A letter from Troy to Paden and Paden's letter back:

Hi Elder Allen,

How was your week?

I am reading a book entitled "Trails to Testimony".  I am reading this book for scouting and round table.  The main point of the book is the importance of bringing young men to Christ.  It talks about the Aaronic Priesthood and scouting and how they can work hand in hand to bring young men to Christ. 

Some points I have highlighted are...

·         Scouting, Varsity, and Venturing weekly activities can be the laboratory for practicing and applying what the young men learn on Sunday.

·         Scouting benefits are... Character, Citizenship, and Fitness building.

·         Monthly camping and hiking can be trails to strengthen testimonies of God, prayer, Christ.  And preparation for life.

·         Reflection, reflect on how the activity or experience relates to the gospel or life values.

- After every activity
- Immediately after an experience
- Ask open ended questions

Toward the end of the book it shares several stories of missionaries and how scouting helped prepare them for the mission field.  So, my question for you is this. 

As you reflect back on your first year as a missionary, have you every had a time when you may have related it to an experience or something you learned as a Scout, Varsity, or Venture?

P.S.  Be warned, I may share your experience with the leaders at round table.

Have a Great day!

Dad :o) 

Dad,

Of course, actually i was just thinking about that yesterday.

There have been several times i have used things i have learned in boyscout this year as a missionary, from helping people paint to tieing as cloths line for an old woman in her front yard, a not that wouldnt come undone again. also i am always applying teachings i learned from scout leaders in teachings that i give. this sunday i helped to teach a class on how to teach where i  related many expiriences as a scout to teaching. If i hadnt been invovled in Boyscouts I would not be a missionary now. from learning self confidence in campouts as a boyscout to helping the others apply what i had learned as a varsity i not only learned how to do many priceless things, obtained many priceless memories, but also has helped me to learn how to express myself in teaching things that i have learned, and that is a priceless lesson as a missionary. When things are hard to do i remember the diligence i had to have to get my swimming and archery merit badges, the 2 most difficult ones that i earned, i started them both 5 years before i finished them, several times in my mission i have thought: ´´If i could do that i can do this.´´

Hopefully that helps with what you needed from me :)

Love you,

Elder Allen

12/5/2011 freaking awesome week

 Hello family and friends,

First off Happy birthday to Dillon and Wyatt :)

 

This week was a killer, we had a crazy time organizing baptismal dates tours of the church house spiltz and christmas related activities. we foought a bit to find new investigators, however we did find quite a bit, we had the baptisms of Maudiel Anibal Manzanares Renteria and Macaria Gaytán Moreno, we found them both knocking doors and they progressed super fast. Maudiel went to church and everyone thought he was a member from another ward, he has a special light about him that is amazing and he just needed to hear about the restoration and water to be a member, we actually took him with us to a few apointments in order to be able to teach a few sisters, cause we need somone 18 or older to come with us and he played the part of a member :) he is already thinking about serving a mission in a year when he can send in his papers. I feel blessed to have been the one to find him. God would have led him to the church all by himself but chose to use us to bring him to the Gospel.

 

The story is pretty much the same with Macaria, she was found the same day as Maudiel but has gone to church more, this sunday she showed up in a skirt for the first time all by herself for her confirmation. she set the example for Sergio, her husband who has to quit smoking first. they have both been coming to church by themselves.

 

This next week we will have the baptisms of Toni, Martha and Gabriela, toni is a young man, 18 years old and super excited to be baptised, but has lots of opposition, his mom is pentacostes. and doesnt agree with his decision entirely, but then again neither did Maudiel´s family. this sunday we were in sacrament meeting and he leaned ovcer to me and whispered: i saw the font is full, can i get baptised today or do i have to wait until saturday? unfortunately he couldnt do it just quite yet as he needs an interview first. he has already started paying tithing :). He was a refferal from a young woman in our ward that is in a few of his college classes, we were introduced the Fiesta we had in the church a few weeks back :) 

Hope everything is going great back there in Idaho, still like 70 degrees in the day with a chilly northern wind, and about 40 at night sometimes, its finally cooling off, they tell me  once the cold finally sticks that it will last until late februrary. and to answer Jacobs question, no it has not snowed here. actually the last time it snowed here was in the 70´s i think, snow is a fairy tale for all the little kids here :)
Love you all and enjoy this christmas season for what it really means eh?
Con Cariño,

-Elder Paden W Allen

Mosiah 4:30 & 5:5

Working to make the world a better place, one door at a time.