Elder Scott Learning, Living and Sharing the Gospel in Perú: February 2017

I read a quote by Roy T. Bennet today that said,"Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness of people."

When I read about smiles I can't help but reflect on the huge smile Elder Scott likes to wear. If you've been lucky enough to be around him then you know it's a pretty standard feature on his face. He loves to smile, and you can't help but feel good when you're around him because of it.

Elder Scott & Elder Choque

Elder Scott and Miguel

This past week Elder Scott had an opportunity to sit down with his mission president and the first words out of his mouth were, "Elder, I want to just say how great your smile is. It just brings comfort and tranquility. I know your investigators feel a connection when they see your smile. It’s a God-given gift. Thank you for your smile.” Kyler thought it was so cool that his mission president said such a kind thing to him and it immediately made him think about a paragraph in his Patriarchal Blessing that says, “During those times that you feel you are walking uphill, exercise your courage and consciously put a smile on your face.” He then went on to say, "A smile really is a gift from Heavenly Father. It’s a tool of happiness and joy. It can bring peace and comfort not only for ourselves, but the other people we see as well. That’s why I was told to consciously put a smile on my face, even when it’s hard, because there’s power in it. Not only for me, but for others as well. And I know what President said is true as well. My investigators can feel it when I smile. It invites the spirit."

Gordon B. Hinckley perfectly summed it up for me when he said, "Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great purpose in heart."

I hope everyone reading this finds many reasons to smile today. Below are a few of the reasons I'll be smiling today.

This hat makes me smile (and laugh)

This nametag gives me a reason to smile

This face gives me a reason to smile.

This service gives me a reason to smile.

This friendship gives me a reason to smile.

This SMILE gives me a reason to smile.

Elder Scott and Elder Choque

Out in the streets of Palermo

Question 1: What is the strangest question you’ve been asked by someone you’ve come in contact with? I can’t honestly remember a statement. There’s been quite a few though, normally associated with my skin color, lol. But I can’t remember any specific ones unfortunately.

Question 2: What seems to be your greatest teaching tool (scriptures, your testimony, pictures, etc)? Why does this seem to resonate with those you teach? So for this one I’m gonna have to go with the guidance given by the General Young Women’s President during the Global Missionary Broadcast and say testimony. There’s a lot of power in testimony. It’s because testimony is personal. You can’t fight a testimony, it’s a belief. You can choose not agree with it, but you can’t fight it. The spirit is always in it. The investigator’s recognize this, too. It carries power. I think that’s why we share them so often in church, because the spirit can dwell in them so powerfully. I bare my testimony a lot when I teach. It works well. So that’s by far my greatest teaching tool.

Question 3: Do you know how many members are in your ward? Out of that number, how many are active? So on our directory for the Palermo Ward there’s 288 members counting everyone (including under 8). Out of that the normal asistencia for every week is around 110-120 more-or-less so I think a little under half are active.

Question 4: Who has been one of your most influential people you’ve met on your mission and why? This one is actually pretty tough to answer because I’ve actually met quite a lot of very influential people. I would have to say though that my 2 biggest so far would have to be President and Sister Moore. I learned so much from each of them. They both had such bright and cheerful attitudes. The spirit literally radiated from each of them. They taught me so much. That being said though, I’ve been with a lot of influential and amazing people so far. All of my CCM district, Elder Willard, Elder Chapman, Elder Huezo, Elder Chacon, Elder Choque, Elder Weller, Hermano Paulo Alberca....just so many people. It’s been amazing!

Question 5: What quality do you like most about Elder Weller, Elder Parra, and your newest companion, Elder Choque? In all honesty I’ve learned stuff from all 3. From Elder Weller, by far what I learned from him was how to listen. He’s amazing at listening and truly understanding of what the person needs. He can just be so in-tune to the spirit and he really is super humble (well, except on the futbol field, haha). From Elder Parra I learned how to follow the guidance of the spirit during lessons and also how to love and care for the members of the ward. He developed a special bond with the ward members and many really enjoyed having him here in Palermo. From Elder Choque (I can’t believe that week 5 of this change starts here on Monday. This change has just completely flown by. It feels honestly like just yesterday I was at the bus terminal picking him up for the first time, but it’s almost been 5 weeks. Holy cow). From him I learned how to stay yourself and be lighthearted and playful during the mission. He’s shown me that the mission really is what you make out of it, and it’s possible to work hard and still have a lot of fun while doing it.

Question 6: What do you appreciate most about the Peruvian culture? Well, first off Peruvian culture is extremely, extremely different from American culture on a few things, but also is extremely close on other things, haha. The thing that I appreciate the most about Peruvian culture would have to be the fact that everyone greets each other here. Like, just walking down the street everyone greets each other. It’s not normal not to say, “Buenas…____” (dias, tardes, o noches, depending on the time). I find it super cool. It’s just a simple and nice thing to do.

Question 7: What do you miss the most about American culture? Man, this is such a trunky question. Holy cow, this one is difficult. I have to say it’s a tie between American music and actual milk products that aren’t shelf stable, haha. Even the yogurt here is shelf stable. I didn’t know such a thing existed so it has to be a tie between the two, especially shredded cheese. There’s no good cheese here really and for some reason only Papa John’s and Pizza Hut have decided to import actual shredded cheese. Kraft only imports cream cheese. Why? I have no clue. As for music; American music I’ve just decided is the best. It’s slightly normal down here, but I miss hearing it all the time.

Question 8: Tell me about one of your investigator’s. What makes them special? I’ll talk about Hermana Laura. She’s 81 years old and our only progressing investigator ready for baptism which is scheduled for next Saturday. She participates really well in Gospel Principles class and the lessons go good with her. She has some health problems, but she’s a good investigator and we enjoy teaching her.

Question 9: What has been the hardest part of your mission so far and why? I would have to say my hardest part was my first few weeks out in the field when I got really homesick. I really haven’t had many tough times though so that’s been the hardest. As for the “why” part of that question, just because homesickness isn’t fun, and it’s strong, but once it was over, it was over. So that’s the good part that came out of it. It’s all good now.

Question 10: What has been the greatest moment so far on your mission and why? I honestly don’t think I can answer this one. There’s been so many great moments for so many different reasons. From the district meetings sitting around talking to our White Christmas to Christmas with Hermana Elsa and her family to just talking with the Bocanegra family , just so many amazing moments. I honestly don’t think I could pinpoint one. They’re all the best just for their own unique reasons, so there’s no one answer to that question unfortunately but, that’s a good thing. I would much rather have 1,000 great memories than to easily be able to pinpoint just one, haha.

Question 11: Finally, now that you’ve been out for 4 months (5 months now) can you briefly describe how your testimony has changed in regards to missionary work? Well, in the past 5 months it’s definitely changed a ton! Man, has it grown. Missionary work is so super important. It’s literally the work of the Lord. We are his representatives. It’s such a wonderful calling and responsibility. Our mission is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" Moses 1:39 Because this was the Savior’s purpose, ours is the same. There’s power in this knowledge, the power of the Lord. My testimony is so strong in this. In just 5 months I know that it’s an undoubtable truth. The Lord has trusted us to be his representatives and to do the work he has commissioned us to do. It’s an honor and a magnificent responsibility.

BONUS QUESTION: (I tried to slip this question under the guise of general knowledge for his momma, but he saw right through me and answered anyway, haha. I'm old-school and like to actually hold my scriptures in my hands as I flip through the worn pages, but my boys tend to gravitate towards having them at their fingertips on electronic devices) What are my thoughts on actual books you can hold verses electronic scriptures? I totally understand your point about getting distracted ( I mentioned when I pull up my app with scriptures I start off good, but easily get distracted if I notice a notification coming through), but I actually am still for electronic scriptures. I’m really hoping that one day (while I’m here) the mission will get i-pads. I enjoy paper scriptures, but I think that it’s a lot easier to cross-reference and find things on the electronics, and they’re easier to have with you all the time. When you want to study you can click on airplane mode and then there’s no more distractions (yep, he got me there lol), so I’m for electronics. I really love my scriptures though.