Happy Easter!

The week has been a slow one. Our translator, Vishma, hasn't been available to us this past week much. And when I say not available, I mean, he didn't feel like coming out with us at all! Hahaha oh man it was a hoot trying to teach lessons this week, I did a ton of singing and dancing, just to make the Nepali people laugh! MY companion's a stiff guy, so it was just me, but that's fine with me,  don't share the dance floor with anyone!

This Sunday I'm not sure what my plans will be. I could be here or I could be somewhere else, pray it's not Wyoming! I'm not a cowboy, I hear it's a great place to serve, but I just don't have it in me!

I really love my district, it'll be sad if I leave. On Thursday for lunch, in between district meeting and weekly planning, I had bought pizza supplies, and we made pizzas in the church kitchen. The rain here is coming down hard, I need May to be here! My birthday is just a couple of weeks away. Birthday wishes....none really, sunshine and a companion that wants to run in the morning! And of course more people to teach the restored gospel to!

We had a real blessing this Sunday. As I've expressed in past emails, the ride situation and getting Nepali to church has been driving me insane. Well, the Haven Ward has recently been assigned new service missionaries, Elder and Sister Hill. They have been asking Bishop for Nepali families they can be assigned to, but Bishop hasn't had any to assign. With our new Nepali families that are desiring to come to church regularly, Bishop assigned the Hills to them. They said they could help with rides, and when I asked them how many they could fit in their cars my mouth dropped. "We have an eight passenger car, and also another that can fit four." YES!!!!! I can get twelve more Nepali to church every Sunday, huzzah!!!! Watch, I'm going to get transferred out now, haha whatever happens with me in irrelevant, I'm just excited that now more Nepali people can be helped. We have five baptisms for this weekend. The "S" family of four are getting baptized with another Nepali family that live in the south mission. The two families are two brothers, so they want to do it together. The baptism will be in the south mission, so we'll get to go to that. Cool huh, how many missionaries get to go into another mission and have baptisms?!? The other baptism is a woman that has been coming to the Haven ward on and off for a year. She is the apartment manager for South Parc, a place where a ton of refugees live. She knows the Bishop very well and many of the ward members that live in South Parc. She told Bishop she wanted to be baptized before Easter, and so we're going to be teaching her everyday this week and hopefully she'll be ready for Saturday! She's a great woman, I helped Bishop give her a blessing a few months back, I think she's ready!

With Easter, remember our Savior and all He did and continues to do for us. Jesus Christ lives, and He is at the head of this church and work that I am a part of!

 

Love,

Elder Scotty Warczak

The Sun is Out...What?

Finally the sun is shining upon us here in Salt Lake! So what is new with the Nepali people, well, I'll tell you! All the ones we are working with are still forever away from the Haven ward, so rides are still an ongoing issue. We were able to get two cars for this Sunday, so we had 8 Nepali come to church, but it will be a challenge trying to make it an every week thing. I hope the process for a branch can speed up, because once the Nepali get one, watch out! Baptisms galore! Transfers are next Wednesday, I'm indifferent as to whether I stay or go, I'd hate to leave the Nepali in the hands of someone new, but then I have been there 4 1/2 months. Either way has it's positives and negatives.

 

I'm still enjoying being a district leader. I love weekly training and making posters, and singing primary songs. Everyone really has a good and uplifting time! This past week we had a baptism by technicality! An eight year old boy named Oscar, that my former companion and I taught a few times, was getting baptized. We taught him after dinner when we were at his grandma's house about baptism, because at the time he was only seven. The bishop did his interview, and went to check his mom's records downtown, but alas, they were not to be found! The mom is a very less active lady, and so wasn't too upset about it. Oscar has been talking about baptism forever! And he was going to be baptized with his best friend Juan! So with neither parent as a member of the church, "technically" Oscar needed to be handled as a convert. So bishop called us up, we set up the interview, and Oscar was baptized Saturday! A very bright kid, and he's very well known and loved in the Haven ward, where he comes to church with grandma. All these other Nepali we are teaching want to get baptized, so hopefully we have those happen in the next few weeks, as long as we can get them to church!

 

Our goal as a mission is 3,000 baptisms this year. As of the end of March, we had 760 baptism, 1/4 of 3,000 in the first quarter of the year. Right on track! It's exciting to be a part of it, last year the goal was 2,500, and we only had around 2,300. Our president has hit us hard with faith and using it, and expecting miracles to happen as we do our best to serve. Well, miracles are happening all around the mission, and I fully expect to hit over 3,000 baptisms this year. Who would of ever thought, 3,000 in a place like Salt Lake City, Utah!?! It's going to happen, this is my only full year as a missionary, I don't want to miss this! Everything else is going well, no crazy stories to share. I ate at Moochies again this past week, those Philly sandwiches still blow my mind! The cool black woman I told you all about a few weeks back got up and spoke in church on Sunday, and the entire time I felt like a "HALLELUJAH" or "PRAISE JESUS" was going to be yelled over the pulpit! Sadly my aspirations did not take fruition, but it was still a sight to hear and see nonetheless!

 

More of my friends have entered the bonds of marriage as of recently. At the top of that list would be my dear dear friend, Sean Harvey, who served his mission in my forefather's land of Poland. Hey Sean, when I'm done, it's you, your wife, me, and a girl yet to be chosen, going on a road trip to see Dave Matthews in concert!!!!

 

Love you all, the church is true

 

Elder Scotty

Conference, WOW!

General Conference this past weekend was superb, I learned a great deal. I only started losing focus during Elder Hoyos, but he was hard to understand anyways! My favorite talks were by Elder Oaks discussing desires, Elder Scott talking about his wife (HOW much longer until I'm done with my mission!?! I gotta get married and have a wife like that! Hahaha!) And of course Elder Christofferson just throwing it down, and how we ARE commanded to be perfect! Give it to us straight D. Todd! I saw my roommate last year, Brandon Robertson! How I love him so! I saw a few random people here and there, mainly in passing by them. I'm sure others were around, but I was more concerned with when the next session of conference was starting.

 

Yesterday was also zone conference, so I'm just "conferenced" out, my brain is running on nothing! Yesterday we sung happy birthday to the elders and sisters with birthdays occurring before next zone conference, which is in July. Is my birthday really in 5 weeks? We have found many new Nepali people, I am confident much good will come from these new blessings. I'm still thrilled to teach people about Christ, especially people who have never heard about Christ! I'm still working on teaching simply who Christ was and why He is so important to someone who isn't even christian, but it's exciting, nonetheless.

 

I did hear about the newly discovered ancient records found on metal plates, but thanks for the link anyways dad, saved me some time looking it up! How awesome is that. Hard evidence and facts won't convert anyone to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, only the spirit can do that, but still, it surpasses all my understanding how there are men and women out there that will still declare that Joseph Smith was a fraud, and his story of "records written on gold plates" and bound by metal rings is nothing but fictional. Oh well, Christ raised the dead and healed the afflicted on countless occasions in front of others, and the people still crucified Him. I'm reminded of the account in the New Testament, where Christ heals the withered hand of a man on the Sabbath, and after witnessing it the pharisees counseled how they might destroy Him. Proof does nothing, evidence holds no weight, only the testimony from the Holy Ghost will be the conversion factor for someone. With that said, it is like a fresh breath of air to have artifacts like these new records come forth, and give even more strength to the prophet Joseph Smith and his divinely appointed calling to bring about the restoration of the true church of Jesus Christ.

 

I hope everyone who reads this had a chance to watch conference, and if not, will take the time to view the talks again online at the church website. I'm comforted in knowing I have a living prophet on the earth, and the quorum of the twelve apostles, to lead the church of Christ. So begins another 6 month waiting period until October conference, which I'm sure will arrive as promptly and quickly as this one did.

 

Six More Weeks of Nepali

I am still serving in the Nepali program. Elder Clerveau was transferred, and I am now with Elder Wilkinson. He was just serving in Wyoming, and is happy to be here in Salt Lake. He is from Tennessee, and is a convert to the church, he joined about a year 1/2 ago. I am now a district leader, and I truly am my mom. I have purchased all sorts of things for my trainings, it's going to be like primary class, a lot of fun! I am excited, this will be a good experience for me.

 

As far as our area, we have a hit some new speed bumps. Our main translator is now working at D.I, and is working more and more. Our afternoons have been slow, and we are at the point where we have to knock doors in our one ward we serve in, since we can't do much with the Nepali people. Also, there are many Nepali outside of our immediate area, who we would love to get to church, but with no Nepali branch yet, there are not enough service missionaries to help with rides, and since the local wards where these Nepali people live don't have translation available, we really don't know what to do with them. I'll have to talk with President Winn on this one. Elder Wilkinson and I are trying to learn more Nepali, we are going to start doing language study. Hopefully we can learn much and gain more of the trust from the Nepali, and become greater friends! I'm still excited to be here, but another transfer here would mean another 6 month area. I would be at my year mark with two of those, and I don't think I would like that. That's a long ways off though, so I'm just focusing on this transfer. Elder Wilkinson has not had many baptisms yet, and I want to do my best to give him tons!

 

At transfers we had our mission celebration for breaking those baptism records. We had Elders Clark and Franco of the seventy come talk to us. Apparently Elder Oaks was not available to come, but promised to come and speak to us in the next few months.

 

Perhaps the most interesting thing to happen this week was a dinner appointment with a member. The family just joined the church about a year ago. The father is a chill man, but the wife you can tell definitely used to be part of another church (meaning, the "hallelujah, praise je-SUS, southern preacher style...) My first question to her was about the earthquake in Japan and what's going on with that. Her response, "It's Jesus showing forth his power. The people don't pray and worship him, and so God is sending them and the world a message." WHAT!?! That opened a can of worms. She went on to give us a sermon about gospel related things, I felt like her kitchen had transformed into a chapel! It was one of the craziest conversations I've been a part of as a missionary. She then went on to look at each of us individually and tell us what we were hiding and needed to work on. She told Elder Wilkinson to be happy with who is he and have more confidence in himself. She then looked at me and said, "I haven't quite figured you out...but I got something, you want me to bring it out?" I thought, "Is she going to confess my sins for me? That's my job!" She said something about being myself and this and that. I just went with it, I didn't want to disagree and unleash the fire and brimstone. HA! She actually is a very cool lady, I had a good time with her.

 

I am so sorry I haven't sent any pictures. I've tried playing around with it here at the church library, but I would have to install new software and I don't think I could do that here! I'm trying to be as obedient as I can be, so I don't want to use a member's computer or have them do it for me. Ugh, so sorry, I'm trying to see where else we can email, but we don't have access to any church buildings with a family history center.

 

No baptisms too soon. We have some lined up for the end of March, and early April, but the man for March smokes and drinks, and the April ones we just met last night.

 

Elder Scotty Warczak

Where'd My Fire Go?

March is off to a slow start. We have two Nepali people on date for the 19th, but the husband smokes, which is too bad. We need more Nepalis to come to our area. None of them drive, and since there's no branch we can't do anything to help people get to church, the service missionaries we have are already do so much. Transfers are this Wednesday. Elder Clerveau may stay, but he has been here six months. With the success we had I can see President leaving him here. But I can also see me becoming a trainer. Who knows, I really don't have a preference.

 

But to more positive things, our mission had 88 baptisms last week, which broke the mission record set the week before of 87. We also broke the mission record for baptisms in a month with 283 in February! So this Wednesday, the entire mission is coming together at transfers to celebrate. This is Salt Lake, so who knows what will happen there. We know there will be lunch, but maybe a special guest appearance?!?! Get this! As I and the elders I am with are driving up south temple today,  we turn right, between the conference center and the church library. Sisters Bates and Tagawa, Sisters in our zone, are at the corner. We roll down our windows to talk to them, and they say Elder L. Tom Perry just crossed the street, and they got to shake his hand! We looked towards the conference center, and sure enough, Elder Perry was walking with another man, rocking some blue jeans and an overcoat! Dang it!!!! Another missed chance to meet an apostle!

 

So, conference talk has begun. I hope everyone who is planning on going to conference makes time to see their favorite Elder! To answer my mother's question: No, I'm not learning much Nepali. I know phrases and I'll write things down, but there's really nothing written in Nepali for me to study. For church things, all they have is the old gospel principles book, the articles of faith, and one of the proclamations by the first presidency in Nepali. No dictionaries, no Book of Mormon yet, zilch! So yeah, don't expect me to talk in Nepali anytime soon, I can say basic stuff, and random phrases here and there, but that's it. We really do rely on our translator, and he does a great job. The power of the spirit can still be felt there, even though half the time I'm just smiling and praying things are making sense to investigators. Teaching people who I can't communicate with using words, and having to teach them about Jesus Christ, a person they know nothing about, and why He means so much to their lives, it's a huge undertaking. I wish I could do more, sometimes I feel helpless. But then again, 19 Nepali people were baptized last month, whatever we told them, they felt it. Many of our recent converts were able to go to the temple last Saturday and do work in there, and they all loved it! The church is still true, no matter what language it's being taught in, and what culture the people may have that are hearing it. All of it has a familiar "ring" to them.

 

Well, keep the prayers coming, I'm always in need of them, and hopefully I'll get to see some of you all in a few weeks!

 

Love,

 

Elder Scotty

So February has come to an end. We had 22 baptisms and 19 confirmations, the three "H" boys will be confirmed next week, they had a family emergency that took them away this Sunday. Friday and Saturday were the best days this week. Earlier last week, the same woman from the conference center that called us for the tithing video called again, and she wanted to come out and film Elder Clerveau and I for a few hours, doing "missionary work". On Friday she and a camera crew came and spent a few hours with us. It started off going around to Nepali people and inviting them to the Nepali baptisms later that night. After a few of those is when we turned into models. The camera man had us walk down the sidewalk, then stand and smile with the mountains behind us, and a bunch of "action" shots like that, and then they asked us to take them to a nearby park, where we did more posing and staged missionary work. They said that stuff is for what they B-role, images and footage that go into church archives, and when the church makes a film, they can pull a bunch of things from this archives and use it. With the tithing video they wanted a couple of shots of us to inject into our interviews. I had a good time doing it, but I definitely don't expect to see myself in a video or magazine soon. Sure, maybe elder Clerveau, he's black, but me, I'm the white bald-headed missionary! HAHAHA!!! I think they would get someone a little better looking than that for a cover or a movie! I kept laughing to myself about that idea as the camera man would say, "Alright look back to me, now look back to the mountains, look like you're pondering something, now back to me..."

 

Friday night was special. We had eight Nepalis baptized, and the service was well attended. We had a temple square sister come, Sister Khadgi from Nepal, who helped us with giving tours to our investigators, and she brought a van full of other sisters, I think eight total! There were five brothers who performed the baptisms. Myself, Elder Clerveau, Bishop, our translator, and one of our recent converts. It was awesome seeing him baptize, I hope to have many other of our Nepali brethren receive that opportunity.

Saturday the "H" boys were baptized, another wonderful experience to be a part of. I invited President and Sister Winn to the baptism, and they were able to attend. Seeing the dad baptize his sons was really touching, I shed a few tears.

Right now we don't have any other baptisms lined up, which shouldn't be a surprise, we had 22 of them this month! But I know we can continue having this kind if success, the Lord wants more baptized, and I know if I have faith and continue to work hard, those baptisms will happen.

Another great eat discovered! On state street, right by the court houses, is the restaurant Himalayan Kitchen, straight up Nepali food, but OH so good!!!! We went there after the baptisms Friday with our two main translators, and the place was packed with white people!!! You know it's legit if white people like it!

 

I'm continuing to have the time of my life, things that use to matter don't anymore to me. I heard BYU beat San Diego St. Awesome, but at the time I was only concerned with getting the "H"'s ready for their baptism, and that was a great feeling putting what really mattered as the top priority! March is my district's "FFC: Fit For Conference" month, so hopefully I will look good for those of you that will be there in four weeks! Hey Mom, I love the care packages, but no more chocolate turtles and gardhettos, those are my weaknesses! :)

 

Elder Scotty

I Forgot to Mention...

Tuesday we received a call from our zone leaders to go to the conference center in downtown Salt Lake City and meet someone. We get there, and we noticed that a lot of black sisters from temple square were there. The church is putting together a video on tithing for parts of Africa, and since salt lake's black population is like zero, they had to get missionaries to come and be a part of the video, and since my companion is black, we were summoned upon. We went down into the conference center to the studio and both of us were interviewed individually with all these bright lights on us and a giant green screen behind us. The interviewer asked us all sorts of questions regarding tithing, it was way cool! So yeah, if any of you are ever in Africa, and see a video with Scott Warczak in it, now you know why :)