He didn't have any new photos this week, but you can see that Missionary Training starts early!

Hola!

I'm doing well, super busy, but I'm doing really well.

Our iPads didn't happen this last week, the day before we were supposed to get them they found some issues and we ended up not getting them. But we should be getting them this week sometime, fingers crossed haha.

Elder Burgin (his new companion) and I bike everywhere now, I'm actually getting pretty proficient and I've learned to ride without hands pretty well (gotta make riding in 104 degree weather fun somehow). So that's always fun :) One elder in another district was doing it and accidently swerved into a parked car. He wrecked his arm and Pres. Swain (Scottie’s Mission President) made him explain it in transfer meeting, I was laughing so hard. He was thoroughly embarrassed.

I'm glad Padre's back home safe from Canada! I hope School is going well for the girls, all the kids up here start this Wednesday, summer is about to be over!

2 months as of today!!! (How long he has been serving his mission) Time certainly is flying, that's for sure! I miss y'all but I'm really getting into the work and finding ways to make it better. Elder Burgin has way better P-Day activities planned and we'll be doing some pretty cool things. We might go bowling later.  

Elder Burgin seems like a good guy, we've been doing a good job about working out this past week. We'll see if it continues :) (They are allowed time each morning to exercise)

I know that I'm out here for a reason. I have a testimony that I'm out here for a purpose and that I'm supposed to be in Manga, Utah. I know that through Christ, we can do all things because he lives and wants us to be happy. I love finding truth and comfort in the scriptures and in serving others, it makes me realize what's important in life. I know that the Gospel has been restored here on Earth in these latter days for us to better our lives. I know it.

 I know everyone in the branch (size ~110 people) and I've been able to build strong relationships, so dinner still comes in every night. I'm actually pretty good friends with a lot of the leaders and branch presidency so we get fed more than enough, that's for sure!

So this past Sunday I was super busy in church. In Sacrament I was translating from Spanish to English like normal, but then a high councilman got up to speak and I had to go from English to Spanish, which was way harder haha. I think I did well, but he was super nervous so he was speaking fast so I was speaking even faster in Spanish. Then I had to teach the Gospel doctrine class by myself when Elder Burgin had to go take care of something else, so that was just a little bit of pressure. It definitely is helping me improve my Spanish though!

So there was this one couple we're teaching, Ernesto and Melissa. We've been trying to help them come back to church, and they actually started attending a few weeks ago and they're just a shining example of how the Gospel blesses people's lives. They've been much happier together, Ernesto proposed, they're getting married mid-September and they just got approved for a loan they've been trying to get forever so they can get a new house and get all their kids into it. They're really happy all the time and the rumor that I heard is that Ernesto cooks some mean Spanish BBQ. He officially invited us to his house-leaving party and with him as Head Chef, oh man, I cannot wait for that :) But he is a really cool character. He's been in a gang and almost lost his life a few times through some shootings, stabbings, the whole mess of disasters. But he's trying to turn his life around and be a good father, I have a ton of respect for him.  Another cool thing about that story is that they got that loan approved a few days after they paid tithing for the first time since they've been together, how cool is that?

(From his email to his Aunt Tammy:)

This week has been awesome. New word of the week is paracaidas (accent on the I, don't know how to type that here). It means parachute. We learned this week that we shouldn't treat our relationship with God like a paracaidas and only rely on him when we're falling out of the plane and need him, but we should constantly make sure it's in good condition and then we'll know it's ready during the tough times.

Love always,

Scottie