While you are all freezing and
suffering in snow storms, Sister Fogg and I are biking around the
beautiful sunny weather of Murrieta, California, with short-sleeves, and
sunglasses!
On Wednesday we went to see if the Reynoso's
(inactive family) were home, but after knocking on the door, we
discovered that they were in Mexico for vacation and their parents were
watching over the apartment. Their parents let us and the Mexican man
insisted that he make us lunch (authentic breakfast burritos). He spoke
spanish to us most of the time, sorta as a joke. I was being sarcastic
with him as well (not really) as I told him with all honesty, that I
didn't even want to know what was inside the burrito. but hey, it was
good. These parents/grandparents of the Reynoso's are active in a ward
in Temecula. We told them how much we love their children and that we
come over to help them understand the importance of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. We teach them that the gospel is essential for family
relationships. They expressed their gratitude for us and our efforts in
helping their family come unto Christ.
In the MTC, I learned
that sometimes there are people who are not quite ready for the gospel,
yet there are those who still try to pressure them. Imagine someone as
if they were a bent nail in a wall. If we continue to hammer the nail in
the wall, it will become even more bent. Instead, we should care for
the nail and lightly put it back into place. Charity, the pure love of
Christ, can help us with those "bent nails" in this world, or to mend
the bonds between others and Christ. I know that loving people has been a
central purpose to my mission. Thanks to an investigator in the MTC, I
have learned to not only love everyone, but SHOW my love to them. I love
the people here in Southern California, they are family to me.
Another experience I had this week was while were visiting Ruth, an
elderly woman in a memory care facility. To our surprise, the residents
were gathered around a table, cutting paper snowflakes (my specialty)!
They said they needed about 16 total snowflakes to put on the doors of
the residents rooms. "No problem, I got this," I said. I was so excited
about this that I immediately sat at the table of old people, picked up
some paper and scissors, and started making a masterpiece. There were
many types of snowflakes on the table. Simple snowflakes, complex,
round, square, and intricate snowflakes. Ruth "oooh'ed" and "ahhh'ed" at
my snowflake, the one with Christmas trees on it. As I gave it to her
she said , "THANK YOU! I'm putting this one on my door!"
One of
the ladies left the table with one of the caretakers (Cody) to go on a
walk, and the woman in the wheelchair wanted to go too. Cody told the
woman that it was too cold for her outside and that she would have to
stay in. As the Cody walked away with the other elderly lady, I watched
the woman in the wheelchair well up with anger. Sister Fogg and Ruth
were distracted by an activity book they were reading, and I was the
only one who could see this woman's frustration. As if I wasn't
watching, she quickly grabbed a pile of snowflakes off the table and
crumpled them up into a ball. My heart started to wrench as she snatched
my snowflake, the one I made for Ruth, and mangled it in her hands. I
wanted to speak up and plead with her to stop, but something stopped me.
After all the snowflakes were ripped, crumpled, and broken,
Cody came back to the table with a look of sorrow and disappointment on
his face. With humility and patience in his eyes, Cody took the pile of
snowflakes from the woman's hands and slowly unfolded them on the table.
He tried to bring them back to life by flattening them with heavy books
on top. Instead of chastising the grumpy woman in the wheelchair, he
treated her with love. He was forgiving. He showed her compassion even
after she did something so rude and immature, something that broke our
hearts into pieces. He was filled with charity.
Although these
two experiences may seem so small to you, this was a very important
lesson to me. This week I learned that it is all about loving the
people. As Bishop Pulsipher told us yesterday in ward coorelation,
"Sisters, if you want to have success on your mission, love the people.
Just love the people." Sometimes it isn't that easy for all of us. There
are people on my mission who have slammed doors in my face, told me I
was a liar, called me evil names, told me my church was a cult, and that
I am useless. There are people out there like that lady in a memory
care facility, who will hurt us, bring us down, and even crush our
greatest hopes of joy. But like that gentle caretaker, we need to love
those type of people, even the people that are hard to love. As the
Savior taught, "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and
persecute you;"
In John 14:15-21, Jesus Christ teaches us a
small and simple commandment. We need to love God with all of our heart,
might, mind, and strength; this includes loving all of God's children.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will
love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Isn't that an amazing
promise that our Savior gives us? If we have charity, if we love our
brothers and sisters, if we love Jesus Christ, He will not leave us
comfortless! He will come to us! He will dwell within us. We will see
him and will live. I testify that our Heavenly Father loves us. He gave
the biggest sacrifice of all. He gave His Only-Begotten Son! He sent His
own Son to die for us. I know that it is only through Jesus Christ that
we can feel His love, and be filled with His love. This love is the
pure love of Christ, it is charity. I know that when we are filled with
charity towards others, it doesn't matter if someone says hurtful
things, gives you a rude look, or even destroys your handcrafted
snowflakes. We will love them for who they are, a child of God.
I
invite you all to find a way to have more charity in your life. Use a
talent, whatever that might be, to serve someone this week. Write a
letter to a loved one. Call your parents. Express your gratitude to
someone who has helped you. Shovel your neighbors snow. Make dinner for
someone in the ward. Whatever it is, serve someone today, tomorrow, and
the next day. You will be happy! I love you all! Have a great week!!
- thee exotic animals of Murrieta. ahahah the donkeys tongue is great.
--
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund
