The Key to All Things is the Spirit

From 01/22/16

 



To All I Love!


Wow! Can you believe that I have been on my mission now for over 18 months!! A week ago tomorrow I hit my 18 month mark for being on my mission. It's amazing how fast time goes by. I still can't believe I'm actually alive. I just give credit to the Atonement at this point for keeping me going. My body physically is really starting to hurt. But I will have enough energy to sprint to the end! I have ALOT to share about this past week! One of my FAVORITE weeks of my mission! I better get started then!

   
The Work is HASTENING in LIBERIA:



My Liberia friends...all in white
ready for baptism!

It finally happened!! They got baptized this past weekend on Saturday, Jan 16, 2016. Most of them have waited a really long time for this day to actually happen. We are just overjoyed for each of them. Who knew this day would come? We talked to Siannes on Sunday and asked all about her baptism and confirmation. Words will never describe how truly happy she was. She said, "I was at complete peace when I was baptized and it felt like I was being born again, that the old me was leaving." Her testimony is powerful, just like Gaiduwo and Anthony's testimony. Her testimony is pure and centrally focused on her Savior. I truly believe that true conversion comes when our hearts are centered on our Savior. We recognize that all things are done through him. Peace comes from him. True love and self worth comes from him. Understanding of our purpose and clear direction comes as we keep our hearts centered on him. As our hearts are centered that is where our eyes will be centered. Their love and testimonies are deep and powerful! I'm going to miss them sooo much! As I was thinking of not being in contact with them again, it really broke my heart. I just wish there was a way to not lose contact with them. It will be a bit harder because of the connection to them. But I know the Lord will provide a way.
 

Church Attendance Doubles~~ 


Companions - Sister Skaggs
and Tagliavia

I have never seen the work hasten so fast than I have there. President Harman, when I had my weekly meeting with him on Sunday (over the phone), we talked about the baptism on Saturday -- who was baptized and who will be getting baptized. I reported to him on who I have called and how that has been going. Then we talked about church and then he apologized for why I couldn't get a hold of him last Friday, which, nonetheless, is a very good reason. Let me start off with the church attendance! When I first started working with Kakata back in April of last year we had about 190 or so at church. At the start of December we had 225 (when the Missionaries came back), 2 weeks ago we had 297 at church and then on Sunday we had 330 at Church. President Harman said that he met with the Mission President on Friday and Saturday because they were drawing out the new boundaries! He is so funny. H says, "Sister Skaggs, I'm so sorry that my phone was off. I was meeting with the mission president for us to redo the boundaries." I was like, "You do not need to be sorry for that at all." At the end of April the Branch will get split! Can you believe that in one year the members have worked so hard that they will have the Branch split! [note from Sis. Skaggs mom - a branch is a smaller congregation that doesn't have enough people to make it a 'ward'. It is a geographical area consisting of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More members in the area make up a ward. Smaller numbers make up a branch]. Here, in the coming month, I think they are going to move the branch to a different building soon that they are currently renovating because they can't fit in the building that they are currently meeting in.

Being Ready in the Lord's Time~~


Celebrating Sis.Fraiser's
birthday at the
Cheesecake Factory

Just today right before we came to email I called President Harman and gave him an update with everything and he said that the missionaries are pushing back the next baptism till the 13th of Feb. because they will have more people prepared then. President Harman started naming all the people scheduled to be baptized and he named just about EVERY person I have worked with on my mission. Morou Jallaa, Jarso Collie, Jimmy, JayEdward, Wenneta, (maybe) Amelia. He cracks me up. He says, "Sister Skaggs, I want them to be baptized before you go home. I will see if we can not delay their baptism and have it on the 30th of Jan and then their confirmation on the 31st." President Harman is really funny. I was like, "Please do not move it just for me. They need to be baptized on the 13th for a reason." He was like, "Well, we cannot delay their baptism." I don't think it will happen which is okay because I do not want it done just for me. Now that the missionaries are back and they can see that they can be baptized they have really recommitted themselves to preparing. We called Morou earlier this week to see how he is doing and he was like, "Sister Skaggs, I'm working really hard to be baptized this Saturday. We met with President Harman at church and I want to be baptized and to really commit myself to God." Morou and Sister Jallaa are hilarious. When I call, Sister Jallaa is on Morou's phone in seconds. They both were like, "President Harman said your mission is ending soon. Morou feels that he really needs to prepare and commit to be baptized before you leave." I told them they cannot do it for me but that it needs to be out of a desire to follow their Savior. Morou was able to share that he wants to be baptized and he wants to really give it his all to the Lord. President Harman talked to me today and reassured me that Morou is really serious. I was really skeptical when Morou told me that the other day. It is really neat because I have been with Morou from the beginning. He is what started this all. April of 2015 a Sister transferred him to me, who, at the time, was a referral. And to see how he has come full circle. I have been able to watch his growth and it is really special to see how he has changed - how he has ultimately changed. When President Harman told me he was getting baptized it just brought me so much happiness. His family will finally be complete. His Wife and children are both members but him. And they will finally be able to experience all the blessings a family can experience together.

The Gift of Tongues~~


Happy Birthday Sister
Fraiser!

With Jimmy it is extremely difficult to talk with him. Near impossible because neither of us can understand one another. When I first started teaching him, I couldn't. We got a minute into the conversation and then would have to stop because we couldn't understand each other. The "mostest neatest" thing happened though the other day. I felt we needed to call him and see how he was progressing towards baptism. We had a 20 minute fluent conversation with him. We taught repentance and how that will help him lead to baptism. It wasn't until we hung up that I recognized what had happened. We realized that through the power of God we can do all things. With faith in him he can give us that power and authority to do what needs to be done to convey this message to his children. I haven't had an experience like this before on my mission, where we clearly got to see how the spirit plays a key role in understanding and communication. With the spirit all things can and will be done.

Temple Square Miracles:

Randy and Amy

Randy & Amy~~ Key Listening to the Spirit, The Guide of All Things 

If I learned anything this week it would be the importance of listening and following the spirit. We were walking out of the Assembly Hall on the Square and were just focused on getting to the basement of the SVC (South Visitors Center) to meet with the Zone Leaders. When people walk onto Temple Square I will usually casually say Hi and just keep walking if I have somewhere to be. It was different though. I caught myself saying hi and then stopping this couple. We started talking to them and trying to get to know them. Randy said, "We came here to get a tour." When he said that, I heard this little voice say, "You will give them the tour." We kept talking. It was getting too cold so we went inside. The spirit within our conversation was really powerful. At that point he shared with me his story:

He has lived in SLC Valley his entire life but because of the way members [of the Mormon church] were he strongly disliked the church. He then married Amy about 3 years ago and they moved to a different city nearby. He mentioned that the members just completely engulfed the two of them into their lives. The way the missionaries approached him and how the members had been he has decided to be baptized...'

Randy then asked us if we would be his tour guides. The spirit already said we had to so we said yes. We took them both to the Temple Model.

'Randy has a little brother named Bryan who was like his follower. ALWAYS wanted to do what Randy did. Right before Bryan turned 21 he passed away due to Grammal Seizures. It was really unexpected. He heard about it at work. He got to his brother before the medics did but he was already gone. This was 11 years ago.'   


Cheesecake Factory

At this point we are standing at the Temple Model talking about Baptisms for the Dead. The spirit had been really strong up to this moment. As we were standing there bearing witness of the importance of Temple Work my companion and I looked at him and bore to him our witness that his brother, Bryan, was in the next life looking down at us at this given moment, that he is ready and waiting for his brother to be baptized so he could be baptized. I cannot describe to you the power of the spirit at that moment. He just started crying and said "I know." He knew that at that moment his brother, his little follower, was waiting for his brother to baptize him. That he was looking upon us with a smile on his face.

I have come to know this Gospel is true. The spirit is the true teacher to conversion. We have desperately sought to do everything by the spirit this week. It is HARD. It requires constant prayer, focus and determination to be spiritually sensitive to that which is asked of us. We have witnessed numerous miracles this week, Wednesday being our FAVORITE day! Seeing how a simple thought will move mountains. Those simple thoughts is the spirit bearing witness to us of what our Father in Heaven asks for us to do. I bear my personal witness to you that as you pray for the spiritual sensitivity and you listen and seek for those thoughts and then act, the Lord will use you to move mountains. I want to end with one last miracle

Don~~ Quick give him a Book of Mormon Download Card


Sister Skaggs and Butler
in the Assembly Hall

On Wednesday this older Gentleman and his brother walked into the Assembly Hall. We quickly made small talk with him. Don mentioned that he lived in Idaho, wasn't a member and that he and his member wife, well soon to be ex-wife, were getting a divorce. I was like - well this may be a bit awkward trying to teach him. The two of them looked at their phones and were like, "Well, we have to quickly get to the car before the meter runs out." As he was living I just blurted out, "Has your wife ever shared with you about the Book of Mormon? Have you ever read the Book of Mormon before?" Don mentions to me "no". I was like, "Well, I have something I want to give you." I pulled out my Book of Mormon download card from my pocket and mention that since he is a devote Catholic he would love reading this book because it is all about our Savior Jesus Christ, and that he would learn and draw closer to him as he read it. He was like "okay. Wow that is really cool." He was like, "Well, I'm not tech savvy. How does this download thing work?" He hands me his phone and says, "Wiill you download the Book of Mormon App for me?" I get it downloaded for him and invited him to read 3 Nephi 11. He said he would and that hopefully he would see me later on in the day since he was coming back. That was the end of it with Don. Fast forward 6 hours. I'm sitting in the kitchen and these 2 sisters said, "Hey, you know the guy you gave the book of Mormon to?" I was like, "Uhhh I don't remember." They said, "Remember Don in the Assembly Hall?" I was like, "Umm yah." She is like, "He is our New Investigator. He came on a tour and mentioned he met Sister Skaggs and that he downloaded the Book of Mormon and was told to read 3 Nephi 11 but had no idea how to find it. He would love to learn more."

The spirit truly leads us and allows us the opportunity to prepare each of Gods children to draw nearer and closer to him. I invite you, as you approach this new week, to seek and ask your Father in Heaven for those opportunities to be spiritually in-tuned to the spirit. I can testify lives will be changed as you do so.



Sister Skaggs and Butler

Know I love you! I LOVE being a missionary. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary. I wish it never had to end. I sometimes wish the Lord would grant me 6 more months. But I know it will have to come to an end. This week in a half to two weeks I have left is something I'm so incredibly grateful for. Next Friday will be my final email home as a full time missionary. Its weird to think it is ending. A year ago yesterday I flew to Richmond, VA for 3 months and was able to see how the Lord works miracles over there. In all corners of the world he is using us to prepare his children for his return to this earth. It is nigh, so we must prepare. I love you and hope you are well!

Love Always,

Sister Skaggs