January 24, 2011

Here is what has been happening with me (summarized).  This past week has been full of miracles,  We have been teaching Alejandro for a while now and he finally excepted a baptismal date last night.  He will be baptized the 6th of Feb. if everything goes well. 
We also stopped at one of the members houses to say hi and it turned out that she really needed some comforting because her mom (who lives in Mexico) just had a stroke.  Sister McCollough was able to share the perfect scripture with her and when we left we all felt better. 
Oh, By the way...  I meet President Uchtdorf and his wife yesterday.  hahaha, I am NOT kidding.  The Visitor Center Director's didn't tell us that they would be coming in until a few hours before they arrived.  I talked with him and his wife for a little while.  When he read my name he said, "Schumacher, that is a strong German name", and his wife came up to me and gave me a hug.  Elder Mcdonald (visitor center director) spoke with me after and said, "Funny thing sister Schumacher, every time Elder Uchtdorf saw you he always stopped to speak with you."  WOW!
haha, it is so crazy.  I never expected to meet a member of the First Presidency while on the Mission.  It has been quite a month.

New message From Sister Schumacher!

01/03/2011

dear blog lovers =]

You are wonderful. haha.  So, being a missionary is not an easy task.  It isn't just giving tours around the Visitor's center or knocking on people's doors asking if they want to be baptized.  That really isn't it at all.  To do the work correctly, your heart has to be in it.  Now, when some of you asked me why I was serving a mission I said it was for me.  That is true.  I knew that serving a mission would make me work harder then ever before for something that makes my whole life up.  In school some knew me to be the religious one and some of you have seen me in my most shameful state.  Those experiences have built me and changed me but the mission is a new and life change experience of it's own.  We have people that don't give us the time of day, that slam the door in your face and yell at you.  Do I get mad? nope, I feel really sad because I know they aren't happy and they wont let me help them.  We have had a few people that feel that this is true and we have had wonderful experiences with and then they decided that they don't want to learn anymore... this one happen right before Christmas and it was really hard for me. 

But then, we have those amazing individuals that are so ready to make this step and to change their lives.  They really are miracles from God... one such as this is Monica, she called us and asked us to get her ready for Baptism! haha. Monica and her daughter Stephanie were the first 2 baptizms for the California Los Angeles Mission of 2011!!!!! My companion and I have been working hard and making goals for this month hoping and praying that he will continue blessing us with work and people who are ready to here this important message.

Mom, Dad, God knew what he was doing when he assigned me to you because so much of what I use to survive comes from how you taught me and loved me.  My friends back home, I miss you so much and I have also learned tons from you! For example, Emily... I cut up a pizza with scrapbooking scissors today, hahahaha (my companion was impressed by how well it worked)!

Thank you to the Mommy & Daddy, Lubianca & Jaye, Grandparents Cluff <3, Dmitri & Jenna, Aina family, Barrera Familia, Samalamadingdong, Emily, Mary Ellen, Stake Presidency (Pres.Volk!), and everyone else that I forgot to write out here (oops, still love you tons! keep writing!!!!) for the holiday love and joy.  If I didn't have support from home this would be so much harder to do, but Heavenly Father realizes that I need you.

Btw, I think I make some people a little nervous with how daring I can be about somethings. hahahaha.  I think it's that east coast girl in me <3

12/21/2010

Mission- We have a family we are teaching and they are really cute.  We are really trying to get them to church but it has been pretty hard.  We have an investigator named Monica who is getting baptized on Jan. 1, She is really amazing and we are teaching and preparing her 10 year old daughter for Baptism as well.  My companion Sister McCollough and I are trying to find more people to teach and strengthen the members in the Ward.  There are some really amazing and strong people out here, it reminds me a lot of the branch and how thankful I am for my little band of saints back home.  I talk about my family a LOT to everyone, haha.  It really is amazing how Heavenly Father just knows who to put in your life to make you progress the most and to make you the best you possible (he is working pretty hard on me, he gave me you guys! =P) The visitor's center is really amazing!  The senior couples here are the best and the other visitor center sister really try to help each other out and making things work the way that there suppose to. I miss you all and think of you often but I'm so excited to do the work! It really is super gratifying when you receive a prompting from the spirit and you follow it.  Some of the conversations I've had with people are incredible.  I actually meet one 16 year old boy on my flight out to LA, he sat next to me on the plane.  He flies back and forth from LA to Salt Lake because he is in a rehab program.  He really wants to do well for himself and I was able to talk to him about an amazing person I know back home who has had similar trails.  It really boosted his self-esteem to hear about it.  At the end of that conversation I was able to give him a Book of Mormon.  I don't know if he has read it or anything but I gave him the best thing I could give to anyone.  I guess that is something that has really made me excited, Is knowing how really the Book of Mormon is and being able to share it.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and correct principles understood (by the heart) truly changes behavior and lives.

This is Gabi with some people from her Grandma Cluff's ward who are also serving a mission.  Gabi Promises more pics to come!