Week 36

This. Week. Has. Been. AWESOME. Possibly the best week of my mission. Sister Brown is an awesome companion. It's cool, because we were MTC companions but it is evident that we have both learned a lot of charity, patience, and humility since then and it is so good for our companionship. Her last companion was also foreign (Chinese), we've been out the same amount of time, and we both have the same goals˜to work hard and be exactly obedient. We both love good food and adventure. This is the makings of something excellent.

Clarence is the coolest. It's pretty rich like Webster, but there are more old, fun, cute shops and a little more variety it seems. I live 8 miles out of my area and we are working in some of the Elder's area too because we've always had a car and there are a lot of women in the far part of their area (technically, our areas overlap and cover the whole Amherst ward which is made up of Amherst and Clarence, but we mostly stick to Clarence and they mostly stick to Amherst). The ward is awesome; lots of young families here for grad school; it feels a lot like a Utah ward. We had a Pioneer day ward activity on Saturday and it was REALLY well done. Our ward mission leader seems awesome and he's actually a doctor for a lot of the missionaries out here as well which will be good if I need my prescription adjusted or anything. I'm feeling really good for the most part recently. Sister Brown and I have taken up running (she's a 3-time marathoner before her mission but hasn't run in 8 months) and are contemplating registering for a half marathon in 8 weeks. The exercise is helping us both physically and mentally with the work.

There are so many great people to teach in Clarence! We are working with two older gentlemen right now who plan to be baptized in a couple of weeks. Harry is 73 and his wife Yaneri (rhymes with Harry, starts with a "j" sound) is just reactivating. They come to church every week with their 4-year-old daughter Ashley. Yaneri REALLY wants to get to the temple and it's so exciting to see their family working towards that. The Elders taught Harry once while we were at pageant and set a baptismal date with him... Funny story: We taught another man named Bill this week (82 yrs old I think) about baptism and I totally thought he was the one the Elders had set a date with so I "accidentally" invited him to be baptized on the same date and he said yes! Haha, the Spirit was there, so whatever works I guess! He hasn't been to church yet so we will probably have to push his date back but just the fact that he has a goal to work toward is awesome. We are also working with 8 or 9 less-active members right now and the ones I've met are so great. We've been blessed with a couple of new investigators this week too, and I just can hardly believe all of the miracles going on here! Clarence is supposed to be a slow area like Webster since it is so wealthy but the Lord is so richly blessing us right now. We are working as hard as we can but we couldn't "earn" all that we are receiving. It's all from the Lord and it's amazing what He can and has been willing to bestow.

To wrap it all up, today is my 8-month-mission anniversary... and Sister Brown's too, of course... so to celebrate, we went to Niagara Falls and had a picnic :) For real. It's only 16 miles from my apartment. So. Cool. I have also already had the best Buffalo wings you are supposed to be able to get in Buffalo area, and visited a few cute bakeries/chocolate shops. It is different being the only 2 sisters in the zone, and I miss the sites, but I really am just loving being here. The area is awesome, and we are working so hard. Never a dull moment. One of these days I will have time to finish unpacking, and it will officially feel like home, but I am loving the change of pace for now... it has been really good for me.

I forgot my memory card with the pageant pics on it (we'll try for next week), but I'm attaching some pictures from this morning at Niagara. Those buildings you see in the background are in CANADA. So cool. :)

Anywho, it's time for me to go. Keep me updated on Kenny. We (my comp and I) are fasting and praying for you, Elder! Love you and all of you! <3

Sister Schank

Week 35

Hello friends and family!   There is SO much to squeeze into this email...

First off, SISTER SCHANK IS GETTING TRANSFERRED TO BUFFALO! Not actually Buffalo, but in the Buffalo zone which means I'll be full-time proselyting (no sites). The area/ward is called Amherst but the city is actually called Clarence. My companion will be Sister Brown (from the MTC) and I am really excited about it. I was praying for a companion who will be exactly obedient and work hard, and I know that Sister Brown does both. That honestly is the highest compliment I think a missionary can get, and she deserves both of them. She also has a foreign, shy companion right now (she's Chinese), and we are both stoked to just get out there and give the Lord everything we've got. It will be excellent. :) I don't have a mailing address yet, but I will get it to you asap. For now, keep sending stuff to the mission office and I will get it eventually.

Okay, now pageant. Pageant is AWESOME. First of all, the performance itself is very cool. Really awesome effects and it tells the story of the Book of Mormon; let's be honest you can't get any better than that. The Spirit is there and so many non-members comment on how they felt and on the positive interactions they had with members also in attendance. One of these days our family needs to come out for the pageant. You would all love it and it is really cool to have a visual of some of the stories in the BoM. Think Quest, but with 800 actors and Broadway-style effects. Way cool.

Really the best thing about pageant though is the missionary tool it is. For members and non-members both. Most of the really awesome experiences I had were bringing members closer to Christ... the teenage boy who isn't sure about a mission, the hard-working mom of 4 little kids, the family with a speical needs sibling, the widower who is just feeling lonely... it is amazing how the Lord really can just fill you with love for these people and how there is a connection there. And then there are the non-members. The best was when a guy from Webster walked right into the visitors center! He was super interested and wanted not only a Book of Mormon but to be taught! He's coming to church next week and I've already taught him over the phone (since we were living in Palmyra) and we have another appointment this week. His name is James and he was a huge tender mercy.

Let's see, other updates. I saw Katie and we got to chat. The volunteers that come to help during pageant are AWESOME; mom and dad you should look into that as soon as you are able to get away for a couple of weeks. My health is doing better; the chest pain has spread especially into my left shoulder but I'm functioning and seeing another doctor out in the Amherst ward probably this week or next. I think that's all for now... love you so much! Thanks for all you do and especially all your prayers. The Book of Mormon is true, and it changes lives! And it's all because of the Savior. THAT is why the Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith, and the pageant, and all of those things are important... because they bring us to the Savior Jesus Christ, and He can heal us. I love Him.

Love,
Sister Schank

Week 34: PAGEANT TIME!

What a week. I can hardly believe how blessed I have been.

Pageant started on Friday, but the beginning of the week was actually even crazier than the end. We moved down to the Palmyra area Wednesday evening, so we had to squish in all of our proselyting efforts for the week before we left. And Monday was p-day, and we worked half-days shifts both Tuesday and Wednesday at the sites, so it really was a miracle that we got it all done. We actually set a baptismal date Sunday night for a 9-year-old investigator and another Monday night for an almost-9-year-old. New these people just need to come to church consistently! Having a goal to work toward will really help though.

We started working in "pageant mode" on Thursday (dress rehearsal night), and it has been incredible! Pageant mode means that instead of taking tours, we stand at "posts" for an hour or two and then rotate, and people can just walk through and we explain and answer questions, start videos, etc. We get to work with not only the senior couple full-time missionaries, but we also have volunteer couples working here for the week and a half and they are AMAZING. I'm working at the visitor's center until Tuesday, and then we move down to the Whitmer farm for the rest of pageant. We had 3,730 people in the visitor's center on Friday alone, and it is so great to be able to connect with so many members and nonmembers and to invite them all to come unto Christ. It is missionary heaven. :) We are also doing our best to keep in touch with those back in Webster through phone, text, Facebook, any way possible. We've already received 2 self-referrals for people who want a copy of the Book of Mormon, one of whom wants us to teach him! We are so excited. :)

I've been able to see the pageant itself 3 times now and it is AWESOME! The effects are super cool, the cast is great, and the Spirit is very strong. It plays another 5 times this week, and my companion and I plan to see it every time. We are so tired but having a blast. I can't believe it, but things are working out with 6 sisters sharing one bathroom and fridge. I love being in a mission with so many sisters; it's the best.

Love you all!  Sister Schank

Week 33 - Ready or not...

Pageant is RIGHT around the corner... I still can barely believe it but the cast is rehearsing and the dress rehearsal is in 3 days! We are actually moving down to Palmyra on Wednesday for the next week and a half... which means I get to pack today (you know how much I love packing). It also means that I get to fit a whole week of proselyting into the next two days. And I have shifts at the sites both days. And a district meeting tomorrow. And then pageant starts, so we have nonstop shifts every day, plus calling dozens of referrals, plus trying to contact people in our area by phone/internet, plus working the actual pageant... we don't even get a p-day next week. So basically... we don't have time to breathe for the next 2 weeks. It is going to be AWESOME. :D Don't worry mom, I will probably sleep. Actually, our mission president wants us to make sure we are getting 8 hours, even though we won't be home until after 11 some nights.

What's really crazy about pageant is that despite the craziness right now, our proselyting area is doing SO WELL! We set a baptismal date yesterday and hope to set another tonight. Everyone was sick this past week, but we have almost more appointments than we can handle right now (not that we have a ton of area time, but it's a blessing not to be tracting right before we need to leave... can't really set appointments with people you find if you're not going to be around.) The Lord is blessing us for our efforts.

This was a great week. Went on exchange... I got to go down to Palmyra. It was interesting, we went tracting and could see the Hill Cumorah from these people's front yards. Kinda different... Also got to go to the temple this week. I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE! The temple is SO WORTH our efforts to be worthy.

I think that's about it for now! Thanks for your love and prayers. And letters. In that regard, please send all mail to the mission office for the next couple of weeks. I'll be in Palmyra until July 22 and then transfers are on the 24th... and I've been in my area for 5 transfers now so chances are pretty good I'll be leaving :( (I love Webster and the Rochester 1st ward!)

I need to go but I love you all so so much!
Sister Schank

Downtown Rochester

Me and my companion, Sister Aiello

I love to see the Palmyra Temple!

setting up the stage on the Hill Cumorah from above

Week 32

Hi everyone! I miss you tons but can I just tell you that missions are the coolest?!? And they fly by. My brain is still in May, and it's already July! So weird... I am totally exhausted every night but I am SO HAPPY... it honestly doesn't make a lot of sense because we barely have time to think but I know it's because I'm doing my best to serve with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. I think a lot of people think that visitors center sisters are kind of pansies but I cannot BELIEVE how much we have going on right now. We are at the sites 5 days/week now... so that basically leaves a little time to study at home each day, and then p-days and Sundays. But miracles are happening and we are finding more, not less people to teach! Again, it doesn't make sense... it's literally miraculous! So my proselyting area is just about as busy as it's ever been, and then we are at the sites pretty much all the time... and when we get there, it's very busy because of summer vacation... literally sometimes we are lucky if we can grab a drink of water between tours. And the tours are usually like 15 people and there always seem to be cranky children... I totally love it. It is really weird how I am so energized, and I can engage small children and bring the Spirit and discern people's needs... being a missionary is so cool! My companion and I are getting along better than ever before... she told me yesterday that she has two brothers but no sisters at home, but that i am starting to feel like her sister. And it's totally true! We still really different people from really different backgrounds, and we still have the occasional communication problems, but we love each other and the Lord and that's what matters.


I need to run but I LOVE YOU ALL very much! Have a great week <3


Love,
Sister Schank :)

Lisa Arnold (Tom's mom) was in the area on business and came to the Whitmer Farm for a tour.

Me and my 3 traffic tickets, which were all revoked!