A ZONE CONFERENCE SPECTACULAR

16 Months

Good' aye everybody!:)  Wow another week!  Haha I just can't stop thinking about how fast the weeks go by and I just don't worry about it anymore but then someone tells me Christmas is in two weeks away and then it just all brings it back and I'm like no way last month was Christmas but man the Season of Christmas is upon us once more.  Ain't Christmas just the best?!  Ain't Christmas on a Mission just the best?!  I love it and it makes me sad to know that this is my last Christmas out on a mission.  I know you know, Mum and Dad, that I try not to think about how long I have been out on a mission and how much I have left but today I was sitting in our flat at my desk thinking and I looked at the calendar and it said Dec. 12.  I thought to myself the 12th has always been a special day for me why is that.  I thought back and I remembered that Aug. 12, 2015 was the day I reported to the MTC.  That was 16 months ago!  As I write this I tear up as I think about my Mission.  I think of how amazing it has been but I also think of how hard it has been as well.  The ups and downs, the highs and the lows.  Right now in our area we are kind of at a low nothing is really going on and we aren't really finding much success, but that is one of the biggest things that I have learned on my mission is about attitude.  That is something Australia has taught me,  it has taught me how to keep a good attitude through anything.  That is something I try to help my companions with to stay positive and to just keep moving forward.  Four words that would explain my mission so far to this point is, "I LOVE MY MISSION!!!!"  Haha that's it simple and plain as that I love it!  I'm so grateful for it and I am just constantly looking for ways to improve and to become better and to serve better and more faithfully.  Amazing how awesome a mission is! :)

Well this week has been great! 

Haha like I said above the work is a bit rough right now but we are going good.  We are still working hard and trying to help as many people as we can.  I love what you said mum about letting you guys know about the service that we do.  I would be happy to do that and I hope that it helps. :)   Click here to go to the bonus "Light the World: 25 Days of Service" Post.

ZONE CONFERENCE!!! 

A big highlight of this past week has been zone conference.  Man it was great!  It was probably one of the best zone conferences I have been to on my mission all of them have been great but this one was particularly great for me.  I went into the conference wanting just one thing to help me become a better missionary and I left with a heap of things.  That's why it is so important to be in tune with the Spirit but also to go to each of our meetings with an open heart and an open mind ready to be taught and ready to feast upon the words of Christ.  We can get so much out of each meeting that we go to if we go with the right frame of mind with an open heart ready to learn.  Remember the Spirit can work with an open soul but not with a stubborn closed soul.

Canberra Zone Conference

 Yep mum and dad things are going good.

Haha sorry this letter is all over the place haha but main message everything is going good.:)  Elder Tingey and I are still doing good he is a great guy and we are working hard.  We are looking forward very much so for Christmas and this next week for the Christmas week we call it in the Mission.  We still work but we have a lot of fun activities to do and kind of relax a bit which we are looking forward to.  I am very excited for it because I feel like we have been working very hard these past couple months or haha I guess this whole year man crazy to think I have been a missionary for all of 2016 but I am excited to have some fun with the mission at the Christmas conference next week and then also with the members for Christmas and Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and stuff.  We have some really fun stuff planned to do with the Shoobridge's and P______ and stuff.:) Christmas is a bit different over here but really the only difference is just no snow.  People still put up decorations and everything and they still play Christmas music in the stores and everything and Santa's everywhere just no snow.  Haha I definitely do miss the snow during Christmas time it still is weird to have Christmas while it is so hot.  

We sent Elder Stott some snow :-)

Questions?

          How does the school years work for the kids?

  Mum your's first...so this week is the last week of school for the kids and then they are out for summer break which is 6 weeks and then they will go back to school and when they go back they will be starting a new grade (new year is what it is called here)

          Weathers? 

Ya the weather is not too bad here it seems to rain about once a week and that keeps the heat bearable and then it will warm up really hot for a day or two and then it will rain and cool down and then it seems to just keep doing that. 

          Beach ban? 

Haha yep we actually have the beach ban on right now it started about a month ago or so so no beaches which is kind of a bummer cuz there's lot's in our area haha but that's okay. 

          Does the Branch do a primary program? Do you ever help   with the kids?

We actually had our Branch Primary program yesterday for Church and it was really good.  Haha the kids did awesome there sure is a lot in our little branch.  We don't do a whole lot in this branch with the Primary Sister D____ P_____ is the primary president and she does a great job but up in MacArthur we would help out a bit when teachers weren't there or something but primary is good and haha makes me think of the days before my mission when I taught primary man those kids were the best!

         Did your Christmas package show up, was in it good shape? 

Hey Dad the package is awesome and it actually was in pretty good shape which was nice so they took care of it.:)  Can't wait to open it today!!!:)  

           
       Favorite thing to eat? 

Haha man that's a good question dad my favourite thing to eat here.  Man....I gotta think about that one...I'm actually really enjoying the fish and chips over here.  I don't like any of the other sea food or anything but the fish is really good and we usually get it once a week when we go to game night and have that for dinner. 

Yep well hopefully I answered your guys questions and haha make a list to ask when we Skype cuz I know my parents you guys will have lot's of questions.:)  So excited to Skype with you guys and see yous man it's been a while haha since Mother's Day which was last May wow it goes fast doesn't seem that long.  Anyways hope you guys have a great week and let us "be that light unto the world" during this Christmas season.  Love you guys all heaps and thanks for everything.  Oh also mum and dad can you guys tell the Hawkins family thanks so much they sent me a Christmas package with heaps of goodies in it and haha me and my companion are loving it.:)  Thanks for everything love you guys heaps.  Positive Attitude makes everything better!!!!:)

Love Elder Stott