Week # 58 ~Día de amigos!!

Dear Family,

How are you, I am doing pretty good.  My knee hurts a bit but, I am still walking!  I had a slow week in numbers but a fun one none the less.  It’s crazy to think Big Shawn is home!

I have learned this week that blessings and faith come from where you least expect it.  Like in my last area with the boy who was very ill and in need of healing, I did not even know how grave the situation was but am glad I was there and worthy to help out! 

I have had a super great Sunday in church.   We talked in priesthood about judgement day or doomsday, as one man called it.  He said, it would be a glorious day for some but a terrible one for the unrepentant.  Any thoughts on the last days?   We also talked about how the Holy Ghost can teach us different things from the same talk or scripture.  I know it was very true, it happens in all our investigator lessons.  When I am done teaching, I always ask what they have learned or what they thought.   It is always a little different from what I thought I was teaching.  It goes to show you, you need to teach by the spirit, He knows what people need to hear and understand, we might not know.  He can use my words and my actions to teach and I am very grateful for that!  It is pretty amazing if you really stop to think about that. 

My new area is great and I am having a lot of fun with my new comp.  We just had a city celebration activity of scones in the park.  With live local bands for the Day of Friends,

Dia De Amigo, it was so fun and such a classic Argentine event.  It was perfect for a new person in Argentina like my comp.  It was a nice welcome for him here.

I love you all,

Elder Vance

Week #57 ~Wiring my own LED Robe...

Hello All,

As for my week, I’m doing great. We are working very hard and trying to get some success but still it’s a slow start. I gave a talk today in Sacrament meeting.  The Branch President asked me last night if I could.   So, basically it was great to have a few hours heads up.  I am always happy to give talks, it is very easy in a branch with only 5 active families.  Variety is not very common here, it is very nice to be able to help the Branch President.  I talked on scriptures and how we should read them very carefully.  We should not only read the facts but look at the whole of the scripture.  We need to ask ourselves why this scripture was chosen to be in the Bible or Book of Mormon.  I taught that every scripture can have a deeper meaning.  I feel like all the stories have one that is slightly deeper than the surface so only the people who are truly looking will find. Then, ponder and pray about the scriptures we have read.  It was a good talk and a good reminder to me as I read my scriptures. What do you think?

I finally feel like I truly know enough of the language and the basic doctrine to become a special instrument in His hands. I now have to teach my companion the same. It’s a great boost in motivation to show my comp the best course to become a great missionary and to help him with his transition. He is a very motivated elder and I am so grateful to have him as my comp!

I like the object lesson dad suggested for our investigator! I’ll use it this week and I’ll let you know how it turns out. I really like the scripture you shared with it. I also love that scripture because it saying how the fool will say it’s not the nicest scripture but it definitely lets the reader know that what they are saying and reading is not in coherence with the teachings of our savior.

I like the answer you shared about Father and Jesus being similar. And how their clothes and hair are illuminated like with LEDs. I just hope I get to wire the LEDs to my robes. Ha-ha. It’s cool how one is like the other in almost all things and because of the tremendous amount of time together tutoring and preparing the Son. I can see something similar between dad and I but obviously on a lesser scale than deity; yet we share similar strengths, passions, drives and desires.

I’m hoping my sneak-attacks still catch you off guard, when you two (Mom and Dad) are in your perfect resurrected bodies, as they do now. And the ultimate question I posed last week of a higher law, I agree with what you said not new laws but a higher, better understanding of them like when Jesus taught the higher law to supersede the Law of Moses. He taught new ones but he also gave a better understanding of the old ones. I imagine a similar process to come.

 I sure do love you Dad and Mom!

Have a great week! Elder Vance

Yummy Argentine Food!

Now we can sleep, the clubs won't keep us up anymore!

Week # 56 ~New Comp, New Flat, New Beginning!

Introducing ELDER CRESS...

Disgusting welcome to our new flat.

Broken stove......#Itsnotstupidifitworks!  

Elder Cress

My new apartment heater.

Yes I cooked it YUM!

My shoes are holding up.  Average 20 miles a day for 14 months...GO ECCO!

3 Liters of chocolate milk

Peanut butter go out and replenish Argentina.

My bed squeaks like crazy so this is all I had to fix it!  Making Due!

Hello all, this is my new comp Elder Cress from Idaho

Happy Birthday America...I miss you!