The Close of A Chapter: Halfway Done, Outbound Finished‏

April 13th letter

To All I Love,

The Close to Outbound:

Sister Lee's "Little Sugar Glider" -  a pet flying squirrel

It's amazing how fast time truly does go by. This is my last and final email while being Outbound. It honestly is bittersweet. I have come to love Virginia a lot and there are moments when I just wish the Lord would allow me to stay here. But then I realize that my primary call was to the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission and that's where I'm needed. Being here I have learned far too many things. I'm just grateful Heavenly Father allowed me the opportunity to have this experience. These past 3 months will be months I will always cherish. The people I have met while serving in both Spotsylvania and Woodbridge will always have a piece of my heart. These past 3 months have flown by. They have been filled with moments of great joy, moments of lowest of lows, moments of miracles, moments of laughter. It has truly just been an experience that you can't describe. Just imagine being called to a mission and you only have 3 months to do EVERYTHING that a normal missionary has 18 months - 2 years to do and then it's done. That's the simplest way to put it. We cram 18 months worth of a mission into 3 months. Heavenly Father, though, has shown to me a lot that I have never recognized before. I truly have seen some of the greatest miracles here. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is "Act in Faith". We must act in faith and trust the Lord. I think back on the experience with Daphne or the Whalen's. What if we didn't act on the faith we had and trusted in the Lord that they would be baptized?

Sister Skaggs and Moore

Leaving new-found friends behind

This past Saturday we had another remarkable miracle occur. We came to this apartment complex to contact some potential investigators. As we were getting out of the car this gentleman caught my attention but I didn't give it much thought. About 15 minutes later he was still leaning against his balcony across the parking lot. Sis. Kellogg got into the car and I started backing her (when backing out of someplace one of the missionaries has to be outside of the car directing the other missionary while backing out). I had this simple thought of "you're going to get in the car, drive away and then regret not speaking to him. Speak to him now." Next thing I remember I'm backing my companion out and yelling across the parking lot to this guy asking how he was. He replied and then asked how I was doing. I mentioned I was having a great day. He then asked what we were doing and what church we were from. I couldn't really understand him due to the noise of the car backing up. So, I awkwardly told him to hold on one second while I have my companion re-park the car so I could hear him. I replied by stating who we are and what we do. He asked if our church was nearby. Then at that moment another car started up he said, "I will just come down to you." We started talking to him and he said he is just struggling with a lot and is wanting to find peace again in his life. He said he has been reading the Bible to gain further direction. He mentioned he had made a lot of mistakes and wants to be clean again in his life. He asked about baptism and church. We invited him to attend church and he said he would. The funny part was when he texted us so we could save his number in the phone he was already programmed into our phone. However, we have never seen his name in the area book. I didn't make a comment to him I just continued on like missionaries had never been in touch before. We gave him the address to the building and he said he would come to church tomorrow. When we got in the car I mentioned to Sis. Kellogg that he was already programmed into our phone, which means missionaries have previously been in touch. We were shocked and kind of freaking out with excitement. We got back to the apartment and found out that last September the missionaries received him as a Church Headquarters referral.

Friends made in
Virginia

I remember that evening, when I opened my fast, praying that I know he would be there tomorrow and that the things said would touch his heart. Lately I have learned that we aren't to ask that, for example, he would come to church but that we are to act in faith that he was coming and then ask specifically for what we would like him to know. At first I was a little hesitant being bold in my prayer but I recognized that as we firmly act in faith and it is something that is good in Heavenly Father's eyes that miracles can occur. Sunday morning arrives and we were still directing our prayers that he would be coming and that as he was there he would recognize certain things. Ten minutes before church starts the Elders come up to us saying, "Your Investigator is here." We look over and there is John with our Ward Mission leader. Fast forward to Sacrament meeting, all of John's concerns were mentioned in the testimonies. I know that as we act in faith, miracles do happen. We need to be firm in our faith and firmly trust the Lord.

In the Bible in James 1 it talks about asking the Lord in faith with nothing wavering. I can promise you, as I have seen with my own eyes on multiple occasions, that as we involve the Lord in our life, as the desires of our hearts are good, and as we ask in faith with nothing wavering miracles are possible. I know the Lord is ready to bless us and pour out miracles to us as we are willing to submit our will to his. What if I allowed my fears to talk to a gentleman across the parking lot while I was backing the car get in the way? None of that would have occurred. The Lord is waiting to use us an instrument in his divine work but we must first be willing to submit ourselves to his will and trust him.

The Zelayas

I will miss outbound tremendously and wish so much I could stay and continue to live this aspect of missionary life. But I know that the Lord needs back on Temple Square. Thank you to all those who have entered my life while I have been here these short 3 months. You have blessed my life in more ways than I can think. I look forward to when I come back to see you. I love you all!!! :)

Shortest Time With A Companion:

Sister Skaggs and Kellogg

Haha, so let's talk about being with a companion for a short amount of time... I just LOVE Sister Kellogg soo much!! It's sad that we were companions for only one week. She is a remarkable missionary in many different aspects! I feel so blessed to have gotten to work with her. The new Temple Square Sister replacing me is so lucky! Sis. Kellogg is a California girl as well, except she is from Clovis. She has 8 siblings!! I don't know what it is with companions and 8. Sis. Moore had 8 in her family, too. Sis. Kellogg and I found out that we were at BYU-I at the same time together. It's funny because we could have bumped into each other and who would have known that a year and a half later we would be companions? She is so amazing! Who knew in just one week you could see so many miracles, have many funny moments, and create a lot of memories? Apparently, you can with us. Just about every night we have found ourselves just laying in bed talking as we fall asleep. We just sat up last night talking about everything. We found ourselves just crying as we talked about our life stories. I wish we could be companions longer.

Funniest Moment of My Mission!

This, by far, is the funniest moment of my mission. Saturday evening we were at our dinner appointment sharing with them a spiritual thought. The spiritual thought was on missionary work. I was bearing my testimony to them about the blessings of doing missionary work when Peter, their 5 year old son, who is sitting next to me, turns and looks at me and says, "Your babies are in heaven waiting." We all just looked at each other like "wait, what was just said?" He looks at me again, "Yah, your babies aren't here, they are in heaven waiting." His dad turned bright red and was like, "We are so sorry." I just decided to go along with it and was like, "Yup, Peter, they are. I still have to finish my mission and then get married, so they won't be here for awhile." It was really funny. Afterwards Sis. Kellogg and I just couldn't stop laughing when we left. We have no idea where that even came from. So, yah, that is the funniest moment so far on my mission!

Halfway Done:

The Spanish speaking Sisters
Hermana Kinglsy & Yost

Okay so this week marks halfway on the mission!! Can you believe I have been out for 9 months!!?? Crazy. Yah, it's scaring me how fast time flies! I just wish it would stop so I could ALWAYS be a missionary. I'm starting to get to the point where I just never want to leave. It feels like just yesterday I was in training and now I'm halfway done with my mission. I was emailing one of my trainers (Sis. Ferguson) a couple minutes ago, who is now off her mission, and it's so weird because I feel like it was just yesterday we were together or I was at the airport picking her up from outbound and now I'm coming back from Outbound. Time is starting to fly. That's why we must live it to its fullest!

Richmond, VA Mission
President & Sister
Wilson with Sister
Skaggs and Nguyen

Well, time is running short. Next time I email I will be back on Temple Square. I have an early morning flight Wednesday, well like 9:45, and then a 2 hour layover in Atlanta and should arrive in Salt Lake about 4 PM. Love you all! Thank you for everything you do for me and for all the support! I feel blessed to have each of you in my life! Love you all!!! Be safe! Again next time I email it will be from Temple Square and I don't know when my Preparation Day will be until I arrive back to the mission office on Wednesday.

Love!

Sister Skaggs

So long Virginia! I will miss
you!!!
Sister Nguyen and Skaggs
at the airport heading back
to Temple Square