Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Week 1, The Real Deal

October 13, 2015

Hey family and friends waaazzzuuupppp?!?!?

So I arrived in the mission on Tuesday!!! I was supposed to leave the mtc at 5 am and then when we got to the travel office they told us that we weren't leaving til 6:30 am. STUPID.... hahah but it worked out. We took a train to Ogden and the mission assistants drove us to the Logan Temple which was super surreal. The spirit was strong because I know that that is where the Skabelund family was sealed and it was awesome! We then drove to the home and had some training (I also got the treats gramma sent me and yes gramma they were perfect send me more ;) ) We had dinner at the president's home and they had HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS. I almost cried because it seriously felt like I was at home for 30 minutes hahah. PS my mom's is still better. We then had a small hike and devotional and I shared a great testimony. OH I also had an interview with the president and it turns out that him and his wife are both pilots! Pretty dope. I stayed with the ap's that night so I was well taken care of.


The next day we had a mission conference and I met my companion, Elder Sagmeister! He is straight out of Germany and has a cool accent. He is an awesome trainer and he tells me all the time that I am training him. We then drove to my area and I am serving in Pleasant View and Harrisville which is the ghetto of our mission right by North Ogden. It's cool though. We are staying in an old basement in the home of a former bishop and I think my companion broke his Ice Cream machine ;)


We go tracting everyday in these nasty and smelly trailer parks. It just smell like weed, poop, and alcohol. hahaha But I've picked up a lot of techniques and I am trying hard to see people as children of God everywhere I go. Tracting has been very successful. We have 20 return appointments and 2 baptisms on date.


The members are awesome. We have a waiting list for dinner appointments and we get fed every night. One night a couple took us to CAFE RIO. AHHHHH!!! IT was sooooo good!! hahaha There is also a place called Kurts and is pretty much a Pete's Fish and Chips but a drive in version. They give us half off everything cuz we are elders. So I get a drink, fry, and burger for 3.50! NOT BAD!


We are like celebrities here. We don't have bikes so we either walk or call members to pick us up. But when we do walk everybody honks their horns at us and they feel a need to talk to us sometimes hahaha. We do get bikes later tonight so that will be tight.


The stake is really hard to work with. That is the only downside of this area. They feel like they have to set up appointments with us. Which isn't necessarily bad but they set up appointments with ACTIVE MEMBERS..... We could be teaching non-members so I don't know what they are thinking. Our calling is to baptize and sometimes reactivate. Active Members don't fit in that category. Granted they may have issues(which I can't ever tell when I go over to teach them) but if they do have issues they should go to the ward missionaries or elders quorums or something. The stake doesn't think like that and they go through us first.


I respect the stake and I love them but Elder Sagmeister and I are doing our best to help them rethink their mission plan.


There is a lot of work to do here surprisingly. LOTS of NON MEMBERS and LOTS and LOTS of INACTIVE. Some wards have half of their members not showing up to church every week.


I love this area though. My companion told me that the missionaries here in this mission are of the best missionaries. They need to be that way because of how tough it is to convert here. I am called here for a reason and they strongly need my help. In all of the lessons I've taught I've felt the spirit guiding and directing me.


I love my family and friends. It's only been 3 weeks but it's felt like 3 years. The standard of truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage. Mobs may combine. Armies may assemble. Calumny may defame. But the Truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.


Love you guys,

Elder Skabelunds

All of these pictures were either texted to me or shared through Facebook by the members in Kyle's area. It's so cool to get a random text from someone telling me how much they love our son! One lady even said her 4 younger girls were smitten with Kyle once he played "Let it Go" on their piano for them. So cute!




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