Elder Ryan Skalla: First Transfer! With More Pics and Video

SO before I talk about my new area I'll talk a bit about last week...

We had a pretty good week but also pretty stressful. Elder is starting to get sick of me which happens with all trainers and trainees I think, but for a while I think he has been waiting for me to leave. He is a good missionary with lots of potential but he has a lot of pride (me too, not a good combo) and never really has had to obey in his life. Thanks for making me do stuff :) But he is learning and he will realize one day. We had divisions both Tuesday and Wednesday with the zone leaders because they both wanted to do divisions and they aren't companions so on Tuesday I was in Tampico ward with Elder Getz from California (zone leaders comp) and on Wednesday I was in my area with Elder Soto from Chile, the zone leader. It was hard leaving the area but I know Elder Lopez will do well. There were a few Elders in the ward and zone that were a bad influence on him and they all got transferred so I am hoping he can make the change from a boy to a missionary. I loved training but it was just really hard.

On Sunday we got the transfer call. I am going to an area that's called Panuco. Its part of a little district an hour from Tampico and we are going to be in a branch, opening the area. Panuco is a little town that has 2 branches, Panuco 1 and 2, and before there were just two areas, Panuco 1 and 2. Now my companion, Elder Arvizu, and I are going to open Panuco 3!! There are still just two ramas but they want to build another chapel here in Panuco, but President Jordan wants there to be more attendance before they start building. Right now the attendance is around 80. They sent me and Elder Arvizu here to help them get the attendance up to 120 before the end of March. Sounds like fun! I am super excited honestly. Elder Arvizu is from the same generation as Elder Flores. So far he seems like a good Elder and I have heard good things about him but I have also heard that I"ll have to keep him in line a bit. We are both Senior companion haha. But I am excited. Right now we still don't have a house so we will live with the missionaries in Panuco 2 while we find one. There is only one zone leader because it's a small zone, Elder Wall. He was in Villa Cuahutemoc before me and elder Flores. He found Brandon :) but I am excited to be here. It is similar to Villa. Small but a bit bigger than villa. SO whats going to happen is that they are going to dive the area Panuco 2 but they still haven't decided where the dividing line is going to be so this week is going to be interesting. But before transfers I prayed for an area that would challenge me and make me a better missionary so I am honestly really excited. I hope we can get the attendance up. In villa we have been activating like 20-25 less actives (like 10 families) so we will just try to do the same here and also find some investigators. I am still in the state of Veracruz haha. The river I crossed every week in my old area is the river that divides Tamaulipas and Veracruz and its called the Panuco River. Panuco the city is a ways downstream just on the bank of the river. It's a cool little town. I am really excited for this transfer and hope we can help this branch grow so they can build a new chapel :) Thanks for all the letters and the love and support! It helps me keep going strong!

PS Pray for my convert Norma. She is having lots of doubts about baptisms for the dead. We taught her about family history and invited her to prepare names to take to the temple and a few days later we went to visit her and she just told us that she cant accept that we can be baptized for the dead. She says that salvation is personal and that when Christ comes again they will have another chance and that we shouldn't be doing that and that she just cant accept it. We have read a few scriptures with her like the one in Corinthians and Peter but she still can't accept it and we have invited her to read the Book of Mormon and the Bible and pray and she will get an answer but she doesn't want to read the Book of Mormon because she says the Bible comes first and just a bunch of stuff. We are trying to help her but just keep her in your prayers.

Everything was going really well in Villa when I left. We had 4 investigators in church that have lots of potential and I feel content leaving the area. It was hard to say goodbye but I am ready to start a new era of my mission. We are gonna work super hard here in Panuco so we can build a new chapel. I will let you know a bit more about the area next week when I know it a bit better. Love you lots!

Elder Skalla

I was tagged in an Instagram picture taken by this cute boy in the Villa Cuahutemoc Ward where Ryan has been serving. Made me day!!!

I got these pictures from Elder Skalla this week as he said good bye to people in his area. It was this cute boy's 7th birthday and Ryan got to celebrate with him and his family.