Elder Dalton Stott: The Gospel What a Blessing

HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO!!!!!!!!

Man where does it all go?! This week thankfully I have a bit more time to write to you guys and tell yous about the last 2 weeks since last week I didn't have much time but man oh man what an amazing tender mercy last week to be able to hang out with the Shoobridge's one last time before I come home. Man oh man I love that family so much and they definitely are a part of my family always and forever. Haha so don't be surprised if they one day just rock up on the door and stay for a couple months for vacation.:) It was so great to see them one last time and do things with them that we all love to do like go on an awesome hike and play squash and card games and have a BBQ. It was so special that they came all this way about 4-5 hours just to spend one last day with me and to say goodbye. You know the incomprehensible joy that they talk about in the Book of Mormon I have been feeling lately from all of the love and support from close friends and members over here and even more from my Father in Heaven through the Holy Ghost. Every night when I finish my prayer before I go to bed I sit there for a few seconds to listen to the Spirit and as of late He has just been telling me Thank You and how proud He is of me. I am just so full of joy and happiness and gratitude and humility because the Lord has blessed me so much for the service that i have been trying so hard to give back to Him. I love my calling as a full-time missionary and I just hope with all my heart that when I return home that my name-bag will be written on my heart never to be removed because I owe everything to Him.

This week has been great!

Very busy and flown like always. We got to meet President and Sister Bingham this past week on Wednesday in a mission conference up in Mortdale. We also got a five minute interview with each of them. It was so great to meet them and they are awesome!!! To be honest it was a bit weird though to not see President and Sister Back but it is a new era for the ASSM and soon they will be getting rid of all of us 'trunky' missionaries :) and continuing to move on to new adventures. President and Sister Bingham are great and they will be great for this mission! It has been great to be able to meet them and to work with them for the last little bit of my mission. They have that "Greenie" fire that I remember I had when I first came into the field. Haha man it is so weird to say that and think about because i still feel like I have only been out for a couple months but man I am that "Old Fart" :) in the mission and it's almost time for me to come home. How excited I am to see all of you guys and hang out with you guys but like you guys know i have very mixed emotions and I get very emotional now when I think or talk about it so we will move on to the next subject.

The other days of the weeks we have been very busy with me dealing with District Leader duties and Elder Paie dealing with Zone Leader duties that seems to keep us very busy and now with just 4 missionaries in the ward we stay busy with the members and doing as much as we can and finding and everything we stay busy and are trying our best to sprint to the finish line. That is something that me and Elder Paie talked about at the beginning of this transfer because both of us are in leadership and we have all this knowledge and experience we have been trying to share as much as it as we can with the other missionaries especially with those in our district and the Sisters in the ward. Man it's so crazy and I know I have talked about it before but it always blows me away the friendship that the 4 of us have here in Dapto ward. We are all so different coming from different backgrounds 2 of us being converts and the other 2 being raised in a faithful family. One from Tahiti, one from Malaysia, with one from Iowa, and me from Utah. Whenever we meet up together we always have so much fun just like we have been all best friends for years but yet we have only known each other for a couple months. I also think about my relationship with my best friend my companion Elder Paie. I always wanted a companion from the Islands. He is such a great guy and the plans that all 4 of us have after the mission to meet up will be so much fun! It will be so sad in 2 weeks when we will have to separate but just like you always say Mom, "It's not goodbye, just catch ya later." :) Haha but it doesn't make the goodbyes any easier.

Bestie Elder Paie

The Gospel What a Blessing

That is actually why I labelled my letter what I did. Me and Elder Paie were talking last night because we had a very Spiritual and personal experience actually the 4 of us yesterday that made me and Elder Paie talking last night. Like always we got in bed at 10:30 and said our prayers lights out and everything but we just kept talking last night while we were laying in bed. I think we talked till about 12:30-1 o'clock about how amazing and what a blessing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. So many things that bring us so much peace, joy, happiness, hope, comfort, support, love and so many other things in this life. How amazing and real God's love is for each and everyone of us and how amazing the Plan of Happiness is. I think we as members take for granted because I know I do what the Plan of Salvation teaches us. I mean this truth that we know answers 3 major questions in this life. Concerning where we came from? Why we are here? And where we are going? Think about that...What if you didn't know the things you knew and someone very close to you passed away. How would you coop? What if you were holding a new born baby in your hands and you thought how did it all come to be but you came up blank and had no idea. What about not having knowledge of the Atonement. Knowing that no unclean thing can dwell with God and you make a mistake you slip up. With no knowledge of the Atonement it would all be over there would be no point in keeping on going. What about Prayer and Faith going through trails and hardships is hard enough relying on God and seeking comfort through Prayer and the Scriptures and knowing that everything will turn out okay. But think about going through a trial without any of that. I think about my trial with depression and if I didn't have God and Jesus Christ to be there if I didn't have the knowledge of them that they are there in my life always to help me, love me and help me remember that I am a Son of God. Me and Elder Paie were talking about that last night because of experiences that we have had. Man oh man it humbled me so much and made me so beyond grateful for who I am and for what I am doing in my life. My life is not easy just like you said Mom I have gone through trials on my mission that you guys know not about but that is okay because I have my best friend Jesus Christ who knows and has been through everything for me. I turn to Him everyday and every time I have a hard time and He without a doubt is always there to help, love, and support. This Gospel is so amazing and that is my challenge to all of you guys this next few days is to look for the Gospel working in your life and take a minute to stop and be grateful and praise God for what you have in your life. What a blessing the Gospel is in my life because of it that is why I have been here in Australia for 2 years constantly getting beat down and rejected because that is what God has asked me to do and I will always Go and Do what He commands. My mission has changed me so much and I think only God and me will ever know really what has happened how much I have changed these last 2 years over here in this land among the Austalianites. :) I love you all so much!! Have the bestest week ever because I am going to have the best 2 weeks ever!!!! Sprint to the end and we'll catch you in the Airport mate!:) Loves yous all and always remember HOLD TO THE ROD AND NEVER LET GO!!!!

Love Elder Stott