Fwd: January 30, 2012

Dear Mom and Dad,
This week has been a good one. Victor is still struggling with stuff but we are still working with him. We have 8 progressing investigators, 4 of them are from a family we have been teaching. They are awesome! they ave really good questions and are the most promising investigators i have had my whole mission. We taught them the Plan of Salvation this week. We also have another Part Member family we are stoked about. A young couple, Husband was Less active, wants to come back to church. His wife is not a member and is really interested and is doing all of her homework! Woohoo! finally some people that are more interested in learning the gospel than talking to us! But of course, we are pretty cool so i am guessing that has something to do with it. ;D Anyway, Maxene we are teaching again too! Lots of miracles! Anyway. My health is improving, and yes Bakersfield hasnt been good to me but i like the people here. One of the members families, the Romeros have 3 boys (teenagers) and their tradition with missionaries is to wrestle them. So, being the type of people we are, Elder Thomson and I engage matches with them sometimes. Its fun  being a missionary.

On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 7:20 AM, Bret Scott <bnscott2@gmail.com> wrote:

Elder Scott --

Just a reminder -- President Grover has asked for a few quality pictures of our missionary doing missionary work -- we don't' have have a lot of good pictures with YOU in them, so please send me something that you want him to have.  They are putting together a slideshow of the stake missionaries for the upcoming Stake Conference.  If you don't send me something, I'll pick and choose from what you have sent us several months ago, there is not a lot to choose from.

Speaking of President Grover, we had Stkae General Priesthood meeting last night.  President Grover told a story about the murder of Joseph Smith.  Apparently when the mob was plotting against Joseph, they were meeting secretly to devise a plan to kill him.  There were a couple of young boys in the meetings, who were sympathetic towards the Prophet, and recounted the meeting minutes to the prophet after each one.  Joseph Smith prophesied to them that at the next ( and final ) meeting, they would be required to take an oath to join the mob to carryout their evil plans to murder Joseph Smith.  The prophet asked these boys to be courageous and to attend this final meeting, to not commit to join with them, but to stand strong -- he warned them that their lives would be threatened because "they new the mobs plans",  The message President Grover was conveying was that the young men are to stand courageous, even when their lives are on the line.  It was very touching and a nice reminder for all of us that the world is heading fast down a road that we do not want to be on -- so we need to muster courage to stand for what is right, no matter what. 

President Hammond relayed a story about a football team in Texas who showed love and compassion toward another team which happened to be made up solely of inmates of a maximum security prison --- during the game the community rallied around the visiting team and cheered them on.  The home team still one like 33-14, but the team made up of hopeless teens with nobody in their lives to support them, stood tall because for one night, there were citizens, parents and good people cheering for their success.  At the end of the game, the coach of the visiting prisoner football team took the home team's coach aside and told him "you will never know what this has meant to these boys, to have a glimpse of hope in their lives"  President Hammond's message was that God is Love, Love is Charity, and we should conduct our lives with the sole purpose of demonstrating love to our fellow men -- even those who are struggling to stay on the straight and narrow path ( like this football team from prison )

Seth Guthrie gave his farewell talk yesterday, he was apparently set apart as a missionary last night and leaves for the MTC on Wednesday -- he makes #11 from our ward.  Bishop Olsen reported that the Stake Presidency calls our ward "The Missionary Machine" because of how many missionaries are currently serving, and how many are still shortly upcoming.

Austin Hansen should be leaving for Argentina tomorrow ( I believe ) -- I'll let you know what comes of that adventure if I hear anything.

Keep us informed of whats going on in your week -- we love to read the details about your mission work. 

Love Dad

On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 6:33 AM, Tracie Scott <tlsw3boys@gmail.com> wrote:

Good morning Elder Scott,

I hope the email finds you doing well.  I unfortunately have not been well!  I was doing fine on Monday and then wham!  I got the stomach bug and was super sick.  So, I did not get your package in the mail.  I had gone and got your shirts on Monday and planned on getting it sent Tuesday.  So I will now get it sent this Tuesday. 

Everything else is the same.  The pinewood derby was Saturday.  Dad did great, but he is glad it is over.  He learned how to do it better next year.  Some of the cars were so cute.  Ben Rawlings did his in the shape of a baseball bat with Rawlings on it.  Dylan Lawson did his in the shape of a block of cheese with little plastic mice on it.  I was the judge.  You could totally tell which ones Dad's did and which ones boy's did. 

So, I am sorry to hear that Victor didn't get baptized.  I hope you can continue to work with him and that he gains a testimony of tithing.  I am glad to hear you were working hard.  I bet that makes the time fly!  I hope you are feeling better and are over the cold you had.  You have been sick a lot in Bakersfield, that is not like you.  Have the other elders been sick too?

Well, I need to run and get ready for work.  I know this is short, but I spent the week recuperating, so not much to share.  President Monson shared the first presidency message in the Ensign this month.  He talks about courage and he says "Sometime courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, "I'll try again tomorrow"."  Always have courage son.  Keep trying with Victor and those you teach.  Let the spirit guide you in what to say and teach.

I love you,
Mom 

--

Love, Elder Tyler Scott