Dec 30, 2017

Mom here again.....
     I have updated the mission adventures from the date he left, April 11 to  date. I don't know how to organize them from newest to oldest first but for now, the posts are recorded.

I will do better in 2018.....

Setting apart April 2017

President Hatch, President Sterland

Colten Bell, Jake Ivie, Matthew, Jonathan Tanner, Brother Kallas......friends and scout leader from youth.

Kolby Ray and Matthew, endowment day

Mom, Matthew and Dad, endowment day.

Boss Rick Moser and Matthew

friends at setting apart

At the airport departure. 

A very hard moment for MOM!!!!

And he is off.

MTC first picture of the group that he arrived with.

Leaving MTC for field

Chicken hearts

MTC group

President and Sister Grahl, MTC mission president

April 12, 2017

Dear Parents,

Sister Grahl and I are very happy to let you know that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil Missionary Training Center.  What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they begin their missionary experiences with us! We will surely take good care of your missionary.                                                                                                     

The missionaries now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  Their branch presidents and wives will meet them this Sunday.  These wonderful couples are richly blessed as they work with, motivate, and interview the missionaries assigned to their branch.

The MTC has a physician to care for their health needs. We are also happy to report that the MTC food is plentiful, healthy and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Wednesday or Friday, depending on individual assignments.

Your missionary is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of many others. President Lorenzo Snow said: “There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children".  We love these missionaries as if they were our own.  We will watch over them carefully to ensure they are ready for a wonderful missionary experience after the rewarding time they will have in the MTC.

We thank you for preparing such a wonderful representative of the Lord.

Pres. Paulo R. Grahl and Sister Zuleika M. Grahl

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  

PlEASE DO not send packages to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving, not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC, please understand that the package cannot be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you.

WE Strongly eNCOURAGE sENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers.  The cost to process this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.

April 25, 2017

Hey mom and dad, im so sorry they give us no time to email in the ctm so no group email until i get to the feild so if you will share this with who you can and apologize for me that i have no time to write emails id appreciate it. This past week was amazing and i wrote down everything i want to tell you. here it is:

1. i have to write my emails up before i send them or i have no time to figure out what to write.

2. on the plane here i gave a guy a book of mormon with my testimony in it.

3. I was made a district leader and currently reside over one of the larger districts in the ctm of 12 people.

4. no pics until im out of the ctm in four weeks.

5. i killed a wasp here and theyre huge im not kidding.

6. i ended up buying a neck pillow in atlanta and im glad you told me to. mothers are always right.

7. im doing my own wash.

8. im losing weight.

9.breakfast never changes and in 14 days im sick of rice but the ckicken here in brazil is the best ive ever had wow.

10. sister grahl is a sweetheart, i love hearing about you through her, she calls you her "amiga" mom, and i love my leaders. one of the headmasters over the teachers, mario dias, says we have one of the most spiritual districts in years.

11. i would love to hear from anybody that wants to write me but have not a lot of time to email back:(

12. i am praying, bearing my testimony, and carrying on small conversations fluently in portuguese and im rough on the lessons and long conversations but im getting them down.

13. leadership paperwork is a lot along with the meetings.

14. this past sunday i blessed the sacrament in portuguese.

15. I take people to school in basketball. theres only one kid here at the mtc better than me and thats cause hes 6 foot 6

16. i get taken to school in soccer because this is brazil

17. ive memorizec a few passages in portuguese including my purpose as a missionanry 

18. i love my easter present and i love finding little surprises in my bag.

19. i love the new friends ive met here and have even gotten close to some inclufding a group of four brazilians including elders chaves, ramires, silva, and machedo. and ive made friends such as elders eddigton, mackley, rupp, cannon, lott, guthrie, and laney.

20. i miss my friends back home and adam. send them and him specifically my love. 

21. the gift of tongues is real. the other tow companions i share a room with are elder alves and elder esteves. Elder E is one of the most mature young men ive ever met with a thick british accent. he is from england and speaks portuguese and english fluently. we have become life long friends and he helps me with portuguese. elder A is a 4 foot 10 brazilian that doesnt speak a lick of english. lol.

22. ive written in my journal everyday.

23. i sleep so comfy here and the weather is usually perfect. but i miss the dogs.

24.i dropped a sick rap on elder chaves.

25. for the first time in my life my english is actually getting worse lol.

26. i have grown a literal love for the language, the people,

27 also mom, the girl that posted a picture and wanted to know the name of american shirt, thats my instructor irma fuacco hahah!

28. i have shared the story of the back of my nametag multiple time in broken protguese and once evenm in a lesson on the plan of salvation in prortuguese.

29. there is no time to email, your email has taken up all of my timea nd i cant wati for the feild and to call you on mothers day.

30. This is the best thing i have evr done. the church is true, the attonement has saved me. i love you and miss you. let everyone know i am well and cant wait to get a group email going. i love you guys. -elder arscott

May 23, 2017

Dear Dad, Mom, and Adam:

I have a few minutes to write you and let you know I am here in Curitiba, that i arrived safely, that there was no problems transitioning out of the CTM and through the airport and arriving here. I am very confident in my portuguese and i am very excited to see where i go next. We went primarily to the temple this morning and i just want to tell you what a beautiful place that is, President Cuvelier met us at the airport and then when we went to the temple we just walked around and then had a short devotional from President. He is an amazing man (but he´s a lakers fan so im not sure what i think about that). I am only allowed right now to send you three an email. Please send my best wishes forward and that i will try and get my group email started on Monday I hope. I have had many sacred experiences in the CTM, three that are very powerful and that stand out to me and i have written them in my journal in great detail. One of them being last night, I said goodbye to a young man by the Name of Elder Layne Bangerter. He is a very close friend of mine now, he is very talented, he is very smart, and he is perfect of the violin and can play anything you ask him to simply by ear. I know i knew him in the premortal life and i am appreciative of his example to me, even though we have only known each other for three weeks. He said goodbye to me with a deep conversation. This conversation was followed by a letter he beckoned me not to read until a later time. That was very special to me and i cant wait to tell you in detain about my other sacred experiences as well. I am not to rushed for time at the moment so i will try and give you a little detail about Curitiba so far. It is colder but not to cold for me. It is much cleaner than São Paulo and i am grateful for that, i feel the spirit here more already and i know i am meant to serve here. I do not know when i recieve my new companion, for now i am still with Elder Eddington and another young man from São Paulo named Elder Cappi who speaks English very well. As for things at home, keep praying for focuse and for help in all things, including school. I will pray for grandma and i hope you all have a safe drive up to the reunion. Monday is my next Pday. I am in the office now near the mission home somewhere (im not quite sure yet) writing this. Say hello to the entire family for me and anybody else you can as I am still upset i havent been able to find the time to set up my group emai. I will do that Monday and try and send out a big email to that so i can have two emails, one for you and the family, and one for the group. My português is coming along very well. And i am excited to send you pictures. i have many to send you and dont know how i will send them all but i will find a way. When you recieve them i ask you to please safe them, or even hae them developed. they are very special to me, and there is probably over one hundred. Have adam send boss my regards. i am sharing this email only with you mom so please share with dad my best regards, that i love and miss him but that i am in the best hands on both sides of the veil. Yesterday being our last day in the CTM i had the divine opportunity to give three blessings to the sisters in our district as they prepare to enter the feild. they were the most powerful priesthood blessings i have ever given and it was an amazing experience as well. For ada, tell him i love and miss him but that he needs to focus. He cannot give up so close to the finish line. I want him to graduate next MAY. Guarenteed. That all i have for this week. I appreciat the NBA updates with all my heart, please keep sending them! Lol. I also am recieving your Missionary emails from the one app. Send the famoçy, dogs, friends, boss, bishop, and others my best regards. This is the true gospel. I will write everybody else on monday.and you again as well. The church is true. Miracles happen, i can atttest to that now as i have seen them in my own life, and i cannot wait to share them with you. I Love you.

May 29, 2017

Dear Mom and Dad,

This first week in the feild has been great. Everything is differenthere. This is a third world country. I live with mynew companion, named Elder Dos Santos, from Belem Brazil, who doesnt speak a lick of english. not one. I was telling you from a long time ago that my first companion would not speakj english, i recievedf this revalation long before my mission so i was not surprised wheni met him. He is a good missionary and works hard but he was hard to get to open up at first. Now we are closer, but it is the other two missuionaries we wrok with that are truly amazing. Theirnames are elder garlick and elder rodrigues, from bountiful and mexico. both are amazing and both speak fluent english. my portuguese iscoming along so well though. I have learned a lot about faith here in the feild and the power of it along with the power of the gift of tounges. I am not fluent, but for a first week missionary, i speaking head above heels over the rest. it isincredible and not something to brag about but something that i am excited to share with you two. Becauseofthis, i am able to communicate well with people. It is still hard to understand but that will only come with time. In sacrament on sunday,yesterday, i was asked to play the organ. they have no musical talent in the ward and nobody plays so when i played itwas very brightful for the members in this ward. My area is called Paranaguá, and my ward is called Samambaia. The four ofusserve the same ward intwo different parts. I probably walk a solid ten to twenty miles a day, my shoes are working great though. The showers are actually warm,most likely beacuase we are near the coast. The weather here isexactly like hawaiis. the second i got off the bus here my first day i thought immediately of hawaii andthatalmost broughtme to tears. its about 90 minuets from curitiba central. Our houseis veryclean and very nice. it has good security and a lot of the houses around here are only tin roofs. i know that i am teaching what many would think is athird world country. sorry as well for the language and typing thecomputers hereare really bad. Mycompanion works hard but works differently than i would. wheni become the senior companioni will work differently. We have a babtism set up for next saturday which iusamircale because normally we dont have babtisms this early. the missinaries we live with are the zone leadersand elder garlick isanmazing missionary who only has 8 babtisms, because the heartsof the people hereare very much hardened. I am sad for the wickedness of this people too, and i am learning to love them quicklky. I am goiung to try to send pictures now, i love you and sendme questions for next weeksemail as well!it gives meidas of what to write about. i love you both. Never forget about me. i miss youmore than you know and cant wait to see you two again.

-Elder Matthew Arscott 

June 5, 2017

Hello and Alô to everyone!

My mission is honestly one ofthe most amazing experiences of my life and i am so grateful to be able to be here. I am sorry first off that I have not been able to get my group email set up sooner, and that I have not been able to write, The mission is very busy and i have been limited in my time to email. This is my first week out in the feild. I have been called to serve in the costal city of Paranaguá, here in Curitiba South. The weather here is exactly like Hawaii and it is a really third world area. I love my first companion, Elder Dos Santos, who doesnt speak a lick of English.

Para Meus amigos Brasilados: leia baixo in português.

Today marks two months for me in the mission, sorry i havent been able to keep anyone but my close family updated, its been a very busy two months focused on learning Portuguese and getting settled. I wll not try to write too much as to bore you, but my first email will definitely be big, since i am updating you on some of the big things that have happened to me in my experience here in Brazil over the last two months(: After this, i will keep everyone updated in a smaller email in my week to week. For those not wanting to read all of this, i will break it up into parts. I have had many things happend to me over the past 8 weeks as to change my life and i would love for you to read a little about this at least.

My CTM experience and district:

I had the opportunity to serve as a District leader of our large district in the CTM. My district included Elders Eddington, Cannon, Lott, Laney, Guthrie, Rupp, Mackley, and Sisters Johnsen, Cluff, Hurst, and Atwood.All will amazing and different spirits. My companion was Elder Eddington, who is an awesome missionary and made adjusting to the mission life easier for me. I also met lots of other friends who have changed my life including Elders Bangerter, Harvey, Shumway, Blount, Williams, Chaves, Silva, Marhino, the Ramires brothers, Roshdahl, Kelley, Paxton, Snow, Francis, Esteves, Dutra, Waters, Zinn, Kotter, Saunders, Garner, and Lima. I had amazing instructorsand the Language flowed through faith and the help of my friends. I had opportunites like prosolyting in downtown São Paulo, a city bigger than new york, and teaching fake investigators, all in Portuguese. The senior couples in the CTM helped a lot too. especially when i got really sick. I also have a funny story about basketball. Also i got to see my friend from Hurricane, my hometown, Sister Behrman in the CTM, and spend four weeks with her.

Doctrine: 

The past few weeks i have recieved more personal revelation than i ever have before in my life. I have learned so much about faith and christlike attributes nd the importance and power that they bring to us. Irmão Duran, my instructor, was a huge help in fulfilling that, along with President and Sister Grahl in the CTm. My portuguese is recieved through the gift of tongues and im so grateful for that. 

Field: 

In the feild i had the opportunity to have my first companion be an Elder by the name of Dos Santos, who doesnt speak any english. i Live with elders Rodgriguez and Garlick. Rodriguez is from Guadalajar MExico and Garlick from West Bountiful Utah. I am serving in Paranaguá on the coast and the weather is just like Hawaii and its winter here. Our water went out for three days drinking and five days without shower so i was showering with a bucket which was an amazing missionary experience. I laughed after because i never thought i would do that in my life. We attend the gym everymorning now and life is good. My first babtism will be this Saturday and i am so excited for those that we are teaching as they grow in the gospel. 

Experiences:

A lot has already happened to me in my mission so far. It has strengthened me in every way and i am so grateful for my trials because of how much im growing. I have:

Prosolyted in the rain

Been denied/cried/been homesick at times

Walked probably 20 miles a day

Gotten sick from the food once

Learned how to speak protuguese and so much more.

Driving here is crazy too, luckily i dont have to drive. I learned how to do that finger snapping thing all misionaries learn how to do too. I play piano for our ward, Samambaya. All in all i have ben strengthened. I am not here for me but for my Father in heaven and the people of brazil. For all my friends, family, and other elders, Read D&C 18:10-23. This is what our purpose is as members and missionaries. 

For my friends:

I miss all of you so much and im so grateful for your examples in my life getting me to this pint! I miss you all dearly and i would love to hear from you. Congrats to the class of 17 who graduated! (16 is still better) and my scripture for you this week to read is Mosiah 24:14, whether or not youre struggling.

For my priesthood leaders:

Thank you again for all your examples, your jobs are not always easy but so worth it. I see how your hand in my life is helping those in Brazil as well. I think of many of you often, including your teachings.

To my Family/Extended Family:

I miss and love all of you lots as well. You are all in my prayers and your needs and concerns. Remember the importance of Eternal Families. I have come to learn a lot about this and used it a lot as i teach others about theirs. For my family and anybody ese that wants to: Read 3rd Nephi 18:21 about families.

Para meus amigos Brasilados:

Eu estou tão bom! Em minha missão, estou servindo em Paranaguá. O clima aqui é oi timo, e amo as pessoas aqui também. Faz dois meses eu estou em minha missão. Faz dois meses eu estou no campo. Eu tenho saudade de vocês! Meu Português esta melhorando! Minha experiencia aqui em o campo é loco! Mas, eu amo este areá, e minha companheiros. Meu primeiro companiro é Elder Dos Santos, de Belem. Nos vivemos tambem com Elders Garlick e Rodgriguez. Eu tehno em pesquisador eleito. Ele nome é Filipe. Ajente vai batiza nesta sabado. meu testimuhno é muito forte, especialmente com o dom de linguas. Atraves do espirito santo e ajuda do senhor, eu estou falando com poder e cumprindo meu chamada como missionario. Avisa-me como esta suas missãos! 

Forte abraço, -Elder Arscott

I add my testimony that the church is true, the spirit is real and is with us when we are righteous and im so grateful for it. I am grateful for this in my life! Next week my email will be much smaller. I love you all! Keep winning the day and the Church is true!

With Love,

-Elder Arscott

July 3, 2017

On Mon, Jul 3, 2017 at 11:57 AM Matthew Josef Allen Arscott <matthew.arscott@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Dear Family and Friends:

It is said that it generally takes Six weeks of a time period in a certian enviroment to get used to a certain or any given situation. 6 Weeks in the feild and i finally am starting to see the reality of that. This past week I improved left and right in the language, learning many new concepts and I love the times that i feel confident in speaking to people, like i do with English, but with Portuguese.

Transfers: Last Night, Sunday the 2nd, we recieved our transfer calls, we four in our house are staying the same, which i am so excited for. We recieve a lot of new missionaries in our area this week though and i look forward to that. 

English: I am helping my Companion, Elder Dos Santos, and my other friend, Elder Rodgriguez with their English a lot. In turn they help me with my scriptural reading in the Portuguese Book of Mormon, which the language is very hard, just as is in English. Elder Dos Santos and I work on basic words like "Bike, Run, Talk, Man, He, etc." while Elder Rodriguez and I work in the scriptures where i help explain the conjugations and definitions of words such as "Thus, Thee, Thou, etc." and I love teaching with that. Elder Rodriguez says all the time that he isnt fluent in English though I tell him he is (And he is, having the ability to hold down any conversation fluently) with this, last night i had a special experience with him: While waiting to recieve our transfer calls, we were in our house around 9:00. Elder Rodriguez wanted me toteach him about doctrine, somewhat as just a time filler, so i did, and afterwards told him to teach me... in Enlgish. We opened with a Prayer in fluent English and Elder R. then continued by teaching me about Nephi and the promises made to him through the Lord, all in perfect English. It was a spiritual experience and hit me on a personal level as i learn the language of Portuguese, and know the kind of triumph that is.

Anniversario: This week we had the opportunity Wednesday night to celebrate the one year in the mission anniversary with Elder Garlick! I will include pictures, he burned a tie, and we had Pizza and sang and had a jolly old time.

Leadership/Investigators: We have one solid investigator and this week we are so excited to see the work move forward. The lord will always put those in our path he needs to in a certain time, and its all about his will and not our own in the work out here in Brasil. Tuesday night i went on splits with the companion of Elder Alvarado, who i went with on splits last week. Elder Pirerra. We had a missionary leadership exercise and meeting on that night, and with the others out of town and my companion as well, i attended alone with my split. I was able to relate all of our work and even converse with the other priesthood brethren in Portuguese that i know was through the gift of tongues. I was so grateful for that. A true miracle and i even laughed after with my companion on how it wasnt me but the spirit speaking through me. 

Por meu Português amigos: Eu estou preparando todos as dias em minha missão continuar servindo o senhor. Este semana nos estavamos trabalando muito com nosso pesquisadores e os membros também. Nos celebramos a anniversario de Elder Garlick por um ano na missão com pizza e cantando! No terça, nos frequentamos um reunião com outro membros na ala sobre trabalho missionario. Eu espero todas as coisas são bom come vocês especialmente em sua missãos em Brasil ou outro lugars em a terra. Este semana meu mensagem espiritual é sobre obediencia. Leia em D&C 41:5 sobre nosso instrucoês com nosso conveinos. Firme e forte! Eu amo vocês!

Thought of the week: I hope that all will be able to read my Spiritual thought for this week. I encourage and invite all to pray and ask for strength with obedience, we are instructed through prayer that temptations will weaken when we pray and are obedient. (3rd Nephi 18:15) Anyone of any age, young or old, under the direction and influence of leadership of any kind, whether through church, work, or school: Willingly obey and follow the council of your leaders (Hebrews 13:17) Members of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are instructed to "Recieveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple." (D&C 41:5) This week remembers our obedience to those we owe favor to, and also remember our freedom to be able to choose such through agency. 

I wish you all the best week and a Happy Fourth of July as well!! Love you all!!