Week 33 - Three Stars

Apa Khabar y'all!

What a week!

Monday we went to the Sentosa SEA Aquarium! We decided we would contact there everyday if it was in our area. But it is not.

Tuesday we ran into a guy that we had taught before and sat down with him. We taught him a little more and asked him if he was willing to pray to find answers for himself. He told us that he just wasn't the person to pray, but he would learn more. This was a 25 year old man. I challenge each of you to read 2 Nephi 32 and just pray! God is there for you if you ask for him to show his hand, it will be there. If you ask your questions, he will answer.

Wednesday, we met with a girl who said she preferred English, but as we started teaching her more we realized that her Chinese was better. She was so cute though. Her family isn't Christian, but she wanted to learn more. As we taught her about Christ and his life on Earth she got really excited and said things like "I never knew this before!" She honestly just wants to learn more about Christ. We will have to pass her to the Chinese speaking Sisters though.

Thursday, we were challenged by other missionaries to find a creative way to help people to help people confirm that they would go to church that Sunday. So we wrote a song. I just want to say that I never sung before my mission. At least not well. And now I do it all the time and I am still not good at it. But if it helps others get closer to Christ I will sing til their ears break or my voice gives out. Which ever comes first.

Friday one of our recent converts was bullied at school because he was using his break time to read the Book of Mormon. He reached out to us, but most importantly, he reached out to the ward. In the ward group chat there was immediate responses of encouragement and upliftment. It was so touching to see the love and support that comes from the ward. God is so good giving us wards to help us and give us strength when we need it! HIs experience reminded me a lot of "Dare to Stand Alone" By President Monsen, the Mormon Message. I encourage you to gop watch it again!

SATURDAY! Saturday Mark got baptized. I don't think you understand how prepared this guy was for the gospel. He really is the reason people go on missions. He has helped my testimony so much and I am so glad that I could help him on his journey to Christ. There were a lot of happy tears.

Sunday we learned that Singapore is getting a YSA ward! Basically all the 18-30 year olds in the country of Singapore will have their own ward now! All the missionaries want to serve in that ward! But we haven't heard any news from the Mission President yet.

I also got to hear the conversion story of a member this week. He said that he used to be a sailor and would make month long journeys to other countries to deliver things. On one of these trips his boat got stuck in a really big storm and he prayed and told God that if he survived he would repent and start going to church. When he survived and got back to Singapore he met the missionaries. He wasn't too convinced until he got to the part in Nephi where they are crossing the sea and there is a great storm. He could picture the storm that Nephi's family was in and remembered how scared he was. He read about how Nephi didn't complain and turned to the Lord and the storm was calmed. He knew that God was talking to him and that this church was the one he was meant to find.

I am so glad I get to be out here and to meet all these people and hear all their stories. 

Hey! I love  and pray for you all! Have a good week! You are a child of God and he loves you so much. Pray to feel his love for you and you will find it. I promise.

Sister Skinner

Week 32 - I am out of creative titles

Apa Khabar!

I have nothing to tell you all this week! In truth this week was full of packed hours of missionary work. I talked to dozens of people everyday, and I rapped Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam. Just your average week in the mission field right?

Miracles this week!

1. It was Monday night. We had sat down by a family to share about eternal families and they just stood up and left. A different guy sat down by us not five minutes later and started asking us questions. He is a newly wed and he is Christian, but he has been looking for the purpose in life, and more happiness for his family. Boy did we have some good news for him! It's funny how sometimes you work as hard as you can all day, but then when it comes down to it, God is the one who decides when prayers are answered.

2. We met a cute 18 year old girl, who is out spoken, doesn't know if God is there, but you betchya she wants to find out. She is tiny and spunky and she is like my little sister. I bribed her with scratch and sniff stickers if she came to church. It worked! (Even though I forgot the stickers on Sunday) I am just excited for her and to help her get answers.

3. MARK PASSED HIS BAPTISMAL INTERVIEW. He was ready two weeks ago. But basically we teach him a lesson. He says, "Oh, that makes sense" and then goes home and later that day tells us the scriptures he read that helped his testimony that day. I think he has a closer relationship with God than I do? So we are both just trying to keep up with him.

4. Also, on of our recent converts here in the Woodlands ward passed the sacrament this last Sunday, and then right after got to say a talk. (He wrote it on the bus ride to church) But it still was very powerful.

One thing I learned this week. Or am still learning. Is to laugh at myself more. Funny huh? When I get awkward in contacts, I laugh at myself, they laugh too, and then we are best friends. I also know that when I am tired and want to sit down for a bit. When I smile and keep going, God gives me strength.

Hey, love you guys! The church is true, and the book is blue! I love and pray for you all!

Sister Skinner

Week 31 - A Little Fishy

Apa Khabar!

I have never talked to so many people in my life. I used to joke that I never talked to more than five people a day at home. Now, I am trying to not only speak, but have deep conversations about God with 5 people, withing a a 30 MRT ride.  Singapore is FAST and nothing at all compared to the pace of Miri Malaysia. At first it was pretty hard. But this week I really focused on changing my attitude. So here is a list of quirky things that you just got to love about Singapore.

1. It is either around 90 degrees or it is raining, so either way people carry around umbrellas, for shade or for rain cover. But there is a plethora of colorful umbrellas dotting the streets of Singapore.

2. I get to speak from people not just from Singapore, but people from all over Asia! I would say that one in every three contacts is a person NOT from Singapore. I have met people from China, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, and other countries around Asia. It is so cool to hear different stories of how they got here, and their plans for where they want to go! I love the people here!

3. If you ask a person from Singapore what their favorite thing to do in Singapore they will say there is nothing to do in Singapore 99% of the time. It makes me laugh. They should visit Springville sometime.

4. SINGAPORE SUSHI IS REASONABLY PRICED AND DELICIOUS

5. A lot of people on bikes, and getting a bike bell rung at me to get out of their way 20 times a day.

6. If  you say hello to Chinese families, the parents will tell the kids to say hi to "jie jie". (Older Sister) I love it.

I love Singapore, and I love Malaysia. They are very different. But I am so happy I got the opportunity to serve in both places! Here's hoping I can go back to Malaysia one day though and work on that tan again!

Another thing that I came to really appreciate this week is being able to use my English to bear my testimony. It is sometimes hard to convey why I am here on a mission and the absolute joy and happiness this gospel gives me and I know it can give them. I love Malay, but being able to use my own words to bear my testimony has helped me state my thoughts better, and express some of those feelings. I am grateful for this time to improve expressing my testimony in English so I can better express it in Malay when I go back.

Singapore is so good guys. I love the people here, I love being able to share this gospel. Keep going. Hard days will come, but find the good too. I know that Christ is looking out for you all.

I love and pray for each one of you!

Sister Skinner

Week 30 - Maju Tersus!

Apa Khabar!

It was Christmas on Tuesday! It was soo good. It included a good American breakfast (with bacon and sausage, WHAT?) and a missionary district council with our district leader dressed up in a full out Santa outfit (We roleplayed with him, and I introduced Santa to the Atonement and then invited him to church.) And an miracle person that we found who wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ on Christmas. 

Wednesday morning I got to Skype the family. It was the quickest 45 minutes of my life, and it was a good pump up to keep going for another year.  We met with the family that we found last week, and they are still asking really good questions and are really excited to read the Book of Mormon!

Thursday, Sister Wang and the other Sister that stays at our apartment up, and left for Malaysia for the weekend. So Sister Elison and I, who have only been here for two weeks (four weeks of experience added together), took over two areas. It was a lot of exploring and guessing about buses, MRT stops, and malls. But somehow we kept the areas up and going. 

Friday was a lot of traveling back and forth in between areas and finding things. But we managed to sneak in a lesson with a person being taught about the restoration who was really struggling. Even though she already knew the Restoration, and the story of Joseph Smith, she still bore a powerful testimony at the end about how she knows that God loves her and will talk to her. 

Saturday, there was a baptism for the area that I was "substituting" in. Sister Elison worked really hard to put it all together after only knowing the members for a week. But by some miracle, everything fell into place, and even some people being taught from my area came to watch. Baptisms are always so amazing, the spirit is always there.

This Sunday was the last week of three hours of Church, and Sister Elison and I went to six hours of church. Gave a talk in one of the Sacrament Meetings, bore our testimony in one of the Primarys, and taught one of the Youth Sunday School classes. By the end we were leaning on each other for support to keep going. (Somehow, in between the two wards, we also got a collection like a pound of cookies. all shoved into our bags.) We made it through, and finished the day strong. But we couldn't of done it without the lords help.

Sometimes I feel like Nephi, like I am going out with no idea what I am going to do before hand. But the Lord guides, and he helps me serve the people around me. I am so grateful for his Atonement and his everyday presence so that I can keep going.

Keep going. God loves you. He will help you if you ask. 

I love you all too! Have a good week! Happy New Year!

Sister Skinner