[Mason] Amados Hermanos Mios....

      Wow, I am so nervous right now to go to my next area....and let me tell you why. First off, Lynn is considered to be one of the slowest areas in the mission, the Branch is small and is struggling, and Lynn is not a "safe place" as i have been told. [Editor's note:  Mason indicated that his report about it being "golden" last week was a flat out lie from his Zone Leaders ] Also, I will most likely be put as the District Leader, I am still learning Spanish, my new Companion [Elder Tucket] has been out only 2 transfers, so I am Greenie-breaking, and I'm going to be teaching him Spanish, oh and one super important thing I forgot to add in....The branch President prefers to have....wait for it.....a missionary, usually the senior companion, as his Second Counselor in the branch presidency.....but, I am so excited to do all of this because I get to serve the Lord. I can take it all, and nothing will bring my spirit down, because I Know that the "Lord is with [me] whithersoever [I] goest" and I am super excited to take on my next challenge. plus I am definitely going to learn Spanish now because there is no other option.

Ok so our investigator here in Springfield, Sister Ann Marie Underwood, was supposed to be baptized this past Saturday, but a member of the bishopric couldn't attend. So we pushed it back to this past Sunday, but Ann forgot that all of her family was coming to visit her and they were to go to a cemetery, so we decided to push it back a following week, because she wants it to be her Big day, and wants to do this by herself...and so we have been given the impression that she has not told any of her family yet. so we are trying to get her to invite family and tell them, and we have been stressing the importance of family to her.  So the Baptism is on the 30th now, and I will be gone...and she has asked me to baptize her.....however, the Springfield Ward is really great and they love me so much, as well as the Assistants to the President, and so I have been given permission to attend, as long as a member can drive us there...and the Maleko Family, one of my favorite families, has offered to drive 2 hours to pick me up and drive back, and then do it again to take us home. I love them so much. SO I will be able to attend the baptism and help Ann begin her Journey.  And I am happy to do so.

Our investigator Josh has cancelled 5 lessons in the past week and it is starting to get a little annoying because we have everything planned for the lesson and then he cancels like 30 min prior and we are stuck because we block off a chunk of time for the lesson because they always are long with him due to questions and what not. but he is progressing slowly. But I am not going to get to teach him anymore.

So the past few days I have been doing my best to keep up with the Book of Mormon mission challenge, and I can tell you this. If somebody seriously asks us Mormons if we believe in Christ, I am going to literally throw a Book of Mormon at them and read any page....because there is a reference of Christ on every page and I mean, come on, if you want to know Christ, read the Book of Mormon, because he is in there more than he is in the old testament. Literally, every page...and as I am reading in Spanish, I am learning the language and coming closer to Him as well. 

So this past week, I was given the opportunity to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting because I am leaving. It never occurred to me before, but I can stand up for forever to bear my testimony, and I was only given 3 minutes and so I had to cut it short.  I loved the fact that I could go up and share my testimony about whatever i wanted, whatever aspect. I never realized how easy it is to speak to people when you don't have a paper in your face that you are reading.  Granted, I will most likely do that for talks still because everyone does that but sharing my testimony was fun, because I felt it came form my heart then and there.  I talked about how God doesn't call who is qualified, but He qualifies whom he calls, and it is so true, because I certainly was not ready, but God knew and knows what I needed to be able to do this, and he has let me get to this point. 

I am being transferred in about 7 hours and I am psyched. and I love you all

Con Amor a todas personas en el mundo

Elder Mason Scott

    Be Better, not bitter

Pictures

1. Me with Springfield, MA in the background

2.the Maleko Family, And Tracy, and Pume

3. The White Family
4. La Familia Rodriguez