Elder Dalton Stott: 2016 OVER, 2017 HERE WE ARE!

The Plan of Happiness

What do I say???? "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25) The Plan that God has set up for us and the life that we are living truly is THE PLAN OF HAPPINESS!!!!!:) How great is it? How great is life? It's the BEST!!!! Man my heart is full with so much happiness and life is just great!!! Man mum and dad and everybody it was so great to see all of you guys last Monday what a special treat that was and what an awesome time we had. Thank yous so much for all that you guys do for me you are truly what helps make my life so great!:) I hope all of you guys enjoyed our Skype call I know I sure did. I thought it was great and I enjoyed every moment of it.:) You are exactly right mum what you said each one has been different and each one has been great and it is crazy to think that we only have one more Skype left on my mission. Haha even if I don't want that to be the case because I want many more Skype's as a missionary but that is not the case and I am learning to be okay with that. It truly will be great to be back home with all of my family once again. To play games with you guys and have awesome Stott food again and be with one another again. It surely will be great and when I think about it, it really will be great and a joyous time once again all together just like the eternities. Dani I am excited to play Settlers with you and everybody else and I am super excited to get to know my 2 nephews a lot better and go golfing with my golfing buddy. Dad golf sure is fun over here but man it just ain't the same because I'm not with you. I am excited to pick up golf again when I get home you'll have to help me dad. Haha we all found out last Monday that I am VERY rusty and haha can't do what I used to know how to do. Haha it was a heap of fun but also kind of frustrating cuz wow I ain't very good anymore.:) Haha but that's okay. I want you guys to know that all of the jokes I said while we were Skyping about me staying out longer on my mission were honest and I really do wish I could keep serving but I do know that is not what the Lord has in plan for me and my life and so when the time comes near the end of July when I am suppose to return home I will return home excited and willing to face the future and re-unite with you guys but I do believe that when I get on that plane part of my heart will stay here with the people of Australia going about the Lord's work. Well anyways enough about all that this past week...

This past week has been great!

Last Monday was awesome after our Skype call we went golfing which man oh man was just the best!:) The rest of that day we spent with D____ and the Shoobridge's and it was a very good relaxing day.

Tuesday the next day was transfer day but we both stayed!!!!!:) I was so excited to hear about transfers I was really praying and wanting to stay at least one more transfer and that is what the Lord has said so were still here!:) I love this area and am so grateful for it this will be my 4th transfer here so by the end of this transfer I will have been here for 6 months how crazy is that. Man seems like I just got here with Elder Newman and now me and Elder Tingey are starting our second transfer together.

Ya mum, so on Wednesday we went on a really big hike that is in our area. It is called the light to light hike which is a backpacking trip that takes about 2-3 days. So the hike takes you all along the the coast from the start which starts at a lighthouse and then you finish at a place called Boyd's Tower which is a whale watching tower. The Shoobridge's and some of the P____ family were planning on going on the big 2 day trip and they had some non-member friends coming along with them and so they invited us to come along as well. Normally this would be a p-day activity but because there were non-members on the hike and we have permission from President to do whatever out of the box finding ideas we can of course with-in reason we were able to go on the hike for the first day and it was great! The hike is about a total distance of 30 k's so we did the first 20 k's with them on the first day. We would have done the whole thing but we aren't allowed to go camping.:( We were kind of bummed but Josh Shoobridges gave us a ride back cuz he couldn't go cuz he had to work and watch over the 2 little kids so at the end of Wednesday night he gave us a ride home which was good. We had a very fun day and we got to become really good friends with the two non-members that came on the hike and I definitely feel like we planted some seeds that day. :) It was a very fun hike and if we ever come back to visit Naomi wants to take us on the whole thing and camp over and everything which sounds awesome!:)

A Lyrebird

The Work- "Fishing" (for Opportunities ;-)

We have also been very busy this week with filling our schedule with everything that we can. From finding and knocking on doors to doing service for anybody that we can to trying to do the best that we can we manage to fill up each and everyday and stay busy in the service of God. We are getting very close with one of the members and her husband who is a non-member. The member is Sister S______ and her husband's name who is the non-member is A______. They had us over for dinner this past week and A______ is big into fishing. So we actually got to go fishing with him this morning to start off our P-day!:) Haha it was great stuff and man it had been so long since I have been fishing. We woke up very early this morning at 4:30! :) Haha it was great though and a lot of fun. A______ caught 3 fish and I almost had one. Haha I had one on my line and I was reeling it in and we got it to where it was just in the water right in front of us and I pulled up the line to take the fish out of the water and the fish jumped off the lure, haha and he got away!!! Haha I was kind of bummed that I almost got a fish and it was a pretty big one to haha but that's okay maybe we'll get to go another time with A_____ and I'll get redemption.:)

Anyway things are going good and the time is just flying like always. We have a very very busy week planned for this week we are actually pretty much all booked out this whole week until the weekend which is awesome we are staying busy and helping as many people as we can with whatever that is. We have a trip to Canberra this week for a meeting on Friday but this will be our only one this transfer so after this trip we will be in our area the rest of the transfer.:)

A Long Way

I also had the opportunity to give a talk yesterday during Sacrament meeting. Brother Shoobridge asked me during the middle of the week if I could give a talk because the other person that was suppose to wasn't going to be there. So I had a couple days to prepare and Josh told me I could pick my own topic. I was excited and started pondering and praying to know what I should talk about but I never really received an answer on what my topic should be and I was kind of troubled about it but I had a few bullet points going in with some scriptures and some quotes and stuff and was really just relying on the Spirit to guide my talk. Haha so I got up and I told the members about my topic and what had been happening and then it all just started to flow. The Spirit took control and about 20-25 minutes later I sat down not really remembering what I said. Haha but lot's of people came up to me after the meeting and told me how awesome my talk was. All I could think was I did nothing it was all the Spirit but then I started thinking that yeah I had nothing to do with what I talked about it was all the Spirit but I was living my life in Harmony to be worthy of the Spirit and so that made me feel really good about myself. As long as my talk helped just one person then I achieved my purpose as a missionary and for speaking. As long as everything I do helps at least one person it is worth it.:) So yep I love being a missionary and I love life!!!:)

Can't Believe Only 7 Months Left!

Hi Mum and Dad!:) Wow can you believe it 2016 is over?! I'm not even going to start talking about how fast it has gone and crazy that it is 2017 and that I only have 7 months left and that I return home this year it's crazy and we aren't going to worry about any of that we are just going to keep moving forward and working hard. How are you guys? Thanks for being the best parents ever!!!! You guys truly are the best and the Shoobridge's after our Skype call was asking all about you guys and just saying wow what a great family!:) They are so right you guys really truly are the best!!! So thank you!:) I am enjoying everything right now and just having the time of my life. I am really looking at life and just seeing how much I love it and how awesome it is. I am excited for the future and what it has in store especially for when I return home and everything that will happen with that but I am so excited to keep serving the Lord this year of 2017. I want you guys to know mum and dad that I am going to keep trying my absolute best until the very end of my mission. I am not perfect and have my weaknesses and some mornings I still don't wake up on time and some times I don't always talk to everybody but I am trying my best and I am feeling the peace and joy and happiness that, that brings. I repent each and everyday of the mistakes that I make and talk to President Back about bigger shortcomings and weaknesses that I have and the Lord is just blessing me so much in my life and taking such great care of me while I am in the service of Him. The work is hard and slow right now but I know that it is all in the Lord's hands and I am trying to help my companion each and everyday understand that as well and to not get discouraged because of the lack of success that we are having things are great and life is awesome. I am excited for 2017 because it holds a lot in store and I know that as I continue to place my life in the hands of the master and have Faith in Him He will lead me down the right path for me to go. I know that to be true and that He does live inside of us if we allow Him to. This past week one of the nights I was reading through the emails at the beginning of my mission because I was looking for some ideas for my talk. In the blue folders that you made mum. Well anyways I was reading some of the emails and letters from the very beginning of my mission and wow it was crazy to see how much I have grown and how much I have learned and changed. I felt like I have matured so much and have really found what is important in life and what it is all about. Things at the beginning of my mission I believed in and had faith that they were true but now I know that they are true and that God does live and love each and every one of us and He helps us and one of the biggest ways is through Prayer. I read one email it was my first transfer in the mission in Mudgee and I was with Elder Johnson and I was really struggling and I prayed to God and He comforted me so much and told me to keep going and now look over a year later here we are. After I read that I said a prayer to thank Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for my mission so far and everything that I have learned so far and I once again felt the Spirit so strongly and that I am doing a good job.:) Man it's great and life is great and my mission is great! And I love you guys heaps and hope yous have an awesome week. Hopefully it warms up a little bit for you guys we'll try to send some of the heat your guys way cuz it's been real hot here lately. Anyways I love you guys heaps! HOLD TO THE ROD AND NEVER LET GO.
Love Elder Stott

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