Week 10 - White Borscht

Hey Everyone!

I made it here alive! I'm serving in an area called Ivano Frankivs'k. My companion, Elder Lukach, is a native from Kiev, Ukraine. He's so awesome and I'm learning so fast. There are 6 missionaries here and we are all new to this area - white borscht.

My companion, Elder Lukach

This week has been super busy already! I had a couple of days of training in Lviv and now I'm here.

For starts, Lviv was awesome. It looks like Venice or Italy or something!! It's honestly amazing. Leaving Lviv, my comp and I took a train ride that was 3 hours. It was sooo miserable to be honest hahah. It was a tiny room we had, with 4 bunkbeds and it reminded me of Harry Potter. It was super hot and muggy, and everyone smokes. But, i'm alive. We made it here and went to our apartment that's temporary till tomorrow. It's like half of a little old house in the ghetto. It's super sick though.

L'viv

The Harry Potter train to Ivano Frankivs'k

That's where we're staying - the tiny brown part to the left

The people here are awesome. So many people smoke here which kinda stinks (haha get it) but it's okay. The church building is a rented building in a business complex and its really different. There's about 50 people in the branch. Our goal is to get 60, because if we get 60 people then the church will start the process of building a place so we don't have to rent anymore!! We can do it by next week if we work super hard. We have an investigator with a baptismal date! He laughs when I talk. haha

About Lviv! It's so different but awesome. It looks nothing like you or me would think. Its so sick. You trip a lot because literally nothing here is level or even. Stairs are just kinda random so its a little sketch hahaha. 

EVERYTHING IS SO CHEAP! 26 Grievens to a dollar. Here are some examples: bus ticket to anywhere is 4 grieven. Loaf of bread is 8 grieven. Watermelon was 30 grieven (like $1.50). We ordered a moving truck and moved all the stuff from our old apartmen, it was 200 grieven. That's 8 dollars!! It's honestly crazy. We buy all our food from markets and stuff so it's way awesome. Everything is in packages too. Ketchup, milk, all in bags. Nothing has preservatives either so it all tastes good. The food is my favorite thing so far. Juices have no added sugar or concentrate and it's all 100 percent nectar or juice. Smachnoho!! (bon apetit) 

A couple of funny stories:

1. First person we contacted was from Nevada. I tried to speak Ukrainian and he responded: "What? I'm from Nevada. Aren't you guys Americans?" what a blessing that was for me.

2. We had a last minute lessons and taught this family in a park. He was asking ME a ton of hard questions and then asked me if I'm ready to baptize 6 people (his family). I Said ABSOLUTELY!! And then he showed me a picture of his family. They're in the branch. It was a fake lesson to scare me and pull a prank! I didn't think it was funny until like an hour afterwards. The Bontsov's are awesome.

3. No air conditioning exists in L'viv. Post mission I will start a business. It'll take off. Anyways we opened our windows at night with our fans too, then I woke up with 45 mosquito bites from head to toe. The bugs didn't have the decency to leave my face alone either.

4. During church a wasp bit/stung my neck. Random, but it hurt really bad.

5. Pigeons have no fear. I was joking about kicking one with my comp and he grabbed me and said NEVER DO THAT. Apparently you can get a ticket and even go to jail for kicking or killing pigeons. Thank goodness I didn't.

6. During Sacrament meeting, I shared my testimony. Classic language mess up. I wanted to say "My Ukrainian isn't very good, but..." but the way I conjugated the words made it so that I said (more or less) "My country of Ukraine that I own isn't that good". I got some weird looks and laughs from the other elders. I learned how to apologize and explain myself in Ukrainian!

7. My language abilities are pretty sad. I can understand most of the time, but speaking...Sometimes when we're teaching and I say something, they respond in broken English and say something exactly like this in Ukrainian accents, "is okay, you can speak in English if you need". Kind of depressing. hahaha

8. I don't know how inappropriate this is... Mom you be the judge and maybe take this out haha. So we have a dog at our house who lives in the other half. He's super cute but doesn't move. He sits there and barks at his crotch. He has a (**edit - medical condition) it's kinda funny. Poor guy.

9. Our bathroom is...interesting.

The scenic toilet and astronaut shower

Well, this week has been super humbling. It's so tough and so hard, and really easy to get discouraged. BUT, for me it's impossible. There are no bad days. I am able to laugh things off and just be happy. It's easy to be happy when you're doing the Lord's work and trying your hardest. I couldn't be happier. I know I'm here for a reason and everything is for my benefit!

Love,

Elder Stott

New MTC Video Tour

Watch this awesome video!  

It takes you through a missionary's experience at the new Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. What a beautiful new building.  So happy that Elder Stott had the opportunity to be a part of this!  (He's near the end)  It couldn't have been better timing when I watched this for the first time...Dillon had just barely arrived in L'viv.  His words fit perfectly into his journey.  Go forward with faith.

-Momma Stott

It's 9 minutes long.  Here's the link:   https://youtu.be/W0-0nniCz6k



Here's a screenshot from the video

Week 9 - He Made It!

No email from Elder Stott this week.  His P-day is Monday, so we'll have to wait to hear from him until then.

Dillon left the MTC at 3:30 am to catch his 6:30 flight to Chicago.  Tuesday morning, I got a picture and a text from a stranger...a wonderful woman at the Chicago airport.  She was flying with her two sons.  She said, 

"My boys (10 and 7) and I, welcomed him to the mission field.  He said he hasn't arrived yet.  I told him it's all missionary work outside the MTC.  He got it.  He's so excited you can tell.  He got a cat nap on the early flight from SLC.  It will still be a long day for him...it was a real treat for my boys to see an excited missionary ready to face the world.  Great teaching moment.  I just had a little cry in Chicago O'hare, of all places."  

What a tender mercy from a sweet, angel mama.

Early Wednesday morning, we received a quick phone calll from Sister Cihak, the mission secretary, letting us know he'd arrived safely in L'viv.  She sent these pictures from the airport.  

Elder Stott, President and Sister Rizley and the Assistants to the President

We also received letters from President and Sister Rizley, the L'viv, Ukraine Mission President and his wife.  How sweet is this?...

Dear Sister Stott;

I am just finishing the arrival dinner preparations to feed your WONDERFUL son Elder Stott.  He arrived with all of his connecting flights arriving on time.  I have been praying for him in the MTC and I feel that I know him already, even though he has only been here for over one hour.  I can already tell that he will be a blessing to the L'viv Mission!

Thank you for having him arrive so well prepared and so ready to learn even more.  That you for your preparation and sacrifice to have him serve the Lord for these next 22 months here in L'viv.

We are beyond excited to serve with your son in this beautiful country of Ukraine.  Oh my goodness, I love him already.

All the best to you and your faithful family.

Sister Rizley

Elder Stott is in good hands.  

- Momma Stott

Week 8.5 - Some Spiritual Thoughts

This week I've just thought about something as simple as God's love for us.

Like just about the fact that someone loves us so much that it is physically impossible to comprehend or understand all of it. I think it's for such a good reason too. Here are questions that I've pondered this week about it too that help really put into perspective his love for us. It's so amazing.

-If God loved Christ MORE than he loves US, then why would he have sent Him? Meaning like that's how much God loves US. He has to love us either JUST as much as Jesus Christ or even more. It's just the same, but still a cool thought.

-The hardest portrayal of love is giving up your life... and that's exactly what Christ did. Imagine how much he loved the people that even crucified him.. He had and has the power to do ANYTHING to anyone who hates him or even disrespects him, but he suffers it, and suffers us. He loved the worst people SO much that he felt EVERYTHING that they will and have gone through. wow.

-You THOUGHT about that and how much love that is.. but think about what Heavenly Father did... he was willing to give up someone ELSES life for us.. that person being his only and beloved son. wow. idk about you but I thought about if I only had the opportunity to have one child and it was my only son.. and how much I would have to love someone else to sacrifice his life for them. These two portrayals of love are truly as strong as it gets.. it makes me want to cry just thinking about it.

-Heavenly Father, just like Christ, suffered through the people abusing Christ. He loved them SO much that he gave them his Son, and he watched how they treated him. He also has the power to strike anyone down or make everyone love him, but because he loved them and because he loves us, he suffers through it. amazing.

-Everything about this is so backwards. Heavenly Father gave everything that he had to the people who deserved it the absolute least. Literally everything has been given to us for us to use and grow... so really when you think about it, nothing is really a sacrifice on our part. Not even serving a mission.. isn't that crazy? Every day all he thinks about is us... and sometimes we can't even "sacrifice" 2 minutes, to read a verse of his word.. because its "our life".. "my life".. how selfish is that statement? Literally everything is a gift... and literally nothing is even close to a "sacrifice" but we still get blessed for it. :)

- When's the last time you thought about the principle of addition in math?? Like NEVER. because you understand it. You know it now... there is no reason to ever think about it anymore because you have that perfect knowledge of it. We can get this knowledge about ANYTHING in this world. except: His love. Why? Because if we did know, then we wouldn't think about it. But because we will never know, it is something we can truly think about and learn more about every single day of our entire lives. There's such a good reason behind all of it. That way, we get to think and ponder! (^^^^)

I hope this triggers some thoughts of your own. this really blessed me this week to think all about it. There's ENDLESS thoughts along with this. It's one of my favorite things to talk about. Like wow. Could anyone else have done the job? Heavenly Father and Christ are literally both perfect.

I want you to know above everything that I love this gospel. It has changed my entire life and this sacrifice of serving a mission is anything but a sacrifice. I was called simply to receive more blessings and have a better relationship with God. Who wouldn't want that?!?!

elder stott

Week 8 - It's The Zone Final Countdown

This upcoming week will be my last week in the MTC! Next official email home will be from an internet cafe in L'viv! I'll finally have some good stories for all of you. Something about how I say something completely wrong or something along those lines. It's safe to say you're probably more excited than I am to experience that! I literally have never been more excited to leave a place in my life, but I'm also going to miss this place a ton. Anyone who didn't have a good time at the MTC or anyone who doesn't enjoy their time here, that's on them. The MTC is definitely a spiritual sponge. The harder you work at it, the more you will get. And just like a sponge holds more liquid than it seems, the same is with the MTC. The MTC has blessed my life in ways that I didn't even expect. I have never learned and grown so much in such a short amount of time.

This week I ran into my brother at the Provo Temple! What a blessing and surprise that was. I was so stoked to see him and catch up with him. He truly is my best friend in the whole world. 

Temple walk - surprise visit

When I got my flight plans, I was SO stoked. We all were! You can tell in the pictures. I leave after everyone else in my district leaves, and I'll be all alone on Monday. Lots of packing to do! I leave Tuesday morning at 3:30 AM to fly to Chicago, then a 16 hour flight to Austria, then to L'viv! It's going to be over 24 hours of straight traveling. Sleeping on a plane will have never been easier! I'm only a little bit nervous because I'm going to be completely by myself from the minute I leave to the minute that I arrive. Pray that I don't get stuck in Austria! haha. 

I hope my bags aren't overweight either! My mom, who everyone knows is the best, sent me a HUGE care package that about filled my carry on suitcase! Probably won't be able to finish all the snacks by the time I leave, so I will have to involuntarily share! haha.

Not a ton of news this week other than the fact that I'm getting ready to go! These 2 months have absolutely FLOWN by. I'm already almost 10% done with my mission! Time to get to work.

The language has come such a long way and I can honestly say I'm not too worried about holding my own there. I've worked harder than I ever have before, and its paid off! It's already hard to think of some words in English and sometimes my word order is all jacked up, because word order doesn't matter in Ukrainian! I think in Ukrainian sometimes and some responses are automatic. It's such a beautiful language and I have had some of the best teachers I could ask for! I'm reading and comprehending the Cyrillic which is really fun to do.

I can honestly say that I have no fears, no anxiety, and no worries. We can get so caught up in the anxiety and stress of life, but there is truly absolutely nothing to worry about when we are doing the right things. When you do the right things, the Lord is on your side. When the Lord is on your side, you can accomplish and overcome everything.

Here's some pics from this week. Ukraine pics will be here next NEXT Monday! (July 31st)

До наступного тижня!

Старійшина Стотт

Zone Leader - leading his zone to the promised land 

Week 7 - Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Yesterday was Day 50! This week has flown by just like the rest. We finally got more new missionaries so everyone in our zone was pretty excited! We now have around 45 missionaries in our zone and it is just a party and a half.

A lot of the time, it's pretty repetitive here in the MTC. You definitely get into a strict schedule that doesn't usually change. Tons of teaching, tons of studying, tons of reading scriptures, and tons of learning all together! It's really mentally exhausting so going to bed at 10:30 has become much easier since day one.

We love getting packages - especially with treats. It's like you're a hero for the day. Shoutout to Gma J for the cinnamon rolls this week, and to our family friend's mom here in Orem - that made and delivered a TON of cookies last week. They didn't last long.

This past week, an unexpected plague has spread among our zone. One elder got pink eye, and within two days, 8 missionaries had it! Then a sore throat came around too. Jussttt about every missionary has been sick at one point or another this week. Handshakes have turned into elbow bumps.

I sadly have no big news for this week, but I have something that's a huge deal for me!! Elder Malmrose and I are companions but we're both Solo Companions because we're the only ones in the MTC learning our languages. So we teach our investigators all by ourselves! It's been hard and easy in tons of ways. But now, to prepare for teaching with a companion, we get to teach TOGETHER like real companions!! We're teaching in English together and our investigators name is Franklin. He's a toughie but it's such a cool experience being able to teach with someone else by your side.

Since the temple is closed right now for cleaning, some of us missionaries got the opportunity to help clean it. We literally scraped and sanded putty off the ceilings for 3 hours. Grandpa would be proud. The Sisters got to clean the chandeliers.  

This week I just want to talk about being happy. I've attached pictures of all the Elders in my district. I pulled out my camera and sat there until I got a real laughing smile from each of them. Each of them and each of us naturally face the ups and downs of life. Being in the middle of hard times and frustration, it is truly our choice whether or not we want to be happy. There are so many things in this life and things about every day that we can choose to be happy about. I started reflecting my thoughts and "adventures" of each day at the MTC when I got here. It's funny for me to start out a day's journal entry about how bad the day was. But the more and more I would reflect on the day, the more joy and happiness and good times I was able to see. There are so many good things in our lives that are each an individual gift from our Heavenly Father. He has no intentions for us to be miserable here! Everything that happens to us and everything we go through is for our benefit. There's a verse in the Doctrine and Covenants that really portrays this principle. D&C 121:7-8 "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment. 8. And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high;". It's so hard to try and find happiness during our hardest times, but it really comes down to us. We are the ones who get to decide how we feel. I can assure you that my time simply in the MTC alone has been the most challenging and frustrating of my life, along with all the other missionaries here. But at the same time, I think I can speak for all of us and say that we have also never been happier.

Here are the Elders in my district. None of us have worked harder, but at the same time, never have we felt more joy and happiness.

Love you all!

Take a minute and smile about somethin', will ya?

Love Elder Stott

Elder Sweeney

Elder Brodowski

Elder Hansen

Elder Malmrose

Week 6 - New Responsibilities

This week has absolutely flown by!! It hasn't been the busiest week here at the MTC, so this email isn't going to have a ton of material in it!

This week, my companion and I received another missionary in our companionship, and now we're upgraded to a trio! We got called to be the new Zone Leaders for our remaining 3 weeks here in the MTC. It's a lot of responsibility and it's a little bit stressful too but we are figuring it all out! Being responsible for 45 missionaries is a pretty big task and I'm really glad there are 3 of us to do the job.

Me and my comp, Elder Malmrose - stoked to watch fireworks from indoors

This week was pretty interesting. We celebrated 4th of July on Saturday, and watched the fireworks from the stadium of fire from the 5th floor in one of the MTC buildings. It was weird waking up on the fourth of July and not realizing it was a holiday until the afternoon. Shows how busy we stay here at the MTC!! Watching the fireworks was fun though, and we had a devotional about religious freedom. I'm so glad we live in such a great country where we have so many freedoms to enjoy.

It's a weird feeling being the oldest missionaries in the zone now.. It feels like just yesterday we were unpacking our bags! Only 20 days left until I'll be getting on the plane and flying to Ukraine! SO STOKED.

The language is really starting to pick up! I skype-taught a native Ukrainian, and was able to understand about 80% of what she said. They don't speak as fast as I thought they would! Being one on one with my teachers has really been a huge blessing for me.

I don't really have a whole lot to tell about this week, but trust me, I am busier than ever! I love (almost) every second of the MTC and can't wait to be serving the people of Ukraine. Every day I feel closer to my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. My testimony grows a little bit stronger each day and each week, and I know that there is nothing better that I could be doing with my time at this stage in my life.

Love you all!

Elder Stott

Sorry the pics are all the same...but notice my awesome new tie.  Handmade from Ukraine!!  Thanks Aunt Poopsie and the Carroll clan in Arizona :)

One of my favorite missionaries in our Zone, Elder Heywood, left this week :(

Elder Gale and me - not sure about the look we've got going here.

Elder Gale, Heywood, Brodowski, me and Branch President Clark, photobombing in the back :)