Family

 Family, Such a Blessing

Hi Everybody!  Hi Mum and Dad!:)  Man I'm so glad to hear everything for you guys is going well.  That has been one miracle and such a blessing as I have served on my mission to always know that my family are doing okay.  I remember one of the things that President Price our stake president said when he set me apart as a missionary.  He told me, "that my family will be watched over and taken care of while I serve my mission."  What an amazing blessing that has been to know that my family is doing okay because the Lord has promised me that as I strive to do my best.  I'm so glad mum and dad to get an email from you guys and also from Dani and you guys just always tell me that you guys are doing good haha and it seems like I tell you guys the same thing back.  I think there is a reason for that and it does not mean that our lives are perfect.  It does not mean that everything is going just the way we want it to.  We are still struggling at times we still have bad days, ups and downs.  But what helps us at the end of each day or at least helps me at the end of the day is to know that I have the Gospel in my life.  What a blessing that is.  How can you thank God enough for putting something in your life that has all the answers and the way for us to pass this test of life.  He has given us the Gospel in our life to help us know what to do to return to live with Him.  He has given us an eraser to use on our test whenever we want and need to use it.  That eraser is the Atonement of Jesus Christ and Repentance.  

What an amazing blessing the Gospel is that helps us so much in our lives.  Now I'm not saying that because we have the Gospel in our life that makes life easy that is not true at all and life is  still very hard but the Gospel is our rock.  It is something that we can turn to in our lives and it can and will help us through each and everyday.  It will help us through the good days and it will help us through the bad days and at the end of they bad days we will look back and see it as not that bad of a day after all.  That is why the Gospel is such a blessing and such a blessing in families because it helps us all whether that be a missionary serving in Australia, a married couple with 2 young boys, and an empty-nester loving supportive parents.  Mum I think of your favorite quote, "LIFE IS GOOD" and man oh man it sure is because God really is our Loving Heavenly Father and He does watch over us and takes care of us and loves us.  I think as of lately I have been thinking a lot about families because it is the holidays and we are all getting excited to Skype for Christmas.  I think about you guys and how much I love you guys.  I think that is something that I try to do while out on my mission with the members in the areas that I serve.  I try to get as close as I can with the members in the areas that I serve because they are my family while on my mission.  I have no idea if I get as close to some families as I think I do on my mission but I love them all and am so grateful for all of them.  I am so grateful for you guys and I love you guys.  Thank you for what you said mum about me and being family oriented and that is something that I have found out about myself in my life.  Family has always been at the very top for me and always so important and that is one of the reasons I love this Gospel so much is because it is Families that's what it is about because it is amazing.  I love to spend as much time as I can with my family no matter what it is and I think that is why I love to spend so much time with members and Recent Converts and just do fun things with them because I get that feeling that I love even if it's while mowing a lawn or playing rugby.  I carry around with me each day a picture of our family in my missionary white handbook that I wear in my pocket on my white shirt haha that's not so white anymore.:)  I look at it a couple times throughout the day and always remember my family and how blessed I am to have such an awesome family. 

 GINORMOUS hug, "well done thou good and faithful servant..."

 

 Yesterday in Church we had fast and testimony meeting and I wasn't planning on sharing my testimony because it's always good to let the members have time to share there testimonies but yesterday haha I found myself up front standing behind the pulpit bearing my testimony about families.  It is amazing how the Spirit works and how it will lead us to do things that we aren't planning on doing.  I don't know if what I said helped anybody in the Branch yesterday but it sure did strengthen my testimony and my love for my own family.  That is one thing that I look at the end of my mission.  Haha as I have shared with you guys I love my mission and I wish it would never come to an end but at the end of my 2 years of service I will be able to go home and see my family again.  I think we can amplify this to ourselves and Heavenly Father.  God sends us down to Earth to learn and grow and have a good experience and become better.  Missionaries come out on missions to learn and grown and help others.  In both cases we leave our families whether that be our Heavenly family or our earthly family for a time.  We love life and we love our missions sometimes we don't want to go back home or pass to the next life but then at the same time we are excited to see our family again.  But one thing that we can ask ourselves is how do we really want to feel when either we return home from a mission or meet God and Jesus Christ in the next life.  Do we want to be prepared and worthy and feel good inside and that we used our time wisely and did all that we could do?  That is what drives me as a missionary and as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  When that day does come that I return home from my mission and see my family in the airport and give them a big GINORMOUS hug we will all be happy but I want the feeling on the inside that says, "well done thou good and faithful servant..." (Matt 25:21) that feeling that feels so good and I can say to my family that I gave it all on my mission.  Yes I wasn't perfect and I made mistakes but that I tried my absolute hardest on my mission and that is why He has blessed me and my family.  I think it goes the same way when the day comes for us to stand face to face with God once more.  Of course we will all give Him a GINORMOUS hug and be happy on the outside but what do we want to be feeling on the inside.  Do we want to feel "well done thou good and faithful servant..." or guilt and shame and misery.  Judgement Day will all come to each and every one of us whether we want it to or not but do we see it as a day where we re-unite with family or do we see it as a day that we dread because we are not ready.  We don't have to be perfect but we sure can try and that is all God asks us to do.  I look forward to the day that  I get to see my family again and give them a hug but I am so excited for the time that I still have left as a full-time missionary to the people of Australia.  There is still so much to do and I want to keep working my hardest so when the day comes I can, "...stand blameless before God at that last day." (D&C 4:2)  

Soon to be Christmas Skype and package!!!

Mum and Dad I am so excited to Skype with you guys in a couple weeks and to get to talk to you guys and see you guys!!!:)  This is the longest period of time that we have not seen each other I am so excited!:)  It's crazy to think that after this Skype for Christmas we don't have much time left.  Wow how it flies!    Thank you so much for my amazing package.  We actually got a call this past week from the mission office telling us about our packages and that they got stopped through customs.  Haha Elder Tingey's Christmas package got stopped as well because it had something that couldn't get through but the office dealt with it and just told them to take out the stuff that won't come through and then they just sent it through so hopefully we will get it this week when we go up for zone conference in Canberra and if not we will get it when we go up for Christmas conference in Sydney but no need to worry it will all work out I just hope they didn't destroy the package to much cuz I know you guys work so hard on it and it always has so much love with it in the packages so thank you guys so much.  Can't wait for Christmas to open it.:):):):)  (Update: package made it out of customs and was delivered to the mission home Tuesday- yay!)

Well things over here are going good.:)  

We have had kind of a tough week but it still is going good.  We are doing lot's of finding right now and really focused on the awesome Christmas initiative but we aren't finding too much success but that's alright it's all in what the Lord has in plan for us.  We are working hard and out and doing and trying our best to be the most obedient we can and that's all we can control.:)  

W____ is doing okay she has a lot going on right now especially with the holidays coming up and has asked us to kind of ease off a little bit until things die down but she is still going to come to Church and the Family History Centre if she can make it.  We are helping the members and doing service for anybody that we can for Christmas whatever we can do to help whoever we can.  

Elder Tingey is doing great and he is a  great companion and friend!  We are getting along great and hopefully he is doing okay with putting up with me.:)  Elder Tingey has taught me a little bit of Chinese haha it's real hard stuff and complicated and I still don't get how little symbols and pictures can mean a word or phrase haha but they do haha I know how to say hi, thank you and goodbye.:)  It's really cool though to hear Elder Tingey say prayers in Chinese haha even though I have no idea what he is saying it's still cool to hear.

 

Elder Tingey Elder Stott enjoying a hike, "Hey where's Alex?"

Smile BOYZ! "Cheese"

Haha yep my shoes are still doing good actually a lot of my clothes are still holding up good.  I mean they are getting worn down but still doing good.  Haha all my white shirts now have a yellow tint to them and you wash them and some stains just forever stay on your clothes but we are doing good but if I need anything I will let you know.  Haha sorry dad but I haven't shined my shoes for a little while I was doing good and shining them about once or twice a transfer but the last couple haven't really done it.  Haha maybe that's what I'll do before we go to zone conference this week.  Haha ya zone conference will be good except for it's just another drive to Canberra which is 3 hours so it's pretty long and pretty boring but we have good talks to listen to on the way up so it will be good and it will be good to see President and Sister Back.  

Haha what do you want for Christmas dad????  I'll talk to Santa and see what he can arrange. :)  Our Christmas conference for the mission is I think it will be Dec 20 the Tuesday before Christmas but don't know exactly for sure yet.   But ya things are going good I'm doing good and having fun.  I'm so excited to Skype with you guys and know it will just be awesome just like the first 2.  Thanks for everything mum and dad and let me know if there is anything I can do for you guys or anybody back home.  Have a great week and talk to you guys next week which will seem like 10 minutes haha cuz it seems like it goes by that fast.  Love you family and Merry Christmas!!!:)

Love Elder Stott 

Australia and it's spiders. EEEKKK! They saw this one on their hike last week. Yikes!