I love love!

Somewhere in Des Moines

Cicaidas

My oh my there is a lot to cover today, a lot of random things that I wrote down during the week that I just need to explain!

So this past week we recognized that we needed to help one of our investigators, Sylvia, stop smoking. It was vital! She has had multiple baptismal dates pass by and I have been teaching her for almost five months now! We go to her apartment on Saturday with one of her good friends who is a member and who used to smoke. One of the first things Sylvia told us was that she had her last cigarette the night before! She is totally done. She knows she needs to be healthy and wants to get baptized so bad. It gets better because she came to church, stayed all three hours, and was participating in the lessons! We are so excited to stay close to her these next two weeks so that she can be baptized ASAP!

Also this past week on Tuesday the branch president and his wife, the Jespersen's, in the Spanish 5th Branch took us and the Hermanas to la mie, a French bakery! The Jespersen's knew me and my family way back in the day in San Diego! It was super fun to be with them and talk about our families and friends.

Random Iowa information! The state fair is going on here in Des Moines, it's crazy! Well, there are billboards for it everywhere. Even one from the Iowa Egg Council that reads "Get your egg on a stick at the fair!" That's exactly what I would be craving at the fair as I walk around in 95 degree weather, a hard boiled egg on a popsicle stick. Also at the state fair I a life size butter cow. Legit, no joke. It's all the rave.

The cicaidas are as loud as ever and leave their little outer shells everywhere, it's quite pleasant. The other day I was making dinner and they provided a very nice backdrop to the chicken I was grilling. The window was closed and I could still hear their melodious screeching!

So there's this little Bosnian boy who must be six or seven that lives near us. Whenever he sees us he asks if we have candy. His name is Muyo and he's a gem. The other day we saw him on a little razor motorcycle, it was so cute! We raced him on our car and his dad got mad. Then I got a sweet video of him saying "My name is Muyo and I like to go fast!"

Also, with transfers this past week, I'm still here in Des Moines with Sister Williams! And... drum roll... they opened Kirksville back up for sisters!!! I am so stoked! One of the sisters that was serving here in the stake went down there with her new companion. Hearing that news made me so happy because after being trained and spending six months in Kirksville they closed it. But the Sisters are back in town and "that just tickles me" as the old ladies out here would say!

I wanted to briefly write a little bit about the importance of love. I love love! With pure love and concern for others our motives will be pure. We will act the way that Christ would and that love will lift others. I have found that loving others is the most valuable lesson that I have learned on my mission thus far. And with just five months left (CRAZY) I don't know that I'll learn anything much more valuable. I can say it's the most valuable thing I have learned because I was very clearly without it before I came to Iowa. I had a testimony of the gospel and my savior, and yes that testimony has grown immensely and entered my heart deeper. But I have learned that love is the gospel in action! So love freely! Love everyone and seek to love like the savior, it's the best!

Love y'all,

Sister Skaggs