Lotts of memories

May 1, 2016

So this past tuesday I had my last zone conference in the mission.  It was in cauayan and it was a really good meeting.  It was also president and sister rahlf's last zone conference.  It think they are going home like a week after me or something.  They taught us about the book of mormon and stuff.  They had a lot of facts that back up joseph smith and how he had to translate it through the power of god or else he wouldn't have been able to do it.  It was really cool!  Then we had lunch and some games and stuff.  We played pictionary with stories in the book of mormon.  This picture is from the mission blog and if you can't tell what I am drawing it is alma the younger being chastised by an angel.  I think the halo put the finishing touch on that.  I don't see how anyone could not know what it is haha.  Then since it was my last zone conference I got up and bore my testimony in the testimony meeting.  It was a really cool experience.  I also listened to other missionaries saying that it is their last zone conference and then it happened to me.  Then on wenseday the 4 of us elders in paddad went to a wedding for some ladies daughter in our ward.  Then after that we went to our investigators birthday party at like a little pool area.  So I got a little bit of swimming done haha, not.  She kept telling us to swim and stuff.  Even if I didn't have a name tag on or anything it would be pretty easy for any member to see me and be like, "thats a missionary" cause I would be the only white person in the pool haha.  Then yesterday night around 5 a storm rolled in.  It hit hard and fast.  It really pours here, but it is so cool.  It is so nice cause it isn't hot and it takes the humidity away.  The only problem is that I left my umbrella in my last area unintentionally.  So we waited out the storm at a ladies house, but by the time we got there I was already pretty wet!.  Feels good though.  Then we had dinner at the stake presidents house last night since he is in the other elders area.  I am super excited for next week!  It is crazy that we can already skype again!  It is going to be awesome and I am looking forward to it!!  My last skype in the field, even though I will be seeing you guys next month!  Also the cycle will be over next wednseday so we will see if I end up staying in this area or seeing if I will transfer to a new area.  Fingers crossed that I stay in this area!!  Well I love you guys and can't wait to talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Lott

May 8, 2016

First off Happy mothers day to everyone and especially to the best mom ever.  Happy mothers day mom I love you so much and I hope you had an awesome day! So today was just awesome.  I was able to skype with my family for the last time during my mission.  It was really fun to be able to talk to my cousins and aunts and uncles as well, and my grandma.  Also I was able to skype with cort and it was a really cool surprise.  I really enjoyed it.  It is really crazy to see how much everyone has grown and changed since I have been gone and it is going to be fun to see everyone when I get home!  I swear this week went by pretty slow because I wanted to skype so bad, but it was a good week though.  The biggest thing that we had this week was our ward 1 day mission on saturday.  It was a combined activity with the youth in the ward.  We all gathered at the church and split up into groups and we all had an area that we were assigned to go to.  The purpose of this was to teach less actives and stuff and try and strengthen their testimony.  The results of the 1 day mission were surprising good.  I have done this before and most of the time it wasn't really effective, but this one was.  So last week we had 191 people attend church total.  Then yesterday the day after the one day mission the attendance was 211.  So it was a really good increase!  So I have a pretty funny experience.  Last p  day me and the other american elder bought some ground beef so we could make some hamburgers this past week.  Turns out he left it on the table over night and then when he saw it in the morning he put it in the freezer.  So we decided to cook it on friday night.  We had the meat thawing out and then I had already started cooking the fries.  Then we noticed that the meat stunk.  We thought lets just try and cook it and see if it will be alright.  So that is the big burger that I was cooking.  We kept it a big burger so I didn't have to touch the meat.  So we cooked it until it was nice and charred.  Even when we were cooking it, it kind of stunk even though we had onions, garlic, and seasoning on it, but we just wanted to see how it would turn out.  So we started eating it and it kind of tasted like it smelled.  I probably ate 1/2 of mine and he probably ate a little more then me.  Then I was like it is not even worth it.  Its not worth the calories of eating something that isn't even good, and we could get sick.  Yup, like 30 minutes later I visited the bathroom same with him.  I am just glad we didn't get food poisoning or something.  At least now I know what to do if that happens again, just throw it out and not cook it.  So good thing that we didn't get sick.  Also I forgot earlier today we got the transfer list.  This will be my last area ya buddy!  I am excited for a lot of reasons!  I only have 6 weeks to go and it is going to go by so fast!  I will be home before I know it eating a full rack of ribs instead of rotten meat haha!  I love you guys have a great week!  Happy mothers day

Love Elder Lott

The best Mother's Day Ever !!!!

May 8, 2016

Can't believe he will be home next month !!!!

Adam's birthday party.  What was I thinking having 14 boys here.  Luckily it was a nice day outside.  They all had fun playing basketball, soccer, jumping on the tramp, playing football and eating treats.  Thank goodness no one got hurt and nothing got broken. 

April 27, 2016

 Three cousins with a bond.  We all have sons up in heaven waiting for us.  I am so thankful for their love and support.  We each have a different story but we can lean on each other for strength and comfort.  This was our first girl's temple trip.  We plan on doing this yearly. 

April 30, 2016

Silly Ethan with a deflated basketball on his head.

May 5, 2015

May 12, 2016

It's hard to believe it's been four years that we lost our dear sweet Ryan.  So much has happened.  So much has changed.  But our love for him stays the same and always will.  And even though we are now, sadly, used to him being gone, there isn't a day that goes by that he isn't on our minds.  I often wonder what he would look like??  What he would be doing??  But I know that some day I will have these answers and so I just continue on and keep missing him and look forward to the day when we will be together again.  I have learned so much through this trial.  I know all will be ok.  I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and his plan of Happiness that will allow us to someday be together as a family again.  I am thankful the comfort I still receive from above and that I can smile and still be happy despite all we have been through.  I love you Ryan.  I am so thankful to be your mom.

 

 a few of my favorite pictures

March 16, 2012

Ryan's 14th bday

 Notice his head.  I think he was sledding behind a four wheeler and ran into the trampoline.

I guess he took this of himself.  Boy did he have pretty eyes and long eye lashes. 

 Poor Alex

 

This was taken just days before it all started and is the last picture we have of him.  I am glad he had a fun day that day.  My brother took him to Salt Lake to some motorcycle thing.  He had so much fun. 

This is what the kids looked like four years ago.  Boy have they all grown up.   

May 12, 2016

We spent the day together.  We headed down to Salt Lake and enjoyed lunch and then spent a few hours at the zoo.  Later Ethan had a baseball game and Jaime a choir concert.  We had a nice day together as a family.  Thank you to all those who offered prayers in our behalf.

We love you Ryan !!!!!

5-15-16

Well this past week was transfer week!  My last transfer in the field.  This will be my last area so I am pretty excited.  I was really excited to find out that I didn't have to pack twice in two weeks haha.  So I have been in all my areas for 6 months.  That is so crazy, but it has been fun to stay in my areas awhile so I can get to know the members good and stuff.  So elder oredson was the only one that got transferred out of us 4.  Then the elder that took his place was actually his companion in the mtc, elder white.  It hasn't even been a week and we are getting along really good.  Even though he is still pretty new in the mission he is my age.  We graduated the same year.  We played basketball on saturday morning with the members in our ward.  It was really fun.  I hadn't probably played for 2 months.  The only problem was that we started at 5 am!!  Oh my gosh that was so early!  Also on sunday and even now I am so sore!!!  My legs are killing me haha.  Then we played again this morning too.  We started at 5 again, but it was still a lot of fun.  Just had to play through the pain.  So our ward started having like a film viewing like 2 times a month at the church so we can invite our investigators and less actives and other people to come and watch church related films.  Last saturday was the first time that we had it.  In like all our appointments we invited them to attend and we were like there is going to be snacks and stuff, but like no one showed up.  Just some members and stuff.  At least we got free snacks and stuff haha.  So I have some good news!!!  This saturday we will be having a baptism!!!  Sister Grace got interviewed on saturday and she passed her interview so her baptism will be this saturday!  I am pretty excited.  It is going to be a good day.  So everything is going great.  One more week down and we are working hard!  I love you guys and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Lott

more from Elder Lott...

3-20-16

So I bet you are all wondering why I titled this email best man.  So tomorrow we are having a wedding for our investigators and they want me and my companion to be the best men.  I thought it was pretty cool that they wanted us to do that.  So tomorrow we will have their wedding and then they will be baptized after their wedding.  So it is going to be a pretty awesome day tomorrow!!  We also have meeting tomorrow, sort of a zone meeting but I think our mission president and his wife are going to teach us about easter and stuff.  On thursday morning we went to our investigators house for their interviews.  We had some lunch before we interviewed them.  We cut open some fresh coconuts to drink.  I tried to climb a coconut tree and I couldn't do it haha!!  I was also in my missionary clothes so that made it a lot harder.  I would be down to try it again in clothes I wouldn't care that got ripped or dirty.  So we bought some slingshots last week that were 35 pesos so while our district leader was interviewing them we just shot the slingshots the whole time. It took awhile though, but they passed though.  After that we went straight to a birthday party for one of our investigators kids.  He was turning 1.  He is a cute kid.  We showed up and they weren't even ready yet so we just chilled at there house for awhile while they were preparing and then we shared with them.  Sometime this week we were riding tricy.  I was standing on the back and we stopped to get up on the highway.  It couldn't make it up the little hill I hopped off to help push.  Then when I stepped up to get back on a heard a huge tear!!  I ripped a whole in my pants that is so big haha.  As soon as I heard it I was like oh man!!!   Then on saturday we were out working and I was just standing there eating my ice cream thing and the strap to my bag ripped.  I guess it is just the week for everything to break haha.  It wasn't to hard to fix though.  It is starting to get super hot here though.  Yesterday I wanted to die!  It was a brown out from 8 am until like 4:30.  So we didn't have power while we were at church.  Priesthood was miserable haha since that was our last class and it was just so hot!  This morning we were supposed to go on a zone activity, but it didn't happen so we just ended up playing some games and stuff at the church.  Transfer week is next-next wednseday so it is getting closer and closer!  I don't think I will transfer, but we will see what happens.  We get the transfer list next monday so we will know then.  Well I love you guys and have a great week.

Love Elder Lott

3-27-16

Well there was a problem with pics today so that is why it is so big.  Any ways this week is transfer week!  We just got the transfer list this morning and my companion will be transferring also another elder in our apartment is transferring.  There is a pretty big chance that my next companion will be my last companion.  This past tuesday we had a special training from our mission president.  It was really cool.  He taught us about the last week of Christ's life and the stuff that he did during the last week.  It was really cool to be able to just listen and learn more about easter and the mission of our savior.  So last week I said I was super excited for the wedding and baptism on tuesday.  Well monday night we found out some bad news that the husband broke the word of wisdom on sunday night.  It was pretty sad to hear that because they were only 2 days away from something that would have changed their lives forever.  Also the hard part is, is that they just moved to the other missionaries area.  So we can't go there frequently now, unless if we get permission from the district leader.  So technically now they are the other elders investigators.  It was really sad to hear about that, we did our best to prepare them so what can you do.  They announced their wedding and baptism last sunday in church and yesterday they didn't come to church.  I am guessing that they are really embarrassed that it didn't happen.  I just hope that they don't fall away and I also hope that the other elders will continue to teach them.  On wednseday I went on splits with elder rotamula my old companion.  This past thursday we had a sister rm work with us.  She went on her mission where my companion lives so he knew her when she was on her mission and he just happened to be assigned in the stake that she is from so she worked with us.  On friday I went on splits with my zone leader Elder Haacke.  He is from Idaho falls and me and him are really good friends so that was a good day.  My companion worked in their area and he said he barely got any sleep cause it was hot and he missed the a/c.  Well I guess he better adapt fast because he is transferring haha.  On sunday in church they didn't really talk about the resurrection.  I was hoping that all their topics would be centered on that, but they didn't talk much about the atonement and stuff like that.  Me and my companion shared about it though in the lessons that we had yesterday.  I am just grateful for the atonement and resurrection.  I am glad that I have the chance to repent of my sins and try to become a better person everyday.  I am grateful for the resurrection and that the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ and that I have the opportunity to live with my family forever.  I just want to wish you guys a Happy Easter!  I love you guys so much and I hope that you have a great week!!

Love Elder Lott

Sorry I don't have any pics this week.  The computers at the net shop weren't letting me upload them.

So cort got his mission call this past week.  I don't know if you guys went to see him open it.  He is going to Arequipa Peru.  He also leaves on june 21st!!!!!!!!  I was really happy for him, but a little sad cause if it was like one week later we would be able to see each other since my release date is the 22nd of june.  I am pretty excited to see who my new companion will be.  He will most likely be my last companion too.  I can't believe that march is already over.  The days are just flyin by.  I love you so much.  It is going to be fun to do some stuff with you guys when I get home.  I love you and I hope you have a great week

Love Elder Lott

4-3-16




So this past week was transfer week on wednseday.  Tuesday was elder sorrondas last day in paddad so we went around to a lot members and he said his goodbye's and stuff.  So my new companions name is elder causing.  He is from the bottom island of the philippines.  This is second area so he is still  pretty new.  He is actually the batch of elder sorronda so he has been in the mission for like 6 months.  Elder sorronda was really good at english and I think that is what he wanted to speak when he was with us, but my companion now knows like no english.  If I say only a little in english he is like huh haha.  Well good thing I can speak tagalog.  So I am back to doing what I have been doing like my whole mission, leading the area haha.  Its not to bad though.   The savillo family is really progressing.  We went and taught them yesterday.  The lesson went pretty good the only problem was that the little kids were being a little loud.  It will be really cool.  I am hoping that they will be able to be baptized this cycle.  They are so nice.  On saturday a kid in our ward got baptized so all 4 of us went to his baptism.  So I haven't watched conference yet.  We will be watching it this weekend.  This will be my last conference in the mission whooo! Next time I will be able to watch it on the couch and be able to go out to eat haha.  Other than that it wasn't a super busy week just got a new companion.  There is a very high chance to that he could be my last companion, which I would be fine with me.  At least so far.  Sorry again this weeks I can't send pics.  My card is all messed up and stuff.  So I couldn't figure out how to send them.  I don't know what it was, but I will try hard next week to send some pics.  Love you guys have a great week

Love Elder Lott

4-10-16


This week was a good one. As usual we had our district meeting on tuesday. It was a good meeting but I cant remember what we talked about haha. On thursday we had a service project at a members house. We were helping them set up for a wedding. The funny thing is that they announced it in priesthood on sunday for like a quorum service project and like the only one that came was the elders quorum president. Some showed up late and they were just in time for the food. I guess that is one way to do it haha. We didnt do much though. We cut some bamboo poles down with some machetes and stuff so they could hang tarps and stuff on them for shade. I dont know it is pretty fun though hacking away with a machete!! We didnt even do it that long, but I got a blood blister on my hand. My hands are so soft now it is crazy. Dont really get callis's teaching the gospel haha, maybe a paper cut haha. On saturday me and elder sorrondas recent convert, brother vince got married. We went to the first two sessions and then went back to their place for lunch. Then we went back for the last session. Wow there was some really good talks this conference. I had a hard time staying awake sometimes though haha. I realized that they talked a lot about families and stuff.  I really enjoyed that. I couldnt relate it all to my life right now though since I dont have my own family yet. Who knows maybe in a couple years it will apply to me. I am not sure what my favorite talk was. Elder holland is up there though, top 2. I definately wasnt asleep when he was speaking. He had a great talk!! It is really hot here now!! We were walking to the csp (service project) and me and elder oredsons comps were using umbrellas and there isnt a cloud in sight haha. It is just something they do here in the philippines. It is pretty fun messing with them though. Hopefully I get can get a good tan though haha. As for our investigators we are just trying to fix some things and get them to attend church. The savillo family is progressing good and they are so awesome! This was a good week! Hopefully we can repeat it cause I dont have very many left!! I love you guys and I hope you have a great week

Love Elder Lott

4-17-16

Well after a couple week you finally get some pictures!  It is not the way I would choose to send them, but my sd card is being really dumb so I will send them any way that works.  The weeks are just flying by!  I am actually down to single digits this week!  It is starting to get really hot here.  I think that it was on average mid 90's all last week with humidity.  I think one day they calculated it and it was like 111 degrees one day!  So I just pretty much want to die!  Even back home at the hottest time I don't remember just walking and getting soaked in sweat.  Well here just walking and it is like you poured a bucket of water on my back!!  It is a pretty miserable heat!  It is always nice to come back to the apartment and crank on the a/c, my favortie time of the day haha!!  Can't wait for utah weather though!  This past week we had our zone meeting.  Then yesterday we went on splits.  I worked with elder oredson the american.  It was pretty cool.  I asked him how my tagalog was and he said that he didn't understand some of the stuff that I was saying, which made me feel good.  He is doing better at the language though than I was at that point.  Work wise it is going good.  The savillo family is progressing really good.  We gave them a baptismal date fore may 14th.  I am pretty sure that may 11th is the transfer day.  I am not 100% sure it will happen on that day, but hopefully I don't get transferred.  This cycle is already half done so there is only three more weeks to go.  I hope that I won't get transferred this next cycle.  I am hoping that this will be my last area.  Also it would really stink to have to pack and then pack again in six weeks!  Yesterday we had dinner at our bishops and he had some pineapple.  It was so good.  I am pretty excited to be able to get a nice big pineapple for like 40 pesos.  I remember I would buy like 2 a week last year when they were in season!  Also mango season is almost here and I am going to eat a ton of them since the next time I will want fresh mangos I will have to buy them at the grocery store.  Thats pretty much a summary of my week, and there is not many of them left!:)  Well I love you guys. Have a great week

Shout out to my bro Adam!:)  Happy birthday bro!  I love you man, can't wait to beat in some madden haha!!

Love Elder Lott

4-24-16

Another week in the books.  Tomorrow we have our zone conference.  We have them like ever 3 months so this is probably my last one.  Also the last one for our mission president and his wife.  They go home like a week after me or something.  So we got all of our investigators problems fixed.  We had to ask what we should do because of their situations, but its all good.  They just have to come to church now and follow the word of wisdom.  It is just coffee, but they are doing good.  They are so awesome!!  We also have a 17 year old investigator.  She is progressing and wants to be baptized.  The only problem is we have to get permission from her parents cause she is still a minor.  Anyways her parents are iglesia ni christo.  So it will be really hard to get them to approve it.  At least that is my guess.  We haven't talked to them yet, but they found out she was coming to our church and they got mad at her.  So I am not sure what will happen there.  It is so hot here.  I know I say this every week, but I can't wait for utah weather!!  Other than that not a whole lot happened this week.  It is just getting closer and closer to transfer day!  Well I love you guys have a great week

Love Elder Lott  

We love you Alex!!!!   See you soon!!!