Tuesday, October 8, 2013

October 7, 2013

Ya hello,
I hope you dont mind if i kind of ignore the fact that both of my parent are completly falling apart!!!!! Know that i love you very much and that i care for your condition you are in at the moment but i know absolutly that Heavenly Father also knows the sitution you are going through alot more then i do and he cares for you too. Please keep me updated on everything because i just have to know. Really i will kind of fall apart if i dont know the things that are going on with everyone at home. They are just stored towards the back of my brain though so i can be President Kirkhams third brain.
Speaking of being Pres. Kirkham third brain, i really have just gone through the busiest most exhausting week of my life.
Here is just a brief schedule of my past week:
Monday: sent 4 of the best missionaries home back to America. Travel arrangements everything.
Tuesday: Numbers for mission small planning to prepare instructions for the next 3 days.
Wednesday: Training The Trainners meeting. (instruction from APs 5 hours) super long meeting in which we trained the trainers how to train new missionaries coming straight from MTC.
New missionaries arrived latter that day. Feed them and gave them small first day instruction and tried to be a good example of a missionary.
Thrusday: Orientation for the New Missionaries (again a 3 hours instruction from us) after they learned small about the culture and everything here in Liberia we sent them out to there trainers to have there first real missionary day.
Friday: Mission Council Meeting. (again a 4 hour instruction from you know who) This meeting invovles all the Zone leaders and Sister Training Leaders(such an inspired thing to have STLs). Very important meeting as well to rely the information president would like us to pass on. Such as how to get better member presents inside our lessons, having nightly devotionals and a few more things.
Saturday: Baptisms for the wonderful sisters missionaries in our branch and prepare for the Area Doctor coming in this next week. Making doctor appointments doing follow up calls with Zone Leaders.
Sunday: First time i really got to meet member of the Sinkor Branch. For us we have a very small proselyting area and we were able to see some of our investigators. Really sweet.
There were alot of things i left out because i would be writing forever just trying to tell you all the things we did this last gone week.
PHEWWW!!!
I just want you to know i have had a Busy week.
Our true reward was Sunday Night. We have a white american Man who is a member and about to be called as Elders Quorum President who lives here in our Branch Boundaries. He invited us over to break our fast and also to listen tomonday morning session of General Conference.
Mom i have always liked you have gone into conference with certain questions so i decided to have my own and think about them through the two hours that i listened. I definatly got answers to some of my questions i am waiting for the liahona for the other ones.
One quote i really liked was this " We must become the ROCK, the River cant wash away!" The talk was talking about how are bodies need to be in good physical shape if we want to run a marathon, same with our Spirituality shape if we want to endure this wonderful life then we need to be ready now. Such a great talk. Really all the talks were very good.
 The food Bro. Andersoncooked.... Wow. Like a cream of chicken soup with rice and it was just so american and sooooo good. My gut was full after that. Even he had Apples as a side dish which are just deserret to me. But after we ate until we almost burst he brought out a wonderful chocolate cake with homemade frosting. It sent me into a deibetic coma. Luckly i am not diebetic. but it was so good. I sat on a real couch. just really an out of body exerience. Its going to be really hard when that is just the normal everyday living when i go back home.
 
I really was just a fantastic week. I loved every minute of it. I am having so much fun and completely enjoying my mission. Mission has definetly become life. Weird sometime when i think about that i actually have to leave this place in a year. Maybe i will try to extend small?? If President lets me maybe just for a transfer and be back home by Thanksgiving. Thats alright right??
 
Like i said before i truly love you so much and miss you. I love to hear from you and everything you say really helps me to be more focused on the work, if that makes since. I love you.
Love,
Elder Skouson
(the White African)
P.S. This is the email i sent to my mission President, what a great man he is.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dear President Kirkham,
President thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be your assistant. This past week was definitely the busiest week I'm pretty sure in my whole entire life. It was good though i really learned a lot. And i feel like i have had to learn a lot. I really would like you to help me in anyway you see fit. I have become cleaner from being here. I have been trying to listen to the spirit in every part of my day ( not just when i am Teaching). I have realized how important it is to Let the holy Spirit Guide.
Something Elder Pentreath and I have talked about is how to ask good questions. I feel as though i really struggle on that at least in giving instruction. I mostly don't know what to say when i am instructing. Maybe you can give me a few pointers and i will try hard to apply them. I know its my first week but i would like to be the best i can be so i would really love your insight on how to become a better person and leader.  So let me know what you think.
This week i have realized that many times i have been a silent leader just showing by example. I have see in some situations that that is not always the best type of leadership. It needs something else with being the example. I think that it is love also behind the Leadership we give. When we love the person and we show that love to them, they very easily and readily except the leadership you are giving them. That have come in play in my mission quite a few times throughout my mission. Elder Okunrobo is a perfect example. In the MTC i was going through the rough part of mission adjusting to a having a companion,  new country,culture, and everything in between.  Elder Okunrobo came to me and helped me out when i though all is lost. He wiped my tears off my face, and in that moment i knew there was a reason to stay on mission.  Maybe this is why i will defend Elder Okunrobo with my life. Because of his example of Christlike love I really owe my missionary life to this man who saved me at a time when i thought all was lost. I have seen countless others throughout my life and on mission who are great examples. I would just like you to know that this Gospel can really change a person for the better. My mission has been a wonderful time for me to see this so many times. No matter the problem or situations they are facing in life, through the atonement they can change and become more converted to the Gospel.  If feel that because of my mission i can now endure whatever trials come my way. The people with such great examples i have seen are just looking at the saviors example and applying it into their lives.  I hope i am able to do the same.
But my work here i not close to finishing so i hope i will continue to learn and experience so much. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us very much. He knows exactly what we need to make us grow and become better. I know that mission is the best choice i could have ever made.
Even though it was a crazy week we were still able to spend small time with the branch. Sinkor Branch is really sweet and i cant wait to get to know more people inside so we can help it progress as much as possible.
Well lets start off another great week here again. Thank you president very much for your example you have show to me. It will be my pleasure to be your assistant.
Love,
Elder Skouson
P.s.  I enjoyed playing Table Tennis Today thank you for letting us come over.

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