A Special Visit

Where Has the Time Gone?

Hi!:)  Sorry if this letter isn't the best we don't have a whole lot time today.  But I'll try my best to make it good.:)  Well we have been very busy lately and especially P-Days seem to just be crazy but it's good to be busy and I love it!!!  And just like always time is flying.  It's already the middle of June and I thought to myself the other day holy cow I have almost been out a year!!!!  Where has the time gone?!  It is nuts how fast this is all going and I truly want it to slow down but I know that it is not going to so I am just trying to make the most out of every moment.
I have come to the fact that as a missionary you are tired pretty much all of the time because you work so hard but I love it!!!  I go to bed every night and I am asleep pretty much every night right when I finish my prayer and lay my head on the pillow and then the alarm goes off and I get to do it all over again!!!:)  I had this very sad realization the other day that I am almost out for a year.  I am almost half way done with my mission and that makes me so sad.  I am having the time of my life out here!!!  And I don't want it to end.  I don't want to not be a missionary and to be honest the future scares the crap out of me.  But I know and I am learning on my mission that I can turn to God for help and He will be there and He will help me!  I can lean on Him for anything and everything and He will always be there to help me.  I am nervous for the future but I know that it will all work out because I am on the winning team!:)  Haha what am I talking about I still have over a year left on my mission and I am so excited about that!!!:) 

This past week has been awesome!!!

A very good week a busy week.  This past week on Wednesday we had the Honor and the Privilege to have a 3 zone conference with Elder and Sister Nielsen of the Quorum of the Seventy.  Wow what an amazing experience that was!!!!  To have a conference with one of the Lord's Special Witnesses was such an honor!!  We heard that because there are so many missions now that you only get about 2 visits from a general authority while your on your mission.  It was so AWESOME!!!!  The Spirit was filling my mind with so many things that I honestly couldn't write everything down fast enough.  The Spirit was so strong last Wednesday during our Conference and I will never forget that experience in my life.  What a privilege and an honor.  One of my favorite things that Elder Nielsen told us was that we are all a miracle.  We each have our own story and we are all a miracle.  It made me think of my story and how grateful I am for everything that I have in my life God surely has spoiled me with this gospel in my life especially with being born in this gospel I cannot thank God enough but I can show my love for Him by doing what He asks me to do which is to keep the commandments.  We are all a miracle.  It was so good to get to meet Elder and Sister Nielsen and I really came to realize when they came how awesome the wife's of the general authorities really are.  They are so cool and they are spiritually so strong as well.  While we were all sitting there listening to Elder Nielsen she would always butt-in with a comment or a scripture to add to what was being said and Elder Nielsen haha almost every time she was going to share something he would say watch out this is gonna be awesome!:)  Haha our conference was so awesome and I learned so much and felt the Spirit so strong!!

Yay for Cousins You Meet While on Your Mission

Also I got to see my cousin Sister Stott there!!!:)  We were talking and she goes home at the end of next transfer.  So she is almost done with her mission.  We were talking and haha first off she reminds so much of Lexi :)  haha there like the same almost.:)  Anyways we were talking and she said that she is going to Utah State when she get's home she went there before she came out and she is going to go back there so Mom I told her to go visit you whenever and I explained where your building is.  What is the building that you work in called?  Anyways she said when she gets home she add you on Facebook and so I told her if she ever needed anything to go and see you up on campus.  Haha I hope that's okay I figured it would be haha cuz she's family!!!:)

The Work

    
Let's see what else has happened this past week.  On Saturday we had trade-offs so I was with Elder Niedfeldt in the Samoan Ward here in MacArthur.:)  Haha it was fun thankfully most of the people we met spoke English but with some I kind of just sat there and smiled.:) It was fun though and always a good experience to go on trade-offs and learn.  J____ is still doing amazing!!!  I love him so much and I am so happy for him!!!  We met with him twice this past week and he came to church this past Sunday!!!!  He loved it and haha since he's Tongan he is related to like heaps of the members in our ward and he is even related to the Bishop!!!  He is doing awesome and we are still just preparing him for his baptismal date.  Wow! Thank you guys so much for including something for J____ in the package I'm sure he'll love it!!!  It will help so much to because I'm trying as much as I can to get as close to him as I can so thank you guys so much.  

Happenings

Sunday was awesome and oh ya sorry I forgot to tell you guys but yesterday (Monday) was a holiday it was the Queen's Birthday haha we don't even know why they celebrate it but they do so we have P-Day on Tuesday.  But everything is going good were working hard, trying our best and just finding finding finding and helping all of those that we can help.:)  Ya all of those floods were crazy.  Last weekend it rained for like 4 days straight and it was crazy I guess that was like the most rain Sydney area has received for like 7 years or something like that!!  It was nuts thankfully nothing happened to us or any of the missionaries that we heard of and most of the members in our ward nothing serious happened but one of the roads that we usually drive on caved into a sink hole because of all of the rain.  Haha but were all good.:)

Wise Words From the Elder

I really liked what you talked about mum about goals and my Patriarchal Blessing haha I actually just read it this past week on Wednesday I think it was.  I am so grateful for my Blessing and all the things I can pull from it and learn from it.  Ya I still have the little copy that you made for me I carry it everywhere with me in my scriptures.:)  But talking about Goals I think we are all good at setting goals but then going out there and putting the effort in to achieve our goals is a whole different thing.  I think and me included we are good at sitting down with a piece of paper and writing down some goals on things that we want to work on and then we hang up the piece of paper somewhere and say we are going to work on them but then what do we do next?  I am learning on my mission because we set goals all of the time but actually do something after we set those goals haha I still struggle with this but turning out goals into action.  As we set goals we remind ourselves daily of those goals and what we are going to do that day to achieve those goals.  We can also pray for help and for strength to become better and work on our goals.  As we all have goals in our lives and as we strive to achieve them if we turn to the Lord for help and strength He will help us and we will become better.:)  Set Goals, Action, Pray, Progression.  That is why we are here on Earth is to progress and to strive to become better.  In Alma 34:32 "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." But this doesn't mean we have to become better perfect we just have to strive to become better and become more like our Savior Jesus Christ.  Everybody loved Elder Holland's talk this past conference and one thing that I loved that he said is "we get credit for trying" that is the grace, mercy, and love of God that as long as we are trying we are progressing.  We are wanting to become better and that is all God needs and He will work with us and help us become far better then we can imagine.  So we can all keep working on our Goals, me included and strive to work on our weaknesses.

Well I gotta get goin,  I wish I could have written more but I want you Mom and Dad to know that I am doing good.  I honestly 100% can say that.  I'm working hard, I have my weaknesses but I work on them everyday and strive to become better always.  I love my mission and I honestly want it to never end.  I have always wanted to serve a mission since I was a kid and I am loving every moment of it.:)  Thanks for all you guys do for me and I hope I am making you guys proud but I know that I am because this is what you guys raised me to be A Servant of the Lord.  I love you guys thanks for everything hope you all have an awesome week because I already know that I am going to have a great week because I am happy and Choosing the Right.  You will never, ever find a sad person that is choosing the right thing to do.  Love you all and thank you.:)

Love Elder Stott