Three Songs to Explain the Week

Hello from my beloved Gong! 

This week was crazy! I just can't even explain it! So I thought I'd sing/type a few songs that went along with the week.

Song 1: Woa Shur Shen Di Hai Zi.

Don't understand? That's okay. It means, "I am a Child of God!" Half of Wollongong is the university, which is primarily Chinese. Our friend Peter got baptized on Saturday so for his baptism we all sang Woa Shur Shen Di Hai Zi! It was really nice. I had no idea what I was singing but the Spirit was so strong, so in a way I did know. We've been able to visit so many beautiful people this week and I just want them to know that they are a child of God! Everyone needs to know that. So we have heaps of work to do.

Song 2: I don't know the title, but it's an Aussie Song.

"Give me a home, out by the gum trees.

With lots of plum trees! A sheep or two, a kangaroo!

A clothesline out the back, veranda out the front,

and an old rocking chair!"

I just threw this in there because we've had a few true Australian moments this past week. We had a bush dance that a few people we're working with came to and it was so much fun! It's been so fun being down here with everyone. It's especially been a great week to see Terry! So Sister Moon and I tracted into Terry about a year ago and just yesterday he received his patriarchal blessing! That moment right there just grew my love for Australia about twenties times larger. It's so good to see the people I love coming closer to God! 

Song 3: I Feel My Savior's Love.

Honestly this week I just feel my Savior's love so strongly. Everything around me just makes me so grateful. I'm in a place I love, teaching people I love, with an awesome companion that I love! Aah, I just love it! Being a missionary is the best experience in the entire world. I love it so much. I am just happy as a clam. We had interviews with President and Sister Back on Saturday and they asked me to rate my mission on a scale of 1-10 and I gave them a 20 because Heavenly Father is the best! I've been so blessed. 

I'm trying to limit too many stories because if I email them all or remind you of my past ones, I won't have much to say in my homecoming talk on the 21st of August. So don't think I'm being somewhat vague on purpose, know that I'm being somewhat vague on purpose. hahaha. Also, any mail sent after tomorrow I fear will get here after I leave. So if you have something written, please mail it, and if you don't have anything written, just tell me about it when I see you next. :) 

Love,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

4 Reasons Why I Know Heavenly Father Loves Me

This week was so good. I just can't even express to you how my heart feels. Let me tell you 4 simple reasons why I can't stop smiling and my heart is fluttering! 

1. I was able to spend three glorious and hilarious months in beautiful Bathurst. I learned so much from the people there and I was able to develop such a different attitude and desire to love and to serve. I'm so grateful for the people there that helped me to do that.

2. I was able to see my sweet Sister Swan! I had to go to Sydney for a conference and she rocked up to the office right when I was about to leave. It was so good to see her and to hug her. She is doing miracles over in Sydney! She is so strong and such a good example to me. I think she's the companion that has taught me about ministering to the one when I was with her and I'm so grateful for that because the Lord's work runs on love, not on numbers.

3. Transfer calls were on Saturday and I was so sad when I heard I was leaving Bathurst. But then President Back called me on Sunday and told me he was sending me to a place called... WOLLONGONG! I screamed, cried, leaped, skipped, twirled, and hyperventilated a bit. I get to spend the last month of my mission in my beloved Wollongong. I can't even express how good it felt to hug Katrina and have her say, "Welcome Home." It feels so good to be back. I haven't stopped smiling since! AND I have the cutest companion. Her name is Sister Tim, she makes me look like a giant! She is from Cambodia and I'm so excited to learn from her. 

4. I got a special email! 10 March, 2015 I met my first investigator, Aaron! And then on the 17 May, 2015 Aaron was baptized! And he's been so good at keeping in touch with me and updating me on his life but I haven't heard from him for a bit. And he emailed me today and bore his testimony to me via email, and my heart is at so much peace. It's so good to hear the testimony of someone you've taught. Just that email made the last 17 months more than worth it. 

So yea, life is good, I'm on cloud 9, and I can't wait to finish what I started down here in the Gong June - August 2015. Heavenly Father is the BEST!

Love, 

Sister Stott

It's All About Chapter Five.

This week just flew by. I don't know why the days and the weeks are flying. I feel like there isn't enough daylight to do all the things I need and want to do! This week the Lord blessed us so much. We've been reaching a lot here but not a lot of the people have been progressing. So we decided to lessen our visits to a few of them and put more time into finding. So that's what we did! And the Lord blessed us with FOUR families and a young man that invited us back! We've already taught one of the families and the young man, and we have the other families scheduled for this week. Heavenly Father is the best. I'm so excited to teach them! Please pray for them that their hearts may be softened and that they will be ready to accept the Gospel. 

I think another highlight of the week was we rocked up to see a part member family in the middle of a fight. The teenage daughter had just kicked her little brother and the mum was on the couch just crying. So we knocked on the door, sat them all down, and showed them how to have a family council. The Spirit was so strong by time we left. And when we saw them the next day, it was like they were a completely different family. 

We had our zone training and our zone p-day this week. That was a lot of fun. Elder Brown, Elder Meyer, President Moeller, and Sister Mussin all gave amazing trainings. I gave a training too and I only cried for like a third of it so I was impressed with that. Coming on my mission made me a cry baby, I'm sad to say. So watch out when you see me next, the waterworks flow open and free lately. And then we went bowling which was good comical relief because... Well... Have you seen me bowl? My high score was 53 and I felt pretty on point. ;) Haha.

I also had exchanges this week with Sister Mafi from Tonga! She is just the sweetest. She is so humble and I learned so much from her! She has only been on her mission for about a month but dang, she is a power house. It was great to be able to feel green again and to work hard with her by my side for the day. We also reminisced over how much we miss Tongan food. Haha. Faka Holo....

The title of my email is all about chapter 5. I just wanted you to ponder about how important the 5th chapters in the books in the Book of Mormon are. in 1 Nephi 5, Lehi teaches us to handle criticism and complaints with love and comfort. In 2 Nephi 5, Nephi teaches us that making sacrifices for a temple and following the covenants we make there help us to "live after a manner of happiness." The Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob 5 teaches us to never give up and to always be diligent in serving the Lord. Mosiah 5 reaches us what it means to repent and have a mighty change of heart. Alma 5 teaches us that we have so much room for improvement, but that the Lord is always there to help us. In Helaman 5, Nephi and Lehi are protected because the foundation of their lives and their faith is in Jesus Christ. In 3 Nephi, Mormon boldly declares who he is and shows us how easy it is to say, "BEHOLD! I am a disciple of Christ!" and then act accordingly. In Mormon we are reassured that the Lord always goes after His lost sheep in His due time, because He knows when they are ready. Either 5 tells about the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon and Moroni 5 is the sacrament prayer. Chapter 5 is important. Read your scriptures. Every day. And don't give up because you've been stuck on chapter 4 for the last year, move forward and read Chapter 5.

Love,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

Instead of a picture, I thought you might like this video. :) 

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Six things that only happen in Bathurst

This week was completely crazy. Not slightly crazy, completely. It was awesome! I absolutely loved ever second of it. I thought the best way of filling you in would be sending 6 things that haven't happened the previous 16 months of my mission, but only in Bathurst.

1. On Wednesday we traveled out to a place called "Trunkey Creek" that is about the size of Koosharem, UT. It's so cute. We met a lady in a petrol station closer to home and she said to come visit her so we did! How did we find which house was hers? Well, the Pub and the Police Station are both in houses right next door to each other, so we just knocked there and asked. There's only one islander in the whole village, so she was easy to find. We had a nice visit with her and we'll see how interested she is.

2. I was trapped by a dog. This MAMMOTH dog was chasing our car and when we got to our investigator's house it just waited for us outside, barking and biting our tires. Sister Nansen and I were both freaking out. Then I remembered one time when Sister Davis and I were tracting and she told me how this one Sister was attacked by a dog and the owners ended up getting baptized. So I thought, "Okay, why not?" and said a prayer and jumped out of the car! I didn't get eaten by the dog, but we did make it to the lesson. So that was nice.

3. We had two sets of exchanges this week. For the first one Sister Tau from Tahiti and Sister Mafi from Tonga came down. That was heaps of fun. It was Sister Tau's last exchange so I made Tahitian food. It was fun to watch her get so excited. For the second one Sister Creel from California and Sister Panana from Samoa came up. That was hilarious. Neither of them had left Sydney before so President Back sent them up here for a day since Sister Creel is going home soon. We took them Kangaroo spotting which was really fun. It's going to be weird not seeing Roos every day. I didn't even think about that until I saw them freak out seeing them for the first time. It's been a common daily part of a huge chunk of my mission.

4. IT SNOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh happy day! I started to cry when I saw beautiful white falling from the sky. Sister Nansen and Sister Panana had never seen snow before so I drove up into the mountain where some was sticking on the ground. It was so fun to see them experience snow for the first time. It was freezing though, Australia thinned my blood for sure. 

5. We had an experience about following little promptings yesterday. When I was getting ready I felt like I should wear both my badges, one on my sweater and one on my scarf. So I did and when we got to church, Sister Boogaard had forgotten her badge! So she borrowed mine. :) But she forgot to give it back, so she dropped it off to us that night before we headed to an appointment and as soon as we pulled away but before the Boogaards did, a man walked up to their car! And he asked  them to please call the ambulance because he was sick, dizzy, and confused. So they did! It was neat to see how all these little things added up to them being able to help someone in need. 

6. We read the Book of Mormon with an investigator family last night and as we read Alma 5, the dad began to cry as he expressed how grateful he was that God brought us into each other lives. His heart was so hardened when I came here, but the Gospel can change anyone. It was a neat experience.

All my love,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

Pictures: Our two sets of exchanges, and Sister Panana and Sister Nansen's first snow! :D 

Seven is actually my favorite number!

Oh what a week! I swear I just typed a letter yesterday. What should the theme of this week's email be? Well, I'd have to say this week we just decided to go out and "get 'er done!" I've sure missed that saying. Haha. But really, we just went as hard as we could to teach and serve every chance we got. We threw our fear and our hesitations on the altar of sacrifice and just opened our mouths and grabbed a broom when needed! We did service every day this week ranging from vacuuming for a member that just had a hip replacement to teaching English. It was a lot of fun. I love giving service! I think that's one thing I loved that I was taught growing up, that serving others brings happiness! I just wish I would've listened a bit more. But honest and truly, if you're sad, depressed, or discouraged, start serving! It makes a huge difference. You can't heal your soul if you're looking inward, the healing of the soul comes in serving others. Isn't that just the best thing you've ever heard? Don't worry though, amongst the service we had plenty of time to teach and preach! This week I had the opportunity to bear my testimony countless times on the Plan of Salvation. I love the Plan of Salvation so much! I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that gave us a beautiful plan to learn and grow. I'm so grateful that we no longer have to question where we came from, why we are here on Earth, and what happens to those we love after they pass away. It was great seeing a light appear in people's eyes once we started explaining it to them. I love seeing the Gospel change people's views! I just love this church so much. I think the motto of my mission has been Alma 26:16: " Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." So I think that about sums it up. I can't begin to tell you the difference being a missionary is making in my life! I can't even begin to tell you how much Heavenly Father loves each of us. It's all just so good! :) No updates on any particular investigators. They're all coming along, or they're going their separate ways. Just pray for their hearts to be softened and for us to find those that are prepared. :) All my love, Sister Danielle Laree Stott I attached a picture of the Boogaards and of our friend Terry! :)  P.S. My dad is curious if anyone else is understanding what my email titles mean.

Eight is great!

I love Heavenly Father! This week was just tender mercy after tender mercy! He is so good to me! 

The tender mercies started on Tuesday. We had  to drive to Sydney by 9pm so we planned to leave around 5:30 or 6pm. But we went to visit a less active sister in the morning and she was adamant that we left earlier because of the danger of going through the mountain pass in the frost and dark. So we cancelled our appointments and got on the road about 3pm instead. Which meant we got into Sydney just after 6pm and needed to work for 3 hours! Well, remember Fairfield? When I was transferred back in November, I had 2 hours to pack and leave so I didn't get to say goodbye to the families I was close to. So we decided to take advantage of the 3 hours we had! We went and saw the Amones, the Mafoas, and Mama Fina! It was so good to be back in their homes and to teach them again. It was definitely something that my heart needed before I left Australia, and I'm so grateful Heavenly Father made it happen. 

Wednesday was another day of tender mercies! Have you heard of Elder S. Gifford Nielsen? He's a General Authority and apparently a pretty big deal in the world of Grid Iron Football. Well he and his wife came and held a conference with us, it was so nice! And then after the all day conference, the leadership in the mission were able to have dinner with them and President and Sister Back. So I got to spend 12 hours straight with a General Authority. That was pretty cool. He is definitely a man of God! Every word he spoke was profound, as well as his wife! I definitely received answers to my prayers that day. Also, I was able to see Elder and Sister Clark from Canberra! Which was a huge tender mercy since I was afraid I wouldn't see them again until their homecoming talk in Arizona.

Thursday we drove back to Bathurst from Sydney and spent all of Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday running like mad trying to make up for the time we missed while in Sydney. We ran like crazy! It was good, I love working like crazy. Yesterday, Monday, was the Queen's birthday. She didn't invite us over for tea though which I thought was quite rude. But it was a good day nonetheless. :) I'm grateful for Sister Nansen, after a 6 hour roadtrip in a car together and trying to make up a few missed days, you definitely learn to love or hate your companion. Good thing mine is pretty rad and I love her to bits. :)

In the words of good old Sister Teahe, "The church is true. Heavenly Father is the best!"  

Heaps of Love,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

Mama Fina, The Amones, The Mafoas, The Clarks. :)

Nine :P

Hello!

Oh what a beautiful Bathurst week! I think I love this town a bit too much. Nah, too much love isn't possible. This week we went and tried to see everyone I've ever taught here so Sister Nansen could get to know them. It was a lot of fun and we were able to really see a lot of people and share a lot of messages at the right time. It's always a beautiful moment when you rock up to someone's house and they say, "Oh Sisters, I was just thinking of you." Or when after the message they say, "I actually really needed that." It's so good to see that the Lord is with us in this work! This is his work after all. 

I think the highlight service/lesson of the week was we went and helped a less active member and his fiance move into their new house. It was heaps of fun! I realized that all of those times I helped my dad and brothers move people really paid off. I've been taught well! I am so grateful to be able to do service and to build relationships that way. It took all morning but it was a really fun time and they definitely like us a lot more when we're helping than when we're just trying to preach. ;)
This morning was really cool! I finished the Book of Mormon the 6th time today! 3rd time on my mission. :) Oh how I love  the Book of Mormon! I don't know how anyone could doubt that book. The promise at the beginning is so true. Joseph Smith said,  “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” What a true promise! I have grown closer to my Heavenly Father and his Son, the Savior of the world, by studying the Book of Mormon and trying to live by it's precepts the best I can. Why would people not do the same? It will only bring us joy and happiness. So that's my invitation, if any of you who may come across this email have not read, pondered, and prayed about the Book of Mormon recently, please do so by 12 August. :) 

All my love,

Sister Danielle Laree Stott

Picture: Number 6! :D