Satan's in the Car!

     This week was a weird one. I felt like we were doing hard work and then I look at our numbers and I wonder what happened. 

     Puru and Preeti are officially moving on the 6th of September. We are sad to see them go but we are referring them to the missionaries up there and they are excited to stay in touch with the church. Puru got a better job up in Sacramento and it will be cheaper for them to live up there. This is also good news for me because now it will be even easier to visit them when I am done with my mission because all of my family lives about 30 minutes away from Sacramento.

     I think my favorite thing that happened this week though was yesterday. We got to church and Patricio was giving a talk! It was short and sweet but so good! He closed with a cute statement. He said "It is fun to be a Mormon!" He is doing so well! 

     Church was all around good yesterday. We had a good disussion on tithing and fast offerings in gospel essentials and then had a fun lesson on following up in relief society. Yesterday was all about missionary work, and it really got the members thinking. 

     Madelene left us a note this week that we weren't too happy with. She told us that she can't have visitors and that there was a family issue that needed to be taken care of so now she might be gone until November. We tried to get a hold of her but she never answered so we have decided that we need to drop her. She isn't taking this seriously enough and we want her to be more anxious to get baptized. So we will give her a little bit of time.

     We were also able to pick up an investigator that the Westlake elders were teaching. Her name is Wendy and she just moved into our area on Friday and Saturday. It was a terrible time to move in because we had a camp out and a wedding those two nights so a lot of the members were busy and were unable to help unpack. We had a few people show up which was great and she actually moved next door to the members who were having the wedding. They were so great even though they were busy. They have been doing as much as they can to help and make her feel welcomed. We haven't been able to officially teach Wendy yet but we have been able to help her and make a good connection.

     And here is all of the random stuff that happened or that I was thinking about.

This week we had some car issues. We had to be jumped three times, so we finally went in to the car shop. It took three hours to replace the battery and change the tires. Ridiculous right? We were going to have some of the other sisters come pick us up so that we could go work in our area for a little bit but by the time the elders got back to us to see what we needed we only had an hour left. We were so hungry though! For some reason we hadn't eaten breakfast so by the time we got to dinner (at 6) we were so ready to eat! It's funny how sitting at the mechanics wears you out. It has got to be all of the worldly stuff going on there. They have music playing the TV on and people talking about random things. 

      We did a ton of service on Saturday. We helped Wendy move but then we also helped with another wedding. Yep, that is my third one here. I should be a wedding planner when I get home. Lots of new ideas and cute things to try. It was weird too because we also had our dinner appointment at the wedding again. This time though it was at 7 and it was crepes! Yum! While we were there though it made me think. Sorry mom and dad but I really do want a reception. I want my friends to be there and celebrating with me. And I want a cute outside reception. Ok, now I promise I am done thinking about that stuff already haha.

OH OH OH!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KIERA AND MIRANDA!!!!! I forgot to mention both of them last week! I can't believe Miranda is 22 and Kiera is 21! I remember when Miranda was turing 12. I was so jealous of her going into Young Womens and leaving me behind in primary. And Kiera, we go too far back to even remember a specific birthday with her! Oh the good 'ol days!

    This week in my studies I found a great quote that I loved. It is by Elder Holland (go figure right?) it says "The past is to be learned from but not lived in." Amen! How many people do we know that need to apply that into their lives? Pretty much all of them I think.                                                         

     Ok, I also have a question. Sister Thompson and I were talking about how competitive parents were these days with their children and how their kids HAVE to be the best at everything. What is wrong with average? I can see needed to be good at school to get into college but really? Why do sports have to be the main focus? Why can't kids just go out and have fun every once in awhile? It's good for them! Let them breathe for five minutes!

      We also visited this older lady this week. She is so sweet! She is a friend of a member and came to church last week to hear the member speak. She was talking about our talks and mentioned this quote: "Be quick, be brilliant, be gone." haha I liked it. More so for testimonies though.

      Oh, funny story. We went to our Indian investigator's home this week and she was cooking lunch. We walked in and it smelled REALLY strong of onion. Ok, that isn't too bad. But then it was hot outside and her friend was there. A few minutes after being there her friend tells her that she should turn on the a/c because we were probably hot. Good idea! It was warm in there. At least I thought it was. The a/c turned on and the onion hit us like a thousand bricks. Our eyes were burning SO bad! When it was finally time to go we knelt down to say a prayer and I thought, "oh good! I can close my eyes for a minute and stop the burning." I don't think I have been so wrong. The second I started to pray the burning intensified. The onion couldn't leave my eyes which made it so much more painful! I closed the prayer as fast as I could and our investigator started to laugh at us. Our eyes were watering pretty good at this point and she told us that she was used to it but that our eyes couldn't handle it yet. Wasn't that the truth! Remind me not to cook with so much onion in a small apartment. Totes to the foreign mission.

    I promise I am almost done. I just need to add in the compliment now. This week we will go with Sister Nielsen! She has been so incredible with helping the work move forward. She is so willing to help in any way that she can even while she is trying to balance things at home. We are so grateful to her and all that she does for us. 

   Now that this email is a thousand years long. I will let you all go. Have a fantastic week and to all of you in school have fun back to homework! ;) Love you all!

Sister Skeeter

      

Eternity in the Here and Now

 

     Hey guys! Yes I am calling you guys because that is what you are. Not Elders and Sisters. Sometimes I miss using that phrase, but then other times I think "I should probably be more grown up anyway." Just so you know and to follow up on my goals. I am failing at more dignified language. One of these days I will be better.

   Uh oh, this one is going to be short. Dang it! I have a lot to say today!

This week felt really fast but looking back on it I feel like transfers were a long time ago! I'm not even sure what happened this week.
      We found a less active this week. We were knocking in a neighborhood and a young man opened the door. We were able to talk to him for a little bit and he told us that he was baptized by his uncle when he was younger. He then told us that religion didn't interest him but that maybe in the future he would see a need for it. I am determined to get him to see the importance of it right now. Especially since he is college age. That is when I needed religion the most. Sadly though, he is YSA so we referred him to the Elders and we are hoping that they can get in contact with him.
       We were also able to teach Millie a couple of times this week. We went over and did some service for her and then read some of the Book of Mormon. She has been staying strong which is great and now she is planning on going to the temple with the ward to start doing baptisms for her family names! She won't be able to do the baptizing part but she wants to do the confirmations after so that will be a neat experience for her. I wish we could go with her and be there for her first time in the temple. I also just really want to go to the temple. I have been dying to have a companion with a birthday but no such luck yet. One of these days I will be able to go.
       We were also able to meet with Madelene this week. She is doing well and is excited for her baptism! She is still working toward the 6th of September and is coming to church each week, even when she doesn't feel well. I love watching people make church a priority.
     Ok, one other update. We taught a PM/LA family this week and we have really been working on getting the wife more active and the husband more interested. We committed them to read and pray together each night last week. When we went on Saturday Sister Vudmaska says "You girls are going to be so proud, we have been reading every day. Sometimes we get really tired though, so we only read a few paragraphs each night." I was so happy to hear that! They are doing more than a lot of members! They also told us that Brother Vudmaska was the one to remind Sister Vudmaska that they forgot to pray one night so they knelt down together and said their prayers together. Brother Vudmaska is going to get baptized. We will hopefully be committing him to baptism tonight!

   Also a few weeks ago we ate Lavender ice cream. It was interesting! Not bad, but it reminded me of the essential oils haha. That was for Kayla Hi Kayla! (No not you Mikayla, a Kayla out here in T.O. :)

This week in RS we talked about eternal families and something that I have been studying this week was the millennium. I made a realization and then the teacher yesterday said the same thing. We are in eternity now! Our time on earth is included in eternity. It isn't just something that is going to start when we leave this earth life. I knew this already but I didn't really realize that until this week. So there you go. Love learning knew things each day! Having study time is the best thing ever! I wish we could just study all day every day.

    Anyway, my time is up! I hope you all have a great week! Love you!

Sister Skeeter

Totes to My foreign mission

Funny quotes from this week that, taken out of context, sound completely ridiculous:

"It's crumbly but in a moist way."

"Hey! I didn't erase anything with my head!"

"There is a light at the end of the tunnel...and its not a train!"

     This week was full of miracles! We started doing this dinner message that was based off of S. Gifford Nielsen's talk given in October about how missionaries and members can work together. We give the members a piece of paper that has our names on it a few of the investigators names and needs and then a place for the members to write the names of people they want to start working with. We then commit them to pray for us by name as well as the investigators. I saw miracles in the other areas when we started this message and we are continuing to see the miracles.

     The first one this week was when we went to go see an investigator named Madelene. Sister Thompson and I were telling Sister Dixon how hard Madelene was to teach and that she does everything but she won't be baptized. The first thing that Madelene does when we get to her house is pull out her calendar and ask when she can be baptized! We were not expecting that at all! So exciting! So she is now set with a date of September 6th. We are hoping she will push it forward, but we are happy that she is considering baptism now.

     The next was that we went and saw Puru and Preeti. They are an indian couple that the elders found. Sister Thompson and I have been struggling to decide if we should drop them or not but each time we decide to let them go for a little bit they start progressing again. So this week we went over to see how they were doing and the spirit in their home had totally changed. They were so happy and so different. They told us that they had been praying together which is a huge deal. They read over scriptures that we had given them and Puru told us that he while he was reading them he realized what he needed to do to be a better father and husband. It was so exciting! We were also able to teach them the word of wisdom yesterday in a member's home. The interesting this was that Puru had just been telling Preeti that he wanted to quit smoking and drinking but had to find the drive and will power to do it. During the lesson things went really well. We talked to Puru about how we could help him and found out what he was willing to do. We committed them to live the word of wisdom at the end and they both seemed excited to do so. After we left they stayed behind and talked to the member for awhile. They told her that that was the best lesson that they had ever had. Puru was so excited and ready to finally quit his bad habits. He was so humble and ready to change it was incredible to see the difference.

     This whole week my companions and I were talking about what kind of food we were craving and yesterday at dinner we got all of our cravings. The members had no idea what kind of miracle they were helping with but it was definitely a tender mercy from Heavenly Father. I like to think that He gives us the food that we want every once in awhile to show us His gratitude for our service. 

    We were also able to go on exchanges this week. Exchanges are my favorite days in the transfer. It is a day for me to learn and see how other sisters work. This one we saw many miracles but for some reason it was different. It was one of those days that I was so spiritually exhausted and work seemed really hard. It was good for me to see the miracles however. It showed me that even when the work is hard I need to keep pushing forward and the miracles will still happen. It was fun to work with Sister Snow though. She is a powerful missionary who loves to work. 

   Oh in case you were wondering. The movie Charly. Sad right? Well guess what. There is a man in our ward and that story is based off of his life. Want to know the saddest part? The ferris wheel thing was just hollywood making the movie cuter. LAME!

     Compliment of the week goes to Miranda Kay. Ever since Junior High she has always been an example to me of how to show Christ like love and to stand up for what she believes no matter what the situation is. I am grateful that I have been able to know her for so long. 

   Oh! Guess what I realized last night! Yesterday was my year mark for going through the temple! WOO! I don't feel like it has been that long at all! Sometimes I feel like life at home and time have just been put on pause. I half expect that when I get back it will still be October of '13 and all of my friends will be single again and living at home. I dread the day that I have to come home and face the fact that nothing will be the same (ha random tangent).ANYWAY, I have been dying to go to the temple, ever since I have been on my mission. I am praying that I don't get sent to some far away city in December so that I can actually go on my birthday. I have yet to be able to do a session as a missionary, and that has been my goal since I got set apart. It will happen before I get home. Hopefully. 

Well, it is time for me to go. And thus I end mine epistle. I am Sister Woods, daughter of Woods. Amen

    

Solongwaysolongtime

Haha! This week has been kind of insane. First Millie doesn't want to get baptized anymore so we had to work a lot with her and try to help her out. Then we hear that we are getting a new companion. Then we baptized thousands. 

    So here is the story. Something came up and Millie did NOT like it at all. She was so upset that when we walked into her apartment we asked how she was and she said "You aren't going to like this." I told her that we would be fine and then she said "I'm cancelling the baptism." We had been warned by the bishop's wife already so we knew that was coming. We talked for a little bit and unfortunately said the wrong thing which made her more upset. But some how we were able to schedule another appointment with her the next day (3 days before her baptismal date). So we went again after LOTS of prayer and fasting and we were able to get her to reconsider the baptism. She was struggling with something that wasn't too big of a deal. (Satan, hes the worst!) So again we went back the next day and talked to her and we were super nervous. Well actually we weren't really we knew things were going to work out the way they needed to. Before we went to Millie's we talked to Bishop's wife and she said something that I hadn't thought of before. Millie has been doing family history for over 20 years now. She has over a thousand names ready. That means when she gets baptized we are not only baptizing her but over a thousand of her family members as well. No wonder satan was working so hard. When we got to her house that day, she was totally fine and ready to move forward. Her baptism was incredible! It was so powerful! I am sure her family members were all there cheering her on. And Sister Thompson and I were able to sing again. We sang the song that I did at my farewell. People really liked it so now we might be doing it in Sacrament meeting next week. Yikes!

      Oh, so I got another companion. We had an emergency transfer this week so now we are in a tri-pan. It has been really fun so far! We only have a small one bedroom apartment though so we are super crammed. But what is new? Thus is the life of a missionary. Her name is Sister Dixon. She is so sweet!

Oh dang it! I already have to go. Gah! I will update you more next week!  And thus I end my epistle! Love you all! 

Sister Skeeter 

It's Enormous Like a Dog!

"It's Enormous Like a Dog!"

 That quote came from a 4 year old. His mom served him too much food and that was his response. Such a cute kid!

 This week was such a good one! Patricio got baptized!! Dad this was my birthday present to you. Patricio was baptized on your birthday and then confirmed on Sunday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADIO! Also guess what!! He is going on a mission. I know what you are thinking, he probably just said he wanted to go and that is why I say that. Nope! His confirmation blessing talked about how he will serve a full-time mission and remember how he was taught and share that with those all over the world. Um, YES!!!! That is I think the best thing a missionary can hear. I will be coming back for his farewell. Ha even though that is still 6 years away.... :)

We also went and contacted a referral from a young man in our ward. The referrals name in Justine, and at first we were a little hesitant to teach her. We had stopped by once to meet with her last transfer but after she texted her friend and asked why we had come and that she was not looking to become mormon. However, we went last night and saw her and she told us that she had just been diagnosed with depression and that high school has been really hard for her. We talked about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. We were all able to testify to her about how the Book of Mormon has been a real source of peace and comfort to us. She was really able to connect with Sister Thompson through experiences they have both had. We were able to set up another appointment with her which is really exciting.

Millie is getting baptized this Saturday!! People. This ward is incredible.
We also had a great lesson with a friend of one of the Laurels. His name is Brennan and again wasnt really interested in meeting with us. We were able to go to this member's home and have dinner with their family and Brennan and after we had a powerful lesson on the restoration. We also have a return appointment with him at this members home. 

    I am so excited to be in this area. We have had so much success and it is all because of the youth and members doing their job finding people for us to teach. I don't want to leave this area. I think I would be ok being here for the rest of my mission. The other day Sister Thompson and I had a good laugh. We ran out of toilet paper on Friday. Ok when you are a missionary this is not fun. So we were going to grab some from the church on Sautrday when we went to the baptism but then we forgot. By the time we remembered it was way too late. So we went without. Ha you have to get kind of creative when you can't go to the store. 

So then we find flippin huge nasty spiders in our apartment (like we did this morning) and we have to get creative in how we kill those because we are too scared to squish them but we also don't have a vacuum to suck them up either. And who even knows if that actually kills them. What if they are still alive and crawl back out!? SKETCHY! 

Then during the week we had some real Indian food. Wow. It was so delicious! It was a scone like bread that you flatten out and put cummin rice and some kind of sauce (that looks and tastes kind of like curry) and some vegetables on top. I loved it! And it was spicy. It made me miss my dad's curry that he makes when I am craving it at home. 

So the joke these past couple of days is that even though we are in California we are totally serving a foreign mission. Sweet! I always wanted to go to a different country! 

Compliment of the week goes to my mom. She is always taking good care of us children and making sure that things are ok for us before she thinks of herself. She is selfless and loving to more than just her family. She has set the perfect example to me of what I want to be like when I grow up. 

    Ok, I can't remember what else I wanted to talk about but yeah. Have a fantastic week!

Sister Skeeter

Summer of the Cars

   Hey all! Did you miss me? Good. I feel like so much has happened this week!    

    We had a lesson last night with some youth and one of them came up and reminded us of a commitment we had extended to his family on the fourth of July. He told us that he went to EFY that week and each morning they had an hour to study. He told us that one day he didn't know what to study and then he thought about the commitment we had extended. He then told us that he had been struggling to be nice to people and asked Heavenly Father how he could change that. After that he randomly opened the Book of Mormon and turned to Mosiah 2 which talks all about Service. He was excited that his prayer had been answered and that now he was working on being a better friend to people. It made my day to hear that the youth are listening (even when I think they aren't) and they are doing the things we ask them and trying to be more Christlike.
     We also taught two classes yesterday at church. We were able to teach the 12 year old youth in sunday school and the Deacon's quorum 3rd hour. It was a good learning experience. We taught about ordinances and covenants and how this could help them prepare for a mission. We really had no clue how to turn that into a lesson, but what we ended up doing was having a discussion on ordinances and covenants and what we are missionaries do to help people make and understand them. In Deacon's quorum we did something similar but tied it all back to the priesthood and how they could prepare to hold the higher priesthood and perform the ordinances.
     Other than that, this week was fairly busy. We have been working a lot with Patricio and Millie to make sure they are prepared for baptism. They are both moving along very well. We have both of their programs put together now and we are making daily contact with both. Yesterday we taught Patricio about the priesthood and we asked him if he knew what priesthood keys were. He gave a better answer than I could. He has been paying attention to his teachers and really learning about the church. I am so excited for him to be baptized and hold the priesthood. I feel he will be a great asset to the Deacon's quorum.
      Well, that is the major stuff that is going on. Sister Thompson and I are loving the area and are so excited that Heavenly Father trusted us with His children here.

In case you were wondering I also killed like 10 spiders this week. BLECH!!!!

   Well, hump day was this week. That is weird! I still feel like I am a brand new missionary. I should still be on the upward climb!

    Guess how cool my area is. So cool that I got to hold a real Emmy award. Yeah it is one of the member's. He is so cool! He has worked with Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Elvis, and Frank Sinatra. Sweet huh? I thought so.

   Oh, and I am a wedding planner now. We were able to set up for a wedding this week as a service project/dinner appointment. It was fun. It made me excited for the day when I get to have a cute yard decorated in deep purple and yellow things. Not that I am focused on that at all......

     Is anyone else excited for Saturday? I am! Yo tengo uno bautison! hahaha I am pretty sure that is awful Spanish but that is ok. You get what I mean! Patricio is getting baptized this week!!! He is so awesome!!

   And then Millie is next week! She is the cutest little lady. I wish you could all meet her! Every time I see her I love her even more. She is so funny and has such an attitude! She is also so sweet! She stepped on a rat this week and flipped out. She hated the fact that she hurt something. Then she says "who steps on a rat!?" haha It was a REALLY slow one apparently. Poor lady.

   Ok, this is for Jamie. Yesterday at our lesson there were two Chinese Exchange students there. One of them is named ManMan (sp? its pronounced monmon). She is so cute! The home we were at had a Chinese Book of Mormon so she was able to follow along with us. So cool! Then after the lesson she sat at the table just reading the Book of Mormon. I am sad she is going to be leaving shortly! There is something different about her.

    Oh for the compliment of the week: Mikayla! you have been such a wonderful example to me oh how to work hard and reach for the goals that you want achieved. Thank you so much for always being there for me. You really have a strong impact on all of those you come in contact with. I wish you could see the changes you have made in so many people's lives. I love you! Thanks for choosing me to be your twin in the pre-existence! :)

Baptisamos!

     "In the great California Ventura Mission; we are preach my gospel missionaries. We baptize. We obey with exactness. We seek to be trusted more than loved. And we teach with power and authority." That was something we recited everyday with President Castro. These were what we call the 5 areas of focus. This is who we are in the mission. 

      On Saturday we had a baptism. Sister Woodland and I along with a little bit of help from Sister Thompson put together a baptism for Mayra this week. Her missionaries that taught her are in Simi Valley but she moved into our ward so we had (strike that.) We got to put everything together and see her baptized! And the Hermanas that taught her were able to come to the service! That was a blessing because we can only go to baptisms that are in our district, and they are out of our zone. So it was so fun to see them! I have missed not being able to talk to them. I served around one of them in Santa Barbara so I really got to know her there and then the other Sister I have looked up to since the first day of my mission. She is Tongan and that automatically makes her great. But on top of that she is such a powerful teacher. So I have always wanted to get to know her. Through this baptism I was able to which was so fun! And then to make it better she gave me the sweetest compliment as she was saying goodbye. She told me that she was so grateful that she was able to get to know me better because she had seen me at all of these meetings and thought "she seems like such a powerful missionary I want to get to know her better." This coming from a sister training leader who I have looked up to forever now. Made my day.

      So anyway, Back to Mayra, we are now teaching her son who we are hoping will be baptized by the end of this transfer as well. I know it will happen one day because in her confirmation blessing it talked about that. So cool! I wish you all could have heard it. She is going to be a powerful influence for good from here on out! Wow! So that is the exciting news.

     OH!! Millie is set for July 26th as well! We have been teaching her the last few weeks and at first she told us that she dropped the Elders because she felt like they were forcing her into baptism and she didn't like that. So she let us come teach her and on Father's day she says "I think I need to start thinking about baptism before I get any sicker." WHAT!? so we just kind of left it at that thinking that nothing would come of it, but then when Sister Woodland and I were saying goodbye last Monday she told us that she was thinking about getting baptized around her birthday which was July 15th. So we set her with an official date a couple of days after that. So excited! You guys, she used to be atheist and now feels bad that she ignored Heavenly Father for so long. It is a miracle that she wants to be baptized. She had the coolest near death experience a little over 10 years ago where her family members told her that she came early and that they weren't expecting her yet. They also told her she had a choice to stay with them or come back and fulfill her purpose. Whoa! I wish I could tell you all of her amazing experiences. But that would take too long. Ask me after the mission :)

      Oh! We welcomed in a new mission president this week! And Sister Thompson and I were the first Sisters to meet him. Yeah buddy! He and Sister Felix came to the baptism which was so cool! They also forgot their name tags at home. Not that this is a bad thing, but President Castro would have died before he let that happen. Needless to say, we are so excited to have President Felix here and the mission is going to be doing a lot of changing I think. Also he is the type who stares into your sole when he shakes your hand. I love it but it is intimidating at the same time.

     Ok, quick spiritual thought for this post;

I was studying Ruth this morning and i just realized how great she is. She lost her husband and then left her home and family to be with him mom. Then she sets to work in a field all day long. After that one of the people over her shows her kindness and tells her that because of her faith the Lord is blessing her. So not only is she a hard worker but she is has a lot of faith in the Lord and knows that He will watch out for her. I want to be like her.

Oh and compliment for the week goes to Dad. He is a very hard worker and has shown me a lot about how to work for the things you need and how to really earn them. Thanks for your example dad!

Ok have a great week people! Love you all!

Sister Skeeter