So overall things have been going well for me. Of course it never is easy and I can't say that there aren’t some days that I ready to go home, but overall it has been such a blessing to me to be here and to serve. Even though I can't see the changes always but so many others tell me that I have changed and matured a lot and sometimes I feel it. Not in a physical sense but spiritually. I feel like I regret not taking the gospel as serious before I came. I just feel like I wasted a lot of time and I didn’t realize that there was so much that I didn’t know at all. But now I see. I see things I didn’t see before. This week in my personal study I focused a lot of Alma 5 which I call the ‘’Self Accountability Checklist.’’ There are about 22 questions in this chapter that each of us and sit down and one by one ask ourselves to see how we are doing spiritually. As I studied I really focused and it made me think. Am I converted? Am I changed. One verse really stands out to me each time I read and it says, Alma 5:19, ‘’I say unto you can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?’’ I say unto you can ye look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenance. The phrase ‘’’look up’’ is very interesting isn’t it? Through further study I realized that it doesn’t mean that God is some kind of giant and we will have to look up to be able to see him but more of our image of ourselves. Will we be able to look up to God? To hold our heads high and say to God that we did all that we were supposed to do? That we gave it our all? That we are clean enough to live with him? Or will we hold our heads down in shame? Embarrassed for ourselves? Yeah. That’s deep right? But it’s true and Alma said it best. Each of us needs this mighty change of heart so that we are all clean and pure.

I know that the Atonement is real. That Jesus Christ really died for us all. If you didn’t know now you do. If anyone doesn’t know, let him show you that he is real and that he is there. I know that we have a God, a Heavenly Father who gave his only Son that he could be a ransom for us all. I know that salvation can be each and every one of ours. One day we all have the hope of living again with our God and our brother. But what would Heaven be like alone? If you are there with no one but yourself do you think that would be happiness? I'm so sure that it isn’t. I know that I won’t be able unless I am there with every person that I know and every person that I love. So I pray that everyone, my family, my friends, and everyone that I know and even those that I don’t know will test it. Try God. I know that he will show you that he is there and that he is real. He will show you the path that will lead back to him. I love you all. Like Elder Bednar said in this past conference. Come and see.

I love you all and I hope that you have a great week! I pray for you and wish you the best!

 

Love

   Sister Scott