EMail of July 26 2010

I hope everything goes well during the trip.  Have fun!  As for my side of the world, things have been cold.  We have had the coldest temperatures in 30 years here in Santiago.  It still isn´t that cold but it drops bellow freezing every night.  The work has been improving little by little.  We still haven´t had any progressing investigators but close.  I had several good experiences this last week though.  Several times during the week I could tell that the Lord was guiding us very directly.  We would arrive at investigators and others houses just as they were arriving as well, which helped us teach a lot more.  I also felt him guide our words too.  Yesterday we had to give talks in Church as those that had them weren´t there.  I had about 5 minutes to prepare a 15 minute talk.  All I could do was pick one scripture to start with and just let the Spirit do the rest.  It didn´t feel very smooth but I said what I needed to.  I was able to finally understand the true meaning of the name the Lamb of God as well.  It helped me understand all of the ordinances and covenants better.  It also explains why and how the law of Moses was fulfilled in Christ.  As for other things, we had changes today and I have a new companion, Elder Perry, from the Salt Lake City area.  He is my 16th companion of the mission.  Also I have only one more change after this.  I am feeling really excited about going home.  However, I don´t think about going home too often.  As soon as I leave the house I forget about it, about time and everything.  It really is a blessing and gift of God to be able to focus, and I am grateful for it.  Well, I love you and hope that the trip goes well.  Have fun, be safe!

eMail of July 19, 2010

I´m glad to hear that Caleb got all of those badges. As for my side of things, everything is going well. I wish I could be there for everything that is going on, but I am enjoying everything here. This last week has built my testimony a lot. We get to go to the Temple every transfer now, so we went last week. I felt happy. And we got to go de sealings again for children to parents. We didn´t end up doing any but we did get to see four couple sealings which was great. The Temple and the ordinances are amazing. In relation with that I got to read D&C 88 just before while waiting for the session. It is an amazing chapter. I also reread the book of testimonies that you sent me. It has been of strength to me and I am grateful for it. The Church is true, Christ lives and is the God of Israel. I had several interesting experiences this last week as well. Yesterday night I went home teaching with a brother in the ward, who in fact was taught but Sister Killian, aunt Laura´s friend, and as we were walking down one street another family of the ward was walking toward us. The youngest had a soccer ball and kicked it at us but it hit his mom in the back of the lags and she tripped. She fell hard. The interesting part of the story is that just that morning she was sustained and set apart as the Relief Society President. She is all right, nothing too serious, but it was interesting. Today we got to talk to two university students that are learning English. They are studying to be English teachers and they both speak really well. We talked for a good amount of time. Anyway, the Lord is moving the work forward and I am grateful to be here. I must confess that last night I had a dream about going home. It was a little off of what it really will be and so I woke up and began day-dreaming about how it really will be. I can feel the pressure of having little time already. But I just tell myself that "it´s still a lifetime" ahead of me before I go home. That helps me stay focused. It really will be a lifetime of experience before I get home. There is a lot left to be done. Well, I love you all and pray that you continue to be happy. Truly, we are here to be happy, regardless of our circumstances. We shouted with joy to come down here.
--
Elder David Skiles

eMail of July 12, 2010

Time does fly by. I thought about that last week too, that Marc is going to get the high priesthood soon here. There is only a month and a half till school starts again. I am grateful to be here though. Last week we had our regular interviews with the President and it was a great experience. He is inspired by the Spirit, and is taught by Him things that cannot by otherwise known. He gave me the support I needed at the time and I feel so much more capable now than before. We have interviews every transfer, but the last several we have had to deal with other things. The ward here is doing better now than it was before as well. As for the investigators we have had difficulty teaching and helping them to progress. We are trying harder every day but this work really depends primarily on the Lord. I´m glad to hear as well that Eric is in the MTC now. I hope he does well and learns what he needs to. It isn´t easy to prepare for a mission. The only way to be truly prepared is to be capable to feel and follow every prompting of the Spirit. When one can do that, he will be an excellent missionary and servant of the Lord. The Lord blesses His children in many ways. Well, I just want to add that I really do know that the Gospel is truth, it´s how things truly are. There is no doubt in my mind or heart that this is the true Church of God on earth. I love you all and pray that everything goes well, that you are protected and happy.