We did not receive this letter til the day after P-day and we were a little nervous, I can't believe how much we count on hearing from Josh every Mon. So happy we did not have to sweat it out for an entire week, I think I may have done somthing stupid...LIKE CALL HIS MISSION PRESIDENT...I need to learn to trust that he is safe always :)

First of all i think that maybe a 1000 pesos would do fine haha i dont need 1800! The problem is that i dont know that you have access to my account since i changed it to a checking account before i left and i dont have your names on it i think but not sure. My spanish is improving still have i know that i havent received the gift of tongues yet. It probably has to do with me worrying about it soo much and what i dont know instead of that of which i know. The hardest by far is when conversations go to things that arent gospel related since there is a myraid of things that i dont know outside gospel topics! I want to make this companionship all i can and just start serving. I notice that our work has slowed down and it has to do with us not working together how we should. Entonces, this is a buen de focus this week. For pdays i feel like there is alot of time wasting cause we dont do what we should and that is why im doing laundry and internet today which is not my pday. My companion is always worried about the other companship and being with them but not doing the tasks we should so we talked about stuff like that today. Yesterday i went to a dinosaur museum with a member and her daughter with the other elders in our ward and it was quite hilarious in all hahaha! To get in you had to bring 8 empty pop bottles for each person. We were literally in and out in 5 mins! I managed to get one picture inside of it and this was before i realized that you had to pay 50 pesos for pictures so i got away with that haha. I have honestly thought about that at times because as i learn about the Gospel and everything i see how big everything we do is. This time is appointed to decide our eternity after. Everything counts! This determines how happy we will be. We only need to trust the Lord knows us waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better then ourselves and allow him to show us what he desires to have for us. As it says in Mosiah.. God only wants from us that we obey His commandments. THis opens the door for absolutely everything. In D&C 130 it talks about that every good thing comes in our obedience so that is the reason why. God cant bless us against our desires and actions. Its IMpossible!
Thank you dad, i know that i need to look to the Lord with patience in my trials and also i need to take action and demonstrate faith without fear. As for baptisms they fell threw for this last week because of difficulties with her family. She does have a testimony and know its true the problem is her family are stout Catholics and have threatened to move out and leave her to herself to support herself if she joins. It is pretty messed up but a big problem. We are going to talk to her again sometime this week. Its tricky though since even if she is home. We go and her family says she is not cause they dont want us to talk to her. I honestly feel that she will be baptized.. That night that we were supposed to baptize her and her son and then broke the news.. I dont think i have cried like that in awhile. Everyone needs this and i have strong desires for her family to be touched by the spirit. IT would be a ton of baptisms in that family! With other investigators we have right now its overcoming the couples that need marriage or separation. We have 3 couples with this so that is something we will work on this week.
I got a few photos this week but i want to get more.. Im not sure how im going to get them there though. I was thinking that maybe in awhile send it home and have you copy them off then erase the whole memory card but i think there is a better way. haha yeah yall dont even know! Im not surprised he hasnt told you. The newspapers arent edited here and pretty much everyday they have dead people in all its graphicness on the front page! I definitely avoid looking when im conscience. But That quote is very true. THis isnt just the people we baptize. THis is also their lineage after that are born in the gospel along with everyone else that they affect afterwards. ANyways i do have the address for the offices to send a package but apparently they are changing how things work after the next transfer in 2 weeks so you would need to get it out soon. I only crave for some good sour candy and some chocolate as well like kisses with almonds. Your smart and now what i like haha. Along with some kraft mac and  cheese but not too much. Dont send some huge package and if you cant get the money in my account and still want to send it. You really have to hide it well just in case. But you really dont have to send money! my card does work here so i would try to get in my account if you can. Then i will leave you to send whatever else if you think i would like it but dont send higiene since they have everything here and its super cheap and im still great with everything! I really appreciate it. I love getting letters and being able to talk and here what is going on. Oh and by the way find stickers to put on the package like the Virgin Mary and Jesus. THey pretty much worship Virgin Mary here which is really strange and shows the power of Satan. the Address...
Elder Josh Scott
Av. del Taller No. 540
Col. Jardin Balbuena
Delegacion Venustiano Carranza
C.P. 15900 Districto Federal, Mexico
Thank you all and i like the little quotes and that Tami, by the way, I appreciate the love and give it back! I hope that you are all able to enjoy the snow and the cool blessings that tend to come from living the Gospel and learning more about our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know this Gospel is true and its really cool some of the things i have been researching early in the morning about Abrahamic Covenant and Eternal Marriage and tons of other things and the connection with things. But Yeahhhhh. Hasta Semana que Viene!
Elder Scott

2nd week in Mexico

Everything this week is a little tougher! im getting humbled more and more realizing that there is no way in heck i will be able to do this on my own. I need to completely rely on the gifts of the spirit with all that i do in this work. Im been thinking about the best ways to overcome these challenges now that im facing and i keep thinking about do what Christ did since it was his work and the phrase from when President Hinckley served his mission and was dicouraged. ` Forget about yourself and go to work` So things i dont have total control over but i can just do my best and the Lord will do the rest. but i actually havent had any baptisms yet. Only baptisms dates and we hope to have 4 this weekend. Im pretty sure with at least 2 of them but who knows with the others. That kinda stinks i didnt get the chance to be a part of that special moment with Breanna. I hope that she always cherishs that moment. I love her lots! Grandma and grandpa thanks for the messages! i will be sure to send a better email a little later due to time, but im in a really poor area right now. I wish i could send pictures now to show you what its like but actually you will see some english here, which is a miracle! Im holding on to my sanity right now haha no not really. The language is different with the accent and how fast they talk. But its starting to slow down as i learn more. THe real problem is i feel a barrier with how i would like to teach and express my thoughts. but the best i can do right now i jumbled spanish. as for elder knudsen.. i do not know who he is. THere were about 2500 elders in the mtc and alot of us had different schedules so i didnt really get to meet tons. Sorry this keyboard is really terrible so my typing is a little iffy.
i JUST want to close with some events that happened. we went to a walmart that was actually a really walmart and it was wonderful! I also saw a black person here before i saw another white person here which i can understand since i hear this isnt a good area for white people at all and the fact that im preaching the gospel is a reason im safe right now for the most part hahahah thought you might like that bit of info. I had BK and it was like a party in my mouth to have american food, an actual hamburger! the drivin there is like childs play compared to here. Tami would lose 8 of her 9 lives in one taxi ride here haha. Sometimes if a little afraid for my life since lines dont exist on the road either does speed limit which gives you a clue how it is since EVERY street has speed bumps every so 100 yards haha. the food finally got to me here... do i need to say more haha! havent seen any types of crimes or what not yet but who knows in the future. Well thats about it for that.

Im glad that you are doing well dad and choosing to makes those decisions for you in your life. who knows! maybe you will be able to dunk it when i get back haha! play a little one on one. things will start going on the up for me. Its all how i perceive things and through the decisions i make. I think i might have a native for at least 3 quarters my mission since i guess its safer or something. He is about to my shoulder though and native of peru. He is talented with the guitar and piano and was in a band and also played almost pro soccer. He has been in the mission since may. HE is a cool guy and is really smart and knows his stuff with the gospel. He doesnt know hardly any english so we are working on the barrier that is still there. BUt anyways this is all the time i have right now. i need to get back out there. I hope that all continues to go well for the family there! I love yall and pray for  you. And i will say that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can come to understand how important really every single thing we do is and how incredible that act ones. Even the prophets have said that it is soo incredible that its improbably that the human mind could grasp its significance. Entonces, this is the ultimate expression of love. without out it. absolutely anything we did would be all for not. everything in life is centered on the atonement. EVERYTHING! Bye bye my friends and family. take care of yourselves.
Elder Scott

Just a note from Josh's parents

Our son has been gone for 2 months and 3 weeks and what an experience it has been for just this short time. It has been so exciting watching Josh mature and grow spiritually. He is taking this experience very seriously and with 100 % commitment. He has told us that he does not want to waste one second of his time will he is on his mission and that he can not wait to do all that he can to love, serve and share his testimony with the precious people of Mexico. We could not be more pleased with his devotion and love of what he has been called to do.We love you so much Josh and are so thankful that YOU are OUR SON.

1st letter from Mexico after being there for one week.

Well the time here in Mexico has been rough and good at the same time this first week. The good is that we have 5 scheduled baptisms already for the next couple weeks. The bad is that the spanish here is quite different from the one i learned in the MTC! The accent is hard to understand, especially when they talk so fast its like its all blended together! It has been quite the lonely week with the gap in communication. My companion is from Peru and doesnt know next to any English. He has been in the field only since may. He is hard working though and his last companion finished his mission so he really didnt work hard last transfer and has a fire in him to do some work. His name is Elder Harvey. Eventually here in the next little while i will start filling in the missing puzzle pieces that bridge things here.
As for the town, it is called Alegre, which is a suburb of Mexico City. There is supposedly a lot of people out of town this whole last week for vacation for the New year so i havent had my real taste of how things are here yet. Practically every single house and building is made of cement here and the places where most the people live are no bigger than are middle floor. The people are really nice and will give you practically give you anything. Its really humbling to know they will make these good meals for us and they have a family and probably live on like 200 pesos a week or something. I have no clue but one dollar here is almost 14 pesos. So its pretty nice when its soo cheap. They have Walmart here to a.k.a Bodega Aurrera haha. Im quite the attraction to since the people live up to my expectations which means tami would be consider tall here hahaha. I have already taken my entire head out in the apartment to since there is a low spot. Always have to watch the ground and your head. One for dog crap, and the other for ropes, bars, and what not. Anyways i dont have too much time left. I bared my testimony my first week in church and man did it draw quite the crowd hahaha. No one knew who this tall white gringo was haha. Im excited to do work here though and i know i will have some extreme success with the people once i can get the language down and with the things im learning in my studying. That book The Infinite Atonement is reeeeeaaally good by the way. Gives me chills when i read it. I cant wait to finish it. entonces. les amo y epero que todo esta bien en Los Estados. Hasta luego!

Elder Scott