Transfer #9!

Welcome Home Sister Stott!

Dalton's distant cousin Sister Stott who we "discovered" on his mission

HI everybody!!!!!!!!  Hi mum and dad!  Wow that is so cool and so special that you guys got to go up for Sister Stott's homecoming.  I remember it feels like yesterday we got my mission call and we found out that there was a Sister Stott that was serving there.  Wow crazy how fast it all goes!!  I've been out a year and now Sister Stott is back home.  Haha I'm the last Stott in the mission and now they won't get our mail all mixed up. :)  I'm sure her homecoming was great!  She emailed me and she said she got to meet you guys and sent me a picture haha the same one yous sent.:)  I sent her a quick email back but I am so glad that you guys are helping her out I know that it means a lot!  You know it's crazy to see all of these missionaries from all different ways of life from different countries and different backgrounds and different past all come together in one mission for one reason and that is to serve the Lord.  And as we serve the Lord we are blessed especially as we return home honorably.  Sister Stott has returned home honorably she is a great Sister in the mission and you mum and dad are that blessing for her for her valiant service to the Lord.  Yous are helping her as she goes back to Utah State and that's awesome.  That's what this whole life is about is helping others and serving them because that is what Christ would do.  Mosiah 2:17 "...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." Thank you once again mum and dad for helping Sister Stott!:) 

The Amazing Thing About the Gospel.......

    

Dani I also loved what you had to say in your email to me.  Thank you so much for your awesome email and I feel just how you feel.  There are some people that I feel so bad for but that is the amazing thing about the Gospel and the Hope that it brings everybody!!!  I feel so bad for all of those people in the Middle East and places like that, that have so little and go through so much.   I wonder sometimes, there are no missionaries there how are they gonna receive the Gospel how do they do it?  Then I think about the Plan of Salvation and how amazing the Plan really is.  Especially the Spirit World and the whole purpose of the Spirit World.  It is not a second chance for those people that are lazy here on this Earth and it is not a time for us to live how we want here and then change in the next life that is not the purpose of the Spirit World.  It is for those people like that little boy that you saw Dani.  In the perspective of Eternity the time we have here on Earth 70-90 years is very small but it is not easy.  But we can remember that we are so blessed for the Gospel in our lives and because of the Plan of Salvation everybody will have that opportunity to accept the Gospel.  It does not make it any easier though when you see things like that.  There have been times when I have had experiences on my mission where they have broken my heart because of people's situations but when you share them the Gospel you see a light inside there eyes and a happiness and a Hope that Christ brings to our lives.  Keep doing those things that you talked about Dani and remember that we are so blessed but we must remember why we are and that is because of our elder brother Jesus Christ.  He makes it all possible and He is so loving and so amazing. :)

 A Fond Farewell 

It all fit even though he gave away his big suitcase.

 
   

Haha well anyways on to transfers so wow Sunday was such a hard day!!!!  Man it was so hard to go to church and after church to say goodbye to everybody.  Man MacArthur ward was my home and that was my family.  I love everything about a mission and I love my mission but the one thing that I hate the most is all of the goodbyes.  They are so hard you just get so close everybody especially when you are there for 8 1/2 months and it's hard to leave.  I was definitely ready to leave, ready for a new adventure but boy oh boy it was sure hard when the time came to say goodbye and leave.  Man oh man one of the hardest goodbyes if no the hardest on my mission so far was to say goodbye to J____.  Man that was so hard!  I love that guy so much what an amazing friend and what an amazing pioneer for his family.  I know that he will be in good hands in the ward and will remain active but people that you teach and help you come so close to and it was hard to say goodbye but I am sure that we will meet again and I will definitely see him before I come home.  It was hard to say goodbye to the M_____ and O_____ family two families that I got so close to while I was there.   And us three haha the "3 amigoes"  man that was also really hard to say goodbye to my companions.  It was sad to say goodbye to Elder Ledbetter but even more hard to say goodbye to Elder Delahunty.  Thankfully we are both still in the same zone so we will see each other a few times during the transfer.  Wow what a friendship we built and just like you said mum will go for ages!:)

See ya' mates!

In Typical Elder Stott Fashion, We Get Details at the End of the Letter

Yep so transfers haha sorry I keep going off on little things you probably are just like shut up Elder Stott just tell us your new area.:)  Haha so I have gone down South!  Way South my new area is the most Southern Area in our mission all the way down almost to the New South Wales and the Victorian border.  Actually the Victorian border is in our area.  Our area is called Merimbula and the town is right on the Ocean!!!!!!  I hope you got the pictures I sent but our flat is no joke a 3 minute walk to the beach!!!  Haha it's crazy and it is so cool!!!  Mum you would love it here and I haven't even been here a full day and it's paradise it is so cool and an amazing area!!!  So we are in Canberra zone even though we are on the coast that is just how all the boundaries and stuff worked out so yesterday I got to drive through our Capital of Australia on my way down there and I'll get to go up there for meetings and stuff like that. :)  

Introducing Elder Newman........ 

 

 
My new companion is Elder Newman from Bothwell Utah right by Tremonton and he is the man!!!!  Haha we had a long drive from Canberra together yesterday 3 hours and we got to know each other great already.  He loves baseball he played on the high school team for Bear River and he loves outdoors.  He's a big hunter and camper and hiker and he said pretty much anything outdoors.  We are already getting along great and of course it will take a little bit of time to get used to each other but it will be awesome!!!  He has a twin who is serving right now as well in Argentina!!!:)  It is going to be heaps different haha coming from last transfer in a trio with 2 other missionaries in the flat and having a small area with missionaries everywhere to coming down to country area again where it is just you and your companion and the closest missionaries 3 hours away.  Haha it will be awesome!!! 

The New Area- The Beach?

   

Are you serious?! Golf Course and the Beach?! Elder Stott you better stay focused!

So ya Merimbula is about a 6 hour drive from Sydney and the mission office.  It's about 3 hours to Canberra and then another 3 to our area.  Haha so I'm even farther then when I was in Mudgee.  In Mudgee we were about 4 1/2-5 hours away.  I am so excited to be here and just so happy!!!!  Mudgee was my favourite I loved it so much while I was there and so far from what I have heard is that Merimbula is a lot like Mudgee except for it is on the coast.  It sounds like we do a lot of service which I love and I'm back in a branch with about 20-25 members so a lot like Mudgee.:)  I don't know a whole lot about the area right now but we live in Tura Beach NSW.  It's a really nice flat it's a little bit older but it's still awesome and I am excited for it to be my home for however long the Lord would like me here.  I'll get some pictures and send them next week.  Ya so awesome you'll get more pictures now sorry I was so bad in MacArthur but here in Merimbula we email at the Family History Centre so it is hooked up to the church wifi so I can send pictures while I am doing my emails unlike MacArthur where we did our emails at the library.  So I hope you got the pictures I sent haha we already went to the beach this morning and what an awesome sight that was!!!:)  So since we are at the Family History Centre we don't have a time limit for our emails so we have some more time which is nice so then it's not so rushed.  This area is awesome and I'm so happy to be here and help the work move forward and progress and I'm excited to be back in the branch atmosphere and in the country cuz I love it out here!!!:) 

The new flat

   

 Looking Forward to the Work

Last night we got to meet one of the members in the branch the S______ Family and  there awesome!!!  They have 5 kids.  We had a great night with them and had dinner and they also have a really close friend who is just starting to investigate the church and so we taught him the Restoration last night and wow what a powerful lesson that was!!!  The Spirit was so strong and the desire is definitely there and he wants to learn more and grow!  His name is D______ and he's the man.  He's single probably in his late 20's and he is the local mail man.  We hope and pray for him as he is just starting to investigate and I know he is in God's hands.  Haha that is about all the people that I know so far next week I"ll be able to tell you a little more about the people and the area.  I am just so excited to here in Merimbula for a new adventure and a new start.  I know that as we are obedient and follow the rules and work hard the Lord will bless us with miracles.:)  But of course we will keep that balance and make sure we have fun!:)  I love all of you guys and I am doing great!!!  

Whaaaaattttt?!?!?!

Mom's Worst Nightmare

 
Oh I should tell you real quick before I got to go haha about the picture and my arm.:)  Haha don't worry I'm okay but on Saturday we were deep cleaning our flat and we had to put the screens back into the windows but one of us had to climb on the roof to put them back in.  Haha so I climbed up there put I kind of fell of the roof.  Haha don't worry I"m okay it was just my arm that got scrapped but I mostly caught myself so it wasn't to bad so now I just put some cream and bandaids on it and wait for it to heal.  Haha it wasn't to far of a drop.  Just like 10 feet but I mostly caught myself just scratched my arm. :)  I"m okay though. Don't worry mom.  

But at least he is smiling! Whew! I guess the extra money for the first aid kit was worth it! ;-)

 

Well I gotta go but hope you all have a great week!!!!  I know I"m gonna have a great first week in my new area gettting to know a whole bunch of new people!!! I"m so excited and I know this is where the Lord needs me.  Loves you all heaps and I love your talk dad what a cool story.

Love Elder Stott