All Directions!

Hello Everyone!

I'm really crunching for time this week and for that I'm sorry! But I'll do the day by day run down as fast as I can!

Monday: We did our weekly mad house run around trying to prep for the rest of the week and for exchanges that night. Started the exchange with the Hermana's right at 6 and I went flying into Spanish work.

Tuesday: Finished the exchange, I found out that when people talk to me in Spanish I respond in Chinese and then we're all confused. Got to see a member I hadn't in a long time and ate way too much!

Wednesday: We taught lessons to investigators and new converts, and ate Korean food, and tried to make sure that everything was all set for the next day because...

Thursday: We drove the hour and a half to Brampton in order to bring sister Deng to a doctors appointment and I spent the day in Kitchener with sister Penrod on mini exchange while our companions were with the Doctor. That was fun. We dropped the car off to get the blinker fixed. (Again) and they found out that it's not the problem they thought it was and they were going to need it for the night. We were all like okay, we'll just walk home then. Got home and realized the home key was attached to the car keys... Fun stuff! the landlord let us in and we had dinner and rejoiced when our companions all came back in one piece.

Friday: We taught more lessons with all our progressing investigators, Caleb, and Jian are doing fantastically by the way. Jim cancelled on us due to tests, (This happens with everyone, it's kind of like we're teaching college students or something) We also had district meeting where our contacting skills were improved and refined.

Saturday: The night before I dreamed that I was teaching the gospel to Twilight characters which put me in an odd state all that morning. But since we had been busy thus far we had weekly planning and we taught more lessons and bought hats as soon as we got the car back. (Still not fixed by the way, they don't know what's wrong with it the blinker's still not working even after replacing the whole car computer and replacing the bulb like five times.) The hat's thing is medical as sister Deng can't be out in the sun super often just in case your wondering if that's a good use of time. It was important even if I thought every single had was cute on her and she didn't. I did get some pictures of the experience though and I'm sure my mom will be forever grateful that I'm wearing some sun protection.

Sunday: Church is the best! in-between the 3 companionships who work in YSA there were 9 investigators at church this week. (three of them were ours and we're hoping that all three will be baptized in the next month or so, I hope we get to be there for that!) Afterwards we had a great meeting with one of our active members who helped bring some light on a couple of inactive members that we've been trying to work with and miracles! We were actually able to make contact with one of them that night, after some serious prayer and pondering about the situation.

Wow, that wasn't as short as I thought it was going to be and that's like... a brief summery! I don't know what to say there was so much going on this week and I'll end with my testimony about hope. This week was up and down in all directions but through it all there has been so many moments where the way that the spirit was speaking to me was through the hope that all would turn out all right. I know that God loves us so much and he will never leave us comfortless. Keep on trying. We will make it to the end and the glorious future that awaits us!

Lots of Love,

Sister Skinner

 

The Wheels on the Train go Round and Round

Hello Everyone!

Wow this week went by fast but I guess time will just keep flying as the saying goes! So first of all, we had our last zone conference with President Clayton... The last time we're going to see him until he leaves... in like... two weeks! It was super biter sweet and while we learned so much in the meeting we could all feel the sorrow of a chapter coming to an end. We're all looking forward to president Shields and sister Shields but the Claytons will forever be in our hearts. Seeing them cry when we all sang to them was heart breaking but in a good way. (As a side note president told us that he's planning to do a lot of sealings for his missionaries in the coming years so....) Still the meeting was inspirational and we finished with a renewed sense of determination!

This week was very good investigator wise. (A little harder on the member side of things but we'll keep growing grace by grace there.) so here's the summery I sent out to president. 

So this week was an interesting one. Our investigator Jian is really progressing well. He asked some really great questions at our last lesson about why we feel guilty if we spend all day on the computer playing games and we had a really good lesson on why God gives us the commandment to work and to be self sufficient. It was really powerful and the spirit was there. Caleb couldn't come to church this week but he expressed disappointment about it and is really looking forward to coming next week. He is also praying about whether or not Joseph Smith was a prophet or not and he told us as soon as he get's his answer he wants to be baptised! Tracy is a former with a LOT of potential, she feels a little overwhelmed in the English portions of church but she still loves the Chinese classes and believes reading and praying are good for her! ZiQi didn't talk to us a lot this week but he's also committed to coming to church next week and told us that he missed us while he was preparing for his tests. Andrew is a new we found this week who's super prepared and told us that he was a truth seeker. We're super excited to give him the opportunity to find that truth! Alex is another former but we'll be working with him mostly through mormon messages for a while but all of these people show so much potential we're so happy for them!

That's six people who are super strong in our teaching pool right now! I love each and everyone of them they are so prepared! We're also going to be working on tracting a little bit more in the coming weeks so that's going to be great!

Really there were so many little miracles this week. There are still moments where things hurt and we don't get as far as we wanted to, but it's always worth it. I know that God has been looking out for these people and even if they don't get baptised this transfer they will be better off by the end then they were at the beginning. 

Hope comes from seeing Jian's eyes light up as the fact that God is our Father really sinks in and confirms to him that this is why we have commandments. Hope is seeing Caleb looking at us and saying simply. "Yes I know that God loves me." Hope is watching thoughts pass through Alex's eyes and knowing that he has a desire to know if God is there or not. Hope is seeing Tracy smile at church because she feels she belongs. Hope is hearing Andrew tell us that he felt for his whole life that China was missing something and then he came to Canada and realised that it was religion. Hope is walking down the street and realising that all these people are children of God. 

There is a work for us to do and it's not going to get done just by thinking about it. Work comes from doing. When the Shields do come we will be ready. Already flying down the tracks, We're not slowing down for anything!

Till next time!

-Sister Skinner

PS Sorry for not as many pictures this week! But here we are in the car place (Because when don't I have car problems) And sister Deng likes taking pictures of food so I did a little bit of that too. Oh and a car with my future license plate on it that we followed for like 10 minutes and so I had to take a picture while we were at a stop light. 

 

 

 

Last picture with President and Sister Clayton! *tears!*

 

 

Miracles on Sunday

 

 

Hello Everyone!

So this week was interesting! I'm going to give you what I wrote to president first and then some so we'll see how this goes.

So Area wise this week was hard! We had seven potential investigator lessons lined up for this week and only two of them actually showed up! And their lessons were on Saturday, which was hard because if felt like every lesson we prepared for bombed us. But through it all sister Deng has been a pull through. I am grateful for her hardworking personality. So Friday we had zone council and it was fabulous! We had a marvelous instruction about prepping members for lessons. And right afterwards we had a lesson with a long time investigator who sister Liao and I actually found three or four months ago, who was just having a really hard time getting to church and when we helped the member understand our goals at the end of the lesson he actually offered our investigator a ride! We were super excited. And then Saturday we had our two potential lessons actually show up and one of them while he did set another appointment currently is in the mentality that God doesn't exist until proven otherwise, which is harder to work with the other lesson was Jian and he was super prepared! He also committed to come to church on Sunday as long as he could get a ride too. Well that same member was more then willing. And so on Sunday we had two investigators at church and they loved it! So much so that they stayed both for the potluck afterwards, a short message from sister Deng and I and another two hours of fireside accumulating to a grand total of 6 1/2 hours of church with a commitment to come next week! It was such a miracle and it helped that there were members at church this week! People for them to talk to and to get to know. It was so much fun.

That was such a miracle. I can't even describe the joy we felt at seeing the two of them there. Some more of the details. We actually told them they could leave after the potluck but in passing I mentioned that I would be giving a short little speech at the meeting and they were all like... 'but can we stay for that too?'

And we were all like... 'Sure!'

So then a returning member showed up and we were all like 'we need to give him a lesson do you want to stay here?'

And the two of them and Tommy (the member who brought them) were all like: 'Nah we want to go to that one too.'

So we were all like... 'okay!'

So they stayed the entire time and the fireside was all about missionary work and how we need to use love to help our investigators and our investigators sat there and listened to all of it fascinated and then committed to come to church next week! It was literally the best thing ever. I think it solved a lot of Caleb's concerns and Jian (Who's brand new) Loved it and really wants to keep coming and they made friends with Tommy and with the returning member (Who also committed to come next week)

When we got home after 12 consecutive hours of meetings we were just so very, very excited! It was a wonderful day with so much hope and light and I know that God has been preparing us for this all week.

This really is His work and His Glory and we're here to do the best we can!

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

 

Love,

Sister Skinner

PS I'm sorry for the lack of pictures last week I forgot my camera cord!

 

 

Grace by Grace!

Hello Everyone!

I'm so very grateful for this chance  I have to be back in Kitchener! It's so much fun being able to be in my old area and feeling like I can help so many people! My new companion is sister Deng! and she is really, really cool. We've been working fairly well together so far and I'm so grateful for the sister's I have the chance to work with! They are all such hard workers and they teach me so much about being a good missionary. Sister Deng is in particular committed to the mission vision and she's the best at asking everyone for referrals. Anyone and everyone she'll talk to them and if they try and brush them off she'll ask who they know who could use our message. She's such an inspiration and I'm grateful to be working with her. We're going to work miracles this transfer and it's all through the grace of God that we're going to make it!

So yes! Saturday night we had dinner at sister Jo's house again with a special guest of a missionary who had served in this mission a year and a half ago by the name of Dunyun.... I don't remember his first name but he gave us some great referrals for the Mississauga area and while we were only able to contact one of them before we left we got into the home and taught a really good lesson! It was really very cool. I hope those AP's keep following up with them!

Sunday we said goodbye to everyone and Monday was Elder Flint's birthday! Sister Chen and I had gone over to a members house to do language study and she opened the door and asked for service. Well we weren't in the clothes necessary to pull out a dead tree but we called the elders up and it was fabulous! We then all had language study together with both Spanish and Chinese and sang Elder Flint happy birthday in 4 different languages (There was an investigator from Korea there.) It was a good going away party.

Tuesday we traveled out to the Brampton stake center and we started on exchanges. I didn't get the chance to see sister Liao as sister Deng was driven out separately but it was still good to see everyone! Sister Deng and I met up and we started out as soon as the Kitchener elders got there. Starting up in Kitchener was great! We didn't have that many appointments set up for the week but we set up three appointments with in one hour out on the streets! I was supper pumped even if one of them cancelled, one of them spoke Cantonese (We passed him off after that first lesson and he already has a baptismal date!), and the last was interested in the first lesson but choose not to set a return appointment. It's been so much fun being able to see all those people that I really helped me out in my first two or three months!

This week was filled with miracles but then we got to Sunday. We had an investigator come to sacrament meeting but then he had to leave afterwards. That would have been fine but not a single Chinese member came to church despite all the commitments we had gotten in the last week. I was devastated. Meeting with the ward mission leader and the ward council there just didn't seem to be that much hope in the ward. I felt like I was trying to raise the mood of an entire branch just by myself. I actually had a breakdown after we had gotten home from church. I was so very sad. The area that I love had fallen into disarray and I couldn't stop the tears. I called up President Clayton and we had a really good talk about how we are sent to bring everyone unto Christ and how if there's no one at church now we just need to work that much harder! He also gave me good advice on how to go about finding out what God needs for this area. I really was heart broken but after President's loving advice sister Deng and I sat down and we called everyone on the ward list. We set up three appointments with less actives (now returning members) who I have never met before. We have a goal to find seven new investigators this week and we are going to find them! Kitchener is a blessed land and I'm not alone in my hope! God knows His children and He's going to work miracles in this area!

Also as a side note that same night I called some potentials from my time here three months ago and my first by myself contact (Who then left for Africa for three months) remembered me and we're meeting with her next week!

I really am so grateful to be working and serving here on the mission God loves us and He won't let us fail!

I love you all so very much and I hope you all remember how important it is to go to church every week. The sacrament really is such a special ordinance and I don't know where I would be with out it.

Sincerely,

Sister Skinner