... YAH

Hello everyone!

So some quick thoughts for this week. MIRACLES!

We finally found some solid new investigators! 3 of them! and one of them was female! In the words of sister Moody #YahWeCanGetGirls That was really exciting. Anna was super sweet and we taught all of lesson one and gave her a Book of Mormon and she was so excited to read! She was just like... "I can't go to church this Sunday but can I go next Sunday?" and we were all like... "Yah!" and then she was like. "Can I meet with you twice a week? I think I need more then once." And we were all like... "Yah!" It was great.

And then there was Alex. Vincent texted us Monday night and we were a little bit worried because this last Sunday he had gone to a different church on request of his coworkers. But he texted us and instead said that he had a friend who wanted to meet with the missionaries... and we were all like... "Yah!" And then we got to the lesson this week and found out that Alex wasn't even really his friend, they had a mutual acquaintance and Alex had found out that Vincent was meeting with missionaries and apparently this is something he's always wanted to do and he was all like... "Can I meet with you?" And we were all like. "YAH!" He's really cool.

Finally this Saturday we met with Irving. He had questions GALORE! Holy cow we didn't even make it the end of Christ's ministry we spent a long time just talking about apostles and prophets and authority and he was so excited to learn about it all and as soon as the words, "But when we're ready God will send a new prophet." Were out of my mouth his eyes just got wide and he was like. "So there's one here today?" and we were all like... "Yah!"

I don't think I've ever found so many solids in one week. All three of them were just so... Happy. Which was odd because everyone and their mom's had midterms this week. Good luck to all of those who are making the college trek right now... It looks intense. That being said the one thing we really did struggle with this week was member presents. Of the fifteen lessons we had we had one member present... that was sad! We're repenting though and we're going to work even harder to get members out to our lessons! We've got new ones who need fellowshipping!

I also went on exchanges this week. Into English work with sister Gousse She's super sweet and for the first time in a long time I was the shorter sister. (That probably says a lot about the average height of the sisters called to this mission) It was a lot of fun and I got told by some guy in the park that faith was a mental illness... he was playing pokemon go, catching virtual animals out in 5 degree windy weather. At least I came outside to talk to real people! I'm grateful to be in Chinese work, English work is very different.

Let's see other highlights includes one of my 'dreams' that happened this week. Aliens invading, the missionaries being called to protect the saints of Zion and being endowed with super powers in order to do so. Many, many, many, church puns being thrown around and it all ending with president Monson stating: Now is the time for members and missionaries to work together. As the members rise up to help the missionaries battle the invaders... So basically just missionary work just without the aliens... it was a fun dream and it's been fun explaining it to the other missionaries too. Inevitably the question comes up. "Do you have dreams like that a lot?" and I'm all like.... "yah."

Okay there was a lot more that happened this week but those are probably the most important points so I guess just in closing. Even if things seem dark sometimes. God is there for us. It may not be as dramatic as superpowers but God will send you strength from on high and that's a promise. You live the commandments and there will be blessings poured out that you won't even be able to receive them. You are one of his very special children and He needs you in this battle. It may not be as obvious as alien invasions but the consequences are much more serious then life and death... this is eternity. So stay strong you have the greatest being in the universe cheering you on. We're going to win this war.

-Sister Skinner

Also we had an ice cream fish, we put on face masks, Geese are fearless in a country where they know they're the national bird, Sister Hunter and sister Gousse, sister Moody broke a bowl, and we got taken out to breakfast this morning.

Fall and Going Forward

Hello Everyone!

So this week was an interesting one. It was a very up and down one emotionally for me but things are looking back up after a rough couple of days. That being said we also had some really, really good lessons with our new converts this week and Caleb got to go to the temple on Saturday! We were so crazy proud of him and afterwards when we asked how it was he told us that even though he was afraid of water he felt like maybe someday those people would thank him for doing those baptisms.... I just about started bawling right there and then! He's got such a strong testimony about this gospel and he wants to live it with everything that he can. We found out this week in ward council that he's been asking around for what he needs to do if he wants to go on a mission. That was adorable and so, so very worth it.

Robin's also doing really well, we got to meet with him and see how he's doing and he's just such a happy person who loves making others happy too. his latest project is making a cook book which he plans to give to us and everyone in the ward. He's so excited about it and we are too!

With Allen things were a little bit harder this week. He's not sure that we are seeing the whole picture and because of that he's doubting the testimonies that we share with him. I think that was one of the hardest points of this week was him asking me if I thought my testimony was real if it was only in my head. Looking back I should have quoted Dumbledore on him and told him just because it's in your head doesn't mean that it's not real but I doubt that's what is really going to help at this point. He just needs to read with real intent! We're praying so hard for him right now it's nuts.

Of lesser importance this week: district meeting was very good this week and that's where most of my pictures came from. The fall colors and leaves are fantastic! I cut my hair last Tuesday, Sister Moody likes chasing geese, and I screamed when I saw a Brazilian centipede in our house this morning. We weren't able to squish it... that means it's still in there somewhere! If there is one thing that I hate it's Brazilian centipedes, they can get up to four inches long, they're fast, and they bite. I've been lucky so far but this morning ended my long period without seeing one.

On more important notes, Church was really good this Sunday, and I felt my testimony being reconfirmed that this is the true church of God. There is a power in doing His work that can not be denied and I know that He lives. There is so much to do and so little time to do it so don't waste any of it. Be brave! God loves you. And that means more than we can even imagine.

I love you all!

-Sister Skinner

 

 

Thanksgiving and Grace

 

 

Hello Everyone and Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

I'm not sure where to start with this week but we did have our Skill's and interviews on Tuesday and that was really great. I love having time to just sit down and talk to president. The leadership of the church is just so inspired it's impossible for me to deny the love that all the leaders from President Monson on down to all of the amazing district leaders I've had in the mission. There is just so much love that comes from being able to serve someone through leadership.

President and I talked a bit about the language and how that's going and sister Moody and I have been working hard at trying to be the best we can be but we still have miss understanding with the people around us sometimes... A lot of the time...  but that's okay! My testimony of God making up the rest has really strengthened and we've been blessed to have some really great new converts who want to help us in any and every way that they can. Caleb and Robin and just about the sweetest people I've ever met and I'm so grateful for them.

So in the later parts of this week we had a big push to go and make sure that all the information on the ward list was accurate so that meant that we spent a good portion of time on Saturday and Monday running around Kitchener-Waterloo looking for less actives who may or may not be back in China. It was so much fun and while we're still not done we're going to exhaust every possible method we have of contacting them before we mark them down!

As usual Sunday was the day of miracles. TANGIER CAME TO CHURCH AGAIN! I've been so worried about him but he's just been taking 8 super difficult college courses and only just got his phone back in working order so he was just like... Yah I can see you on Wednesday and I was just like... YAY! Caleb and Robin did they're home teaching this week and they really enjoyed it too. It helps that Scott the elder's quorum president is taking really good care of both of them. All three of them are taking really good care of us too. When Scott realized that sister Moody and I were planning on staying at the church for a grand total of 12 hours on Sunday with only PB&J as our 'pre-thanksgiving' dinner after he and Caleb finished they're home teaching they picked up some left over pizza from Scott's house and brought it to us at the church and it was the sweetest thing ever with Caleb just sitting there describing how much he had enjoyed the priesthood lesson that day and how Scott and Tommy had just gone to give a blessing and he and Robin had been able to watch and I was just melting on the inside. Best pre-thanksgiving meal ever! (I didn't actually know that that was a thing but it kind of was...)

So Monday was the actual thanksgiving day and we were running all over looking for these people and it was great! And then for the night president and sister Dixon had us and the YSA Elders over for dinner and it was so good! I've served a long time here in Kitchener and the Dixon's have always really taken care of me for which I will forever be grateful for. 

There were other miracles and obstacles that happened this week but really God is looking out for us always and he just wants to us to be happy. Just like President Neilson said we can choose to be happy and in that way we are choosing God.

I love you all so much and I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

-Sister Skinner 

 

 

 

Mondays and Conference

Hello Everyone!

So Most importantly Conference was AMAZING! loved it to pieces even watching a session and a half in mandarin turned out okay because the spirit was just that strong! That being said Allen, Caleb, and Robin all loved it! And I could just tell they were kind of teasing us when they insisted. Oh we can talk about it next time we meet... and I was just like... "TELL US WHAT YOU THINK NOW!" But then I was really like. "Okay we're looking forward to it." They were totally laughing at sister Moody's and my expressions.

So I feel like a crazy amount of stuff happened this week and I'm not even sure where to start.... First of all sister Chen didn't leave until Friday, that was a blessing though, her new companion didn't have her international drivers permit up to date and since sister Chen couldn't drive either they told her to hang tight until the permit came in, which it did on Thursday but since the Conference temple trip was on Friday that was when the switch happened. So we actually spent most of the week with sister Chen and then we had the temple, and Saturday and Sunday conferences so we haven't actually had a chance to see how our Chinese is going to hold up in the real world so... Wish us luck and keep praying! We're going to need it. 

So we had some good meetings this week though and we almost found new investigators but they weren't able to set a solid return appointment so we're going to try again at the end of this first week. And of course Allen, Caleb, and Robin are all doing fantastically well. 

Things that also happened just this morning. We woke up with water in our basement and had to call our land lord who called a plumber, we had to set another car inspection appointment because the breaks are making weird sounds again, our oldest new convert who hasn't really been responding to us out of the blue called us and asked us to come help her move her stuff, so we did, and to top it all off we got a referral text from a member who invited his Chinese friend to come to FHE tonight. I feel like we've been through a whole day already and it's not even noon yet!

Sorry my brain is kind of scattered today but I do want to end this with my testimony of living prophets an apostles. They're words are sacred because they come from God, the power of the atonement is real, there is a life after death and no matter how hard things may seem right now that just means there is something infinitely better ahead of you. God lives, He loves, And He will take care of you, just put your trust in Him. Everything will work for your good. 

I love you all, 

Sister Skinner

 

 

What do you do in the rain?

 

 

Hello Everyone!

We just got our transfer news because the AP's forgot to call us last night and tell us that sister Chen is leaving! Going to English work for the transfer and God decided it was a good idea to put the two white girls alone together... It's going to be an interesting transfer. I'm going to miss sister Chen so much! She's been my companion for about 6 months of my mission so far and I feel like she knows me the best of all the people here in Canada. She's been with me through it all and now they're taking her away. Sister Moody is also feeling down about it but we know that God will look out for us. Still we're really going to have to work hard this transfer especially on our Chinese and Faith. I've felt the worry occasionally that I rely too much on my companions for my Chinese and I guess now God wants me to try and learn on our own. It's going to be hard but I have hope.

So in other news, women's conference was really, really good, but we found out that for some reason the new satellite responder for the church doesn't have Chinese as a language setting! Whoops! That means we're going to be streaming General Conference from a members laptop but that's okay! We'll get to see it anyways!

Also this week we found 0 new investigators and that was hard! I haven't had a teaching pool this low since sister Liao and I first got to Kitchener and opened a brand new area! Those were days of 8 hours of being on the streets every day and we're not to that point yet since we still have the opportunities to meet with our beautiful new converts but it's still a reminder that we always need to be focusing on finding and talking to everyone we can!

Caleb passed the sacrament in church this week, (The whole passing bench was actually new converts and it was the sweetest thing ever!) Robin and Allen brought food for the potluck. And Robin also got a calling to be on the activities day committee and he seems really excited about it.

We did service this week for a Chinese less active who we're feeling super hopeful about reactivating. And had a sad lesson with another less active who doesn't understand the atonement. We had a great lesson with Allen this week and he's pumped for General conference. And we weren't able to meet with half of our little teaching pool this week due to homecoming.

Things are always up and down but as we put God first he'll keep taking care of us as well. Listen to others and they will listen to you don't forget to love and love and love.

I love you all

-Sister Skinner