Week # 44 ~"OH HAIL NO!"

Hello Friends & Family,

Quote from Pres.

"Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is." (Aleksei Peshkov)

I think that we will get a whole family of 4 baptized!!  We are working hard teaching them.  I will let you know.  This week with teaching lessons was very slow, we only got 3 lessons in.

So the rest of the week was interesting, the temperatures were up and down the whole week.   Every day was a tornado warning or severe storm warning with hail.  There were 30 to 70 mph winds with the storms traveling at about 5 to 30 mph.  So all in all it keeps us on our toes.

We had planned a softball & potluck at the park event.  It was to get people to come together and share in some food and fun.   We wanted them to bring their friends and family that are active and not active. 

We finally got our first potluck/softball game started last Friday and it was a total mess.  It started to rain a little bit then to downpour and then to storm. If it was not bad enough, the tornado sirens then went off which freaked everyone out.   We took shelter in a nearby outdoor bathroom which I didn't dare go into because of the smell.  Our rubber bases that we bought at the dollar store blew away also.  After the sirens turned off we packed up and went home and there we found gigantic hail the size of golf balls. We were freaking out about how big they were. It was crazy!

Saturday, we wanted to try something crazy because it might by my comps last week here in this area, so I did the gallon challenge with another elder.  I didn't finish but the other elder threw up three times, we kept telling him to stop but he said he had to finish what he started, it was super funny. I was crying it was so funny.

I am pretty sure that I will stay here because I have not been in this area for 6 months yet. Could you send me some of Hank Smith cds please.

My time is up and I have to go…

I love you tons

Love, Elder Vance

My apartment Grand Island NE

Week # 43 ~ Diggity Dawg

 It is HOT here!!

oh the quote of the day by Pres. 

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony" (Mahatma Gandhi)

So this week was exciting and a little scary,

Monday.  We did our usual, shopping, laundry, hanging out and that kind of stuff.

Tuesday.  We went on a tour of Hornady Guns and ammo factory and it was really cool and we got to see how everything was made including the led in the top of the bullet.  Dad would have liked the tour.

Wednesday.  We had a freak rain storm lasted all day.

Thursday.  Zone meeting and it was ok.

Friday.  We were walking to Men's Ware House that is brand new a few blocks from our house. When we were about to leave it started to rain and hail really bad. It started to storm and we both got our umbrellas and rain coats on and started to run. We made it to a near by McDonalds and we waited there for a ride.  By then our cloths were literally dripping my pants were soaked through and my shoes had water in them. It was like walking in mini puddles everywhere and it took a couple of days for everything to dry out.  I am going into it soon to get pants fixed soon, I will give Men’s Warehouse our info.  Thanks!

Saturday.   Another rain storm and we had a tornado warning for a little bit but nothing touched down in Grand Island.

Sunday.  Was church and we got an entire family to come to church that was investigators!!  The lady has two kids and a husband.  We gave the wife a BoM and she told us that she needs a few days to read and compare it with the Bible.   After a few days she told us that it was very interesting.   She thought that it supported the Bible and went along with it. Everything else that we had taught her about the BoM and the Bible she thought was correct.  She also told us that her last church kind of offended her and so they were looking for a new church to go to.   On Sunday she took her whole family to our church and they really like it.   We were so excited to see them all.  I think they really enjoyed it. 

Have to end now talk (write) to you soon,

I love you tons,

Love, Elder Vance

Week # 42 ~ Bath Tub Bed!

Hello All,

Start off with a quote from The NOM Pres.

 "Be who you are and say what you feel, (from the Spirit of course!) because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

                                                           ~Theodore Seuss Giesel--Dr. Seuss

Any Who.  This week was interesting.

The service project table that we removed the stain from, we later stained it again, the color that the lady wanted it to be this time and it is a dark red color. It’s almost crimson red and she keeps apologizing to us about having us do all of this work on the table. But it really wasn't hard at all.  We just got a brush and brushed it on, it was super easy, oh well.

Sunday.   I gave a talk about Preach my Gospel.  It was the second talk of that day and I took 25 minutes to talk about everything in it and what it does for us.  I was really nervous and my voice was shaking and stuttering and I felt really hot, but towards the end I was talking fluently. After sacrament a lady came up to me and asked me a lot of questions about PMG and I was able to answer all of them.   She even took my advice to pray about which topic she should study about.

Friday.  We decided to go tracting in a new neighborhood that was recently built (recently meaning about 3 years ago) and we got 13 contacts in about 35 minutes.  Contacts are someone that we talk to for a little bit about our church.  Then get their phone number and information for a come back visit.  One of the houses that we were going to knock on I felt really confident and I wanted to do this. I took charge and went and knocked on the house and said with confidence, “we are missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.." and he said, “no” and slammed the door in our faces.  I was like dang!   Some people just don't want anything to do with us.  We just kept going like good little missionaries!

That was the exciting parts of my week. 

We also had a tornado warning in our area, so we took shelter in our bathroom.   Just before the warning went off we were playing catch with a football behind our house and here are some pictures.  We were there for a few hours until the alarms were clear.  It was exciting!  We are safe and sound and I am out of time.  Love you all,

Love Elder Vance

Week # 41 ~Words of the week...Flat & Humid

Hello family,

I am feeling great on the inside and on the outside I am good.

Quote of the week from Pres. Weston 

  "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."

                                                                                                ~Vincent Lombardi

So this week was super rainy & humid & some days were long & some days were short, but full of service. 

This week was not super exciting and not a lot of new people to teach. 

Some of the service that we did is that we got some paint/stain off of a member’s table.  It was really bad; she put some remover on that made her table feel almost like a rubber coating.   It was really black.  So she got some stain/paint remover for us to use to help taking off the remaining stain.   It was is the extra strength kind.  I accidentally got some on my finger, yes we were wearing gloves. It just ate through the gloves. 

Today for p-day we are trying to figure out something fun to do.  But… so everything here is flat and there are literally no such thing as a hill to hike here except one that is man made and it is full of chiggers. As for the sights we could see, we can go to the top floor of the hospital and look over all of the flatness of Nebraska.  That is it for excitement & sight seeing. 

My time is up and I need to go, love you tons

Love, Elder Vance

Week # 40 ~”Pretty bird!”

Hello one and all,

I wanted to start out with a thought from our weekly letter from our mission president. I thought that it was pretty good,

"Map out your future, but do it in pencil." (Jon Bon Jovi) 

I think that dad will know who that is.

So this week was actually pretty interesting.

Monday.  Was of course our p-day, and it was an uneventful day. We hung out at Spanish's apartment all day it was pretty boring.

Tuesday.  We had zone conference today.   We left for Lincoln at 8 in the morning and we road tripped it all the way there.   It took forever and when we got there it was just about to start.  The conference was about families. It was very spiritual all about families and how important they are. I was very thankful for all of the things that you and dad have taught me.  How to sew, how to  iron, how to clean the bathroom, washing dishes, yard work (moving bark and weeding), and a lot of other stuff.  Hard work is important!  All these things have come in handy to know when you are on your own.  Hard work and knowing how to work is a lesson that a lot of people don’t know how to do.  A lot of missionaries were not prepared to come here and be on there own.   So Preston, Makenzie and Tyson don’t complain when you have to work.  It is a great lesson.  Dad I bet you never thought I would say that AHHH!

Pres. Weston also showed us a home movie about his kids and their families.   He said that all of them either graduated from or are going to Utah State.   So I think that it is a sign that I should definitely go to Utah State.  The conference was 7 hours long, we had fasted breakfast and we had lunch there.  We had about 8 missionaries in our car and we were hanging out for a few minutes after we got home.  When suddenly something darted out toward our front door outside.  Some of the elders were chasing it and a Spanish elder dove at it and snatched it and it was a baby rabbit.   It could fit in your hands and it was super cute.  So we showed it to everyone and took some pictures and then my comp wanted to keep it and so we kept it in a metal pot with a towel over it in our bathtub with the door closed, until it got dark and let it go out side.  I though if only Tyson were here, he could have it…. Well maybe!?

Wednesday.  Normal Day

Thursday.  We were teaching J.W, a less active and while we were teaching him he asked to go for a walk.   We went on a walk with him and down the street was a parrot in a near by tree.   We tried to catch it and it flew away to another tree and J tried to help us.   He got on his phone and was playing a recording of an old lady talking to her parrot saying ' pretty bird pretty bird' and making sounds to it and the parrot squawked at us and flew away.  So funny.  We will continue to help him along. 

 Love Elder Vance 

                                                             Zone conference May 2014

Our 2 hour pet bunny

                           My original group of elders and sisters that came out with me. 
                                                    Nine months & NOT counting!

Week # 39 ~So Sew at Sewing!

Hello family,

This week was interesting so I am going to recount it backwards

Sunday.  We finally got more miles for our car so we can actually use it when its our time to use it!! Church was cool.  I was doing a little bit of studying about the millennium during church and I found out a bunch of things and a lot of answers to our investigator A’s questions.  A is our investigator and she is always asking super great questions.  We have been talking about the millennium.   I learned that there will be no death during the millennium and when you get old you will be transfigured 'with in a twinkling of an eye'.  The greatest thing is that everything will be revealed to us: the past, present, future, and everything that is hidden, seen, and slightly understood with be revealed completely unto us.  She was so excited to learn about it. 

Saturday.  We were walking around a ton and we helped with habitat for humanity and for that we pored a ton of concrete.  We had to ware rubber boots over our shoes and a cement truck came and poured a ton of concrete.   We spread it our and around and then smoothed it out troweled it.   Then went to a giant potluck and I have never felt so full and after the food.  Then I played some jackpot football with some of the younger guys in our ward.   While playing that I ripped my pants down the thigh and every little kid noticed and pointed at me and said ' did you rip your pants?!'  So, I sewed them back together and I think that I did a pretty good job at it.   I'm not sure how long it will last but I am thankful that I had watched Makenzie and mom sew. 

Friday.  The Spanish elders came to our apartment when we were not there and hid my rubix ball and I couldn't find it for a couple of days until now.  I found it duck taped under my desk, to give them credit, I would have never found it if I had not fallen off of my chair. So funny!

Thursday Transfers…. I am glad that I am with Elder Bailey again, everything remains the same.

Wednesday through Monday was a normally normal missionary days.

My cold is almost gone, and  I am feeling much better.

Love,

Elder Vance

Week # 38 ~Mothers Day Call

Hello family,

I had tons of fun SKYPE-ing with you guys yesterday!!  It made my day tons better. I love you all!

It’s 85 degrees out side with 50% humidity, which makes it feel like 100 degrees out side. It is really really HOT!   I have sweated through my clothing completely.  I woke up three times through the night soo excited to call you guys.  We set multiple alarm clocks so we can wake up.

Today, we did norming studies, reading exercise then out the door to our first appointment by 10 a.m.   

I am riding my bike a lot but am still in need of getting my back tire fixed.  My companion Elder Bailey also has a flat tire, so it looks like we will be driving to the bike store tomorrow. 

I am learning as a missionary to be patient.  Also great resistance to second hand smoke.  Lots for people smoke here and just seem to blow it in your face. 

We are reading from the D & C ops…we were asked to call D & C by its name Doctrine and Convenience from now on so people are to confused.  Yesterday we were taught in church about the Donkey that spoke.  It was awesome.  You should all find it and read it. 

My companion Elder Bailey is from Monticello Utah.  His mom stills lives there.  He has a ton of family.  His dad lives in Alaska and wants to be a state trooper.  He is the oldest child.  He is so fun and we are great frinds.  Transfers are Thursday, He thinks he will be transferred, we both hope not!  He has been her in GI for 6 months so it is very possible. 

My mission so far is awesome.  Tons of store compared to my last area, and thunder storms, lightning, rain and more thunder for just a few minutes then it is done.  Crazy. 

We tract during the day.  We usually have, or try to have members set up appointments for us.  They will drive us there and stay with us while we teach.  That is preferred. 

Also I need a conversion story from my ancestors, four conversion stories, and one from each line.  So if you could find some,  that it would be super. 

We are teaching this girl named A.  She is super exited about the church.  She has been gone for a month, to a drug rehab program for marijuana abuse.  She has committed to be baptized but she needs some time and work before that. 

We are also teaching a guy and his girl friend.  They are true red necks!  The only problem is that his girl friend is still married to another man who will not give here a divorce.  We are teaching them a lot.  BUT he needs to move out or marry his girl friend before he can get baptized.  He is genuinely interested and asks great questions about the Book of Mormon and the Bible.  I have enjoyed and been able to answer his questions.  They are going to have a baby together, so it is very complicated. 

Another family that we are teaching is a family where the women were sold into the circus when she was very young.  She is married to a man that she met in the circus another performer.  They have left the circus and live in Grand Island NE now.  We are teaching them, but it is a little distracting.  Well… She is the bearded lady.  Yes, full on duck dynast beard.  She usually has it in a front ponytail, like her back ponytail.  She is married to the strong man, who ironically has very little hair.  She still has an agent and preforms.  Kind of different.  But they are fun to teach and very interested.  Can a RS President have a beard?  Maybe you should ask President Uchtdorf?  Any way they are great investigators!

I have enjoyed and been surprised that people, especially the youth look up to me as a missionary.  They almost hang on every word I say.  I just hope I can inspire them and pray that I can say the “right “things. 

We do service 8 hour a week.  We have been building with Habitat for Humanity.  Building pretty nice houses for people who could not other wise afford them.  Everything from floor to roof.  We have no power tools except for one saw and have to hammer and saw the rest by hand.  It have been very fun building walls and standing them up and seeing a home build for way less that it would cost other wise. 

It was super nice to talk to you yesterday. 

I love you guy TONS.   Happy Mothers Day MOM, I love you!

Love Elder Vance

Mothers Day Call -Happy Day!!