TIME IS FLYING!

13 September 2011

Hello,

It is crazy to feel how fast time is flying by. It seems like it is speeding up faster and faster. This last week has been a very fun week. We have had some ups and downs but overall it was a great week. Most of the time has been taken up by the transfer but we still made effective use of the limited time we did have. We got all the twenty missionaries to their first areas, drove over 700 miles and just had a blast doing it.

The transfer process is always a very cool experience for me. There is so much that goes into a transfer but no matter what the logical part may be it is always up to the Lord. People aren't just placed together because that is the only spot we have open; every companionship is together for a reason. I know that I am with Elder Gudjenov for a reason. In the time that we have had to drive together we have grown a lot and been able to talk about a lot of things. I think we have talked about almost every topic you can think of; we have counseled with each other and really been able to work together to improve and make choices that will affect us for the rest of our lives. When we were looking at where to place the new missionaries, President had me say the prayer to ask for a confirmation from the Spirit. President Greer usually says it but I am so grateful he had me say it. It is an experience that I will remember for a long time. We asked specifically if each companionship by name was right and each time I felt the confirmation from the Holy Ghost that they should be together. Being able to recognize the Holy Ghost and have Him bear confirmation that the decision we have made is correct is one of the greatest things I have learned on my mission and this experience really just helped me to solidify it in my mind that I know that Heavenly Father will lead and guide us as we strive to have the Holy Ghost in our lives and as we listen for it. The transfers this time were the smoothest they have ever been. No one lost anything and we got everyone to their new areas safe and sound.

We had amazing training with the new missionaries this week but I think one of my favorite things from this week was the time I got to spend with the Zone Leaders in the Vancouver North Stake, Elders Aldous and Crabtree. I have been on exchange there before but there was just something different about this one. I got to see some of my best friends from that area and to spend some time with them, but the coolest part was the discussion about Gospel principles that we had. We talked a lot about how the gospel brings happiness and it helps us to improve and be better. It helps us to align our lives with the will of our Heavenly Father and to keep us on the track that leads us back to our Heavenly Father. They are both fairly new Zone Leaders and it was cool to see their desire to learn and improve. It reminded me that we should never stop learning and growing. Sure I may have accomplished a lot in my life but that doesn't mean I am perfect; I know that I am far from but that is not going to stop me from trying to be. Christ said that we need to be perfect like He is. I know that in this life, though we are going to fall short, with Christ's help He is going to pick us up, dust us off and help us to keep going and improving. We just need to look to Him and "seek His face". Seek to have Him in our lives and to follow His example.

Then to add to all this stuff, Sunday was an amazing day. It was probably one of the best Sundays I have had in awhile. We had Stake Conference this week and it was a regional broadcast from Salt Lake. We got to hear from Elder Snow, Sister Dalton, Elder Holland and Elder Packer. It was a very spiritual event that was exactly what I needed to hear. Elder Snow spoke about the importance of the Holy Ghost and having it in our life. Sister Dalton talked about living a virtuous and pure life. She showed a picture of three sheds. Two of the sheds were leaning over and resting upon the third shed and the caption said, "Even if you are the last one standing you need to be firm and immovable.” It was a cool talk. Then Elder Holland talked about standing in holy places. We need to make our home a holy place, go to church every week and then attend the temple as often as possible. Elder Packer told a story that has changed my life. He told a story about a dream Joseph Fielding Smith had. In the dream Joseph had a meeting with Joseph Smith. He was in a house that he had never seen but he felt like he had just gotten home from working in the fields and just felt dirty. So he got in the shower got all clean and then found a fresh pair of white clothes on the bed. He put them on and then realized he was late for his meeting. He ran over there and Joseph Smith said "you are late". Then this is that part that hit me so hard; his reply was "Yes, but I am clean". It doesn't matter where we have been, how dirty we may be, or how long it has taken us to get to this point the Savior is still saying come unto me and be clean; through Christ everything can be washed away. We can be made spotless and the guilt, pain or anguish that we may have in our lives can be washed away. Remember that Christ is always saying come unto me. He doesn't care nearly as much about where you have been, but more about where you are willing to go with His help. Please be willing to reach for the hand of the Savior and be made clean. It may be tough for some, it was tough for me but the joy and the peace that I have in my life now is immeasurable. It is the greatest feeling we could ever have to have the Savior take away those things that may be holding us down. Get rid of those things and do whatever it takes to align our lives with the life of the Savior.

So Stake Conference was amazing but then to add to it, after church that day we had an appointment with JJ and Juana Magana and their kids. They have one child that is old enough to be baptized and three others. They were a referral from the ward and we had the chance to put the three on date for baptism for October 8th. They are so ready and are planning on being baptized on that day. At the beginning of my mission I had a promise from my Heavenly Father that I would be able to participate in the planting and harvesting of souls. Through my whole mission I have talked to a lot of people and planted a lot of seeds but it has not been until this last part of my mission that I have been able to see many people come unto Christ by being baptized. There is no greater joy than seeing someone make that covenant with their Heavenly Father.

Kathy is still on track for this week. She asked if I would baptize her and I am so excited. It is an honor to be a part of someone’s life and be able to be with them through the whole process. We were laughing because we are pretty sure Kathy's biggest concern is that I will be leaving in five weeks and then Elder Gudjenov will be leaving in a few months. She has been receiving a lot of ‘anti’ lately but last night she bore her testimony to us that it doesn't matter what others say. She said that she has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and that is all she needs to know and that there is nothing that could take that away from her.

This work is a work of miracles and I am grateful to be a part of it and to see it affect so many people’s lives. I have seen it change mine and I will forever be grateful for the chance that I have to serve a mission. The things that I have learned here have shaped my life and will continue shape the rest of my life. I know that my Savior loves me and that He loves each one of us. Continue to replace fear with faith and follow the teaching of Jesus. That is what brings true and lasting happiness. The world wants to give us little tidbits of happiness but the joy that comes from the Gospel is so much better and to put the cherry on top, it can last forever. I love you and hope you have a safe and wonderful week.

Love,

Elder M Scott Draper

QUICK ONE

6 September 2011

Greetings!

Not a lot has happened in the few days since I wrote on Saturday. Life is going great as usual and I love each day. Elder Gudjenov and I are doing great together and we are working hard. We are seeing miracles occur each day. We have twenty new missionaries coming into the mission field today. We are going to go pick them up in about an hour. It is so much fun picking them up and getting to know each of them.

The office life is going great also. I had some revelation this last week about one of the big benefits of being an Assistant. I get the experience of balancing a full time job with a church calling and finding the time to do both! The office staff is doing pretty good. For Labor Day the Bodmers invited us, the Wilsons, and the Greer’s over for a BBQ. It was simple but it was fun. The Bodmers are great people.

We had an unwelcomed surprise this last week with Elder Bodmer when we found out that he has Leukemia and it started to flare up. He has been doing chemotherapy. They are still great though all that and still had us all over for a BBQ and they still have high spirits. They are a great example of finding joy even when there is adversity. The Greer’s are doing great as well. They are amazing and really do love each of us. Sister Greer reminds me a lot of you, mom. We decided that we haven't really been meeting a whole lot so we are going to start meeting every Monday morning which will be awesome.

Kathy McKinney is going great. She is still excited to be baptized. Arna never ended up coming to church but we are going to try and go by sometime this week to see them. This week will be a little bit busier with transfers and all that stuff. We will only have about two and a half days in our area which will be rough but we will make it work.

I think I will probably just send this email for today to you guys. That is about all that has happened in the past few days. Life is good and I love being out here. This next six weeks are going to be some crazy ones but I know that there will be many more miracles that will occur. I hope you all stay safe and have a great week. I love you all so much and pray for you each and every day.

Love,

Elder M Scott Draper

MORE TENDER MERCIES

3 September 2011

HELLO!

This is a week where there has not been a lot of time to sit down and email. I know it has been a week and a half but there were some amazing things that happened. We have truly seen the tender mercies of the Lord in the work and people have been coming out of the wood work. We also had another Zone Leader Council this last week. It is weird to think that Elder Liu and I only have one more ZLC left. Also thrown into this crazy week is that we are getting ready for transfers that are coming up. We have twenty new missionaries coming into the field. That means that there will be forty companionships in our mission that have a missionary that has been out less than three months. So as you can tell this week has been way fun.

Like I said we had some amazing things happen in our areas this last week or so. Kathy McKinney is still going strong and planning on being baptized on Sept 17. She is really excited and is truly ready for the Gospel. We have a few more things to teach her but other than that she is ready. On our second or third lesson we saw a coffee pot on her counter. We talked a little about the Word of Wisdom and challenged her to stop drinking coffee. It was kind of like Nalani when she quit smoking. Kathy said yes to live the Word of Wisdom and that was it. At our next lesson with Kathy the coffee pot was gone and she told us that she got rid of it and she hasn't had any since. She told us something that was really cool. We were talking about why she didn't get baptized last time and she said she was scared. She said she is not scared this time. We asked her why and she told us that the last missionaries just seemed like they were giving a sales pitch but that Elder Gudjenov and myself really seemed to want what is best for her and took the time to explain concepts and answer her questions. It makes you feel good when someone says that to you. It is in that moment that you know you are fulfilling your purpose.

We have been trying to make progress with the Mollotte Family and Frankeburger and Andre Stoyan but they have all kind of cooled off. We are pretty bummed that they are not progressing as fast as we would like but the Lord has taken care of us. We had a member from the Columbia Basin ward give us a call this last week and he said he has "a family of six that is ready to take the lessons". I thought we were going to jump through the roof when we got that call. So we set up a time to teach them and had a great first lesson with them. Their names are JJ and Juana Magana. They have four children and one of them is of baptismal age. We talked with them about how the Gospel blesses families and we challenged them to be baptized. JJ said he would but he wanted to make sure he and his wife were on the same page. This is the first real interaction Juana has had with the LDS Church. She said she really likes it and wants to raise her kids in it but she just wants to learn a little bit more about it before she jumps in.

So that was the first miracle we saw. Then three nights ago we were out working and one of our appointments fell through. We were pondering on what to do and the name of a potential investigator came up. Her name is Sabrina. We were kind of unsure about it because when we knocked on her door it was a quick not now maybe later type thing, but she did say we could come back later; so we wrote her down and we tried back. We were going to try another family first that we thought would be more interested than her but we felt we would try her first. That is the first part of the miracle because right when we knocked on the door she was about to go to bed and probably would have been asleep if we had tried the other people first. We started talking to her and Elder Gudjenov tells her he is from Bulgaria, which he is. It turn out she is from Bosnia. She was originally just going to close the door but after that she started to open up. She came out side and we were talking on the porch. She says that she is looking for peace in her life. She says she is happy most of the time but just wants something that brings consistent peace. We testified that the Gospel brings peace and shared a little bit more of the message. Then she said how she wants to find something that will help her lead and guide her family. So we testified of that also and taught a little more. Then she told us that that morning she had prayed for God to give her some answers and guidance in her life. We told her that we were that guidance that God is giving her. It was exactly what Elder Holland said about listening. If you will listen with the Spirit something there will always be something that they say in which you can testify and then offer more. So we set up a return appointment and there comes another miracle from that appointment. We went back last night and her daughter was there this time. Sabrina said she was having a rough night but her daughter Arna could talk to us if she wanted. So Arna came out on the porch and she is just amazing. She is similar to Elder Gudjenov in that she came to the states when she was young. We just got to know her and then tied it into the Gospel. We started talking about her religious background. She said that she has been going to a lot of different churches and just trying to find which one is right. She is a senior in high school this year and just looking for direction. She told us about her life and how she always found peace and joy when she centered her life on Christ. We sat down and taught her all about the Restoration. You could tell she had been going to a lot of ‘anti’ churches because she had a lot of misconceptions. At the end of the lesson she said "I have gotten more out of talking to you two for an hour than I have in going to church". She told us that it just all made sense. We invited her to church and she said she would love to come. We explained that it was fast Sunday and she simply said, "so I don't eat breakfast right? If I am going to come I might as well go all out." Then we explained about testimony meeting and we told her if she wanted to she could get up and she said she loves public speaking. It was just a fun lesson with someone who was really interested in learning more. How that whole situation worked out was just a miracle. I am so grateful for the miracles that we see as we do this work. There are people who are ready no matter what area you may be in.

Like I said we also had ZLC this last week. It was an awesome meeting. We talked about so much but I think that the thing that stuck out to me the most was when President Greer spoke about finding joy in the journey. In the emotional roller coaster that is a mission, I have noticed that the best times are when I am looking for the good and finding joy in the little things. We all could get so focused on what is going wrong or how we would rather have it turn out but that doesn't do us any good. In the news and world today there seems to be a growing focus on the abundance of problems that we have. We often forget about the abundant blessings that we receive. We all have so much to be grateful for. This life is for us to have joy, not wallow in self pity or be sad. If we find joy in the journey and trust in the Lord things will out turn out for the better. It may not be what we wanted or exactly how we saw it working out but we will be able to see the blessings of the Lord more abundantly and be grateful for the things he has given us. I am grateful for all that he has given me. It was a good lesson for me to be reminded of going into my last transfer. I could be all sad about it or start complaining but instead I have been able to look back, reflect on the good times and find joy while I am sprinting to the end.

I am grateful everyday for the chance that I have to wake up and put the name of my Savior and my family on my chest. This work is a work of miracles and as we all replace fear with faith the miracles will only increase. No matter what we may be going through, whether it be good or bad, the gospel will make it even better. Blessings are promised as we follow the commandments and do what our Heavenly Father has asked us to do.

Be safe, find joy in the journey and remember to count your many blessings. I love you and I pray for you every day.

Love,

Elder Draper

ANOTHER MEETING WITH ELDER PERRY

ANOTHER MEETING WITH ELDER PERRY

23 August 2011

Hello,

This was another amazing week. Not much new happened since I emailed you last so this email will probably blend with the last one but this week was still amazing. Elder Gudjenov and I had two opportunities to sit at the feet of an Apostle and to hear him council the missionaries. It was one of the most amazing experiences. From the very moment he walked into the room you could feel the spirit so strong. He truly is a special witness of Christ, an Apostle of the Lord and someone who has consecrated his life to building up the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father. It was interesting how the talks given to the east side of our mission were different from the talks given on the west side. You may ask why we got to go to both but we drove the big fifteen passenger van and took some missionaries to Portland for the conference. It was the least we could do to sacrifice a little time and go hear from an Apostle. I think in my last letter I spoke about what he and Elder Clayton said on the east side. For this conference he only wanted missionaries within an hour and a half driving. That would have left out half of our mission so the west side got to go to Portland and see him with the Portland mission. I met some of the missionaries from Portland and we had all kinds of connections. There was an elder from Uncle Marks stake (Elder Mooney), one that I went to high school with and another that knew a lot of the same people I did.

So we get there and we get everyone seated. We sat right at the front. On the east side Elder Perry shook every ones hand but because there were so many he didn't have a chance to do that on this side. We were sitting right by the door where he came in and he shook Elder Gudjenov and my hand again. It was so cool. You wouldn't think a handshake would mean that much but just looking in to his eyes and seeing his smile was awesome. Elder Perry focused more on the Book of Mormon in his talk. He went through the first few chapters in the Book of Mormon and spoke on how they really apply to us. One thing that really stuck out to me was that he said "Don't leave things to chance". We need to do all we can to prepare so that we are ready. He really applied it to missionary work but that applies to aspect of life. Elder Clayton spoke about how we can fulfill this angelic calling that we have. He gave us four things that we can do to become better missionaries. Two of the points that really stuck out to me were 1) Companionship study- never miss a chance to sit down and weld a relationship that is centered on Jesus Christ. The companions you have will be friends for longer than just this life. 2) Focus and rely more heavily upon the Book of Mormon and praying about the Book of Mormon. It was another amazing conference where I had many questions answered that I had been thinking about.

The two Elder Perry meetings have been the highlights of this week and taken up most of the time but we had some other really good things happen in our wards as well. Kathy Mckinney is still doing great and really progressing. Our WML Brother Black invited her over for a dinner and then we had a lesson afterwards. She is just awesome. Sister Black asked her why she kept meeting with the missionaries and she just talked about how she feels the spirit when we are around. Even if she sees missionaries on the street she feels it. She said that when she looks at us she says it looks like we have this light around us. She is just an amazing lady and is ready for the Gospel. She is so excited for her baptism. She came to Church on Sunday and stayed all three hours and she is loving getting to know more people in the ward.

Everybody else in our wards are moving along. We set a new goal to try something new with those people who are still progressing but slowly doing it. We are going to try and make frequent but brief visits and just invite the Spirit into their homes. We will see how it works.

We have this next week and then we start getting ready for transfers again. These last four weeks have just flown by. The other thing that we got to do this week was exchanges with the Selah, Yakima, Longview and Vancouver South Zone Leaders. It is so much fun going out with the other missionaries and just getting to do the work. The missionaries in our mission seem to be getting better and better. Last night in Longview we went to this former investigator and were trying to see if she was interested. She had stopped meeting with the missionaries after there were some difficult decisions she had to make and her life seemed to fall apart. She wasn't interested at first but as we spoke about how the Savior knows exactly how she feels and that He is there for her, she started to open up. She spoke about how she has been praying more and wanting to improve her life. We testified that this is the way and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can help us deal with those tough times and help us get through them. There have been so many of those little opportunities that have culminated into my love for missionary work and my testimony of the Gospel. Those experiences aren't always big but as we keep moving forward and strive to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives, we will see it and we recognize our relationship with our Heavenly Father more and more.

Everything is going great out here and life is good. I look forward to every day for the experiences that will come my way and the chance to share the Gospel. We are using every opportunity we have to get out and share that Gospel. This last week when Elder Perry and Elder Clayton spoke on the Book of Mormon and the Church moving forward; they said it is not a matter of if it will move forward. It is when and what part we will play in it. I am grateful for the chance that I have to be a part of spreading the Gospel to all those who will receive it. I know that the Church is true and this is the greatest work any of us could be a part of. It is about replacing fear with faith and trusting that the Lord will be there to help you. I know that he is there and more than willing to help us. Never lose trust in Him and I know He will never give up on us. I love you and will talk to you next week.

Love,

Elder M Scott Draper

ELDER PERRY CONFERENCE

Scott with Elder Gudjenov

ELDER PERRY CONFERENCE

20 August 2011

Hello,

Well this week was awesome, busy but awesome. It is never a dull day in the mission field. There is something that you can learn from everyday. We had so many cool things happen but I only have a few minutes to write them and share some of the miracles and tender mercies we saw this week.

The biggest thing that happened this week was that Elder L. Tom Perry came and visited our mission. He is doing a tour of the whole northwest area. He is visiting the missionaries and then doing a meeting with the leaders in the wards. So on Wednesday afternoon we got to be in a two hour meeting with him. We also got to shake his hand. Elder L. Whitney Clayton, one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy, was there also. He started the meeting off and talked to us for about twenty minutes on relying more heavily on the Book of Mormon. We need to teach everyone about it, use it in our finding, read it with people, get people to pray about it and use it how God intends it to be used. It is the proof and convincing evidence that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored upon the earth once more and that Joseph Smith was called to be a Prophet in these later days. Elder Clayton also brought President and Sister Greer up on the stand and had us list of things that we liked about the Greer’s. After Elder Clayton, Sister Perry got up and spoke a little on obedience and how important it is in our lives. If we or those we love are affected by disobedience, it is a sure recipe for heart ache. The invitation to follow Christ is an invitation to emulate the Savior and be like Him. Then Elder Perry took the remainder of the meeting and spoke to us. It felt like the time just flew by but it was some amazing council. He started off by talking about being enthusiastic about the things that we do. An enthusiastic person can never be unhappy or dull. Every day is a blessing and we need to make to most of it. Elder Perry talked about the Book of Mormon as well. He told us that the Book of Mormon is going to places it has never gone and at an incredible rate. It is our job as members of the Church to know what is in it so we can share it with others. He gave us a couple tips for becoming better missionaries. First he said to look at the people for who they really are and teach to their needs. If we have the right spirit we will be able to analyze the people, break down barriers, make a good impression and in turn accomplish the work we are called to do. He also said that before we can help others understand the Gospel we need to find common ground upon which we can build on. The other council he gave us was to embrace the power that comes in our companionships. The gospel goes forth two by two for a reason. There is so much power that can come from a companionship that is unified and on the same page. He said "make your companionship so strong it will bless both of you". It was an amazing meeting. Not only just to be in the presence of a General Authority but to be able to hear him speak specifically to us as missionaries was so amazing.

This week we also had missionaries that were departing. There was a group of them that had to go home a few weeks early for school. Elder Garrick was part of that group so now it is just Elder Gudjenov and me. We are doing well together.

I love my mission and it is weird to think that the next group that leaves the Washington Kennewick Mission will be my group. That fact is only motivating me that much more. This week we had a miracle. We met this lady named Kathy Mckinney last week and she said she had taken the lessons before and even had her baptismal interview; she just wasn't ready. After that she moved and stopped meeting with the missionaries. She invited us over for dinner on Sunday night. We had a great dinner and discussion and now she is on date to be baptized on September 20. She is so ready. She has amazing questions and is eager to learn. We asked her how she felt about baptism and she just said that she doesn't feel she can follow Jesus unless she gets baptized. We have had two lessons with her so far. She has even started telling her friends that she is planning on getting baptized that day. The Lord truly does look out for his missionaries and leads us to those who are ready.

We have also found a few less actives that told us they were ready to make a change in their lives. The Blanca family is a part member family. The dad is the only member. We talked to them and they said they just moved into Pasco and are now looking for a church. They told us they would love to have us come back and see them and teach more. Things are starting to pick up in Pasco. There is still a lot of work for us to do but things are going great. The rest of our investigators are kind of at a standstill. They are taking their final summer vacations and just really busy.

Those are some of the main highlights for this week. I love everyday of this work and am excited for these coming weeks. Please remember to keep Kathy Mckinney in your prayers. This is the greatest work anybody could be involved in. I hope you have a wonderful a week. Keep replacing fear with faith and miracles will happen. I have seen them occur countless times and I know that it is by faith that miracles are brought forth. I love you and I will write next week.

Love,

Elder M Scottie Draper