No march madness for me, just serving the lord

Well last week I didn't give you a report, im sorry about that. But things have been going really good. Elder Babcock got and Iron gym and he loves it! He's been getting huge and it makes him happy which makes our companionship happy, plus this california sunshine has been pretty sweet as well! This week wasn't the best of weeks, a couple people that were close to being baptised stopped meeting with us and no one came to church haha and then yesterday i lost the keys to the car, looks like we'll be walking a lot! good news though, i got a haircut and i wasn't going to tell you all but i have been using some hair regrowth stuff and its working well, im getting thicker healthier looking hair (wait am I on a comercial) so thats good for self confidence. THis monday we had a zone activity because are zone wasn't very unified i guess, so we went to play ultimate frisbee instead of basketball but because of the wind we couldnt play haha so we found some random stuff to do it was good to get outside and run around, Except I rolled my ankle, but the work will continue to go forth. Now that i got out all of the negatives I guess we could talk about the good things that have happened. Yesterday we had a really good lesson with a family in the ward, they had five girls in town for spring break from SUU and so we had like fifteen people at the lesson, which made it really fun to teach. We have been able to find some new people to teach which have made it good, it seems like besides Tony the only people we meet with are teenagers, I dont know if thats who i relate to the best or what but pretty much everyone we teach is going to high schol or college it seems. The other day we saw the after math of a pretty bad accident, a car had driven straight into the fire hydrant and water was spraying up in their just like the movies it brings back the realness of how quick something can happen. Ok so i was reading the story of David and Goliath and what a good story like i always new the basics but there were certain events that had never stuck out to me before. What faith that man (boy) had, so much that it wasn't really faith it was a knowledge. I love stories liek that, THere are so many people in the scripures who have similar stories of when they are tested and come through. Its so motivating for me as a missionary to read those stories and to apply them to my life. Im so excited for what the future holds. Im so grateful for the support you all show to me, i thik i get the most mail out of any missionary in the mission, Its so good to have that support. Thanks for being my family and friends I love you all.

Elder schallenberger

California Lovin

Hmm weeks go by so quick on the mission it seems one day is Pday and the next is sunday. THis week was good we were able to make a lot of progress. We did a lot of service shoveling and moving and getting rid of branches etc which is fun its always good to help people a lot and of course lots of lessons. The weather has been really good a few rain showers one day but no 8.8 earthquakes or tsunami warnings so we're good. Im waiting for that earthquake to hit here, I think serving a mission on an island would be fun. Maybe Id get lucky enough to have to ocean in one of my areas! ha thats not funny. Well As for missionary work it keeps progressing. I got some good letters last week of support that really helped out. One of my old companions wrote me, and I dont think he'll mind me sharing this but he said that he had been off of his medication for 2 months and had never been happier on his mission and thanked me for teaching him how to love himself and how to be secure and as for me that pretty much made my mission worth it right there I miss him a lot but know that he is doing work and seeing the lord bless him in his life. I try to think of huge miraculous experiences that have happened lately and there are just so many little times that I am blessed each day. I mean really a mission is a miracle! There is no denying the blessing ive received. Today we had some basketball and it was really fun. Elder Boswell got transferred up to Riverside, he's 6'9" and redshirted at BYU so basketball is better than ever. We have such fun every day. I started to learn the ukelele and its been fun. Its pretty similar to the guitar just the chords are in different places. Ill have a one man band here shortly. Hmmm Im just doing great, crazy that Ive been out this long yet so exciting that I have so much more to go. Well Thanks again for all my support. I truly do love you all and am grateful for the support system I have. Love ya

Elder Schallenberger

a new transfer, a new begining

Thats a good subject dont you think? My week was pretty normal appointments, tracting, finding, serving! We did a lot of service it seems and so that has been a lot of fun. Im in Ward choir and thats been a lot of fun to our song this sunday was really good, back to the old days haha but the wether has been amazing, i dont know what the temp is but its like summers in MT, perfect! We went and helped a guy in the ward feed horses and his pig and it was so fun (mainly the pig) he played us a song on guitar that dad would love so i recorded it and am sending it you way dad, every monday im dedicating an hour to learning bar chords on the guitar so that i can rock a lot more songs in the hymnl and primary book, my fingers are super sore haha I sound like the old lady on Happy Gilmore. But yeah it feels like summer even though we still have a while, im going to start growing an orange tree, hopefuly by the end of mission it will be big enough to actually see haha probaby not the strongest thing to grow since they take forever. But ill probably never get to again. ANyways Im a missionary so ill give you some tidbits about that, we've had a lot of luck lately with new people coming to us which is always exciting. Transfers was this week but nothing happened with me and my comp and our zone didnt really change much either but 70 percent of the mission got transferred haha thats cool! TIme flies so fast ya know? O you dont? well mom it seems like just a month or so ago i was at home! haha but yeah Keep on keepin on and make sure you all have some goals that you are stiriving to achieve cause if you dont have goals then what do you have to look forward to? If you fail to set goals, you set goals to fail... or something like that. i love you all thatnks for all the support, Love

Elder schallenberger

Well... Happy Valentines?

Hey first off this is one of the pics from Alberts baptism. This week I was able to confer the Aaronic priesthood on Albert it was super spiritual and just awesome. My valentines was good we had fun Albert, Elder Babcock and I went to dinner at the Fransisco's. Brother Fransisco is a fiddler at Disney Land and he put on a show for us that was really funny hes definetly an entertainer and man can he fiddle, i could see dad hootin and hollerin when he was playin some licks haha this week Elder Babcock pinched a nerve in his back so he was down and out for basically two days which was a bummer but i was able to do a lot of service and a lot of reading haha but hes feeling better so thats good. We have been helping out Tony cleaning up his yard and he has jsut been the biggest blessing to not only teach but he is a good person to learn from. There is a video called small and simple things part 1 on youtube, i have it burned on a dvd and show it every once in a while and i played it this morning at a district meeting and started balling (crying not playing basketball haha) because i realized how much the Book of Mormon has answered the yearning questions of the soul that I have had and how the church has blessed me so much. I am literrally so greatful for the principles I have been able to have been taught over the years. It has brought so much peace into my life and such a sense of security that i know is missing in a lot of families. I am grateful for the parents I have and the family and friends i have well. Seriously Ive never met anyone who is as loved as me and Im so grateful for it! I must have bben doing something right before I came to the earth ha well my dear friends keep the faith and know that you are in my prayers. THat i do think about you and i do want the best for you. Remember that whatever we're going through has been felt by our savior and that through him we can find comfort. I love you all

Elder schallenberger