December 21, 2015..."The Lord always finds a way to humble a disgruntled fetcher like me"

Work is good. The other day we walked around the town just
wandering cause each and every single appt was cancelled so we had no
where to go. Then, Elder Etiang said "man there is a recent convert that
lives just over here.  Let's go see him"   I was like, we know he is at work but
something is telling me basically pulling me to this kids house. So, we
went. We met his mom there, She isn't a member but we started talking to
her.  Then, she got up and kinda started to not talk to us at this
point I'm ticked because the day sucked and I was tired and she wasn't
being serious. She said here is my other boy, talk to him. so we sat
with him and taught him the restoration and it turns out that his
faith in god "had never been weaker" he said and he "wasn't even sure
where he belonged" so he said it was "heaven sent" that we came to see
him. The Lord always finds ways to humble a disgruntled fetcher like
me.

Elder Scatena

December 14, 2015...."All Good Characteristics are Christ-like"

Hey everyone,

I'm in Malawi! My new companion is Elder Etiang, he is from Uganda. I freaking love him!  We get along so good together, "Like Peas and Carrots".  What movie is that from?  haha  I live in Lilongwe, kalambo. We live in a very big house that is supposed to fit 10 missionaries, but there is only 2 here. you'd hate it here Sherri because it is so dusty the we have to sweep like 3 times in a row when sweeping a room cause the first 2 times you don't get everything hahaha. We have electricity, but sometimes we get blackouts, I've been here for almost 1 week and its only happened once, but what goes out often is water sometimes it just stops hahaha. It's about a 20min mini bus ride to the town where we email so that sucks hahaha. I can buy anything in the world for food, serious, you can find any type of food anywhere, but it just might be expensive, lol I'm feeling much better hahahaha im all good now hhahaha I haven't received my package yet hahaha it should be coming next week.

Whats on my mind... hmm... idk, i just really miss Lusaka, I got so comfortable there that it felt like home. I almost slip up sometimes and say back home when I'm talking about Lusaka hahahaha but I know it's part of the Mission so I can't even complain. I love being on a mission. I feel on top of the world cause everyone in this mission respects me. no over exaggerating, I know everyone and they all respect me cause I'm nice, I hope that's not being prideful. My past, of people being mean, doesn't apply here. What am I learning? a lot actually. recently I've been studying out the Atonement and a lot about Christs life here on earth. if you ever wanna be awe struck just draw the connection between any good trait in a person and the fact the Christ had that trait. all good characteristics are Christ-like.

Anyway, the members houses here have no AC so it's hotter than hell itself
hahaha, nothing much today, just cleaning and emailing. we aren't allowed to
stay out past dark tho cause its almost Christmas and I'm white and
dressed smart (that is the word they use here for fancy) 

Elder Scatena

December 7, 2015......"I'm going to Malawi!"

I freakin love these Testimonies of Christ!! I'm doing great! No worries about the stomach sickness I'm taken care of here. The weather is back to super hot. It stopped raining for a little they think it should start again soon but not that I'll know! I've been transferred!! I'm going to Malawi on Thursday! they're sending me to the bush my stomach is good now. I've  been good for like 3 days now.  love you a lot! I'll have a new comp later this week, even though I just got a new companion!  and Happy Birthday to Hunter!! love you brother!!  Malawi is right next to Zambia, just the next country over.  It is like an hour plane ride away and hardcore bush!  haha  My comp is already there.  I've been on a mission 3 months and I've had 3 comps already soon to be 4!  I'm stoked!  It should be so much fun.  The exchange rate there is 600 Malawian Kwacha to 1 USD so it should be interesting.

Elder Scatena

PIC: Me and my crew!

 

November 23-30th......"The Lord Takes Care of His Missionaries"

November 23, 2015--The rain season has finally begun! it rained sooo much yesterday that my roof started to leak and my power went out hahahaha freak transfer news came last week... Elder Owor is getting sent to the Copperbelt but me, I'm staying here to be companions with a kid that idk how to spell his name! hahahaha we worked a lot this week and the past month and it has payed off!! In 6 days 2 people we are teaching are gonna be baptized! This week was interesting though cause rain season is starting and I don't even have a hoodie so its whatever.

November 30, 2015-My week was alright I have been a little under the weather so we have been taking it easy. We still had the 2 baptisms on Sunday. so that was good! Ya,  I don't like writing sorry hahahahaha but I'm trying, I might buy a voice recorder so I can just send it home rather than actually writing hahaha. The packages take like 3 or 4 weeks so we'll see.  I was sick but I'm getting better now. I just had a very bad runny stomach and whatnot. It's all good! don't worry about me! the Lord takes care of his missionaries! He won't put me through anything I can't handle! Yes, we are having a Zambia Christmas party. all missionaries in Zambia come here for the party hahaha.

Elder Scatena

Pic:  The Baptism.  The Africans are teaching me not to smile in pictures.  It's just their thing I guess.
Pic:  

November 2, 2015.... "We are just putting our shoulders to the wheel and pushing on"

First off, Happy Birthday to my favorite step mom! she just turned 20 so holla!!! hahahaha. so this week has been pretty awesome! we had so many lessons this week and it made this week go by so fast. We have 2 investigators who are gonna be baptized in two weeks. one, her name is "Cynthia and she lives about 1 hour away from church but she comes every Sunday but occasionally needs to be persuaded. The second is Alice. she can hardly speak any English at all and she lives in a super poor area but she is so dedicated to coming to church that she hasn't missed a Sunday since we began teaching her. But wait, there's more! We have 2 more investigators progressing for the 22nd of November and 2 more for the 29th! Then, we have 2 investigators who we just began teaching but we can probably get  to set a goal for the 29th. It's a mother son combo and the mother has 4 kids we are teaching her and her youngest son but her youngest son is 22 so we have a chance at baptizing the whole family!  so yeah! this week has been eventful! the economy is going to crap though. it is at 12 kwatcha to 1 usd and the prices are raising. we only get 700 kwatcha every 2 weeks so its getting hard but we are still managing! we are just putting our shoulders to the wheel and pushing on! hahahaha thats prolly the most mormon thing ive said in my life but whatever! 

Elder Scatena

PIC:this is me, Seth and Tania. two kids we're teaching who wanna be baptized but have to wait for their mom to visit from the states

October 19, 2015....."Me and the Python"

Hey! we were at a zone activity at a reptile farm, it ran kinda long... oh well!!

So Tuesday I had to go see the mission Doctor so our zone leaders came and got me and then dropped me at the mission home. The mission Doctor told me that I couldn't go out for the rest of that day so I had to stay in for 2 more days! It's not Gout but it's a bone spur!  Freak! It hurts sooooo bad.  Then Friday my comp fell sick! Then on Saturday we were both sick! Then we had church and now we are here!!! hahahaha just a super boring week!

Hope you are all well.

PIC: Me and the Python!

October 12, 2015...."Baptism #1 and our work is progressing"

Hello Everyone,

My week was awesome! this week has been crazy! So in the beginning of the week I had to go to the hospital because my foot was hurting bad and the zone leaders made me (i didn't want to cause I felt like a wuss) but I went. The Doctor said it was gout but i don't eat much read meat so me and my companions think its fractured hahahaha.  The "Health Elder" will be here this week and I'm suppose to go see him. We had our first baptism here and it was super cool! our work is progressing like nothing else! We are finding so many people to teach. We are teaching a lot in "Garden". Its really ghetto there. The houses are like shacks made out of concrete and none of the roads are paved.  There is trash piled everywhere cause instead of throwing it in a landfill, they pile it up then in the heat it lights on fire or they light it. Freak it smells so bad there hahahaha but yeah! im good! 

Elder Scatena

--Picture of Sylvia at her Baptism.  (My Comp cut my hair and as you can see it's a little uneven and short  haha)

October 5, 2015...."I had such a good week"

etch man! I miss swedish fish during conference! lol. We won't watch it until next week.  I had such a good week! my experience this week ties in with my next comment. DON'T BUY ME SHOES!!! lol. we went to teach a less active family in a place called Garden (its the ghetto here) and when we got there the mom, Sister Macknishi, was asking me a bunch of questions. she asked how I found shoes big enough here. I told her I couldn't because I have too big of feet. we visited later in the week and she found a pair of size 13 shoes that she bought for her son about 5 years ago that he has never worn because they are too  big. she gave them to me for free. i know. i know im blessed! hahaha. this week was long and a lot of walking hahaha. ill upload a picture of me just lookin fly with Elder Cahill then in a little just one of me.

The Bishop here is really cool, the work is good and we have a baptism coming up!

We eats lot's pizza and we walk and walk alot.  Here is a pic of some shorts I had made.  Pretty cool huh?  Love you all,

Elder Scatena

September 28, 2015 "It's really hot and we walk tons"

This week was awesome! the Lord has truly blessed me a lot. As you know, I walk TONS. We have been blessed because random investigators or members will just pullover and give us rides. My companions are awesome. we work really good together. Speaking of walking a ton, I have already dropped 2 belt holes hahaa. its just really hot and we walk tons hahaha. We met tons of new people this week and had some awesome new experiences. If you ever have someone looking to adopt tell them to adopt from "Mothers Without Borders" the kids there are just awesome and so cute!! we have a baptism scheduled for 2 weeks from now and I'm stoked because the woman is sooo sweet!! ill send some pics in a min hahaa

church is cool. there are only like 15-25 ppl that show up to sacrament because everyone has to walk so it takes a lot for them to get here. 

We met this really humble man the other day that was really willing to hear about the Gospel because i had a prompting to help him push his car to get it started again. he was really curious to hear who we were after we helped him. i don't have any pics rn but ill try and take some and send them next week.

Love Elder Scatena

September 21, 2015.."It's really humbling to try and read your scriptures under candle light"

Muli bwanji? (how are you) I am feeling sooo much better! It is awesome here!! this place is way cooler than i ever could have expected. It isnt as nice looking as we thought but it is still super awesome. it is like mexico. lol. i love it here!. all the people are so nice and they are so open about their faith. if you walk up to someone and start talking to them about Jesus they will contribute to the conversation. We are a walking area and I am already losing weight. if we need to get transportation to go somewhere far we hop in a mini bus (like an 8 passenger van rigged to fit like 16 ppl lol) it is fun because every one is crazy drivers and it makes the ride much more interesting hahaha. everything is sooo expensive here, its like 120 kwatcha for 3 large pizzas and a 2 liter drink. haha its only 1.75 dollars haha. We live in a little one bedroom house thing.  We only have power for half of the day but yeah the time that we don't have power, if its night, we use candles. Its really humbling to try and read your scriptures under candle light because you have no power lol. There was bedding here but only a few flimsy twin sized mattresses for me haha. I have an actual bed frame now but I didn't at first.  The mattresses were too weak so we had to put a door in between them. (Note the attached picture)

 We have baptisms scheduled for 11 of October and the 11 of November.  I haven't seen the ward yet. Yesterday was the first ever stake conference so I got here just in time for that!!!  Just teaching is fun! I know you probably wont believe me but just walking around and talking to people is fun to me. I like the challenge of trying to talk to people and not be nervous haha. I might have to buy another pair of shoes for walking today or some time because my comps tell me that these wont be  good if it starts to rain. the shoes might cost anywhere from 500-700 kwatcha lol thats only like 50-70 us dollars. the exchange rate is like 1 usd to 10 kwatcha love you. I'm at an internet cafe. I'm in Lusaka a place called "the arcades" its like a strip mall. I have taught plenty of people already and the work is busy. I'm so happy to hear from you!! I have two comps. Elder Cahill and Dlder Owor. Elder Cahill is from Seattle and Elder Owor is from Uganda. They are both super awesome!  love you! .. Im stoked to learn more. much love from -Elder Scatena  

September 16, 2014.........."I am in Zambia"!

Elder Scatena's last 3 emails combined:

Second Email from the MTC

So i'm just on for a quick minute to let you know that my plane takes

 off in Monday @ 3PM! I'll call you before to talk. also, tell queston
 thanks soooo much for the monsters and thank you for the care package and
 thank Sister Farnsworrth for the cupcakes that she sent. tomorrow is my last
 day in the mtc, then (including layovers) i have 43 hours of flight. (not
 including the 9 hr time jump.). i have a 3 hr flight to Texas, a 3 hr
 layover in Texas, a 15hr flight to London, a 6 hr layover in London,
 then a 12 hr flight to south Africa, then a 3 hr layover in south africa lol.
 Im sending out a letter today. -elder scatena

Email while traveling:

I'm in London.  This airport is crazy! It makes no sense lol. they even drive on the wrong side of the road.
the plane ride was cool. i sat next to a guy from isreal but mid flight his tv stopped working so he switched seats so i had both seats
to my self lol. I'm chilling in the airport now I'm with a few elders
that are going to Sweden or something like that. lol. this has been
an interesting trip so far. I'm just excited to have a comp who will
know what hes doing cause i have no idea. lol. after the elders leave
I'm gonna see if i cant go pick me up a souvenir or something lol. love
yall!! -elder scatena
(thats for the blog lol)
I'll try and email/ call in the South Africa airport.
love you

Elder Scatena

Email of arrival from the Mission Home:

I am in Zambia. I am at the mission home but I'm feeling really sick. I made it here safe though, just wanted to let you know I'm ok. miss you a lot love you.

Elder Scatena

Elder Scatena

A nice couple took this picture on the plane

 

The same nice couple took this in the airport right before boarding for London

September 7, 2015 " We need to live in the Character of Christ"

EY!!!! Elder Scatena signing on. lol. Things here are crazy!  It's  crazy that im leaving in like 7 days! I dont have much to report on this week because I'm just learning lol. One thing i wanted to say was about this video of Elder Bednar. he said that we need to live in the character of Christ, by when we would regularly turn inwards and say "oh pitiful me" we should turn outwards to service. love yall -Elder Scatena


My District:  Left to right:Left to right: Elder Bennion, Elder Knight, Elder Watkins, Elder Scatena (my step son ), Elder Kitchen, Elder Mangum, Elder Hansen, and Elder Rice

Queston dropping Chandler off at the MTC

 And he's off!!

Chandler's District