Called To Serve
Feb 8, 2016
SICK Week
As you
can see from the subject line....this week I was sick.
And I owe it all to riding public transportation in the dead of winter in the capital of Germany!
So yeah I caught myself a honker of a sinus infection and I was out for a solid day and a half...so that was a bummer:/ But hey I'm back in business!
This week has got me thinking a lot about the simple but profound truths that make up the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I try to teach these things at every opportunity, I practice teaching them in church and in district meetings, heck I even study how to teach them more effectively in a different language than my own... But even after all of that they still never cease to amaze me!
An example of one of these truths is prayer!
If you take a look at all of the progress that we as human beings have made... It is outstanding and a miracle in and of itself! We made the jump from riding horses to flying jet planes in a matter of a hundred years!
We can communicate across the globe almost instantly with the help of the internet and apps like Skype or FaceTime! That is amazing!
But that amazing achievement is dwarfed in accomplishment and in wonder, by a simple prayer!
With prayer we can communicate with our Father in Heaven, The most powerful and all knowing person in the entire universe! In any situation and in any circumstance we are able to simply communicate with Him. The signal never gets lost....the internet is never slow. That is a miracle!
In the Bible and in the Book of Mormon we read of people who are seeking to see miracles. What we learn through the gospel of Jesus Christ is that a miracle is only ever a prayer away. I'm so thankful that we have prayer, and that our Heavenly Father wants us to pray! He wants to hear from us because he loves us. I know that He does!
So, thank you for your prayers on my behalf and for writing me!
I hope you all have a great week!
Love Elder Schmalz
Feb 1, 2016
Sehr Lange zeit und kein Kontakt und Ich bin schuld...
I would
like to start off this email with some words of apology....
I'm sorry that I haven't emailed for a solid 3 maybe 4 weeks. I will
try to be better for the next 8 months!
Well I think in the last month a lot has happened....Including transfers!
I had the opportunity to stay here in Frankfurt Oder..
My new companions name is Elder Kilgrow, Elder Kilgrow is from San
Antonio Texas and is quite talented in playing a handful of musical
instruments and singing, so he will be doing that a lot here in
Frankfurt for our branch. He is about a year out on his mission and is super focused, capable,
and still has the excitement for missionary work, and for that I am exceedingly grateful!
Frankfurt Oder is a very interesting area. It is one of the smaller
congregations in our mission, with a whopping 8 members! So we are
really busting our butts trying to turn this area around. After 6
months of working here we are finally starting to to see some measurable success!
I am extremely thankful for my time that I am having here in Frankfurt
Oder! It is here where I am learning a lot about myself and even more
about my Savior and his work.
I'm really glad I'm having this period of time to learn and grow, because that means that the Lord hasn't given up on me yet:) He can still see my potential and He wants me to become better!
I know that it is through Jesus Christ our Savior that we can always
learn, grow, and find comfort.
Well on a more humorous note, we had something super random happen to
us this week....namely;
It was a Friday morning around 7:30..... I'm still rocking my PJs and
the bedhead when the door bell rang... And I in my blissful ignorance
(expecting a package from the German equivalent of the UPS man) buzzed
the person in, without first taking the time to talk and check.
I opened the door to sign for the package, to find not the UPS man but
rather two members of another worldwide church that also does door to
door tracting....... And their door approached sounded something like
this....(keep in mind I'm standing there with bedhead and pajamas)
They started with this:
"hello, are you one of the representatives of the Mormon church?"
And I answered with something like this....." Uuuuum yes?"
As you can probably guess our "super exhilarating" conversation then
took a turn for the worse....in the form of Bible bashing...or should
I say.....us telling them what we believe and then them arguing with
us.
And it ended with us not really agreeing and us bearing some hardcore
testimony. Now we are missing a restoration pamphlet and I didn't get
a package....but all in all I had a great day:)
Once again I'm sorry for not writing very regularly. I will try to do better.
Thank you for writing me and for the prayers.
Elder Schmalz
I'm sorry that I haven't emailed for a solid 3 maybe 4 weeks. I will
try to be better for the next 8 months!
Well I think in the last month a lot has happened....Including transfers!
I had the opportunity to stay here in Frankfurt Oder..
My new companions name is Elder Kilgrow, Elder Kilgrow is from San
Antonio Texas and is quite talented in playing a handful of musical
instruments and singing, so he will be doing that a lot here in
Frankfurt for our branch. He is about a year out on his mission and is super focused, capable,
and still has the excitement for missionary work, and for that I am exceedingly grateful!
Frankfurt Oder is a very interesting area. It is one of the smaller
congregations in our mission, with a whopping 8 members! So we are
really busting our butts trying to turn this area around. After 6
months of working here we are finally starting to to see some measurable success!
I am extremely thankful for my time that I am having here in Frankfurt
Oder! It is here where I am learning a lot about myself and even more
about my Savior and his work.
I'm really glad I'm having this period of time to learn and grow, because that means that the Lord hasn't given up on me yet:) He can still see my potential and He wants me to become better!
I know that it is through Jesus Christ our Savior that we can always
learn, grow, and find comfort.
Well on a more humorous note, we had something super random happen to
us this week....namely;
It was a Friday morning around 7:30..... I'm still rocking my PJs and
the bedhead when the door bell rang... And I in my blissful ignorance
(expecting a package from the German equivalent of the UPS man) buzzed
the person in, without first taking the time to talk and check.
I opened the door to sign for the package, to find not the UPS man but
rather two members of another worldwide church that also does door to
door tracting....... And their door approached sounded something like
this....(keep in mind I'm standing there with bedhead and pajamas)
They started with this:
"hello, are you one of the representatives of the Mormon church?"
And I answered with something like this....." Uuuuum yes?"
As you can probably guess our "super exhilarating" conversation then
took a turn for the worse....in the form of Bible bashing...or should
I say.....us telling them what we believe and then them arguing with
us.
And it ended with us not really agreeing and us bearing some hardcore
testimony. Now we are missing a restoration pamphlet and I didn't get
a package....but all in all I had a great day:)
Once again I'm sorry for not writing very regularly. I will try to do better.
Thank you for writing me and for the prayers.
Elder Schmalz
Jan 27, 2016
Jan 25, 2016
Jan 18, 2016
Jan 11, 2016
Happy Late New Year!
Hallo!
I'm
sorry that I missed the last two weeks worth of emailing, Its been a pretty
busy/crazy time here in Frankfurt Oder.
Luckily
we survived our slide into the new year even though there was military grade Polish fireworks being shot everywhere! We also participated in a mission wide
new years 5K.....I can tell you right now that although a lot of things have
changed about me while I've been on my mission, my desire to run is not one of
them.... So needless to say I didn't have very much fun at the mission
"fun" Run ;)
This
week I was able to go on exchange with one of my very good friends and past companions....Elder Fitch! We had a blast working here in Frankfurt and taught
some really cool lessons. I wanted to share with you a scripture that we
used in one of our lessons...
Its a
scripture that I have been thinking a lot about these past few weeks. D&C
50:40-42
40
Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow
in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.
41 Fear
not,little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you
are of them that my Father hath given me;
42 And
none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost.
I think
this scripture is so awesome because of how true it rings in my own life. With
every day I live through and every trial I face, I can see more and more how much
I still need to grow and how much I have to learn. But even when I'm not
perfect my Savior still loves me and is cheering for me and helping me. That is
a really comforting thing to realize:) and it reminds me of a poem that I
really love.
Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.
The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”
But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s
face
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.
“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first
place,
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”
And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to
face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”
Thank
you so much for writing and emailing me. I hope you all have a great week
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