Elder Scott Learning, Living and Sharing the Gospel in Perú: Be Strong And Of Good Courage

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

This week when I asked Elder Scott if he was studying a specific scripture, Joshuah 1:9 was his reply. As I was reading it again today I found it to be a powerful thought-provoking scripture passage that has so much depth and promise found within it's words.

As I read, I honed in on the word courage which is defined as "mental or moral strength to...persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty." Courage and strength are found in our Heavenly Father's promises to us, including His promise to never leave us alone as we are promised in Joshua 1:5. The Lord wants us to be courageous in this ever-changing world that is filled with temptations, confusion, and spiritual dangers. He wants us to put on our spiritual armor and fight against the evils that will be thrown our way. But how do we do this? Sister Mary N. Cook gave us some great advice in a talk she gave in her April 2010 General Conference address, "First, gain a strong testimony, step by step. Second, seek the help of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, your family, and others who will support you in your decision to follow the plan. And finally, live worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. These 3 steps will give you the strength you need to combat the adversary's attacks.

After being counseled to have strength and courage we are taught to be not afraid. It's natural to feel fears, but we also know we need to learn to replace our fears with faith. Remember God is in charge, and He knows His children, and He knows what we need. He has given us scriptures that teach us the remedy for fear as follows: Love (1 John 4:18), Faith (Mark 5:36), and Preparation (D&C 38:30). When we implement those 3 principles, we are utilizing the tools needed to overcome fears.

Finally, after demonstrating strength and courage and resisting fears, we are give the ultimate promise found in this verse, "for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." That's a huge truth we can always depend on. Our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, always, and forever will be, our greatest source of strength and encouragement as we navigate through life. I absolutely love this quote from a fireside Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave in July 2007:

They love us. They want to see us return to Their presence. The plan is in motion to make that a reality if we will but believe.

Elder Scott sent home some sound advice about how we can resist the powers of Satan. He said, "We need to decide to not sin before there is a first time because the first time we sin, Satan will then have the power to tempt us with those memories. Now we aren't just giving into temptation, but also the past memories as well. That's why the most important sin to never commit is the first one. Once we commit the first one, the door has been cracked open for Satan. We need to shut that door, and keep it shut because he doesn't have power to open it from the other side.

I was reading a talk the other day that used a metaphor relating sin to chocolate chip cookies. It is so much easier to avoid the cookies if we don't have access to them in the house to begin with, than it is to resist them if we enter into the kitchen where a tray is sitting out with even more baking in the oven, filling the house with their enticing smells. We need to overcome temptation by resisting it in the first place. I'm out of time to write, but look up the talk. It is super good!"
(Noteworthy: All I had to go on to find this talk was the analogy of chocolate chip cookies and sin, and that it was given by a psychologist of some unknown name since Kyler couldn't remember that small detail....except he's not a psychologist, but rather one of the founders of the Franklin Institute which eventually became know as Franklin Covey, and currently a member of the Church's Quorum of the 70, but I found it anyway, haha, and here it is:Avoiding Temptation Easier Than Resisting Temptation

Also noteworthy this week is that on Elder Scott's 18th month anniversary in the field, he transferred from Chimbote, Perú to Caraz, Perú. He is so excited to serve towards the mountains of Peru, and have the opportunity to continue teaching and preaching the word of God. He is learning and growing and continues to be excited to serve in whatever capacity assigned to him. Thank you to all who continue to pray for him, for those who love him, and for everyone who writes him to encourage him to continue fulfilling his role as a full-time representative of the Lord, Jesus Christ. He loves you and sends his love.

Only 4 pictures came through this week, and a few scattered throughout the weeks prior because his camera card got a virus, but he's working on fixing the issue and hopes to send more photos next week. Here's a sampling of what he was able to send though since the end of February.