May 7th

I'll probably call about 4 o'clock my time, that's when we're done with our church stuff. I would love to have my own room, sharing is no fun, at liberty square I had roommates that would sleep all afternoon, or come in early in the morning and wake me up, I think it would be nice to have my own clean room where I could sit at my desk and read and not worry about people coming in and out :) As you may see, my social desires have diminished greatly, all I want to do is get A's and learn...oh yeah...and find a hot wife! If a place had a washer and dryer that would be nice too. I don't mind going to laundry mats, so it's your call, I know it probably cost much more to have an apartment with that luxury.

Glad the trip here was enjoyable. It was fun thinking my entire family was 20 minutes away from me. I am not training, none of us elders going home are, which is surprising. I am with Elder Tiensuu, an elder from Finland. He speaks great english, and has been out for 20 months. (they learn english over there in school).

My living place changed, I now live by Westminster college. I still serve in the Holladay area, so I'm quite far, we have to get on the freeway to get to our area.

I'm very excited to see you. I don't feel too to trunky, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not thinking about home and am not looking forward to it. The baptisms went well, I forgot my camera, but then again, I'll just show you in 5 weeks

Talk to you on Sunday! (no skype this time, just plain old phone call)

Elder Scotty

April 30

Another good week, only 6 more.

 it's strange thinking my next companion is my last one! crazy!

We spoke in one of the wards Sunday, it was a good one :) The east side continues to be a challenge, but it's fun. Everything else is going well, no complaints. How funny that all of you will be here in SLC, and I'll be 20 minutes away! 

Not too much time to write today, I gotta get going! P-day is hectic! Take care Fam, I love you!

Elder Scotty

April 23

The sun is shining! How glorious it is to see my skin glisten with sweat as it soaks in the rays. Hello missionary tan lines, it's so good to see you again! We had a great miracle this week. A woman in the area called the local bishop, and informed him she had been researching the LDS church online and wants to learn more and become a member of the church! She was jogging by the church building one evening, and had the impression to go in and get the information for the bishop. The church was opened, as it must have been for meetings and interviews. The bishop and his family bought for her a set of scriptures with her named engraved on them, and gave her a Preach My Gospel manual. We will be meeting with her this week. Miracles baby, BOO-YAH!

Today, on our preparation day, the zone goes bowling at Fat Cats. It's free for us missionaries on the east side, and so it's part of the schedule. How I love to bowl! And it gives us a reason to wear jeans and a t-shirt, double bonus! I have indeed lost some of my skills acquired from my bowling class at BYU, but it's getting there. 

Funny highlight of the week. We were out visiting members on a certain street, and a woman and her grandchildren were outside playing. As one of the kids yelled out for their Grandma, I greeted her coming up the driveway with the same, "Hey Grandma!" She was very pleasant. She said the home was her and her husband's, but that her daughter's family lived there right now, as she and her husband lived down in Provo. I mentioned I attend BYU, and so would be going back there soon. I then asked her what they were doing down in
Provo? She mildly said, "Oh, my husband works down at BYU" and left it at that. I inquired as to what it was he did down there, and she replied, "He's the president." Silence for a few seconds on my part as I thought on this....and then it hit me! "Wait, like...President Cecil Samuelson!?!" "Yup, that's us." Oh boy! Yeah, I totally know where good old Cecil lives!

Life is good, no complaints. Last week of the transfer is upon me, and come next week...IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOOOWN!!!

LOVE,

Elder Scotty

April 16

We finally got a piece of the pie! Things are definitely looking up for us here in the Holladay area. We have some good leads and have a lot of things in motion. I'm for sure staying here the next 8 weeks, I think my companion will leave and I'll be a trainer. With the creation of the new missions here in Salt Lake, the church is pumping missionaries in like crazy to get ready for the split. In May we're receiving 30 missionaries, and come June an additional 40 missionaries! So yeah, chances are....I'll have one more greenie!

Everything else is fine and dandy, with only two months left, i feel like I've said all I could say. I have that attitude of, "I'll see my family and friends in 8 weeks...I'll talk to them when i get home." But I know my mother wouldn't like that, so I'll keep on typing!

We should have some more people to teach this week, I'm excited for the month of May, we'll for sure have some baptisms.

Love you all,

Elder Scotty

April 10

My last zone conference, weird. Elders Calderwood and Willnauer are in my zone, two of my original MTC buddies, so the three of us shared our testimonies. All three of us didn't have much to say, as we still have two months left, so our comments were short and brief. The members in my area are still great, they have such a strong desire to do missionary work. Easter Sunday was nice. The weather was amazing, and a woman and her children came to church that we have been meeting with! The mother is a less-active member, and she has five children, two of which are old enough to be baptized. She feels and recognizes the spirit, and knows she needs the church again in her life. Her children are great, the oldest boy is 11, and then follows three sisters and the baby brother. We have a blast seeing them.

The work continues on, it doesn't feel like it's almost over, I feel like I'll be here all summer, June seems so far away. If anyone is to send me anything right now, a jar of quarters would be most appreciated! I have been spoiled my entire mission when it comes to laundry. My first area I had a wonderful member do my laundry for me at her home, and since then I have been blessed with a washer and dryer in my apartment. In this area we use the laundry-mat next to our apartment and my quarter stash I have saved up my entire mission has nearly vanished! Hahaha how blessed I am to have to worry about quarters only, when so many missionaries in the world have to beat their clothes on a rock and boil a pot of water to do their laundry (or whatever the heck they have to do!) Yes, Salt Lake City has been good to me.

That's what I got, take care!

LOVE,

Elder Scotty

April 2

Conference was amazing. I'm pretty sad it was my last one as a missionary, I feel like those sessions of conference while wearing the black name tag will be very fond memories for me the rest of my life. I attended the Saturday AM, Priesthood, and Sunday PM sessions. Priesthood I was up in the balcony with an investigator, but the other two sessions I was right up front. I was very moved by Elder Holland and Hales addresses. The two were back to back, and flowed beautifully together for me. This church is true, no other organization on the earth comes even close to what the church is capable of, it has to be divinely led.

I shook hands with many members of the seventy. This morning we went to the temple, and in there with us was Elder Wilson, the elder that introduced his talk with the story of telling his wife to slow the car down, and telling her he had the right to tell her how to drive because he was her husband and held the priesthood :)

Great experience, glad I had the opportunity so many times on the mission to go see it live. Just as important as that, is the fact that I don;t have to wear my suit jacket during proselyting time! Only church and other meetings! Hello short sleeve white shirts!

The Holladay area has proven a worthy opponent. The work was slow this past week, with many people denying the blessings of the Gospel in their lives with words like, "GO AWAY!...YOU F***IN MORMONS!....HAVE FUN IN HELL!" Yeah, it's a blast. But the members here are incredible! Wow am I impressed with them. They try so hard to reach out to others and get rejected as well. It will happen, miracles will come.

10 weeks left, all the jokes from elders are coming out about me going home soon. It's an odd feeling being an old timer missionary, there's only my group and the one going home this transfer who know President Sonne, the former mission president. Next Monday is my last zone conference, where they have all the missionaries going home before the next zone conference share their testimony. It seemed so far away, and know I'm the one having his last zone conference.

Everything else is well, I'm loving life. Take care everyone!

Love,

Elder Scotty

March 26

Transfers came and went. I was released from leadership and am told to focus on my new area and helping my companion. I am now serving in the Holladay and Holladay South Stakes, here on the east side of Salt Lake. This is like a new world to me. Spending most my mission in West Valley and then the Nepali program with refugees, I am now surrounded by rich white people! Church yesterday was fun. I counted how many fancy cars were in the parking lot. For your information there were:

BMW: 8

Mercedes: 5

Luxury Lexus: 6

Audi:4

Porsche: 4

Range Rover: 2

And that was one ward!

My new companion is Elder Mbawa. He was born in West Africa, and recently his family located to San Jose, CA. His father is living in Germany, he works at the embassy there. His entire family is LDS, he has an amazing testimony. As far as missionary work goes, the east side will be a challenge. We have met many non-members, and all of them have shown ZERO interest in the Gospel :)

On a lighter note, my last day in Evanston, we went and ate at the the Main St. Deli. The owners are members and feed us for free, how I love them both! I told them I wanted to do the wing challenge, which very few people had been able to conquer. The challenge was 10 wings in 25 minutes. I hammered the first one down, it wasn't that bad. By the time I finished the second wing and looked down at 8 more to go, I was done. Those wings were, by FAR, the hottest things my mouth has ever known! It wasn't just a "wow this is too intense" kind of hot, this was a "my entire body is aching with pain! My face is going numb! My arms are tingling! My senses are bouncing off the wall! The room is spinning and I see a light at the end of a tunnel!" hot! It was hilarious for all in attendance, I invited the other two elders in Evanston to witness it. I suffered for the next two days. Will I ever do something like that again? Absolutely not! Was it worth it...absolutely yes!

I'm pumped for conference. I'll be down in front. If you were standing at the podium, I would be to your left. My mission has flown by, and with April on the horizon, I think it's going to hit me sometime in the third week of the month that I only have one full month left in the field, and come June, it's time to pack up.

Miracles will come, I'm too motivated and happy for them not to. We're working hard, and doing our best to work with the members.

Take Care,

Elder Scotty