Baptisms For The Dead

Letter from Lexie: This week we taught Jessi, an inactive member, and it went really well for the first time in forever. Usually she is very distracted when we come over and it is very hard to share a message with her, but this time she was different. When we walked in the door of her home, I reached out and gave a her hug but then she said, "Careful, careful." Apparently I didn't even notice but she had a nasty spider-like scorpion resting on her shoulder!! AND I HUGGED IT. disgusting. But she thinks it is cute and calls it her baby. an supposedly it is from the movie harry potter...eeww. scary.
yup. I hugged that.
Then Jessi whooped another one of her babies...a baby python. She said they can grow up to 30 feet! These are the types of snakes that can eat human beings! But it was really pretty and rainbow color, and I held it! And then Charlotte, the snake, pooped on Sister Watson! HAHAHA. it was so funny. "Awww, that means she likes you!" said Jessi. lol. She said that snakes only poop like once a week and I guess Sis Watson was the lucky one.
We taught Jessi about repentance and forgiveness. She said that she has been reading the Book of Mormon (which is AWESOME) and she finished 1 Nephi! Jessi said that one thing she noticed is how much forgiveness was in the first book. Over and over Nephi's brothers mess up, but he is always filled with love towards them. We are so grateful that we've been able to see the Lord soften Jessi's heart. Hopefully she will make it to church in the near future!
Do you all remember Mario? the singer? Yes, that's him! Well we had lunch with him one last time before school ends. Finally he asked us to teach him more about our beliefs and we shared the restoration. He seemed to like it and then out of nowhere is piled a bunch of deep-doctrine on us. Although it was pretty daunting, he was sincere and really wanted to know the answers to his questions. Mario attends Calvary Chapel and we discovered a little more about what they believe.
That moment, while teaching him the gospel at "Mr. Taco," I felt like Lehi when he exhorts his family to "hold to the rod!" and "come to the tree!" I wanted so badly for him to taste the joy of the true, restored gospel. I just want him to have the FULLNESS! But no matter what we said, Mario wouldn't change. His heart is hardened and he is not yet prepared. It was sad to see that and disappointing to hear that he wouldn't read the Book of Mormon. Someday he will. I'm grateful that he could sing us two more songs before he left. He sang my favorite song again, How He Loves. It always brings the spirit.
On Saturday, we were so happy to go to the temple with Rylee for her first time! She was astonished at the sight of the beautiful San Diego Temple. You could see her eyes light up as we walked inside. It was a very special day that I won't forget. I remember the very first day we taught her. She walked into the church building, pointed at a picture of the temple and asked, "How can I go inside there?" The temple has always been a major desire of hers. After we performed temple baptisms, just me, Sister Watson, and Rylee sat in the baptistery. She asked about the 12 oxen and what they represent. We then got on the topic of Patriarchal Blessings and how we can discover what tribe we are from. She is so excited to get her own patriarchal blessing!
Anywho, I love you all. And you should read this chapter...This is what I have experienced on my mission so far...
1 Nephi Chapter 8
Lehi sees a vision of the tree of life—He partakes of its fruit and desires his family to do likewise—He sees a rod of iron, a strait and narrow path, and the mists of darkness that enshroud men—Sariah, Nephi, and Sam partake of the fruit, but Laman and Lemuel refuse. About 600–592 B.C.
1 And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of seeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind.
2 And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.
3 And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.
4 But behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.
5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.
10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.
13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.
14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.
15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.
16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.
17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.
18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.
19 And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.
20 And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.
21 And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood.
22 And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.
23 And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost.
24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.
25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.
26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.
27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.
29 And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father.
30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.
31 And he also saw other multitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.
32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
33 And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.
34 These are the words of my father: For as many as heeded them, had fallen away.
35 And Laman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, said my father.
36 And it came to pass after my father had spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many, he said unto us, because of these things which he saw in a vision, he exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel; yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord.
37 And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.
38 And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them.
--
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

Invite, It Starts With You.

Hi there from Lexie
This Tuesday we had a "testimony district meeting," and a training on testifying. It was a very special experience to hear all the incredible testimonies of the missionaries in my district. Each of us got up and testified of the reasons we came on a mission, what has been the most difficult challenge on our missions, and what is something that we have learned. Even though testifying is something we do every day, I was very nervous to go up and share my own personal experiences (because honestly, I'm a bawl-baby when I share my testimony). But I'm glad that I could share my simple testimony with them. It was really great to hear Elder Pierce's testimony. He is a very quiet, shy guy but his testimony is one of the most powerful testimonies I have heard. As he was telling of his experiences, it felt as though Jesus Christ was talking directly to me. He has gone through some similar difficulties that I have gone through on my mission; I could relate. His testimony is something I really needed to hear that day!
I testify that when you share your own testimony with others, you will make a difference. IT STARTS WITH YOU. Opening your mouth and sharing simple truths with others can make a huge impact. If you want to see a change in the world, it starts with you. If you want to make a difference in someone's life or your own life, it start with you. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." This reminds me of our new ward mission plan, which is one word: INVITE. As a ward mission, we chose the word "invite" because that is our purpose not only as missionaries but as disciples of Jesus Christ...to "INVITE others to come unto Christ." We don't force or manipulate others to come unto Christ, we simply invite them.
In President Uchtdorf's talk, we learn that fear is the opposite of faith. Sometimes it is scary to share the gospel. We are afraid of rejection, losing a friendship, offending someone, or have a fear of not knowing what to say. It is our fear that stops us from inviting. Fear is the opposite of love. When we are filled with love towards our friends and family, we don't need to worry what to say or what they will think. When we invite with love, just like the Savior did, we can have confidence that the Lord will be with us and help us bring others unto him. Sister Watson says, "We are not inviting these people to come to church or activities...well we are, but in the grand scheme we are inviting this people to come unto Christ." And sometimes we won't always get the respond we want, and maybe the reject your invitation but remember that "the SUCCESS IS IN THE INVITATION."
I want all of you to watch this video, it is Elder Bednar talking about an experience when he was the President of BYU-I. As you are watching it, I want to be thinking about a person that you can invite, to whatever it is that you feel inspired to invite them to. THINK OF ONE PERSON. And think of one person you can invite to do the same. Watch the video here>> INVITE THE ONE. I know that as reach out to those around us and invite, we will see miracles, our families will be blessed, and we will develop a stronger love for the Savior. We will see a change in ourselves, and we will make a difference.
GO INVITE THE ONE. go find them, and invite others to do the same!
The highlights of my week were when I got to Skype home and also, we went to Carlsbad for JoJo's baptism! I really missed the ocean!
-- pics
we got lost and found a trex.
happy at the ocean.
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

One Year Mark!!

This week was our year mark, so we celebrated with all the sisters in our zone and had a "sisters picnic." It was so cool to be with Sister Andrew, Sister Jackson, and Sister Watson on our year mark together! It is so hard to believe that we were in the MTC that long ago, crazy crazy! Oh and of course, May the 4th be with you!
On Saturday, my heart was pumping and I was super anxious..."Today is the big day, JENNIFER IS GETTING BAPTIZED." Seriously we were all waiting almost the entire year for this day. After weeks and weeks of trials and tribulations, Jennifer was finally ready to make this life-long commitment to follow her Savior and we are so proud of her! There were many things that kept holding her back and causing more and more doubt before May 6th, but with faith in the Lord, she was able to push through.

There were so many people their in support of Jennifer, and even her mom and sister Layla came! Layla also brought her friend and all three of them said that they felt the spirit so strong when Jennifer went under the water. Layla's friend loved the baptism and wants to start learning more about the church!! After Bishop Wilson welcomed her into the ward, Jennifer got up and bore her testimony of the gospel. I was filled with so much joy as she spoke of the love she has felt from her Heavenly Father. In her words she said, "When I went under the water, it felt like I was under there for a long time-like 5 minutes! And I had flashbacks of all my sins and mistakes begin to disappear from me. I feel clean!" We will never forget this day. And I will never forget the next day, Sunday, when Jennifer was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and received the Holy Ghost! She even got up in front of the congregation and bore her testimony again. I love her!
Here is a scripture that I found in my studies this week: Helaman 3:35,
"Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God." I know that when we truly humble ourselves before the Lord in fasting and prayer, we will be filled with joy and the pure love of Christ, and our hearts will be made clean! It is one of the greatest joys to bring souls unto Christ. I am going to take advantage and make the most out of the last 6 months I have here! Being a missionary is the best...I'm pretty sure I say that every week.
Love you all. xoxoxo
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
p.s. jennifer got a puppy, his name is Thor!
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear my MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMMMMM, happy birthday to you! Happy Birthday mom. I love your guts.
Hello friends...
So transfers were yesterday (Monday), and Sister Duering had such a hard time saying goodbye to everyone. This is her "greenie area" aka her first area and she did not want to leave! She was in tears all day and night long. But on the plus side, she is getting transferred to the best ward ever, the MURRIETA ward!! Yes, she is going to my last ward! She will absolutely love the people there. I'm kinda jealous of her. haha. I'll miss that crazy girl. We already decided that we are going to come back and visit the mission together (first Palomar, then Murrieta)!
My new companion is Sister Watson. I was so happy when the zone leaders told me that she would be my companion...I met her in the MTC, so we came out together! She is such a doll and one of the sweetest sisters ever. We are going to see so many miracles together!
We had dinner with the Bishop and his wife, and two cute little old ladies that they invited over, Jo and Anne. They are both non members and SUPER old, but they are still sassy as ever and walking around! Anne will be celebrating her 100th birthday next February, and Jo is 95. I HUGGED A CENTRY OLD LADY! crazy. Anyways, we shared a story about a man who sacrificed his four year old son in order to save a train full of people. We related it to how Heavenly Father gave His Only Begotten Son for us! The spirit was amazing and we left them in tears.
Here is the story:
"There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river paralleled with the banks, allowing ships to pass thru freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to cross it.
A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the trainlights. He stepped to the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but to his horror, he found the locking control did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position it would wobble back and forth at the ends when the train came onto it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard.
He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever switch he could hold to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man’s strength.
Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. “Daddy, where are you?” His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, “Run! Run!” But the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left his lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever. Either the people on the train or his little son must die.
He took a moment to make his decision.The train sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was even aware.
Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They did not see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked: to tell his wife how he had sacrificed their son.
Now if you comprehend the emotions which went this man’s heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of our Father in Heaven when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? How does He feel when we speed along thru life without giving a thought to what was done for us thru Jesus Christ? When was the last time you thanked him for the sacrifice of His son?" -Elder Fuller, Philippines CefuCity Mission.
I know that Christ lives and loves you. Heavenly Father is watching over you and already gave everything for you! Just follow Him. He offers peace!
LOVE YOU ALL.
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

Happy Easter!

Lexie's letter
Happy Easter!
How often do we thank our Heavenly Father for the gift of the Holy Ghost? It is a wonderful blessing we have to qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Do we fully comprehend how much the spirit takes part in our lives? I'm positive that the spirit is always speaking to us. The still small voice isn't exactly always something we can hear, but it is something that we feel inside our hearts and our minds. The spirit will tell us all things we must do, but we need to be still and listen.
On Tuesday, I went on exchanges with Sister Jackson. YAY. It was kinda crazy being companions with her for the day because I just kept thinking back to when we were in the MTC together. Now it has almost been a year since then! That morning, we felt the prompting to go visit Marie, a less-active member in our ward. When we stopped by her house later that day, her dad answered and said that she was out of town. Then I asked if Brittany was there, and he told us to knock on her door around back. When she opened the door, her eyes were red and she didn't seem very happy. "I'm doing taxes," she said. We proceeded to ask her if she was okay, knowing that she wasn't. Brittany let us and talked to us about all the things that she is struggling with right now: school, taxes, boyfriend, moving to Utah, and problems with her best friend. She talked and talked, and poured out her feelings. We listened. "I know what you'e going to tell me but I've already been doing it and it's not working. I've been praying constantly, reading my scriptures, and going to church. I'm still stressed out and sad," she cried to us. We were then able to testify of the Savior's love and read from Mosiah 24...
14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.
She choked on her tears as she read these verses. We told her that it was all going to be okay if she put her trust in the Lord. It is so so important that we listen to promptings of the still small voice. When we listen, the spirit will tell us where we need to go, what to do, and what to say. Not only is it important to listen to the spirit but it is also important to listen to the people in our lives. I have learned this principle on my mission while teaching many different people. If we don't listen, how will we know what to say or how to help them? If we don't listen, then how will the people trust us or know that we care?
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “More important than speaking is listening. These people are not lifeless objects... They are children of God, our brothers and sisters, and they need what we have. Be genuine. Reach out sincerely. Ask these friends what matters most to them. What do they cherish, and what do they hold dear? And then listen. If the setting is right, you might ask what their fears are, what they yearn for, or what they feel is missing in their lives. I promise you that something in what they say will always highlight a truth of the gospel about which you can bear testimony and about which you can then offer more. … If we listen with love, we won’t need to wonder what to say. It will be given to us—by the Spirit and by our friends” (PMG).
On Easter evening, Sister Duering and I felt prompted to go visit our former investigator Rebecca (the so called atheist). Driving past her house, we saw her sitting in a chair under the porch light. We squealed for joy (because we haven't seen her in about 6 weeks), and scurried to find a parking spot. We talked to a few people while walking back to her house and found that she wasn't sitting at the porch anymore. And there was a car pulling out of her driveway. We decided to knock on the door anyway and thankfully there she was! She gives the best hugs. We came in and she told us about her fun trip to Costa Rica. She showed us pictures of the beautiful rain forest and she said she even saw elders there, "but they looked a little out of place." After catching up for awhile, we showed her the Prince of Peace video. She loved it and told us that her favorite line was "He can turn heartache into hope." Becca even said that she would love to come to Jennifer's baptism on May 6th! We are so excited. I know that Becca will be ready for the gospel some day. She is an amazing light to both of us. We love her so much.
I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves you. No matter how hard things may seem, you can do all thing through Christ! Sister Duering keeps singing this one song that says,"Your life isn't falling apart, it is falling into place." I love that! We have trials in our life for a reason! Whenever I am going through a hard time, I can always turn to D&C 122. The Savior's words to Joseph Smith and to all of us..."if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son (or daughter), that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.The Son of Man hath descended below them all."
LOVE YOU.
1. Jersey Mikes is sooo good.
2. Yup. We took a trip to Valley Center (the boonies).
3. r.i.p. RJ 😞
4. WE LOVE REBECCA! we missed her so much.
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

Let's do an icebreaker

 WOW! We had so much fun doing missionary work this week. One day, we decided to do something creative in our contacting. So something super cheesy came to my mind. "Let's do an icebreaker," I said after looking at my icebreaker mints. "And if they can guess how many icebreakers are in the package they win it! If not, they have to answer a few questions!" Sister Duering laughed so hard but we did it. haha. Instead we did it with buttons. There were 444 buttons in the jar and if they got it right, they got a package of gum. If not, we asked them some inspired questions. Everyone we asked were not even close to the real number. So we started to give them 3 chances. And when they still didn't get it right we told them, "With our Savior, Jesus Christ, we don't have only 1 chance, 2 chances, or 3 chances. He gives us as many chances as we need! He understands you perfectly. He loves you. He knows you. And he wants you to succeed." It's also a great way to show the new #princeofpeace video!
So while doing this little "icebreaker" this week, we found a bunch of potential investigators! We decided to take the sprinter/train one day from Palomar College to Cal State San Marcos and we talked to sooo many college students! One in particular was Mario Fabbrini. As we walked down the stairs from the Cal State stop, we found this kid chilling out in the shade, waiting for the train I assume. We started to talking to him and one of the first things he said was, "I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He died for me. He died for my sins." He told us that he goes to Calvary Chapel in Oceanside and every Thursday, he sings in a Christian "worship group." Mario loves the bible and reads it every day. He said that reading the bible is one way that God speaks to him. That is when we brought up the Book of Mormon and asked him to read it. Mario hesitated and then said, "On one condition. I will read the Book of Mormon if you come and worship with me tomorrow at the 'center dome'." <<sounds fancy huh? Without hesitation, Sister Duering and I said, "DEAL."
The next day we walked around Cal State with the elders, asking many students where the 'center dome' is. We got many distorted and confused looks as they told us, "I have no clue what that is." Oh great, we thought, hopefully the center dome exists. Luckily to my surprise, Sister Duering yelled, "I SEE THE CENTER DOME!" We got so excited and started lunging towards the 3 domes. As we got closer we realized that there was nobody in sight. We were expecting a crowd of people at Mario's musical worship thing. The elders started to complain and doubt us, but all of a sudden I said, "SSSHH. I hear him." We found him and the first thing Mario said when he saw us was, "LEXIE!!!! TORRI!!!! You came!" Oh my goodness, he remembered our first names, oh no. There was only one other guy and two girls sitting in the "center dome." Not surprisingly more girls showed up later...haha.
Standing in the middle of the dome with his guitar in hand, Mario said "Welcome to the center dome. This is where we come, relax, worship, and get away from there," pointing at the school. Sing along with me if you'd like! The echo of his guitar and beautiful voice in that small "center dome" brought the spirit in an instant. I knew at that moment that this kid loves his Savior. You could feel it, no doubt, when he sang. Mario was strumming his guitar (eyes closed the entire time he played) and sang from his heart. In music, he spoke of his Savior's love and eternal sacrifice. It took me a minute at the last song to realized that he was praying! I closed my eyes and soaked in every word. He testified of truth, forgiveness and hope. Of mercy and love. This is exactly what I needed. The spirit overwhelmed me and I knew that Heavenly Father was speaking to me. I felt forgiveness and peace.
I know that God speaks to us in many different ways. He cares about us. I know that week was the very last week of Christ. He spent His last days serving, loving, healing, and worshiping His Father. I know that because of Christ, we can be with our families forever. There is no such thing as an end. We have so many chances with Jesus Christ. He overcame death, sin, sorrow, pain, guilt, illness, weakness, doubt, and fear. HE IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE. you should click on that link btw and watch the video. I am eternally grateful for the love that he gives to each of us, member of the church or not. I know that HE LIVES. HE LOVE YOU! HE IS THE CHRIST!! don't forget it!
ps. this is a picture of me and sam. I'm going to miss her so much as she leaves to BYUI. we are going to be roommates when I get back.
#MIRACLE >> Jennifer's family wants to be baptized! The elders are going to start teaching them!! This is Me, Sister Duering, and Tots. She is 8 years old. ♥
--
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

Look Up!

Look Up
3 Nephi 17 (my favorite chapter ever...& it was shared in conference a few times).
10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.
11 And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought.
12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.
13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground.
14 And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.
15 And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.
16 And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;
17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.
18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.--
This is so powerful. Can you feel it? Can you imagine kneeling with Son of God as He prayed to the Father FOR YOU? Not even the Nephites who prayed with Jesus Christ could explain of the complete joy that they felt. This is what I felt this conference weekend. I can't tell you all the things I learned or of the joy I felt. My prayers were answered. I felt my Savior's love. I hope that each of you had a similar experience and if not, I invite you to watch or listen to conference again with personal questions in mind. Heavenly Father WILL speak to you through the prophet and the general authorities. They are called of God! He knows exactly what you need to hear. LISTEN!
I just wanted to say how much I love Jessica Vargas, a laurel in the Santa Fe Hills ward. She is such a beautiful light, with the cutest freckles, and an unbelievably stunning voice. If you haven't heard her sing already, look her up. She says that something unique about her is that not many people know that she can sing. SHE IS INCREDIBLE! Originally we wanted to go over to her house for a few minutes, to ask her to sing at our missionary booth at Cal State, but we ended up staying for an hour. She opened up to us and expressed a lot of hard things she has had to go through in her life. Whenever she is struggling, she says she reads D&C 101:16, "Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God," and remembers that everything is going to be okay. We opened up the Book of Mormon and testified of the importance of daily scripture study. Jess made my day when she said that we make her happy, "Being a missionary seems like the life. I love it when you come over!" Even better, she sang a beautiful song for us on the piano. Her voice gives me chills every time and always bring the spirit. "Everything is going to be okay."
Over these past couple weeks, the Lord has taught me something very important, and so has my mom. "Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths," Proverbs 3:5-6. I want to live by this.
I know that this week we trusted in Him and were lead to someone who really needed the gospel.
Sneaking through a gated community, we knocked on a door hoping that Genesis (a potential investigator) would answer the door. To our surprise, a somewhat familiar but unfamiliar face came to the door. The young man's face was completely bloodied and broken; his eyes were literally blood-shot red and many stitches lined up across the side of his face. Through the small movements of his mouth, we could hear him mutter his name: David. Although it was painful to open his mouth, he explained that he got in a serious car wreck on Sunday and was unconscious in the hospital until Wednesday! May I add, his mom didn't even know where he was or what happened to him. He allowed us to come inside to pray for him. As I prayed to give him strength through the Savior, we felt the power of God's love for him.
My companion and I testified of the Savior's life and infinite sacrifice for David. We read Alma 7:11-13 with him and told him that Christ suffered for ALL the pains, sickness, temptations, trials, weaknesses, and sins of the world. Jesus Christ knows. He understands, perfectly! David was astonished that Christ did that for every person that has ever lived and will live. Maria's (his mom) eyes were teary and full of motherly love. I can't imagine what was going through her mind as her son was missing, let alone when she found him with a beat up face! She started speaking to us in her native language, Spanish. David translated for us and said, "She says that God has been such a blessing...He helped me even when I was prison, He saved me from the accident, and He even brought you here to us!"
"I think I need to start coming to church, this is amazing," David said. We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and he was so excited to read it. My companion offered the closing prayer and it was even more powerful as Maria joined us in the prayer and we prayed together for David's recovery. We prayed in gratitude for our Heavenly Father's eternal sacrifice, for sending His own Son to die for us. I know that Christ did come. He is the Son of God. He came and redeemed us from the fall. He bled from every pore. He was hung on a cross. He died and rose again. HE IS RISEN!
And of course, conference was amazing. Don't forget to LOOK UP!
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

Jennifer Came to Church Sunday!

Jennifer came to church on Sunday! YAY! The relief society has been doing a great job at supporting her and making her feel loved. Thank you for your prayers! Jennifer is doing so much better and is working towards her baptism on May 6th.
Yesterday was such a miracle. We went to go visit a potential investigator named, "Nini" and discovered that she actually moved. The person living there, Patrick, was so nice and very interested in the message we had to share. After coming home from the military, Patrick said he wanted to be more involved with religion, not just attend church on Christmas. He told us of an experience when he toured around the Jordan River! He said there were many people getting baptized in the river (in some other religion) "just for show, or selfies," but he knew it was a sacred river. He needed more time to think about getting baptized. Instead of just getting dunked for his bucket list, Patrick filled his water bottle with the water of the river. He showed the very bottle filled with jordan river water. I got to hold it. It was a very spiritual experience for him. We testified of the restoration of the gospel and so much joy filled his eyes. He's coming to conference this weekend and specifically asked if we could teach him and give him the Book of Mormon. It was amazing. There are people everywhere like this, who are prepared and ready for the gospel! We must reach out to them.

LOVE YOU ALL.
ps/ we matched the elders this sunday so we had to take a pic
--
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States