Surprise Letter!

We got a surprise letter today! 

He had a really great experience Friday while teaching his "investigators" (his teachers act as investigators to help prepare them for some situations that might occur when teaching in the field) and couldn't wait to write about it.   

It's amazing the growth he has shown in such a short time...

7-13-12

Hey! Sorry, this letter is going to be super fast because technically I'm not supposed to be writing this but I couldn't wait until next Thursday to tell you. 

But anyway, today Elder Tukia and I taught two lessons (we have two investigators and it just happened that we taught both of them today).  Our first one has been kind of annoying because he hasn't been keeping any of his commitments for reading the Book of Mormon and today wasn't any different so we just decided that during our lesson we were going to read the Book of Mormon with him and explain/ask questions about what we were reading.  So we decided to read 2nd Nephi 32 because that's all about the purpose of prayer and having faith and that's what we planned on teaching him today.  So he was up for the idea so we took turns reading and we stopped every once in a while to talk about what we read and answer any questions he had.  He was super interested and excited about it!!!!!! The Lord was definitely helping us with the language because we were both using words and phrases that we've never even studied before!!!!! It was so cool!!!!! The gift of tongues is definitely a real thing!!!! After we finished reading the chapter, the spirit was so strong!!!!!!!  We taught him how to pray and then asked him if he would offer the prayer and he agreed to do it!!! (which was something he never wanted to do!!!!) Then after, our teacher Hermano Mennis took us out during this thing that our teachers do called Coaching Missionary Study where they help us with our lessons or give us advice on how to improve our studying and stuff like that.  Anyway, he brought us out and he's our investigator (he just pretends to be someone from his mission) and he told us that our lesson was super good and he was really impressed and it was just a good lesson!!! It was so sweet!!!!

Then the next lesson we taught also went good.  Not as good as this morning but it was still really good!!!  Our other investigator is difficult because he is kind of anti-mormon but not super anti.  We taught him the Restoration and when I recited the first vision, the spirit came and I could tell that his heart was softening and at the end of the lesson he took a Book of Mormon (which we didn't think he was going to) and he committed to read and pray about it.  Awe man, it was super good!!!!

This whole day was just awesome!!! I've never felt so led by the spirit in my whole life!!!!!  Awe man, seriously, it was such a great day!!!!! Anyway, I just had to tell you because I was so pumped!!!!! Awe man being a missionary is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So, I'll talk to you soon!!!!!

I love you!!!!!!

Scott

Pictures from the MTC

Here's the latest from Scott...

He's still loving it!

Email received 7/12/12:

Hey Everyone!!!! So everything's going pretty great here still!!!!!!!!!!!! I saw Allen  {Allen Black is one of Scott's really good friends he's grown up with.} yesterday. His classroom is kiddi-corner from mine so i'll be seeing him all the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also my friends Dalyn and Kevin {friends from SUU} came in yesterday and it was really good to see them. Like I said everything is going pretty dang good!!!!!!! One of the Elders in my district going to Madrid left the other day for the Madrid MTC (he was the only one out of the 4 that got his visa) so I took his bed and now I have a bottom bunk and it's SUPER delux!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't have to jump down off of my bed every morning and murder my feet!!!!!! Ha ha anyways, like I said everything is going SUPER great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll tell you more in my letter but they don't give us enough time to write out super long e-mails. Oh and I'll also be sending pictures. I'm not allowed to send anything except for on p-days so I haven't had the chance to send them. But I'll send them today. Anyways I love you guys and miss you guys so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Letter from 7/12/12

Hey Everyone!!!!!!

It sounded like your 4th of July was SUPER cool!!!!! That's nuts you had to go out there at 9am on the 3rd.  That's like 3 hours earlier than we normally go out there!!! But it sounded fun! Yeah, my 4th was pretty good.  They let us watch the fireworks which was super cool!!! And they had a program which I figure was kind of awkward for the British people here :) but I guess it was alright because they tied it into the Gospel and because of Independence Day and the freedom of religion, the Church was able to come about.  It was pretty good.  Oh, and there was this part where they got the International missionaries to come and carry a flag from their countries.  It was cool!!!! But there's this elder in my district (Elder Rockwood) who moved to Germany 6 months before he came on his mission because his dad works for some travel thing for the Church or something, but anyway, he put in his papers from Germany so the MTC thinks he's German even though he 's lived in Colorado pretty much his whole life. Well, they made him carry the German flag and all the real Germans got all made at him.  It was pretty funny!!!!

Allen came in yesterday. It was funny because I didn't see him come in because I was eating but after lunch I went around to all the classrooms in my building and looked in all the "peep holes" trying to find him and I finally found him!!! It was pretty sweet!!!! Also my friends Dalyn and Kevincame in yesterday and it was super good to see them too!!!! Anyway, nothing else too crazy has happened.  It's still pretty GREAT here!!!!!!  I'm learning so much!!!!!!! 

I love and miss you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our neighbor, Suvinia Purcell, works at the MTC and gives us updates when she see's Scott.  She told us that she recently got to talk to him for a few minutes and he is so happy!   She said that he looks just like what you would expect a missionary to look.  He's happy and healthy and excited to be learning so much.  (I have to say that it is comforting to know that she is there!)  Thanks Suvinia!

Scott finally sent some pictures!

It's good to see he's doing well!

His room.  The rooms are made for 4 elders but they have 6 elders in one room. They are really crammed in there!

This is his classroom that he spends much of his day in.  There are 12 elders in his district that  he is  with all day.

His study materials.

Elder Houghton and his companion Elder Tukia

I think these are the elders he shares a room with.  I know Elder Seegmiller (the one on the far right) is his friend from SUU that got his call to Panama the same day and reported the same day as Scott.

His District.

An example of what his schedule is like.

This picture cracks me up! Check out the board...yes, those are Nacho Libre pictures!

Elder Houghton with Elder Brandon Wilson.  Elder Wilson is from our ward and going to the Fresno California Spanish speaking mission.

Elder Houghton with friends from high school Louisa Orton (she works at the MTC) and Elder Ethan Otterstrom.  He's run into a lot of friends!

Another one of his district (I think)

  

Elder Seegmiller, Elder Tukia, and Elder Houghton all going to Panama. :)

Panama :)

The elders in his district all going to Panama. :)

"Always Be Happy"

We got an email Thursday and a letter today!

He's been so good writing.  It's great to hear how well he is doing at the MTC.

Here's what our Elder had to say...

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Email:

Hey everybody!!!!!!!! I hope everything is going well for all of you!!!!!!! I'm learning spanish pretty well and it's all good in here!!!!! Yesterday morning we went out to the field to play volleyball and we saw the hot air balloons go up and we could kind of see the parade. And last night they let us stay out until almost 11 (which is super crazy because that NEVER happens) and we got to watch the fireworks from the stadium of fire!!!!!!!!!! It was super cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry I haven't sent pictures yet, I don't know how to send an SD card through the mail so I'm waiting to see Sister Purcell so I can give it to her to give to you guys. I've tried to take a lot of pictures and I'm having a great time here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Gospel is true and the Lord is very powerful and can help you through anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll still send letters this week to tell you more about what has happened this week but I'm running out of time for e-mails. Anyways I love you all and I hope you all had a FANTASTIC 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, thanks so much for the package!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Elders in my district we also very thankful!!!!!!!!!! Seeya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{We explained how to send the SD card so hopefully pictures will be coming next week.  I can't wait!!!!}

Letter:

Hey Everyone!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I didn't write individual letters this week.  This week's P-day flew by really fast so I don't have time.  But anyway, everything's still good here!!!!  Thanks so much for the letters and the package!!!! You guys are the best!!!!

 Anyway, nothing too crazy has happened this week. just the normal studying and teaching. The language has been particularly frustrating though!!!! I taught a lesson yesterday and I completely forgot everything I've learned so I wasn't very helpful during that lesson.  But it was still good because I was able to learn how to read body language really good.  So that was a good learning experience.  I told you about what we did for the 4th.  It was so cool!!!!!  I thought it was going to be just a normal day but they really tried to make it awesome!!!!! 

We had a devotional a few days ago that was really good that I want to share a few theing I learned from it.  The person who spoke was a member of the Seventy (who is Asian and I don't remember his name) but the main point I want to share is he said, "I think it's good to always be happy.  You people are going to places where people will hate you. Dogs too. They will bite you, but when the dogs bite you, look down at it and say, 'Hi dog! Thanks for biting me.  I love you.' Then walk away." What I liked about it was the fact that if we're happy all the time, our lives will be better.  Anyways that's my little insight from the fireside.  I hope you are all doing GREAT!!!!! I love you all!!!!!

"I Seriously Love it Here!!!!!!!"

We got another letter from Scott yesterday.

 Woo whoo!!!!! 

I know I need to enjoy this while it lasts because I'm sure it won't be as frequent when he makes it to Panama!

It was really fun because he wrote everyone in the family a separate letter which made our day!  

He promises to send pictures soon.  I can't wait to "see" for myself how great he's doing.

Here's a few highlights from the letter he sent me:

"Mom,

       How's it going?!?!?! Have you done anything super crazy lately?  Ha ha just kidding. :) So anyway, I'm having a blast here!!! So far all the horror stories I've heard about the MTC are false.  Granted I've only been here for a week so that could change, but hopefully not because I love it here!!!...

     ...I've seen a ton of people I know here.  It's slightly ridiculous! I didn't think I knew so many people here but it's cool to see some familiar people.  My companion is a really cool guy !!!  Yesterday, we did our companionship inventory (basically just a 'get to know you' thing.) He's really cool and is super strong in the Gospel!!! The food here is pretty good. The first night I had...to tell you the truth, I don't remember what I had. :) But we've had omelets, sandwiches, chimichangas. It's good food and Elder Tukia told me I have to eat more food and get fatter so he makes me eat a lot!  ...

     ...I didn't get to see President Monson.  They had super crazy security on him at all times.  In fact, I didn't see any of the general authorities walking around, but, Tuesday was pretty dang crazy!!!! We had a devotional and there was a rumor going around that a general authority was going to speak so we were all excited. So we get there and they had those screen things that they read their talks off of during conference and that's when we knew it was going to be sweet!!! So we're sitting there waiting then all of the sudden, everyone stands up and guess who walks in?!?!?! Elder Perry, Elder Nelson, Elder Oaks, Elder Ballard, Elder Scott, Elder Holland, Elder Bednar, Elder Cook, Elder Christopherson, and Elder Anderson.  So all the apostles except Elder Packer and Elder Hales! It was so cool!!!!!! Elder Perry talked and he gave a very interesting talk.  He just gave a ton of statistics about the church vs the rest of the world. I was kind of confused about that topic for a while then I realized the purpose behind it. (Or at least what I got from it.) It made me realize the importance of my work as a missionary and it helped me to be more diligent in my studying. Anyways, it was super cool!!!!! Oh and then right before he started talking he said to us, 'The Spirit that you all have is amazing!' An apostle told us that we have an amazing spirit!!!!  It was so sweet!!!!!! 

     My room is about as big as half of the garage but it's clearly meant for four people.  There's only 4 closets and 4 desks but there's 6 of us crammed in here but it's fun.  My roommates and all of the guys in my district are super cool.  Elder Seegmiller (my friend, Jarrett from SUU) is in my district and one of my roommates so that's pretty sweet.  There are 12 people total in my district.  Five of us are going to Panama, 3 are going to Boston, and 4 are going to Madrid.  They're really cool and we get along very well.  

     Yeah, I had classes the first day.  I didn't even have time to unpack my things until about 9 in the pm. I had classes all day.  I pretty much go to class and study all day!!!! It gets crazy sometimes because we are all in the same room for like 12 hours per day, but we take breaks every once in a while and tell jokes and get to know each other better and stuff like that so that's fun! It's super cool because I get to spend like 12 hours studying this AMAZING Gospel and learning how to become a better missionary. It's pretty great!!!!!!! I seriously love it here!!!!!!

      Well, when I can see the 'outside world' whenever I cross the street and I can see everything, it makes me realize how close to home I really am and it is kind of hard but I know I'm supposed to be here and when I get back to work, it's all good!!! :) 

      ...

Love,

Scott"

1st P-day = 1st Email

We received our first email today from Scott! 

 We are so happy to hear he's doing so well!  

"Hey!

Everything is SUPER GREAT here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm loving it and I'm having a ton of fun!!!!!!!!!!! I'm actually starting to learn the language pretty well which is super exciting!!!!!! Yesterday Elder Seegmiller and I had a 30 minute long conversation all in Spanish!!!! We had to look up a few words but 95% of it was in Spanish!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've also already taught 3 lessons in Spanish to our Investigator Jeff. The first one was rough but the second one got better and we actually felt the spirit. But the one we taught yesterday morning was so good!!!!!!! We actually understood what Jeff was saying back to us and we actually answered his questions and he understood us!!!!!!  and it lasted 30 minutes!!!!!! And the spirit was so strong!!!!!!!!! It was cool because it made me realize how amazing nuestro padre celestial (our father in heaven) is. He can understand any language and the spirit can reside in anyone that allows it too and is living a good life trying to do better!!!!!!! 

I went to the temple this morning and did Inititories. It was cool I've never done that before except for my own. It was really cool to hear all the blessings of the temple over and over again it was a good reassurance of the importance of the Temple and how amazing the blessings are from living a good life and keeping the temple covenants. Hopefully everything is going good at home and remember that this Gospel is an amazing gospel and it brings so much joy and happiness to everyone's lives!!!!!!! And I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And even though you're only 10 minutes away I miss you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 -Scott"

First Letter Home....

We were so excited to receive a letter today in the mail! 

We weren't sure when Scott would be able to contact us and we thought we'd get an email but instead got a letter which was such a surprise!

Here's what our Elder had to say...

June 23, 2012

"!Hola!                                                                                                                      

       Hey everybody!!!! Sorry I normally can't write letters until Thursday (my p-day) but my branch president told us to write you so you know we're not dead. Well, I'm alive!!! But I don't have much time so I'll answer all the rest of your questions on Thursday.  

      Anyways, mi companero es Elder Tukia (ha ha!  See I'm already starting to learn Spanish!!).  He's originally from Tonga but he's lived in Spanish Fork the past 2 years.  He's pretty cool!!! And he's pretty dang funny!!! My district consists of 12 people (6 companionships). They're all SUPER COOL!!! 5 of us are going to Panama -- Elder Tukia included!!! Yeah, my friend from SUU (Elder Seegmiller) is in my district.  He's actually one of my roommates!!! Man, it's pretty packed in our room.  We have 6 elders in there but it is fun!!!

       So anyways, I haven't met or seen President Monson yet but I know he's here. {They are having a mission presidents conference right now at the MTC so the First Presidency and some of the general authorities are rumored to be there. :)} I'm 90% sure he's speaking on Sunday so that's pretty dang crazy!!!!!!!!!!! 

       I've seen a bunch of people I know here!!! My roommates from SUU, other friends from SUU, my friends from high school (Ethan was actually the first person I saw!!!! I saw him like 5 minutes after I got here!!!) and I saw Brandon.  Oh and I know like half of the workers here.  It's pretty nuts!!! Elder Tukia always tells me I know too many people. :)  

       Well, I hope everything is going well back at home!!!  Oh wait, I almost forgot!!!  We had to teach our first lesson in Spanish this morning!!! it was super hard but really cool because even though I've only been here 2 1/2 days, I can kind of teach a lesson in Spanish!!!!! Aw man, it's super fun here and I'm having a great time learning Spanish, learning more of the gospel, and meeting new people!!! 

       Anyways, hopefully you guys are doing well!!!!! I miss you already but just remember la iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los Ultimos dias es verdadero y bendize familias mucho!!! Yo se que Dios es reloj mi y mi familia! Yo Ama usted y todos! En el nombre de Jesucristo, amen. {Translated: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and families are blessed much! I know God is watching over me and my family! I Love you all! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."}

Love you!!!"

Till We Meet Again...

For those who don't know, when you take your missionary to the MTC, you unload the car and a missionary is there to help take his luggage in and show him where to go.  

You don't go with him.  

You say goodbye, see you later, bye-bye at the curb!

I pictured in my mind that this would be an overly emotional awful experience.  

Luckily, it wasn't.

This is taken on the corner of the MTC.  If you look at the street signs, it says, "MTC Entrance".  They no longer have the sign on the wall outside so this was the only "sign" we could get a picture with.

The day Scott reported, there were about 570 new missionaries reporting that day.  There are normally about 250.  Normally families get to spend about 10 minutes saying their goodbyes but because of the amount of new missionaries coming that day,

we had a whole 2 1/2 minutes!  

This is why I was SO thankful we spend so much time together earlier in the day!

Basically, we drove up and were directed to where we needed to go, got out together, gave Scott one last hug, and he walked away into the MTC ready to get started on his mission.

And that was that.

It was hard to see him go but he was so ready so that made it a little easier.

Don't get me wrong, there were tears (and lots of them!) but we were all happy.

It's hard to explain.

It's kinda like when you rip a bandaid off.

It hurts but it's quick.

We were sad to see him go but we all knew he was doing what he needed to do.

I know for me, it was an incredible experience knowing that my son was going to be doing a great work and he was so willing to do it.  

I felt a peace come over me and I just knew.

Tears still come and I'm sure they will often throughout these next two years, but

  I do know he's where he needs to be.

Till we meet again...

We love you Elder Houghton!!!