Sunday, July 26, 2015

Attack of the Hot Water Bottle

Monday was so funny. I made lemon butter, because I was missing my mum. And it was delicious and reminded me how good of a family I have, and that my mum taught me right! ;) Monday night is a night that will go down in infamy. We were laying there in bed, and it was about 10:45pm and I heard Sister Moon hop off the top bunk and go into the kitchen for a minute. A few minutes later she hopped back on the top bunk. Then she starting SCREAMING! So I hopped out of the bottom bunk to see what was wrong and I get BOILING water all over my face!!!! Apparently her back was hurting and she wanted a hot water bottle. But we don't have a hot water bottle! So she tried putting boiling water in her normal water bottle and it melted it... Hahaha. What a night. Don't worry, we  threw together a rice pack for her and all was good in the world.
Tuesday wasn't as exciting. We taught a lesson to our investigator named Terry and did heaps and heaps of walking. We also saw a less active member named Pam. She is one of the sweetest ladies ever. I love our visits with her! She wants to teach us how to knit as well... Get prepared for some scarves!! 
Wednesday was really slow. We showed up for some return appointments and no one would answer their doors.... Then we saw two JWs tracting the street.... So that's probably why the people wouldn't let us back in. :/ Then we went and had a picnic and a lesson with Evelynn. Then we met a really nice member from the Dapto ward on the train that crossed like five carts just to say hi and offer to buy us lunch! I love when people are nice! We also went and had a lesson with Stella and she dropped us... It happens. But then we went to Katrina's and that was lovely as always. :) I love Wednesdays because I get my semi-weekly dose of hugs from her! 
Thursday wasn't really exciting at all. We went and saw a member that has been really sick. Then we went and met up with our investigator Brad. He's awesome. He has so many questions that teaching doesn't go the smoothest, but it means that he wants to learn! Thursday night we had MCM and it was good. Our ward mission leader and his wife are really involved, and it's super nice!
Friday we had district meeting and I got the most lovely surprise! My district leader had picked up the mail from the mission office a few weeks ago and then lost his jacket with it in there, with two letters for me from my friends! And then, he finally found his jacket! So I got mail! YAY! I haven't seen the beauty of an incoming envelope for some time. haha. What a glorious sight it was! And the elder didn't have to die for losing the mail anymore. 
Saturday was good! It's kind of crazy that it marked me being on my mission for 5 months... In a few weeks I have less than a year left. Kind of crazy... But we had a lesson with Grace and it was wonderful! I just really love her! She's starting to make progress and it makes my heart happy. We also did HOURS of tracting. But it paid off and we found seven potential investigators! We also celebrated 5 months by eating Thai food and getting ice cream at "Cold Rock." It's the Australian version of Cold stone. Hahaha. Too funny. 
Sunday was great! Church was really nice and we did heaps of tracting afterwards. We had dinner with Kathy and the girls and that was lots of fun.  I really just love the members here! 
It was a great week. The work is slowing down, but Sister Moon and I definitely aren't! We're sending our Spud Love back to the homeland, but leaving plenty here to share. :) 
 
Sister Danielle Laree Stott


This picture is just be trying to summon my inner islander. 











 "P-day activities a few weeks ago. Missionaries don't waste time when an opportunity to burn things arises."
 

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Don't Skip Your Morning Exercises....

Oh man, this week. I swear we NEVER stopped moving, and yet, it looks like we got absolutely nothing done. Tuesday after we emailed, we went to the Nan Tien Temple and went around taking pictures and just looking at cool Buddhist things. It was really fun. We had dinner that night with two of our investigators... Let's just say you know your pasta is made by an Indian woman when it is shockingly spicy. Haha.
Wednesday was hilarious. Quote of the day: "I should be ashamed of myself. I'm not, but I should be." Haha. We went and saw Evelynn for a bit and then we went to see Sister Friendly. I love both of those ladies! We had dinner with Katrina and it was the highlight of my Wednesday as usual. After Katrina's we went to go visit two members from Indonesia. And Indonesians are very much like Islanders where if they offer you food, you take it and then you take seconds. But sometimes their food scares me and their herbal tea scares Sister Moon. So she ate my tofu and I drank her tea. haha. That's love. 
Thursday was good. We tried seeing a bunch of different people but never made it inside the door. We had Missionary Coordination Meeting with the Hardwicks and the Elders. Elder Larsen is training a new missionary named Elder Kerr. It's weird without the Chinese speaking Elders around. 
Friday was good. We had District Meeting and it was a lot of fun. Then we went and saw Christene and a fwe other people around her. No one was too keen on letting us teach them a lesson, but this nice old man named Max did give us Pumpkin scones. Mmmm, scones. I'm slightly obsessed with the food in this country. We had dinner with Mama P that night too. I think she is a main contributor to why I love this food so much. That woman can make masterpieces... 
Saturday was so awesome! We went on a hike with the Hardwicks, the Elders, and their investigator named Matt. With the difficulty factored in, it was like a 10 kilometer hike. So I haven't hiked or rock climbed or anything in 10-11 months, so I was a little red in the face for a second and Elder Larsen yells, "You shouldn't skip your morning exercises!" Those are mighty brave words to use for an Elder... Haha. But it really wasn't that bad of a hike once I figured out how to breathe above sea level again. The Hardwicks have a super sweet family friend that we're trying to get to know. She seems interested in the Gospel, but it'll be a slow and steady process into teaching her. We went tracting for a while after the hike and it was heaps of fun. Then we went back over to the Hardwick's and went up to Campbelltown with them for the Stake Dance Festival. All of the youth did an amazing job! Then Sister Moon and I realized that we had promised the Primary a treat on Sunday, so we ran to the store and bought everything we needed to make Caramel Popcorn! Haha, procrastination doesn't die when you put a name badge on...
Sunday was really good. Church was amazing as usual. We went and stopped by Katrina's after church to give Cailin her popcorn, because she was too sick to come to church. :( After that we went tracting for a while and found a new investigator named Theresa! Woo! She is lovely and invited us right in to chat. The Coulson's had a big pot luck dinner and invited us over to get to know them and other members of the ward more. It was heaps of fun. 

This is a Buddhist Cemetery. There are a crazy amount of cremated people in there, and they just let you walk around inside. And you don't even have to be Buddhist to have your body stored in there after you die! 




I wish there was more to write, but it was an odd week. Just know that I'm loving it and trying really hard to be a good missionary and a good person. 

Sister Danielle Laree Stott 


Picture: Me and Sister Moon hiking

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Koala Crossings

Oh what a week. Planning for four missionaries rather than two takes heaps more work than you'd think. But it's been a beautiful week! Last Monday after we emailed, we took the girls to the beach. And it was super fun! But also extremely awkward. I was eating chips and  then a swarm of seagulls hovered over me trying to eat them! And then, a couple of men playing rugby in their skimpies tried striking up a conversation with us.... Awkward. But that night we went and had Family Home Evening with Mel and her family, and it was so much fun! They're so wonderful.
Tuesday was a good day. We went tracting heaps and found a few potentials. I did however make the mistake of taking Sister Osman to the ghetto, and I think it freaked her out a little. HOWEVER, we did get a new investigator named Terry, so that was neat. We went over to the Jeffrey's and shared a message with them and then we shared a message with Sister Chelton. Sister Osman needed to teach three lessons a day for her mini mission so less active members and active members were a lot less intimidating for her than investigators. Then we went over to the Bailey's house for dinner and it was so much fun! I love islanders.
Wednesday was super fun. We started the day off by painting Katrina's hallway a bit. Then we went and saw some other members and let Sister Osman and Sister Fa'oa take the lead on teaching the lessons. They did awesome. Then we went to Katrina's for dinner and I just really love that woman and her family. Then we went to the Clancy's and it was really fun.
Thursday was fun! We had weekly planning and it was weird because when we were planning, we didn't know who would be staying in Wollongong the next week to carry out the plans! Then Sister Osman and I had an appointment with an investigator named Brad, and he showed up two hours late. But when he finally did show up, the lesson was great! Then we went and did some gardening for a member here. Then we had missionary coordination meeting with the Hardwicks and it was super fun. They are so full on, and I love it! It means we're actually going to get some work done around here! 
Friday was great. It was our Zone Training Meeting and it was really good. After training we went and finished the gardening job that we started on Thursday. Then Katrina threw a going away party for Elder Coats and Elder Ee, who are both going home this week. It was so much fun! We had a little jam session and sang hymns on the ukulele so investigators and it was a good time. 
Saturday wasn't overly exciting. We got our transfer calls! And Sister Moon and I are both staying in Wollongong for another 6 weeks. Crazy! Wollongong is officially my longest area.... Not like it had much competition for a long stay. haha. We also had to take our little mini missionaries back home. :( I love them! They're so sweet and I wish they could've stayed longer.
Sunday was a good day. We had church and then we went to see a Sister who got in a really bad accident over the weekend. She's doing well though, so that's good. That night, we all went up to Kiri's so she could say goodbye to the Elders. And she made the most killer dessert ever. I think I'm in love. Between Fried Chocolate Sandwiches and Diabetes in a Dish, I understand why my friend gained 40 kgs in the Melbourne mission. 
Monday was a great day! We met two very interesting men named Giuseppe and Jeff. We shared messages with each of them and it was a good experience. That night we had dinner with the Clancy's and I just love them. They told us all about how they came to fall in love and wow, it was a super amazing story! I think they're both really neat, and it was a really fun night. 
Sorry that nothing overly exciting happened this week, but you know, such is life. I'm really loving the mission and I'm so grateful I get to spend more time in Wollongong! 
Thinking of you,
Sister Danielle Laree Stott


Picture: I love this strange, strange place that I live in. 

Monday, July 6, 2015

Sometimes You Celebrate America's Birthday on the Other Side of the World...

This week was insane. Tuesday was exchanges, and my companion was Sister Paongo. She is super full on and it was such a fun day! We went tracting heaps and she is an animal. I thought I was bold but dang, she really showed me how to step up. We went and saw a former investigator and had a good chat, but it ended with, "You know girls, the last missionaries didn't baptize me and neither will you." Of course we won't, we don't have the Priesthood. But I know a few people who do... ;) Also, I had an awesome experience during my studies! A few months ago I decided  to reread the Book of Mormon, and I finished it on Tuesday! That book is beautiful and I know that it contains the fullness of the Gospel. I'm so grateful that I read it again and that I have the opportunity to learn and grow from it every day! 
Wednesday was the first day of July, what the hey? The months are flying by, and I'm not sure how to handle that. We had a lesson with Evelynn and she is so wonderful! Then we had a lesson with Samuel and he is so keen it isn't even funny! I love that man! He is so prepared and so ready for knowledge. Then we went to a former investigator named Melanie's house and had a blast! She isn't too interested, but we found out her husband is a member! He went less active when he moved here from Fiji. But they let us share a message and invited us back. It was really awesome. We also went to see a former investigator named Blandine. She's from Congo and said we can come over to talk about Christ and eat African food. Aah yea, I'm stoked.  
Thursday started off so good. We had lunch with a less active member and it was a riot. Then we went tracting and found a new family to teach. Awesome! And then we went and visited a less active member and had a beautiful discussion on patience. It was such a good day! And then it went down hill. We accidentally locked both of our flat keys inside of the flat. So we had to sit outside for 2 hours until someone could unlock it. That's awkward right? Not even. President Back (well, the office) is the only one with a spare key, so President and Sister Back drove 3 hours to Wollongong and back to let us into our flat. OH THE SHAME! I just about died. But President and Sister Back laughed about it, so I think that means we're okay...
Friday was nuts! We wanted to have District Training Meeting on Mount Keira so we drove all the way out there. It's gorgeous! But cold and not the place for a meeting. haha. Then we went to KFC with the Elders and a Greek lady just grabbed my face and kissed me! This is the second time a Greek person has just grabbed me and kissed me here! What the hey! Sister Moon hit me with the car though, so I guess getting kissed by old people isn't as bad as that. hahaha. Then we went to see a less active member and shared a message with her, and then we went tracting. And we met this lady that told me that she was older and so was her religion so obviously she's right. And then she bashed on how we were straight out of a convent and our religion oppresses women. I AM NOT A NUN, PEOPLE. Then we went to see a less active member named Christene, and she took us to the Nan Tien Temple. It's the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere. It was pretty cool. Then we tried sharing a message with her and she didn't like that.... Awkward. 
Saturday was crazy! We had a lesson with Grace which  was going  great, then her friend Elsie walked into her house.... And Elsie is one of our potential investigators we've been trying to meet! It was kind of insane that she just fell into our laps like that. So that was cool. Then we were eating lunch and the Elders called us and said, "hey, do yous have mini-missionaries?" And we said, "no." And  they said, "Uhh, yea, you do." Apparently they forgot to tell us about it a month ago. So we drove all the way to McArthur to pick up two young women to be our companions for the week. My mini is named Lehi Osman and she is so sweet! It's going to be a super fun week.
Sunday was great. We went to church and our new ward mission leader is super full on. He's slightly insane, and I love it! It means work is going to get done! Then I took Sister Osman tracting and we met some really interesting people. We met this homeless guy and he asked for money and when we said we didn't have any he said God wasn't there. Thank you for scarring my 17 year old companion for life before she puts her mission papers in! Yeesh. But the day got so awesome after that. Katrina threw a 4th of July party for us! :D So we went over there and had sparklers and glow sticks. We ate hot dogs, fries, and fry sauce! And then we roasted marshmallows! It was so American I almost cried!!! 
Well that's my week, it was really fun. Transfer calls are on Saturday (I swear they just came) so our p-day next week will be on Tuesday, not the usual Monday. So we'll see if Sister Moon and I stay together in the Gong, or what the plan is! Who knows, I guess you'll find out in 8 days. ;) 
Sending my love and prayers, and the occasional missing you,
Sister Danielle Laree Stott


Picture: President just hanging out, letting us into our flat so we can have 3 sets of keys.... 


I'm really not counting down, promise. BUT I hit a milestone this week. So I had to take a picture. ;) July is the last month I have 2 of on my mission, so yea, kinda crazy. I'll see you after I do this crazy adventure 3 more times!