Elder Stott's plane ride to Australia
We'll just start from the plane rides. So we got
on the plane from SLC to San Fran and that was good I sat next to a lady and we
started talking but then she put her coat over her head and went to sleep so
that wuz my first rejection of my mission. We landed in San Fran then we
had to wait like 3 hours for our next flight which wuz from San Fran to
Auckland New Zealand. That wuz the longest flight ever!!!! 13 hours
mate!!! I slept some read some scriptures ate some of the nasty airplane food
and then we landed in New Zealand we didn't have much time until we had to get
on our next flight up to Sydney. Another plane ride nothin to special.
We got to Sydney at like 8:30 in the morning then we had to go through customs
and all of that other nonsense but it wuz ok I guess.
What did you do first?
We met President and Sister Back and man there
awesome!!!! There so chill and super nice. So we went to the mission home
after that and did some orientation stuff. It wuz good but I wuz spent
from all the plane rides. That night we had a testimony meeting and after
I got my first companion my trainer.
Introducing Elder Johnson
Elder Johnson from Oregon! Man he's awesome and likes to joke around so were getting along real good were
becoming good friends. This is his last transfer and then he goes home so
I call him the old Grandpa. So it's nice to have an experienced
missionary to help me.
Where in the World are you?
We were called to serve out in Mudgee way out in the
bush. Like 4 hours away from Sydney. It's so awesome though it's
alot like Smithfield just kind of like a smaller town. But they got a
Maca's (McDonald's) and KFC so were good on food. So back to Wendsday
night after we got our companion because were serving out in Mudgee we stayed
with some other elders for the night. I had Maca's for the first time in
Australia. Maca's is McDonald's in Australia. Man it's so much
better than America Maca's its actually real meat!!!! So Thursday morning
we got up and started driving out to Mudgee. We stopped around lunch time
in Orange where Elder and Sister Hill live there a senior couple and they fed
us lunch. We had chicken sandwiches with chips (fries). Thursday
afternoon we made it to Mudgee and man it's so beautiful here and so
green.
What goes on in Mudgee?
Elder Johnson took me around to meet all of the
members in Mudgee. We have a small branch around 20 active members but
there all super awesome and their spirit's are super strong. We met the
Setu family Emily and Roda and they have two kids their working on a business
so we helped them paint the walls. One thing in Mudgee is missionary work
is way different here. They just barely had their first baptism a few
months ago in seven years!!!!! People in Aussie land especially in Mudgee
all they care about is footy (Rugby) they don't want nothin to do with God or
anything religious. So in Mudgee we do a lot of service work for the
members because we want to focus on the few members in Mudgee so they don't
fall away or anything and the best way to get investigators is to become good
friends with the members and they'll give you their friends or family and you
can teach them. We don't teach much lessons in fact I haven't taught a
real lesson to an investigator yet. Missionary work in Mudgee is really
hard but I wanna go get them so me and Elder Johnson have high goals for this
transfer and intend on achieving and exceeding our goals. The members in
Mudgee are awesome though. So far every night we've had dinner at a
members house. Thursday night we had Maca's Friday night we went over to
the Pritchard's home there a big family with 6 kids all under the age of
10. Haha there crazy but a great family we had pizza. Aussie pizza
is good but not as good as American pizza. Saturday night we ate again at
the Pritchards haha we went over and did some service and the kids wouldn't let
us leave. We had some really good tai food. He pop's I'm starting
to branch out here you can't really be picky when your at member's houses so
i'm just learning to eat it. Sunday night we had a super good meal at
President U'hila's home he's the branch president great guy, we had some
really good chicken schnitzel I don't know really what it wuz but it wuz way
good. Yesterday we went and knocked on my first doors haha that wuz an
experience. We probably knocked on 40 doors and every one of them were
like I can't talk the games on our sorry can't talk i'm making dinner and it
wuz like 2 in the afternoon crazy people here. One lady we knocked on her
door and she said "I'm not interested I'm not #*%$ interested!!! Don't
even say a word!!" So we just turned around and walked away haha it
wuz kind of funny. Saturday we helped the Setu's paint their shop which
wuz good. You do lot's of tracting and service here.
I'm pumped for tonight I'm gonna teach my first lesson
to Rucha. He is an investigator and were really trying to get him to be
baptized. We got him to come to church yesterday which wuz awesome.
What's it like driving and the wrong side of the road?
Driving here is crazy especially in Sydney. I
mean first of all they drive on the wrong side of the road and the roads are
tiny it's kind of crazy but I'm getting used to it. I haven't driving yet
but I'll get to soon.
Where do you live Elder Stott and Johnson?
Our flat is awesome Elder Johnson said we have one of
the nicest flats in our mission it's way nice. Note from dad(Wow wish any of my mission apartments looked this nice, lucky)
 |
| Really? I thought you had to go the scary laundrymat. |
Other tidbits from the week!
I'm getting a little bit of the aussie slang down
and a little bit of an accent. It's freaking cold right now there just
coming out of their winter so it's still pretty cold.
Mom, Dad man i'm
loving it here it is so much fun!!!! It's hard work though super hard
especially in Mudgee we don't get many lessons maybe 3 a week which is a good
week if that. Me and Elder Johnson are getting along good he's a nice
guy. The church is so different here compared to Utah. I've learned
what it really means to be a Christian. You have to be friendly to
everybody even if there not friendly to you. Homesickness hasn't been to
bad just a little bit here and there. I'm still trying to learn all of the
ropes and how everything works but as time goes on I'll get the hang of
it. Our branch is awesome we have a little meeting house out in the
outskirts of town It's just like a little house but it's nice. I'm glad
to hear everything is goin good back home and everything is going good
here. Were gonna work really hard we want to change Mudgee and if
anything plant loads of seeds.So for mail just best to do emails I would love to get letters but Elder Johnson says the mail company isn't very trustworthy and they lose a lot so just emails but you can send stuff to the mission home it's all good their send as much as you want and once every month we have to go to Sydney for meetings and I can get the mail at the Mission Office then. I wish I could write longer but I'll write again next Monday love you guys having a blast I love missionary work and I love you guys.
"Wise Words From the Elder"
Challenge: service, service, service, it's
the way to peoples hearts. If you do something for them they will be
willing to talk to you. Remember if you do your part the Lord will do the
rest. LOVE YA
Elder Stott
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