Flyin' By!!

My mission is flying!!!! 

Haha I think I say this every week and I know that my flat mates get tired of me saying this but this week has flown!  It is crazy it just seems to get faster and faster.  At the end of P-day everybody is always sad because we have to wait a whole week for the next one but I'm not to sad because I KNOW how fast it will be here.  My mission is flying!!!!  It's already April!!!!  What the heck where is the time going?!?!  One thing President Back has told us that one way to determine if you are doing a good job on your mission is if the time is going by fast.  And it helps me because there are times when I wonder if I am doing enough and working hard enough but then I see that day or that week or that transfer and how fast it has gone by then I know that I am doing a good job and I am trying my best.  Haha wow!!  It's been a year since I got my mission call that is crazy and now I am out here on my mission.  Ever since I was a little kid I have wanted to serve a mission and when the time finally came I got my call.  And now here I am sitting in Australia as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints  I have been out for 7 months and I am having the time of my life.  I am having so much fun!!!:)  A mission has been a lot harder then I thought it was going to be for sure but when your going through the hard times as a missionary it makes those good times that much better!!!  I remember something Sister Back told me when I first came in "you will experience the highest of highs and  the lowest of lows on your mission."  That is so true I have experienced both of those since I have been out and I know through the rest of my mission I will experience more of the lowest of lows and the highest of highs but as I go through both I learn and grow so much.:) 

Well this past week has been a GREAT one!!! 

 After P-day on Tuesday we had a flat inspection on Wednesday so we had  to clean it all up and make it look good for the owners to come by and check it out.  WE PASSED so that was good :) Thursday was awesome!!  Our district got to go to President and Sister Back's house.  The mission home and receive a training from  them.  It was awesome but it was just us 9 missionaries in our district with President and Sister Back and it was great.  They have done this with all of the districts in the mission because it is the 10 week transfer.  It was awesome and haha the mission home is amazing!!  It is HUGE!!  3 stories in a really nice neighborhood.  It has a swimming pool and ya it's just a really nice house.  So that was really fun on Thursday we woke up early and rode the train up there and were there for most of the day and then traveled back and then that night we had an awesome meal at a members the O_____.  Haha they have dog there that looked just like Rotor just a little bit bigger and it made me miss Rotor. Haha I played with the dog like the whole time we were there and he was so soft just like Rotor and they said that he loves to cuddle.  So I love you Rotor so Dani give him a big hug for me.:)  Friday was awful the worst day ever haha April Fool's :) Friday was awesome I don't know if you guys remember T______ he was a 10 year old the me and Elder Plata had started teaching but they we gave him over to the sisters because the mom wanted the sisters to teach him, well anyways he got baptized on Friday!!:)  It was awesome and he is being the example for his family because all of his family is less active but they are all starting to come back to church because he got baptized.  He is an awesome kid.  Saturday was just a normal work day nothing to special.  Sunday was great like always I always love church.  We had been working with C_____ and he said he was going to come to church like we saw him 30 minutes before church started but then he never showed up and he has been making it hard for us to meet with him but I know it will all work out the way God wants it to.  A_____ came to church again which we were so excited about and she even bore her testimony!!!  It was so awesome and you know we have been working so hard with her since I got here to MacArthur and she is just fantastic!!!!! :)  And then Sunday night, so last night we went to Brother R_____ for dinner haha and Brother R____ is tongan and we had a MASSIVE feed!!!  It was crazy!!  You know one of those big pots that you cook soup in like the big tall ones well one of those was full of bbq chicken and pork and then a huge bowl of potato salad and a few other things and then of course dessert. :)  Haha we were so full after we came home and just laid on the couch.  Haha since I have gotten to the city and all of these massive feeds I have gained 15 pounds.:)  Haha the islanders call it "blessings":) I guess it depends on how you look at it.  The nice thing about all the big feeds though is you eat that and then you don't have to eat until 3 meals later cuz your so full. :)


When do you get to see Conference?


Man I can't wait for conference this upcoming weekend I am so jealous that guys are watching it right now.  Ya so the way conference works here is we watch it just like how you watch it back home.  So on Saturday we go to the chapel and watch the Saturday morning session from 10-12 and then take a 2 hour break and the watch the afternoon session from 2-4 and then that night and 6-8 we watch the priesthood session and then it is the same on Sunday.  The only difference is the sisters watch the YW session Sunday night instead of a week before.  But I can't wait to watch it and WOW!!!  4 new temples that's awesome!!!  that will be 154 temples in the world that's crazy!!!  So cool!:) 

What is MacArthur  like?

So MacArthur is like Herriman but a little bit more going on.  MacArthur is about 30-40 minutes drive from Sydney so were not  to far from the city but it's good it big and has lot's going on.  MacArthur this area has it's own Rugby team the West Tigers.

How do you get around?

Ya so we have a car but we share it with the other Elders in the flat so we get the car every other day and so the days we don't have the car we use public transportation so the buses and walk.  It's a lot nicer to walk now because it is cooling down which is so nice.  We had daylight saving yesterday so now it get's dark really early. When we do have the car though I drive because Elder Plata doesn't have a license.

Have you used you BBQ that you bought?

Ya dad we used the bbq I think it was last week we grilled some chicken for Elder Plata's and Elder Delahunty's 6 month mark.

Wise Words from the Elder!

Yesterday there was a member that shared her testimony.  Well the couple both shared there testimony and they are both RM's and have been home and married for about 5-6 years and they talked about how it is not easy to be a member of this church.  It might seem easy to read our scriptures say our prayers and go to church but we all know that it isn't all that easy it is pretty hard.  And this couple they had fallen away from the church and were less-active for a little while and they are back active again but they said it might be hard to be a member and do what we are supposed to do and keep the commandments but they said that it is even harder to go through life without the gospel.  So I encourage all of yous that you know it is hard it is hard to keep the commandments and do what we are asked but if we keep doing what we are supposed to do the reward at the end will be so worth it.  I promise all of yous that.  this life isn't meant to be easy but if we keep moving forward in faith the reward will be so amazing!!!  Endure to the End!!!



 Well I hope you guys have a great week I love all of you guys and remember to just keep Enduring to the End.:)  Love you thanks for everything. :):):):)
Love Elder Stott