Zone conference

 April 14, 2014

Wow that is super weird (about Blake) getting married. I met Maddison on a couple occasions! Super weird..... anyway I am happy for them!

That sounds like a great opportunity for Connor! As soon as I heard about the FAFSA/scholarship papers I became slightly terrified! Just kidding, but it really is a little eye opener. terrifying prospect. (back to school next spring)

Zone conference was great this week!  It was focused on topics that I have been pondering a good amount about. One topic specifically was the law of consecration. My interview with president was great! He quizzed us all on our knowledge of the scriptures. We had to do a short role play with him, He gave us a topic and then we had to give a brief doctrinal statement, use a scripture, and leave a commitment. I got two super easy ones... He asked me to teach about the apostasy and then baptism. He said I have a good handle on things and that he hears good things about my teaching skills, so that is good. 

We got a few new solid investigators recently. The first goes by "A" He actually spent most of his life in the states,  he played basketball and football for a college in AZ and also boxed. He served in the Vietnam war (got shrapnel in his hip and head) and right now he is very sick, he thought he was basically dying and it has given him some great perspective. He just found out he is a Syliac (celiac)  I don't know if that is proper grammar and I am 99% sure I spelled that wrong. It's the disease were you can't process any gluten. So he is now on a new diet, hopefully he feels better soon. He is planning on being baptized May 17! We are excited for him.

I love you guys and hope you have a great week!

Love, 

Elder Schroeder

April 21, 2014

That's super cool to hear about  M. Russel Ballard, sounds like a great experience!

I hope you guys have fun in Idaho, and just curious how did connor manage to convince you to rebuild that bike? 

Sad to hear about Kim's little boy... it seems as though our two families are meant to bear one another's burdens.

As far as this week has gone. I recently have been pondering a good deal concerning the law of consecration and how that affects me. I have decided upon this - when we truly consecrate ourselves to the Lord it does not mean we give up worldly things for our Savior but that we subject our will to His. The doctrine behind the law of consecration is interesting. If you think about it -as we all came to earth, took upon ourselves a debt. A debt we knew that we could not repay, hence Christ became our creditor. What however does the Lord require on our part.... total and complete consecration. It is the only way back. Not consecration of our material goods but of our souls. We are his because he is our creditor, he can do whatsoever he pleases with us. If we do not consecrate our lives to him he has the right to make us suffer even as he suffered, and he has sworn that he will if, we do not repent. 

In relation to this I have realized that I have a great potential for good. A potential to lift everyone up. It is so easy to make degrading sarcastic comments just for a laugh or two but in the end it is just that .. sarcastic and degrading.... I am trying to flip the way I think around .. it is challenging but it's going well. It is hard to reverse your thought process. 

The work here is gong well...not as well as we would hope... we haven't had an investigator come to church for over a month. ugh it is hard but we are keeping our chins up and working hard. 

I am 2/3 of the way done with the teachings of the presidents of the church: Joseph Smith. Super good,  you should think about reading it. He truly was given a great gift to expound the simple doctrines of the gospel. I am going to try and send pictures, I hope it works.

I tried ... didn't work sorry :( 

I love you. Have a great week!

Elder Schroeder