I'm Adopting A Girl (Inbound Training)‏

From 5/28/15

To All I Love,

 

Welcome to China:

 

My Chinese family!!



One day I am going to live in China. I just LOVE people from China. One of my favorite stories from this past week happened yesterday. Sis. George and I were at EF Desk talking with the guests that came into the South Visitor Center when a Chinese family ages of like 16-80 walked into the building. When they walked in I got so excited. I tried talking to them but only like 1 of the 10 spoke English. The rest all crowded around and watched as I talked with this gentleman. I asked what we could do for them and then I asked how to say "Nice to meet you". Haha - he tried to explain to me how to say it, yeah I'm not even going to try and spell it. I kept trying to say it and after a couple of minutes they understood what I was trying to say. So all 10 of them crowded around me to teach me how to say "Nice to meet you". At one point I did pretty well and all 10 of them just started clapping really loud, while saying good job and giving me thumbs up. Then one guy pulls out his camera and gives it to someone and walks up next to me to take a picture, then the girl to my left in the pictures asks to take a picture. But then I decided I wanted a family picture so we all lined up to take a family picture. Haha - then they wanted individual pictures. They are just the funniest and most sweetest people ever! We ended up taking over the front entrance of the South Visitor Center. Good thing no one was around. They honestly are some of the sweetest people ever! And GUESS WHAT?!?!?! I get to serve them ALL SUMMER!! Why??? Well let me tell you what is happening this transfer!

 

INBOUND TRAINING:



 

What I get to see every day!

This will be the greatest part of my ENTIRE mission. For some reason I feel like this is going to be a huge stepping stone for after my life. I have never loved a group of people so much than I do people from China. You're probably wondering what in the world is INBOUND TRAINING. Yes, I am training but its different. Let me give you a background. Here on Temple Square we have visitor's from all over the world that come each summer wanting to take tours. To meet the demands of the guests we have to have their languages and enough sisters who speak that language to meet those demands. We currently have 49 languages offered on Temple Square from 52 countries - this is as of right now. As I have mentioned before, people from CHINA love coming to Temple Square it's like going to Yellowstone. We have heard that this summer alone our numbers, in regards to Mandarin speaking tourists, will be up by around 30%. Last year we had 30 Sisters to meet this demand and now we only have 11 but we will be up by 30%. With that President Poulsen has done all that he could to get Mandarin Sisters to Temple Square but we won't have any coming till September besides the one we got this transfer. What happened is he worked out a deal with various other missions and the missionary department to borrow 10 Mandarin Sisters from 4 missions throughout the country and in return we will send 8 Sisters to their missions. We are borrowing 8 Sisters from Visitor Centers (Oakland, Mormon Battalion, & Mesa Arizona) and we will send 8 sisters to those 3 visitor centers and then we will get 2 more sisters from one of the missions in Georgia. Which will put our Mandarin Sisters at 21 here on Temple Square which will be so helpful to the already current mandarin sisters here on Temple Square. Because these Sisters have never worked in the aspect that we do here on Temple Square, President has called 10 sisters from the Mission to be their companions and train them on the mission. But it will be different because one - we won't do 12 weeks with them, but we will get to do pretty much what every other trainer does. We just get the advantage of they have been in the mission for multiple transfers. On Saturday (May 23rd) the AP's called Sis. George and I into their office to call us to be 2 of the trainers for these sisters that are coming in. Several came on Tuesday and then 2 are coming today and then the rest will come on Wednesday. It will be really exciting!! I get to be with my FAVORITE people ALL SUMMER! When they get here next week we will have one week to prep them on everything and then they will have to pass off on Mandarin (which means take a mock mandarin tour with the Mandarin coordinator to see if they are balanced with their companion, history and teaching). If they pass they will then be given the go ahead along with their companion to take mandarin tours.

 

After that we will then have 1 week to pass them off in English which means to do the same thing but just in English. We had a meeting with our Zone Leaders this morning who gave us more of an in depth look as to what this is all about and what President's vision is, all of the protocols with Mandarin tours etc. It's really crazy! Why?? Well the sisters here now have never gone through this before. They have to pass off within 1 week of getting here and they have to understand all they can't and can say and do in regards to the Chinese governmental regulations that we have. Overall, it will be a VERY BUSY summer! We are already getting a lot of tours coming in. Yesterday morning in 1 hour we had 8 motor coaches of 50 booked for Temple Square and we aren't even at our peak months yet.  We have been assigned to just the Square this transfer which will allow us to be ready for the Mandarin tours we will get to take. Family, I can't express enough just how amazing these people are and how excited I am for this opportunity the Lord is giving me. It's funny how just a couple weeks ago I mentioned I was praying for a Mandarin companion this summer. Haha - it's funny how he answers our prayers sometimes... Haha gotta love him! But he honestly knows what's best for us. I think these people will bless my life more than I will theirs this summer. Something I have come to really enjoy is learning Mandarin. We were talking to the Zone Leaders in our meeting this morning and we asked them what does President Poulsen expect from us out of this opportunity. Their response caught me off guard they said, "He is asking you to learn Mandarin." They were being serious when they said that. Why the Lord is having all this happen I don't know but I do know he is calling me to this for a reason. I don't need to pray to have a love for the people, that is already done but now I must take this responsibility and magnify it to the fullest. Temple Square will be seeing more tourists from Mainland China than ever before this summer and he is giving me this opportunity to serve and teach them this summer. Many of them don't have a relationship with God and while we do have certain regulations, what a neat opportunity to help these brothers and sisters recognize that they have a Father in Heaven. Yesterday alone we came across two groups of people from Mainland China who are so prepared and ready to listen.



Meeting the Elect - We had finished taking an English Hospitality Tour around Temple Square and unannounced to us 2 couples from Mainland China joined our Tour. Afterwards one of the ladies walked up to me and said "I really loved how you talked about families, I love what you said about the sacrament, what is it really?" She started asking me all these questions and wanted to know how she can have this in her family. As I talked more I 

Me and Sis. George

realized she was from China and so I couldn't really share a whole lot. One of our sisters who was on the tour who speaks mandarin ended up talking to her. Afterwards she mentioned that the couples loved what they heard and wanted to go to church. I know they are flying to New York and so hopefully they will have an opportunity to attend Church and see what the Sacrament is all about before they head back to China. Later on that evening Sis. George and I were in the Tabernacle and this gentleman came up to her and just asked "I heard some people say God brings peace to us?" Sis George then went on to share with him more. He mentioned that he really wanted his children, when he had kids, to have God in their life. She talked about Eternal Families and what a blessing it is. I watched from a distance and you could just sense how much this meant to him. He ended up referring but then we realized later on that he is from a place just outside of Hong Kong. Family, whether we realize it or not, people are prepared! We shouldn't have to wait for them to come to us. As we walk the path Christ walked and as we keep our spiritual eyes open and alert the Lord will personally lead us to those who are prepared. I hope one day I will have the opportunity to serve a mission in China if I'm alive to see the work being hastened there. But honestly, we aren't prepared. When the doors are opened we won't have the means to meet the demand. I'm grateful for the this sneak peek the Lord is giving me of being in the presence of so many elect and prepared, to have this time to learn about them and to learn their language. 

Eternity Will Reflect Our Time Used on Earth:

 

This past week we had the privilege of having our Mission Tour from Elder and Sister Arnold from the 70. What a tremendous 3 days it was!! We learned a lot about things we must do now to prepare for the eternities and about how we don't want to regret the time we have to use. These are some of my favorite points that they discussed:

 

1. How are we sharing our Spirits with those around us? 

The Temple after a storm

 

2. When we are disobedient then we are focused solely on ourselves. Which is true. We are being selfish and are looking inward instead of outward.

 

3. We need to have a new writing everyday. Are we using our scripture study time to it's fullest or our we going through the motions? Are we really filling our spiritual tank or are we just barely filling it?

 

4. The only thing we have to give to God is our WILL to God.

 

5. If the Atonement is everything, then what does it mean to me?

 

6. We must use the atonement to keep going forward to not look back on past transgressions. Don't be like Lots wife!

 

7. We can't just marry to marry but we must marry our best friend. Someone who is steadfast and immovable in the Gospel and will help you to prepare to receive eternal life.

 

8. How are we being charitable? Are we looking inward or we using God's gifts for the welfare and benefit of those around us? D&C 46:10-25 and D&C 123:17

 

9. We have a Book of Life. All thoughts and actions are being recorded in heaven at this very moment. What thoughts and actions are you writing in your own Book of Life?

 

10. We must turn to God for value, for our true identity. We are made in his image.

 

This past week has been a marvelous week! And I look forward to all that lies ahead! Family, I will have Thursday p-day so you can come on either day. I would probably come on Saturday. Because we will have all sisters on the Square to take Mandarin tours at that point and so it will be okay to have a mandarin sister off the square at that time. I would come in the afternoon to evening. Mornings are just horrendous on Temple Square when it comes to Mandarin Motor-coaches. But let alone, its always crazy when it comes to Mandarin visitors.

 

I love you each sooo much! Oh and can you believe you're only like 2 weeks away until you have a 20 year old! Well more like a week and a half. It's kind of scary! But anyways I love you so much! I feel blessed to have you in my life. Oh, and mom, I did get my Drivers License renewal :) Thank you!!!!


Got to hold a cute puppy!

Love Always!!

Sister Skaggs