Designated Mission Unifiers

Subject #2 "When you want to get to know your mission president, do bad things." - Obispo C.

Weekly Mormon Message: http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages#dare-to-stand-alone

Dare to stand alone, but know that God is always behind you backing you up.

Well, rollercoaster week. Man.

Okay, since I know you are dying to know, I'm leaving Encanto. On Wednesday. My dear trainee will be taking over the area and I know she'll do great. I'm headed off into the unknown of the Tempe world. No calls from the president so no exciting assignments for me this transfer...hehe. Other than when he came to our house and told us that Hna Taylor and are are basically the mission lords. Or as we decided to better define it: designated mission unifiers.

Yep that's us. =) Though he may have said it just to quiet our words and complaints about this whole situation. ;-) Who knows. Other than the fact that the Spirit was there when he told us that we are the key to unifying the two missions, that this is why we came to Tempe, to help everyone live together in harmony. So, I won't doubt the Spirit. I'll trust and continue on my way. We received our very own presidential blessing then sealed by the Spirit. It was legit.


We found our first investigators in a month on Saturday, it's a family of 3. It's almost like they were waiting for us to knock on their door. It also happened to be same day Pres. Toone showed up at our apartment and talked to us for over an hour. So I guess when I say it was an intense week I really mean it was an intense Saturday. =)

But don't worry, we didn't really do anything bad to get him to come. Our bishop was wrong. You just have to ask the mission president to come over and give him a good enough reason like your comp is having an emotional breakdown and then he'll come right over. Nothing bad at all. So then you get to spend an hour with him and then his wife just calls to make sure you're all right and that if you ever need anything you can call at anytime. So another part of the rollercoaster week then I guess is that this week was super hard for Hna T. But things are good/better now, thanks to Pres T and his intervention, so we continue forward.


I'm scared to leave my bed here in my apartment. I don't know if I've ever told you but it's the best matress I've ever had and doesn't make my back hurt at all. I'm also sad to leave my members. I was talking to one who we helped return to church and she said she remembers that we've told her that sometimes it's hard to find people to teach, but we aren't called to a certain area for the investigators only. We're called for the members as well. She said we've helped her so much and she's thankdul for what we've done. Man I love her. She's single and she has a friend who's been telling er to move to Utah to live with her. And her friend happens to live in WJ! She says she's thinking about going! YAYHOO! I won't have to come to AZ in the blazing sun to see her. I'm so excited! I also asked Hna M, my mission mom, if when the time comes she'll drive me to the mission office at the end of my mision. She said yes. =) I love these people.

Don't write me at my apartment address now. I won't live there in 2 days. Here's the mission office address in Tempe 1871 East Del Rio Drive TEMPE, ARIZONA 85282 you can write there until further notice. Um...nothing else. Have a splendid week.

Hna Scott

The person I can become is very, very different than the person I am now, but becoming that person is worth any sacrifice

Well, because I've forgotten the last few weeks, your weekly mormon message

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/origin?cid=HPL2P09W03012&lang=eng

LOVE this one!! It's all new and shiny. (And one day when I make mormon messages they will be like this. intense music. quick blurring clips. And quoting Josph Smith.)

Also a I'm a mormon video. Just kidding momron.org is down at this moment in time.

I would like to tell you about my lovely new friend. His name is Tiwi. Or sometimes I call him Piwi. Or stupid box from Satan. Or whatever appropriate name I like at the moment. He tells me when I forget to login. He tells me when I'm driving too fast. He tells me when I turn too fast and whatever other car driving mistake I make. And then he adds up the points and sends them to the mission president. Pft.

All you lucky future misisonaries out there this is what awaits you when you have the priviledge of driving a car. I know you're excited. Turns out that along with testing the ipads and iphones, Tempe is also testing the Tiwi. Yep, phoenix was much better. Just testing iphone and ipads without the curse of the Tiwi...harmph. BUT I will have you know. I have only had 2 violations. One for speeding on the freeway (who goes the speed limit on the freeway?!? I mean HONESLTY!!! And the other was when I forgot to login because we were in a hurry. So don't you worry. My driving is pretty good if I do say so myself. Tiwi I think would agree as well.

Well, this week has been a week of tender mercies. For your enjoyment: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2010?lang=eng#2010-03-05-the-tender-mercies-of-the-lord

The other day I was starving. Starving I tell you! I was going to fall over and die of starvation. So before going into see Laura I prayed that she would give us food of some kind. As we were leaving she just says "Karen get them the Ritz crakers." (In Spanish of course) So she gave us both crackers a whole roll of them!! Tender mercies man. Then, that same day my uncle shows up at the door with groceries. Man. Tender mercies. (Don't worry I didn't actually see him ;-) )

Hmm. What else happened this week...an elder from our district went home for medical reasons. We knocked a whole bunch of doors and nobody let us in. We're struggling to find people to teach. We're in a weird transition of going into Tempe but not really because we're still our own section of Phoenix, a weird appendage of Phoenixness. Hna Taylor is really struggling with it because this all just happened to happen at that time in your mission when you're deciding if you really want to be here and we've had some not so great experiences with the few Tempe missionaries we actually have met. Who knew combining two missions would be so stressful. I think part of it is the rules and all that jazz. In Phoenix we lived by the white handbook. We were left to decided mostly for ourselves exactly what it meant. And our specific rules inlcuded for elders button up your suit jacket when you stand up sister where some kind of suit jacket or cardigan to all meetings, or slang means terms like "greenie, white washed etc" Here there's a specific rule for everything including another book of rules we have to read from. Everything in Tempe is more formal more business like. The APs run the show, the leadership ZLs DLs and Sister training leaders have so much "power" and to be honest from what we've seen they abuse it. Phoenix we were equal. We we're all learning together. The APs weren't any more special than us normal missionaries. It's a little weird and hard. I won't lie. But Pres. Toone is a good man. I trust him. And we can't always be comparing everything to Phoenix. I know that. There's a reson for everything.

I finished the Book of Mormon again this week. I studied repentance this time through. And MAN repentance is AWESOME> My favortie way to describe repentance is that God sees us as we can become and repentance is how we get there. It's something good. It's something as small as deciding to say your prayers everyday or as big as changing an addictive behavior. Love it. Oh and I started it again studying repentance and the holy ghost. And I've already learned something about the HG that I never really thought of before. That the Holy Ghost is a promise of eternal life. It's like a down payment on what we can have. The Holy Ghost gives us a taste of te joy we can have forever if we but endure to the end.

Well, that's enough for today I believe. Have a splendid week!

Hna Scott

 

Once upon a time...

July 15, 2013

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time there was a misionera.

Everyday she goes about her missionary duties. Get up, excercise, study, eat, leave, preach, plan, sleep. Everyday she reads the scriptures learning a little bit more about the kingom of God from them. Everday she feels and understands a little bit more of God's love. Everyday she tries to be more humble, striving to be stripped of pride so she'll be ready for the day she meets God. Everyday she tries to grow in patience and understanding so that she and her companion can teach in love and unity. Sometimes she succeeds and sometimes she doesn't. But that's okay, because she knows and trusts in the fact that she can use the Atonement on the condition of repentance.


Some days the Spirit teaches her something new about the importance of the family, of temples, of His love for her. Her mind opens as she studies and thinks. Her mind catches hold of a sentence she reads in a book. "Only the home can compare to the sacredness of the temple." She longs to have a home like that one day. Pure. Sacred. Full of peace. For now she thinks about how she will help others learn to create that kind of home and stive to develop the qualities she needs to help her home be like that one day.


Somedays she visits members, young women mostly. She can see in their eyes the pain that they feel from the burden of their sins and this missionary longs to help. She, with the help of her companion, sooth the hurt by helping them apply the Savior's love, to help them understand that He really does come with healing in His wings. Other young women thrive on hearing the good word of God. The misionera speaks excitedly as she explains the awesome power of faith, hoping they'll catch a whisper of the Holy Ghost telling them that it's true.

Other days she visits member families who, because of sickness, pride, a recent death or another worldy exeriences, are struggling a little bit. Some rise and trust in God. Some use the purifying powers of tribulation to become more like Him. Others let the anger and pain bubble inside of them. Others fall away choosing not to call on Christ for help.

The misionera sees all these things. She feels them in her heart. She rejoices when they rejoice and she cries when they cry.


Some days she wishes she could force them all to believe. She often has to resist the urge to hit them in the head with a Book of Mormon until the testimony of Christ within its pages seeps into their skulls. But that is not His way.

Some days she knocks on doors in 100 degree weather for hours. Sometimes she knocks on 30+ doors searching for someone who wants to learn more about families and their importance. 30+ doors...4 possible eternal families. Yes, she thinks to herself. That's worth it.

Other days she finds herself struggling to trust in her leaders and their priesthood keys to lead. God trusts them so she should too. Again she finds herself on her knees pleading for the beautiful powers of the Atonement to help her accept His will.


Some days the misionera and her companion don't get along. Pride, the universal sin, keeps them from teaching in unity. It keeps them from testifying with the Spirit. It keeps them from loving. And again she finds herself on her knees praying for herself, praying for her companion.

Everyday she thinks about the growth she's experienced in just the past year. What will the next 6 months bring? Everyday she rejoices in the fact she wears Christ's name on her chest. Everyday she stands as a witness of God, declaring the good news. Everday she gets on her knees and thanks Him for this amqzing opportunity.


One day she will see God's face and know that she served with all her might mind and strength. One day He will say to her, "well done my good and faithful servant." One day she will sit with Him and her family in the kingdom of God for eternity.

"I want obedience for you, not from you." - Pres. Taylor

July 8, 2013

"I want obedience for you, not from you." - Pres. Taylor

Well, I don't even know where to start.

Tempe. The best thing about being in the Tempe mission is that we get to go to the temple every 6 weeks as a zone.

For more information please see the last entry on page 722 in the Bible Dictionary and 2Ne 25:25

the investigator that called us a couple weeks ago and said she was coming to church got baptized yesterday. =) It was really cool. The change in her...my goodness. It's been a ride, but she finally made it. Now she's waiting for her husband to save up enough to get an apartment so she can move to Washinton with him and then they will become a eternal family. It's so awesome.


There have been two deaths in the ward in the last couple of weeks. So there was a funeral on Saturday. Most of her family are members of another faith and the majority of them didn't come to the service. But because they don't really know what the Plan of Salvation is there was a lot of crying, from her sister especially. I never really knew what wailing and gnashing of teeth meant before but now I do. I can't imagine hiring people to do that like they did when Jesus' time. The food, of course was delicious. Hna M got a great picture of us by the huge bowl they used to hold it all, but you'll all have to wait a while to see it since it's on her camera.


The other death was with a family I'm really close to. If you remember back to Jan and Feb and a little boy named Fernando. It's the family who got me cake for my birthday and everything and we taught and baptized her son Fernando. She hada ton of things wrong with her then she got samonela (sp) something eventually went to her brain she went into a coma and then eventaully died. It's super sad because the dad does drugs and now everyone's fighting about who gets the kids. We still don't know when her funeral will be.


In other happier news, the Diaz family, Fernando's aunt and uncle the one's who want to keep the kids, are going to be able to prepare to enter the temple soon!! The husband finally got his act together and stopped drinking and he's been strong for the last two months. Bishop told him after 3 months he can get the Mel Priesthood!! Then they can go to the temple!! AHH!!! I cried I was so excited. And then I firmly told them they'd better invite me to said sealing. =)


Well, I don't have much time left. Sometimes the letter just comes out without much thought but this time I've had to scramble for things to write.

Well love you all and talk to you next week.

Hna Scott

Don't listen to them when they say you can't change the world.

July 1, 2013

Welcome to the ATM...yes, the ATM. I'm trying not to be glum about this whole thing. And I was doing pretty good until Pres Taylor sent us a final goodbye text this morning calling the Tempe mission the ATM. Here in Phoenix...well, when I was part of Phoenix we referred to ourselves as the APM (Arizona Phoenix Mission). Now, I'm part of a money supplying machine. Silly thing to be upset about, I know. But well, it doesn't take much these days.

A lot happened this last week. Not much with investigators or anything since we let them all go last week since they didn't come to church, but ew talk 11 member lessons most of them to the youth, like Elder Ballard asked us to do when he was here a couple of weeks ago. It's so cool to go into their houses and get to know them, see where their testimonies are, and you just can't help but love them! It's interesting to hear the young women leaders talk about their girls. They say things about them, then we visit them and see that what the leader said was completely inaccurate. For example: She isn't interested in church and when she comes she never stays for young womens. Then we go over and the girl testifies of the power of prayer and of how much she knows her Father in Heaven loves her and the Spirit is so strong that you know she's telling the truth. Then when you ask her why she doesn't come to YWs she says it's because she doesn't like the leaders or the girls. This has happened on 2 occasions. And both of them were baptized about 3 years ago. It's so sad. Now, don't get me wrong, the YW president really tries so hard. She's an awesome lady. (if I wasn't a missionary I'm sure we'd be fast friends =) ) She really is trying to magnify her calling.

Also we had our final meeting with Pres and Sis Taylor on Friday. It was intense. Full of testimonies and the Spirit and love. My goodness I can't even explain in words how much I love those two. THey've helped me through a lot the last 9 1/2 months. I've learned so much from them about relationships and what I want. Once I asked Sis T how Pres T was before. If he just always respected her like he does. (if I've told this story before I apologize) They've known each other for a long long time. Like since they were children. She said "Now doesn't think I'm bragging, but he's always adored me." =) Before his mission he used to have nightmares that she wouldn't want to marry him when he got back. =) Pres T holds his priesthood in such a dignified way, even though he speaks from the pulpit with his eyes closed sometimes. =) I can't even explain it to you in words. But I love them so much. And I am so grateful for their example and their support. So as the final goodbye text said this morning I will see them again on the other side of my mission service.

We also met the Tempe assistants to the president and we learned that they wear their name tags on the right side. They don't know why but their guess is because they have a rivalry with the Mesa Mission...I will continue to wear mine on the left until Pres Toone tells me otherwise. I'm proud to have Christ's name visibly written on my heart right now and no rivalry is going to change that fact.


Yesterday I spoke in church for the first time on my mission. EEP!! They told me at 8:40 in the morning and then told me the topic at 10:10. Church starts at 11. =) Well, it was no where near as long as it should have been. Good think Elder Jarvis took up the slack on that one. But I think it went well. It was mostly testimony. And I don't remember most of what I said. So that means it was by the Spirit right? ;-)


Well, I think that's it. Missions are awesome. Love you all! Thanks for your prayers and everything!


Hna Scott

PS Mormon message of the week. Elder Holland man! Love him, love priesthood session of conference, LOVE THIS TALK

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/youth/mormon-messages-for-youth#2012-07-007-stay-within-the-line

Salvation man.

Well, how was the meeting? Did you go? If you didn't, well, you missed out. I'm not sure if you can watch it online but I do know you CAN check out this awesome new part of lds.org. =) http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/a-new-vision?cid=HPL1P01W01031&lang=eng

I loved it, I loved it. I loved Pres Packer's talk. A great teacher saying the greatest teachers are mothers. Yep, enjoyed that a lot. Hmm what else...really liked the lady who Elder Neilson interviewed, I really liked her hair. =) I loved how it said we have to be united members and missionaries. There has to be communication and love. I also loved how they said that bringing back a soul who has already heard the gospel but then fallen away is just as noble as bringing in someone new. I believe that. We've been working with a less active for a while now and she's now been to church three weeks in a row. We invited her to go to the temple with us and...man. I love her. =) Man, I should have broguht my notes. Also loved the story of Pres Monon's about the ward in Canada. It's amazing what faith can do, if it's real faith that leads to action. Overall, SOOOOO good! But what do we do with all this new information and excitement? DO we just go back to life like it was before, or do we automatically do something different? If so, what do we do? This is where I am with this right now. How do I impliment what I learned into my missionary work? Well, my comp was happy because I said we weren't going to go knocking last night like we had originally planned. =)

A little about how we do know it's going to affect us. Internet! Church tours! A lot less knocking! And more! But we were just told that we have to keep it quiet for another week...bleh! But because of certain circumstances Pres T thinks all the changes will take place here in Phoenix and Tempe faster than most other missions. All of these things will be implimented in stages and you have to wait for the missionary department approval to be able to do it. But they hope for every mission to have these changes within a year. MAN!!!!!! SOOOOOO COOL! Sometimes I find myself wanting to be a member so I can help with misionary work...then I remember I'm a missionary... =)
Oh, before I forget. Weekly mormon message:
http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/a-new-vision?cid=HPL1P01W01031&lang=eng
I love this one. Everytime, man. It just makes me cry. People like Hyrum are special and pure and we could all learn to be more like his sister.

Well, that one old investigator who I told you about who called a couple Saturdays ago and told us that she would be coming to church, yep she's getting baptized!! WOOHOO!!! Then they're going to work on becoming an eternal family! It's so awesome. She's in the middle of moving though because she didn't have the money to pay rent so she's moving in with her cousin, but she wants to learn and she wants to be baptized. They're hoping to move to washington in a month so her and her boyfroiend can get married and become an awesoem church going family.

This week was a little slower because of all the meetings and stuff so we weren't able to do a lot, but it was still good. Karen got confirmed for real this time unlike last Sunday when it really didn't work. BUT that is a story for another time. =) We found out Laura's not married and we are going to invite her to live the law of chasity unti lshe gets married. When we met with them last, she was super discouraged. We talked about family history and asked Karen and Laura to prepare names to go to the temple, but Laura just looked so glum. She doesn't think Omar, her boyfriend for the last 13 years is going to want tpo finalize his divorce with the other lady and marry her. Man, I just wanted to hug her. So we then told her that she can't give up on her faith. She can't get discouraged because that makes us forget our faith. She'll get there and one day I know that family will go to the temple.

Well, that is all I do believe. Last week in the Phoenix mission...then comes the Tempe!
The church is true.
Hna Scott

PS going to the temple Wednesday!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!! Can you say SUPER EXCITED?!?!? =) =) =) =)

"Let someone else take care of it."

Weekly mormon video.

Awesomeness.

We want to get the jovenes here to do something like this! Hopefully it works out. =)

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/we-are-brothers?lang=eng

Weekly plug:
"The two visitors [to the APM this last week], Tracy Watson (Missionary Department's director of proselyting) and Steve Allen (managing director of the Missionary Department and Brother Watson's boss) said there will be a lot of big announcements at the June 23rd broadcast. Hope you're looking forward to it." - Pres T

June 23rd.

Be there.


Have I mentioned that there are details about what will be announced that I'm not allowed to tell you? Yep, we here in the Phoenix mission, we've got an in and we know a little about what's going to happen and change about missionary work. You want to be there. I promise.

Well, On Saturday Karen was baptized!! I will try and include a picture. AHHH!! Her whole family came. It was so cool! Then her grandman and her aunt came for her confirmation too. It was really cool. Laura wants to go to the temple really bad so we're going to work on that with her, though we learned the other day (fail as a missionary) that she's not married. Don't worry we're working on resolving that issue. As soon as we told her that it was a commandment and that to go to the temple she has to be married she automatically accepted it and said she'll talk to her husband. Man, everyone needs to have her kind of faith. We could tell her God wanted to pack up her stuff and move to New York and she'd do it. Don't worry, we're not going to tell her that. =) We need her kind of faith and strength here in Encanto.

We went hiking today. For the first time on my whole mission. 5 miles. Steep. Hot. We started at 85 (5:30 in the morning) and ended at 102 (10:00) Long. And Fun. I actually kind of like hiking...even though it as just a bunch of red rock and dust. It was a last little informal hurrah with Pres and Sister Taylor before the switch to Tempe. We'll have a zone conference formal thing with them on the 28th. It was a little sad. At the top we sang some songs together talked about how it's a bginning and not an end and The taylors were just about sobbing. Man, I love them.

I learned something intense this week. Mostly on Sunday. Yep, love the santa cena. So I and many other people in the world we have this problem. We're okay with only being okay. We're okay with leaving someone else to solve the problem or clean up the mess. We're okay with passively living the gospel and letting the grandness of it pass us by.

THe other day I made a mess and I stopped to clean it up, we were in a little bit of a hurry and my companion says, "Let someone else take care of it." That made me think. (don't worry I fixed what I had messed up) "I'll just let someone else take care of it." "It's not my problem." "I'm busy right now, someone else will make sure Sis. So-and-so gets visited." I'm tired, and I've got homework to do, I'll just leave my prayer to later." Etc Etc Etc. I can't even tell you how many times I've said things like this. But this is what came into my head when Hna T said that: What if Jesus Christ before performing the Atonement said, "you know what? I'm tired. I've been tempted more than anyone can imagine, my closest friends have left me, I've done everything I can for these people and they want to kill me. I think I'll just let someone else take care it."

He could have, you know. He had the power. He could have done it. And then we'd all be doomed to become like the devil stuck as spirits, damned because we couldn't be resurrected. Not to mention the repentance and grace part of the Atonement as well.

"I'll just let someone else take care of it."

We can't just let someone else take care of it.

Someone was speaking in sacrament on Sunday. He was taling about when he went inactive and then reactivated. He said, "I wondered where my home teachers were. If they had been there, would I have gone inactive." Sis. So-and-so needs a visit NOW. She didn't come to church and it would be an answer to her prayer if someone just went over and said hello. Helped her with the dishes and gave her a hug. And she needs it NOW. And you are the person God wants to do it.

he doesn't need someone who's wishy washy. He doesn't need another member who just goes through the motions. He needs you. And He needs you now. He needs you to be a covenant keeper, to fulfill the covenant you made a baptism to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in comfort. TZo serve Him with all your might mind and strength.

Yes, this is what was going through my head. I decided when I get home I will do my visiting teaching, always. I will fulfill my calling. I will sit next to that sister who's sitting by herself in Relief Society. I will be the member that sometimes I wish these members would be.

Then the thought came, "who are you kidding? If you don't start now on your mission while it's the easiest what makes you think you'll do it when you get home." I will start now. I will talk to people. Everyone. I will smile and I will say the words that Christ would say. I will not passively live the life of a mission. I can't. I won't.

He needs me to step it up and serve with all my might mind and strength. And I will do it.

Now this has taken way too long to explain, but I guess I wanted you all to see how important it is that we are not passive. Being mediocre is not okay. Christ was not mediocre and He doesn't need anymore mediocre members.

"I'll just let someone else take care of it." for me, is going to become: I will take care of it. What about you?

Love you all! Don't think I'm crazy or anything. Just really passionate about some things. =) The church is true.

Hna Scott