Elder Scott Learning, Living and Sharing the Gospel in Perú: Reflections from home.

At this time a year ago we were busy getting Elder Scott ready for his final days in Florida before flying to Perú to begin his full-time missionary service. I cannot believe we're only a week shy of his 1 year mark. The time has gone so fast, and the blessings we have felt during his service are beyond anything we ever could have expected.

Elder Scott is having an amazing time serving his mission in Perú, and doesn't like to dwell on the fact that 1/2 of his service is now complete, but luckily he has another 12 months to change lives and teach people about the amazing gifts the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring into their lives. What a glorious blessing that will be for him and the people he will be working with.

Before leaving on his mission, Elder Scott thoroughly enjoyed working at the grocery chain, Publix. Ever since he was little, he has had a strong desire to work hard and give back to the community, and this job offered him the chance to fulfil some of those dreams.This past month the manager from the first Publix store he worked at contacted me because he was planning to highlight Kyler in their upcoming associate newsletter. That newletter came out today, and wow! They did the nicest write-up on him and I am so grateful to his manager, George Cuttita for writing such a beautiful peice, and to Donna for bringing me a copy today. What an incredible piece this ended up being, and it was such a thoughtful gesture to keep him in the hearts of the Publix family he misses so much.

To get this newsletter started, Mr. Cuttita e-mailed Kyler a series of questions that he was able to respond to over the course of a week or two. Here are a few of them to round out this week's blog post.

One of the questions Elder Scott was asked was why he decided to make such a life-changing commitment at such a young age by serving a 2 year mission to which Kyler responded, "I made this change just because I knew always that I wanted to help people.....I planned to serve a mission my whole life. I started saving for my mission at a young age, and I was able to add some of my Publix earnings to my goal of going on a mission.

On the back of a watch my parents got me for a graduation present, that I wear all the time, it says 'Aim high. Make your mark. Change the world!' I knew that one of the best ways I could do this was by going on a mission.

When members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints serve a mission it's all voluntary and we don't pick where we'll be assigned. I didn't know if I would be assigned to serve in the states or in a foreign country. But, I knew wherever I was called, one of the biggest things I wanted to do, and what I felt my purpose was, is serve the community.....working at Publix and serving as the Community Service Trustee in the Sigma Alpha Sigma organization during my high school years, helped form me into the person I am today. I love being involved in the community and feel it is critically important, and I love that I have been given the opportunity to serve for two years here in Trujillo."

Later on in the article, Elder Scott responded to questions about his time in Perú and mentioned how he has been blessed immensely by prioritizing what is most important during this time of his life, and how he now finds that he doesn't miss find himself missing the "comforts" of home that were initially hard to give up such as listening to music, watching television, reading books, surfing the web, communicating with his family other than a weekly e-mail, or even the times he has had to give up hot water when it wasn't an available resource for him. Now he says, "I can't imagine being anywhere but here." And when asked what some of the most impactful things he has done over the past year have been he responded, "Being able to witness people I work with completely change their lives around. I have seen people who were doing horrible things do legit 360's in their life and have decided to follow Christ and become people full of love and concern for others. I love it! I was also able to help out many people after the disasters of the Huaycos (mudslides) that Trujillo suffered this past March. It was so impacting to see how little some people have to live with. Their homes have sand floors with bamboo poles to hold up their roofs, which are made of plastic. During the intense rain falls in March, many of the homes fell. Perú never really gets any rain, and when it does rain it tends to be a slight mist, so the heavy rain they experienced was absolutely devastating to them. It was so humbling to get to work with so many of them to save what little material possessions they have, and help to rebuild their homes. That definitely impacted and humbled me. Words literally can't describe. And throughout that devastating experience, the Peruvian people continued to be the happiest, friendliest people I have ever met."

Thank you George and Donna for showcasing Elder Scott in such a meaningful, delightful way. My heart is full as I read the newsletter in its entirety, and I am beyond grateful to know so many people are keeping Elder Scott in the forefront of their hearts and minds and in their prayers.

There were no photos this week because his camera didn't make it to the internet cafe with him, but blessings continue to be showered down on me and I discovered 99 hidden gems that were attached to last week's email's that we didn't realize we there. Plus an incredible family in Perú sent me a couple bonus photos last night.