Toronto

Toronto
Toronto, Canada

Monday, January 25, 2016

 
 
Hello Everyone!

So this week was another crazy one. Up days and down days are pretty normal but everything is starting to come forward.

So Monday night after less then 12 days I went back on exchanges this time I got to drive though so all was well on that department! I spent Tuesday with sister Mamarova from Bulgaria who is very driven and yet has a silly side that was continuously making me laugh. We met with some of the same investigators from last time and it was fun talking to them again and seeing the progress that they've made. Meeting with my own investigators it can be hard to see the growth sometimes because we're right with them all the time but after seeing the investigators that I hadn't seen for a couple weeks I realized how much my investigators really are growing. It was such a blessing.

Wednesday was a special missionary broadcast which was absolutely amazing. Teach Repentance and Baptize converts was the title and we got instructions from several members of the twelve and to get further direction in how the work is supposed to come along. It was fabulous. We spent quiet a bit of the rest of the day packing and moving furniture to the new apartment. Because the new apartment was in a better place for English work the English YSA elders moved into the new one and sister Liao and I took their apartment as it was also closer to our most frequent proselyting areas. Since our car is the biggest we had to help the Elders move around furniture for a couple of hours before we ran off to an appointment. It was a busy day and we didn't get the chance to do any street contacting at all since the moving made us late to just about everything. It was hard going home that night to a new (and slightly messy) apartment and realizing that not only did we not have roommates any more but that we hadn't met our goal for talking to people that day. Still, occasionally we are called to do service in other ways and the instruction that day was beautiful.

Thursday we had more lessons and more teaching and a dinner appointment with a sister who had one of the most beautiful laughs I've ever heard.

Friday we had 6 lessons back to back and that was so much fun. We just sat in the same university building and they all came to us one after another.

Saturday because of the crazy schedule for the week we didn't have time until that day to do weekly planning but it was great to sit down and really think and pray about the people we are going to be teaching over the next week and how we can best help them.

This week really was great. Sister Liao and I are working better together and I can feel my language starting to become so much better. Something that I learned this week is that we are all doing our best to progress and to lift up others. Something that I've heard repeatedly throughout my life is that in the last day's it won't be the wickedness of the world that heralds the second coming but the righteousness of the saints. If we want to get to that point then the best thing we can do is leave everything and everyone better than when we found them. If we are striving to become better then one of the best ways to do that is to be a positive influence both on others and on your surroundings. The things that we see every day really do affect us so if that means your facebook page, the pictures in your house, the music in your car, they all have an effect on us. If we fill our lives with positive influences then we will be lifted up and we will be in a better place to lift others up as well.

One of reasons I noticed this was that when we were sharing an apartment with the Hermana's between the four of us there were lots of pictures and quotes on the walls and in the house that made me feel at home. Coming to the new apartment where there was one picture of the first presidency and no color at all on the white walls made me feel empty. As sister Liao and I unpacked and started putting more reminders of Christ throughout the house I started to feel more at home. When we fill our lives with His presence we will feel more at home as He is the one who will lead us to our eternal homes with Him above.

This is where I will set forth a semi invite. Go to your room, or the place that you spend the most time. Look around. What is on the walls? What is on the dashboard, the page? Does it invite the spirit? The thought of Christ? If not I'd invite you to go get a picture of Him. And place it in an area where you will see it everyday. I promise that having His presence in your life will help you so much.

If we want to change we need His help. So invite His presence in.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. Thank you for your thoughts. I pray for you all and I hope you know how much God Loves you.

Lots of love,
Sister Skinner,

PS... I wasn't even sure if I should put this here but seeing as my birthday is coming up, if you feel so inclined I would love pictures of Christ. Don't feel obligated but if you wanted to know what would be good to quote "He is the Gift"
 
Pictures from last week:
 
 
 

 

Monday, January 18, 2016

A Week of Words

Hello everyone!

So thoughts on life for this week. Focus determines reality... now you have heard this before but this week it really sunk in that when I am focused on God and His work and His glory then there is absolutely nothing that can hurt me or touch me. We are safe in His arms and when we are standing on the sea performing miracles we don't need to question we just need to do. And when others look at us we will not be afraid, Miracles are both small and simple and mighty to see. So don't turn away when you see a miracle be grateful. Always be grateful.

So some really great quotes from this week.

"See if I keep praying for snow, people will stop asking me to pray!" -Elder Baird (He's a weird one)

"So you're saying if I eat more Chinese food my Chinese will get better?" -Me
"Yes" -Sister Liao, Cheryl (Member), Bill (Potential investigator and restaurant owner)

"I'm grateful that you are thinking so much about me that you are dreaming about me." -Chu (Investigator... So I woke up in the middle of the night this week totally convinced that his baptism was the next day and I just about woke up sister Liao because we hadn't prepared at all! But he's leaving for China soon so this won't happen till he actually get's back)

"The Toilet is broken again..." -Sister Liao

"Guess what? You're getting a new apartment!" - Zone Leaders Elder Kendel and Elder Woo

"Wait you're leaving? ... Fine then, take the table I don't want any reminders!" -Hermana Smith and Myre

"So this week I want you to focus on gratitude." -President Clayton. (We had interviews this week)

"So do you like Chicken wings?" - Bryce (Branch Mission Leader)

"I know that God lives. I know that His Son Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that they want you to get baptized and we have prayed about it and ask you to prepare for March 19." - Me (To Chu who should be back by then)

This week has been full of miracles and things to make one smile. We are all on a journey and this is live is about progression. We will move forward with faith and when the time comes we will feel all the more blessed for our tribulation.

I hope you all realize how blessed we are. God lives and he loves you.

Lot's of love even in the snow.

Sister Skinner

Monday, January 11, 2016

Found by a Heavenly Light

We are all seekers in one way or another and one thing I've learned this week is that I will always be learning and that the little things in life really are miracles.

Monday after emails the district went for Sushi... it was the best sushi I've ever had and it was all you can eat for 15 dollars and it was so, so good. We then went bowling and then we left to go out and keep teaching! it was a great day.

Tuesday morning we got a call from the zone leaders telling us our car is old and about 16,000 km over the amount that mission cars are supposed to be driven and once again, (Something I've already heard.) We shouldn't have been driving it. So we taught our lessons went to a dinner and then set off to find a car wash so it could look presentable when they brought it up to Bramptford to get us a new one. We exchanged cars and got to drive the Elders car for a day. (Stressful far to new and it took me ten minutes to figure out how to get the seat to move forward.)

Wednesday we drove their car taught new people. I felt like I started to understand really well in one lesson and then in the next I was completely lost. Still the Gift of tongues is so real and I have felt it's influence. That night I drove the Elders car to Cambridge to exchange with Sister Dayton one of the sister Training leaders. Driving in the dark is very stressful especially when you have no idea where you are. Still we made it and sister Arnold put me to work right away. We were giving comfort and working with people all the way up until 9 and then we started calling until 10 so that was great.

Thursday was exchange and we just kept on working. We had ten lessons that day and sitting in the passenger seat was a little bit terrifying as sister Arnold did her best to go as fast as she could without tipping off TIWI I learned that God let be a driver because he knew I wouldn't be able to get through the first month without going grey if I was sitting in the passenger side. I am now much more appreciative of being the one in control of the moving vehicle. Still it was a great day, I got to teach in English and to recite touch of the masters hand, to teach all sorts of people and even help a Chinese family at the end of the day. Oddly enough teaching in English made me more comfortable with teaching in Chinese. It really was such a blessing. That night sister Arnold and I drove back out to Kitchener and sister Arnold and sister Dayton slept over for the Zone conference that was going to be held in Kitchener the next morning. There were six girls in the apartment that night and I felt right at home!

Friday was Zone conference and the spiritual nourishment I gained from that was fantastic! I learned so much about repentance and it was great being back with sister Liao again. This was also the day that we got our new car... 2016 Nissan Rogue less then 200 miles on it. That's scary too! I've never driven anything newer than my dad's 2003 stick shift and sitting in that car knowing that it was paid for out of tithing funds gives me the motivation to pray every time I get into that car for safety. It's been a great blessing though. Friday we taught some great lessons and I helped someone understand the difference between reincarnation and resurrection in Chinese! it was great.

Saturday Sister Liao and I had lessons up to our ears and we loved it. First time that had happened for us and we know that we are so blessed.

Sunday I learned a lot about miracles. God works through small and simple means and yet when we think of miracles we think of great acts of glory. How is it that something can be both small and simple and magnificent at the same time? The answer is faith. Faith is the power of Miracles and something that would seem insignificant to others means the whole world to others. Miracles do happen, I have seen them. We just need to believe that they are there.

I love you all! and I hope you are all doing fabulously well. God lives and he is active in our lives.

Best wishes,

Sister Skinner

Monday, January 4, 2016

Hello Everyone!

I'm not sure how to start with this week. There has been so many blessings. I extended my first baptismal invitation, we went from having 1 investigator to having 5, the toilet overflowed and flooded our bathroom, we got to do so much service, It snowed quite a bit and as of today it's negative 18 degrees Celsius Which is not nearly as cold as it could be but it's still rather cold. I got the Skinner Calendar this week and it was exactly what I needed that day. We had two investigators come to church, I ate way to much this week and somehow through it all I woke up one morning finally feeling comfortable with what I'm doing. To be fair I'm not sure how long that last one will last but I'm starting to get there! Look at that snow! isn't it great, the coat and boots sure are nice too!
 
 
​I'm not actually sure if you can see those but if you can Great!

So yes it's been cold, but life has also been good the big story of this week is that we did finally start to get real investigators! and while we still spend several hours a day outside contacting we are now on our way to actually teaching people! I love being able to share my testimony and while helping new converts and returning members is great, being able to share with someone who's never heard about God before is amazing as well! Church was fantastic! Between the three sets of missionaries who go to singles ward we had 8 total investigators show up! It was so cool! so many blessings.
Well I'm going to keep this short this week as I have a bunch of technical errors that I need to fix in my missionary portal (Yay for more messed up paperwork!) but I pray for all of you and I'm so very grateful that you are all doing well in your life and I hope you all continue to look for the blessings around you!
 
God be with you till we meet again!