to repost what I put on Facebook but I imagine since it's my own stuff I should be ok right?)

 

Mom, you didn't make me tooooo trunky.  Just a little trunky, but that's ok.  It's outta my mind and I'm refocused on baptizing souls so they can receive the Holy Ghost.  Hey that kinda rhymes if you say it in a rhythmic fashion.  This is for Jenny, "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier."  Saying souls just made me think of that.  

Wellllll, gotta go now!  Super long email this week mom but I sure enjoyed it!  I LOVE YOU TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE! to the edge, Elder Schoemig