Man What a Week!

Hey everybody how you goin?  

  This past week has been so hectic my head is still spinning.  This week has been full of pretty much everything you can imagine.  There's been this sickness bug floatin around this past week and pretty much everybody has had it.  Elder Johnson has had it pretty much all week and has been losing his voice.  I've had it off and on like a few days I'm sick and then I'm good and then I'm sick again.  It's been pretty crazy it's been making us really tired and don't have much energy but hopefully we'll get over it and work hard this upcoming week.  This past week we've been driving a ton.  Sometimes I feel like that's all we do is drive.  We had to go down to Orange on Friday cuz we had ZTM which is Zone Training Meeting.  We have a training every Friday and it stinks for us cuz there always either in Orange or Bathurst and there like a 2 hour drive from Mudgee but that's ok the trainings are really good and helpful. 

I Love the Temple!! 

  We also had the blessed opportunity to go to the temple on Saturday.  It wuz our branch temple day and normally missionaries don't get to go but because it wuz a family from our branch's first time and our investigator  wanted to go down and see the temple we were able to go.  It wuz a long drive though like 3 1/2 hours but totally worth it.  I love the temple the spirit is so strong there and what happens in the temple is so special.  I think sometimes we take for granted the temples and how close they are so I challenge all of you guys to go to the temple this upcoming week even the kids and do baptisms for the dead.  The temples really are the House of God and their are things that we experience in the temple that we can't experience anywhere else on this earth.  Sorry I wasn't able to get any pics I forgot my camera at home :( Ya and sorry I did really bad on pictures this week but the one I did have wuz I got a authentic Australian haircut from an islander member in our branch.  

  Let's see what else has gone on this week...

  we've just been doing lot's of tracting and door knocking.  Out in the bush you don't really have much to do so we just go out and knock doors a lot.  We hardly get any success from door knocking but I believe that tracting is more for the missionary to make them a stronger person.  Before my mission I didn't really take rejection to well and I would always try to please other people and not try to make myself happy.  Tracting is teaching me how to deal with rejection to move on and to always have a smile.  Everybody always comments on how happy I am and how I'm always smiling and I tell them, "that's me" "through tough or good times, through any door I knock on, through any person I'm teaching, through anything in life, if I go through it with a smile everything will work out the way the Lord wants it to work out."  I know this is true and I challenge you guys to do the same.  If your going through anything have a smile and turn towards your Savior Jesus Christ and everything will work out.  We've been teaching "R" this past week and just going through the lessons.  "R" truly is a miracle he is the perfect example of how the Lord really does prepare people to be taught the gospel.  He is open to everything we say and willing to keep all of the commitments that we give him.  Sometimes I feel he is teaching me more than I am teaching him.  He's been progressing really well and he is super excited to get baptized.  This week has been good I really feel like I'm becoming a missionary, I'm getting used to the mission life and all of the responsibilities and standards I'm held to as a missionary.  I'm trying to be the best missionary I can be and always focused and be exactly obedient but it's hard because some missionaries aren't fully engaged and exactly obedient but I'm trying my hardest to be an exactly obedient missionary and when I mess up repent and start again.  I am so grateful for the atonement and the love that our savior shows fur us. 

We asked, Elder Stott answered

Spiders or snakes?

  Haha nope no spiders or snakes yet its still to cold but probably in the next few weeks they'll probably start coming out.  Everybody is telling me about all of them and how poisons they are so haha hopefully I don't get bit by any.  I guess their is one snake the brown snake which is pretty common in Mudgee is super venomous and if you get bit by it you die in like 20 minutes so haha hopefully I don't run into any of those. (mum says "yikes!!!")

Anything funny this week?
Everybody always asks where I'm from and I say Utah and there like "ah from the mormon factory":) haha everybody knows Utah is where the mormons are.

Any miracles?
We see so many miracles everyday as a missionary our biggest one is "R" man oh man he truly is a miracle and I'm so thankful to be able to tag along and help him towards his eternal progression.  Also so everybody has been sick this past week so we have been giving lot's of priesthood blessings and it's so cool to be able to have that power to act as a representative of God.  Thanks so much dad for always being worthy to be a priesthood holder and for being the great man that you are.  I really look up to you and you are my hero.:)

Popcorn?

Haha nope I still haven't had any popcorn yet but we have some in our flat I just got to find sometime to make it and eat it.  Haha so you know how I've been talking about all of the food we eat here but haha I've lost like 15 pounds since I've been here. Haha kind of crazy!!!:) (mum says "double yikes")

Money?
Ya I have lots of money haha most of the missionaries are really bad with there money and are already broke but I still have quite a bit left for the rest of this month.  I've just been keeping track and only buying things that I need and it's been working out.  When I think of what we get a month it is a lot.  

Pdays? 

Our typical P-days are pretty busy we clean our flat and our car every Monday morning after studies and then we email and then go shopping and then after that there are some really cool hikes and places to see around Mudgee so we go and see those places for our P-days.  Haha we pretty much do whatever is cheap or free :)

 Interviews and extras

 The way President and Sister Back do it is every other transfer we have Zone Conference and then the transfers in between those we have interviews so this transfer we had Zone Conference so next transfer we'll have interviews.  Ya so me Elder Hunt and Elder Ballard the two that I shared a room with in the MTC we are all in the same zone so we get to see each other every Friday but Elder Cummings is over serving in the South Coast so I haven't seen him since the first day.

 Wise Words from Sister Back

 

This past week has been a lot better than the week before but when I look back I am so grateful for that week because I grew so much.  My favorite saying "Enjoy your trials!!  Your growing!!!."-Sister Back.  The trials on a mission are hard but I know they are making me a better person and the Lord is making me into the person he wants me to become.  I am so grateful for all of you guys and all of the support you guys give me.  I miss you guys but hey this past week has flown by and two years will be here before we know it!!  Have a good week remember to turn towards the Lord during the good times and the bad because he will always be there.

 

 

Wise Words from the Elder 

  Thanks so much mom and dad for all of your support and everything you do for me.  I am so lucky to have such awesome parents.  This past week has been really good and I'm looking forward to this upcoming week and what it brings.  We only have two more weeks left of this transfer and then Elder Johnson goes home and I get a new companion.  It's crazy I hope I stay out in Mudgee though I'm growing to love Mudgee every minute and I love all of  the people!  I'm excited to see how fast this week goes by.  I look back and it seems like I blink and it's another Monday.  Love you guys thanks for everything have a good week and hey get to the temple there's no place like it.

Love Elder Stott     

P.S. 
Thanks Grandma for your wonderful emails I'm glad the tablet is working out.