Busy Week!

I love you all!!

 

My comp, Sister Ferguson and me, Sister Skaggs
in the conference center before conference began

Can you believe it? Another week has come and gone! Okay, so where do I begin with this week!?!? So much happened this week, I don't even know where to start. HAHA, but isn't that my e-mail EVERY WEEK? Oh well! Hmm, I will just start and hopefully it all makes sense. So this week was super busy!! At the end of yesterday when we had our Conference debriefing/relaxing time/treat time my back, feet and eyes just ached. But I wouldn't trade this past week for the world even if it was hard and exhausting! So here we go!! I will start with my favorite part of the week!!! Can you guess what it is??...

 

GENERAL CONFERENCE:

Okay, so I have heard General Conference was just AMAZING!!!! Was it??? I haven't seen it yet besides when we got to attend the Saturday morning session. I'm so happy you all got to see conference!! I hope you loved it so much! Cause EVERYONE that I saw/talked to said it was probably one of the best conferences they have heard! Everyone said this conference was so straightforward and so serious. Apparently no one joked this conference, besides Elder Bednar in the last session. I haven't seen it yet so I have no idea. I'm so excited to see it though. Which talk did you like the most?? Who answered your question?? 

Heavenly Father's creation - the sky on my p-day last week

 

My zone got to attend the Saturday morning session of General Conference. From just that little part I got to see I can't even imagine how amazing the other sessions were. I had been thinking all week about having people take questions to General Conference that I forgot to think about a question for myself. Haha. Oops!! When I woke up Saturday morning I just asked what it was I needed to hear that I could share with several of the recent converts that we have that are really struggling. And I can't tell you just how PERFECT the first session was for that. Every talk, I felt, was directed towards someone I had in mind. I kept looking over at Sister Ferguson and was like "ahh that would be perfect for , No wait, this talk would be perfect for ." It just goes to show that when you have something on your mind, when you have a question and you truly are seeking for an answer, the Lord will answer your prayers!

 

For General Conference we were on the far left if you are looking at the pulpit about 3 rows back. I have a picture of where we sat. Elder Perry walked right in front of us on his way to sit down and so did Elder Cook. Haha -- he actually waved at us. I just love them all so much!

Sister Skaggs & Sister Sughroue

 

This weekend was just amazing. The sisters were like "this is like Christmas!" Haha. Yah, if this is what Christmas is going to be like I'm physically going to be in trouble. The other week when I mentioned how they had us working on the square from 7:30 AM to 9:45 PM with only 2 twenty minute breaks for lunch and dinner I wasn't joking at ALL! But surprisingly it wasn't hard. The one thing I just really prayed hard for was the strength to just get me through both days. There's that quote that talks about how the Lord will carry us and that's what I felt like happened. With how crazy it was (just imagine Disneyland during the summer) I was amazed with the amount of energy I was still able to have. At the end of yesterday I definitely felt like Christ was ever so slowly showing me just how exhausted I truly was. I'm still feeling the effects of Conference but I wouldn't trade any of it. The people I got to talk to, the spirit that was felt this weekend, the friends I got to see, the family I saw was all worth it! 

Sister Skaggs and BYU-I friend, Kayla

 

Sister Skaggs and her former BYU-I roommate, Shaeli
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

Saturday I got to see Aunt Tina twice, which was so neat! It was funny towards the end of the day I was a little frustrated because I hadn't really seen anyone I knew. So I prayed and was like "Heavenly Father, I really would like to see someone I know but I understand if I don't because I know it will be Thy will. Well funny story is I was standing near the Tabernacle and I look over and see Kayla, one of my best friends from college, and then seconds later a good friend of mine from EFY, Sydney, walked by and then right after that Aubrey Pennock walked by and then Kristen and Shaeli from college came over. It was a complete answer to my prayers. It just goes to show right there that Heavenly Father does hear us! And it's like in Doctrine & Covenants 98:2, we need to be patient with Him and his timing. It was so great to see Kayla, Kristen, and Shaeli! I love you three so much!! I'm sooo glad I got to see you three! Later that evening after talking to Aunt Tina about how Adam was doing and wondering when I would see him on Temple Square I bumped into him after the priesthood session. So that was really neat to catch up with him. For those that don't know, he is my cousin who returned home from his mission from Chile the same day I entered the MTC (July 16th). I also saw Crosby Curry and the Keelers!! It was so nice to see you all!! 

Sister Skaggs and the Keeler family from Temecula
 

 

In a nutshell conference weekend here was just amazing! I can't wait to watch all the talks and to be able to tell you my favorite ones in the weeks/months to come, whenever we are able to watch them/have time to watch them. Oh, that reminds me, so apparently the member of the first quorum of the seventy that Sister Ferguson and I met and talked to last week after Kneaders, spoke in General Conference. His name is Elder Klebingat. That explains why he was acting a little different. Haha, we asked him why he was here and he was like ummm you could say it's for work. And then he whispered "I'm in the 1st quorum of the 70 and I'm here for conference with my wife and son". I can't wait to watch his talk! :)


MEET THE MORMONS (A movie)!!!!

Guess what?!?!?! "Meet the Mormons" is coming out this week!! I'm so excited! Are you planning on seeing it? I seriously hope that answer is YES! WHY WOULDN'T I? Last night, as a treat, we received permission to watch a preview screening of it. Can I just say SUCH A GOOD MOVIE! President Poulsen, our mission president, wanted us to watch it, that way when it comes out we will know what it's about when we receive chats, calls and questions about it. The movie gives the viewer a great example of typical everyday Mormons throughout the world. I love the part when the head football coach for the Naval Academy is sitting in primary with his primary class. I don't want to give too much away. But I highly recommend you see it! Oh and get this, within the coming months this movie will become the feature film here on Temple Square. They will start playing it in the Legacy Theater instead of the movie about Joseph Smith. I think it will be great because it will help show to those around us that we are normal and it gives people a greater inside look as to who we are and what we are all about. Please see it when it comes out!!!

 

Deep Cleaning!

Sister Skaggs cleaning the cabinets - niiiice!



Sister Ferguson

Sister Hansen

Looks like someone needs to do some
food shopping!!

Sister Asay

This past week the mission has undergone operation Deep Clean. EVERY apartment got 5 hours this past week to deep clean their apartment. And when I mean deep clean, I mean deep clean. We came to the conclusion that these apartments hadn't been deep cleaned in years. All marks on the walls had to be scrubbed off with bleach, cupboards emptied and washed, bathroom scrubbed, baseboards cleaned, refrigerator etc. I got the duty of cleaning the top of the cupboards and the fridge. Haha - oil from cooking, dust and then cleaner -- lets just say they do not go well together! I think it took us a good 6-7hours to deep clean our apartment. But on the bright side, every apartment is a Celestial Apartment now so that is awesome!:)


 

Humanitarian Center:

Things are going great at the Humanitarian Center! Did you know that the church created a product called "Atmit" which means Nourishing Porridge? What we do with Atmit is we take it into those countries that are malnourished and this is used to help those get their digestive systems working again. If you gave someone who is malnourished food that we eat on a daily basis their digestive systems won't be able to handle it and so Atmit, within a bout a week, will be able to help get their digestive systems working properly again so they can eat regular food.

 

This past week we were really busy. We are in the HC every Tuesday and Thursday usually and we didn't sit at all. I loved it though! Its neat to see the expressions these guests have when they first come in to when they leave. Nobody understands just how much the church actually does.

 

On Thursday we had a VIP tour and Sharon Eubanks, the director of LDS Charities, brought the Young Women General Board in. We just thought they were coming and that's it. Well, we were coming down the stairs and we heard they were there and to my surprise I turn the corner and standing directly in front of me was Sister Oscarson and Sister Mariott from the Young Women's General Presidency. I love being here! I hope they keep me another transfer!

 

Flu Shots:

Yah, so apparently we have to get the flu shot this week... I heard the other day that there was a massive outbreak and so the whole mission is required to get the shot. Crossing my fingers I do not get sick! Apparently my friends companion got the shot and then he got sick. What a coincidence, get the shot to prevent the flu but then get the flu from the shot. Doesn't make sense. But at least I will be safe from not getting whatever is going around, since we are in contact with SO MANY people from all over the world!

 

Cookies:

Thanks mom for the cookies!! Haha all 148 of them!

The sisters absolutely loved them!! Sister Tiritilli took a bag of them to the square Tuesday and they apparently were eaten super fast and all the sisters wanted the recipe. They say Thank you! Oh and Sister Desjourdy loved her birthday bag of cookies!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Julio:

Julio is doing okay. It just breaks my heart to see him the way he is. I told him last week that this wasn't the Julio I know. As of Friday when he called we were the only ones who had told him about General Conference. That breaks my heart because reality is we shouldn't have been the ones to have told him. We are still trying to contact those that we need to, to see what is going on.

 

Other Investigators:

This week has been a slow week. Which is kind of hard because you want to see success, you want to see your investigators, Less actives, and recent converts excel but you have to remember they have their agency. It's really tough when things aren't all fine and dandy. But that's life for you. Sister Ferguson and I had several hard moments when several people we knew, in regards to those we were in contact with, had set backs or weren't progressing. But I know that all will be okay. My testimony of the Atonement grew so much stronger when all of these moments occurred. Because I know that they have that second chance. We know that it's through the Atonement that they will be forgiven. We aren't expected to be perfect. We have been given the Atonement for a reason and we should be using it in our life.

 

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, sacrificed His life for each of us so that we can return home. We are expected to lean on Him and his Atonement ALL the time. We aren't perfect. Boy am I FAR from perfect!!! But that's why I love the Atonement, because it was created for imperfect people. It was created for the large sins we would commit and for the tiny sins we would commit. It was created for anyone who would ever come to earth. It was put in place to allow us the opportunity to be forgiven, to be changed and to return home back to our Father in Heaven. I truly hope that whoever is reading this right now knows that the Atonement is real. It's never too late to come back. No matter what, your Father in Heaven WILL NOT stop loving you!! This Gospel is true!! It is so true!! I love so much the fact that I know that. I honestly feel so grateful to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.

Well I don't know what else to say. I'm probably missing a lot! My last paragraph pretty much explains how the work went this week. But that doesn't change anything. I love the gospel! I love my Investigators, my recent converts and Less Actives no matter what is happening!

 

I hope you have an AMAZING week this week!!! I LOVE YOU ALLLL SOOOO MUCH!!!! But most of ALL YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES YOU!!! Stay true to who you are!! And hold tight to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!! Be Safe this week!!!

 

LOVE ALWAYS!

 

Sister Skaggs