This title appealing
to the double meaning behind the glorious return of football season and my new
life here at the MTC. Huge shoutout to the Cougars for taking out UConn 35-13
and Ole Miss for shuttin' down those Broncos as well. That's how it should be every
week. Haha I say this lightheartedly but mean it nonetheless ;)
HAPPY SEPTEMBER
It's finally come
around and in less than 2 weeks I will be in Holland doing His work. It is
amazing. In two days we receive our travel plans and flight information along
with our visas, passports, and ministerial certificates signed off my President
Thomas S. Monson. Here we go. The Swedes left Monday morning and our
Norweigan Tuesday morning for a temporary assignment in Gilbert, AZ
and I would be lying if I said it went smoothly. It's hard spending every hour
of everyday with people you just meet but love and value so high. They are in
Stockholm now and I know they are doing great. We miss them a lot already.
Our zone leaders were
part of the Swedish fleet so Sunday Elder Hirsch and I were extended
the assignment of zone leaders over the entire Scandinavia zone. Remember my
remarks about no more meeting for leadership positions? So do I. Karma is real
my friends. Never forget to knock on wood. hahahaha but really I love it a lot
we were assignedSunday and so we have been in for only 4 days. It's pretty
neat being at the top of the food chain though just underneath the branch
presidency because we really get to know everyone well. Here is the huge plot
twist though. We just shipped out Swedes and Norweigans and the Suriname
Dutchies leave Monday. TODAY we receive 36 new missionaries. In our zone
alone. 36. That's like a perfect ACT score to put that into perspective haha.
Right now with the Swedes gone our zone is 25. so even with the 10 were are
over doubling our zone. THe chaos commences in about 3 hours. You prayers are
appreciated haha. Elder Hirsch is a great leader and already keeps me grounded.
I constantly forget the little things to do and always want to do the big ones
so it's good he reminds me of that. Tonight we will have 37 sisters and 24
elders. 61 total. The sisters are rockstars. Seriously it never seizes to
impress me how dedicated the are to the work and how many willingly use their
option to serve for 18 months.
The Dutch is coming
great. Definately have much more studying to do but I'm beginning to
understand. Yesterday we had an English fast from about 9:30 to 6. To
be honest, it wasn't that difficult. It was slow and processed but we can carry
on conversation easy. I was studying Preach my Gospel and there was a sentence
like: we have the power and authority of God, and I kid you not I read it as
Wij hebben de macht en gezag van God. Coolest thing ever. Just not too
convenient haha there are 2 Dutch elders here from Rotterdam so they speak
native and we understood everything. I think they go slower for us but I was
really neat. I could hardly ever do that with Spanish and now I can with Dutch
after 4 weeks. If you want to learn a language, come to the MTC haha
SO there are some good
stories this week hahah we welcomed the new Danes last week with quite the get
up as noted in the picture below haha Mom: that is Aldste Bradley going to
Sweden that knows Aunt Tami and the Bostwicks in Banks. It was quite the class
act might I add. Our teaching appointments were where the real juicy stories
lie though haha we had an appointment with a onderzoeker named Max and she was
inactive but had been baptized. We taught her our most spiritual lesson ever in
20 minutes about how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love her, miss her, and
want more that anything for her to come home. She really took it to heart and
everything went well. Until the ending prayer. hahha we felt the need to be
bold and ask her to pray to open the appointment to understand how comfortable
she was with being inactive and such. She declines so Elder Hirsch prayed and I
planned to at the end. We asked if we could end with a prayer and she said of
course and prepared to pray. I said I could and prayed to end the meeting.
Turns out that our onderzoeker was preparing to pray at the end when we asked
and I basically ripped the rug out from under her. Ahhhhh i felt so bad it was
awful. So I learned the hard way this week that when you lose tune with the
Spirit, even for a second, you lose keenness and understanding.
We had another
appointment and taught the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ to our other onderzoeker
and the lesson was great. Elder Hirsch had prepared to teach repentance and I
over baptism but I mixed the two up. So I taught the whole repentance lesson
thinking I'm doing really well while poor Elder Hirsch sits there waiting when
he can speak. Then I finish and realize I had baptism so I just keep talking
HAHHA ohhh i felt so bad. Again not paying attention to things and order that I
should be. To make it even better we left and I kid you not I lost my voice
from talking too much hahahahah I am grateful I am learning things the hard way
so I remeber not to do it again hahah
Oh also in a holly
jolly class discussion this week I said Christmas instead of Christmas so a
real fa la la to that. Jumped the gun by about 3 months there.
We had some real neat
devotionals and lessons this week that touched me. I watched again Elder
Christofferson's talk about the bush but in Dutch. I know that the language of
the Spirit is understandable to all because I can feel it through something
foreign to me. I love that talk because we are reminded to see the big picture.
We are cut down and we misunderstand why but the Gardner who is Christ knows
all. He knows through hard times we shall be made strong. Itis through Him as
everything always is. The gratitude rings in my heart about the parable of the
bush. "Thank you for cutting me down, Mr. Gardner. For loving me enough to
hurt me." oh it is so great I even have it in Dutch.
I hope school is going
well for you all and a special shoutout to y'all across University Parkway
living it up at the Y. I hope classes are going well and Provo is treating you
as well as it is me. I invoke you to think about this promise that was made to
me by a member of the Seventy last night: "You have the Son of God on your
side, why have you fear? For I fear no man, I fear God, I fear no man." I
encourage you to remember that in all your temptations. Remember that a prophet
of the Lord prays for you. You can do anything if you believe on His name. I
cannot wait to bring that to the people of Holland.
Three months ago I
graduated high school. Today, I am the zone leader of the largest current zone
in the largest Missionary Training Center in the world. How Great Thou Art, my
Savior, for I am blessed of thee. Again I love this work. I love this Gospel. I
love this land that we call home. I love my Savior. And remember, that I love
of all of you.
Because Christ can
stand alongside you, and Christ can stand alongside me, we need not ever feel
apart.
Omdat Christus kan bij
u staan, en Christus kan bij mij staan, kunnen we niet los voelen ooit.
Met alle mijn liefde,
Elder Trevan Scott
Reese
Pictures:
1) This is how we
welcomed the Danes last Wednesday hahaha it was classy
2) Dear NCAA, wish to
know how to make a seminal playoff system bracket?
3) Sister Thomas
Hermana Cambron and I with the famous map.
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