A Baptism!

Hey MOM!!!! You're the best! 

Ok. Not a necessary part of the letter for everyone to read, but just in case anyone was wondering who the best was.... Now you know. :)

I'm so glad that I'm getting so much support from you guys. All of these letters from strangers and old friends are awesome good for helping out with the ANIMO!!!! (support or encouragement)

Some companion struggles followed by some good bonding has been happening. Overall, outlook is good! 

WE HAD A BAPTISM ON SATURDAY!!!! Fabian was baptized this last Saturday by me and then confirmed yesterday by me as well. It was a super spiritual baptism and he cried afterwards and gave me a super big bro hug. It was the most spiritual moment of my mission this far. And it couldn't have come at a more needed time. I couldn't help feel the absolute joy that comes with the work. It's been so hard but we finally had a some success and it was
incredible.







Love
Elder Skinner

 And now for some exciting Insect Footage:

And some plain ol' "Footage." (Look Away IAN!)

Pluggin' Away...

 
First things first, you said EXACTLY what I needed to hear this week. I have been struggling with pretty bad depression in the past few days. But I know what I'm doing is good and that Christ is running right beside me. In my letter I shared what our Bishop taught us about how Christ sees us, how he loves us and how he wants us to treat ourselves the way He would treat us (and the way we would treat someone we love). It was a wonderful reminder that touched my heart and I knew was exactly what Justin needed to hear. 

The mission is making more and more weird rules but I'm start to see blessings from obeying them. Yay for Obeying even if they seem weird. Obedience Brings Blessings! (Elder Perry spoke about that! (I still want them to shut the heck up about baptizing the entire world. It is ALL THEY TALK ABOUT.) I'm starting to get better and the area is starting to pick up thanks to the help of just doing it and one of the AP's. He came to the area to help because I talked to president again this week after I had a breakdown. I'm fine now thanks to talks dad sent me, what you said, and the help of ELder Critchlow (other gringo). I googled him and didn't find anything. Whoever you are, Thanks, Elder! And thanks to his parents. :)

Justin and his new Companion, Elder Carbajal
My new comp is named Elder Carbajal and he's pretty cool. He loves music and was a musician before his mission. 

We have been teaching somebody named H who was a reference from some sister missionaries in Salt Lake and he's incredible. He's super smart, is 21 years old and loves Christ. His parents, who moved to Texas a few years back, were converted a little while ago and he saw a HUGE change in them and wanted that change in himself so the sisters sent us the reference. In the words of Eric Cassity, "he reads the Book of Mormon like it's his JOB". Without us even inviting him to read (cause we're losers and forgot haha)he's read all the way to Jacob in around two weeks!!! That's where I'm reading from when I started in my first transfer!!! He's super smart so he has a bunch of super hard biblical questions but he's great. However, he's leaving the country in less than 10 days, so we won't be able to baptize him or teach him everything but he's been a super great blessing.

Having a hard time finding time to meet with girlfriend of the lunch lady's son. She's been super busy so it's hard to find time to meet with her. :(

We are baptizing someone that I've failed to mention. He's also super smart and is practically already a member. His mom and brother converted when he was around 11 and he didn't so he knows all of the material just never really prayed about it or read the Book of Mormon. But now he's been spiritually converted and is being baptized this Saturday!!!!!
I love all of you guys so much! You are all my favorites and I'm doing pretty good about keeping away form them Wookalars (from Private Eyes -see link) and Chupachabras!

Love
Elder Jenkins (nickname from Dad from babyhood)

Here is AUDIO that Justin warned was probably just for family since it was so Disgusting. I'll let you decide... He ate Cow Intestines, not really knowing that was what it was. I don't think he found it very funny. And almost sounds offended about it. Haha! Listen if you feel so inclined! ;)

June 15-MUCH happier! Thank you for support of everyone! +AUDIO

Howdy ya'll!!!! (are you that cowboy yet?) 

Here's a little video of Elder Skinner using the Saloon doors in his apartment!

This week was pretty rad but looooooooonggggggggg.......... I'm having fun. I did talk to the mission president and it helped a LOT! He helped me notice that I really have changed as a person spiritually and that I'm not the same as I was. I could have told him that! ;) The most obvious he pointed out was that I'M ACTUALLY SPEAKING SPANISH. I've made amazing progression. He asked me, "Do you remember our first two interviews? They were probably the most quiet I've had. But you are speaking to me and I understand everything you are saying." So it's really cool to be able to see the changes I actually have experienced. I love people from Uruguay! That's where his president is from.

We have found some really cool people this week and I'm super excited to teach them!

ALSO! Transfers came in! Elder Parvina is going to a different area and there's another Peruvian coming here. I forgot his name but he's got 18 months in the mission and I'm assigned to be the senior companion. So I hope HE takes that well. Really, that doesn't make any difference so it's no big deal haha. I'm excited for a change and hope Elder Parvina can rock it where he'll be.

I found several places in downtown that sell Ipods for like $40 so if you want any for you guys when I get back just let me know. They also have real GoPros for pretty cheap. So just let me know if you are interested in things like that :)

I'm doing a lot better about dealing wiht not having investigators because I realized it's just a patience test. they will come when God wants them to and when I'm doing my best to find them. I've recieved a LOT of letters of encouragement from people I love and people I don't even know. You are answering a lot of prayers already and the ones you guys are saying. I love you guys!!!!! Keep being the best family ever.

Love
Elder Skinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Here's a recording from Justin from this last week! 

In this recording he expresses that he really feels the support of everyone praying for him at home. He thanks everyone for writing. Those he knows and those he doesn't even know. 

MOM THANKS YOU TOO!!!

I bribed my companion to get up on time by promising to do exercises in the morning with a Sharpie stache and beard on my face. It worked....for one day!

Wearing the Colombian futbol jersey

Standard Colombian Meals

The laser pointer my comp gave me (on the promise I'd send him a Roku when he gets home.)

Yikes!

awww

June 8th - Still struggling...but with AWESOME Cockroach videos

I'm posting this a week late so you can skip this one since he's sort of DOWN and this week (which I'll post next) is much happier. :) 

We received this one while traveling from OK to CA for our vacation. 

Everyone looks awesome! I'm happy you'll be able to go to the other Cali to see everyone :) I want lots of pictures. I'm trying to take some but really, everything is so normal to me so I feel like it wouldn't interest you guys haha. I know that's flase so I'll try harder ;)
This next part is a bit personal, but I think shows that missions are hard. And you get down sometimes. So I'm sharing it because it might help some future missionary who reads this... :) Also, Justin can get a bit down on himself for next to nothing. He's a good kid, and a great missionary, but he's always wanting to be better. 
I'll tell you the truth, this week was not good. It wasn't the worst but it wasn't good. The area is struggling major time and my comp is still sleeping. I got some letters from the Krauses, Smiths, (cousins) and Gram and Granddad this week and that was cool. But something really got my attention. Granddad in his letter said that Ethan said his letters home " it feels like I'm in a trio. Me, my comp, and the Holy Ghost."

Well, I felt awful when I read that. I don't think I've felt that way once since I've gotten here in Cali. And onyl a few times in Pasto. My companion and I are great friends and I'm convinced we would have been friends before the mission. But That has made it harder for me to try to get him back in line. I am definitely trying but it's not working because I'm his friend. and the thing is, the weeks are always harder than I make them sound because on p-day i'm usually so happy it's p-day, I'm on top of the world. But in
reality, there are parts of the week when I hate being here. 

So Saturday, I finally said to myself, "My efforts to get better are not working. In the process of trying to build the testimonies of others, I've let mine get really rusty and old and weak. I need help."

I've finally decided to look for help within the resources of the mission. Like my president. NOT other missionaries because they are either disobedient and tell me to relax or are super annoying and tell me to work harder. If that's what the God-assigned mission president tells me to do, I'll do it. But hearing it from the AP who was disobedient before he was an assistant makes me want to punch a catfish.

I'm really sorry I'm being such a pessimist, but I've finally realized that this is a problem I need help on. I'll keep you informed on that.

In other news, our investigator who is scared to talk to her rents (Justin's cool way of saying Parents) still hasn't talked to them. But we are going  to meet them this week! Super stoked about that! I'm really hopeful for her. We don't have many people other than her, but the lessons with her are so good, they make up for the bad parts of the week :) Her date for this Saturday fell because she couldn't come to church this Sunday but she is
100% sure she wants to do it.

Ohhhhhh Yesterday!!! After our last visit, it started to rain. and oh did it RAIN!!!!!! We were stoked to the bone within five minutes. it would have been funnier but we were wearing our suits and mine turns red when it gets wet for some reason. Super funny anyways though. :) the streets were rivers and every car that passed splashed a TON of water onto us. It was honestly nice, because we had a bad day and it was really hot so we had some cool, refreshing, comic relief. ;) I'm trying my hardest to get better. Or least I'm going to start trying my hardest.

Love you guys more than Emily loves her phone!
Love
Elder Skinner

The First of June

I'm writing you guys from office depot and they are playing AC/DC and I'm actually digging it.. Cause I know how much you love them. right.

 It's pretty rainy but it only rains for like an hour or two then it's back to normal. I've actually gotten used to the heat so it's really just a matter of remembering to put sunscreen on.

I was thinking about that (how long we've lived in Oklahoma) the other day! holy cow, a YEAR?!  I still feel super new there because I was only there for 2 months.

This week, I'm afraid to say, was not any better. We are really out of solid people to teach and in situations like that, we visit less active members. But the problem is that the less active members are all inactive because they are anti Mormon now. My comp has been sleeping in until 7:45ish every morning and it puts the WHOLE morning in a super big funk. When we start the day with a funk, the whole day isn't very good. He's a great guy and really wants to be better but the desire to be good is there until our alarm goes off. So we decided to start doing exercise in the morning to help us both out (I have gotten much more of a belly now haha... it's really awful). So prayers would be appreciated.

But good news! We had a baptism this week!!! Manuel was baptized Tuesday due to difficulties in his schedule and was confirmed yesterday. He met the church through his girlfriend who lives in the U.S. and came to visit this week. He's been planning baptism for months but was waiting for her to come visit to actually do it. but something his girlfriend told me on the phone the night before she flew in was that Manuel felt  like a project. Just a
number that the missionaries wanted to put in their planners and not someone they cared about. that was with the missionaries before. but he told her that when I showed up and Elder Parvina and I started teaching him, he felt different. Like we cared about HIM and not numbers. So he was a lot happier the day of his baptism than he seemed before. His VERY
Catholic mom came to the service to support and out of respect for her, Manuel didn't want to take any pictures. so that's why I don't have any. But he's visiting Dallas, Texas for two weeks with his girlfriend so we will have to wait until he gets back to teach him again.

We are also teaching the girlfriend of our lunch lady's son and she's the perfect investigator. She reads EVERYTHING we leave her and is really smart so everything clicks almost instantly. She really sensitive to the spirit  in her prayers and thoughtful of other people when she prays. She's on date for the 14th of June but is really scared to talk to her mom about being baptized. She's 19 so it's not an age issue, she just has a lot of unity with and respect for her rents. So pray for her to have the courage to do
that :)

Well, I love you guys! This week will be better! Still no recording for lack of privacy and time. :(

Next week!
I love you mom!
Elder Jenky Baby