Sister Calianne Skinner: 3/2/25

 continue ye in my love.

Whenever one of our new members talk about missionaries who have gone home she calls them past tense missionaries. And in T-minus SO SOON that will be me (AHHHHH cue every emotion that has ever been felt on the surface of the planet) It is impossible to put all the things I have learned, felt, and seen in one email. So lets see how this goes, buckle in for a long email:

🤍Love, Joy, and the Atonement🤍

This week we had a lesson and we were teaching about the plan of salvation otherwise known as the plan of happiness. When we asked if she had any questions she asked what does happiness and joy really mean? And as I explained to her what I thought it meant I realized that the joy God wants to give to us is completely connected to love. 

D&C 18: 10,13

10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;

13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

God sacrificed His son because He loves us. His Son sacrificed His whole life because He loves us. The joy that they feel for the repentant soul that jubilantly uses that is great! And the great thing is as we bind ourselves to God we bind ourselves to joy as we embark on a journey to higher love

So let me tell of my most joy and love filled moments recently:

🤍Jean🤍

You've heard bits and pieces of this story but this week it was a great happy ending. So here is a recap: In my first transfer in 板橋 (around October) we were having a roughh day of finding we were not even sure we were in the right area. Unbeknownst to us there was a lady who believed in Jesus because she went to a Catholic middle school but had never felt that she had found the right church or that the timing was right. That day she was having a bad day and then because God is so aware of all of his children our paths collided. Since that day Jean has progressed so well, accepting every commandment even sacrificing time on Sundays even though that is when her restaurant is the busiest. A huge part of that was she prayed everyday. And as she prayed everyday she felt God's love. When we invited her to be baptized in the beginning she was unsure as there were some obstacles. but she said she prayed about it and felt Gods love more than she ever has before. She was prepared to be baptized. On my last day in 板橋 she entered the waters of baptism and became a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

One time I shared with her this phrase in English: God is in the details. And at the baptism it was impressed upon me that God is aware of all of His childrens paths and is doing all He can to help them come back to him! The most joy and love filled place and path ever!

🤍finding miracles🤍

This week, as it was my last week, we set a very high goal of finding new friends which meant we spent a many hours on the streets working and grinding. God js good and we saw many miracles including

•a guy whose mom was Christian and was only in Taiwan for two weeks and agreed to come to church

•running into a guy who had run into two previous sets of missionaries and was currently ghosting them but agreed to come to church

•since May when my sister got married I really wanted to find someone who was wearing yellow (because those were her colors) and we saw someone wearing yellow and I went what if it was her! It was and she is meeting with the missionaries this week, she even put it in her calendar

•and at the end of the week we exceeded our goal :)

🤍Miscellaneous Miracles🤍

•I got to go to the temple twice this week, and when we did iniatories this week one of our members did it for me in English

•I finished the Book of Mormon and in a fast food restaurant I kneeled down and prayed. The Book of Mormon is true!

•The weather was amazing! 

•One of our friends bought us donuts!! And then there were ants in them... but our other friend cleaned them all out for us. And they were pretty good haha. And

•Our Mission Presidents son got his mission call and we all got to be there when he opened it! He is going to the Boston Massachusetts mission Mandarin speaking and it is crazy how this mission feels like a family

•we went and did a lot of the same things we did our first week in Taiwan and its been crazy to see my progression! God is good!

Sometimes I wonder if I have changed but this much I know. I have grown a love for biking and I will miss the eternal bike stain on my calf. I have met a lifetime of people--members, friends, people on the street, missionaries--who I will forever be grateful for and will never forget. I have kind of learned the Mandarin Language (key word kind of) and I can't wait to keep learning it. I will miss the big words that nobody understands that our mission president uses #辛苦translator. And most of all I have grown firm in my resolve to follow Jesus Christ. I am grateful that my testimony of the Savior has deepened! He has become my best friend. I have met my Heavenly Father through prayer! He truly is in the details! God loves you! Jesus lives! The Book of Mormon is true!! I can never describe how much this mission means to me! It has been forever life changing. And the start of my next chapter fully yoked with God! 

So I guess the end! But not really the end because God has so much more in store!

I love you all and can't wait to see you in like 5 minutes!!!! My farewell will be 9 am at 

I cant wait to tell you more about my Savior

He loves you and so do I

John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

Sister Calianne Skinner 阮書涵姐妹

PS if you are currently a missionary on this email list change my email to skinnercalianne@gmail.com