Boy oh boy, sooo much happened this week!! Can I first start off by saying I love being a Missionary! So you ask "Why does she LOVE being a Missionary??" Well, let me share with you an example!
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| Giving tours on Temple Square! |
JULIO!!!!
I just LOVE Julio to death! I really hope I get to meet him someday. I hope he flies out here next September to go through the Salt Lake Temple because then I would be able to meet him! I have no idea what he looks like except he is 35 years old and from Puerto Rico but lives in Pennsylvania right now.
About a month ago this man called in through Mormon.org and he was just telling me about how he was super distraught about being baptized in a month. He wanted to become a member but he was just feeling really discouraged about everything and he didn't want to interrupt his missionaries planning time so he decided to call us through mormon.org (the people on the other side of the phone are missionaries). As I was talking to him I really had this desire to stay in contact to see how things ended up going. I talked to him occasionally but I couldn't be in consistent contact because he was already being taught by local missionaries. Well, a week and a half ago I was talking to him about his baptism, which was going to be the following day, when he informed me that some sisters from Temple Square had been teaching him as well. We have a rule here that only one companionship is allowed to teach someone. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, only one companionship is allowed to teach an investigator. So when he told me other sisters were in contact with him it was upsetting because I knew the next time I called to see how his baptism was I would have to 'drop him'.
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| Feast at the Lion House for passing off tours! |
Well, MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!! This past Friday Sister Casagrande and I tried calling him and it was really weird because he wasn't answering the phone. That is so unusual for him. About 5 minutes later I overheard some other sisters saying, "Well Julio, this is the last time we can talk with you because we are going home on Wednesday." That seemed a little odd that 2 other sisters were talking with a man with the same name as the person I couldn't get a hold of. Long story short, these sisters were the Temple Square Sisters that were in contact with Julio....and get this, they are BOTH going home tomorrow which means they weren't going to be able to stay in contact with him. They said they didn't know who they were going to transfer him to because nobody knew him. They ended up transferring him to me and so I will be able to continue to teach him and now help prepare him for the temple and help him share the Gospel with his family and friends. Here I thought I was going to have to drop him when reality was Heavenly Father had a whole different plan in store.
But that's not why I love being a missionary! I love being a missionary because of the change I get to see in people. The converts I'm working with right now are such AMAZING examples to me. I have NEVER in my life met such converted people when it comes to the gospel than I have like Julio and other recent converts. We asked Julio the other day if he had anybody in mind that he would love to share the gospel with. He was soo excited to share with us all the people he had in mind. So we will start working with him in a couple of days with those people.
I feel so bad now. Because back home when the missionaries asked "is there anyone who you feel would be open to hearing about this message?" I was always so hesitant, and just not interested in giving them names of people that may be interested. As members we should be setting this example for these recent converts instead of them being the example. Why deprive all of those around us of the blessings the gospel brings to each of our lives? The moment we are baptized we become missionaries. How are we fulfilling our purpose as missionaries? Are we being like Julio, so converted to the gospel and so willing to share it with those we love? Or are we hesitant and afraid?
TRANSFERS!
Soooo what happened??? I bet you are ALL wondering! ;) Well, for starters my p-day has changed!! I will now have P-DAY on MONDAY!! So family and friends look for my emails on Monday now! My new companion is Sister Ferguseon from Arizona. I'm so excited to be with her. She is American which means I get to have my FULL 2 hours of weekly planning!! I never knew just how much you would love to plan when you don't get to plan. The only time that is 'sacred time' here is studies. Other than that, if we get a text to take a tour you have to take it. And so Sister Casagrande and I always seemed to get texts for French Tours during weekly planning, which meant weekly planning was always nonexistent it seemed like. So, I'm sooo EXCITED to be able to sit down and actually, in depth, plan for my investigators and not be interrupted. Don't get me wrong, I love FRENCH PEOPLE and I also really LOVE my investigators!! Anyways, I won't meet her till tomorrow evening because she is coming back from Outbound. So that will be really neat! Everyone FREAKS OUT when they find out she is my new companion. Apparently she is just AMAZING! So I'm really excited! She has 4 transfers left so she is coming to the end of her mission.
We received an assignment this transfer!! We will be assigned to the Humanitarian Center this transfer. We will be there several days a week. I haven't received my new schedule yet so I don't know what days I will be there. A unique thing about this mission is we cover the Humanitarian Center as well as Welfare Square. So if you ever want to know a thing or two about the Humanitarian Center just ask and I'm sure I will be able to help you out by the end of this transfer! I'm also changing apartments this transfer. I'm just moving across the hall so it's not that bad. But guess what Dad??? You will NEVER guess who my roommates are!!! Sister Hansen and Sister Asay!! I'm soo excited!
I'm trying to think if any other changes have occurred... Oh, Sister Sughroue comes here tomorrow!! I saw her last Wednesday and Saturday when they had Visitor Center Training here. I'm so excited to see her EVERYDAY!! Here on Temple Square you see each other EVERYDAY. I have 180 new best friends/sisters and I LOVE IT!!
ANNOUNCING
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| "Announcing" for the first time! |
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| Tours by Sis. Skaggs |
Every Sunday after the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings in "Music and the Spoken Word" about 15 of us sisters stand outside and ask if people want tours, etc. And so I was picked this past Sunday to announce. It's a little scary when you have a couple hundred people staring at you. And to make it more nervewracking, it was my first time and I was FIRST! But all went well! We had about 30 people in our tour in the end.
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| Sis. Skaggs expression looks like she's trying to understand what Sis. Morales is saying in Spanish |
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| Check out Sis. Skaggs facial expression in the background....Priceless!! |
Its weird to think this transfer as of tomorrow is officially over. The one thing I notice myself doing a lot, haha, is "reflecting". Thank you Great Oak, aka Dad, for drilling reflection into me. But as I truly look back at this transfer I'm amazed at what all has happened. It most definitely wasn't an easy transfer!!! But I wouldn't have had it any other way. The things I learned from Sister Casagrande, my investigators and the many trials, are things I would never trade. I look forward to what Heavenly Father has in store for me next transfer!
It's also weird to think that as of today I have been out officially for 2 months and its even weirder to think that exactly one year ago today I started my first semester at BYU-I. Its amazing how fast time flies! It's crazy to think about what all has happened within this past year!!!
I hope you all know just how much I love this Gospel. It's true, it most definitely is true!!!! I love the blessings that come from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I love my Heavenly Father, I love ALL of my trials, I love my family, I love my friends, and I love whoever is reading this right now! Stay true to the things you know to be true!!
I love you and pray for you ALL often!!!
God be with you till we meet again!!
Sister Skaggs
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