Hello everyone,
Glad to hear things are going well. Congratulations on your scholarship Janai. That's sooo awesome. Good luck at finding a job David. I´m glad I don't have to worry about such things right now. I´ll be praying for you.
Things are going well. After this week I will be transfered finally. I´m still in my first area on the mission. The Mission President already told me I´ll be trasfered, so this time it's for sure. I wonder where I will go. After this next transfer, the Mission President will switch. The next one is american. I forgot his name. Everyone is afraid he will ban coca-cola and tereré (a really good herb water drink thing hear that can give a stomach ache to an american if he drinks a ton). Personally I could care less about coke. I wonder how it will be different though.
I do have kind of a cool story to tell. So. Because of conference we were left withought knowing who was signed up to give us lunch for the week. We couldn´t get a hold of the sister who has the calendar. We were kind of worried that we would have to go hungry or go buy and make something. I was reading that morning in 'Our Heritage' and reached a part about when Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were translating the Book of Mormon. They had run out of writing supplies and food. They went out to find something and couldn´t. Coming back home they found Joseph Knight with food and writing supplies for them for no reason. Just as I read that, our cell phone rang. No one ever calls to confirm lunch and most of the time people forget, so I have no Idea why this brother called, but he called us to tell us lunch was at his house and he had the schedule for the rest of the week. I felt like Heavenly Father was saying `Hey Marc! stuff like that doesn´t just happen in church history you know. It's kind of cool the way Heavenly Father teaches us with our every day experiences. We just have to look for what it is he´s trying to teach us right now in our lives. So yah. Thats my story. I love you all. See yah in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
Monday, April 16, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
eMail of April 9, 2012
Hello Everyone,
This week was good. We still don´t have a lot of possibilities for baptisms, but we've got some new investigators. We had a less active member show up at church though. He told us he wanted to learn more about how the structure of the priesthood works so we went into a room and answered his questions and stuff. He told us his whole story and why he went inactive and everything. He was baptised in Japan actually. With everything that happened to him it's amazing he set foot in a church again. He has a very strong testimony.
That's great that you all had a good time in Utah. Wow. I´m already realizing how much things are going to be different when I get back. Janai will be in college, David will be married, Hannah will be 1 and a half, Caleb will be in high school and driving, and Nathaniel will be a teacher (right?).
Thats great that there is a reactivation and a Baptism happening in our ward. Just more saved families. Our mission President is going to switch after this next transfer. That's great that you gave lunch to the missionaries Dad. Lunch is kind of a stressfull thing for Missionaries. Sometimes people think they have to make something really fancy for missionaries so they hesitate to put their name down on the calendar. If there is something to eat, we´re grateful.
I love you all. Prepare, Caleb and Nathaniel, for your missions (Janai too even if you don´t go). A mission is pretty much the hardest, fastest, funest, most difficult, most challenging, happiest thing in the world. Except maybe raising a family, but I´ve never done that before. I love you all. See yah in a couple years!
Elder Marc Skiles
This week was good. We still don´t have a lot of possibilities for baptisms, but we've got some new investigators. We had a less active member show up at church though. He told us he wanted to learn more about how the structure of the priesthood works so we went into a room and answered his questions and stuff. He told us his whole story and why he went inactive and everything. He was baptised in Japan actually. With everything that happened to him it's amazing he set foot in a church again. He has a very strong testimony.
That's great that you all had a good time in Utah. Wow. I´m already realizing how much things are going to be different when I get back. Janai will be in college, David will be married, Hannah will be 1 and a half, Caleb will be in high school and driving, and Nathaniel will be a teacher (right?).
Thats great that there is a reactivation and a Baptism happening in our ward. Just more saved families. Our mission President is going to switch after this next transfer. That's great that you gave lunch to the missionaries Dad. Lunch is kind of a stressfull thing for Missionaries. Sometimes people think they have to make something really fancy for missionaries so they hesitate to put their name down on the calendar. If there is something to eat, we´re grateful.
I love you all. Prepare, Caleb and Nathaniel, for your missions (Janai too even if you don´t go). A mission is pretty much the hardest, fastest, funest, most difficult, most challenging, happiest thing in the world. Except maybe raising a family, but I´ve never done that before. I love you all. See yah in a couple years!
Elder Marc Skiles
Monday, April 2, 2012
eMail of April 2, 2012
Hello Family,
Things are still going fantastically here in Brazil. My companion is awesome. The best one I´ve had yet. He's super Christlike. I´ll send you all a picture of us next week. That way mom can put it on the magnet board.
I really enjoyed General conference. I had to watch it in Portuguese. I can understand all of it, but it's difficult to focus and take notes and translate at the same time so I think I´ll have to read them all again in English. We had just one investigator there. One couldn´t make it, and the other got sick with denge (a sickness that comes from mosquitos here that makes you really sick, but its rarely leathel even for children so don't worry about me).
We all got water filters recently in our houses so now we all have clean water from the faucet. YAY! Before we were putting clear coke bottles out in the sun to get clean water. The sun is so strong here it purifies water. Otherwise you have to go and buy these huge jugs of purified water.
I´m absolutely loving the mission. It's so fun to go out and teach the gospel to people and help them to progress until Baptism. It's so fun to learn about the culture and about the people and the language. There really is no work in the world that brings more joy than missionary work. Except maybe families, but thats a type of missionary work any way. It's amazing to be able to focus all your time and effort into just the gospel. The gospel brings so much happiness. I´d just like you all to know that I know that this church is true. And that Christ really did atone for our sins. Absolutely everything that happens to you every day happens for a reason. God knows what people you will meet and the experiences you will have and sets them all up exactly perfect for your good and the good of others so that we can all return to his presence. Even the bad things in life are for our good.
Stay firm and work hard in the church and in school and at home. I love you all. See yah in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
Things are still going fantastically here in Brazil. My companion is awesome. The best one I´ve had yet. He's super Christlike. I´ll send you all a picture of us next week. That way mom can put it on the magnet board.
I really enjoyed General conference. I had to watch it in Portuguese. I can understand all of it, but it's difficult to focus and take notes and translate at the same time so I think I´ll have to read them all again in English. We had just one investigator there. One couldn´t make it, and the other got sick with denge (a sickness that comes from mosquitos here that makes you really sick, but its rarely leathel even for children so don't worry about me).
We all got water filters recently in our houses so now we all have clean water from the faucet. YAY! Before we were putting clear coke bottles out in the sun to get clean water. The sun is so strong here it purifies water. Otherwise you have to go and buy these huge jugs of purified water.
I´m absolutely loving the mission. It's so fun to go out and teach the gospel to people and help them to progress until Baptism. It's so fun to learn about the culture and about the people and the language. There really is no work in the world that brings more joy than missionary work. Except maybe families, but thats a type of missionary work any way. It's amazing to be able to focus all your time and effort into just the gospel. The gospel brings so much happiness. I´d just like you all to know that I know that this church is true. And that Christ really did atone for our sins. Absolutely everything that happens to you every day happens for a reason. God knows what people you will meet and the experiences you will have and sets them all up exactly perfect for your good and the good of others so that we can all return to his presence. Even the bad things in life are for our good.
Stay firm and work hard in the church and in school and at home. I love you all. See yah in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
Monday, March 26, 2012
eMail of March 26, 2012
Hey family,
So I met my new companion and we worked this week. He's fantastic. He´s on his second to last transfer on the mission, but he's not trunky at all. He says it's because for him it doesn´t matter how far he is on the mission, he´s still on the mission so it's the same thing. We're working real hard so I´m pretty happy about that.
We've gathered some new investigators from the area book and some references from the mission office. Sandra is still having a tough time quiting coffee. The problem is she's been drinking it twice a day everyday since she was a toddler. Also she has shifts at work nights and days back to back. But were working with her and we have faith that she´ll make it. Our other investigator is Linda. She's married to a member who did pretty much everything in the church before he divorced and became less active. Then he married her and is coming back to church.
I´m eating well and staying healthy. I´m eating more now than I ever have, but the members who give us lunch still say I don´t eat very much. I´m not gaining any weight because we walk so much. The weather here is a lot cooler now. (cool for here, but not for me). I´m not sure how some people come back from the mission with accents. My Portuguese doen´t seem to me to effect my english at all. Also Ive talked with people with a lot more time on the mission and they don´t seem to have any accent in english. Interesting. Thats so great that Caleb did well in wrestling. Its a whole different game in High School though. I wish I could go with all you guys to see hannah. But I´m supposed to be here so. Just three more months of school for you guys huh. I love you all. Stay firm in the gospel cuz its true. See yah in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
So I met my new companion and we worked this week. He's fantastic. He´s on his second to last transfer on the mission, but he's not trunky at all. He says it's because for him it doesn´t matter how far he is on the mission, he´s still on the mission so it's the same thing. We're working real hard so I´m pretty happy about that.
We've gathered some new investigators from the area book and some references from the mission office. Sandra is still having a tough time quiting coffee. The problem is she's been drinking it twice a day everyday since she was a toddler. Also she has shifts at work nights and days back to back. But were working with her and we have faith that she´ll make it. Our other investigator is Linda. She's married to a member who did pretty much everything in the church before he divorced and became less active. Then he married her and is coming back to church.
I´m eating well and staying healthy. I´m eating more now than I ever have, but the members who give us lunch still say I don´t eat very much. I´m not gaining any weight because we walk so much. The weather here is a lot cooler now. (cool for here, but not for me). I´m not sure how some people come back from the mission with accents. My Portuguese doen´t seem to me to effect my english at all. Also Ive talked with people with a lot more time on the mission and they don´t seem to have any accent in english. Interesting. Thats so great that Caleb did well in wrestling. Its a whole different game in High School though. I wish I could go with all you guys to see hannah. But I´m supposed to be here so. Just three more months of school for you guys huh. I love you all. Stay firm in the gospel cuz its true. See yah in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
Monday, March 19, 2012
eMail of March 19, 2012
Hey family,
Thanks so much for the emails and the pictures of hannah. Thats so great that you guys are so busy with her. Family is a great thing to be busy with. No one told me that Janai got in to BYU? I guess I knew she would. Thats great about the scholarship. Don´t stress yourself about anything Janai. Youve made it. Just have fun now. Seems like yesterday I was waiting for high school to end. What a blessing that Dad still has work. My companion was super excited to go home. Hes gone to go climb a mountain with the Mission President. I havent met my new companion. His name is Elder Rais (hayz). I hear he´s pretty quiet. We didn´t get a baptism this week either. Sandra didn´t quit drinking coffee yet. But she will. One of our eternal investigators (she has to get married) is moving. It might be in a different area. This kind of makes me nervous because its real easy to lose an investigator that way. Shes been going to church for about 8 months. I´ll find out tomorrow where it is shes moving. I love you all. Good luck woth Hannah and school and work and church and drama. See yah all in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
Thanks so much for the emails and the pictures of hannah. Thats so great that you guys are so busy with her. Family is a great thing to be busy with. No one told me that Janai got in to BYU? I guess I knew she would. Thats great about the scholarship. Don´t stress yourself about anything Janai. Youve made it. Just have fun now. Seems like yesterday I was waiting for high school to end. What a blessing that Dad still has work. My companion was super excited to go home. Hes gone to go climb a mountain with the Mission President. I havent met my new companion. His name is Elder Rais (hayz). I hear he´s pretty quiet. We didn´t get a baptism this week either. Sandra didn´t quit drinking coffee yet. But she will. One of our eternal investigators (she has to get married) is moving. It might be in a different area. This kind of makes me nervous because its real easy to lose an investigator that way. Shes been going to church for about 8 months. I´ll find out tomorrow where it is shes moving. I love you all. Good luck woth Hannah and school and work and church and drama. See yah all in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
Monday, March 12, 2012
eMail of March 12, 2012
Hello Everyone,
Thanks so much for the pictures of Hannah. She is sooo cute. I can´t wait to meet her when I come back. She'll be 1 and a half years old! Its crazy that I´ll be burning a tie at the 1/4 mark this week. It goes by so fast. This week we didn´t baptize. Mirian became really wishy washy again. Theres just no desire. But we´ll have a baptism for shure next week. She got married to a member about a month ago. She had to quit coffee first which was super hard. She drank about twice a day before. Everythings going really well. My companion is super excited to go home. Just one more week for him. I love you all. See yah in a couple years!
Elder Marc Skiles
Thanks so much for the pictures of Hannah. She is sooo cute. I can´t wait to meet her when I come back. She'll be 1 and a half years old! Its crazy that I´ll be burning a tie at the 1/4 mark this week. It goes by so fast. This week we didn´t baptize. Mirian became really wishy washy again. Theres just no desire. But we´ll have a baptism for shure next week. She got married to a member about a month ago. She had to quit coffee first which was super hard. She drank about twice a day before. Everythings going really well. My companion is super excited to go home. Just one more week for him. I love you all. See yah in a couple years!
Elder Marc Skiles
Monday, March 5, 2012
eMail of March 5, 2012
Hello everyone,
No baptisms this week, but everything is going good. We should have 3 baptisms next week. My companion and I are still getting along real well. Leticia was confirmed this week. It was testimony meeting and 3 of the 4 baptisms that I've had bore thier testimonies. That was pretty exciting. It's always fantastic to see people stay firm after baptism. I hope you all have a good week. Happy Birthday Dad. Give Hannah a hug for me. See yah all in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
No baptisms this week, but everything is going good. We should have 3 baptisms next week. My companion and I are still getting along real well. Leticia was confirmed this week. It was testimony meeting and 3 of the 4 baptisms that I've had bore thier testimonies. That was pretty exciting. It's always fantastic to see people stay firm after baptism. I hope you all have a good week. Happy Birthday Dad. Give Hannah a hug for me. See yah all in a couple years.
Elder Marc Skiles
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