Talofa!

This week was so good. I can't decide what is best, giving a play by play throughout the week of just giving highlights. I am kind of liking the highlights thing better. Let me know if I need to change back to my old ways. 

Monday and Tuesday we taught heaps! In just those two days we taught nine lessons and did a few hours of service, and if you're not familiar with how slow missionary work is in Australia, especially in the bush, that means we were running like mad. It was fabulous!

Wednesday I hit my 15 month mark. How weird is that? We had the opportunity to take the Boogaards around with us to visit a few people. It was so great having them with us! I love them so much. I think everyone should have some Boogaards in their life! I need to figure out a way to have more than just a few months with them! 

Thursday was so good. We did heaps of service. Serving others brings happiness! We also taught a man named Alan who has a really old Bible that we looked up and it's worth a few thousand dollars. He's pretty cool, and is already in Moroni 7 of the Book of Mormon. That man loves his Heavenly Father! 

Friday we had our combined District Training Meeting and afterwards took the rest of our P-day we skipped on Monday. The whole Zone, including the Boogaards and the Moellers, went on a gorgeous hike to Federal Falls. It was heaps of fun, a bit chilly though. It's winter now so some mornings when I wake up it's -3 degrees Celsius.... Who said Australia was warm? 

Saturday and Sunday were nice. We got our transfer details, I'm in Bathurst still but Sister Kurita is now in Sydney! So we spent the time deep cleaning the flat and saying goodbye to our investigators and members. Also, you are now emailing the Youth Advisor and Sharing Time Teacher for Bathurst.... Perks of being in a branch: You're never bored on Sundays. Haha. 

Yesterday, Monday, was SO LONG. I left at 8am, drove to Sydney, drove to the other side of Sydney, picked up my companion some luggage in another part of Sydney, then drove back to Bathurst. I left at 8am and got back at 5:30pm, all the while driving the car. Luckily when I took Sister Nansen to meet the Boogaards after our appointments, they recognized my exhaustion and lack of food all day, and they made me potatoes and eggs. It's the little things, you know? 

My new companion like I just mentioned is Sister Nansen! She is from Samoa and is just a crack up. I've only been with her for 22 hours and I love her. It'll be a fun few months together! It's so good to be back around a little bit of my beloved Samoan culture. :)

This week I gained a huge testimony on... Testimony. We had a big

testimony meeting during our meeting on Friday where all of the Elders, my companion, and I were able to share our testimonies. It was a really neat experience and I know that we gain our testimonies in the sharing of them. I love bearing my testimony and I pray that I have opportunities to do so every day for the rest of my life. A main focus of my testimony my whole life has been the Priesthood. I'm so grateful for the Restoration of the Priesthood Authority! How blessed are we to have so many worthy men that are able to bear the authority of God in the world today! People are able to receive blessings of healing and guidance. I have been so blessed to have been able to receive so many blessings over the last few years. I know that the challenges that life has thrown my way have been too much for me, but with Priesthood blessings Heavenly Father has given me the strength, encouragement, and guidance to heal and move on. How great is our God? I'm so grateful for the worthy Priesthood holders in my life who have been willing and able to bear the Priesthood and be the Lord's hands in my times of need. 

All my love,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

 Sister Danielle Laree Stott

2/129 Keppel St

Bathurst, NSW 2795

Pictures: The Original Orange Zone's Last Hike

My Sweet Little Nansen. :)