Week #23 ~oh no oh no oh no

Family,

This week was just a little different. 

On Wednesday we went to interviews with our mission president.  It felt like I was going to show my report card to my parents.  I was kind of nervous because it was my first one with him and each interview was about a half hour long.  You couldn't hear anything that was happening inside the room.  There was a long wait for the interviews.  There was a chair right next to the door that everyone called the 'hot seat', which is the next person to get interviewed. 

When I got into the room with President Weston, he told me a lot of things and one was to write my own book that is like the book 'Hearing the Voice of the Lord' but with my own incites and thoughts about that kind of thing. 

On Friday we were volunteering at Skate land and I still had not used that $200 gift certificate.  So I had kept it in my wallet and while we were volunteering at Skate land this guy "R" who we know from Skate Land has been going through a lot of financial issues and told me he was flat broke.   He said that he just needs to trust in the Lord for what happens next.  I  thought that it would be the perfect time to give him my gift card.  He couldn't believe it at all and thought it was a joke and we had to convince him about 5 times before he believed us. "R" was super ecstatic and was very happy, I felt really good about doing it and helping him out.

We also volunteered at the elementary school this week for a member who is a teacher there.

Love,

Elder Vance

Week # 22 ~What a terrible feeling!

Hello All,

This week has been pretty good so far. 

Elder Elison and I have been getting closer every day and we really have been a great team with teaching and backing each other.

So on Wednesday we went to Omaha and I actually saw something taller that a few stories tall building,  The city was weird and foreign seeing it.

On Sunday we went and visited a investigator with a baptismal date set for February.  We went over there to teach him some more lessons to prepare him for the interviews that were that week.  We were going to put some blocks on his computer so he couldn't look at anything inappropriate and we found out that he has been looking at a ton of pornography of all kinds and for hours on end on his computer.  When we saw this we got off of it and after a few minutes he came come, ( he is 13 years old) and we confronted him about the porn on his computer.   We told him how addicting it can be and how destroying it can be to him and his family.  While we were talking to him he was continually trying to distract him self with everything.   We talked with him a little bit more and left.  Later that night at around 9 ish, we got a text from him saying that he doesn't want to get baptized and wants to wait a few years before he makes a baptism date.

We were pretty devastated.  Later at the apartment, Elder Elison asked me to give him a blessing.   When I was saying it I knew what to say and was saying things that I had not previously planned to say.  After the prayer we were both really feeling the spirit and that ended our day pretty good.

Thank you all for the super cool birthday gifts and for the various songs of happy birthday to me.

 Love, Elder Vance

El

           

           

Week #21 ~I feel OLD!!

Dear Family,

Nothing super fantastic happened this week because of transfers this week.  Except for my birthday!  I'm 20 years old and today I feel my teenageness leaving me at a very fast rate!

I have had an interesting personal experiences.  During church yesterday, I was thinking about repentance. Suddenly I felt a giant weight that was hanging over me, I could still move around and everything but the weight was hanging onto my spirit weighing it down heavily.  I thought to myself  why even sin if you are going to feel like this?  This experience was just a moment of feeling it but it gave me a giant in site into what it really does to us when we sin.  It was a real blessing and I hope it will help me be a better missionary.

That was my Sunday-Love you all,

Love Elder Vance

Week #20 ~I can't feel my toes, or my feet, or by body!!

Wa hooo.....Gosh dang!! It’s cold out here!! 

 I woke up to -8 this morning and the low today is around -30.  Every time I breathe in, I can feel the cold go down my throat and freeze. 

So here is a little about my area right now.  Mainly, it is still the same, no one ever moves into or out of Shenandoah, but we have been exploring the rest of our area that we never visit.  I don't know why we never have.   We were going around trying some doors and guess what happened?  

We have four new investigators! 

One of them is this guy named William J. He is from Africa and he is the most interesting guy ever.  He was attending the LDS church and wants to be back.   He used to be a very heavy BoM reader but has stopped now, he doesn't know why. He was telling us that back in Africa, he would come up to white people and tell them to give him their car keys and they would because he was pretty intimidating, meaning he was tall and super muscled.  He was very cool and we got along well.

  

New Years Eve and day, we spent most of the day visiting less actives, member, and recent converts families.  These are the families that can’t/don’t ever come to church.   We got them a little excited that it was New Years Eve, a couple of them didn’t even know that it was New Years Eve. That went great and we taught a lot of lessons.  As for us, we stayed up until our bedtime and went to sleep.

Last Sunday, both of us fasted for three meals and the spirit was amazing.  That was how we got inspiration for our four new investigators. Amazing time here in Shenandoah!

Love,

Elder Vance

Week #19 ~WHAT IN BLUE BLAZES!!

Hi Family,

This week has been very slow because of Christmas, so almost everyone was out of town and no one was home.  Because of this we got very few teaching appointments in for this week.  But the best thing that happened this week was skyping my family!!  It was so awesome to see them again and to talk to them!!

Something very startling happened on Sunday, the first counselor for our ward had a giant seizure during church and right before sacrament happened.  I had my head down and was thinking about some people we could visit that we have not visited in a while when I herd a very loud scream.   WHAAAAAA!!  My head shot up and Bro. G (the first counselor) was yelling very loud looking straight up and then fell off of his chair and started spasming and he had bit through his tongue  and lots of people came rushing to help him.  We called the 911 and had an ambulance come and get him.  After that we went to the hospital and gave Bro. G a blessing and hung out with his son and some close friends. I think we helped comforted them and lifted their spirits.   After an hour or so, they sent Bro. G home and we went back to church.  He is home and doing well.

CRAZY Sunday!

I am Happy and Healthy...

Short on time sorry,

Love you all,

Elder Vance

Elder Vance Listening to a Christmas Concert by Tyson on Clarinet

Family together again!

Elder Vance & Elder Elison opening presents Christmas morning

Week 18 ~ Another Church!

 Hello All,

Christmas Zone Conference this week was amazing.  Remember the talk about the Atonement that I was writing?  Well, Sister Weston, the mission presidents wife, drew names to decide who would read their paper.   Everyone, including me was hoping not to have to stand and read their paper aloud.  All the elders around me were chanting Vance- Vance- Vance,  luckily did not have to read mine.  SIster Weston kept saying only 3 more about seven times.  We heard lots of Atonement talks some were very good.  There were lots of  great talks and instruction and it was a lot of fun.  

Then jump to the week end....

OK, I have to tell you what happened the last two days.  Which are Saturday and Sunday. 

Saturday, we moved a ton of things out of a members home in Red Oak.  It is about 30 miles away from Shenandoah.   We helped out four of the sisters missionaries that serve there .  It was about 17 degrees and I was in my Wrestling hoodie and jeans.  It was freezing but I was moving around so much I stayed warm and it was kind of like our morning workout.  After we finished with the move we got their old pogo stick for helping them, we haven't tried it out yet.  A little too cold and a little too icy for pogo-ing

Then towords the evening we had to go caroling with the sisters  (heavy on the HAD) and a member around the neighborhood.   We didn't have any where to change into our suits,  so we had to find a place to change.    Wouldn’t you know it, we had to change in a Kmart bathroom. It was a very interesting situation to change into a suit in a very small bathroom with your companion and hope no one comes in while you are changing.

Sunday, for the beginning of the day it was normal but at 10 o'clock we were invited to go to a friends church.  This church was the Methodist church.  We had the opportunity to talk with their pasture of the church.  We talked to him about our church a little bit and we also asked questions about his church and how it was set up and what they believed.  It was very interesting and we talked with him for about 2 hours.

Love,

Elder Vance

                                                             Christmas Zone Conference

Week #17~ Well, well,well, what do we have here??

Hello All,

So this week was just plain weird and very exciting.

On Monday we went to the Kanesville Elders apartment and hung out with them for p-day.  We found out that they had 10 pieces of foot-long small pvc pipes.   So we got there and we asked them what the pipe was for and they showed us by blowing the Nerf sticky darts at us really hard using. They continued to demonstrated on us and they shot very hard. It hurt alot!!! So… then it was open war between the four of us for about 2 hours.  I got shot in the butt, ear, nose, cheek, forehead, back, and teeth, and pretty much everywhere else on my body.  P-day or should we have called it Nurf war day!

During the week we went out for visits.  We try to schedule out who we want to see and meet with.  We teach lessons about things that come to us through the spirit.  There is no order, we just know what to teach them when we are planning for the day. 

On Friday, we had the most interesting food we have had yet.  We were at a less active members home.  It was warmed soft tortilla shell with a square piece of cheese in the center of it and a piece of breaded chicken that was cooked put in the middle of the tortilla and then covered in a very good sauce. It was soooo goooood!  Then we watched the testaments with them and made the husband cry.  It was very spiritual moment.  He is not a member. 

Saturday was a normal day for the most part we did service projects most of the day and drop-in visists on less active members to see if they needed any thing. Right before bed,  we decided to try out some of the more advanced functions on my camera.   My companion did swan dives onto his bed and I took a 60 frame per second picture of him and it looked like he was in slow motion, it was pretty awesome.

Sunday.  We had a new investigator come to church all by him self and we haven't even met him yet.  We taught Gospel principles class that day.  My companion has been playing a joke on two of the sisters in our ward making them think he is really from Australia and not from Utah.  So in an Australia accent he attempted to teach Gospel Doctrine.  During the lesson this new investigator told my companion that he was a very beautiful man and his accent was awesome and that he should be a movie star. !???!  Not sure why but we had a great lesson. 

FYI_I am healthy and feeling great.  I am writing a paper about the Atonement and need some ideas.    Would you ALL share your thoughts with me? 

So that was my week with a lot of service and visits in between!!!

Tell Preston nice job for loosing so much weight!! Keep up the great work!

Love Elder Vance

Thank you Mom and Dad  for everything that you do for me.

Love,

 Elder Auston Vance

Elder Vance  & Elder Elison Wishing you a Merry Christmas