Scottie and the Missionaries from his previous District

 What's up family?!? So this new area is way cool, I really like it. It's always hard to leave an area when you've been there for almost 5 months, you really come to love the people, but this new area is definitely a blessing. I'm serving in the Hunter West Stake in the Hunter 19th Spanish Ward (not a branch this time) (wards and branches are both local congregations, wards are larger than branches). The people are way nice, and Elder Chavez (his new companion) is a stud! I'm super excited to work with him.

Monday 3/10/14:

Best P-Day (preparation day) to date. A few of us were getting transferred so we finished with a bang. For shopping, all I bought was a kickball :) Buying food would have been a waste since I was getting transferred. We got to do email from the iPads, then we biked on over to the pday building. While we finished emailing, Elders Johnson and Jung showed up and we made some Cap'N Crunch fried chicken, Oreo truffles, cookies, and it was all soooo good. We just laughed and had tons of fun. Then, we went and played kickball as a zone and it was so fun. This zone has become like a family to me, we were all so close. I'm going to miss these missionaries. After kickball, we came inside for some basketball. We played a 3 point shooting competition and some of the elders thought it would be funny to put me on a team with one of the sisters, Sister
Sydall. But she's a baller and has a scholarship to play when she gets back, we took 1st place haha :) We went home, changed, visited people to say goodbye, then we went on back to the apartment.


Tuesday 3/11/14:

Transfer day!! I spent all morning packing and then we went over to the Peachwood building. After the meeting I found Elder Chavez and we loaded my stuff into Hermano Baquerizo's car. He's from Peru, our ward mission leader, and an amazing cook and nice guy, so I was excited to meet him. We then unpacked my stuff, went over to a dinner that had this amazing breaded chicken and Habanero sauce, so good. I met some of the people in the area, then we went home. We live in this super nice member’s house with a pool table, I have a queen sized bed (most missionary apartments have twin beds!), and we’re super spoiled. We even have a dog named Dude haha. It's awesome, and we live with Elders Stimpson and Brooks.

The house dog - Dude!

His new house

A little nicer than his last place!

He is excited about the bigger bed!

Wednesday 3/12/14:

Today was cool. We got up, studied, and then we went and had lunch with our ZL's (Zone Leaders) at this place called Atlantis Burger. Elder Ulu'ave is from Hawaii (6'8", monster of a guy, has a scholarship to play football for University of Utah after the mission) and Elder Driscoll is from Panama City, Florida. They're two of the best, so I'm glad I'm in their zone. After lunch we did some teaching, I conducted a baptismal interview for Elder Jacobson in the other district,(he conducts interviews with individuals wishing to be baptized as part of his District Leader responsibilities) then we taught some more. I'm definitely staying busy!

Thursday 3/13/14:

Weekly planning day! It was good because I got to meet the entire district for the first time (much bigger than my last district): Elders Brooks, Stimpson, Concidine, Stancliffe, Chavez and I plus Sisters Unga, Ashcroft, Alusa, Maxwell, Knudson, and Yepez. Everyone seems awesome, then we did a baptismal interview for Unga and Ashcroft. Afterwards we had an amazing dinner with the Valencia family (super nice recent converts). We did some more teaching, and then the night was done.

Friday 3/14/14:

Happy Pi-Day! Today for district meeting, there were a ton of people. The AP's (Assistants to the Mission President) showed up and that made 18 in total, I'm used to like 7 haha. And we have a new AP now, Mauinatu was released because he goes home next transfer and they called Elder Isabell as assistant, he seems really cool. After district meeting we had District Leader training with the ZL's, then dinner. Then we had correlation meeting with Hermano Baquerizo (his ward mission leader), and went and taught the Chiriboga family. It was awesome.

Saturday 3/15/14:

Today was another busy day. We got up, studied, went to choir practice (which was good because Elder Baliño brought me all the stuff I'd forgotten at the last apartment haha). We grabbed some lunch, did some visits, and then had a good dinner with the Lopez family. We then went to visit with the Garcias and they are way cool. We walk a ton right now. We can't bike because Elder Chavez (his companion) is in a sling. He broke his clavicle really bad in a bike accident before the mission, and since he's only been out 3 months he hasn't healed up fully. He's got a plate and 9 screws in it, so that's intense. He's healing up well though!

Sunday 3/16/14:

Awesome day. We got up, studied, went to church and it was great. I was asked to say the closing prayer and then something funny happened. Several people came up to me and asked how I learned Spanish so well and where I was from, which lead me to 2 conclusions: 1) serving with Elder Baliño definitely improved my Spanish a lot and 2) I now have a super Mexican accent haha. I actually told a member I was from Guadalajara the other day and they believed me! That was kinda cool :)  After church we went over to Hermano Baquerizo's and helped him cook, then we all ate (Hermanas Knudson and Yepez were there too because the 4 of us serve in the ward). Then we had the mission president devotional and it was super special. We ended with I Believe in Christ and it's such a powerful song, always gets me. I also got to see Hermano Carrasco and a ton of the missionaries I miss serving around, like Elers Ghramm and Moleli and Burgin. Then I gathered and called in numbers from the district, and it's been a crazy day and I'm ready for some sleep!

Love Always,

Scottie

Ooh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This is Hermano Baquerizo (bah-keh-ree-zo). He is our new ward mission leader, and after he fed us yesterday he just passed out on the couch. This is us taking a siesta on the couch haha. (I wasn't really sleeping, just posing for the picture). Love this guy!

The Zone!! Granger C

BIG HIGHLIGHT: I'm getting transferred! See Saturday :)

Tuesday 3/4/14:

Pretty solid day today. We did our normal morning routine and then went to read the Book of Mormon with Geovani. We made afternoon contacts, then went to eat dinner with Pres. Perez and his family: carne asada and then cheesecake for dinner, so good! We had our branch missionary correlation meeting with Bro. Pons, then went and visited the Bedoya family, genuinely good people. That was about it for today!

Wednesday 3/5/14:
Today was pretty busy. Hermano Bayona picked us up early and we went to Taylor's Bike Shop to pick up my bike. The brakes are now back on the bike, gears are working again, it's in solid condition! We had our meeting with Pres. Higginson, then we practiced the song our district is going to sing at stake conference this weekend: #26, Joseph Smith's First Prayer. We grabbed lunch at Subway then watched some training videos for (Elder) Balino (Elder Balino is still a new missionary and Scottie is his “trainer”). We ate dinner with the Galvez family, and Padre would have loved the dessert! It was homemade strawberry shortcake, so good!! Not as good as yours, but it was pretty solid! We visited with Angie and then Edilberto, and then headed home!

Thursday 3/6/14:
We had a really full day today! We were up and studying, then we went and taught Norma Obando with Hermano Arellano. Then our apartment went out to Chow Time for lunch (we got some coupons in the mail, I only paid 3 bucks for an all you can eat buffet). It was way good, and as usual, we all waddled out of there having eaten way too much food haha. It's way good though! We practiced our song again as a district and then had weekly planning all afternoon. We had a really nice dinner with the Montoya family, lots of laughs. Then with the help of Hermano Pons, we taught: Alejandro Guzman, Manual Corona, The Fernandez Family, and Hermano Islas. It was a solid day!

Friday 3/7/14:
Today was a great day. We got up and studied (I'm close to finishing the New Testament, I'm down to Timothy-->Revelation) and then we went to teach Rocha. During our lesson it started hailing randomly, and we were on bikes so instead of leaving to go get lunch, she offered to make us lunch. It was super nice of her, and good food too! We then had Zone Training! There were lots of new announcements and mission policies, the biggest thing being that we are now doing email from the iPads! So I'm super glad y'all sent me this keyboard, muchisimas gracias :) Then we talked about accountability, obedience, working with ward members, all that good stuff. We taught the Rodriguez and Vazquez families, then headed home! Good stuff.

Saturday 3/8/14:
The phone call finally came in. After a calm morning of studies and a few lessons, around 4 o’ clock Pres. Swain (his mission president) called. I'm getting transferred; I'll be heading over to the Hunter West stake and I'll be the new district leader over there. I'll be serving with Elder Chavez, who is also pretty new, he came out with Elder Balino (Scottie’s current companion). It's going to feel so weird leaving this area, it's been my home for almost 5 months, and I really love it here, but I know that my new area will be great and I'm looking forward to learning from new experiences and new people. During the nighttime, we had the adult session of stake conference. Pres. Swain spoke and it was really good, and then we got to sing our song. I've never sang in front of that many people in such a small group (8 of us), so I was super nervous because I'm not very comfortable singing in front of people, but I think it went well overall! After the conference, we biked home and I'm ready for some sleep.

Sunday 3/9/14:
Another pretty solid day today. We got up and went to the Sunday session of stake conference, (stake conference is held twice a year for all of the congregations in each particular area –or stake) which was really good. Bro. Thompson from the 1st ward took Elders Duke, McNeil, Balino and me over to his house afterwards for lunch, then we had a meeting with Bro. Holden. We had another meeting a bit afterwards with the stake young women/young men presidencies to talk about a missionary extravaganza activity they're having soon, and we helped them plan that. I was really excited for it actually, y'all should do something like that back home!! We then had dinner with Pres. Perez again - milanesa de res, super yummy. Then I spent the night trying to drop by and visit and get pictures with as many people as possible before I leave this Tuesday, I'll send some of those home for y'all to see.

The Thompsons!!! He's gonna miss these guys

President Higginson and his wife

Scottie and Edilberto

President Perez, his wife and his son Mahomri

This upcoming week is going to be crazy busy with the transfer, but I'm kinda looking forward to the chaos :) It's what makes the mission unique right? I hope y'all are doing really well, love and miss you tons! I'll get you my new address asap!

 I'm sad to leave, but excited for a new area, so I'm okay with it :)

And I'll be super busy packing, worst part about transfers: packing stuff up. 

Love you tons,

Scottie

(From his email to his Aunt Tammy):

Hey Tia Tammy!!

I don't have a ton of time to email cause I've got a crazy day today! I just learned I'm getting transferred tomorrow, so we're going to be packing and running around all day. I'll have more details next week that'll be more exciting :)

Please send my love to your whole family!

Word of the day: habilidades, it is: skills. If we develop our skills, we can receive more and more blessings as well. 

Love you so much!!!!

Scottie