"LIFE IS GOOD"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! 

Spooooky!!!

Good' day Everybody!!!:)  Man here we are another week and today is Halloween.  It blows my mind that we are getting to the time on my mission that I can look back and say hey what did I do last year during Halloween on my mission.  If you would ask me I would say "oh I was back home doing something with my friends or family," and then you would tell me that I was on my mission I would tell you no way!  It truthfully, honestly blows my mind how fast it all goes and to think that a year ago I was in Mudgee with Elder Leal and we had a party at the S____ gym that literally seems like yesterday.  It is hard for me to fathom everything that has happened since last Halloween and I cannot even thank the Lord enough for everything that has taken place.  For how far I have come in my life, for the struggles I have gone through and come out on the other side.  For the people that I have been able to help in their lives all because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  That is what it all boils down to is Jesus Christ and His Gospel that is what this life is about.  Is becoming like our Savior Jesus Christ. 

   Personal Studies. 

This past week in my studies I read this scripture that I loved and want to share with you.  Omni 1:26 "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption.  Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."  This past week when I read this Scripture I was WOW what a verse of Scripture.  I know for me and I think a lot of other people as well we love the first part of the Book of Mormon the story of Nephi and his family and there story and then we get to the book of Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon and we kind of want to just rush through them cuz there not really that important and there isn't really any cool stories in it we just want to get to the book of Mosiah and King Benjamin cuz he's awesome.  Haha the book of Mosiah is my favorite book I reckon.  Well anyways this time going through the Book of Mormon I took my time going through these short books of scripture and this week I was reading Omni and I loved this scripture and doctrine that was taught.  The prophet Amaleki was the one who shared these few verses with us and I just loved verse 26.  Isn't it so true and it's like exactly what the Church is focusing on right now.  I mean you can go to lds.org and on the front page there are topics about centering our lives on Christ.  You can listen to conference talks from this past conference and the conferences before that help us in centering our lives on Christ.  I loved this verse of scripture and when it says "come unto Christ...and partake of his salvation..." it is all up to us and His salvation is right there.  It promises us at the end of this verse if we offer ourselves unto Christ "ye will be saved."  Who better to center our lives on then Jesus Christ the one and only perfect person on this earth I can't think of anybody better then to focus and center my life on.  That's why it is His Gospel under His name because it is all possible because of Him. :)  

Another Week has flown by. 

Hi Mum and Dad how are you guys?  Things are going good over another week flown by.  We only have 2 weeks left of the transfer and me and Elder Newman don't know what is going to happen haha but we just want to know already.  I always hate when transfers come around cuz it's always a mystery and they wait until like the last minute to let you know what is happening.  N____ S______ keeps telling me she sends you guys pictures on Facebook and stuff which I'm glad she does cuz I know you guys appreciate it.  Ya dad it's pretty crazy all of the different things that I have gotten to do on my mission and the other day I was thinking why is that?  I couldn't really think of anything maybe you guys might know?  But other day I was reading my Patriarchal Blessing and in it, it said that I will provide a lot of service to people in there lives and I am just happy to do whatever the Lord needs me to do whether that be to teach lessons, knock on doors, or help build a shed.:)  It has been fun to help build a shed and I have learned a lot and we even started painting it on Saturday and we are almost done with it.:)  We hope to finish it before transfers just in case one of us get's transferred.  Haha I don't know about being a builder and you know when I think about it I have no idea what I want to do for a career.  I was thinking a little bit this past week since mum you told me last week about USU.  Everybody always asks me  what I want to do and I tell them I have no idea.  I tell them there is to many things that interest me and things I want to do and I just don't know.  I try not to think about it and I know that it will work out when I return home.  Well anyways this past week has been good we have been ever so busy like always and it's great but I am just trying to find a way to kind of shift the focus down here.  We do a lot of service down here which I love and I am grateful to always do it because it does help others and the members but now that D_____ is baptized we need to go out and find some more people to teach the Gospel.  Elder Newman is great and I love him to death.

   The Members here are GREAT!

 I don't know if you have heard much about Sister N____ W____ in the branch but she is awesome!  This past week we went out to her and her husband M______ home.  This is the place where D_____ got baptized and N____ is awesome and a great member and her son is the Branch President, President W____.  Her husband M______ is less-active but anyways we went out this week and helped them out for a day and they have a beautiful place.  Anyways she is the best cook I think maybe on my mission and she makes some great stuff.  The couple of times we have been over so far she has made Shepard's Pie and Lasagna and they reminded me just of home and man they were so good!!!  She is a great Sister in the Branch and has great faith and a great story and just like you were talking about mum when we come back and visit we will definitely have to come out to the W_____ place!:)  Things are going great and I am at peace right now on my mission.  I am happy with who I am and who I am becoming.  There are times when I think have I changed any on my mission?  Am I becoming a better person or just staying who I am?  It is hard for me to see if any change is going on.  Mum and Dad do you guys think I am changing?  If so how have I changed?  What I read in the book of Omni and what I talked about at the start of this letter is all I want for my own life and I just don't know if I am achieving that and maybe you can help me.  Love you guys and thanks.:)

Question time. 

Haha questions: mum our plans for Halloween today is we are going over to the S_______ and gonna go trick-or-treating with them and D_____ is coming too.:)  Haha we are gonna dress up as missionaries.:)  And we will see what else we get up to today for Halloween.  Man I remember last Halloween in Mudgee and man what fun that was!  It was great can't believe it's already here again. 

Duties that we have at church.  Well church is 3 hours and it starts at 10 and goes until 1.  We are in-charge each week of the Sacrament in preparing it and blessing it and we have 2 boys who are deacon aged to help pass the Sacrament and then also after church on Sunday's we travel around and there are 3 people that we take the Sacrament to in the Branch who are just to old to make it to church on Sunday's and they all live about 30 minutes away from the church.  That will usually fill up most of our Sunday afternoon haha cuz they love to talk to us and share stories with us but they are always nice and we enjoy going.:)  

Cooking!:)  Haha well both me and Elder Newman since we have both been companions with Elder Plata wish sometimes that he was around to make us some food haha but we make by with our limited skills that we have.  I have found on my mission that I really like to do cooking and enjoy it I'm not to good but I enjoy cooking which is good so that means I can cook for my family.:)  The branch takes good care of us here and we have about a weekly schedule.  Monday we always have dinner with the S_______. Tuesday we always have dinner with the P_____ family. Wednesday we usually have fish and chips at game night.  Thursday and Friday one of the days we usually make something and the other day we usually have an appointment with a member for dinner.  Saturday it just depends but usually cook something and then on Sunday we usually cook something.  So about in a week we cook about 2-3 nights especially lately cuz we have had activities with the Branch and they have food there.  Last night we made dinner and we had a Mexican night so we had taco's and burritos and stuff it was was good.:)  We just make it simple and cook some meat with the seasoning and have lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, hot sauce and tortillas and hard shell tacos and we eat up!:)  It's always good and we make a lot cuz  both me and Elder Newman love the Mexican food (thanks mum) so we smash the tacos and stuff.:)  This transfer me and Elder Newman have been trying to improve our basic cooking skills and we tried making shepard's pie once that turned out pretty good not as good as yours mum but it was good.  We also made I think it was last week a nice fettuccine Alfredo meal and we try to make our meals healthy and that one we put broccoli with it.:)  We are still pretty basic with a lot of Chicken and Rice meals and spaghetti but we make do and we eat up.:)

 Dad's questions!:) A funny experience this week well last Monday we went on this sweet hike with the S_________ for P-day and we were making our way back to the cars and me and Elder Newman had this idea to cut through the bush part off the trail to try and beat everyone to the cars.  Haha we were going and made it about 100m off the trail and this BIG (we heard it was a  python) snake slithered just in front of us into a bush right next to us.  The only little bit we saw was ginormous and haha so we and Elder Newman turned around and went back onto the trail the rest of the way.  Haha it was nuts we told the S_______ and we told them it was huge and green and they told us it was most likely a PYTHON!!!  Haha holy crap crazy Australia and all the animals.  Haha so last Monday me and Elder Newman remembered what we learned in Scouts about staying on the trail and leaving no trace so you don't run into any big snakes. 

Am I ever going to have a bike?  I have only been on a bike once on my mission not for P-day and that was on a trade-off.  We are very lucky in our mission and have a lot of cars and the areas that I have been like Mudgee and here we get a car.  In MacArthur at first we didn't have a car and then we ended up sharing a car but in MacArthur they had a really good public transport so we just took the bus and we didn't even have bike at the flat.  Haha I like your second question dad but you know I would love to have bikes on my mission.  I would have to go back up to the city to do that cuz it wouldn't happen down here cuz our area is so big but ya I would really enjoy to be in an area where we have bikes but we will just have to see maybe that's where President Back and the Lord want me to go next after I am done down here in Merimbula.  

 Haha yep there is a golf course right next to us but we can't really see it too good cuz there are other houses in the way but from what we can see it looks pretty nice but haha never as nice as Birch Creek. 

Well I gotta get going for Halloween but thanks Mom and Dad for everything I love you guys.  I hope you guys know that I miss you guys as well but email time on P-days recharge me to make it to the next week because I just love my mission so much.  I love you guys too and man Christmas is coming up soon and you know what that means!!!!  Haha SKYPE!!!!!:)  We will have to see where I am at for that I hope that I am still down here for another transfer or two but we will have to see what the Lord has in store.  Oh and also D_____ is doing great and loves being a new member!  Love you guys and thanks for everything!!!!:)

Attitude is Everything!

Love Elder Stott