So sorry I'm emailing so late. We came here earlier and when we first got here, to the library, we waited for 15 minutes for a computer, which took time away for us to email because we had our dinner appointment and so our emailing time was going to be reduced so we could get there on time. Well, I started praying asking Heavenly Father for a way for me to be able to have the full hour and a half since this is the only time during the week I get to email you. We finally get to a computer and well, myldsmail thought it was super funny and didn't want to work. Sister Stoddard and I decided that we would just email President Wilson and then would try to email home after. After 30 minutes we still couldn't get it to work which would have left only 45 minutes for us to email. After talking with our STL's they said to come back later. So, here we are now. It's funny how Heavenly Father answers our prayers. It reminds me a lot of D&C 98:2 my favorite scripture.
Okay so I probably should start sharing with you what has been happening all the way over here in good old Spotsy, that's what we call it. :)
The Members:
I'm pretty sure that is probably one of my favorite aspects of missionary work out here. It is something that I never really understood, just how special it is. I mean, the fact of being able to work face to face with members. Sister Stoddard and I have really made it an effort to really get to know the ward and to develop friendships with them and to really get their help in regards to missionary work. We have some truly amazing members here. Mom, the lady who sent you the picture last night of Sister Stoddard and me, that was Sister Wangberg, our Relief Society President. She is so amazing! We had dinner at her house the very first night that I got here and when we were leaving she said, "If a dinner appointment ever falls through I will be offended if you don't come over and have dinner." She is always so willing to help us out in any way that she can! But it's not just her, its everybody in the ward here. On Saturday we were unable to find out who our dinner appointment was and so we made an announcement in Relief Society the next day apologizing and pretty much all the Sisters were like, "Wait. You didn't have a dinner appointment? Don't ever let that happen again. If anything ever happens please call me right away."
Haha oh so funny story!:
I have to Pee! The other night Sister Stoddard and I were out tracting and I had to go to the bathroom so bad but we were about a 20 minute driving distance from home. I mentioned to her that I really needed to go. She was like, "Sister Skaggs, why don't you just ask someone when we get to their door if you could use their restroom?" Hahaha! My reply, "Heck no! You think I'm going to ask a random person if I could use their bathroom? You're crazy. Tracting already scares me and now I'm going to ask to use their restroom? Yah I would rather just pee my pants." Sister Stoddard, "Okay well you must not have to go that bad. I wouldn't make you do that I was just checking to see how bad you had to go." I was like, "But I really do have to go. I just refuse to ask a random stranger to use their bathroom." She was like, "I wouldn't make you do that. Haha. I wouldn't even do that. That is just weird and scary!" What a nice companion! :) I love her though. She is amazing! We walked back to the car because, literally, I had to go to the bathroom! We made a quick phone call to a family in the ward who lived near by. They didn't answer. She texted us back asking if she could call us later. We were like "We just are in the area tracting and really have to go to the bathroom." She was like "Absolutely. Come over right now!" Well, we get there and they are in the middle of dinner. That was just awkward. Interrupting a family's dinner to use their restroom. Afterwards the dad said, "First the Elders ask for toilet paper and now the sisters use the bathroom. Our Restroom is always yours, sisters!" Haha I just love the Camps! They are such an awesome family!
I just love the members here overall! Those are a few of the simple highlights so far. I have had so many other amazing experiences with the members here but I don't have enough time nor do I type fast enough to be able to share with you all of them. Oh, another thing that is super common here is you don't ask people what they do for a living. Haha, it always ends up super awkward. Why?? Well, pretty much everyone works for the government. When I mean government I mean like they truly work for the government and we aren't allowed to know what they do. It's kind of scary, kind of comforting and kind of intriguing. So, yah, I pretty much just don't ask anymore. We have encountered far too many awkward situations where people are like "Ummm, I, umm, I just work for the government." That goes for both members, tracting, etc.
Investigators:
Tom and Shannon - I just love them! The sisters were already teaching them before I arrived. They are such an amazing family! They have such a sincere desire to learn. They are going through A LOT right now but they are just so sweet. They have a little girl named Haleigh who is 8 and she is just so sweet. At church she sat next to me and was reading all of the notes that I was taking out loud and was super excited to sing with me every time we sang a hymn. She really loves the hymns. She asked us several days ago why everyone else had hymn books but she didn't. She asked how she could get one. I first thought, "Well, why don't I just go buy her one?" But then I just decided it's not going to kill me to give her my little copy. So, I gave her my copy and told her that I wanted her to have it. I just said, "Since my name is in here you are going to have to cover it up and put your name there because its yours now." She left and we continued to teach her mom and dad. About 10 minutes later she comes back over to me. She opens the front cover, comes over and is like "Look what I did." She had taken my name and drew a heart around it and then wrote "This is to remember that Jennifer Skaggs gave me this hymn book and I don't want to forget that..." It brought me to tears. She is the sweetest ever and I love her so much! I will have to take a picture with her and send it to you! Her parents are always texting us making sure we are okay and always asking us what they can do to help us. Which is funny because we should be helping them since we are the missionaries and they are the investigators!
Sister Stoddard and I:
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| So much for a diet! |
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| Sister Stoddard and Sister Skaggs |
These Things are True:
I want you to know that I know with my whole heart these things are true. We have encountered several individuals this week who have been "anti" and it just breaks my heart. But every time it just really strengthens my testimony that these things are true. This Gospel truly has been restored on the earth today. We encounter afflictions and trials because it allows us to grow to become who our Heavenly Father needs us to become. I can promise you and I can testify that we do have a Father in Heaven. He knows us each by name. He knows us each personally. I can promise you and I can testify that as we each open our heart and have that real intent to know if we truly are his children he will testify to us through the Holy Ghost that we indeed are. I am so grateful to have this knowledge and to have been raised with this simple truth my whole life. I feel blessed to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ as my foundation. As we simply strive our hardest to lay the Gospel as our foundation in our life and build upon that, we will be able to see our Father in Heaven again. I know my Savior, Jesus Christ lives I know the atonement is real! I leave my testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I love you all! I hope you are each doing well! This gospel is true. If you don't know that for yourself I ask you to please ask your Father in Heaven right now if it is. Please get down on your knees and simply ask him. I can promise you he will answer you.
Please be safe and have a fantastic week!!
Love,
Sister Skaggs
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