Monday, September 23, 2013
Sister Scott's Latest!
Hellooo everyone!!
So this week has flown by..It felt like I wrote you yesterday..BUT me have had an awesome week! Katie, our investigator haden't contacted us for almost the whole week so I was litereally having a panick attack thinking she wasn't wanting to meet with us anymore. Turns out she was sick and her phone broke sooo satan is workin reeal hard to not have her meet with us. BUT when we went over she was beaming she was so happy to see us. She introduces us as "her" missionaries and she has been reading the Book of Mormon to her kids every night before they go to sleep. The day before we finally got in contact with her she said she was having a rough day and went on a hike in the mountains. She sat on a rock and said a prayer to Heavenly Father to help her and as soon as she said amen she got a text from us. She said she ran down the mountain to come meet and talk with us! hahah It was crazy because we were right in the middle of a meeting and I felt something telling me to text her so I did and then she told me that story. There truly is no coincidences. The Lord is behind everything!
So we contacted this lady named Victoriana and she is extreeeamly into the church that she goes to. She'd involved with the childrens group and she says she bawls at every sermon. We went down this road and she came to my mind so we turned around and ran into her! She surprisingly let us. She starts off by saying "Now dont try to convert me cause I know if I believe if Jesus im saved! We're all saved! so lets just talk" I asked if I could tell her just a story...and then pulled out the book of Mormon..hahha As soon as we started something in her lit up like we were telling her a story she's already heard before. She kept nodding and saying "Wow..this makes so much sense. I feel really good." Its my favorite to explain the sprit to people because it truly doesn't matter what we share or say. If the spirit is present then they will be "brought to the rememberence" of what we've all learned before this life. I love the scripture in john14:26-27" but the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your REMBERANCE whatsoever I have said unto you" I love that so much because as I've gotten to really sit down and study everyday I learn so much faster and deeper because the sprit is so strong out here. The Holy Ghost helps me remember things I've been taught before this life. The key to learning is putting ourselves in an environment that the Holy Ghost can teach us. I sat in Church this sunday and was just overwhelmed with the spirit and how much Heavenly Father truly does love us and is aware of us! I have learned so much about who I am and who my Heavenly Father sees me becoming.
Whenever timed get hard I read in d&c 121-122. The words Heavenly Father spoke to him give me the greatest happiness and hope to know everything is for my good. "..and if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the deep; if the billows surge conspire against thee; if the fierce winds become thine enemy yeah if the very jaws of hell gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou my son that ALL THESE THINGS shall give thee experience, and shall be for THY good." His commandments, His scriptures, the joys we experience, the trials we're given, the people we meet, seminary, church, missions..EVERYTHING is for our good and if we follow Him with faith we will become all He has prepared for us to become and there truly is no greater gift and happiness than that. I love being a missionary and I love my savior Jesus Christ who has made it all possible! God is good! Church is true! Joseph smith was a pamphlet! I love being a missionary.
Love you all sooo much!
Love,
Sister scott
Monday, September 16, 2013
First Week Being a new Trainer!
Hello everyone!:)
Wow...I dont even know where to begin. This week has been crazy! Sweep training is really hard. haha if there is one this I could say to sum up the only reason how I made it throught its..atonement! Its amazing how when times get really hard is where I see my greatest miracles! Sister Johnson my new companions is a sweet heart from bountiful utah (just like sister call) and we get a long great! New missionaries always bring miracles cause they have such a perfect brightness of hope and Joy about everything! Not like Im tainted or anything..But it has pushed me to be SUCH a better missionary because everything I do she absorbs. now I know why they call being a trainer a mother.
Shelly MIRACLE!
One beautiful thursday night me and my companion Sister Johnson were preparing to go out and contact a refferall. Flustered from a looong day of memorizing a new area from sweep training, I managed to leave my planner(with the apartment number) and the phone (to ask the elders the address). We didn't have a lot of miles and knew if we drove back we wouldn't be able to contact her tonight. I felt that we shouldn't go back so I looked at sister Johnson and asked what she thought we needed to do. She said "Well we're here for a reason so lets walk." We started to walk to the apartment buildings having NO idea where we were going. I felt instantly that we needed to go up the stairs. I asked sister Johnson what she thought we needed to do and without hesitation she said, "lets go upstairs" so I knew it was right! As we reached the top step a 23 year old girl walks out of her apartment door and we go and introduce ourselves. We began to teach her about the Book of Mormon and read our favorite scriptures on the Atonement. After reading Mosiah 24: 14-15 "and I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them on your backs; and this i will do that ye may stand as a witness for me hereafter and that you may know of a surety that I the Lord God do visit my people in their afflictions". She told us how she had been having a hard day and wanted to feel "this burden lifted from her shoulders" as we were talking about. We testied of Jesus Christ and how He knows her and is aware of her and the message we share will bring her closer to Him. We asked her to pray to know if the things we have taught her are true. She has never prayed in her life and gave the most sincere heartfelt prayer saying "Heavenly Father thank you for sending me these lovely ladies, I know I met them for a reason and I want to know if these things are true. Thank you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." She looked up at us teary eyed and said how amazing she felt. We told her that she was feeling the spirit and that that was God telling her how much he loved her and is aware of her. We invited her to read the B.O.M. and to be baptized when she knew these things were true. She said yes and how she knew were were sent to her for a reason becasue she had just gotten in a huge fight with her boyfriend and just about to leave her apartment to buy a huge bottle of alcohol. With tears running down her eyes she said, "well I have no reason to go out now" smiled, and took the Book of Mormon. We have her a hug (got down her info and set up an appointment for the ysa elders to contact her on monday) and said goodbye. She went inside and we literally danced to the car. It was SO amazing to know that the lord was leading us and if we would have showed up a second later we would have missed her. It was hard to give her up to the ysa elders but just as the missionaries say "point one for team Jesus". hahaha so back to zero investigators and tracting!
Katie miracle!
As if that wasnt enough of a miracle the very next day we recieved a refferal from some elders that went fear busting with some new elders! This lady is the most elect and ready person I've ever met my whole mission. She isntantly let us in and told her how she has just gotten out of an abusive relationship that took the lives of 5 of her children. At the end of the first lesson she accepted to be baptized so fast and said "yes, and I would like my children to be baptized too if thats alright".......I DID EVERYTHING IN MY WILL POWER not to burst out in joy hahah. Of COURSE they can! hahah too bad they are 1 and 3 years old so they'll have to wait a little bit but she's keeping all of her commitments and came to ALL 3 hours of church yesterday! The ward did an amazing job at welcoming her in and explaining how everything works.
Nothing (besides sweep training) is more stressful than bringing an invesitagor to church. You wait to see if they'll show, you walk them in and hope no one stares and makes them feel uncomfortable(cause they already do) then you sit back and PRAY the speakers teach to her needs. To make matter worse her 3 year old was crawling up and down all the isles of chairs and her 1 year old was pulling her hair and dumping the sacrament tray! hahah my anxiety was at an all time HIGH because she spent the whole time taking them in and out hahah I was afraid it was holding her back from feeling the spirit! We got a call afetr church and I was so afraid she was going to say "sorry sister, this isnt for me" but she just went off about how much she loved it and how she is so excited to go to church next week! PRAIS ELLUJAH! I am so excited for her.
I love being a missionary so much! Everyday I'm brought to remember how much the Lord influences my life and that truly is what makes me happy, remembering Him. He is constantly puting tender mercies into our lives to bless us and make us happy and if we take the time to reflect on what He's done then we will never have a reason to feel sad or alone! I have gotten closer with my savior this week than I have my whole mission. When times get hard I think of what the savior went through. How even He asked His Heavenly Father to "let this cup pass" and that He continued on because He loves us and knew there was no other way. I truly know there is no other way for me to become like my savior if I dont have my own hard times through gethsemane. There is no greater joy than helping Heavenly Father in His work and becoming a new person in the process! I love being a missioanry! Have an amazing week and know I'm praying for you all!:)
-Sister Scott
Monday, September 9, 2013
Transfers, Trainer's and Testimonies!
Hey everybody!!!
Ok soooo lots of change this week! I forgot to tell you that it was transfer week hahah so heres my new transfer call, I'm going back to Spokane valley but this time i'm in the beltair ward (pres. mullens ward) right next to the temple!! I'm sweeping(meaning it will be a whole new area without any past missionaries showing me around the area) and IM TRAINING!!!!!!! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! SWEEP TRAINING! im gonna die. So when you train a new missionary you're called a momma! So it was pretty funny when we got our call, my district leader says and sister scott..YOUR PREGNANT!!!! and I literally sat there for like 5 min SOOO confused...hahahahh but then I got the joke..SO im pregnant and in labor as we speak(so the kids say nowadays) and I will be picking up my new baby tomorrow at 9 o clock!! SOOO excited but SO nervous hahah I don't really even feel like I even know what I'm doing yet and to train a new missionary the Lord must know something I don't hahah but it gets even better....so Sister Call is staying in our area and SISTER HOOD(my last companion) will be her new companion as a sister training leader!! CRAZY hahah my only two companions are now companions! That will be quite the transfer hahah my two companions couldn't be more opposite. Its like pairing up dolly and bob marley...so I'm excited to see how they work together! I'm a little sad to be leaving my investigators cause me and sister call are the ones that found them! (Bud and Mary) they are SOO elect it kills me! They will be getting baptized in October and I probably wont be able to see it but it just feels so amazing knowing that the spirit truly was working with us to find him cause It was SO random how we did.
This last week we have been focusing a lot the atonement. My mind is just blown how amazing the atonement truly is. It is everything and everything ties back to it somehow. Before my mission the Atonement was just a word to me that describes the Saviors suffering for our sins. There are so many different parts to the atonement that I never even realized and there is no way to explain everything I've learned but I hope this analogy I've come up with will make sense. So I read this talk about the enabling, cleansing, and healing power of the atonement. Its was helps us access the ability to become like our savior and our Heavenly Father. There's so many attributes that I want to gain while I'm on my mission and for the rest of my life. Because of our natural man we fall short of fully gaining these abilities but when we access the atonement it will make up the rest that we couldn't have without the grace and mercy of our savior. I never understood how to fully access and use the atonement in my life but I know that Heavenly Father wants all of us to progress as much as we can in this life and to prepare us to meet him again. I've seen the amazing affect the atonement has had in my life as I have asked Heavenly Father for forgiveness of my weaknesses and asked for help to overcome them. I truly have come to know that Repentence is truly what makes us happy in our lives and allows our savior to lift the burdens we feel from making mistakes. That's why Heavenly Father provided a savior so that we could be enabled to progress, cleansed from our mistakes, and healed to become all we can be in this life. As we were being taught this in our meeting I had the thought "well whats the difference and why are all three powers so important"? The spirit toootally helped me understand by creating this analogy.
-The Enabling power is like the engine of the car. Its what moves us forward and gives us the ability to progress. It strengthens us to be able to overcome mountains and trials in our life.
-The Cleansing Power is like going through a car wash, removing any past mistakes(or dirt) that we inevitably pick up on our journey through life making us feel happy and free from the things that can weigh us down.
- and it took we a while to figure out what the healing power would be but Its because the healing power is the hardest one for us to truly understand and accept. Its forgiving ourselves and truly understanding that Heavenly Father has forgotten whatever that past transgression was, as if it hadn't happened..then it hit me. The Healing power is like taking a giant cracked windshield or a totaled bumper and REPLACING it with a completely new and beautiful one. We hold ourselves back so much by not accepting the healing power of the atonement and the reality of God's goodness and the Saviors ability to do such an amazing thing.
The atonement is amazing. Its truly is what gives us the ability to become all we can in this life and to do things we couldn't see us accomplishing on our own. And that's cause we aren't. Using the Atonement is allowing the savior to be beside us through everything we go through. He carries half of our burden and even more when we need Him to. Mathew 11:28 describes this so perfectly that with him, our "yoke may be light". He is the only one who truly understands what our burdens feel like cause He suffered it. I love my savior and the sacrifice He made for me and everyone else in the world. Acessing the powers from the atonement is truly what makes us happy in this life and in the next! Without it we don't progress, we only loose even more sight of why we are here on this earth. I have become the happiest I have ever been on my mission from relying on my savior and using the atonement daily! I love this gospel and this amazing chance I have to fully understand it and study it for myself. I know without a doubt that this gospel is true because He proves it to me everyday. You can't find this eternal happiness anywhere else. My Heavenly Father has become by best friend and I know that He lives. I love all of you and pray for you everyday! Have a great week and I'll see ya'll soon!!:)
-Sister scott
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Happy Birthday Sister Call!! Great Lessons on Faith.
Hey everyone!!
Wow I love Spokane. we went on a hike today in 9 mile falls (aka the boonies) and I literally felt like I was a vampire in twilight. It was sooo beautiful! Today is my companions birthday so I woke up and made her a 3 course breakfast(no big deal) and a banner that says happy birthday! the only down side is I was making it In the dark and as I turned over the letters to tape the backs together in a banner, I didn't recognize It taped it backwards....so We wake up the morning to a giant banner that says yadhtrib yppah..... yep not my brightest moment BUT HEY its the thought that counts.
SO this weeks miracle I wasn't gonna tell you cause I was terrified I was crazy and it wouldn't work out but of course with the Lord proves to me over and over how much he truly is behind this work. So as we were planning and setting goals for how many lessons we should get this next week we were both super down cause Its been really slow. .so "other lessons" are random contacts from trackting or on the street that you 1) teach a gospel principle 2) share a scripture 3) and close with a prayer. its pretty hard in this area cause some flee you like the plague..So we average about 4- 6 other lessons a week and as we're praying I have a strong feeling we need to double it to 12. My companion thought I was seriously going crazy.. I did too. It was just such a strong prompting that I said "the lord wants 12 lessons and I know he will provide it! just trust me lets write it down." The first day we got none. I was sick. but I knew that completing this goal needed to come from us working as hard as we can and having the faith that it would happen. We fasted for faith and the next day we had 3!!(This isn't including our less active and investigator lessons) the week continued to put TONS of people in our paths willing to read the book of Mormon! We ended up having 13 other lesson this week!! I was amazed at how easily it was to fulfill our goal just from simply asking the Lord to prepare the people in our path.My testimony has grown so much in how essential the spirit is. Its what draws people to this gospel because that feeling is almost tangable if you let it be. I cant even describe the feeling of sharing this amazing message about the gospel to complete strangers and then as we ride away I shake me head and saying "that was not me sharing that lesson. The spirit taught them something I did not say" its ALL the spirit. If we are willing to just "open our mouths, they shall be filled" as it promises in d&c.
Asking Heavenly Father for help is sooo important. I never knew something that simple would have such a HUGE impact but of course it does! this is His work! Heavenly Father is more than willing to help us achieve our richeous desires. All we need to do is "ask and we shall recieve" He wants to be apart of our lives daily to let us know we aren't going through life alone. Its experiences that have pushed me to act in faith where I truly feel closest to my Savior. Its amazing how much He blesses us when we are willing to sacrifice something so small and act in faith. Many of us would look at the red sea and say "open sesamie" hoping it will split but the lord knew that Moses had that assurance and Faith to STEP into the water and command it to move. When we go forward in like having that faith and assurance that Heavenly Father is behind us He will continuially show us over and over that He is. He's done this for me every day of my mission. I'm just sad it took me this long to recognize how close He truly is. I love you all and hope you can feel Your Heavenly Fathers hand in you life everyday! He love you and so do I!! Have a great week I'll see ya'll soon!
-Sister scott
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