Family, I hope you know just how much I LOVE YOU!! That no matter what you are going through that I will ALWAYS love you and most important, your Father in Heaven loves you! It's funny that going on a mission can cause the love you have for people you already love to increase so much! I never knew my love for each of you could grow sooo much!! I miss you each and every day and think about you all often. Please don't allow the negative things around you to get you down *cough, cough* drama. Because the ONLY THING that matters is that your Heavenly Father loves you and well, that I love you! :D
Time is Flying:
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| Mainland Chinese tourists mesmorized by these blond hair children! |
Okay, so can you believe it? I'm on my 12th week now of being here at Temple Square. Can you believe it?! I know. That's just crazy! Time is really starting to fly and it's kind of scaring me. They say the older you get the faster time flies. The sad thing is I don't feel old but the fact time is flying must mean I'm getting old right? In a week so, next Wednesday, Oct. 29th, will be the official start to my 3rd transfer here. That's weird! And I will be done with TRAINING. I like to say I will be a BIG GIRL now! I get to take off my training wheels and ride a big girl bike. Which is kind of scary because I feel soooo unqualified. The thought of not having the protection of being with my 'trainer' scares me. But then I have to stop and think that the Lord qualifies those that He calls. And so if He didn't think I was ready to be on my own I wouldn't be ending training after 12 weeks. I'm excited to see what will happen. The dynamics of the mission are changing. Over the next four transfers we will have about 90 sisters going home. We have about 25 going home this transfer and we are only getting about 18. But it makes sense because after December we will be in our "dead" season till the April General Conference and so we don't need 200 sisters on the Square. Sister Ferguson and I may get split next week, which is sad because I REALLY LOVED having her as a companion. President asked if she wanted to train or be a District Leader next transfer so we will see. I think she will become a District Leader and that we might stay together another transfer. But it's hard to tell because the likelihood of you staying with a companion more than one transfer is not that high. But whatever happens I know that's what the Lord needs. We will find out next Monday morning at Transfer Conference.
Humanitarian Center Miracles:
So the picture you received of me at the Humanitarian Center, I was actually going to share that story with you today. That tour was AMAZING. It's one of those moments that make you remember that even MEMBERS can change. So, when we first went to give the tour Sister Ferguson and I were really tired and reality was I didn't want to take the tour. We had just taken four back to back tours (45 minutes-1 hour each) and received only a 15 minute lunch and so we were kind of exhausted. But we took the tour and I just can't describe to you what happened in that tour.
As we were taking the tour of course my heart started to change as I realized that I'm a missionary. I'm representing my Savior Jesus Christ, and there is something that they are supposed to hear and so I need to knock it off. I love taking people on this tour because people don't understand just how much the church actually does. People are like "Oh yeah, we give when there are natural disasters". Reality is that is just a small fraction of what we actually do. As we were taking these four people around the gentleman in the group is who I want to share with you about. This gentleman AMAZED me. The whole tour he was just in shock with EVERYTHING we did. From the Work Training Program, to the Wheelchairs, Immunizations, Clothes, Quilts, Clean Water, Atmit, Neonatal Resuscitation etc. It was funny, he kept taking pictures of everything and took, as you probably saw, several pictures with us. But what really touched my heart was HIS change of heart. At the end of the tour as we were asking what touched them the most this gentleman, probably in his 50's, was crying and said "I just never knew the church did all of this." I love to see the change of heart A LOT of these people have as they come through the Humanitarian Center. A lot of the time I think people are like "Oh yeah the church helps with the natural disasters that's where my tithing money goes." But then they come through the Humanitarian Center and their eyes are opened to EVERYTHING we do as we try to accomplish the three purposes: 1 - To care for the poor and needy, 2 - Foster Self Reliance and 3 - Encourage service to others.....which are all things that our Savior, Jesus Christ did, which is why we are here to become more like Him. They see that we do so much more and that reality is the only money that comes to help support these various projects is the money that comes from the Humanitarian Aid Fund on our Tithing slips.
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| Tour at Humanitarian Square |
Be Aware:
I can't stress enough the importance of relationships investigators and new members need with members of the ward. That is something I'm really struggling with as I see so many recent converts become inactive as they aren't receiving that local support. I stressed this several weeks ago and I'm stressing it again because it is a very IMPORTANT issue that I'm struggling with. I have several recent converts who are going inactive right now because they are new and they need that support. Guess what? They aren't getting it to the extent the need it. Being here on Temple Square there is only so much I can do. Sometimes it kills me that I can't be there in person to give them rides to church, or to be a member in their ward to help develop that friendship. Prime example of what I'm talking about: I have a recent convert (not going to name names for certain reasons). The area where they live right now - the local support isn't as strong as it needs to be. They have no idea when things change. They weren't informed that General Conference occurred several weeks ago. They only found out because we called them to see if they were excited. They were like, "Wait. What?" Because no one has fellowshipped them into their local ward the desire they have to attend isn't really there. I pray every night that just one member in their area will reach out to them to extend a hand to fellowship them, to invite them to take them to church and to not give up on them. There is only so much we as missionaries can do, especially here since we can only encourage them over the phone. Every day I wonder what in the world is Heavenly Father trying to teach me. I'm learning that it is patience. Our Father in Heaven needs me to be patient with Him and His time. That all will be okay eventually, to not give up on them but to be patient with them. I just want to invite you that the next time you see someone new in your Ward/Branch to reach out and welcome them, to just try and become friends with them. Will you please do that, not for me but for them, for you Father in Heaven? You never know what that could mean to them.
I want to share a positive example. Sister Ferguson has a recent convert who I actually kind of know... small world. Well, we have been talking with her and she has been going through A LOT of things. But thanks to the AMAZING local support she has she is just thriving. Her testimony of the Gospel is amazing! She isn't afraid to talk with her bishop. She LOVES going with the missionaries to help teach lessons and she is just an amazing example to me. The thing that really stood out to me is she told us the other day that a member of the Bishopric came up to her and said, "We want to extend to you a calling." She was like, "Why me? Is that even allowed right now?" The member of the Bishopric said, "Sister So and So asked for you specifically to be a member of the break-the-fast committee." She told us how excited she was that a sister in the ward thought of her specifically to be a member of the Break-the-Fast committee. It's just simple things like this. We don't know just how far a simple hand of fellowship can go.
The Work:
The work is going great. Raymond wasn't baptized on Saturday due to it being Stake Conference, but he emailed us and said he will be baptized this upcoming Saturday the 25th. That is really exciting!! He asked if we could Skype his baptism, so were hoping the computers will be open so that we can. Since the majority of those we teach we can't be there in person we have the opportunity here to Skype their baptisms. So, hopefully it all works out. Julio is doing good. I love him so much. Not in the way you're thinking. I love him as a brother/friend. Even though it's a bit hard right now we are ever so slowly making progress. Patience is the number one key. Haha Mom and Dad can you believe it I'm actually ever so slowly becoming a patient person? HAHA. Funny I know, right!! Me a patient person. But it's kind of true.
Joelle is doing good. She has a lot of personal struggles but she still loves the Gospel and is still on date to being baptized on Nov. 1st.
Oh, have I ever mentioned just how much I LOVE investigator lessons?? Well I do! A neat thing about being here is local missionaries from surrounding missions can bring investigators here to Temple Square. We, along with their missionaries, will take them to several different locations here and teach them a lesson. I love it so much! This past week we were able to take Alissa around and to explain to her the importance of Temples and why they are such important places. She is on date for Nov. 1st as well. She is so excited to be baptized!
Roommates:
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| Sister Skaggs and Sister Ferguson |
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| Celebrating Sister Asay's birthday at Zupa's |
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| My awesome and crazy roommates! |
Haha -- Sometimes I don't understand why Heavenly Father allowed Sister Ferguson and I to room with Sister Hansen and Sister Asay. Let's just say I have never laughed sooo hard in my life! It was Sister Asay's 22nd Birthday last Monday and so we went to Zupa's to celebrate. We just have way too much fun. Let me describe to you how a typical evening goes with the four of us. So daily planning ends. We start to get ready for bed but that ALWAYS fails. Why? Well because something funny will be said and then next thing I know Sister Hansen is on the floor, LITERALLY on the floor laughing so hard/screaming/crying and then Sister Ferguson is grabbing onto her stomach because she is laughing so hard and then starts crying. Then Sister Asay and I look at each other and ask them what just happened and then they tell us and then we start laughing. When Sister Hansen starts laughing it DOESN'T STOP. I LOVE IT! It makes for A LOT of fun times!!! :D
Well I love you all!! Again it has been another AMAZING week. I'm learning more each day. I'm learning more and more what it is my Father in Heaven expects of me. Surprisingly, I wasn't as converted as I thought I was. You know I know this Gospel is true and I wont ever deny that. But I realized that I'm more afraid to share what I know to be true than I thought I was. When you are TRULY converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ you 1 - live it and don't find excuses of not having to do things and 2 - you find every excuse to SHARE the Gospel.
I love it here. I love the people. I love the work. I love the Sisters and most of all I love my Father in Heaven! I want to do everything He needs me to do. I want to become that Daughter of God He EXPECTS/NEEDS me to become. We weren't sent here to just waste our time. We were each sent to earth with a Divine Purpose. And it's through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we find out what that Divine Purpose is.
I love you ALL sooo much!!! Keep up the good work. Just remember who you are. You are a Covenant Keeper, a Child of God!
I just want to end with these questions: Who are YOU becoming? Are you becoming converted? Are you a Covenant Keeper? Are you striving to become that Child of God your Father in Heaven knows you can become?
Much love, till we talk next week!!
Sister Skaggs
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