Elder Dalton Stott: Transfer #15:-)

HELLO HELLO HELLO!!!!!

Wow wow wow!!!! I am so sorry these last couple weeks have just been so busy and so hectic and then the last week the computers went down so I didn't get to send my email so sorry but no worries here we are today ready to fill you guys in on everything going on and all the hoop-la. :)

Haha I have felt like ever since I got transferred up here to Dapto from Merimbula I have been going 100 million miles an hour but it's great!!! We stayed very busy and worked very hard in Merimbula but also being a small town down South it was a lot more relaxed and not go go go all the time but now here in Dapto that's what we do each and everyday especially when the days go so fast and haha I am running out of time. I mean I like being busy and go go go haha but I just gotta make sure I don't fall behind and I feel like I have left you guys behind on this last transfer and everything going on but that is okay because I know you guys know that as long as I tell you guys I okay and all is well it will all be good.:) But we are staying very busy and having a blast and I am loving it here in Dapto.

So, first things first TRANSFERS...

I am staying another transfer here in Dapto!!!:) I am so excited I really like it here in this area and I hope to finish off my mission here in Dapto but we will have to see what the Lord has in store but I will be here for another 6 weeks. Sadly Elder Cook has been transferred. He had only been here for 2 transfers and we weren't thinking he was going to be leaving but I guess the Lord and President Back had another plans in mind so he has been transferred back up into Sydney in a good ward up there. So my new companion!!!:) He is AWESOME!!! We have been together for one day and I love him!!!:) He is Elder Paie and he is from Tahiti.

Farewell Elder Cook

Hello Elder Paie!

Haha how about that from all of my companions that have been from America I got one from the islands.:) He is an awesome guy and so excited! So he has been out the same amount of time as me we actually go home together how exciting!:) He is the former AP he just got released this last transfer and he requested to come down here to Dapto and I was lucky enough to get him as my companion.:) So he is a convert baptized back in 2011 and the only member in his family. He has a great Spirit and very happy all the time.:) He loves to do surfing and he is actually really good I'm supposing cuz he said back in Tahiti he was sponsored by the brand Billabong! :) I will get to know him more of course and next week let you guys know more about him. He is great though and haha we hope to stay together for 2 transfers and kill each other off.:) We also got a new flatmate. So Elder Harston is still here in the flat from Missouri. Elder Afemata from California got transferred and so our new flat mate is Elder Tuise he is from Samoa and a great guy as well! He only has 6 weeks left on the mission this is his last transfer haha but he is a great guy and excited to become friends with him and work with him here in the ward. So that's the details on transfers...haha any questions let me know.

Okay so the past couple of weeks haha wow!!! Insane! So two weeks ago the week that we had P-day on Wednesday. So the day before that on Tuesday we had a great zone conference with President and Sister Back and sadly that will be our last full zone conference with them.:(

South Coast Zone Conference

You know Mum and Dad it is so sad how so many of us are coming towards the end of our service. I mean we have a flatmate who is in his last 6 weeks and then President and Sister Back go home in the middle of July and then me and Elder Paie go home at the end of July in less then 3 short months. You know it is crazy and this past transfer oh my gosh has just gone so fast. Even though our P-days were so crazy and few and in between they still came so fast and getting to talk to you guys is such a blessing. I just want all of you guys to know that I love you guys.:) And can't wait to see you guys in a few short months but till then we are going to keep sprinting to the finish line.

I know Mum you asked a little while ago cuz you guys got my flight details home and were wondering if I wanted to see them and haha I said no. But me and Elder Watts (Josh) have been talking and I have been talking with a couple of members as well over here so could yous please send me a picture of the details that would be awesome thanks heaps.:)

So also the week we had zone conference we also had a special mission conference up in Mortdale and we had the Church Historian Elder Steven E Snow of the Seventy and Brother Nelson Assistant Church Historian. It was a great conference and we had an awesome Q & A with them and asked them lot's of questions that we as missionaries get all the time about Church history and everything. It was a great conference and such a privilege to get to hear from these great men.:) So it was great!

Other then that it has just been work work work enjoying the journey and having fun.:) I don't know if I have told you guys about H______ yet but she is a lady that we tracted into a couple of weeks ago. Haha she is older but still very active and capable. Haha she still drives and mow's her own lawn. But we changed that. That is how we found her is we were tracting and her grass was a little long and so we told her that we do service as missionaries for free. So we set up a time to go back and help her out. Since that we have been 3 times each time helping her with something and then after we do some service for her we teach her a lesson. She is great and even though she is older she is looking for a purpose in life and wants to learn and grow and do what the Lord wants her to do. She came to Church this last weekend and really enjoyed it there are a lot of other old ladies in our ward and when we brought her to church haha they all pounced on her and so she is going to have great fellowship here in the ward.:) We hope to keep working with her and set a Baptismal Date with her to work towards. But all will be well and we will do all that we can and the Spirit will help us I know it will. So keep her in your prayers and all will work out.

Other then that we have found some other people but just trying to follow up with them to see how interested they are. We are still working with the less-active young man K_____ and his family they are having some hard times but are just trying to be there and help support and love them just like Christ would do. The ward is a great ward and are taking very good care of us. Our Bishop is awesome and his family also our ward mission leader is great and of course Sister T_____.:) I am glad that you are getting pictures from a lot of them and they sure are great. Haha hopefully they say good things about me and don't hate me.:) It is a very good ward and the work is coming along. When I got here last transfer we didn't really have anything or much to work with but we have been working hard and know it is all in the Lord's hands and we are seeing miracles like Hilda blessed in our life and in the area.:) Me and Elder Paie are excited to work hard these coming weeks and months to keep Establishing the Church in Dapto area.:)

Service

Something that I just wanted to talk just a second about is about service and my testimony of service. You know I feel like a lot of my mission I have done a lot of service especially in areas like Mudgee and Merimbula and I have tried to apply that as I have come up here to Dapto and we are seeing blessings because of it, I mean that is how we found H____ through tracting and service. I was wondering a lot this past week though about why on my mission have I been called to do so much service for people and then I read and remembered my Patriarchal Blessing. It mentions quiet a few times in my blessing that as I go throughout my life I will have the opportunities to serve people and help them out in there lives as a Priesthood holder. I also come to think about King Benjamin and the type of King and leader he was. How he taught us to serve with those around us and help out and that while we are in the service of our fellow being we are only in the service of our God. I love that and I have seen on my mission soften people's hearts and soften my heart the most. As we go around sharing the Gospel a lot of people are turned off because of who we are but at times I am prompted to extend service to these people and you can see there countenance change. As we do service for them there perception and view on missionaries becomes different and better. At times we might not end up teaching those people or baptising them but they come to enjoy and love the missionaries more. Haha planting those seeds! That's what we do!:) It also made me think about Jesus Christ and how great of a servant He is to His Father and does everything that He is asked. How He preached and established His Gospel through serving others. I think of how Christ washes the feet of His Disciples because He loves them and He is teaching us. In the world these days people see these types of acts and serving others as embarrassing or degrading but man oh man how wrong they are. The world is corrupted and lost and as we serve others our lights shines to show others the way to happiness and light. As we serve we become closer to Christ and our Father in Heaven and that is what we want in this life and I have seen that on my mission so many times how service not only helps in the physical sense or helps the yard but it helps the person in a emotional and spiritual sense even more and those giving the service are changed forever because of the things they do and that is how this Church works through service in whatever calling we have. Serve to the best of your abilities in whatever calling you have and I know and promise yous will be blessed more then you can imagine for that service.

I was on trade-offs with these other two elders and we walked past a shop and they were having a ridiculously cheap clearance sale on suits. They were brand new really nice of brand suits for $70 which normally they are $300+ and haha my black suit doesn't fit anymore and my grey suit is getting very beaten up because I have been wearing it for the last 21 months so I thought I would splurge and buy a new suit for something nice to come home in.:) Ya but the colour light blue. Haha that is the fashion over here in Australia everybody wears light blue suits haha that's there thing. That is mainly what they sale in all the shops over here and so at first I wasn't the biggest fan of the colour but it has grown on me and that was the only colour that they had in my size. What do you guys think? Do yous like the colour?

Blue Suit Group

Mum's Day!!!

So the topic of Mother's Day! Wow can you believe that it's 2 weeks away I pretty much just remember on Sunday and then though HOLY COW!!! We get to Skype!!!:) I was super excited haha cuz I kind of forget and then I was like wow I need to organize it with some of the members and everything and then let you guys know so that is my project this week to figure it all out so I can let you guys know next P-Day so haha standby on all the details and we will let you know okay?! Man so excited can't believe it's already time to Skype again seems like yesterday I was with Tingey in Merimbula and the Shoobridge's Skyping and now it's Mother's Day and we get to Skype again. So excited but it will for sure be on your guys Mother's Day so the day after over here on Monday. I am thinking we will try to shoot for around 10 am here so that is 6 pm over there right? Let me know if that works and if not when would be a better time and we will figure it all out don't worry it will all work out and we will have a great Skype for the last time on the mission. How crazy is that?! And then think the next time we will see each other will be in the SLC airport in a few short months. Haha how many days Mum? (83 but who's counting :-) Haha just kidding don't tell me I don't want to know yous can keep it to yourselves.:) It will be great to Skype and guess what else Mum I get to speak on Mother's Day here in the Dapto Ward. How special!!! Haha they only gave me 10 minutes to talk and I told them that will be hard to keep it under 10 mintues because I have so much to say about my awesome Mum!:) Haha I will let you know how it goes.:) Well I am glad things are all going well back home and am grateful to finally have some time to write you guys a decent email. Mum you asked a couple weeks ago about a coat for a missionary coming to the mission. Haha first off how lucky he is going to love it here!! When does he come and what is his name? As for a coat I have only worn that big one that I got a couple of times on my mission I have mostly just worn a long sleeve white shirt and a little rain jumper most of the time and it keeps me good. So he probably doesn't need to bring a big one like we did but for sure a few jumpers (sweater & jackets) :) haha aussie words and a rain jacket as well. :) Let me know if they have anymore questions he is going to love President and Sister Bingham we have heard great things about them and excited to meet them when the time comes. Alright I gotta get going we are playing some touch footy for p-day today with all the Elders so super pumped for that!!:) Let me know any questions or anything I can do for you guys loves yous all and remember haha

HOLD TO THE ROD AND NEVER LET GO!!!!:) Also GO Jazz!!! Some members have been keeping me informed about them and man that is so exciting!!! Let's hope they can beat the Warriors.:) Let me know how it goes Dad. Thanks! Love yous all so much and thanks for everything me and Elder Paie are going to be great freinds and have a blast together!:) Love yous all have a great week!

Love Elder Stott