Well Elisa was baptized yesterday. Next Sunday I get to do the confirmation. We are working with the entire family. Elisa is the third one and the cousin of the first to be baptised. The spouse and parents of the first one Jessica are who we are working with now. They are actually from Peru.
Otherwise this last week was difficult. Because it was Christmas everyone had parties and we lost around 30 appointments because people weren't there or wanted us to come back later. We also went tracting, but one day we went to 30 or so houses and only 3 people answered and they all were "too busy" to have us ever come by. The rest were the same but generally more answered. This week doesn't look like it is going to be any better. Possibly worse for contacting people. The end of the year, everyone is going to be at parties. All we can do is work like we are.
I'm sending some pictures today as well. I love all of you and hope you are having fun in your break. Missionaries don't get breaks :).
-- Elder David Skiles
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Email of December 22, 2008
Well things have been going well. I am having a great time. It is already 9 here so I am supposed to be in the house already but the Mission President gave us permision because we had an activity with the whole mission. We split up into 9 teams of 11 and played a round of soccer, every team played every other team at least once. I ended up on two teams somehow and played twice as many games as everyone else. Each game lasted ten minutes or so. So I played for about 150 minutes or so, not straight through but that is still a ton. Needless to say I am tired. We then had each zone do a choral number and then we had dinner. It was fun but tiring.
As for the work, well right now we have one baptism scheduled for Sunday. Otherwise we are still making contacts and starting teaching and working with the members. It is lots of hard work but it pays off in the end. Well I will talk with soon and I hope everyone is doing well.
Elder David Skiles
As for the work, well right now we have one baptism scheduled for Sunday. Otherwise we are still making contacts and starting teaching and working with the members. It is lots of hard work but it pays off in the end. Well I will talk with soon and I hope everyone is doing well.
Elder David Skiles
Friday, December 19, 2008
Email of December 19, 2008
My first few days have been great. It is a lot of hard work but it is fun. My companion is Elder Cortez from Mexico. He only speaks Spanish so it is rather difficult at times. We are the only two in our area. My Spanish is coming along much faster now that it is just about all I hear and see.
The city is interesting. There are stray dogs everywhere and about half the houses here have pets, mostly dogs. There is a lot of barking always. The houses are all small as well and everything is very dirty. Almost everyone has television still though with DVD players and stuff. Their lives are much more simple. The people here are very nice and feed you every time. Yesterday I had two full lunches. It is a lot of food.
I actually was almost unable to write an email or call till January. The Mission President gave us permision yesterday to do this today. Apparently some missionaries had been using facebook and stuff so the Mission President said no more internet for anyone and I guess some others had also been calling home so he said the same thing about calling home.
I love it here. I already understand why return missionaries say it is almost more difficult to leave than to come. I am excited to be in the work. There truly is no greater work on earth. I love all of you and hope everything is going well.
Your son and Brother,Elder David Skiles
The city is interesting. There are stray dogs everywhere and about half the houses here have pets, mostly dogs. There is a lot of barking always. The houses are all small as well and everything is very dirty. Almost everyone has television still though with DVD players and stuff. Their lives are much more simple. The people here are very nice and feed you every time. Yesterday I had two full lunches. It is a lot of food.
I actually was almost unable to write an email or call till January. The Mission President gave us permision yesterday to do this today. Apparently some missionaries had been using facebook and stuff so the Mission President said no more internet for anyone and I guess some others had also been calling home so he said the same thing about calling home.
I love it here. I already understand why return missionaries say it is almost more difficult to leave than to come. I am excited to be in the work. There truly is no greater work on earth. I love all of you and hope everything is going well.
Your son and Brother,Elder David Skiles
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Email of December 9, 2008
I leave on Monday! It's exciting and I am having to focus on staying focused on studying here. The plane flights are very long though. I leave the MTC at 10:00 in the morning on Monday and get to Chile at 8:40 in the morning on Tuesday. I am counting on email being available in Chile and hopefully will be able to use that instead of letters because that will be expensive and take a long time. I love all of you and hope everything is going well.
Love, Elder Skiles
Love, Elder Skiles
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Letter of December 2, 2008
Dear Family,
I tis great to hear from all of you and how things are going. I know you probably would like to know more but honestly not much of real import happens here. Thus, I usually don't have much to write but what is on my mind and my testimony. My days here are spent learning doctrine, Spanish, and leadership skills through the Spirit. Every day I learn to understand the spirit better. It is almost as if, really is, I was fasting from the spirit before.
Don't get me wrong with what I mean by not much of real import happens here. Important things happen every day, usually it is just personal revelation and understanding though. Every one of you that comes through here will love it; it is awesome. The only thing is you will want to get out of here at the same time to get on with your missions and real life. I have learned so much here and I know you will too.
One of my previous letters talked about how insignificant the vain things of the world are. However, this doesn't mean we shouldn't care about them. The Savior said, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much... If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Luke 16:10-11) Having to take care of things that are wholly unimportant in and of themselves are made important so that we can prove our faithfulness and desire to do all of God's will. We still must be in the world for our trials to prove us, but we don't have to be of the world and seek the unrighteous mammon. Therein lies the difference. Never has God given His children a law that was temporal, all things are given unto us for our spiritual benefit. It is the natural man that creates temporal things of the spiritual, for the natural man is temporal. If we are faithful in all things we are given and use them for our eternal and spiritual benefit, and not seek after more of the temporal than what we have for ourselves, we will inherit much more of that which is purely spiritual. It is the same concept as the Word of Wisdom, be faithful in taking care of this temporal body, that is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and you will be blessed with "great treasures of knowledge."
Remember that blessings will only come from obedience to the law upon which they are predicated. I promise all of youthat when we are exactly obedient to the commandments and also counsels of the scriptures and our priesthood teachers as well as our parents, you will be blessed. As long as your leaders do not tell you to sin, do what they say, even if you know they are wrong or not doing something right, or effectively to get something done. Ammon made this promise to King Lamoni, that whatsoever the king desired of him which was right, he would do. Ammon became a servant unto a wicked Lamanite king and made this promise. But because of his willingness to obey even a wicked ruler, he was blessed exceedingly, even with the coming of thousands into the Church of God.
I know that when we are exactly obedient, even when there is no real apparent need, we will be blessed without measure.
Love, Elder David Skiles
I tis great to hear from all of you and how things are going. I know you probably would like to know more but honestly not much of real import happens here. Thus, I usually don't have much to write but what is on my mind and my testimony. My days here are spent learning doctrine, Spanish, and leadership skills through the Spirit. Every day I learn to understand the spirit better. It is almost as if, really is, I was fasting from the spirit before.
Don't get me wrong with what I mean by not much of real import happens here. Important things happen every day, usually it is just personal revelation and understanding though. Every one of you that comes through here will love it; it is awesome. The only thing is you will want to get out of here at the same time to get on with your missions and real life. I have learned so much here and I know you will too.
One of my previous letters talked about how insignificant the vain things of the world are. However, this doesn't mean we shouldn't care about them. The Savior said, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much... If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Luke 16:10-11) Having to take care of things that are wholly unimportant in and of themselves are made important so that we can prove our faithfulness and desire to do all of God's will. We still must be in the world for our trials to prove us, but we don't have to be of the world and seek the unrighteous mammon. Therein lies the difference. Never has God given His children a law that was temporal, all things are given unto us for our spiritual benefit. It is the natural man that creates temporal things of the spiritual, for the natural man is temporal. If we are faithful in all things we are given and use them for our eternal and spiritual benefit, and not seek after more of the temporal than what we have for ourselves, we will inherit much more of that which is purely spiritual. It is the same concept as the Word of Wisdom, be faithful in taking care of this temporal body, that is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and you will be blessed with "great treasures of knowledge."
Remember that blessings will only come from obedience to the law upon which they are predicated. I promise all of youthat when we are exactly obedient to the commandments and also counsels of the scriptures and our priesthood teachers as well as our parents, you will be blessed. As long as your leaders do not tell you to sin, do what they say, even if you know they are wrong or not doing something right, or effectively to get something done. Ammon made this promise to King Lamoni, that whatsoever the king desired of him which was right, he would do. Ammon became a servant unto a wicked Lamanite king and made this promise. But because of his willingness to obey even a wicked ruler, he was blessed exceedingly, even with the coming of thousands into the Church of God.
I know that when we are exactly obedient, even when there is no real apparent need, we will be blessed without measure.
Love, Elder David Skiles
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