Week 7- Georgia is Not Hot

So here I am in the good state of insanity....Oh yes, I am in the State  of Georgia as well. sometimes I take a step back and realize how weird it is to do what I am doing. Well compared to the rest of the world, that is. But then I take another step even further back and take a look at the whole picture and see that this mission fits nicely in the puzzle of life. At least my life. :)

So first, no, it's not hot here. It's actually cold. And windy. And rainy. And this morning it snowed. But I know by summer it'll heat up (at least that's what everyone tells me -.- ) I just hope that comes soon! I like being warm! Second, it is very beautiful here in the south! The first thing everyone on the plane noticed was all of the trees!! So many! They don't have any leaves right now but I hear that it's pretty spectacular once they do. Possibly a little claustrophobic for those not used to them. Being from a dessert where there is, well, nothing all around I'm not too used to trees. But I think I'll manage. If Boy Scouts taught me anything it was how to look at a tree. And occasionally walk around them. And even get stuck in them. But that's a different topic ;)

A lot of you have already heard about my first companion here in Georgia but for those of you who haven't I will let you in on the excitement. My first companion here is an elder by the name of Elder Clark. What's so special about him? Well as it turns out he happens to be my first cousin on my mom's side! I know, right?? I knew we were in the same mission but I didn't really think we would be companions. But when my Mission President told me that I knew my trainer pretty well already I was so excited! No awkward get-to-know-you phase for us! Now it's just the awkward 'Hey, your mom is my Dad's sister' phase... No, it's been awesome! What a tender mercy of the Lord! 

Other than that everything else is pretty much how all missionary work is. Wearing white shirts and ties and knocking on doors. Yup, I don't know if you were aware but that is all that missionary work is. All day. Everyday. For. Two. Years. Haha, well I'm glad it's not actually like that. Only some of the times. And the doors we knock on as Spanish missionaries are mainly trailer doors. That's not a bad thing, it's just a different thing. A whole different culture really. Elder Clark says he feels at home in trailer parks because that's where he gets to use his Spanish the most and he's been out for so long. (I'm actually his last companion. His last and my first, Que bueno!) So sooner or later it will feel like home to me too :)

The area I'm in right now for those of you who know Georgia, and for those of you who don't you can look at Google Maps or something, is the Marrietta Stake. We are in the Cherokee Spanish Branch specifically but we actually cover the entire Stake! Lots of driving! (Ya, we get a car :) ) Love the people so far! All very nice and welcoming of me even with my limited Spanish. I'm both a Greenie and a Gringo! (That's pronounced 'Green-Go' for you other gringos out there.) The food is indeed great! The members like to feed the missionaries a ton! And love to help me with my Spanish :)

Now that i'm in the field I really appreciate even more the letters and emails I get from my friends and family! I can't email back anyone expect my family but I will for sure write you a letter back! It takes about 6 days to get from here to Las Vegas or Utah or ...wherever, but please do write me! check my Facebook for the address! :)

It's all good down here. Have fun wherever you are! Keep me in your prayers. No, I actually take that back. Keep the people of Georgia in your prayers that need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Amor, paz y graso de pollo, (Love, peace, and chicken grease)

-Elder Vance

Week 6- Georgia Bound

We were able to talk to Brandon at 5:00 am this morning while he awaited his flight to Georgia!  It was great to hear his voice.  He is happy and excited to enter the field! It was hard to say good-bye, again.

Brandon's last letter from the MTC

Well, I'll have to make this email breif because I need to do some packing. Yay for going into the field! Like thousands of missionaries before me from the first Samuel Smith to the great friends I have who are on their missions today I will be embarking on the real journey of missionary work! :D

The MTC is a great place. Those of you preparing to enter in I ask that you do so with a mind ready to obey, a heart ready to love, and a stomach ready to eat! (No really, be prepared to eat lots. Man, that ice cream is good)

Am I excited? Sure am! Ready? Doesn't matter cause I'm going no matter what! There is a chance that my cousin will be able to train me seeing as he is in the same mission that I am going to right now! But even if not, I will get to work! :)

Con todo el amor de me corozon.

-Elder Vance

Continuing the Legacy

Last week here in the MTC! I leave for Georgia next Tuesday the 19th in the early morning. Am I excited? Yep! I'm I ready? Sure thing! Can I speak Spanish?? Claro que si! ......Mas o menos...... I'm not worried about the language. I'll just give it my all this week and arrive ready to really learn it en el campo (the field)! The MTC has helped me better understand my purpose as a missionary, which is 'Invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo..', to invite all others unto Christ. As long as I truly understand that idea, there is nothing that can completely stop me from serving faithfully to the end! Sure I might be slowed down by a few things here and there, but never completely halted. 

Thinking of that, i'm reminded of the film I was able to watch last night. 'Legacy'. I had never seen it before and all I knew was it was about the pioneers or something. And ya, it was. It was about the struggles, challenges, doubts, hopes and testimonies had by the few members of the newly organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of course some of the acting was a tad cheesy, but it was still really great! It painted the picture for me again of how much trial the followers of that supposed prophet Joseph Smith faced. Settling down in one place for enough time for a mob to be organized against them. Looking for their Zion through the mud, rain and frost that fell over the graves of their children and siblings. What faith! They never stopped! Even now as I type this short summary of their experiences I am feeling the same way when I as watching it last night. My heart swelled and my eyes watered as I thought back to the actual people, the actual families that were knocked back forth as they did what they felt had to be right! Some may have fell by the wayside but the for the most part they showed their faith and unshakeable conviction in the their Savior Jesus Christ and his newly formed Latter-day Church. I pray that by the time I die I can say that I had even an ounce of the faith that they had then. 

Well that was the spiritual message of the week from me! :) Please keep all the missionaries around the world in your prayers as we keep all of you in ours. 

Con Amor,

Elder Vance

Week 4 - Two Weeks to Go

Two more weeks in the MTC to go for me! My district is now the oldest one in our Zone. we are now the top dogs. The big cheeses. The BESC (Big elders and sisters on campus)! Or at least we think we are. 

Things are the same here at the MTC as they have been for the past 4 weeks. It is warmer though. And the snow is melting away, but you can never really trust these Utah skies. one moment they are all, 'Hey, I'm sorry for dumping like 3 feet of snow on you as you walk from class to class. Here, I'll be sunny now.' and then 'On second thought, nahh, I feel like being a jerk. Here is some more snow and ice. Enjoy!' But it seems like the good weather is sticking this time. At least for the first 6 months or so in Georgia I won't have to deal with the cold. Just the hot, sticky, wet air that makes it feel like your in a steam room all day. Obviously the better weather:)

One change is that I am now the District Leader for my district. Pretty neat, huh? Being a successful missionary has nothing to do with position but I'm glad to accept the position and it's few responsibility:) The most important being getting the mail. Missionaries can get pretty vicious when they don't get their mail on time.  O.O But I think I can manage.

Great devotionals this past week, as usual. Last Tuesday Elder M. Russell Ballard came and spoke to us! Very exciting! We always speculate which general authority it will be on the Tuesday devotionals so when we heard it might be him we were skeptical but when the MTC President and everyone else on the stage stood up as we were singing we knew someone important had jsut walked in. He spoke about Preach My Gospel and what it really was. He stated that it was just a tool to allow us to speak the information and knowledge that we already had from our many years in Church in a simple, clear manner. Great speaker! Great Spirit! :) 

Nothing more that I can think of needs to be said now other than keep up the good work being you and I'll keep up the good work being a missionary! :)

Hasta luego!

-Elder Vance

Week 3

So here is yet again another email from that one redheaded elder you may or may not actually personally know but still seems to want to share his mission experience with you. :) I realize by now that it can get somewhat repetitive if I keep making my MTC emails basically the same, 'Yup, its my 3rd week and I had good times and felt the Spirit. Bye' True, but I won't do that to you. I'll try and change it up a bit.:)

So this past week one of the Elders in my district got a concussion. Fun way to start out an email, right? Well The story goes (I wasn't there but I've heard it enough times to know it pretty well) that this Elder, Elder A., was on his way along with his companion and other Elders to the Gym for morning Gym time. He's a basketball player. So were the other Elders. As such, he was getting them pumped up for there game which was soon to occur. While walking to the gym he turned and began walking backwards and started pretending he was guarding another Elder in a game of basketball. He got low, arms wide, ducking side to side. One big duck and turn later. WHACK! There happened to be a metal pole right in the way of his head. Down he went and Up his companions and friends went (in intense laughter). So yes, the Lord protects his missionaries...Just as long as they aren't being, how do I put this lightly, stupid. He was only bed ridden for about two days but he's fine now.

On a more spiritual level we were able to watch 'The Testaments' this past Sunday. If you haven't seen it before it's an account of certain people in the Americas around the time before and during the visit of the resurrected Christ to the Nephites. I thought the 'Joseph Smith' movie got me emotional! I really love 'The Testaments'! The spirit is very strong whenever I watch it. I get pretty teary eyed. Not that everyone is supposed to get emotional when they feel the Spirit but I seriously can't help it. But I'll take that as a blessing from Heavenly Father:) (I also get emotional when I watch The Prince of Egypt....Man, i'm going to watch the stuffing out of that movie when I get back......anywayyyyyyy..)

Hope all of you are doing great in whatever phase of life you are in! I'm continuing to progress and get better as a missionary in general and with the Spanish language. I am going to try and immerse myself more into it by speaking more as to be more prepared for the field! :D

Hablare con ustedes ...umm....later!

-Elder Vance

Week 2

Week dos! (That's '2' for all of you non Spanish people out there) In the middle of my second week here at the good old MTC :) One main thing that I have seen so far with my experiences here is that it's not as bad as some people make it out to be.

"It'll be the longest day of your life, trust me" 

"Just make it to the first Sunday and you'll survive!"

Those phrases and others like them were constantly put into our brains by Elders and Sisters who had been here for a few weeks. In all honesty though I didn't have to 'endure' the first few days or 'just make it' to Sunday. I enjoyed it lots actually!! :D Yes, we have had long class hours and long days dressed in church clothes but I really don't mind that. I love what we are learning and I love looking spiffy in a dark suit and tie all put together by a nice shiny tie-clip and a black name tag. So incoming Elders and Sisters, don't be worried at all.

I'm not sure how you guys imagine the MTC life to be like, y'know, apart from the classes and devotionals. My cousin Jessica described her mental picture of it as a bunch of kids sitting in their dorm rooms crying over being home-sick and scared. Well it's actually not like that at all Jessie :P The best way to describe it would be to say that it's like living with a football team. (One of my roommates was actually on the BYU football team! Redshirted for his mission, though.) But it's just a bunch of really cool Elders hanging around with each other telling as many jokes, quoting as many movies, and messing around just as much as a typical college dorm. At least the BYU type of college dorm. Everyone is super nice and when it comes down to it everyone has a strong testimony behind their eyes. So I hope that helps your imagery of the good ol' MTC. :)

So through it all, even if I do feel a bit exhausted by the end of the week the Sunday devotionals and movies are a great break from the work! This past Sunday we heard from Brother and Sister Littlefield who work in the MTC as a part of the recommendation process. Their talks were great! They spoke about how miracles can happen through your faith. Mormoni makes it clear in the Book of Mormon that God is still a God of miracles and that people 'don't see them' today only because of the lack of faith some people may have. Great mission stories and other examples made for a great devotional. Afterwards we watched the Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration movie. Love that movie so much! I can always, always count on it to bring the Spirit into my heart. :)

I feel like so much happened that I wanted to say but I can't seem to think of much more at the moment. It's pretty cold here. Just in case you wanted to know that.. I do so enjoy wearing a big missionary coat. :D

!Buenos suerte! in all your journeyings in life! :) Thanks for the love, letters, and prayers :) Please send more of all of the previous! :)

Your favorite redheaded Elder in the MTC going to Georgia Spanish speaking,

Walking on walls.  Walking on water comes later.

Gingers of the MTC unite. 

The crib complete with Tongan companion.

How we learn Spanish.

Black name tag worn proudly!

 Alter Ego

Elder Vance and his posse at the temple

First Email!

Hola!! Como le va?? Estoy muy bien aqui al MTC!

So as you may be able to tell I am working on my Spanish. :) Form day uno my classes are completely in Spanish! But what better way to learn a language than by immersion?! My companion is Elder Roberts. He's a super chill Tongan guy! We've been able to get along very well with each other as well as with our other two roommates. 

The district I am in is also the bomb! (Can I say that as a missionary??) My teacher could not be any cooler! He really reminds me of a Spanish speaking- John Bytheway! He loves us a lot and we all love him back! We are his first district he has taught before but he could easily have been doing it his whole life! He wants to become a social worker and help abused and neglected kids. What a great example of how to use Christ like attributes in your life! He makes learning Espanol very, very fun.

I have been able to experience two actual missionary lessons and yes they had to be in Spanish. The 'investigator' was a teacher who played a Chilean woman with three kids. Ana Maria! The great thing about her character is that Chileans speak very slowly!! It is still somewhat deficil (difficult) to understand some of the things she is saying we did very well from my point of view! :D

Thus far I can pray and give my testimony is spanish, two great things to use in a discussion! I am continuing to learn more and use it in my daily conversations. The first day we were specifically told, 'If you can say it in Spanish, you are FORBIDDEN to say it in English!' And of course, that was told to us in Spanish. what great work i'm involved in!! 

I have loved my experience in the MTC so far and yes I do really enjoy the food! It is such a great experience to sit with 3000 Elders/Hermanas (Sisters) and sing 'Called to Serve' or 'Praise to the Man' together! We enjoyed a great devotional yesterday and a film of a talk Elder Holland gave at the MTC back when Gordon B. Hinckley was the Prophet. What a great speaker! If you thought Elder Holland got eccentric in General conference you have to see him speak at the MTC! Just a few quotes from him are:

"Salvation is not a cheap experience!"

"You are not at liberty to be disobedient! (As a missionary)"

"It is His work, so you have to do it His way!"

"Don't you dare waste these two years! You will never again get an opportunity exactly like this ever again in your life!"

"For these next two years you will be closer to what an Apostle of the Lord is like, as myself, then you ever will be again."

"Go and astonish somebody!"

- Elder Holland

Everyone felt so pumped for missionary work after that talk including myself! :D I have loved to see so many of my friends at the MTC and know that they are strong in the gospel and out here for the same reason as I am. They really stress the Missionary Purpose here. Mi Objectivo! Invite others to come unto Christ! With the spirit I know that I can 'astonish' someone as Alma the younger was astonished by an angel! I can speak with power and authority if I have the Holy Ghost with me. 'Obedience brings blessings' is a popular phrase here but one i like better is 'Obedience brings power!!'.

Yo se que Dios es nuestro Padre Celestial. Yo se que Jesuchristo es nuestro Slavador y Redentor. Yo se con todos mi corazon que ustedes pueden saber si ustedes pregunta Dios en el nombre de Jesuschristo.

I know this was a long letter but really this is shorter than what I could have written about my experience so far. My spanish is not even close to being good but I will continue to press forward! Don't look back when you have started pushing the plow! 

Yo amo a todos!

-Elder Vance