Crunch Time

Life is still crazy, being a zone leader is definitely a lot different than being a district leader, a ton more work and things to deal with. I love helping others, so I'm not letting it get to me. Our mission has about 2400 baptisms for the year, the goal is 3000. We're still going for it, President Winn knows we can reach it, all the church leaders here know we can still get it. The month of December is going to be a crazy month, CRAZY! 

This past week was rough, trying to find people to teach and have lessons. We have good investigators now, and so we know things will be better, miracles will be raining down this next month! Everything else is fine, we're getting dinners now, that's exciting. Thanksgiving was great, the member we live with did a terrific job. The picture is of me and his dog, named Dude, playing catch in the backyard. This is my last time seeing Elder Fifita before he left for Tonga, I was so sad.

My emails will be filled with miracles from here on out, so definitely stay tuned for what will go down.

LOVE,

Elder Scotty

Quick Email

I'm serving now in the West zone as zone leader with Elder Byrd, who is from Mississippi. He is the former assistant to President Winn, and has only two transfers left in his mission. Intimidated by serving with the former assistant...definitely. I know this will be the best transfer of my mission, we get along great and I know I'll learn tons from him. We serve over the YSA (Young Single Adults) Taylorsville Stake, which covers a huge area. Right now President Winn is working on getting us the whole stake, because currently the stake straddles our mission and the south salt lake mission, so we may be picking up a few more wards down into Taylorsville. How I love going into the south mission!

Being a zone leader is humbling, to say the least. I didn't expect to be called to this position, I didn't expect to leave Tooele. I hope I can do a good job, I've seen zone leaders in the past that I haven't been fond of, and I really hope I don't become like them. I just want to help other missionaries and have them know that I love them, I do not want to become an overbearing leader that those I serve don't trust. Our baptism goal for the mission is 3,000 for the year, right now were a little  under 2,400. President Winn still knows we can do it, I know we can, but man, did he have to make me a zone leader at this time of the year! HA! The pressure's on!

Sorry no pictures, I haven't even unpacked my belongings, I'm still digging into suit cases every morning for things. There's just no down time, ever. Serving with YSA is going to be a blast, everyone is pumped and excited about missionary work, and I know miraculous things will come in the next few weeks.

Love,

Elder Scotty

Transfers...No Worries

I should be staying here, I think I'll be district leader here. Tooele is great, this Tuesday in the evening we're going to temple square with the family that is on date for the end of the month, I'm pretty pumped. I know they're going to cry during the family forever exhibit, which will make me cry, it'll just be one big happy mess of tears :)

 

We have met some  great potential this past week, people that look like they are ready for the Gospel, so the rest of the year should be exciting.

 

We spoke again this Sunday, in the ward we live in, Skyline. It's the closest thing to a home ward I have right now, so I felt extra special speaking to everyone. How I love the members here, we already have great relationships with many in both stakes. Next week we have another talk lined up, and other wards are planning on getting us to speak. It's still makes me a little nervous. Before my mission I thought talking was easy, but I never thought about what it was the Spirit wanted me to talk about. Now, I pray and try my best to speak on what the congregation may need to hear, and how to say it and all that. Sometimes it's not until the evening before the talk that scriptures and ideas start coming together in my mind. Speaking has definitely helped to make me more humble, realizing it's not Scotty talking, but a servant of Jesus Christ.

 

Christmas....letters would be nice, I haven't received much in the past few months. I usually wouldn't care, but with another greenie companion that gets mail from family, girlfriend, and others every week, it gets a little sad not having any :( SO! What you can get for me mother, is having everyone write me a letter for christmas! That way I'll have letters to write back on a p-day!

 

Thanksgiving is stacked. I feel for missionaries is foreign lands that don't get it. We have a breaksfast at an awesome bishop's home, then a meal at 3pm with a family that has a son serving his mission in the Portland, Oregon Mission, and finally we wrap up with a family at 5pm...oooooh yeah! Christmas is also lined up too! Breakfast, lunch, dinner!

 

Take care everyone, and let me know how life is in those letters you send me!

 

LOVE,

 

Elder Scotty

Pictures:

Halloween night! This is the Wilson family, they live two doors down from us, she cut my hair my first week here, and we've become really good friends with the entire family!

Elder Owen and I went on a trip with one of our ward mission leaders to the top of this mountain last Monday. You could see everything from up here! We could see seven temples, from Bountiful down to Provo!

The top of the mountain we were on, and a picture of Provo! If you look closely, you can SEE the "Y" on the mountain! Hello Provo, Elder Warczak loves you all!

 

In the mission field we have what are called DVR's "Driving Vehicle Reports" which are reports on the miles we drive, and the gas we fill up with using the mission credit card assigned to each car. At the end of the month we put this report with all our receipts in an envelope and turn them into Elder Hunt, the senior missionary assigned to maintain all mission vehicles. I ALWAYS decorate my envelope to him, and we get a kick out of each other when ever we see each other at the office! Well, this last month, we went WAY over on our miles! I felt somewhat bad, knowing that it's important to do our best to stay within the miles alloted to us, but then I didn't feel bad, for the first three reasons I mentioned on the envelope. Anywho, I got extra creative this month and drew him my best envelope yet! I was a little liberal when coloring my hair, how I wish I had that much! HA!

 

 

The Lord is Blessing Us :)

I'll share two things with you all briefly.

 

First Miracle:

 

A family that has been taught previously by other missionaries here in the area accepted baptism for the end of the month! Mom, dad, and two daughters! We talked with them last week about what they would like to have a lesson on, and they asked to discuss baptism...my favorite topic! I was pretty nervous about it, this really was a make or break lesson in my mind. We started preparing the lesson plan two days in advance, making sure we knew exactly who was doing what and sharing what scripture, down to the T. My heart was pounding driving out to their home in Stockton! I was excited and scared at the same time. Once we started the lesson, it all fell into place, the spirit was there, and they accepted the invitation to be baptized November 26th. This family, is by far the most prepared of any investigators I've ever had! The father loves the Book of Mormon, and knows by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true! The mother attended the Relief Society General Broadcast, and adored President Uchtdorf's "Forget Me Not" address! Both the young daughters have been wanting to be baptized, they all have amazing testimonies! They have concerns about not being fully ready for baptism, because it is such a big step and change to one's life, but we asured them, as we will continue to do, that this is what their Heavanly Father wants them to do!

 

Second Miracle:

 

A relief society president gave us a few names to visit in the ward. One was a Catholic family that the ward had taken dinner to before. They were nice, but not interested in hearing our message. We ran into this family later on at the ward Halloween party, their member neighbor invited them and they had a good time there! This morning, the same relief society president called and informed us the member neighbor to this family told her that they would like to come to church with her, and when the neighbor asked if we could come and see the family, they agreed! We see the mother tomorrow morning with the relief socity president, and from what we're told, it sounds like we will be able to begin sharing the Gospel with them!

 

 

I'm so pumped! Some other good things are happening in the two stakes here as well. We've spoken a few times on Sunday, and are speaking again this Sunday and also the following one, busy busy busy! The snow is here, I'm sad this is my last winter as a missionary. The transer ends in a little over a week and then just one more transfer until the new year, the year that I finished my mission, 2012!!! It's creeping up on me, I want to go out this year and into the new one with a spiritual bang!

 

LOVE,

 

Elder Scotty 

Quick email!

I have a lunch appointment with an investigator in t-minus 13 minutes! We have to email at the stake center, and it's only open for two hours. The whole zone comes here, and today we got here a little late and every computer was in use.

 

Answers mother:

 

1) Christmas? I have no idea what I want, hair is still on the list, but santa's been ignoring that request a few years now. I'll think about it some more

 

2) Yes, we eat dinner practically every night with a member, I'm at the point where I need to call the day before and say "no dessert please" cake, ice cream, and pie every night is not going to do me any good, especially this time of year.

 

Our baptism Saturday went great, I have pictures, but the camera man was far away and didn't zoom, so they didn't turn out well. I'll take a picture with the two kids this week and get it to you all next week. Tooele is still amazing, many many Halloween parties this past week, I am so stuffed of chilli the thought of meat and beans makes me ponder my chemo days and how I felt then :)

 

Wish I had more time, but I have to run, the Lord's work comes first, and this investigator is so close to baptism!

 

Love,

 

Elder Scotty

Southern Baptist and a Hospital Visit

Pics: 

Elder Burkard and I reunited! He's my zone leader! My apologies mother, I realized afterwards that I folded my arms in these pictures. So when you say, "Why is he folding his arms, he looks like a doofus?!?" don't worry, I am fully aware of my doofyness.

The baptism from last week with the sisters that began teaching them

 

Elder Owen and I, my second trainee

 

 

This week we met with Danielle, our Southern Baptist gal. She is a nurse and she is a hoot! We met with her at the bishop's home, and had one of the best lessons I've had thus far. She has amazing questions, she knows her bible very well. She definitely won't be someone I can just say the words to and she'll nod her head up and down, she'll pull out scriptures and compare them with what the Book of Mormon and we are teaching. She is prepared, she just doesn't realize it yet. Heavenly Father has been shaping her life in such a way that she has come to this point. I bore the most powerful testimony of the restoration of the gospel and The Book of Mormon I ever have. Tears coming down my face, she started to cry as well. My goodness gracious. She has read nearly all of the first book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon on her own, and so far as she can tell it's not "the devil's book" like everyone says it is :) She is excited to meet with us again.

 

Later in the week, a ward mission leader called and said a member of the ward was in the ICU with a heart condition. We were not able to go that day, but had to go the next. As we entered the ICU, lo and behold, Danielle is sitting there at the front desk! We talked with her and then went in to the sick member's room to give her a blessing. In the evening we stopped by the the fellowshipping bishop's home to tell them about the fun run in with Danielle earlier. Sister Clayson, bishop's wife, told us Danielle just texted her ten minutes prior to us coming over. Sister Clayson said that was Danielle's first day in ICU, that she normally wouldn't even have been there since she just became a registered nurse not too to long ago...coincidence??? I think NOT!

 

This week I also had exchanges with Elder Willnauer, a member of mtc distrcit 14E. He's my district leader, and how fun it was to be with him. We talked about the mtc and how far we've come since then and all the crazy things that have happened to us. I stick with my conviction that no mtc distrcit has ever been as close as mine, we are all best buds!

 

Everything else is going well, I still love Tooele. We spoke in a ward yesterday and will be speaking in another this upcoming Sunday. With 15 wards, I'm sure we'll be speaking a lot more in the next few months! I'm still feel excited about missionary work, I still have tons of time, but I feel like I'm on my A-game as far as doing what I have been called to do.

 

Love,

 

Elder Scotty

 

I thought I was Serving in Tooele?

This past week I had to travel to Salt Lake City three times! New missionary training, zone conference, and then my cancer check-up. Lots of driving!

 

Yup, still cancer free. There was small new dot in my lungs that wasn't there before. It's too small for the doctors to know anything about it, they informed me it's not an uncommon thing, it's most likely nothing at all. Instead of seeing them in 8 months I will see them again in 4 months, February 13th, to make sure that dot isn't anything serious.

 

Our baptism Saturday was a well-attended, spiritual feast. I'll get a picture of it here next week. The two boys, Jaiden and Gavin have such strong testimonies. I've only known them two weeks, but I'll be staying in touch with them after my mission for sure.

 

We have some exciting new developments happening. A woman who grew up Southern Baptist wants to meet with us. Her fellowshipping family is the bishop of the ward; his wife and this woman work together. How excited I am to meet her this week! A woman who has a son on his mission in Everett Washington says that his best friend, who is not a member, would like to meet with us as well and learn about the church. We'll be seeing him this week too! People will come out of no where, as we do our best, Heavenly Father will provide for us.

 

I'll let you know how everything turns out, we have many other people who are soooo close to embracing the fullness of the gospel! Good things will happen this week.

 

Love,

 

Elder Scotty