Christmas was just perfect!

It's been a really awesome week! Christmas was just perfect! It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought that it would be. I mean, I was able to talk to you guys, so what could be better!

We were able to meet with Rashel again this week, the one we have on date for baptism. We taught her the Restoration and we also introduced the word of wisdom. That was the very first time that I had taught it since I've been in the field. So it was a good experience! She drinks coffee and smokes, but she told us she wants to do everything that she can to follow Christ so she should do great! Later that day we met with Adolfo--a very avid smoker. And we taught the word of wisdom again! Haha so I was able to have lots of practice with it.

Something that kinda sucked this week was we had four of our investigators commit to coming to church this week...and none of them showed up. Pretty big bummer. Even Rashel didn't show up! She texted us before church and told us that she's been having lots of problems with her boyfriend, and that she and her daughter wouldn't be able to show up today. So be sure to keep her in your prayers. But we're very hopeful for next week!

Christmas day was great! We got LOTS of food. We went to our ward mission leaders house for breakfast, then to the Hassings for a late lunch/early dinner and of course for skyping! It was soooo good to talk to you guys and actually see you! My memory is kind of starting to fade... haha just kidding...

We got two other new investigators this week. We found them both yesterday! While tracting! One's name is Julia, she's a teenager but she was willing to listen to what we had to say and we were able to have a nice little lesson with her about the Book of Mormon. The other one is name is Lawrence. He's a super cool guy. He's met with the missionaries before and he has a very strong belief in Christ. And he is now reading in the Book of Mormon!

Something really cool happened with one of our investigators, Eric. He's pretty committed to the church he goes to now, and he only wanted to meet with us just out of curiosity and to learn more about the Book of Mormon. He's told us in the past that he doesn't really have an interest to know if it's true. But this last lesson we had with him we asked him again if he wants to know. It took him a while to respond. But the Spirit was able to communicate with him. And he told us that he has that desire to know if it's true. It was pretty amazing to see the change of heart that the Spirit can cause in someone.

It didn't snow at all before Christmas, but, I guess that's okay. This morning we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow!

Also, Elder Pullman and I BOTH survived transfers. We'll both be here in Omak for another 6 weeks! And I'm really happy about that! The only change that was made to our entire zone was one of our zone leaders was transferred. We'll both be here in Omak for another 6 weeks! And I'm really happy about that! The only change that was made to our entire zone was one of our zone leaders was transferred. I guess that's pretty rare.

Christmas was great! I can't believe I've already been out for four whole months! I love being a missionary and being able to see myself grow and mature. I'm so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord and be a representative of Him.

I love you all!

Elder Scott

I WAS dreaming of a white Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! It's been a really great week. Everyone's just gearing up for Christmas day! And I love it!

A lot of really great things happened this week. In fact, something pretty amazing just happened about an hour ago. A member called us up yesterday and told us she wants us to meet a friend of hers today at 10. I mean, it's our p-day. But, we're not going to say no! So we went over there this morning kind of tongue-in-cheek. Her name is Rashel Stanley and she's absolutely golden. We talked a little about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. She loves everything that we talked to her about and she told us she's just so excited. She's preparing to be baptized on January 31. It was amazing how prepared she was to receive this message and it's already providing happiness to her life. 

This last Thursday we went down to tri-cities to the Colombia River Temple for our temple trip! It was so amazing! We did an endowment session there and I enjoyed it so much. I absolutely love the temple! There's such an amazing spirit there. Kennewick was Elder Pullman's first area, so he was really happy to be back. 

We were able to get two new investigators this week. And they we both on the same day and we found them from tracting! Woo hoo for tracting! One is named John. He's just been fired from his job and is going through a lot of pretty tough stuff. But he's very open to hearing the message! Another one is Esperalda. She's a Hispanic lady who's living with her boyfriend right now. She's very sweet and was very welcoming, and her boyfriend doesn't speak any English! So hopefully we can start teaching him as well. 

We were unable to teach Carol this week. She really wanted to come to church yesterday but a few days ago she slipped on her porch and hurt herself pretty badly. So it's kind of hard for her to get around. But we're going to see her tonight and check up on her and teach! So it will be great! 

So, the best part about covering two wards is... TWO CHRISTMAS PARTIES!! Haha we had our other party this last Saturday. None of our investigators showed up... again. But, remember that grandma, daughter and grandaughter who were stranded in the Walmart parking lot and showed up to the other ward party? Well they live in the other wards boundary, so we invited them to this party this past Saturday. And they showed up! We were also able to find where they live and they are very interested in learning more about the church. So we are going to start teaching them this week! 

There is this sweet sister in the ward, Sister Rassmussen and she is just awesome haha. This last week she each gave Elder Pullman and I a hand knitted scarf. She had been working on them for the past for months! And I love it.   

I'm really looking forward to Christmas. The members here are so generous. We've been invited over for three meals on Christmas day. So once again, mom, you don't have to worry.  

It's been snowing a little bit, but not enough to make it stick. It's mainly just been raining. I was really hoping for a white Christmas... oh well! 

I absolutely love Christmas! Especially being a missionary! It's so important to always remember the reason for the season and the love that the Savior has for us. 

Merry Christmas! I love you all!
Elder Scott

Picking up the Pace

Hello Family!

Thankfully the weeks are picking up their pace again. We're staying busy and working hard! We experienced somewhat of a "heat wave" this week. It went up to around 35 degrees which actually made a pretty big difference when we are out tracting. Much better than being out in the single digits. 

We received some pretty bad news last week. We've been volunteering at the elementary school weekly ever since I got here. Normally that's very against the rules! Because we're supposed to working with kids at all. But the school district superintendent is also on the stake high council. And he was able to get permission from President Ware himself. So we've been going every Tuesday helping the little kids read. It's been so awesome! We've been able to meet so many people and plant so many seeds. But this last week, we had one of the senior couple missionaries come and observe us. And we were told that we would no longer be able to continue with the service project. Pretty big bummer. But the couple missionaries told us how great of a program it was and how much missionary work we were doing. It's just that rules are rules! 

We were also able to volunteer for the food bank again this week. This time we went to a grocery store and sat at a table and accepted all of the food donations. It was lots of fun and we were able to talk to a TON of people! 

We got one new investigator this week. We were knocking on doors last week and this woman answers the door with her husband and immediately invites us in. Her name is Marsella and she is very very kind. And she speaks Spanish! When we went inside she told us they were pretty busy but said we could come back on Friday at 4. So guess what we did... We came back on Friday at 4! And we had an amazing lesson about the Plan of Salvation. When we got to know her a bit more, she had a lot of questions about the afterlife and our discussion really helped out a lot. Unfortunately, her husband at the time wasn't very interested in joining in on the discussion. But we'll work with that! She's really great and I feel so blessed to be able to have all of these people fall into my lap and be apart of their lives. 

Good news and bad news about yesterday. The good news is that Tom came to church! The bad news is that Rosemary (his wife) did not. Apparently last week they went through a VERY rough patch with their marriage. So Tom is kicked out again. We haven't been able to contact Rosemary at all. But Tom is still making a lot of good choices. He's relying on Heavenly Father and the Atonement to help him through this time. Keep them in your prayers! 

Last Saturday we took our investigator, Eric, on a church tour. It was a really cool experience because I've never done one before. So it was really fun and it had a very strong Spirit. Until... we invited him to attend church. After the tour we asked him if he will come with us to church this Sunday. And he said, "...I'm okay. I'm happy with my church." But we're not giving up on him yet! He's already read to Jacob in the Book of Mormon. So he'll come around!

So we just heard some CRAZY news. The Washington Kennewick Mission is being split! Again! About a year and a half ago they created the Vancouver Mission out of some other missions in Washington. But now they are making ANOTHER mission it's called the Washington Yakima MIssion. It will be split this July. And the area that I'm in right now is in that missions boundary. So I have no idea what mission I'll end up in. But either way, it's pretty exciting stuff!

It's been a great week! I continue to learn so much everyday and I'm so truly grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary and bring eternal happiness to others. 

Love you all!

Elder Scott 

 

The Work is Hastening!

It's been a really great week! Definitely not as slow as the last weeks have been. Which is always good haha. We were able to teach a lot of lessons this week. Which I'm so happy about! Since I've been here we've really been struggling with getting as many lessons as we can. But this past week we're able to teach more than double the lessons we usually do! 

We had our ward Chirstmas party last Friday and we were very much looking forward to all of our investigators showing up and having a great time! But then, not a single one showed up. Huge bummer. So Elder Pullman and I were feeling pretty down on ourselves. But then something really cool happened. A sister in the ward came up to us and told us about how she met a mom and her daughter in the Walmart parking lot (our church building is literally in the Walmart parking lot, so it's really easy to tell people where it is!). The sister told them that they were having a Christmas party in our church and that they were more than welcome to come in and enjoy some good food and great company! We didn't really think too much of it, but then a few minutes later, in walked an older lady with a walker, a mom, and her daughter. It was them! They came in looking a little confused and nervous. But they found a table to sit at by themselves. We immediately ran over to greet them. Such nice people, and so very humble. They were obviously very destitute and in need of a good meal. At the very beginning of the party we were able to get the ward to show the new video the church put out, "He is the Gift." It brought in such a special spirit. And they all loved it! We were able to get their address and were going to meet with them this week. According to the older lady they live WAY out in the boonies. She's one of the mountain ladies without any electricity or running water. At that moment I was so happy to know that our church can provide relief for the people who need it. They had a really good time, and their little daughter, Monica, participated in the primary program! So even though none of our investigators showed up, it was still a really great day! 

Another amazing thing happened this week! We were out knocking on some doors in the reservation. We decided to go around this cul de sac that we've never been to before. By the end of the round we realized that every single house told us that we could come back. Not really sure if anything will come of it, but still awesome! Also, at the very end of the cul de sac we got a new investigator! His name is Efrain. And he is a very awesome guy. He finds the Book of Mormon very interesting and he really wants to know more about it. He speaks pretty fluent English but he's a little more comfortable with Spanish. So I guess I'll be able to practice my Spanish a bit more! 

Speaking of speaking Spanish, we had another lesson in Spanish this week! Haha and I never thought that I would be saying this but I'm pretty grateful for it. I was able to understand a lot of what was going on, and it really boost my confidence. It was with one of our investigators, Zulema. She's a senior in high school. And the only problem with her is that it's hard to tell how serious she is. Because on one hand, she's already read from 1 Nephi to Helamen, and she comes to church pretty often. But then on the other hand, she says she "doesn't believe in it", and she has a bad history of trying to flirt with missionaries... not good haha. So we'll see where that goes!

I've come to really hate dogs. Everyone and their dog has a dog here. And they are almost never trained. Some people on the reservation have half wolf dogs. They are literally half wolf. I have no desire to own one! 

As it gets farther and farther into Winter, its gets dark very fast. Like right around 4 o'clock. Which makes it pretty tough on us when we're knocking on doors. But it's still the greatest here in Omak! 

Once again! Everyone needs to visit christmas.mormon.org. It's an amazing video about why it's so important to remember why we truly celebrate Christmas. And that is Christ! The birth of our Savior. Every time I watch it, it brings such a special spirit. And from that alone I've been able to receive such a strong testimony of the Savior. I'm so grateful for this opportunity that I have to represent Him and to share His gospel. 

I love you all! Merry Christmas!

Elder Scott

Too Much Food!

Remember how I said last week it was cold? Yeah, well it's nothing compared to this week. Most of the snow has melted, and usually we have sunny days and clear skies. Except it's absolutely freezing! A few days it was about 7 below zero, and that was without the wind chill! Pretty crazy! But in a way, the cold is great. Usually people are a bit more sympathetic towards us and let us in, or they're the exact opposite and are even more irritated. Either way it's never a boring day! 

We were able to have four new investigators this week. Carol, Eric, Mark and Karen. Karen is the grandmother of a less-active girl we were asked to visit. And we were finally able to visit her and the granddaughter a few days ago. Mark is... interesting. We knocked on his door a week ago and he seemed like a really cool, chill guy who was really interested. We went back yesterday and it definitely wasn't as good haha. He basically was ranting on and on and on about the government and he was getting pretty upset. We weren't really getting anywhere and it definitely wasn't helping with our purpose, so we just had to leave! Hopefully our next visit will be better. Eric is a very nice guy. We knocked on his door a few weeks ago and he said we could come back but we've never had the time to since he lives so far away. But we finally visited him a few days ago and we had a really good discussion about the restoration. He had a lot of really good questions. The only problem with him is that he'e pretty devote to the church he's going to right now. So we'll see how that goes. And our other new investigator, Carol, is absolutely amazing. We had two lessons with her this last week, and both of them were awesome. A few months ago there were some pretty crazy forest fires about two hours south from Omak. Carol lost her home to one of the fires. And she lost everything except for a few pairs of clothes. So she's living here in Omak for now in a little rental home. She's trying to find another place but of course we want her to stay so she can hear the gospel! She's been so prepared. Her husband passed away a few years ago and she is so incredibly humble. When we were talking about how she lost everything in the fire, she just said, "it's just stuff." She's so awesome! And she got along very well with the members we brought with us to the lessons. In the first lesson we had with her we invited her to read the restoration pamphlet and the introduction to the Book of Mormon. When we followed up in our second lesson she told us she had read all the way to 1 Nephi 6. Amazing! She definitely has the desire and she's humble. Unfortunately, she didn't come to church yesterday. But she's pretty shy, so we think things like meeting a bunch of new people all at once seems pretty daunting. But I know that over time she'll be given the strength to come to church!  

Thanksgiving was great! We had two huge dinners on Thursday. And I could barely eat another bite. Our first dinner with the Thompson's, they were telling us that this was their first Thanksgiving without their mom or other family. And it was great because it was also mine and Elder Pullman's first Thanksgiving with being with family too! So it all worked out great. 

We were unable to meet with Tom and Rosemary this week. Always pretty busy. But we have a set appointment with them this week so hopefully it will be great!

Some bad news about the Sorensen's. For a few weeks now they've been rescheduling and rescheduling our appointments. A few days ago when we went over there, Brother Sorensen told us that their lives are pretty hectic and he will let us know when they want to start back up again. So that definitely wasn't too fun. After that we went over to Peter's and he was actually there without his grandma! Yay! But then Peter told us that he read through the pamphlet and said that it just wasn't for him. But we're not giving up on them! Especially with Peter. I really see a lot of potential with him. But I'm definitely getting used to rejection out here. And it's all part of the missionary experience! 

I'm not sure if I've told you guys about Jack Payne at all. But one day we were out knocking on doors and this guys answers and says, "Oh! You found Me! I guess I better start coming back to church." He was actually a member. And he told us that he would definitely start going to church again. That happened about a month ago, and Brother Payne has been to church every Sunday since. We were talking with him the other day and he told us how grateful he is that we knocked on his door. He knew that he needed to come to church, but he just needed that extra push. Brother Payne is awesome! 

Things are great! I'm loving it here! The church is true! 

Elder Scott

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

This week thankfully wasn't as slow as last week. And a lot of really great things happened! Last Friday we had a zone conference. Being the farthest north it was a bit of a drive getting there. But we had a member of the first quorum of the seventy speak to us. His name is Elder Arnold and he is truly an amazing man. A lot of what he told us has stuck with me and has really made an influence on the work. One of those things was beginning with the end in mind. Whether we're just knocking on doors or meeting with an investigator, always have in mind their potential of who they can become. Picture them in the baptismal font, or even in their temple clothes. It's given me a whole new perspective of the people we teach and I've developed a very deep love for them. Granted, this much more difficult to do when someone slams the door in your face. But I'm very grateful for Elder Arnold and his inspired message that he gave to us.

Another really amazing thing happened that day. Coming back from the Zone Conference it started to snow... hard. A two hour drive turned into a three hour drive. The roads were slick and we could barely see. We could see an oncoming car in the distance, as it got closer, our car slowly started to slide towards it until we were completely in the other lane. Thankfully Elder Pullman was driving and I just had to hold on and brace for impact. But in the nick of time our car was able to stop sliding and get back into the other lane. It was scary. After that we were pretty startled. So we pulled over to the side of the road and said a prayer. I could immediately feel the comfort that everything will be okay. When we finally made it back to Omak we did some tracting. The first door we knocked on this middle-aged woman named Dina immediately invited us in. She gave us hot chocolate and we talked with her and her husband, Steve. She already knew a lot about the church, she even brought up questions about garments and what goes on in the temple. They were sooo kind to us. We had a discussion about the plan of salvation and the purpose of the temple. We gave them a Book of Mormon and we have a scheduled appointment to meet with them again. Two new investigators! I know that our Heavenly Father protects His missionaries, and we were meant to make it home safely so we could see them that night. 

We had Tom and Rosemary come to church yesterday! It was really good to have to them there finally. Rosemary is an elementary school teacher and it was the primary program, so she recognized a lot of the kids there and so that was really good for her. They are still having a lot problems with their marriage. A few very close calls when one of them wants a divorce. We're doing all that we can for them, and hopefully they will come around. Keep them in your prayers!

We are having Thanksgiving at a the Thompsons (they are the one's whose mother just passed away). They always give us a lot of food anyway! So don't worry Mom I'll be fend plenty. We were also invited to go to another Thanksgiving dinner later in the day with one of our investigators, Jessica and her less-active husband. But we found out that we have a 6 o'clock curfew on Thanksgiving. Which is a huge bummer. We were really looking forward to that because she's making a lot of progress. But if it's what the Lord wants, we'll do it! 

We were finally able to get some members out with us to some lessons. Which we've been struggling with a lot. Not a whole lot of people in the ward who are willing to do that. But we had some great lessons with the members, so hopefully we can keep that up! 

Omak is finally a winter wonderland! Everything is covered with snow! And I love it! 

Being a missionary is the greatest! It's also the hardest, but it's also the greatest! My testimony of this gospel and of the Book of Mormon continues to grow and develop each day. 

Oh how I love to be a missionary! 

Elder Scott

Transfers! But we are staying! Fewww!

Have a great week. Man, this week has been a pretty slow one. Which is pretty odd because so far being in the field time has flown by! But this week has definitely been very slow. Most of our set appointments fell through. Which is very frustrating! But we're really hoping this next week is going to be much better.

Last Tuesday we had specialized training and interviews from out mission president. President Ware is an incredible man, and he is very inspired. He seemed to know the answers to my questions before I even asked them. Everything he told me has gotten me through this week, and it will for the rest of my mission! I've been so blessed to have him as my mission president. 

We tracked into a guy named Joel. He lives in California but he's visiting his brother for a few weeks. He invited us in and we talked for a bit. He use to go to school in Syracuse and he had talked to missionaries there before. We talked about the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon. Even though he's leaving back to California pretty soon we're still very hopeful for him and his brother. 

We were also able to see Tom and Rosemary. There was a point when they were making a lot of progress and coming to church, but they're slowly starting to come to a halt. There's quite a few things they're having trouble with grasping--Joseph Smith and modern prophets mostly. But we're going to work our hardest to make sure they progress! 

There is a less active/recent convert we've been seeing, the Thompsons. Their mother just passed away a few weeks ago. They had a funeral service yesterday. They invited us to come, and the service was really nice. But man, I've never felt so many stares in my entire life. It was held in a baptist church, and the second we walked in, everyone turned their heads toward us and it seemed like it didn't stop until we left haha. But the service was a great opportunity to talk to a lot of people. And to let them know that we're there to support the Thompsons. So that was nice! 

It's getting sooooooooooo cold. And it's really odd because each day is a sunny, bright, clear day. But it's freezing! It definitely brings it's blessings though. We can already see a difference in the way people react to us knocking on their door haha. People are much more likely to let us in when it's 20 degrees outside. So I'm willing to put up with it! 

We got transfer calls last Saturday. And... Elder Pullman and I are both staying!! Fewww! It's was kind of expected, but it was still a relief. 

Even though this week has been pretty tough with appointments falling through and it being REALLY slow. It's during these times when my testimony grows the most. I can see Heavenly Father helping me and guiding me. I'm so grateful for His hand in my life. My testimony continues to grow each day! The church is true!

Thank you for all of your prayers, love and support. I love you guys! 

Elder Scott 

colder and colder and colder

Hello everyone!

It's been another great week here! It did go by a bit slower but it was still very good! 

We said goodbye to our only Spanish investigator this week, Samuel. He's a picker in the orchards so he pretty much goes wherever the work is. So he's off to California. It was pretty sad saying goodbye because he's sooo solid. He reads in the scriptures everyday and his brother who's in Mexico is getting baptized. But we know that there are much better opportunities for him to learn more about the gospel in California. 

We tracted into a less-active and his nonmember wife. They are VERY nice people. He was telling us about how his younger brother passed away this last May. He showed us a picture of him, and it was Peter's dad! So we asked him, wait, do you know Peter? And he said yes! Thats my nephew! Small world, huh? We then asked him and his wife if we could come back and share a message. And they said they would love that. The wife is very interested in learning about the gospel. The husband was baptized when he was 18 and hasn't been to church very much since. Teaching less-active/part-member families are the greatest. Because when you teach the non-member, it reactivates the less-active. You can't go wrong! 

We tried to meet with Peter again. We stopped by three times. First time only his brother was there, he wasn't interested. Then the second time his brother and his grandma was there. Peter's uncle mentioned that she is a devout atheist, she made that very clear when we wanted to see Peter. Then finally the third time we tried he was there! His grandma wouldn't let us come in the house we had to have like a mini lesson on his front porch. He's still interested. And I'm still very hopeful for him. 

We had a zone meeting this week. Whenever we have meetings they always take up so much of our time. Since we're so far north we have to drive down to Coulee Dam the night before and spend the night the Elders there. But the meeting was great! We're actually going down there again tonight. We have a specialized training and interviews with the mission president tomorrow morning. 

It's getting colder and colder and colder. Since I've gotten here, it's only either been cold or rained. Never both at the same time. But this last week, it was both. Cold and rain. We've heard from several people that it's going to dip down into the 10's and 20's this week. Fun fun fun!! 

It's hard to believe this transfer is almost over. It's also hard to believe how much I've grown and how much I've learned. My testimony is tried and tested every day. And because of that, it continues to strengthen. I know that this is the Lord's work. I know that our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. Through prayer, I receive the strength and comfort I need. I love this gospel so much. And I'm so happy to be a missionary! 

I love you and miss you all! 

Elder Scott 

Halloween

Hello everyone!

Well, once again, it's pretty hard to remember everything that's gone on this week! Haha but it was still a good one. 

Halloween was lots of fun! I was actually able to go to TWO ward parties because we went on exchanges again this week and I was able to go to the one in Coulee Dam as well as the one in Omak. Let's just say I ate a lot of food this week. 

Lots of stuff happened yesterday. Our investigators Tom and Rosemary came to sacrament meeting! It was really good to see them there. Hopefully we'll be able to meet with them tomorrow. Another thing that happened was we had gotten a referral from the church website from someone named Elizabeth. She had requested the missionaries and a bible. So we went to the address and she wasn't there. But her husband was. He told us he went to the Lutheran church. At first we were having a nice, simple conversation about religion. But then it turned into a few blown argument. It was pretty hard to be involved with. We ended up staying there for over an hour trying to get our point across. But obviously in those situations you can't really do anything when the Spirit isn't there. We knew we had to leave so we both bore a simple testimony of the Book of Mormon. That guy may not have been able to feel the Spirit then, but I know that I did. That experience has definitely strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon. It's made me realize that the Book of Mormon truly is the keystone of our religion. And that's what it all falls back on. 

Another thing that happened yesterday was we were able to meet with Dorothy and Steve. There was a sister in the ward who had written a letter to them and she wanted us to deliver it to them. So that kinda gave us an excuse to go over there haha. I was very surprised by how welcoming they were towards us. We chatted for a bit just to see how they were doing. And then we immediately started talking about what was holding them back from baptism. At times it was hard to hear some of the things they were saying. But what they really wanted to tell us was that there are too many doctrinal differences with what they personally believe and what the church believes. And not once was their daughter being gay ever brought up. They told us that we would be more than welcome to come back anytime and they also told us that if they gained one thing from all of this is that they know that Mormons are true Christians and they felt the Saviors love for them when they were meeting with us and the members. Elder Pullman and I left with the same feeling of peace and acceptance. We know that this is completely in our Heavenly Father's hands now. And I personally know that they will one day accept the gospel--whether in this life or in the next!

We got two new investigators this week, Eli and Peter. Eli is a single dad who we've been trying to sit down and talk ever since I got here! But we've never been able to. And we finally did this week. And I'm very hopeful for Peter. We tracted into him, he's a senior in high school and he's living with his grandma and his brother. His dad passed away last May and he has no religious background. We were able to sit down with him and teach a little about the plan of salvation. He's a very humble person and we're really looking forward to meeting with him! 

That's pretty much everything that happened this week. It's getting colder and colder by the day. And it's raining--a lot. 

I love you and miss you all! 

Elder Scott

Two month mark

Another week has come and gone! And today is my two month mark! Haha it's really not that much but it's crazy how much time has already passed. 

The days really are all starting to blur together, so it's pretty hard to remember what we've done this week! We were able to see Tom twice, I can't remember if I've mentioned Tom or not. We are teaching him and his wife up in Tanasket, so we can't see them as often as we'd like. But we were able to have some really good discussions with them and they're making a lot of progress. The only obstacle is that they're having a lot of problems with their marriage. But we're hoping they'll pull through! 

We got two new investigators this week. One's name is Clint. He's somehow related to one of the members in the ward--I'm not really sure. We tracted into him, and we almost didn't get to meet him. Because there are a lot pf areas in this town where it's kinda hard to tell if it is a house. And Clint's house definitely didn't... It's pretty sad to see the conditions that some people live in, but it's also very humbling! We were able to sit down with him and talk a little about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. And we're scheduled to see him again! Last night we met with Hailey, our other new investigator. we've been trying to meet with her ever since I got here but we've never been able to catch her at a good time. But last night we tried again and had a VERY good discussion with her. She's only 20 years old, but she has a lot of faith in God and has a great desire to know of the truth. During the lesson her mom popped in out of nowhere and said, "in this household, we don't believe anything should be added to the Bible." We tried to explain to her that it's just ANOTHER testament. She didn't agree. But it was very interesting because after that Hailey told her mom that "well maybe I want to believe that! And I want to hear what they have to say!" It was kinda funny, but it was so cool to see that she's very independent and she's wants to find out the truth for herself. So hopefully that will turn into something!

Well we're not giving up on Dorothy and Steve. We just feel that we need to sit down with them and have a good discussion about everything. Keep praying for them!

It's starting to get very cold here. It's been raining a lot which I love! It's very beautiful.

I love you and miss you all!

Elder Scott 

Two Elder Ians

Hello everyone!

Wait, didn't I JUST email you guys? Man, time really does fly out here in the field! And there were quite a few things that happened this week--good and bad. But that's the life of a missionary! 

We had stake conference yesterday. About a quarter of the chapel was filled. Much different than Utah. But it was still very good! They always put a huge emphasis on member missionary work, which is awesome because this ward could REALLY work on that. Hopefully we'll see more volunteers for member present lessons. 

We went on exchanges this week. And they were tons of fun! I went down to Coulee Dam with Elder Wilkey. He's an English speaking Elder and we got along very well. And it was pretty funny when we discovered we have the same first name! Haha his name is Ian... it was kinda weird. 

When we got back from the exchanges Elder Pullman had some bad news for me. They went and saw Dorthy and Steve when I was gone and they told them that they no longer want to be baptized. They did some further investigation on the churches stance on homosexuality. Their daughter who came to church (and loved it) is gay. And they decided that they couldn't join a church that would not be able to accept their daughter as well. We tried to explain everything: That she can be gay but she just can't practice, that this is her trial that she has to go through, the you wouldn't be abandoning her by being baptized, etc. We tried everything. Elder Pullman was telling me that it seemed like they didn't want to make the decision, is was a very difficult thing for everyone involved. So just keep them in your prayers! We think that they just need some time. Conversion requires a lifetime! 

Other than that, we've been having a pretty good week. Our other investigator, Martin, has been making a lot of progress. And, when we went up to Oroville this week. We got a referral from a member. So we contacted them and it was a very cool experience. This married couple, Tom and Rosemary, are going through a pretty difficult time in their marriage. Tom's best friend is a member and introduced the gospel to him. We met with Tom and Rosemary (separately) and had a discussion. So hopefully that will turn into something! 

It was pretty tough to see Dorthy and Steve get so close to the waters of baptism then have them turn away. But that's just apart of the work! People have their agency and it's especially when people are so close to salvation that the adversary will do everything he can. But it has definitely made me appreciate this gospel. And how much it has blessed my life, and even when we are tempted, we can always come back and yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

I love you guys! 

Mission Address

Elder Ian Scott

8202 West Quinault Ave. Suite D

Kennewick, WA 99336

or iscott@myldsmail.net

First week in Washington

 

Hello everyone! 

Well, I'm finally here in Washington. So what do you want to know first? My area? My companion? Well they're all great! 

Our first night we stayed in Kennewick. Sister Ware made a huge dinner for us. It was honestly some of the best food I've ever eaten. Only because anything other than cafeteria mexican food is a good option. President Ware is an amazing man. I've only had a short interview with him. But he is so kind and very inspired. 

So my area is the most northern part of the mission, it's also the largest. And it's covered by me and my companion. We're over two wards the Omak ward and the Oroville ward. We live here in Omak and then we go up to Oroville once or twice a week. They're both English wards. Omak is amazing. It's a cute little town surrounded by a bunch of lakes, trees and cliffs. And I absolutely love it! The people here are so amazing. Since our area is so huge, and it's only covered by me and my companion, we do a lot of driving. We had a zone meeting last Saturday and it was so far away we had to drive the night before to another companionship's apartment and spend the night just so we could be there early enough for the meeting.

My trainers name is Elder Pullman. He's a really cool and calm guy. And guess what, he's from Benjamin! So he went to Spanish Fork High. Small world, huh? But yeah we get along very well and I've learned so much from him already. 

I gave a talk in church yesterday. It wasn't too bad, we just had to talk about general conference. And it was in English. I actually have been speaking barely any Spanish here. Which I have very mixed feelings about. Because on one hand I'm able to communicate very well with everyone, but on the other hand, I can't practice my Spanish! But it'll all work out. 

There is much work to be done here in Omak! We are always very busy keeping up with everyone. And we already have two people on date for baptism! Elder Pullman and his last companion received a mormon.org reference and it was from an older woman named Dorthy. She had been investigating the church on her own for about a month. Then she finally requested the missionaries. In between Sunday sessions of conference they invited Elder Pullman and his companion for lunch, the first thing she told them was that she and her husband (Steve) had received a witness that President Monson is called of God and they wanted to be baptized. I just met them last Saturday and they are amazing. Steve used to be a Baptist minister and Dorthy used to teach the anti-mormon class at their church. They've certainly come a long way! He actually just lost his job too which is really sad. But he's relying on the gospel and his faith in Christ to help him. They also came to church yesterday, and they brought their daughter and Dorthy's sister. After the meeting we asked them how they liked it and their daughter (Beck) had tears in her eyes and she said that it has been a long and painful journey for her, but she knows that she's in the right place. So we set up an appointment with her this thursday! Steve and Dorthy will be baptized on the 25th of October. 

Well I'm absolutely loving it here! The people are amazing and there's so much work to be done.  

I love and miss you all! 

Elder Scott  

He's Here!

Dear Missionary Family,

 

We are delighted to inform you that your missionary has arrived safely to the Washington Kennewick Mission.  We already love them and are excited to serve with them.  We have enjoyed becoming acquainted with them and are confident that they will become an effective instrument in the hands of the Lord in sharing the gospel with the people of Washington and Oregon.

 

We have assigned them a companion who is an experienced, devoted, and motivated missionary.  All of our missionaries understand that one of the greatest privileges available in the mission is to train a new missionary.  This first companion will be a special person in your missionary’s life and will help give them a great start here.

 

We feel that our greatest responsibility is the care and welfare of your child.  We want to assure you that we will be in regular contact with them.  We will be observant of their physical health, happiness and spiritual well being.  We will work closely with them throughout the mission to help them succeed and fulfill their calling as a representative of the Church and as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Please be assured that we will be in contact with you if we encounter any concerns that would call for your attention.  We see you as a great asset to the success of your missionary while they are serving here and will work closely with you if the need arises.  You would help us immensely by informing us of any changes to address, phone number or email for you, your bishop or your stake president.  We want to keep our records current so that we can keep in touch whenever necessary.

 

Attached are photographs of your missionary taken with us at the welcome dinner at the mission home, along with a map of the mission.  Please feel free to contact us at the mission office with any questions that you may have.

 

Thank you for the sacrifices you are making at home to have your missionary in the field.  We have seen the Lord bless the families of missionaries who are serving in untold ways.  We know that His blessings will be upon you as well.

 

With love,

                                           

President Boyd S. Ware                                                       Sister Linda P. Ware

 

Washington Kennewick Mission                             

8202 W. Quinault Ave., Ste D

Kennewick, WA  99336

Office Phone (509) 734-5443

Office Fax (509) 734-5475

Office Email: 387991@ldschurch.org

 

MTC District

Three Amigos

Elders Scott, Elder Rasmussen, Elder McInelly

All friends from Spanish Fork and all at the Mexico MTC together



The Phone Call!!!!!

Hey guys, I´m just here to tell you when I´m going to call. We depart from Mexico City at 9:05 then we arrive in Houston at 11:23. Then our next flight leaves for Denver at 12:56. So we´re going to try and make our calls in Houston. But if for some reason we can´t we´ll call in Denver and we leave there at 3:10. And if by some small chance we can´t do it then, then I´ll call you from Washington! We arrive there at 4:37.

I can´t wait to get to Washington! Hopefully I´ll be able to email you guys again once I get there. 

I love you guys! 

Elder Scott

p.s. Wasn´t general conference just the best?? 

2 Fast Sundays down

So I just had a crazy thought this week, I have already experienced 2 out of my 24 fast Sundays while I´m on my mission. Now that´s pretty insane.

So on our first p-day when I was here we went to the temple, remember? Well for some odd reason they scheduled our district to go again! And we all really wanted to go again, so we just let it happen haha. So I went thought the visitors center--for the second time today.

I know that I´ve said this a lot, but I´m so ready to out in the field. I leave this Tuesday morning around 9. So the next time you guys here from me I´ll be in Washington! 

Everyone is gearing up for general conference. I have a feeling that this time is going to be one of the best I´ve every heard. Not because the message has changed, but one things I´ve noticed about being a missionary is that things like preach my gospel and especially the scriptures have taken on a whole new meaning. And I absolutely love it! 

I just love to be a missionary. And I can hardly stand to be away from Kennewick any longer. I know this gospel is true. I´m so grateful for the power of prayer in my life and for everything it´s given me. I know that the Savior payed the price for our sins, and I´m so grateful for everything He has done for me. 

I love and miss you all so much! 

Elder Scott 

I can't wait to get out in the field

Hello Everybody!

This week has gone by so fast! I think I said that last week... but it´s true! 

And really now that I think of it, not much has really happened. Just the usual stuff. Teaching lessons, learning spanish, not sleeping. 

The spanish is still very hard but i find myself worrying about it less and less each day. And I´m worrying more and more about how to actually teach. 

I can´t wait to get out in the field. To actually real investigators and to tell them things they don´t already know is going to be so rewarding. 

We started doing TRC this week. It's where you go into a room with a native who only speaks spanish, they speak as fast as they possibly can and you try and get to know them and teach them a lesson about the gospel. Haha well they dont actually try and speak as fast as they can, but it sure does seem like it. Our lesson went very well. We planned to teach her just about the restoration. But turns out, she´s already a member. So she kind of ended up teaching us. But it was a really good experience and made me even more excited to be in the field! 

Last Tuesday, we had another live devotional from the Provo MTC. Elder Ballard spoke and it was amazing. He went up there and he didn´t even have anything written down. He simply spoke from his heart to us about missionary work. One thing from his talk that really stuck out to me was when he talked about the worth of souls. D&C 18 ''..save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy''. He told about how even if you are only to convert one person, you will affect an entire posterity. This made me realize how important this work is and how grateful I am to be apart of it. 

I love the gospel. I have a testimony that this is the only true church upon the face of the earth, and I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.   

I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers! 

Haircuts and Mexican holidays

What I week! It honestly has flown by. I was just thinking yesterday that I could actually go a few more days without a p-day. I´m not saying I would... but i could.

Well that huge Mexican holiday that was last Monday was tons of fun! Monday night we all went into the auditorium and we watched a bunch of Mexican dancing and music. Then afterwards we all saluted the Mexican flag (which was weird) and we sang their national anthem. Tons of fun!

Oh yeah, another thing I forgot to mention last week was that I got a haircut. And it is soooo short. I think the last time it was this short was when I was is kindergarten. But hey, it´s hair, it´ll grow back. 

So my talk went very well last Sunday, but it also comes with a funny story. So when it was my turn to speak, I go up to the podium and start speaking. After a few seconds I start to hear some chuckles in the congregation. It was my worst nightmare. When you´re giving a talk in a language you barely know, in front of a bunch of people you barely know, you assume the worst. I knew that I must´ve mispronounced something, or there was something stuck in between my teeth. I just wanted it to be over. But then, I looked out into the congregation. And from the middle of the ceiling, there was dangling a giant, black, hairy spider. I was so relived. All of the people that were laughing weren´t laughing at me, they were laughing at the spider that was dangling low enough to be right over someone elses head. And it all turned out okay. Because by the time I was wrapping up and bearing my testimony everyone was paying attention and I felt really good! 

Every week our zone has a huge volleyball tournament. We got killed last time. But the district that beat everyone else last time left last week. So, hopefully we´ll do better...

I had a huge testimony strengthener this week. We were teaching a lesson to ''Yared''. We were teaching her about prayer and how it could help her in her life. We tied that into the Joseph Smith´s story. That he was feeling lost and confused and how he used prayer to receive an answer. I had her read out of Joseph Smith History, verses 16 and 17. As she begin to read the spirit hit me so strongly and I was completely overwhelmed by it. I planned on saying a few things after she read, but it was actually pretty hard for me to spit it out. But still I managed it and I could tell that Elder Turley and Yared could feel it too. And I felt even more accomplished afterward when our teacher told us how much she enjoyed that lesson. 

That experience for me strengthened my testimony so much. And was another sure affirmation that this church is true and I´m doing the right thing my serving a mission. I know that this church is true, I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that Joseph Smith was called by our Heavenly Father and that his true church has been restored upon the earth. 

I love all of you so much! I think about you guys all day every day and I appreciate everything you do for me. 

Miss you! 

Elder Scott  

    

PS

Sept 11, 2014

Well after I emailed you guys I realized that there were a ton of things that I forgot to mention, I´m sure that will happen every week...

So last week right before I emailed we went to the Mexico City Temple. The actual temple is closed right now so we just went through the visitors center. That temple is one of the prettiest ones I´ve ever seen, and the visitors center was amazing too. I´ll try and send some pictures. 

Another thing I forgot to mention was our investigator. Her name is Diana. We´re already done teaching her and by the end we committed her to baptism! Even though she´s not an actual investigator, it still felt so amazing. Diana´s real name is Hermana Faces, and she´s now our teacher! It was super weird at first, but seriously, the girl deserves an oscar for her acting. So right now we have TWO investigators. I find myself improving upon each lesson, and I´m actually really enjoying it. I had an experience the other day when we were teaching Yared. I was right in the middle of explaining to her that God is our loving Heavenly Father. And I just thought of you guys. About how much I love you and I how proud you would be of me. I´m so blessed to have each one of you. 

So apparently the Mexican independence day is on September 15th. And we've been hearing that Mexico City is going to be insane that night. I can´t really imagine what it will be like though. We already hear constant noises of gun shots and police sirens during the night. 

I think my stomach is finally getting used to the food, my brain, however, never will. Jeremiah 4:19 is a very popular scripture around here. 

Despite all of the bad things about this place, there are so many other good things. Like Tuesday night is Costco pizza night. It´s literally pizza from Costco. And also there´s like 10 different kinds of juices in the cafeteria. So, there´s plenty to be happy about!

I can´t really put into words how excited I am to be in he mission field. The CCM is great and all, but I can´t stop thinking about how much better being in the field is going to be. 

I´m doing much better! Learning the language is still so hard, but I´m making progress. I´ve actually been assigned to give a talk this Sunday. The topic is faith in Jesus Christ, so it shouldn´t be too difficult. 

I´ll try and send some pictures! Thanks for everything, I love and miss you all. 

 

Ian

   

¡Hola Familias!

¡Hola Familias!Well just so everyone knows, my P-day is on Thursday, and we didn´t have one last week because that was our second day. I guess they didn´t want to be too generous...

This week has been quite the rollarcoaster! Every single day has just been so busy--running from place to the next. But it´s a good kind of energy, it´s all very exciting. 

So let me tell you about mi companero! His name is Elder Turley, he's from Mesa Arizona and he's such a great guy! I was actually kind of nervous about who my companion would be and whether we would get along. But within the first few minutes of us meeting each other we got along so well! He's way into movies so we talk about them a lot when we have the time. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for Elder Turley, he's such a hard worker and I've been so blessed. 

The rest of my district is pretty amazing too. Everyone gets along so well with one another. Especially the other companionship Elder Turley and I room with. Their names are Elder Myers and Elder Oliver (he's from Gilbert, AZ!). We all help each other cheer each other up. So once again, I´ve been very blessed. 

The food got very old, very quickly. I´ve had an enchilada probably five times within this past week.

Language is hard. Very very hard. I feel like I´m definitely the only one in my district who´s really struggling with it. And really, that´s been my only struggle. Granted, it´s a very big struggle. Thursday and Friday were especially hard. They were the longest days I´ve ever experienced. I just felt so overwhelmed with everything. We had to teach our first lesson on Friday to an investigator--100% in Spanish. We managed to give the message, but it was so unbelievabley stressful. And then I looked at the schedule, we have to do that every single day except for Sundays and P-days. At that moment an awful feeling came over me. It´s probably the worst I´ve ever felt, and I had almost lost all faith in myself. 

But then on Saturday I made a huge improvement. Everyone has to right a talk (all in Spanish) for Sunday. And then in sacrament meeting, six people get randomly picked on to speak. So I was writing my talk, and I could just feel a peacefulness that overcame me. With it was a feeling that I just had to trust in my Heavenly Father that I could do it. After that I could write the talk, and thankfully I didn´t have to speak.

So Elder Turley and I witnessed somewhat of a miracle on Sunday (by the way, Sundays are the greatest). So after sacrament, we had worthiness interviews. And at the end of my interview my branch president asked me "What is your biggest struggle here." So, without hesitation I told him about my struggle with the language and that I didn't really have a lot of faith in myself sometimes. He shared with my 1 Nephi 3:7. Everyone knows that scripture, right? Of course you do! Well it was interesting because he emphesized a different part of the scripture. It's when it Nephi says "save he prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Once again, that peacefull feeling came over me. But, that wasn't the miracle. Afterwards we had to run over to the gym to watch the weekly Sunday devotional, and it was Elder Richard G Scott. He was giving a devotional at the Provo MTC so we were just watching a video. The talk he gave has to be one of the greatest ones I've ever heard. Thats because every single thing that he said was so personal to me. It was kind of a bummer though because we were the last ones to get interviewed so we missed the first 20 minutes of his talk. But he did something that I'd never seen anyone do before, let alone a general authority. After we had sung the closing hymn and as a sister was about to say the closing prayer, Elder Scott ran up to the podium and stopped her. The room was silent. And then he spoke into the mic, "I feel prompeted to repeat something I stated at the beginning of my talk. Always remember, the Lord has called you to succeed, not to fail." Once again, the peace overwhelmed me. And I had so much faith in myself. I know that Heavenly Father looks after us and eases our burdens. 

Elder Turley and I both have been struggling with different things. Me with the language, and him with homesickness. He's an only child so it's been pretty tough for him, be sure to keep him in your prayers! But as we were walking back to our casa from the devotional we talked about how amazing it was that he did that. And how what he said brought us so much peace and comfort. Since we missed the first part of the meeting, Heavenly Father knew that we both needed to hear that. 

Mexico is awesome! The CCM campus so pretty and we're all so blessed to be here. 

Thank you for your prayers, I've felt all of your love constantly and I'm so grateful. Pray that I will learn this language! 

I love you all!