Midlife Crisis Averted

Talofa!  Well first off, let me explain the title of this email. Sometimes you've been on your mission for a year... And sometimes you turn 21 years old... And sometimes these things happen in the same week. So the stress is a bit high. You realize you're going home soon and you realize that dang, you're kind of old. But then you forget yourself, you get to work, and it ends up being a great week. :)  Monday after we emailed was pretty interesting. We had a Zone Sport's Day and I got a black eye. Apparently when it's six against one in dodge ball and I'm the one... the odds are not in my favor. But it was a fun day! We went and saw Sister Howe in the hospital that night. She's the funniest lady ever! She's really sick but she'll be okay. :) She's a trooper!  Tuesday was pretty good. We had this crazy day planned, then when we prayed before we left the flat we thought, "Let's go see Anna instead." So we went to see her and she had a huge beak down right when we walked through the door. So we ran and grabbed a thick shake for her and let her vent. It ended up being a really good thing we came when we did. Then we had a lesson with two members that we're pretty close with since they came to an appointment with us and the people stood us up. It was a pretty good lesson. Then we went and cleaned at the Moananu's house since they moved and had dinner with them. It was a lot of fun. We honestly have the best people in this ward.  Wednesday we went and visited a less active sister from South America with Sister Barron. Hahaha, I LOVE Sister Barron. The less active sister wasn't really telling us her concerns or anything so Sister Barron just looks at her and says, "So you're lazy, is that it?" Hahaha. Then we were walking to the cars and she said, "I'm older than you. I can say that and get away with it." And she's right. She totally got away with it.  Thursday. Aaagh! Part one of my almost midlife crisis. A year ago on Wednesday, I was in Provo thinking, "Wow. My parents cry a lot." hahaha just kidding about that part. But yea, one year mark. Kind of crazy to think about it. We had a CRAZY day planned! SIX member present lessons.... And all of them fell through. But it was still a good day. We went and visited a few sisters that have been struggling and spent some time with them and helped them find the answers they need in the scriptures. We had an awesome lesson with Kate. She really has potential for progression, but being a single mum is hard and she has too much on her plate for anyone. But we bonded some more this week and I have a feeling this next week's lesson will be really good. Then we had a lesson with Dianna and that was great as well. She actually got personal, which is a first for her. She likes to distance herself when she asks questions, but she was honestly seeking answers this time around. People's hearts are being softened! :)  Friday was great. We had a zone training meeting then everything else was a bit slow. Our appointments all stood us up again but that's okay! We went and saw some less active members and another family in the ward that has been having a crazy few months. So it wasn't what we planned, but it turned out pretty good.  Saturday was good. We did some service with Anna and then tried to see a lot of people that didn't want to be seen. Also, I found out I'm not a ninja. We wanted to decorate our Bishop's house but he was sitting on the stinking porch! So when he went in to grab something, I snuck through his neighbor's yard, ran to his window, decorated it, and leaped back to the car! Okay, it was actually pretty ninja, but I think the fact that my blood pressure like tripled due to the stress disqualifies me to be a legit ninja. Other than that it was just meetings so nothing too funny or incredible to tell you about there.  Sunday was beautiful! We had a broadcast from Salt Lake where Elder Cook, President Pearson, President Callister, Sister Esplin, and President Christensen all talked to Australia and New Zealand. It was incredible! Then it was my zone leader's birthday as well, so we had a zone lunch from the Clarks. They are the sweetest! Then Nana Julie had us over for gluten free cheesecake and a message about service. :) Nana Julie is the best! Then we went and had a FHE about prophets with the D family and the Edwards. They are the best! Two of my favorite families in one spot, what could be better? Then we went and saw the Klenkas and Lachlan and they are so sweet! We had a lesson about happiness with them and they had a crunchie ice cream cake for my birthday. Now our lesson was pretty good, but I think the cake encompassed happiness pretty well also. Then we went to Bishop Seumalu's home. I just love their family so much! In Samoan culture (and a lot of other pacific cultures) they give you a key on your 21st birthday. It's such a cool thing to see as you go in and out of member's homes and see all of their keys. Well, the Seumalus gave me a key! Probably the sweetest present I have ever received. It means so much to me. I love the culture here! I'm so grateful to be part of it.  So the missionary work was a bit slow today lesson teaching wise. But it's been a great week loving the members. When I received my mission call, I was asked to send an email to my mission president about what my goals were for my mission. Here's an exert:  "My personal goals for the mission are simple. I want to share the love that my Heavenly Father and my Savior have given me with everyone that I meet. I have been shown so much love through my life, both in my blessings and in my trials. I know that without the love from my Heavenly Father and my Savior I would not be able to make it through this mortal life. And I know that the Gospel has amplified that love and shown me countless ways to become closer to my Father and my Brother and to return a fraction of the love they have given me. Of course I’d love for people to accept the Gospel, and I think that that will come much easier to them once they see the love and comfort this Gospel, God, and Jesus Christ bring. I sincerely want to end every day with absolutely no energy because I spent it all loving and serving my God by serving my brothers and sisters. I believe that through being obedient and by serving with all of my might, I will grow closer to my Savior and my Heavenly Father, help me become a better friend and daughter, and better prepare myself to take my place as a wife and mother in the future." It was really neat to read that after being in the field for one year. And I still firmly believe in that. My goal out here on a mission is to love everyone. It isn't to teach a million lessons or to be a leader in the mission. My goal is simply to love everyone I meet -- member, nonmember, companion, and stranger. I still have a lot to do if I want to reach that goal, but I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to keep trying every day.  The church is true, the book is blue, I'll see you before I'm 22. ;) Love, Sister Danielle Laree Stott Pics: Me and my Nana Julie. Me and the Seumalus and the key they gave me. :)

God is Mindful of YOU.

Well hello there!

This week has been better than the last, so that's pretty nice. Monday after we emailed and did our p-day shenanigans, we had Family Home Evening with the D family! I've mentioned them a few times, but I just love them more and more every week we get to spend time with them. They are just beautiful people and I NEED to see Brother D get baptized so they can be sealed in the temple. I'm not asking much of them, just for them to be eternally happy and such. :) They'll make it there one day, all in the Lord's timing.

Tuesday was fun! We went on a roadtrip! Okay, not really. But our area takes 3+ hours to get to some places out in the bush, so we went to visit a part member family about a 45 minute drive away. It was a really fun morning and we were able to spend time with them and see what life is like on an Australian farm. :) After our visit out there we went back into town and met a member that is travelling through Australia in a caravan! Kind of cool. :)  Then we went and saw Terry and Leanne! But they're really just not ready for the Gospel at this time. We sang, "God Be With You Til We Meet Again" and parted ways. It was pretty rough, but we know that one day they'll be in a place where they can actually recognize the signs God is giving them. We had dinner with the Clark family that night. I want to grow up and be like them in a few years. They're seriously just so fantastic. I've met the most incredible people and families out here in Australia.

Wednesday was beautiful! We went and spent some time with Lupe in the morning. After Lupe's we swung by a less active member's home. Her name is EP, and she is a stinking crack up. Maybe one day she'll actually let us share a message with her. Then we went and saw T & K! We've been trying to catch them for THREE months since I moved to Woden, and we finally did! They sat down with us and their 6 sons and let us teach the Restoration. T, K, and their oldest son all accepted to be baptized in April. WOO! Only issue is that we need to get them married. So pray that that will be a desire they have. :) 

Thursday was pretty dandy. We went and spent time with Nana Julie, which is always a blessing. Everyone needs a Nana Julie in their lives. After Nana's we went and spent time with a less active sister, L. She is really sweet but has a lot of concerns. She was baptized because she liked the missionaries, not because she had faith. But now that we know that, we can help her find her faith. No worries! Then we went and spent time with a part member family we're close with and that was really nice. :) 

Friday was great! It was our Zone Conference so President and Sister Back came down here. It was a really good conference and it was exactly what I needed. They are just absolutely the best! I'm so grateful for a loving mission president and wife that sincerely care about you. It really helps to know people are in your corner AND in your same country. I know I have an incredible support system back home, but there's something about having a familiar phone number saved in your favorites and a familiar face that lasts more than a few months that does your heart good.

Saturday was really good! We helped Elder and Sister Clark clean their old flat since they had to move. We're so sad about them moving, but it's just to North Canberra so they'll still come pick us up and bring us over for lunch if we need some quality time. Then we went and had a nice visit with Rosa! What a hoot. I love sweet old Italian ladies! We had Stake Conference that night and it was great. Nana Julie talked and did beautifully. Elder Leota, an area 70, got up afterwards and said, "Everyone needs a Nana Julie." Sure glad I have mine. :) We also had a member of the Stake Presidency, President Abel, giving a talk and a spider started crawling on his face. Hahahaha. Australia problems... Sister Back ended up killing it for him though. :) 

Sunday was great. There was an extra meeting before Stake Conference with all of the recent converts and we were able to go with Nana Julie. Afterwards we were all shaking Elder Leota's hand and he was just saying thanks for coming and nice to meet you then it was my turn and he said, "Sister Stott, you're doing a great job. Just keep hanging in there." Whoa. I really haven't made mention of it too much, but the last few weeks/month and a bit have not been very easy. There's definitely been a lot of time spent on my knees pleading with Heavenly Father to know how to help anyone and everyone and then trying to figure out why I can't do it. But Elder Leota just looking into my eyes and saying those few words were honestly the same to me as if God rung me up and said, "Hey, I still love you and it's all going to work out. Just breathe." God is good, and he is mindful of every person. 

All the love from down under,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

Picture: Best letter I have ever received! Thank you to everyone that wrote on it for the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years/Valentines/Birthday wishes. I'm going to figure out how to frame it. ;) 

Ko e Maama e

Perks of being in Australia: The library is still open on President's Day for me to email people. Haha. Foreign blessings. :)

This week was... good. It's always a good week. Tuesday after P-day we were able to spend some time with our Bishop and his family. It was so much fun. I'm so grateful to be in a place where the members are so wonderful. Speaking of wonderful members, we were able to spend time with my kindred spirit Emily on Wednesday doing some service. And you want to know how wonderful she is? SO wonderful. She found me gluten free bread that doesn't taste like paper! Woo! (Side note: If you're wondering why that is so magnificent, I have developed a pretty high gluten intolerance on my mission and it hasn't been fun since I've been ignoring it and eating stuff anyways, so naturally it's been getting way worse, and I've still been ignoring it because you know... cake is yummy. Every day is sick day. But I've been completely gluten free for two whole weeks, and it's the best I've physically felt since I came out to the mission field. :) Blessings!) After Emily's we went with our beloved Evelyn to go see some people. And we finally saw Terry again! He's alive! We had a lesson with him and scheduled an appointment for next week. Hopefully he'll keep it.

Thursday was interesting. But I made adobo (dish from the Philippines taught to me by Sister Verances) and we had a really nice evening. We took Evelyn out and had a rather interesting interaction with some investigators and less active members. haha. And then we went and saw an elderly Sister that has been in hospital heaps and as we were talking, she was telling us about her mission, which was in the Philippines! And she said, "Oh how I just wish I remembered how to make adobo! It was the best." And so I said, "Hey, that's what we had for lunch. As soon as you're out of hospital we'll come over and make it for you." So my name is no longer Sister Stott. As we were leaving she kissed my cheek and said, "Bye bye Adobo." Haha. Pinay ako! (That means, I am Filipino! )

Friday was pretty interesting. It started off with District Training Meeting as usual and we thought I broke my foot. Haha. Long story short: I tripped, the chair fell on my foot, Sister Swan fell on the chair. But no worries, it's not legitimately broken. :) We were able to see a less active sister that we have been trying to catch for months and set up another appointment with her, so that was pretty awesome! We had a lesson with Dianna which was really great as well. Then we went and helped Sister Edwards get everything ready for the primary activity on Saturday. We made two ark posters and a life size Goliath. It was really fun. Then Friday late night was a little bit rougher. I have a really great companion, the work has just been really rough on her unfortunately. And having her sad all the time has been hard for everyone, because we like happy people! So if you could please pray for her to make it through this, I'd greatly appreciate it. Missionary work is tough, but missionaries are tougher... When strengthened by prayers. :) But we have an awesome senior missionary couple that lives down the road , so they helped. They came over and visited with us and Elder Clark gave us both blessings. Having a worthy Priesthood holder around is the best! I recommend every household to have one. But if your home is in Idaho, and you happen to be in Australia, having one down the road is quite nice. :) 

Saturday was quite the day. It was the Primary activity so we were helping out. And we were able to join in with the kids for the final water fight between the Lamanites and the Nephites. Well, they BETRAYED me. I got PLASTERED with water balloons by all of these little children that I thought were my friends! They even played a trick on me where three of them ran up to me to give me a group hug, but it was so they could hold me still while I got destroyed by the water guns. Yea, I felt betrayed, but I'll get over it one day. Haha. It was actually ridiculously hot that day, and since missionaries can't go swimming the kids were actually doing me a favor. And I dried within 10 minutes because of the heat, so it all worked out. :) After my utter betrayal, we went down town to try to find people to teach. It was a multicultural festival so we just started handing out pamphlets and talking to everyone since it wasn't weird to do it there. It was really fun and we actually found two people that seemed pretty keen. :) Then we went and saw Nana Julie and that was nice. Her neighbor wasn't harassing us either, so that's a good sign. :)

Sunday was great! It was Valentine's Day which.... really means nothing when you're a missionary. Haha. Church was really good though. And after church a family that we're close to invited us over for dinner! The men were in charge, so you know those steaks and potatoes were on point! After visiting with them we went to see a couple of our investigators that said they'd come to church and didn't and set appointments with them. It was a good night. :)

This week was really a roller coaster. There were definitely moments where I was tired, fed up, and positive that this week was never going to end. But I was reading a talk by Elder John H. Groberg and I found a new favorite Tongan saying. "Ko e Maama e" which in English is "There is Light." Sometimes when we're in the thick of things we are only able to see the storm clouds of the darkness. But as we push through, our eyes are able to adjust, and we are able to see the light in the distance, however far it may be. I know that as we hold to the Iron Rod, push through the dark clouds that surround us, and keep the faith, we'll be able to see the light. I know because I can see it a lot more now than I could a year ago. Always remember, Ko e Maama e, even if you can only see the night.

I love yous all,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

Me and my Valentine. <3

10 More Weeks of Blessings

G'day mates! 

Last p-day was really cool. We went to the National War Memorial and we were able to learn a lot about the different wars that have been a part of Australian history. I love this country and being able to learn all about it. We even saw the Prime Minister while we were there, talk about timing. We also had a Family Home Evening with a family that isn't too involved at the moment, so that was heaps of fun and really good for all involved. 

Tuesday was Groundhog Day which made me giggle because... Missionary life is Groundhog day for 18 months. haha. Did I make the joke about that movie correctly? My humor is kind of shot these days... Australians don't acknowledge it though because it's summer here and they aren't the superstitious type I suppose. We went to see an older lady and that was pretty fun. We were teaching the Plan of Salvation and she kept saying, "Where's the part about reincarnation?!" Apparently she was a Native American Indian in her last life... Hahaha. In that case I was totally a giraffe... Then we went tracting and I went to knock on this guy's door but apparently he was standing on the other side (they have one way screen doors like one way mirrors here. Freaky) and he said, "How can I help you?" right as I went to knock and it scared me and I SCREAMED and then he laughed and gave us a referral. The Lord works in mysterious ways I suppose.

Wednesday was fantastic. We were able to do some service for Anna and have a really spiritual lesson with her about the First Vision. After Anna's we went and saw Emily, my friend from the premortal existence. ;) Then we took one of the Young Women out with us and we found two new investigators (one of which was the referral from the man I screamed at)! It was great.

Thursday was anti-climatic. We went and saw Lupe which was fantastic. We also did heaps of service that morning and took care of our investigator's lawn as a surprise for her when she got back from her trip. Sister Swan is much more artsy than I am, so she did the clipping and shaping of plants, I just pushed the mower. I didn't think anyone would appreciate my pruning skills. :D 

Friday was really good. It was our final district meeting as a district since two Elders were getting moved this week. We went and saw a part member family afterwards and helped them pack to move too. Why is everyone leaving? Canberra is beautiful! We should all stay here forever. Haha. After we visited with them for a little bit, we went with Emily to pick up all the branches we'd clipped to take them to the tip (AKA dump). That was fun. Then Christian and Ashleigh joined us to teach Bruce the Word of Wisdom. That went pretty well, and hopefully he'll give it a shot. Then we went and met a part member family that Bishop was telling us about. They're really sweet, but they kind of seem flaky at the same time. We'll see if we can help them gain a testimony and keep commitments, anything is possible with the Lord!

Saturday was the dreaded transfer day... dun. dun. dun. DUN. Nothing changed. We're both staying in Woden for 10 more weeks! Woohoo. I get to spend my birthday the same place I spent Christmas. I love when I get to stay somewhere I love! We did a little bit of service in the afternoon and then spent some time with the Clarks, the best senior couple ever. It was really nice. Then we went and visited the O family. We haven't been there for a while so it was great to catch up. :) 

Sunday was great! I love the Sabbath. Well... Umm.... Yea. It was a really good morning and afternoon. The evening though.... Kalofae. Remember that lady that went super crazy last week and screamed at us and took pictures of our car? Well.... She's baaaaack. She tried breaking into the house that we were visiting and yea. We had to leave before we could even see our dear Nana, the cops had to get called and yup. I've never been called such yucky things... But the church is true, repentance is real, and she'll change one day. We just need to pray for her and she'll be right, mate! 

Monday was pretty good. We went and saw quite a few less active members and that was really nice. We got to know them better and build up relationships with them. It was Superbowl Monday over here due to the time difference, and one of our part member family's dad LOVES the Broncos. So he was sending us the score quarterly. Haha. It was a good bonding experience. Would've hated to see it turn out the other way, I don't think that would have been good for our relationship. We also had Family Home Evening with our Nana Julie. :) I love her! It was a good day.

Today is going to be grand! I'll tell you all about it in a week. But just so you know, I'll be here until midApril. So, since it takes two weeks for mail to get to Australia, then another month for it to get from Sydney to Canberra, feel free to mail things to me directly. As much fun as celebrating Christmas for 3 months was, I figure this would be a better idea. :) If you mail anything during February or March, please send it to this address:

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

40/98 Corinna St

Phillip, ACT 2606

Australia

All of my love,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott