From 7/28/15
To All I love,
This email probably wont be super long and I apologize in advance for it. Haha but whenever I say that they usually end up being an eternity long.
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| Me doing "exchange" reports |
Family I'm glad to hear that you are doing well despite the craziness of the world (you know what I mean) and that your having fun!! I just LOVED seeing all of your pictures today and being able to live in the moment of all that was happening! Sounds like you four had an absolute blast this past week. But don't we always do when we go on trips! Dad you plan killer trips and mom you are always good at supporting them even if they change literally at the last minute. The boys and I just enjoy the ride and know they will always be full of adventures. This is one tradition that I know I will for sure implement when I'm older. Ahh I just have the best family ever!! Love you to pieces. Well shall I get started with my roller coaster of a week!!! :D
The Way the Lord Teaches:
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| Sister Sami sick in the loft |
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| Me and my companion |
It's interesting how the lord teaches us. You are really able to learn a lot though through the hardships he allows us to face. And as we face them with patience, diligence and faithful prayer we will be able to overcome the hurdle that stands in our way. This past week has been one of the most CRAZIEST weeks of my entire mission but the most sweetest. It will take a long time time to explain all that happened. Stories for after the mission. I mentioned before about how several sisters were out sick. Well Sister Sughroue endured the week being home or working half days. Up until about Saturday. Well Sister Sami was out the entire week, Wednesday rolled around and she had complete pain in her legs and couldn't walk. Imagine being on shift in the Beehive House having a sister who is sick but can't walk who has an emergency doctors appointment in 15 minutes in the middle of the shift. We had to text out to the entire mission for someone to bring us a wheelchair for us to wheel her down to her doctors appointment. After about 20 minutes we finally got a wheelchair and were able to get her down there. As we talk to the doctor he informs us that she is to immediately home and drink LOTS of Gatorade. The entire process lasted for a good 2 hours and then we wheeled her home and were there for about an hour getting her situated and figuring out what was going to happen next. Things continued to be crazy that day with exchanges. Then Thursday rolls around and since she couldn't walk she had to stay home and miss relief society. Well I'm now on another set of crazy exchanges while at the same time figuring out with our Mission Presidents Wife what we were going to do with Sister Sami. Another doctors appointment is scheduled and unfortunately meant it was right when we were to have District Meeting which meant I was no longer taking her but that she was going to have to personally take her. 3 hours later again with taking care of her we are informed she is to go home yet again. But we needed to get other things for her before we could take her home. As we are trying to get everything done and taken care of Sister Poulsen (Mission Presidents Wife on her Birthday) is calling around to the senior couples to see if they can pick stuff up for her at the store etc. We get things slightly figured out when another twist is thrown out. Sister Timoteo our Zone Leader receives a phone call from Sister Poulsen saying the doctor changed his mind and that Sister Sami is to go to the Emergency Room right away. We all just look at each other and are like wait what?? Then Sister Poulsen already 30 minutes late to her birthday dinner comes down the hall just looking completely tired and exhausted saying that President would like Sister Timotoe to go w/ Sister Sami and that a senior couple was coming back from the store to take them to the ER it was probably about 5:15 I would say at this point. The Thursday situation started at about 12:45. Sister Timoteo had already missed being on the square since Monday and was like the life of a Zone Leader on Temple Square. Sister Sughroue was starting to get very exhausted again and so I was told that I was going home with Sister Sughroue at 6 so she could rest from not feeling well while Sister Timoteo was at the hospital and since we couldn't get a hold of the other zone leader who already left on exchanges with Sister Sami's companion. After we got Sister Sami with the Senior Couple we were informed yet again that Senior Couple was going to just stay with her even if that meant all night and so Sister Timoteo didn't need to go anymore. She then looked at me and said "Sister Skaggs you still just go home with Sister Sughroue I'm going to go insane if I don't work on the square ." I was like okay I have had a little bit more time to work than you this week so that's fine. Sister Sami didn't get home from the Hospital till about 1 am. We still don't know to this day whats wrong. She is getting feeling back in her legs and with the use of crutches now and support from sisters is able to get around. They took a lot of tests and everything came back negative. Don't know clearly what it is. The situation is more complicated and than this. But like I said there are stories for after the mission. The district is doing better and they are all working closely to help support each other. We had 3 of the 4 companionships off the square or in crazy exchanges this past week which hurt the work, but we know that our people are being taken care of. It's interesting how the lord teaches us and shares with us the things that we each need to know and learn. Serving these sisters is a Roller Coaster but it truly has been the sweetest part of my mission. You learn to truly love and forget about yourself. You learn what it means to have selfless service and to love. It's been hard. Not being able to focus my entire time on the work is a little rough but it hasn't bothered me a whole lot because I know caring for these sisters and their well being is apart of the call now and I understand that. But the lord provides!!
The Lord Does Provide:
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| Me and my comp at the Pioneer Day Parade |
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| Pioneer Day Parade |
As of Friday morning Sister Chazen and I realized we had only taken 19 tours the entire week which is really bad way below the average and where we are usually hitting. Which meant we needed 31 tours in two days in order to meet Standard of Excellence. I wasn't worried but I was really just pleading for help that as we worked diligently that a way would be made for us to be able to work towards the standard of excellence. It was another crazy day due to the pioneer day parade and sisters being sick and stuff. But at the end of the night we were able to see that the lord provided. Despite everything we were purpose driven and really used our time wisely and were able to show the lord that we will work hard to meet his standards on Friday alone we had 20 tours which is more than what we had gotten in 4 days combined. Which put us just 11 tours below standard of excellence. We usually average about 10-15 tours a day right now. It shows that when we work diligently and when we seek the lords help he will provide and will enable us to achieve our potential. Can I say we met the Standard of Excellence no. We literally missed it by 1, 49 tours out of 50. Could we have lied and or have tried to persuade ourselves that we took another yes. But we know we worked hard we gave the lord our best efforts despite our circumstances. We were able to prove to ourselves that we personally can do things despite what we are in. Has this week been hard. Yes I'm tired but with the lord we can and will do hard things. I have had nights where I have had to call the sisters about various things, reports to fill out. But its the greatest thing ever! I wouldn't want it any other way. This is the way the lord needs me to serve his children.
Miracles in Liberia, the Working is Pressing Forward:
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| Pioneer Day Parade |
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| Pioneer Day Parade |
We haven't had much time to teach our investigators in Liberia but the lord does provide. We talked to the Branch President the other day and they are planning the baptism for next weekend which is amazing! I asked how many are projected to be baptized and he said 25-30!!!! While we aren't teaching all of them, what a neat thing to know that 25-30 more of our brothers and sisters will be able to come back to the fold of god. And are taking that step towards eternal life. Its such a glorious blessing! The mission presidency will make the hour and a half drive next week (Aug. 3rd...) to do the interviews and then the baptism will be on Aug. 8th more than likely. Which means we have just one week now to get them ALL prepared all 10 of them. Yikes!! Surprisingly I'm not stressed about it. I definitely should be though that's for sure. We are planning to review all of the baptismal interview questions with them. It's funny some sisters are like you don't need to worry we can fall back on knowing the local missionaries are there helping them. I'm like slight problem I'm the local missionary I'm just not there I'm here. They are like wait what?? I'm like we don't have local missionaries there yet and so I'm in their place right now, doing everything a local missionary would do.
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This is from Heather, the girl I was talking about a couple weeks ago!!! SOOO excited for her!! She is the one I met last August with Sister Casagrande and then I bumped into again on the Square last transfer...
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"Sister Skaggs!!!!
I FINALLY GOT MY MISSION CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!
There was another delay, but at long last, it came yesterday!! [: I am so so so relieved it came!
I am going to the Texas Huston South Mission, English Speaking. I leave for the MTC on October 7th!
Texas, hahaha, I never thought I would go to Texas. But I am so so so excited and I know I'm supposed to be there! So so so so excited. I can hardly think of how to explain to you how happy I am that I will be serving a mission. [: Thanks for all of the great advice you've given me. [: You are so fantastic!!
Love Always,
Soon-to-be-Sister Heather Jane Ahlstrom"
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| Me and my mounds of blankets!! |
The work is going well! Life is great! I honestly haven't been better. I sometimes wonder why I'm not stressed but then I realize it's because of the Atonement. We can do all things with Christ. Well, I better go. Oh, one of my favorite scriptures from this past week is Jacob 3. When we take the time to study it, it becomes a powerful chapter. The work is true! More true than ever before!
I love you each so much! Thank you for what you each do in my life and for the amazing support I have! I feel blessed to have the family and friends that I have in my life.
LOVE YOU!!
Love your favorite ;),
Sister Skaggs
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