Prayers are meant to be said and heard

Once again Elder Scott sent home a story of how a prayer, one that he almost didn't even offer, was thankfully answered. At first he was hesitant to even ask our Heavenly Father for help with what he deemed a small and seemingly insignificant problem. The issue at hand; he had misplaced a flash drive that held all of his church music on it. Typically this wouldn't be a big deal, however, this was the only source of church music Elder Scott had for the next 2 years, and missionaries avoid listening to other form of music while they serve their missions. So to lose it was pretty sad for him, especially since he has gained such a great love and testimony of the power and comfort church hymns and wholesome music can bring you. He had searched unsuccessfully for 4 days, and was ready to give up when he finally decided to offer a quick prayer for help. Lesson learned! Our Father not only wants us to come to him with our problems, He expects us to come to Him no matter how great or small they may be. Not only that, when your Father has answered you, don't question it. He hears us and He will answer us. It is our job to be obedient and follow through with His counsel.

I continued on with my 4 day search of where I put my USB drive for 10 minutes and I noticed Elder Parra was dying on his desk with just his head down so I ended my search and told him to go take a nap until lunch.  As he napped I decided to label the Spanish hymns with their English hymn name (now I will actually be able to understand what all I’m singing acapella). About half-way through I suddenly stopped. Not being able to figure out where I put that USB has just been driving me nuts the past 4 days. I’d searched all over. In socks, my bags, luggage, inside the luggage lining, like everywhere. I’d been super thorough. I had given up at this point and was just ready to tell mom I needed a new one.  
I thought at this point maybe I should say a quick prayer to help, but then I thought, “Nah. It’s just a USB with some music. It doesn’t actually matter. It’s a dumb thing to pray to find.” But, I decided I should pray, and immediately as I said 'amen' the thought came into my head, “look in the flashlight box inside the scripture bag on your desk.” I went, “No way. That’s a stupid place. Why would I ever put it with the items  I’m not planning to touch again for 22.5 months? I wouldn’t have put it there. Plus, that bag is on my desk and I’ve searched everything there at least 10 times. It’s not going to be there.” But, as I reached for that box and lifted the top, sure enough the USB sat right on top of the items inside. Like right at the top. All along, it was right in front of my face and I didn’t find it sooner because I had refused to trust in God enough to think He would care or take the time to help me find a little, unimportant USB drive. Because I was too prideful I thought I could find it on my own, yet as soon as I gave up my pride and put trust in Him, I immediately found it. 

I testify He cares for us. He knows us. He is always there for us. No matter how small or unimportant we might think something is or that we can just do it on our own, He is there for us. We just have to put our trust and faith in Him. He is our Father.  

What an important truth to remember. I add my own testimony to Elder Scott's. I know our Father lives and His greatest desire is to have all of His children return to His presence. He has shown us the way. He sent His son, our beloved Savior, to the earth which made it possible for all of us to return to their presence one day. During this season, and every other season of the year, it's important to remember these truths. We have a Father in Heaven and we have a Savior, Jesus Christ, that lived and died for each of us. That is how much they love us. 

Elder Scott's church while he serves in Palermo 

The streets of Perú

Happy 2 month anniversary, Elder Scott

Elder Scott and Elder Parra
celebrated Kyler's 2 month anniversay
with Inca Kola & ice cream

It's all part of His plan.

A sure way to find answers when you're experiencing trials
and tribulations is to open your scriptures and read. You
communicate with your Heavenly Father through prayer
and He answers your questions in these sacred pages.

Sometimes the blog posts you read here contain thoughts from Elder Scott mixed with thoughts of my own. Well, today's post is 100% from my favorite missionary and includes a lesson on the reasons why it's necessary for us to face trials in this life. This entry comes straight from a journal entry he wrote on November 6th, and he thought it would be a good addition to the blog. I wholeheartedly agree and loved the insight he shared. 

"Last night Elder Parra showed me that we have 2 English copies of the August 2016 Liahona in our apartment (They are both the same month sadly, haha). I was so excited. I started to read through it during personal study today. It has so many great articles. There are two so far that I have really enjoyed reading and pondering. The first is about being willing and faithful to God’s will titled, “Accepting the Lord’s Will and Timing.” It’s by Elder Bednar and is just an amazing article. In the article he stated that we need to have belief that He (our Heavenly Father) can do anything we ask, and then understand and be willing to go with whatever His will and timing may be. It emphasized a concept that I really enjoy on why we have trials. It says, “Many of the lessons we are to learn in mortality can be received only through the things we experience and sometimes suffer. And God expects and trusts us to face temporary moral adversity with His help so we can learn what we need to learn and ultimately become what we are to become in eternity”. That’s such a powerful and amazing concept. It’s then reinforced by an article later on in the magazine that I really enjoyed by Elder L. Whitney Clayton titled, “Rooted in Christ” This is also just an amazing read as well. It discussed how, like trees, we need to have our roots deeply embedded in Christ so that we can weather any trial or adversity. We need to behold Him. The quote that I really enjoyed from this one is this, “We can’t claim to be nourishing any roots if the things we do and don’t do aren’t calculated to make us better Saints. Safety is found only in the center of the straight and narrow path.” What habits in my life am I doing or not doing that are causing me to walk more towards the edges and how can I fix that so my roots are strengthened in Christ? The article also included an idea similar to what Elder Bednar wrote, “If we don’t experience personal storms and drought, our roots never have a chance to become strong.” 

Also in this issue is an article by Sister Sharon Eubank and she also included the idea, “The Lord sends us or allows daily ‘trade winds’ in the form of problems and resistance in order to strengthen our roots and make us more flexible. Such challenges are actually a gift.” All of this led me back to a sentence I had read in my book, Adjusting to Missionary Life. “Stress is not always bad. In fact stress is a normal, physical and emotional response to the changes and challenges of life and necessary for growth.” So put all of this together and think of just how great of a concept this is. We are given trials, tribulations, challenges ~ all of it so that our roots, our testimonies, can be strengthened. They are all part of our test. We choose how we respond. We choose our reaction. But all of these are necessary. They’re healthy and they’re normal. They are blessings. 

Whoa! Blessings? That’s a crazy thought, but it’s true. Our Father loves us so much and wants us to return to His presence so much that He blesses us with trials and hardships so that we can learn and grow from the experience. So we can be strengthened by the gospel. What a wonderful plan! A perfect plan of our loving Heavenly Father".

Here are a few fun photos that made it through this week.

This is the face of an excited Elder when he
discovers a massive store in Perú that sells
everything you could ever want or need.

Even though it was too expensive on a missionary
budget, finding American cereal was a highlight.

Even Elder Parra seems excited to see that sugary goodness.

This  ketchup loving Elder found one of his wishes.

Companions:
Elder Scott & Elder Parra

Hermana Elsa keeps the
missionaries well fed.

Elder Scott's Pensionista, Hermana Elsa. She makes sure
the missionaries are fed delicious meals every day.
On her birthday the Elder's surprised her with a delicious cake.
She is wonderful and very loved by them!

Hermana Mery has taken such good
of Kyler. I love her so much for
watching over him and making sure he
is always cared for. 

Hermana Mery's birthday cake

Food trucks are pretty prevalent in the
streets of Perú, although Elder Scott
has been told to avoid purchasing food
from any of the trucks.

Taxis are the typical mode of
transportations for Peruvians.
Very few people own their own
vehicles.

One luxury Elder Scott really missed from home
was the ability to take a hot shower. He was so
excited the day he learned they would come and
install hot water to his apartment.

He was a little hesitant once he saw the finished
work because there was a lot of exposed wires,
but the pull of hot water was too great. It was all
good until he touched the faucet and realized
it was still electrified. Unfortunately he blew
the power to the entire complex, but those few
minutes with warm water were worth it he said.

A great week was capped with a trip to
the Trujillo Temple. It was an experience
Elder Scott said was absolutely amazing and
his most spiritual experience ever.

Prayer is your personal key to heaven

Every few weeks when I write to Elder Scott I'll include a few questions for him to respond to. Last week I sent him 11 new questions to write home about. I just finished reading his answer to the question, "What was the last miracle you witnessed and/or when was the last time you saw an answer to your prayer?"  This is his response to the latter part of my question concerning an answered prayer. 

It was actually this morning. So we had music playing and all of a sudden a song came on that I had never heard before. It turns out it is a 2016 youth song for the church by Davis Handley. It was called “It’s not about you.” I had really struggled at first with homesickness. Not really sure what my purpose was down here actually.  I had prayed to know and receive a testimony about it, and I feel like that prayer has been answered a lot, in many different ways. But especially when listening to this song. 

It’s about a new missionary (what a coincidence, right?) It starts off talking about your thoughts after your dad takes his hands off your head and tells you, “I’m so proud of you. You’re going to do great.” And you wonder “Am I really ready for this?” And he tells you this answer, “Stop worrying about it. It’s not about you, it’s about the people you’ll serve."

"When you go to open that envelope and you wonder where you’ll go, but you know it doesn’t really matter because it’s not about you, it’s about the people that have been prepared to hear the gospel. It’s not about you.” 

I couldn’t help but picture myself in every part of that song as it went along. It’s not about me. It’s about the people I’ll serve. It’s about doing God’s will. It’s about, "losing yourself in Perú." as my dad told me in one of his e-mails. So that was the latest answer to a prayer that I’ve seen. 

It’s Not About You 

by Davis Handley

You look into your father’s eyes when he 

takes his hands off your head 

He whispers that he’s proud of you

and he knows you’ll do your best 

you say you wonder if you can do it 

that’s when he says 

Chorus: It’s not about you 

It’s not about you It’s for the people who are blessed by what you do 

It’s not about you 

Everybody’s gathered ‘round you 

Eyes all aglow 

You start to read that piece of paper 

To see where you’ll go 

And you wonder if you’re ready 

But you already know 

Chorus: It’s not about you 

It’s not about you 

It’s for those who are searching for the truth 

It’s not about you 

Bridge: You get home and you fall in love 

But you’re scared to death 

Cause you wonder if you’re good enough 

But then a thought goes through your head 

Chorus: It’s not about you 

It’s not about you 

It’s for your children and the world they’re coming to 

It’s not about you 

Chorus: It’s not about you 

It’s not about you 

It’s for the people who are blessed by what you do 

It’s not about you 

Sure you’ve become much better 

Because of what you’ve been through 

But it’s not about you

Prayer is our direct way of communicating with our Father. It's a gift each of us is privileged to have. There's no need to worry that our words will be clumsy or expressed in the wrong way because we have a loving,compassionate and understanding Father in Heaven. You are His precious child. He loves you perfectly and wants to help you. He is always near and is always listening. He just needs us to reach out and ask for His help. 

He will prompt us in quiet moments when the Spirit can effectively touch our heart and our mind. The words in wholesome, uplifting music is one just one of the many ways our Father will testify to you of His love for you. I'm so grateful this song came on at the just the right moment for Elder Scott to recognize that it was a direct answer to a prayer he had that morning.It was a small, simple thing, but a sure way of knowing his Father in Heaven is looking out for him and will always be there for him. 

The small things make the biggest impact

The Trujillo Perú temple

Internet speed continued to be an issue for Elder Scott this week so pictures were few in number, but he did get a chance to send part of his journal entries. Last Tuesday turned out to be a very good day because he received his first packages from us. There was a wide assortment of items he had been missing or in need of including a few Christmas songs, a pair of pajama shorts, a couple boxes of American Macaroni and Cheese, and a few assorted treats, but what he loved receiving most were the following 3 items: 

First, the latest edition of the Conference Ensign. His entire zone "freaked" out when he pulled the magazine out of the box and the front cover was a picture of a Peruvian sister serving in Temple Square in Salt Lake City. She is wearing a Peru flag pin and holding an umbrella with the traditional red and white colors of Peru. The missionaries thought that was the greatest thing in the world. Elder Scott looks forward to pouring over the words found within the pages of this magazine every single day.  Here's a link if you'd like to check it out: https://www.lds.org/general-conference?cid=HP14GC&lang=eng

The second item he was sent that touched his heart was a stack of "Open When" letters. These are a series of sealed envelopes we created specially for him to open at various times with sayings on the front such as "Open when you feel hurt or angry", "Open when you need a laugh", "Open when you are feeling discouraged", "Open when you need inspiration", "Open when you need something sweet" etc. It was a lot of fun putting special notes, small treats, missionary appropriate jokes and inspirational quotes inside those sealed envelopes for him to open when he needed them most. 

The last thing he was overjoyed to receive was an English hymnal. What made this such a special gift is the fact that the hymnal belongs to his dad and bears his name. In his words he said, "I love having a personal hymn book and it's 10x better that it's my dad's. It makes me feel so close to him when I carry it around." 

His dad's hymnal that will now be carried close
to Elder Scott's heart throughout his mission

One of the packages was a "greenie" package a dear sister
put together for him in Perú. All those green treats were sent
by her. Isn't that a cute idea for a brand new missionary?!

None of these "favorite" items cost more than a dollar, yet each was given the title of "favorite" because of the meaning behind it. As we get ready to celebrate a season of Thanksgiving and the season where we honor the birth of our Savior I hope we can all remember this. So often we underestimate the power and influence of the little things, yet those are the things that stay with us the longest. The words we say to each other, the way we serve one another, the way we help each other, the way we lift and encourage one another~ it all matters. One thing Elder Scott has been very impressed about the Peruvian people is the way they look out for each other. He says they treat everyone with great respect and show their love to each with no regard to their differences. How great is that? We are all so much more alike than we are different, and if we focus on that the world will be a more peaceful, loving place. 

Driving past Chan Chan

Arriving at the Trujillo Temple

Two weeks have come and gone....sometimes at a snail's pace

Elder Scott with President and Sister Moore
at the Lima CCM

Elder Scott has been in Trujillo for 2 weeks now, and if I've learned one thing for certain, it's this: The internet is slooow, we're talking snail-pace slow.  He has 1 hour once a week to e-mail home, and during that time he has been trying to upload photos and journal entries. Unfortunately, last week no photos came through and this week only 1 day of journal entries along with a handful of pictures from 2 weeks ago in the CCM finished downloading. The computer showed he would have needed another 2 hours and 47 minutes for the rest to complete. Hopefully next week goes a little faster with a little more information. That's okay though! I'll take whatever I can get. I'm just thrilled every Monday when I get to hear from my oldest boy! He wants everyone else to know he's sorry if you haven't heard from him. It's been quite a challenge to even send us a few lines of information.

Here's what I do know. The first couple of weeks were a little challenging. During week 1, homesickness was a real struggle as Elder Scott learned how to adjust to the many changes he was facing. Don't get me wrong, he loves Perú and the people he's met in Perú, it's just a change from what he's used to, and it took a little time to sort that out in his mind and heart. He said today that it's starting to get a lot better.

To start off week 2 Elder Scott got hit with a horrible flu-like sickness. I asked for a few details, but he refused to give me a mini recap telling me that I would have to wait until those journal entries made it to me. That might be 1 week or another 22 months. I guess I'll have to wait and see, but he promises it's quite a good story so I'll be patient for all the details. 

One really exciting thing for Elder Scott was they finally installed hot water into their apartment. He was thrilled at the prospect of finally taking a luke-warm shower. The only problem was he discovered that when the faucet was turned on, that faucet became electrified causing it to blow the fuse for the whole apartment building meaning no lights for anyone. Whoops!! 

One other fun thing this week was his companion, Elder Parra, took him to a massive store that he said was a cross between a Walmart crossed with a Sears crossed with a Target. He was in heaven and found super cheap, super delicious Oreo's and Heinz ketchup imported from America. It was like Christmas morning for him! I think he ate a whole sleeve of Oreo's that night to celebrate. They say it's the little things, right?

One entry that did manage to download really touched my heart. It's messages like these that clarify the importance of the work Elder Scott is doing in Perú. He loves the Savior and he loves teaching others about the Savior. Even though the language is still a little rough, people understand what he is saying, and the importance of the message he is sharing. 

"It’s amazing the sacrifice that our Savior did for us. He set the perfect example. Even in his last moments of suffering he had mercy and love, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” How hard would that have been to say? “Forgive them.” After being whipped, abused, spit on, nailed and hung on a cross, a sword in his side, a crown of thorns, “forgive them.” That is the ultimate example of love. I need to remember this more in my life, especially when I partake in the sacrament. Jesus is our Savior. He is my Lord.

It is his greatest desire that all of God's children come to know and believe this. Jesus Christ was and is the perfect example. He loves us. So much so that He died for us so that we may one day return to live with him. No one but a perfect Son of God had that power. No one could else could have done this for us, only our Savior. He is the ultimate example of love. 

Here are a few more random photos of Kyler's final day in the CCM

One of Elder Scott's Peruvian ties and
Peruvian hymnal cover.

Friends that will stand the test of time and distance

An incredible group of missionaries

Missionary work encomapasses a lot of serious stuff,
but there's plenty of moments like these as well.

Every one of these Elder's and Sisters holds a big
place in Kyler's heart. They grew so close in
the 6 short weeks at the CCM. He loves them all.

Become as a little child....

If you know Elder Scott chances are you're aware that after his mission he dreams of becoming a pediatric surgeon. He has always loved being around children. They inspire him and he has a goal of doing what he can to help them and mentor them. Add that to the fact that he also loves anything medical, and this career aspiration seems like a no-brainer. 

Last week Elder Scott's friend Donna sent him an email detailing a heartfelt experience she had as a pediatric nurse. In her e-mail she shared a story of  meeting a sweet little girl who left a deep impression on her heart. I'm glad she felt inspired to share the story with Elder Scott because it obviously touched his heart  as evidenced by his journal entry that night:

"It amazes me just how close children are to Jesus. The veil is so, so thin between them and Heaven. It truly puts such amazing meaning to Matthew 18. In verses 3 through 5 we read, “And said he,Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Verse 4 states, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Finally in verse 5 we read, “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.” 

These are such powerful scriptures. Look at the significance of “become as little children” How can we do that in our lives? How can we focus less on the world and on our wants and become as a little child? How can we strive to “humble himself as this little child?” Children are so amazing. They are so close to the veil. They have many Christlike attributes. 

Preach My Gospel  has an entire chapter dedicated to these attributes. Look at the chapter subheadings and look at how many children have. It’s all of them, “Faith, Hope, Charity & Love, Virtue, Knowledge, Patience, Humility, Diligence, and Obedience.” Children truly are close to Christ because they exemplify these attributes. They have love and care for all. They love the Lord and their Heavenly Father. They love unconditionally. The little girl in the hospital was so close to Christ. She wasn’t scared. She was joyous because she was going to be able to see and live with the Lord again. How can we be more like that little girl? One of my favorite quotes is from page 123 of Preach My Gospel, “You need to be a Christlike missionary not just do missionary things. You follow Christ’s example- develop His attributes- one action and decision at a time” 

I encourage everyone to remember this, keep it in your mind and in your heart. Strive to have his Spirit with you. Strive to act as a little child. Develop His attributes, always have His love. 

The Christlike attributes Elder Scott mentioned can be found in one of our books of scripture, Doctrine and Covenants chapter 4.

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/4

Since our goal in this life is to become more like Christ our family made a goal of each choosing one of the attributes listed that we struggle with and trying to exemplify it more in our daily life. We wrote the goal on a paper, studied what the attribute meant,and looked at scriptures describing the attribute. We then prayed to Heavenly Father that he would give us opportunities to act on that goal and help us improve. It has had an impact on all of us. I chose "patience" and have come to realize there is no shortage in opportunity to work on this trait. Just driving to and from a store gives me plenty of opportunities to be more patient with fellow drivers on the road. My husband chose knowledge and has been pouring over talks about knowledge and really striving to be more knowledgeable in areas that matter. My children chose love and charity and have tried to show that in small, meaningful ways whether that's saying kind words to each other or giving an extra hug, it all adds up and creates such a great spirit in our home. 

I'm grateful for the scriptures, for our knowledge of our Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness, for our Savior's redeeming love and atonement for all, and for the attributes he exemplified that we can strive to improve in our own life. Isn't it great that we can continuously try to become more like Him? Even when we fall short, and we all do, every moment is a moment we can choose to change and become more like Him, and He will always be there with open arms to welcome us. 

Bievenidos Misión Perú Trujillo Sur

On October 24th Elder Scott left the Lima Perú CCM and flew to Trujillo where he was welcomed with open arms and a great desire to get out and serve the people of Perú. Presidente and Hermana Rios took these wonderful photos to document the day. 

Welcome to the Perú Trujillo Sur Misión

Welcome to all the new missionaries

The bus ride to the mission home

The excitement is contagious

Elder Scott, Elder Weller
and Elder Weeks

Elder Scott at the
Trujillo Temple

A day worthy to celebrate with great food
and wonderful missionaries

Elder Weller, Elder Scott & Elder Weeks
in front of the Trujillo Temple

 

Missionary work is even better when you have a great companion.
Elder Parra & Elder Scott

Presidente and Hermana Rios with
their newest missionaries.