Put on the Whole Armor of God

Hi.
   This week was great. We had an ALL sisters conference in Vista and it was amazing. We learned what perfection truly means. It does not mean "without error or flaw", it means to be well-developed or to have excellence. We are not perfect people. We are all doing our best to become "perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect." This does not mean we should compare or compete with others! Sister Christensen, at the mission office, said "If you would not say it to your friend, then don't say it to yourselves!" 

   Too often we compare ourselves to others or bring ourselves down. When you hear things like, "you are not good enough," "you are a failure," or "nobody cares," these are LIES and words from the adversary. Don't listen to him. Instead, come unto Christ and take His yoke upon you! Abide in His love and remember how important you are to Him, who is most important. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD! How often do we take this for granted? We are children of a supreme being, we are children of a king, a Heavenly Father who LOVES US and we love Him!

   

   “Examine your armor. Is there an unguarded or unprotected place? Determine now to add whatever part is missing. … Through the great principle of repentance you can turn your life about and begin now clothing yourself with the armor of God through study, prayer, and a determination to serve God and keep his commandments.” -President N. Eldon Tanner.

   Putting on the whole armor of God has really blessed me on my mission. Although we may not see the Lord's hand in everything we do, THE LORD'S HAND IS IN EVERYTHING WE DO. Bishop Pulsipher told us, "Even though you may not see the fruits of your labors, you are preparing God's children and setting the foundation. It could be days, months, or years...but what you are doing will make a difference...You are strengthening families and those around you." The armor of God has protected me and my companion. We are protected every day; spiritually, and physically. There is so much in store for us...we just need to put on the Lord's armor and see with spiritual eyes, and hear with spiritual ears. Miracles surround us every day. If you don't see them, LOOK DIFFERENTLY. 

   I am so happy that we were able to hear so many inspiring messages at general conference and at this sisters conference! It was much needed, and I received so much personal revelation that will be extremely beneficial to me throughout my mission. I'm so grateful that I was able to see all of my passed companions and MTC sisters. I love them.

  

I LOVE YOU ALL.
 enjoy your week.

stay away from the creepy clowns....

p.s. 

pics= all the sisters in the mission, me and my posterity, and my step-mom & evil step-sister

--
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund

451 W Bobier Dr

Vista CA 92083-1906

Mormon is Peace

If you are wondering what my title is about, let me explain:

There is this non-member guy named "Mike Lee" and he is 100% hippie, down to the core. He always calls us asking for "Skabelund." He is trying to get me to attend a "super surfer school in San Diego." Let me mention, he is 59...he has long greasy hair and wears nothing but tie-dye shirts. We came over one day to teach him and he basically gave us a rock-show in his living room. He is an incredible singer and guitarist but his lyrics make ZERO sense. lol. Here is what they consisted of... "Christian is peace. Christian is peace. Catholic speaks peace." He loves all religions. 

  I asked him if he knew that the Book of Mormon is true. He said, "Of course I do. And I actually wrote part of the golden plates if you wanna see..." He whooped out pages of jiberish and said he has about 150 pages so far. He said that he wrote part of Joseph Smith's golden plates and that "they" are going to pick him up in a space ship pretty soon... I tried so hard not too laugh as he continued to sing and read verses from the story of "Ammone" aka. Ammon. Tears streamed from my eyes as my shoulders were shaking and I tried to contain the laughter dying to come out. Hilarious. I don't think we will be going back there...

  Conference was incredible. I always love hearing from all the amazing speakers and the choir! I feel the spirit most through music. I had goosebumps every time the choir would sing. I'm soooo jealous that the missionaries in the MTC could sing in conference! Way cool. 

 "Joy has very little to do with our circumstances and everything to do with the focus of our lives," Russell M. Nelson. 

"As she looked to the book, she looked to the Lord," Gary E. Stevensen

"Our Redeemer chooses to forgive, he wants to forgive, and he is joyful when we repent. If we repent, immediately the great plan of redemption will be given to us. Repentance is not only possible, but joyful because of the Savior," paraphrased (Dale G. Renlund).

  We are loving the October weather and getting pumped for Halloween. 28 DAYS TILL HALLOWEEN! 82 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS! We celebrated by trying on costumes in target today. lol. Anyways, I love being a missionary. I can't believe it has already been 5 months. only 13 more to go?! CRAZY. California is amazing.

love y'all

MORMON IS PEACE

--
♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund

451 W Bobier Dr

Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

That was Totally Wicked!!!

"That was TOTALLY WICKED," said the little boy on bike from Incredibles.

Yes, this pretty much describes our week. (:

Monday: was our hike with the zone.

Tuesday = best miracle ever. Sister Zogg and I were on our lunch break, eating Cali-Burritos, and all of a sudden we started squealing of joy. It started RAINING!! Although it was still about 80 degrees, we were so happy to see raindrops. To finish our lunch break, we decided to bike up to the mountains and enjoy the rain. It started POURING RAIN and we got absolutely SOAKED!! We were riding our bikes in circles and got drenched from head to toe. The construction guys seemed to be entertained... Then eventually, our excitement began to fade as the rain would not stop and we got wetter and wetter. "We can't go into anyone's home like this!" Sister Zogg exclaimed. So we laughed, and biked all the way home to get the car. (: I LOVE RAIN!

Wednesday: we went on stake splits with Camilla Cook. She is preparing to serve her mission in December in the London England Mission! She is already an incredible missionary!! She is unbelievable and inspires me to be better.

Thursday: another miracle! The weather was amazing and we taught 4 investigators in a row!! They were all set up perfectly. We gave Seleene and Kevin a tour around the church and showed them the Restoration video. Next we taught Misty, a former investigator who wants to meet with missionaries again. And then we taught Claudia the Plan of Salvation at Sister Shallbetters house for dinner! I'm grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord. And I'm grateful that today (September 22nd) is the first day of fall!!!

Friday: We had a fear factor dinner at the Rodriguez home. EW. I ate cow tongue, cow stomach, and oysters. The cow tongue actually wasn't too bad if it was drenched in Tapatio. I had fun teaching Mikayla, their 14 year old daughter, some salsa and chacha dance moves that I learned in Ballroom (senior year). That made me miss Jacqueline... I miss dancing haha.

Saturday: The Women's General Conference was PHENOMENAL! The spirit was amazing and all my questions were answered. I felt like what everyone said is exactly what I needed to hear. It seemed as though they were speaking directly to ME! One of my questions was how to better recognize the voice of the spirit... and Dieter F. Uctdorf said to "LISTEN DIFFERENTLY." There is something different that I need to do in order to hear the still-small voice. I'm so grateful for the spirit I felt, and the closeness I felt with the spirit. My new favorite song is, "I know that my Redeemer lives." That was the closing song and I LOVED IT! 

He lives to grant me rich supply.

He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint.

He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears.

He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

This church is true. Jesus Christ lives and loves each of us. "Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us. He knows and loves you. He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are. He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings. Your fears. Your tears.

It matters not how you became lost—whether because of your own poor choices or because of circumstances beyond your control. What matters is that you are His child. And He loves you. He loves His children. My dear brothers and sisters, my dear friends, I testify that God sees us as we truly are—and He sees us worthy of rescue.

You may feel that your life is in ruins. You may have sinned. You maybe afraid, angry, grieving, or tortured by doubt. But just as the GoodShepherd finds His lost sheep, if you will only lift up your heart to theSavior of the world, He will find you.

He will rescue you.
He will lift you up and place you on His shoulders.
He will carry you home."

"Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us. His commandments are the loving instructions and the divine help for us to close the umbrella so we can receive the shower of heavenly blessings.”-- Dieter F. Uctdorf

CLOSE YOUR UMBRELLAS AND RECEIVE THE SHOWER OF HEAVENLY BLESSINGS! ♥

♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund

451 W Bobier Dr

Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

Hello Friends!

Well, last week was a tough one. We taught a lot of people on the street and even picked up a new investigator, Kayli (who is 16)! She seemed super solid and even asked if she could come to church with us. But when we texted her Saturday night, she flipped like a switch and said she wasn't interested. It was a major shock and disappointment to us. We're thinking that either she read some anti-material, or her parents were not happy with her meeting us. Either way, I got super down and discouraged. But thanks to our zone leaders, I got a priesthood blessing a feel much better! He talked a lot about love. I learned to have more charity towards my companion, the members, the other missionaries, and towards the strangers I see on the street. I need to love EVERYONE and things will work out! I'm so grateful for the restoration of the priesthood and for worthy priesthood holders. To those who hold the priesthood- never take it for granted! Hold it close to your heart, live worthy of it, and exercise it as much as you can! You hold the very powers of heaven!!

Today started our week nice and fresh! We went on a zone hike at 5:40am with Brother Smedley. The very first thing he said before we started the hike was, "Just an fyi, you will see lots of tarantulas...and it is mating season." WHAT?! That really got me excited. To go on a 10-mile hike up Monument Hill, surrounded by MATING TARANTULAS!! NOOOOO!!! not good. But let me tell you, Brother Smedley is hilarious. Someone dropped the big jug of water, which created holes at the bottom, and Brother Smedley rushed over to drink some of it so it wouldn't be wasted. He basically water-boarded himself! lol. And then water-boarded a few other elders. We parkoured over large "no trespassing" gates and found a few tarantulas on the trail (2 living, 2 dead). Bro Smedley says that when the female tarantulas are done mating, they eat the males and push them out of their caves. We found evidence of this and a "moment of silence" for the 2 dead tarantulas. haha.

Anyways, my spiritual thought is Alma 37:35-36.

"O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever."

I know that we are given commandments to HELP us. When we follow the commandments, we show our Heavenly Father that we love him. It's that simple. If we love the Savior, Jesus Christ, and our Father in Heaven, we will follow the commandments. We must have Him engraved in our hearts and always in our minds. When we follow the Savior and center Him in everything we do, life won't become easy, but it will become possible. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, more than I can even imagine. He loves me as much as he loves Kayli (the girl who bailed on us). He loves us all the same. The least we can do is show Him that we love Him back!

love u guys.

pics=

1) PALM TREE HUGGER

2) the fattest, biggest dog ever...Benny. It makes my laugh when he lays like this.

3) Bro. Smedley and the tarantula that crawled all over him

4) TARANTULA (and no. i DID NOT hold it)

♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund

451 W Bobier Dr

Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

Mugshots!

Wow, the weeks are flying by fast! So fast that I don't even remember what happened this week!     I hope you enjoy our biking mugshots. haha. just for fun. It pretty much explains our biking experience. Bike problem #999. Almost every day, something goes wrong with our bikes. Thankfully we have so many awesome members in our ward who are willing to help out! To thank Brother Adam Rodriguez, I made him some Magic Bars. On Sunday, he said "Thank you for those miracle bars." I laughed. They really are MIRACLE bars... delicious. And we got chased by some more goats this week...

   This week was a little bit sad because Sister Mulitalo (82 year old widow) had to put down her dog, Hana. We came over to her house one day and found Sister Mulitalo sitting in her car in the garage. We helped her bring her heavy groceries inside and found Hana laying on the ground crying. Hana is so frail that she could not get back up after falling. So she was laying there for about 2 hours, laying in her urine. Finally Sister Mulitalo decided to put her down, and it was really hard for her. 

   We came back the next day and she was in tears and looking at old photos of when Hana was young and healthy. We tried to comfort her and told her that "Hana is in her perfect form right now, playing with your husband! She is running around, happy and free!" Sister Mulitalo seems lonely, but we continue to meet with her every week and try to cheer her up. I made her some of my delicious "magic bars" (or "miracle bars" according to Bro. Rodriguez lol), and she seemed to like them. (: I love her with all my heart. Please keep her in your prayers.

   We have been meeting with a lot of widowed old ladies and I love every single one of them. In particular, I LOVE Sister Schow's love story. Not too long ago, we knocked on her door and after slowly walking to the door, the first thing she said was, "Oh hi girls! I was just thinking about when me and my husband were sixteen and in love." She is the sweetest old lady and always gives us grapes and soda pop. As the classical jazz music plays in the background, we sit on her fancy couches and she tells us stories of when she was young. Life was so simple back then. SHE IS 90! And I love hearing her stories, they are so cool to hear!

   She said the first time her husband put her arm around her, her pinky went numb, and she didn't want to move it because she thought he would think she didn't like it. haha. And he took her on a horse ride. She always says that when he came back from the war to visit her, he was 18 and looked like a man! "He wasn't a little boy anymore, but he was a handsome mature young man!" I told her that I am going to make a movie someday about her love-story. It's so adorable. You need to hear it from her. Anyways, I love her. I asked if I could take a picture with her and she said, "Wait until Sunday...that's when I have flowers in my hair."♥

   Anyways, I just want you all to know that Heavenly Father loves you. He is mindful of you and watches over you always. I LOVE YOU ALL. Have a great week.

pics: mugshots, me & sister schow, Sister Schow and her husband

♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund

451 W Bobier Dr

Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

 Here is a picture of my zone and Elder De Hoyos of the Seventy

The Field Is White

My time is like a toddler in a tiara, precious and short.

Yesterday was labor day, so instead of having pday, we worked super hard to find people to teach. The white handbook says that holidays are a perfect time to proselyte because that is when families are home...but to our discovery, the houses were empty yesterday. Despite knocking on the doors of hollow homes in Murrieta, we had an incredible experience that I will never forget.

We were scurrying around on our bikes at 8:50pm to find someone to teach, and randomly biked to the 76 gas station. We came up to this young lady (about our age), changing the trash bags at the gas station. After introducing ourselves, we discovered that she worked there and her name is Sophia. We taught her about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon, when IMMEDIATELY she said, "Of course I'll read it!" My companion and I were both stunned, considering that we haven't had a "yes" in awhile, and handed her a Book of Mormon. We asked if she would read Moroni's promise in the Introduction of the BofM out loud. The presence of the spirit was stronger than ever. 

Sophia seemed mind-blown as she began to tell us that we were an answer to her prayer. She told us that just before work, she was sitting in her car, praying and asking God to show her a sign and help her find the truth. "And then you girls showed up!" she continued. She almost seemed more excited than even we were (and trust me, we were excited). She happily and anxiously accepted our challenge to read the Book of Mormon, and pray to know if what we taught her was true. "The field is white already to harvest...Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work!" -D&C 4

A miracle. A tender mercy from the Lord, just 5 minutes before curfew. Although sometimes it seems like we are getting nothing from working extremely hard, the Lord has blessings in store for us. Working hard pays off. Studying pays off. Listening to the spirit pays off. I'm so happy that we could find Sophia. Just when you think things are only getting harder, when you are at the brink of despair, when you feel like giving up...TRUST IN THE LORD, and he will reveal your eyes to miracles everyday. 

"The tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." -1 Nephi 1:20

I love you all! ♥

p.s. i was chased by a goat

♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund

451 W Bobier Dr

Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

The Adventures of Biking

Hello fellow friends and family,

   After many days of biking in the hot summer sun, I feel inspired (tired) to write you a simple email today. 

   To start off, I want to say...NEVER forget sunscreen in Murrieta. I am a rock lobster. Also, if your companion leaves you, DON'T PANIC. Yesterday, we were biking up this huge hill, only to find out that our destination was actually at the bottom of the hill. We turned around and started zooming down the hill....well, Sister Zogg started zooming down the hill. My pedals weren't turning, and I was stuck at the top of the hill. Out of nowhere, the CHAIN SNAPPED. So with the greasy chain in one hand, and my bike in the other, I slowly walked down the hill...frustrated and alone. 

   Instantly, I thought "I'm going to call President, because my companion abandoned me." But then I realized that Sister Zogg had the phone. So I continued to walked with filth ALL over my hands, and finally my companion started back up the hill. "YOU DESERTED ME, YOU FILTHY ANIMAL!" I exclaimed, "My chain broke!" Nevertheless, we both started laughing and walked to our next appointment. I think Brother Devey noticed my greasy hands and dirty face at the doorstep when he asked, "Can I help you with your bike?" He is a LIFE-SAVER and fixed my bike. I'm so grateful for my ward, they are amazing!

   Don't worry friends, biking is an adventure, and I'm hanging in there! 

  Well on that note, ELDER BENJAMIN DE HOYOS of the seventy came here for our zone conference! It was pretty incredible to have the privilege of hearing from him and his wife! Although they spoke very VERY little english, the spirit was stronger than ever. Our sweet mission president translated for them with the spanish he did know (he served a mission in Mexico). But hearing from both my mission president & Elder De Hoyos strengthened their unity and my testimony of priesthood power. 

   I learned that "more important than speaking is listening." When we listen to our companions, family, friends, and all those around us WITH LOVE, then we don't need to worry about what to say. The spirit will tell us exactly what they need to know. One of my favorite quotes from the meeting was "Live in such a way that those who know you but don't know Christ, will want to know Christ because they know you!" I'm so grateful for the opportunity we had to hear from this general authority and be inspired to be better. 

   We must ask ourselves, "Do I have the doctrine of Christ engraved on my heart and in the marrow of my bones?" Conversion is a process and requires an ACT of FAITH. When we start to leave behind the cares of the world, and give our ALL to the Savior, we will begin to be converted. We must pray always, study our scriptures diligently & fervently, and we must attend the sacrament for the rest of our lives. The gospel is a life-long commitment. Turn to the Savior, He loves you! 

"Because He loves you, He will find you. He will place you upon His shoulders, rejoicing. And when He brings you home, He will say to one and all, "Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost." 

  I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!! When life gets tough just remember, "The things that are most important cannot be counted." ♥

--

♥ Sister Alexis Skabelund

P.S.

pics>>>>>

- me and Brooke, aka. CHEWBACCA. (I told I missed my dog, "Chewie," so she put on her wookie pajamas for me. 

- Me and Sister Zogg (:

- beautiful Murrieta

- just reminiscing the good ole days by the beach. I MISS IT

451 W Bobier Dr

Vista CA 92083-1906
United States