Elder Carter Schnell and other news

 

November 13, 2022

Dear Family:

 

We have a couple weeks until Emery (22nd) and Sheri’s (25^th) birthdays.  I honestly can’t believe that McKay is 2 years old already; Cole is 6 months old.  Amy and Mike just shared some photos of Claire.  But times flies.

 I can remember the old days when Brad and Brian were on missions and the only phone calls that were allowed were on Christmas and Mother’s Day if they could manage it. Long distance charges are now a thing of the past.  Now things have changed and they can call home once a week and use email.  That would have been such a blessing.  I remember when Chernobyl (nuclear power plant in Russia) exploded and Brad was serving his mission in Finland – he was so close that I was sick with worry. Now Carter can call and talk to his folks and exchange emails.  This is his email address: carter.schnell@missionary.org.  I’ve added this new email address to the weekly letter list so that he can read up on us and respond if he wants to.  What a wonderful change for our missionaries and their families.

 

Just in case you haven't seen Elder Schnell (Carter) for a while.  He was leaving for the Merico MTC in this photo,

From Elder Carter Schnell:

I’ve officially been living here in Chile for a week now. After a week, I'm starting to see myself improve a bit in the language. I've been assigned to the Cartagena area and its beautiful here. It's right on the coast. You can see the curvature of the earth on the ocean from the gate of your house. Most of the mission area is pretty flat, but Cartagena is just about the only place that is very much not so. It's built on huge hills, you're either lunging up hill, or skidding downhill, there is no in-between, I'll have thighs as big as tree trunks by the time I'm come home. On day three, I was able to get a baptismal date. There was a member that the previous elder stopped teaching and I just picked up where he left off. One could call my efforts the third day. ;) sorry for all of the genesis quotes you'll be reading in these, I'm currently reading through the Bible as part of my personal study. The people here are usually really easy to talk to, I’ve been able to make some connections on the street, even with the little Chilean Spanish that I understand. In English, Try cutting out all the 'S's and just adding words that don’t exist and you'll see what I mean :)  it's kind of alarming how dangerous it is here, not because of the gangs or anything, but because of the dogs. There are packs of stray dogs that roam around and like half of them want to kill you. All you have to do is look at then as you pretend to pick up a rock and hold it above your head and they'll back off. If you're anything like me, you'll actually pick up the rocks. I don't like the idea of not having a rock in my hand if it comes down to having to swing and throw it. No Bueno. The exchange rate here is about 1000 to 1, so a bus ticket is about 700 bucks, or 70 cents. kinda nice With it being so easy to exchange, but it is a bit alarming to see that $66,000 has taken out of my bank account every time I withdrawal at an ATM for bi weekly funds. Im sorry, but I don't have much time, but all is well here, I love it here, my companion is great, i will write more next week, I love you all!

 

Con mucho amor- - Elder. Schnell  (I remember enough of my two years of high school Spanish to know that it means “WITH MUCH LOVE”

 

President Hinckley (who was heavily involved in the day to day teaching tools that missionaries used from the early days when he served up until he passed away) said, regarding D & C 42:5-7; Shining through all missionary service is the reassuring faith that the work is true and that the service being given is given unto God.  Missionaries serve with faith in their hearts.  It is a phenomenon of great power that quietly whispers, “This cause is true, and to you there is an obligation to serve regardless of the cost.” 

 

Update with me; I had a gig on Friday.  It was for Veteran’s Day.  We played our military medley with the theme songs from Marines, Navy, Army and Air Force.  We were informed by a nice lady that there is now a Space Force and we should get their theme song.  It was lovely actually.  The boy and girl scouts from two difference packs? Came and did an honor guard with flags, etc.  Then Brad Davis played taps.  His rendition of taps was so beautiful it brought tears to the eyes of many, including me.

However, we had to play with two subs! Uggg!!!! Brad and I were so stressed out by the time it was over that it was a huge relief.  One played too loud all through and the other was totally out of tune all through the hour.  To top it off, I played an acoustic piano.  Even though Brad mic’d it, I tend to pound the piano because I can’t hear it well (even with my hearing aids in).  By the time I was finished my right wrist ached.  Then I picked up my adjustable piano bench and tweaked my right wrist and and a nerve in my wrist got angry.  Now I’m wearing a “carpal tunnel” wrist brace.  I hope I’m better by next Friday because we have another gig at Terwilliger Plaza. 

 

Jay and Alena came and spent the night Friday.  It is so wonderful when they come to visit.  Alena and I have the same sense of humor about many things and we tend to laugh until our sides hurt.  Jay and Juno just sit and watch the fun.  They are wonderful company and I always miss them when they leave.

 

Amy and Mike have come to my rescue again!  My dryer was causing me worry.  It took a long time for anything to dry and the lint was wet in the lint trap.  Moisture was around the door.  Not good!!  I bought a “dryer vent cleaning tool” and they brought their shop vac and they cleaned out a wet mess.  Moral of the story;  Buy a vent cleaning tool and use it once a year. 

 

For the past few weeks I’ve been taking one of my “visiting teaching sisters” (ministering now), to physical therapy twice a week.  She is 89.  She used to live in Vale, OR also.  Our family lived there from 1952 until 1956 or 57.  That period of time is where all my “farm” stories originate.  Judy and I used to play on the haystacks; we gathered eggs; we helped mom with canning fruit and tomatoes; we helped dad with the milking as much as we could.  Judy was assigned to stir the “formula” that the calves drank after being weaned from mama’s milk.  We used to watch the calves drink from buckets with a nipple at the bottom outside of the bucket.  Fun memories!  Anyway Norma and I talk about Vale and Nyssa Oregon.  Our family spent lots of time in Nyssa at Stake Conference in those years.

 

It is interesting that while you are living during a period of time in your life, you don’t realize how much that period of time will mean to you in later years in your memories.  I guess that’s why we are encouraged to journal.  I’m not good at it day to day, but hopefully these weekly letters count for something.

 

Enjoy each day, each period of time, each phase of your life.  I had a bishop one time who conseled “Don’t wish away your best years” saying,  “I can’t wait until the baby is out of diapers, or I can’t wait until the kids are all in school.”  It was great advice and I changed my thinking immediately. 

 

Have a wonderful week.  Thanksgiving is approaching and I’m excited to go with Amy and Mike to Brad and Sheri’s home for the holiday.  Yippee!

Love Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, Sister and Aunt Suzanne