Mighty Miracles
For
the last month our ward has been doing a 40 day fast! The purpose of
the fast was to pray for missionary work and service ideas. We have
been seeing
miracles from it already :) Each day a family signs up to fast for two
meals and it has been going great! Our ward is an inspiration to me of
being Christ-like and caring about others. Sister X and I get to stop
by the night before to
give
the awesome families a binder with a sheet to fill out for any names
that come to
mind, or to hear about any spiritual experiences they have, or even if
they
just have some people that they would like special prayers for, who
might be having a difficult time.
Many members have been
telling us that it has been a different experience for them to fast at
work rather than fast Sunday.
It has helped them to think of spiritual things throughout the day.
Some of them even have had some co-workers come up to them and ask
question
about the Church and other church related questions, and that hasn't
always happened. They said they really enjoyed sharing their testimony
with their friends.
As we have been working we
have been seeing miracles too! The other day we got a text from a girl
named (A) that said "Would you be willing to come teach me about the
Book of Mormon?" and we were like "Ummm yes! Of course!" We went over
and had a beautiful lesson with her. It was such a great feeling as she
asked so many excellent questions. We read a chapter in the Book of
Mormon
with her and invited her to church. She said she would come, but
sadly at the the
last minute she canceled :( BUT (A) said she still wants to learn more
and we have a return appointment with her so
hopefully she will continue to feel the spirit and that will help her
with what she needs right now.
Another
miracle we had was with our dear friends, the family we have been teaching
with the two
kids, (who like dinosaurs so much.) :) This last week our lesson was on
our temples and it's ordinances. We started by saying
what a blessing it is to have so many beautiful buildings around the
world where we can go to feel closer to heaven. We then talked about
eternal families. Our families are a gift from our Heavenly Father and
and He has made a way so that we can be with our families forever! When
we go to the temple we are sealed together for eternity. What an amazing
blessing! We asked the mom, Mrs (S), if going to the temple to be
together with her family is something she would want to work towards and
she said yes! She looked so happy and we must have looked so happy too!
Yayayay! We so want this special family to be together for eternity! It
was wonderful :) Their
family didn't come to church this week because of previous plans, but
they should be there next
week for the children's Primary Program, so hopefully (and prayerfully)
all will continue to go well!
One Hour Church?
Speaking
of church, our meeting was only one hour yesterday. Crazy huh? ;) I
think being brought up in the Church you get use to three+ hours on
Sundays:) The
singles ward needed our building so we only had sacrament meeting. It
turned out to be such great Sacrament meeting because we had a senior
couple return from their mission this
week so they gave their homecoming talks. They served in the Washington
D.C. temple and I was like 'that's my temple!!' I love it so much :) It
was fun to hear about their adventures and experiences as
missionaries and that I knew the area they were talking about. I look
forward to going to the DC temple again and many others when I get home.
This is Goodbye?
So
this week is transfers! The good news is that Sister Xayadeth gets to
stay in Sanata Susana 5th ward, but I am being transferred! I was kind
of expecting it but I am going
to miss this area so much! I am also excited because I am going to
... *drum roll* ... Pismo Beach! I'll get to see the ocean! We aren't
allowed to swim are play around in the sand, but I can admire it from
afar :) Oceans are so beautiful to me and bring me peace just looking at
them. I'm so grateful to our Heavenly Father and Jesus who created an
earth with so much beauty for us to enjoy. It reminds me that we are not
suppose to just exist but to enjoy our beautiful surroundings that were
created for us.
I'll try to
get some good pictures for next week. And as much as I will miss this
area, I will miss Sister Xayadeth much much more! We have become the best of
friends :) She is such a great example of service and love and has helped me so much to get
adjusted to my mission life here. She has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and the Gospel and a very kind heart.
To
explain our relationship I will use a Disney analogy:) Remember in
Monsters University when Sully and Mike first become roommates? As they
get ready in the morning they keep running into each other, but as time
goes on they find a routine and they are just in perfect sync. That is how it has
been with Sister Xayadeth! We have similar personalities and we have
really become close these last three months. I will miss her, but I know
she will continue to do great things in Simi Valley, her light is so bright:)
1 John 3:23 - 'And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and Love one another...'
Sing A Happy Song
So
I was thinking of things to stay positive with transfer and other
things and I came across this Hymn and it fit perfectly with the people I
am meeting here on my mission. Both my companion and my loving ward
here.
Hymn 293 "Each Life That Touches Ours For Good"
Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy Lord
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love
What greater gift dost thou bestow
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christ-like friends whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days
Thank
you for being my wonderful friends! And thank you for strengthening my
faith, and enriching my days. I appreciate any prayers for me, and I
know that they will help lead me to do what I should do in my new area.
Love you all,
You each have a special place in my heart,
Sister Skinner - Karatassos
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