Acts of Love/Service‏

From 09/07/15

To All I love,

My comp, Sis. Brito, licking beaters
for the FIRST TIME!

Can you believe another week has come and gone?! I'm amazed though with all that can really occur with in a week and what the Lord shows us. This time to be in complete service to my Savior and Father in Heaven is sooner than later going to have to come to a close. Being a missionary is a treat. It's hard, but the fruits of the labors are so worth it. Compared to last week this week was 10x better. Was it perfect? No. But I'm learning to look at the small areas of improvement rather than the things that aren't still going right. Let me begin by sharing with you all that has occurred! It's been an eventful week!!

 

Only in the Service of our God:

This past week can only be described with Learning to Serve. It reminds me of the scripture "...When

Making oatmeal cookies

ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." As we let go or our natural man, just like in Mosiah 3:19, and learn to serve our fellow man we are only letting go of ourselves and submitting our will more to the will of the Father. And in the end becoming more like our Savior. Later on this past week I received an email from a 'very close friend' of mine that made mention about the importance of service and how those simple acts of service can change someones heart. That was the start to what the spirit ultimately taught me this past weekend. I thought a lot about what he said in his email and how that is applicable to each of our lives right now. As we seek for ways to serve those around us hearts become softened. That is how my heart was ultimately softened at the start of my mission. Early on I recognized the great deal of pride I had. And how my first trainer was diligent at serving ALWAYS. When we forget ourselves and seek to bless the lives of others by finding ways to enrich their lives through acts of love, things change. That is something that I greatly learned this past week.

 

As the week continued on I thought about that and how that is key. It was interesting because as I was sitting in Sacrament meeting yesterday partaking of the sacrament I was reading over my Patriarchal Blessing and a certain part stood out to me that hasn't stood out to me quite like this before. And maybe because I was fasting this past weekend for specific direction. It said "... acts of service to those in need." Aren't we all in need?? It made me think about the importance of acts of service or, in other words, acts of love to the children of God that we will encounter on a daily basis. Think about a time that someone served you?? How did you personally feel??

On exchanges with Sister
Mahoney



Later on that morning I had an opportunity to talk with President Poulsen and at the end I asked, "What is it that I can do for you?" He paused and said, "Go out and preach the gospel" and then paused again and said, "Serve. We have many sisters right now that are in need of that service and you two can bless the lives of that service." Well, that was the icing to the cake. A 'very close friend' of mine that I greatly trust their advice said it, the spirit and the Patriarchal Blessing said it and then the Mission President said it. As I was kneeling down to pray last night I pondered on how service can bless the lives of others. Service, lately, I have pinpointed as an area of great weakness. But as we progress through life we must be willing to serve in order to stay humble and in order to accomplish our ultimate purpose here on earth. This is one characteristic of Christ that we must each be seeking to develop and engrave upon our hearts.

 

Miracles and the Elect on Temple Square:



A man taking us to dinner
at Chick Fil A

Travis at the Priesthood Statues - With the week being a little bit slow compared to last transfer in regards to the work I was just seeking for a simple miracle to occur in regards to the work before the end of the week. Saturday rolled around and it was a little rocky earlier in the day but I felt prompted that we needed to follow our schedule and go to the Priesthood statues as planned. Last year at this time, a lot of success came from the Priesthood statues. It's just always been the good luck spot. As we walked over we saw this guy, probably in his late 20's, walking in our direction. When you're a missionary you learn to TALK TO EVERYONE. Travis came to find God about 5 years ago and then met a member of the Church about 8 months ago. They met on accident but continued to be friends. They are living in Kansas and his friend needed a ride to Salt Lake City for his sister's wedding, and so Travis offered to drive him out here. We met him as he was walking around while waiting for them to finish taking pictures. He said, "I love this feeling that I feel here. That peaceful feeling that I get to experience right now. I haven't felt this good before. And I love how it's so family oriented here and how loving and welcoming everyone is." We talked about a lot of things. He mentioned that he is looking forward to attending Church tomorrow and seeing how it's like as well. We invited him to stay in contact and stated our purpose as missionaries, that we are here to be guides to help him learn how each of these things we talked about can be applied to his life. He mentioned that would be fine. He is really prepared. Not super prepared like he will be baptized tomorrow. But his heart is pretty opened to the spirit right now. We sent him a text this morning asking about Church and this was his response "... I'm not sure I can describe the experience besides that it opened my eyes and my heart to a whole new experience. The wedding went great. I'm getting a chance to meet a lot of great people and they've all been more than happy to answer questions. I'm having a great learning experience."

 

Heather is going through the Temple!!! - I talked about Heather multiples time now in my emails. She is the one going on the mission, who I met about a year ago with Sister Casagrande. Well guess what?!?! She is going through the temple this week!

This is the email she sent me:

"Dear Sister Skaggs,

More news!! I get to go through the temple this week on my 21 birthday. [: I get to go through my favorite temple, the Bountiful temple.

It's been an interesting ride... my parents won't be able to go through with me and neither will my older brother. It's been bothering me. But my Grandma Jane, my namesake (Heather Jane), will be escorting me through, and a lot of my extended family and three of my returned missionary friends will be there, too.

Tomorrow marks the one month wait until I enter the MTC! I am super excited.

I pray that you are safe and happy!! I'm so grateful for our friendship.

Love Always,

Heather "

 

I'm beyond happy for her!






My college roommate's mom!!!

Sis. Lundquist and Tayli
I LOVED seeing them!

This past week has been amazing! Things have improved greatly, had the opportunity to have smoothies with Elder Bennett of the 70 and his wife after we met them in Costco. Saw part of my second family. Saw Susan's Mom. Ran into Sister Burton (Relief Society General President) and her film crew on the stairs at the Humanitarian Center as we were there for Explore Day (She was filming a segment for in between General Conference Sessions, it was awkward though because the Camera Guy came over and started filming us on the stairs as she asked where we were from, why we were there and what is our name.). Was able to witness miracles and to learn a lot. This week was a blessing in so many ways!

 

Know that I love you tremendously! Family, your emails this past week were such a blessing. We are able to read our emails every night after planning now on our I pads and it brought a smile to my face as I was able to read an email from you most of the days. I felt like I was with you. Know that I love you, but most importantly the Lord loves each of you. As you consecrate your life to the Lord miracles will be performed!

Love Always,

 

Sister Skaggs







A friend of my dad's



Me photo bombing!

Another photo
bomb!

Sis. Lin being silly......
gotta love mission life!!



More of Sis. Lin



Who ever thought Sis. Lin was
THIS crazy and fun?!

Patience With the Lords Timing‏


From 08/31/15

To All I Love,


My zone roaring like lions! Brigham Young was nicknamed
"Lion of the Lord" because
he was always sharing his testimony.

To describe this week and all the emotions and simple miracles of hope would take an eternity. All I want to say though, is that we must be patient with the Lord's timing and look for the small and simple things. That is probably one of the biggest lessons I learned this past week. Enduring this week was a hill to climb but I know that the things I learned and grew from this past week will shape me into who my Father in Heaven needs me to become. Of all things my relationship with Him grew. I learned to recognize how he answers me and learned to seek the simple things. To say I learned A LOT about myself would be an understatement. The Lord showed to me far too many weaknesses, allowed me to be stretched, to be humbled, to let go of pride, to rely on Him and only Him, to find joy in the simple moments, to accept correction, and many more. But most of all, I learned to be patient with his timing when all else fails. From the sound of this email you're probably wondering what in the world happened. Missionaries lives aren't always picture perfect. Sometimes I wish they were, but it's through our trials that we grow. The Lord stretches us as we learn to rely on Him and only him. I will be vary simple with my email this week as to not go into a whole lot of detail. But I can explain more after the mission. As simple and plain as I can get, I would like to share with you what I learned from this past week and how it's ultimately applied to each of us.

 

Seeking Further Direction:

 

Making homemade
lasagna

With the week being a bit more of a struggle than usual I was forced to ultimately turn to my Father in Heaven more than ever before in my life. A lot occurred throughout the week, but the one moment I will never forget would have happened on Thursday. I remember being at a point where I literally had no one else to turn to. I couldn't talk to other sisters, I was counseled to not really seek further direction at that point from my leaders as to how to handle the situation, and my companion wouldn't open up to me. With so much happening I remember for the first time in a long time feeling completely alone. The only hope I had was that my Father in Heaven would be there and through my Savior Jesus Christ I would feel some sort of love or peace. One of the simplest ways of feeling our Father in Heaven's love is thru prayer. As I sat kneeling on the floor I literally poured EVERYTHING out to my Father in Heaven because it was at the moment that I literally had no one I could turn to but him. I haven't cried so hard in such a long time but at the same time I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was there for me and that he loved me. It was in that moment that I was completely forced to submit my entire will to him if I wanted to seek that true inner peace. We aren't going to find true solace from turning to our fellow man. But true solace comes from turning to him. The only source of true and perfect love. I could lie and say things got easier from there. Did they? Not necessarily but I was reminded of what would get me through these times. It was my Savior. When I felt alone, or I had no one to turn to it was my Father in Heaven that I could reach out to and that because of what my Savior suffered through I would be okay.

My comp and me!

For many reasons we've had to go home early and we haven't had much time if any to do missionary work this week. Many minutes and hours this week involved me sitting there in patience and love. I have had a lot of time to just read my scriptures. There are several verses that were a means to receiving solace and further direction this past week, or in other terms, a beacon of hope. The first would be Alma 38:3-5. I'm pretty sure those are my new favorite scriptures! When times got hard I knew from what those verses said that all would be okay. I just can't explain to you how powerful those verses are especially when we input our own names into the verses. The last two verses that I have developed a new love for would be Alma 37:6-7. In order for God to ultimately bring about his Eternal Purposes it comes through the small and simple things that are done to do so.

While this week has been a challenge and at moments I felt I was walking alone, the Lord showed me that he is never far as we reach out to him and keep our eyes open and seeking that further light and truth. Here are some of those miracles that occurred!

Always Set A Good Impression:  

 



Sisters Brito, Mederios, Skaggs
and Brooks

On Saturday evening we had an opportunity to go to the Square and take a motor-coach. It was 45 English from Australia, New Zealand and Dubai. About 1/3 into the tour this couple I was standing next to turns to me and says, "Sister Skaggs we don't expect you to remember us but last year after we talked to you I forgot to ask if you were related to Boz (idk how to spell his name, the famous person) Skaggs?" I replied by saying, "Well somewhere down the line I bet I am. I wish I was directly related. That would be cool." This couple proceeded to tell me that when they first saw me they immediately recognized me and my name as the Sister Missionary they talked to when they came here just under 1 year ago. They pointed out that they were sitting at this particular bench with some family friends of theirs and my companion and I came up to them and spent a good amount of time talking with them about many different things. It completely shocked me that they still remembered me after one year. They said, "It was an absolute pleasure to meet you last year." For me it was a simple miracle that the Lord was able to show me. They are all the way from Australia and despite everything and all that occurs in 1 YEAR they still remembered the Sister Missionary that talked with them on Temple Square. It shows just how much as members of the Church we must watch what we do. Especially as missionaries because people know and are aware.

Opi Got BAPTIZED! 

Yummy shrimp filled dough by
Sister Lin



One of our investigators got BAPTIZED!! Opi from Liberia finally got baptized! I haven't officially talked to him yet but I talked with his Dad yesterday. I'm sooo excited for him. That fact that he was finally able to take this step and make this covenant with his Father in Heaven will bless his family for generations to come and will bless the rest of his life, even into the eternities!

 

 

 

Surprise, It's ELDER COOK:

HAHA - one of the biggest sacrament meeting surprises I would have to say was walking into Sacrament Meeting yesterday morning, looking over and well, there is Elder Cook sitting on the stand talking with Elder Poulsen.... Ummm yeah when does an Apostle ever just out of the blue show up to church?? He was given some moments at the end of the service to speak to us and he mentioned that he woke up this morning and said to his wife, "Since we won't be able to partake of the Sacrament today due to all of our meetings, let's go to church with the Sister

Sister Skaggs and Butler

Missionaries and partake of the Sacrament there since it's also the earliest meeting around." Well, that caught us all off guard. What he said was powerful! He spent a lot of time going in depth as to how our mission calls are assigned. He says, "All things go through the Prophet. We are then each selected as to when we will be assigning missionaries to their missions. We gather in the fifth floor of that building right there (Admin building). A member of the missionary department has everything set and ready to go. On the left screen is your picture - he laughed and said - the better the picture the more easy it is for us to receive that spiritual manifestation as to where we are to assign you. Then we have a picture of all the missions in the world and then a very detailed screen of all of your information. We look at your picture and then your information very closely and we receive revelation as to where we are to assign you." He said, "We will assign you to your mission for one of the following reasons: You need to learn that language, you will be a blessing to the people there, experiences you will have will prepare you to be a future wife, Husband, Mother and Father, We may receive a distinct manifestation that certain people are to be called to certain places because they know that someday the church will be significantly impacted by where they serve. It won't be now but in the future, (he said that) as apostles we don't know what it will be but we get the distinct manifestations that that is why you need to be under the direction of that particular mission President and his wife." That is what he said to us as he discussed the process of assigning calls. Elder Cook then mentioned that "We may continue on and as we move to the next one the assignment may not feel right. I will move to the next one and if I continue to have that unsettling feeling I will go back and re-fix that assignment until it is right. We may have missed a detail in your background information, a note from your leaders that we didn't catch." But he will then stay at that person until he knows for a surety that they have been called for the right reasons to that particular mission. Elder Cook commented that this past Friday he assigned 330 missionaries to their missions and he said, "3 of your fellow sisters will be joining you shortly as I had the privilege of assigning 3 of those 330 missionaries here to Temple Square." 

 

 

Elder Cook went on to bear his witness of the Savior. It was a powerful witness that bore to me that the Savior is real and he lives, that he stands at the head of this Church. What occurred yesterday morning was a powerful experience and from all that occurred I know that this Gospel is true. Where we are called to serve is where, for WHATEVER reason it might be, is the place that we are to be. The Lord knows best, and where we go may not even be for us. It may be because the Church will forever be impacted in a positive light because of it. I know this Gospel is true! I know my Savior lives and it is through him that we will be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven again! And that we NEVER stand alone as long as we are standing shoulder to shoulder with our Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Hanging with my roommates

Me and my crazy roomies!

I love you each so much and feel blessed for the examples that you each are to me!

Love Always!

Sister Skaggs

Heavenly Fathers Love

From 08/24/15

To All I love,

 

When you stop and think about it it's amazing just how fast the time really does go by. And when you have the desire, all the things the Lord teaches you or that you learn from the people that you meet or from what you experience on a day to day basis.

Future Traits to Render Now:

 

 

Sister Brito from Brazil is my new companion! From what I have observed and experienced with her these past couple of days she will be a phenomenal missionary later on in her mission. I look forward to coming back in a year to see her and to see who she has developed into. Bragging about companions is pretty fun sometimes and one thing I want to brag about is she loves to learn and the best part is she learns fast! :) I feel like a mom! Wayyy to young to be a mom though. This is a different type of motherhood though, just want to make that very clear! But when you get put into the shoes of training a new missionary for a time you step into the role of being a mom. You vision what you want her to become and seek for ways to love, to serve and to teach. You ultimately recognize that what you do now ultimately shapes the rest of her mission or in other terms the rest of her life. But it first starts with showing that unconditional love no matter what and not making a fuss over the little mistakes that are made. But seeking for opportunities to show her how she can fulfill her potential and ultimately how she is already fulfilling her potential... As I type this I really feel like a mom... Back to the point. For example, Sister Brito is really wanting to learn the History which is every new missionaries fear here when they get to Temple Square. We decided what better way to learn than to learn where the history was made. We were talking last night and I asked her what she is wanting to learn first and she mentioned the Tabernacle. For studies this morning we went to the Tabernacle before Temple Square officially opened and studied and role played giving tours in the actual Tabernacle. It was a really special experience for both us as we were able to work together in the actual place we will be giving tours and seek for ways we can improve the quality of tours that will be given. Sister Brito is AMAZING! She is very shy though at first until she is comfortable with you or where she is at. At the start she was nervous to give me a tour by herself, but I kept reassuring her to listen to the spirit. The spirit is the ultimate and true teacher. As she is giving me a tour she found a way to tie it in to the families very nicely and consistently bridge back and forth the History of the Tabernacle to the Gospel. One of the even greater moments was when another set of sisters in training came into the Tabernacle and we role played with them. I would say it was like our 4th time role playing, and remember, she is really nervous to be doing this, she looks at the 'pretend family' and says "If you came to know that God reveals direction through a prophet for you and your family today would you be willing to listen to the words of the prophet?" I was just dumbfounded when she said that. I'm like, "You're not shy, companion. Look at what you just said that is powerful and led by the spirit." I was able to bridge it on over and invite the 'pretend family' (sister missionaries) to refer. It was amazing though, to see her. I definitely did not do that at the start of my mission!

Seeking to Comfort the Lonely - I don't want this to seem like it has been super easy because it most definitely hasn't been. It has been hard for both of us. For me it's hard as I see the pain she is experiencing and as she has had many moments of tears. That's when it gets hard for me to see her in pain, and the only thing I can do is to love her and be her friend. On Friday I woke up with a horrible pain in my stomach and I at first thought it was due to stress from the dream I had the night before. I had a tremendous nightmare that night and I remember really stressing out because I couldn't find a place to hide from the bad guys that were coming for me. And so when I didn't feel well the next day I thought that's what it must be from. As we were on the Square I just wasn't doing well at all. I told Sister Brito I needed to take a break. As we were in TC she was taking some golden Portuguese chats and I was just sitting there one second shaking cause I was so cold and then the next moment just super hot. I decided to lay on the floor because I wasn't feeling well at all. The next moment I was at the trash can and then I was sent home. You know what happened. It wasn't completely stress but I somehow managed to get the stomach flu, which kept me home all day Friday and Saturday to make sure I was really good and that I could keep things down. On Saturday Sister Brito went to Brighton, which I was supposed to go with her but I was out sick so I couldn't go. I was talking to her that night and she just opened up to me about how alone she felt with me being gone. She said, "I thought it would be easy to make friends but it's harder than I thought. I just feel really alone with you being gone." That just shattered my heart. I felt hopeless because I had no choice but to be at home because I had the flu. One thing it made me stop and think about is, do we reach out to those around us? How many of our neighbors are alone? Who do we pass by at school that may seem fine but is lonely? Are we going the extra mile?

I read this article about President Monson today. Here is the excerpt that stood out to me, "Over the years, President Monson has become known as a man of great compassion. He has spent countless hours visiting people in hospitals, care centers, and their homes, bringing comfort and cheer and often giving priesthood blessings or joining patients’ families in fervent prayer."

As I was reading this I thought about who we are becoming. Are we reaching out to those who are in need of our comfort? Are we becoming children of God with great compassion??

I'm doing great. The work is progressing and I couldn't be happier! I'm excited for these next couple of transfers that I will get to spend with my companion and to see her progress and become what Heavenly Father expects her to become!

Baptisms Coming Soon in Liberia:

Guess what?!?! OPI is being BAPTIZED this week!!! I cannot wait to hear all about it! It was supposed to be on Saturday but due to the bad weather ("downpour" is what they call it) not everybody showed up. I cannot wait for him to be baptized. He is excited and so prepared to be baptized. Many of our other investigators there are all prepared. The only set back is the marital certificate, which I strongly dislike now! Why? Because it's a simple piece of paper that is stopping people from progressing towards eternal salvation. Be grateful that we live in a place where it's not hard to get one. There it used to be 20$ now its 50$ but for them that is really really expensive. I have recognized that it is a way for the Lord to test their faith and conversion to his Gospel. But I have faith that all will work itself out.

Elder and Sister Clarke from the Seventy:

For Sacrament meeting on Sunday we had the privilege of hearing from Elder and Sister Clarke from the 70. The things they shared were powerful. Here are a few of the notes that I took as I was able to listen to them and to what the spirit shared with me:

Sister Clarke-

We never know where our future will take us. We must stay grounded within the gospel so the Lord can trust us in all things. Our children are up in heaven cheering us on. Cheering for us to do what I must do. As we render and strengthen our testimonies of the Gospel we will be able to rear our children within the gospel and will be able to help them in all things that they will be afflicted with.

Elder Clarke (1st Quorum of the 70)-

It's not about where we go [on a mission] but it's about who our Mission President is. We must seek and follow their counsel in all things.

He mentioned to us four things we MUST HAVE A TESTIMONY OF.

1. Most important of all is our relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ

  - We must know his Life, his Atonement, and his Resurrection!!!!!   - Do we dwell in a dwelling that is Christ centered?

  - Have you lived this day the way the Lord would live this day?

  - Do we talk about Christ to all we meet?

2. We must know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God

3. We must know that the Book of Mormon is true

  - Love the Book

  - The Book of Mormon is the most correct book of any other book in the world.

  - Do you love the Book of Mormon? Do you read it in your free time? The Book of Mormon should be a book you seek to read ALL the time!

  - Our marriage and relationship with our Savior must be centered on the most correct book of all mankind - The Book of Mormon.

4. The family is the central unit within the church

  - Be the kind of young women men would be lined up to date, only exceptional worthy young men!!

  - Temple Marriage is crucial!! I must be praying now for a man who will take me to the Temple and plead with the Savior that I will find a young man who will prepare me and our family for the Celestial Kingdom.

  - It starts today, family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening

  - There is a Tsunami coming. Elder Ballard testified of this to Elder Clarke as he served in Guatemala. Tsunamis destroy everything!!! We must hold family prayer and scripture study every night.

Well I better get going. Hopefully I didn't miss anything! I'm doing so well, honestly, I love being with Sister Brito and everything I'm learning. To be honest, it's giving me a glimpse of what Motherhood is somewhat like. I know its nothing like it but it's a slight glimpse into the responsibility of it. Family, know I love you and yes I'm healthy again! I have been back to work for 2 days now. Well, yesterday and today, and we are working our absolute hardest! Continue to do what the Lord expects of you and you will go far in life! Be Safe!!

 

Love Always,

Sister Skaggs

Spiritual Conversion‏

From 8/18/15

To All I Love,

 

Part of my district...waiting to take a
tour at the Beehive House.

 

As we keep pressing forward with faith doing what the Lord needs us to do now and keeping an eternal perspective, before we know it, time has flown by. I'm amazed with how fast my mission has gone by and how time keeps ticking by faster and faster. But it makes us stop and think - are we doing all that the Lord requires from us? Are we allowing the Lord into the details of our lives? Have we learned from the trials that we have been faced with? How are we using the time we are given each day to its fullest? Do we end our day saying I did what was required of me today? The Lord teaches us through experiences and allows us to learn through trials we are faced with. 

 

 

Spiritual Capacity: 

 

The Lord recognizes each and everyday what he needs us to experience in order for us to reach our Divine Potential. These past 5 days have been examples in my own life that have allowed me to recognize the role of the Spirit in our own individual conversion to this divine plan. These past couple of weeks, for some reason, I have just felt off. To an extent that I just can't describe. Do you ever just get into those moods where you just feel weird and just like bleh? Haha - maybe it's just me. This past one started on Friday when President Poulsen stopped me in the hallway and asked to speak with me. It didn't shock me because I knew things would be changing next transfer. When President informed me of what the Lord had called me to do next transfer it wasn't surprising because I knew to an extent it was going to happen. However, at the same time I didn't know because of what everyone assumed was going to happen. The Zone Leaders, whom I have become super close with this past transfer, were able to sit down with me on Saturday and reassure me of the call the Lord has extended to me again this transfer. I was completely fine after I talked with them and was happy and confident and excited for the call that the Lord has extended to me. It was interesting though because on Sunday I just felt different, a weird different and I couldn't pinpoint the cause of it. This is an excerpt to what I wrote to President Poulsen about this:

=============

"One of the biggest lessons I have learned this week is how the spirit leads us to our own individual conversion. For some reason I have caught myself lately, a little bit more frequent than usual, in these weird moods. And I'm never able to find the source of what is causing it. Which, to be honest, at moments can be a little frustrating because if you don't know the source then it's hard to pick yourself up out of it. This past Sunday for some strange reason I just couldn't get myself out of it this time, no matter what I did. Sister Chazen and I were talking about it trying to figure out the source when we both felt prompted we needed to ask for a Priesthood blessing right then and there before we left to go home for evening studies. As Elder Richardson put his hands on my head, and throughout the entire blessing, I haven't felt the spirit as strong and close before in my life, but most importantly my Savior that close. The power that comes from the Priesthood as we have the right desire is real and overwhelmingly powerful. Whatever was causing me to be just plain off, literally left me. I can't explain it. The Spirit is the true source of our conversion to the Gospel. It was everything I needed at that given moment and the strength I need to magnify my call these next two transfers as the Lord has given me the mantle of training this new daughter of his into the missionary he expects her to become. From the past 2 experiences of training I want to make sure this next experience and most crucial out of the three is done right and properly. It for sure wont be easy. It would be nice if it was but then it wouldn't allow us to grow. But as the Lord is in the details of our companionship he will lead us in what needs to be done."

=============

A P-day outing with my zone - a little
hill right before Ensign Peak



Feeling and recognizing the spirit in our lives is something that is vital and so very crucial. What occurred on Sunday was powerful and something that I truly can't describe to you. The moment Elder Richardson (SENIOR COUPLE) laid his hands on my head to give this blessing was an experience that was crucial. Feeling the Spirit in that capacity was indescribable.

Side Note: Family your emails came at the right time. Mom Sunday was the day that I was really struggling and then that night as I was reading my emails I saw that you sent me a simple email that just said "I Love You, Mom" which was everything I needed to hear. And then Dad, I read your email last night, because the WiFi didn't update me on Sunday. But when you wrote about the family praying for me and saying "we prayed that you would feel our love in that very moment. And we hoped you did feel our love at that moment." I wondered if that happened right as I was getting my Priesthood Blessing. The strangest thing occurred towards the end of the Priesthood Blessing. Elder Richardson made a few comments and I literally felt arms wrap around my shoulders and someone touching my left shoulder. I couldn't pinpoint who it was but I knew it was people I knew. As he started the blessing he said "I say this as if your Dad was giving you this blessing." I felt as if you were saying it dad. Family the Lord is far more aware of our needs than we know and can comprehend! I love you sooooo much! And I feel blessed to have a family who is in-tuned to the spirit! I'm just blessed with a marvelous family!! :) <3

Gilgal Gardens on P-day with my zone



Sis. Chazen and me

Yesterday was another prime example for me of allowing the spirit to speak through us. Also how we can see the Lord in the details of our lives. Sister Chazen was having a rough day for various reasons and then towards the end of the day had a really bad migraine which stopped her from working. The Zone Leaders mentioned that she just needs to go home which put us going home 30 minutes earlier than we were supposed to. At first I was a little irritated because I really wanted to go to the Square but we recognized that it wouldn't be beneficial since she can't work right now. While she went to bed I was supposed to pack since I'm moving, but it didn't play out the way I intended it to. One of our roommates started asking me all of these questions which I thought was a little off because she usually doesn't do such a thing. At one point she asks this particular question which led me to ask her if she had ever watched the video "Missionary Work and the Atonement". This Sister commented that she indeed watched it yesterday but it did nothing for her. I proceeded to ask if she prayed with real intent beforehand. She hesitated and said, "Kind of, but no." I commented that I had it on my iPad and that I wanted to watch it with her. Before we watched it together we prayed that the Lord would guide us and lift the burdens that were placed upon our shoulders. The short video, as usual, was really powerful. But the one part that I want to share with you was a powerful moment and sacred moment, one where the spirit bore witness to me of the power that is real and how we are used as instruments in the Lord's hands. As we sat there just talking on the floor she ended up opening up to me on what she is facing internally. Her entire life she has this problem with these really scary and real dreams that she has. One of her recent dreams was about her dad who left her when she was just a baby and what was happening now. This Sister commented to me that it never bothered her that she didn't have her dad in her life until the dream she had about a month ago. The most recent dream has been something she can't get off her mind and it has really bothered her a lot, and that she is seeking healing from it. In that moment for some reason I said something to her which I don't know exactly what I said to her but something that I knew for sure her Heavenly Father was needing to tell her. At first I was hesitant because it isn't my place to say, in general, what I said. She then just burst out in tears which scared me for a second wondering what had just occurred and if I really was supposed to say that. She didn't make a peep for what seemed like an eternity. Longest 3 minutes of my life. She then briefly and softly said, "Something far greater is occurring here. That wasn't you that spoke, Sister Skaggs. Your voice changed in a way that was completely different. It wasn't you speaking but the Spirit talking through you. Something far greater just occurred. What was said is what I have to do." At that moment the same feeling I had felt the night before came back and bore a strong and overwhelming witness to me of the reality of the spirit. The spirit is real. It bears witness to us of truth, to what we need to know that will guide and direct us. Feeling the spirit in that capacity is something that is real. It's open to each of us. Family, these two experiences are something I hold sacred, but I share them out of love and a way for us to each learn and recognize the power of the spirit in our own lives. The spirit is the true converter and teacher. What occurred in just a 24 hour time span here was something that I can't comprehend. I know without a doubt that this Gospel is true. God does have a plan prepared for each of us who will come unto his Son, Jesus Christ. I can testify that our life isn't done when we die. It's real. It's crucial to prepare and to use our time to its fullest here, because this time is a fragment to the span of eternity that lies ahead of us. It is a blessing to have this truth at our fingertips. It's our option to just look at it, touch it, hold it or to embrace it. How do you hold this truth? How do you allow the spirit to bear witness to you of this truth? How does this truth allow you to be an instrument to the hearts of those you meet?

New Beginnings:

 



Sis. Lytle on her last day



As you briefly read above, I am training again next transfer. I must not have done it right these past 2 times. I guess third times the charm right?! I was given the opportunity to follow up train Sister Stoddard, then Inbound train Sister Lin and now I'm training a new missionary from the MTC!

 

 

I'm excited for what lays in store these next couple of transfers and for this opportunity to train this Sister. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. It’s interesting how the Lord really does know us. These past couple of weeks I have been curious as to what the Lord had in store for me the remaining part of my mission. Part of me was starting to get a little uneasy because I didn’t know if I would be given the opportunity to train a new missionary. I have trained on two different occasions on my mission and was telling myself I was okay with it. However, in the back of my mind I wondered if I had proven myself worthy to the Lord to be given the opportunity to train a new missionary. I’m excited to be with her and to meet her and to help her in any way that the Lord needs me to help her. These next two transfers will be a time of growth, love, service and fun. I ultimately want to see her as I have seen Sister Chazen, someone who is equal. I want to work with her like we did together this past transfer.

This is what I shared with President Poulsen in my email to him today. This time to train is something I'm super excited for. It kind of shocked some people because EVERYONE thought I would be a Zone Leader next transfer. But deep down while I did want to be a Zone Leader I really wanted to train again. Yes, I have trained on several occasions throughout my mission but I haven't had the experience to train a missionary straight from the MTC. It will be such a fun time being able to just love and serve her. There honestly isn't a big difference. She is just a little bit newer than me... 10x newer, but that really isn't a whole lot. :) I can tell the Lord needs me to go back to the basics. We only have 8 new sisters coming in which is shocking because we average 25-30 new sisters every transfer. President is expecting as of right now 32 new sisters next transfer. Anyways things are going well! And I'm really excited. Oh and NEW P-DAY!!! My NEW P-DAY is ON MONDAY! I will have to tell you ALL about my new companion on Monday!

Well I better get going. Today has been crazy with the Churches Internet network crashing and everything else which is why my emails are so scattered over like a 5 hour time period. Gotta love the Internet! I love you each so very much! Be safe and know I love you! Oh and happy 24th Wedding Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!!! So crazy!!! Wow you're getting old!! ;) But wait, the older you get means I get older to... Next year you will be married for 25 years!! Crazy to think about that. Excited for our family cruise next year for your 25th wedding anniversary.

Love Always,

Sister Skaggs 

 

Jaime - a sweet little
Chinese boy!

 

I love his smile!