Understanding and Not Knowing What to Say

 

Hello Everyone!

Sometimes I start these letters and I know exactly what I need to talk about and what I should say and what part of the weeks should be highlighted... and then there are weeks like this where I stare blankly at my computer screen and wonder what I could possibly write in such a short amount of time that could encompass all the things that I've felt this week.

So lets start with last P-day, doing it on Tuesday's instead of Monday's makes the whole week feel out of sync but it turned out okay. Everyone is in the midst of their finals and test preparation and that meant we only had 8 investigator lessons this week which was really sad. But we're excited for the coming week and we're going to be working really hard to talk to as many people as possible and hopefully ride on the just-finished-my-test-high and keep it going to I-just-realized-that-my-Father-in-Heaven-is-real-and-He-loves-me-high. That's the goal and we're going to keep it going! We did more tracting this week and we ended up talking to some less active families from the family ward who we'll be stopping by in the coming week so were super excited about that. We also had Zone Council this week! YAAY! Having the whole zone together is always so much fun and we learned a lot about the importance of how to begin teaching, and really relying on the Book of Mormon in every meeting and appointment.

And now for the Highlight... ROBIN GOT BAPTIZED!!! He bore such a beautiful testimony about looking for peace and it was just so humbling to be sitting there listening and feeling the spirit so strongly. God answers prayers and he knows what we need both inside and out. He will not leave us alone in the world, there is always someone out there who is willing to help.

This week was just filled with little moments where the spirit touched me so deeply. Sharing the first vision to Emerson to start off his new member lessons, and just knowing in that moment that Joseph Smith is a prophet, studying about how to help others believe in God and getting a powerful witness that God will let them that seek Him know that He is there, walking down the street in the sunlight and in the rain and still feeling just so blessed for every single moment.

So many miracles are around each of us everyday. Acts of service are amazing things to watch and see. Being able to be one of the one's who can give is an even grater miracle.

I struggled and times this week too. There were moments of frustration, towards myself, and pain, pain for others, People choosing not to accept the Gospel in their lives is heartbreaking, but it hurts even more knowing that you were the one who was supposed to tell them what a great blessing this is, and as they tell you they don't want more you just feel like a failure, because if they knew what the Atonement of Christ meant to them, and if they truly understood that they can only fully utilize that atonement when they accept baptism they wouldn't turn away. But they don't. And that's your fault. Painful as it is, these experiences make those moments where the light really does turn on in their eyes that much more meaningful. I don't think I've ever understood more the desire to be able to declare the gospel more. Listen, Please, God Himself is reaching out to you please! Listen!

This is the Church of Christ. It's not just a social institution, this is the Kingdom of God on the earth again and Christ is as it's head. He loves you! He loves you so perfectly that He died! Not only did He die He rose again! Do you understand what that means? Not just that you too will live again but that you are not confined to be the person you are now? That you can be happy now and still hope for more joy as life goes on? Do you understand the significance of repentance? Of that moment where you can say that you are clean?

Do you understand why we go to church every week? Do you understand the importance of sitting in Sacrament meeting and then staying for the rest of the meetings? Do you understand why we pay tithing, why we don't swear, why we live the word of wisdom?

Do you understand? Because I don't.

Maybe if I did I could help you understand too.

But here is what I do know.

There is a God.

He loves me.

He loves you too.

Because He loves us He has asked us to do certain things so that we can live with Him again.

Because He loves me I know that I will be able to understand everything someday.

Because He loves you, he will not condemn either of us for not understanding everything right away.

Because He loves us, all of us, we don't have to be perfect now. We just need to try, and then expect to succeed.

He is our success, He is our light, He is our Hope.

And He loves you.

That's what I know.

That's what I understand.

I hope you can too.

I love you all, He loves you more,

Try to understand,

-Sister Skinner

 

 

Perspective after a long week

 

Hello Everyone!

So P-Day Tuesday's are always fun but it does mean that it feels like I haven't emailed in forever! Still There was a lot that happened.

First of starting back last P-day we went with a member and took a hike! Fun stuff, it was beautiful and besides the random people playing pokemon Go everywhere it really reminded me of all the beautiful blessings that God has given us. There is so much to be grateful for we just have to keep looking around.

So as the week went on we did not have as many lessons as we would have liked primarily because it's finals season for the summer semester and UofW and that means super stressed out college students who don't even want to meet for 20 minutes let alone go to church. Still we had five investigators a church a couple days ago and Emerson got the Holy Ghost and Robin passed his baptismal interview! We're super excited for both of them! We're going to see the baptisms keep coming! Also on Sunday, because the Chinese missionaries have been teaching gospel principles to the Chinese class for the last month (What do you do when all the teachers go inactive?) but we really don't have time to prepare a whole church lesson every week and so it's really been a struggle but we've got an awesome ward council and they all put their heads together and figured out what we could do. So for the time being gospel principles is now a bilingual class! With English and Chinese getting thrown around and us missionaries doing translating rather than actual teaching! It was a lot of fun and we're really excited for it!

So also things that happened this week. Tracting... Lots of it. But that was fun too. You never know who's on the other side of the door. Especially when they've got a Buda and a virgin Mary statue side by side. (Okay so we didn't knock that one this week but I keep forgetting to mention it.) Still lots of fun. Also happening this week was exchanges and I really don't understand Spanish but that's okay! We had a great time anyways. We were on the freeway when the rain just downed on us, a Dog jumped into our car, and we contacted less actives!

On the more spiritual side of things I'm really working right now on trying to improve what I can and not get discouraged by what I can't. Yesterday was up and down. We got dropped by an new investigator who was doing so well but after talking to her parents they were not happy that she had been to church. I had been having a rough morning already due to a rough sleep the night before, and so after talking to her for a little bit we went to get ice-cream with our member present in an effort to cheer ourselves up, that part was pretty good, but then coming right back out we found out that I had miss parked and ended up with a parking ticket. That was my bad. Still that was not the highlight of my day. I also accidentally ended a lesson prematurely because I didn't understand what the investigator was asking.

Still by the end of the day I was just grateful for my companions and for the chance to be out here in Canada. It wasn't even really a bad day it was just a day and that's the interesting part. We get to choose to see how to see every day, and I know that God will keep blessing us for our efforts. Maybe we could have worked harder yesterday but we just have to do what we can and let God make up the rest.

I'm working on that. Always will be. But that's a relief in a way because that means I'm also always improving.

Life is good. There is so much to be grateful for! and God is our loving Father in Heaven. He knows us perfectly. Isn't that beautiful?

Love you all and I pray for you all!

-Sister Skinner

 

 

July 25, 2016

Hello Everyone!

BAPTISM! EMERSON GOT BAPTISED! YAY FOR MIRACLES! So I totally didn't have time to write this today sorry about that and now I'm running low on time but I will send out a larger letter next week in the mean time enjoy the pictures! I love you all so much and I know that God lives, He is the head of this church and if you want to know that is true go and read the Book of Mormon that will change your life!

 

 

Miracles and Being Busy

Hello Everyone!

This was a week of miracles! So last Sunday we got a text from Emerson who asked us to postpone his baptismal date. We were kind of freaking out because when that happened with Nan, who was doing fabulous before he talked to his parents, he then changed his date to two years from now... which we're working on fixing. But last Monday when we met with Emerson at 6:30 he told us that he had prayed about it and received the revelation that he was supposed to get baptized. So keep praying for him because he's heading for the water this Sunday! He passed his interview yesterday and practically was organizing his service himself. There's actually going to be three YSA baptisms this next week. One for us, one for the English elders, and one for the Portuguese elders. To say that this area is doing well is and understatement! We're super excited for all of them.

Also news from this week. Robin is looking forward to his date on the 30th and Caleb, after 6 months of investigating during a great lesson on the atonement, obedience, and repentance, Committed to August 13th! (And then we realized that there is going to be two YSA weddings that day and so no one would be able to come... so we'll probably need to move it.) Still Caleb is so ready and so committed to the gospel it's great!

We also walked out of a lesson this week and ran into a returning member no one has seen for two years and who is willing and wants to meet with us. That was such a blessing. We served, taught 24 lessons, drove to Brampton and back for a medical follow up, went to our usual eight hours of meetings on Sunday and had Channy (Yay for female investigators!) come to church for the first time and then sign up for next week's YSA conference where our new mission president will be speaking. 

Fabulous week area wise. Everything just keeps going forward. I also had the chance to get some mail this week! the mail system is semi spotty right now and we're not supposed to send anything through Canadian post but I want to sent a shout out to my Grandma Gazdik for the beautiful outfit, Sister Joanna Hugo for the post card and fond memories, Sister Haley Erickson for the hilarious letter, and of course the Friendly first ward in the Hobble Creek West Stake, the monthly ward news letter is always so much fun to read.  

We're going forward! Slowly but surely we're going to make it there! God's work will prevail.

Love you all!

-Sister Skinner

 

 

Overwhelmed and Semi-relevant humor

 

Hello Everyone!

Wow! this week was a busy one! and they are just going to keep getting busier! We found three new this week. Taught a ton of lessons, met the new mission president, moved in sister Chen, set up a swamp cooler, almost had a baptism, (and then his parents asked him to wait) met with three different ward mission leaders, tried to figure out how were going to manage a whole stake of people rather than two wards, and generally laughed and cried a lot over all of the above situations.

I've been all over the place emotionally this week. Ups, downs, moments of nothing. There was so much just happening all at once. There is still so much happening at once. I think this is the first time I've felt guilty for having a p-day. There are just so many people to call and to set appointments with and to try and lift up and here I am sitting at a computer and thinking about what we're going to eat in the coming week. (I do know that that's important it's just a feeling in the back of my mind right now.) Still, it's also been such a blessing, God really does provide when you throw yourself into the work and we know that he's going to keep on helping us. That being said this week really was difficult the mandarin level in the house has gone up so high, and it's a wonderful thing as it's really pushing me but it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Sister Chen and sister Deng get along like a house fire and I keep having to remind myself to participate instead of pull back. It's natural, but it's not going to get the work done and boy do we need to keep working!

We also did get to meet president shields this week, which went well. It was just also kind of a surprise and so we had to reschedule 7 appointments right that night. Still we're doing okay! President Shields really is super excited to be here and it's a blessing to be able to have this chance to work with him. He's going to keep taking us upward and forward and this mission is going to keep teaching repentance and baptizing converts. Speaking of baptisms. We've got like... 7ish people we're working on for them to get baptized in the next two months. That's a big number! Still kind of freaking out here in Kitchener!

Also found out this week that a less active in the KW ward had been going to the K2 ward this whole time and is super active... That was a fun phone call! They're having us over for dinner on Tuesday. Also, another Less active who I knew last time I was here wants to beat me in a joke competition. I'm not entirely sure where he got the idea that I have a functioning sense of humour as the only joke I ever told him was: What do you call an ocean of noodles? ..... it's aPASTAsea. And now he periodically sends us semi-funny humor. I'm not sure how to respond but he is willing to meet now so that's a plus!

New Convert wise. Jim is the only one willing to meet with us, the rest are all in China or not answering their phones. Tears! Hopefully things will pick up in the member area when school starts again in the fall.

So yes! we'll be moving forward, and keep going in this work. Hopefully I'll be in a slightly more calm state next week but for now I'm just still kind of freaking out.

I love you all! and I'm so very grateful for the chance to be here on a mission! The church is true! Don't ever doubt it!

Sincerely,

Sister Skinner

 

 

No Title

 

 

Hello Everyone!

So transfer calls were last night!

WE'RE NOT LEAVING KITCHENER! In fact sister Chen is coming to trio with sister Deng and I and it's going to be awesome! We're both super excited. However we're both super nervous, because of the mission numbers they are taking out the mandarin elders and reassigning the Zone Leader area to Brantford. This means that there is once again only one set of mandarin missionaries in Kitchener Waterloo and so we're taking over all the investigators... our teaching pool went from like 8 to 20 people over night. It's kind of overwhelming because in a way I don't feel like we earned these people, we haven't earned their trust, and we don't know all of them yet. But we're also feeling very humbled by the experience and we know that God is going to lead us through all this. So, a mixed bag of nervousness and excitement but we're getting there!

So investigator wise this week. We met this guy named Mars while tracting. He's 35 so not YSA, he owns a Karaoke bar, he's got problems with every single part of the WoW, and he sat down in our first lesson and asked. "So when I join your church how much do I have to pay?" First of all focus on that word WHEN. He's different from anyone else I've ever taught but he's in it to win it. He wants to know if God is real and he wants to be a better person. We're excited for him.

Jian pulled back a little this week. He's not comfortable with July 16 but is still willing to meet with us. Caleb is doing super well and did fabulous at church this week. We might have to Turn Alex over to the Lord if he keeps insisting that he can't go to church. Andrew came to church and told everyone there that he is a Roman Catholic. That was fun. Tracy didn't answer us. We were running around like crazy because we realized that due to Canada day our branch president, brother Ince, our branch mission leader, and our relief society president were all going to be gone! So the whole ward was scrambling. So we ended up teaching Gospel principles on Honesty and had a great time with that.

We also had dinner at the Stake Center, tracted everyday, and freaked out with our district leader who's dying this transfer and was also freaking out.

Over all it was a good week. I'm sure I'll have lots to tell you all next week but for now we're on a roll and we're not stopping for anything! Even a new mission president. He's here and he's excited to be here and we're also excited to have him. Things are flying and we can't slow down! Not for the work of God!

I love you all so much and a special shout out to my lovely sister Bethany for turning 8 and being baptized this week. You are so very precious to God and to me.

Till next week!

-Sister Skinner

Oh as a side note the Canadian postal workers are going on strike and we have no idea how long that's going to last. So you won't be getting any paper mail for a while sorry about that. I'll try and send what I can through fedex but well see how everything turns out. Also no mail coming in :-/ that's a bummer but we'll live!

I also have more pictures but we took a lot with sister Deng's camera this week so well get those first.

 

 

Progress and walls . . . literally!

Hello Everyone!

Wow this week was one of the slower ones on my mission. Not really for any particular reason except we weren't able to teach as many lessons as we usually do but I am so very grateful for every single moment of learning and growing. So I guess in review.

ZiQi has a date! WAHOO! He's going to be preparing for the 23 of July but we're going to have to meet with him a lot to get him there. Jian (who also has a date... I don't remember if I mentioned that before.) he's also doing super well. Since we invited him to church he's been every time for the last four weeks and he still loves it! We taught some of the commandments this week and he told us he was totally willing to give up coffee and tea. Which was really nice since our second meeting with him he brought us tea to show his gratitude. Sister Deng threw hers away but I just dumped mine out and kept the bottle for a keep sake. Caleb fasted yesterday! He came and smiled all through church and he and Jian and the elders investigators are all friends and once they all get baptized they're all going to keep each other strong and it's such a blessing! for Alex it finally clicked with him this week that the book of Mormon had to have come from somewhere and now he's finally reading with real intent! We found a new this week who is from Tiawan and he's living with his family and his mom is actively trying to discourage him from meeting with us which was really hard on us at first because we thought he felt the same way but then he keeps calling us and asking to meet with him. So we'll see how that goes!

We also officially fixed the car this week! Yay for air conditioning. Yay for working blinkers! yay for a lot of blessings!

Really though we have been so blessed this week. Sister Deng and I have really been trying to work in unity and it's been helping. We still have a long way to go and we still make mistakes but it's all going to be okay.... I just know it! God knows it too after all this is His work.

Sorry I forgot to take pictures this week because I was charging the battery and then just forgot to put it back in my bag so not very many...

Anyways I'm running a little low on time today due to writing president Clayton his last letter.... I'm so sad that he's leaving but I trust in the prophet and I know that he called president Shields for a reason. A phrase I've heard a lot this week is that 'You aren't assigned to a mission, you are assigned to a mission president. Similarly a mission president is primarily assigned to the missionaries.' President Clayton has helped me so much and I while I can't imagine what the next half of my mission is going to be like without him I know that similarly president Shields has been called here for a reason.

So President Clayton asked for his last letter to include some of the miracles we've seen so I'll share a little with you today!

So, as for ways this mission has changed me. I'm sure if I were to list them all there would be quiet the extensive list but I'll try and shorten it down to some of the greatest miracles I've seen thus far.

His name is Tangier. He told me that he was so grateful for this change in his life and knew that it was going to be everything he strived for. Her name is Angela. Her parents are less actives and she looked at me and asked why everyone didn't understand the book of Mormon was true. His name is Caleb, he fasted this last Sunday and smiled all though the meetings. Her name is Kate. She's struggling but she is a daughter of God. His name is Ted, he wants to know if this church is true because he wants to know if he'll ever see his mom again. His name is Jim. He almost didn't meet with us, but the joy in his face when we asked him how his temple trip went is something I will never forget.

They are people and they all have names, they have stories and less then a year ago I didn't even know that they existed but now I feel like they are a part of me. Studying for them has changed my perspective. Praying for them has changed my desires. Loving them has changed me.

This is God's kingdom on the earth. We are his hands. He will not let us fail.

I love you all and I hope you all have the best of weeks!

-Sister Skinner

The only pictures I took this week were of walls... sorry about that. We needed to verify that we put in our new CO alarms and then I was thinking about my dear sister Beth who has a birthday this week so I took a picture of the wall above my desk.