[Mason] Rain storm or Tornado....?

OK so today was a very interesting day.  It started off with us waking up and doing the usual routine.  Then at about 10, we were getting ready to head out of the apartment, and then the sisters never came.......... and we hear this rain storm hit...we were like woah.....but that was it...it only lasted like 15 minutes or so...but then we called the sisters, and we were like "where are you?, its just a little rain", but it turns out that they were just dodged by the tornado.....their neighbors were all hit, but them....wow....a whole gas station is pretty much gone.....not the pumps, just the building. 

Many many many trees are gone. We went ahead and put on some service clothing and headed out to help people, and by that time we were called to come help a Spanish member in the revere 1st ward, and so we headed over there with the whole zone, and I tell you, it was fun.  I got to show off my rugby skills....in terms of strength, and whatnot...it was funny and fun. as we were finishing, we were told that another tornado was going to hit at like 3pm, and so we were like, um crap because it was 1:45pm, and we just finished....and we were no wear near our homes or the chapel...so we all, as a zone, prayed to know what to do....and then we all left. good call, because we had this great walk to the sisters home to grab there cars, and then off to the chapel we went.....

im totally kidding about the strength thing btw. 

so this week was weird we had several major things happen.

1) We went to the aquarium on Monday last week...it was so fun...almost got bit by a shark i did.

2) We moved the zone leaders, and had a mission president approved sleep over for 3 nights....

3) We cleaned out 2 apartments during those days

4) All Day, Zone conference, with a trip to FIVE GUYS AFTERWARDS!!!

5) Transfer Text...my companion and i are staying, and so we are happy

6) Getting our car back

7) I out lifted our whole zone on bench press, and somehow im getting stronger....pushups are much more effective than we think guys, the next closest was 60 pounds away..... I put up 245 twice....it was amazingly heavier than anything else I've ever lifted....wowsers

8) I have a bruised shoulder....dumb trees are the trees that are really heavy and don't like to move

9) We will still be using bikes this next transfer, because they are so much fun. (with the Car)

10)  I have another chance to give a training this week in District Meeting. and every time I'm asked, they always ask me to include, as a 1/4 or 1/3 of the training, a motivator.  I guess that the missionaries who know me see me as highly motivated, but I think I'm pretty normal. They always ask me to please inspire the missionaries in the district to work harder and I am beginning to see that they must think I'm a good motivational speaker or something.  It is pretty fun though...anyways this week's training is on our missions five priorities, 

1) Working with progressing investigators

2) Working ward leaders

3) Working with members

4) Giving meaningful service

5) Personal contacting

And because we are going to have a new missionary here in the district, it will be good to teach him how we plan towards these.  I was reading in Alma 5 the past few days, and I found that this chapter, though it is mainly about repentance, but somehow, the spirit made it click.  One thing that Elder Fischbeck, my district leader, wants me to discuss is how we can be more effective while focusing on these priorities, and I found that we all need to repent, or change to make sure that we are all making sure that there are no gaps in our day.  I'm excited to give this training, and (BTW: it makes more sense to me in my head right now, but it will be great,  I believe that the spirit will help me help the missionaries in my district)

So in Zone Conference, we were all taught be the One and only, President Clayton Christensen, the same guy who wrote the POWER OF EVERY DAY MISSIONARIES, and the same guy who is my mission president's 1st counselor.  He taught us about Moroni's Promise, and yes we all know about that but there is another aspect of it that many of us do not really know of.  Now if we read verse 3, it tells us that when we read these things, we must remember the mercy of our Lord and ponder what we read....then it says we ask with a sincere heart and real intent....and then we will receive through the Holy Ghost.  President Christensen taught us that before we pray, we must ponder what it is we are praying for, the things we are grateful for.  The Spirit guides our prayers, but he also guides our thoughts and what we will ask as well.   Now part of pondering is having a sincere heart and real intent. 

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ^aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not ^btrue; and if ye shall ask with a ^csincere heart, with ^dreal intent, having ^efaith in Christ, he will ^fmanifest the ^gtruthof it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Now this says that when we ask we have a sincere heart and we are asking with real intent, so that we can really know, but we cant get to that point all at once. we have to prepare to have a sincere heart and to have real intent. He hinted to something very key. our level of gratitude is equally proportionate to our level of sincerity and humility, thus as we become more grateful, we become more sincere and humble. Also  he pointed out that our real intent, or our desire to know or to receive something is there, and the reason why. think of King Lamoni, he wanted to know God, and if there is a God, and he said that he would give up all of his sins to Him. Through this example we see real intent, he wanted to know for a reason. often we pray for things such as help to overcome a trial, or for the Gift of tongues (missionaries often) or algo asi (something like that) and we cant just pray.  We need to identify what it is we want or sometimes we just have a question we need answered, so we must go to the scriptures. The door into our scriptures is our questions. we then search them, and i might add vigorously, and then we ponder what we read, and think about it and remember it. we must think>>>>thoughts come before words, right? we then need to bow down to our father in Heaven, with a desire of why we need this thing. gift of tongues, "so that I can better serve thy children in there native language, strength so that i can see why I have this trial, if this book is thy word, so that I can truly come unto thee".  Our will must be so that we are not doing it for ourselves only. obviously there are circumstances where it comes to us first, just like when we make covenants with our father in heaven first though ordinances. but after us, we help everyone else.  God gives us things not to help ourselves only, but so that though that thing, whatever it may be, I can help His children learn more of Him and come closer to Him, even if it is a very small fraction of a step closer to Him, it is still closer, and God will bless us ten-fold when we can realize that all we have is from God, for all of His children. A smile one day is granted from God, because he help us be happy, and that smile can honestly help somebody prevent some a problem later that day...who knows.  Recognize your talents and gifts and share them always.  Read, Ponder with Sincerity and with the intent of doing something with it, and the ASK.  I promise you that if you stop being selfish for more than one second, you will see others though a new window.  You will truly find an increase of the Spirit in your life, no matter who  you are.

So I love it here, as I always say, and sometimes I'm weird. Who cares?

Elder Scott

I will send some pictures next week, sorry