November 18, 2011

Oh yes my FBI clearance, thank you. I actually got my travel plans already so they were telling the truth when they said that they were going to let my travel without it. It was pretty funny to see my whole district get travel plans last night because everyone went nuts. And last night was the first time i felt like i am on a mission. These last 8 weeks (yeah its been 8) haven't felt like i was on a mission but now it is starting to feel that way. i'm pretty sure it will really set in once i actually leave. so i'm leaving provoat 2:20 pm on monday november 28th and then going to Dallas. In Dallas is probably the only chance i'm going to have to call home and my layover there is from 5:20 to 7:40 i think. So thats when i'm going to call home on Monday November 28th. Then after Dallas we head to Sao Paulo, Brazil and thats a 13 hour flight so we get there at like 9 in the morning or something and chill there for 4 hours and then fly the last two hours to Paraguay and get to pararguay at like 4 in the afternoon on Tuesday. Pretty crazy. I'm excited to go to Brazil but not excited to spend four hours in a country where everyone sounds like they are speaking spanish but I just can't understand it. We have a friendly (at times) relationship with the portuguese speakers here in the mtc. spanish and portuguese are so close to the same that we argue about which language is better. last night though i asked one of the portuguese teachers what I should say when I get to brazil and he said "yo quiero coshina" or something like that. I guess coshina (there is a tilde on that n) is a really good fried sugary dough ball or something. I'll try it i guess. maybe. So that has been the highlight of my week. Other than that this week was basically the same. my spanish is getting better still but very slowly nowadays. we are learning the subjunctive tense and it is difficult. its just more conjugations. and after reading what you wrote in spanish, mom, it looked really wierd to me for some reason and i couldn't figure it out but then i realized its because you were using the tu form and in the mtc we are taught not to because in the mission field you will always use the usted form. so thats all we practice. i know how to use the tu form though and it just looks like too many s's for me haha. and in spanish you laugh like this "jajaja" since there is no h sound it would just be "a a a a"

Katy and Tawny are still cheering? woah that seems like its been going forever. thats cool that they are going to California though. Florida would be so cool too though. I got letters from Drew, Dad, Sky, You, and marly this week so you all can expect a letter back. and if you are my friends reading this if you sent me a letter i'll send you one back today too.

Estoy animado por la oportunidad yo tengo compartir el evangelio con la gente de paraguay. ojala puedo dar un libro de mormon en el aeropuerto en texas o brazil jaja. probablemente no brazil. no se que decir. jaja. yo siempre olvido a decir cuando estoy en la computadora. estoy limpiando mis ropas ahora. yeah i really don't know what else to say. lo siento. i'll be able to speak better spanish on the phone.

les amo

Vance. 

November 11, 2011

Hola madre.

lo siento pero mi carta esta semana es solamente en espanol. jajaja solamente un chiste.  Translation: I'm sorry but my letter this week is only in spanish.  ha ha ha only joking.

So this week was pretty much the same as every other weeek. nothing really new to say. But! I have been in total spanish mode. This week in my district its consecration week, entonces i have only said probably 20 words in english all week. starting last monday. its pretty cool that i actually can survive here in only spanish. i love it. its been tough though. i can't really talk about things that don't pertain to missionary work because i don't know how. so i have been a little more dillegent this week because i didn't know how to talk about things that would get my off task. except for "yo quiero a dormir." i'm good at saying i want to sleep. but its been a good week. i had the chance to talk to actual non members this week! it was sweet. they were people interviewing for an "acting investigator" job here at the mtc and so us as missionaries were part of the interview process. its so tough to get a job here. so we asked them all these deep questions about there life like "what does love mean to you" "what do you think your purpose in life is" and "what do you believe happens after you die" remember this is only in spanish. so the catch was i wasn't allowed to teach them. i was only allowed to ask questions. that was way tougher than you think! all 3 that i talked to said that didn't know if there was a purpose to life and that nothing happened after you die! Its nearly impossibe to not start teaching them the plan of salvation! i tried to word my questions around so that it was like i was teaching them but it was tough with my limited amount of spanish knowledge. that experience was really eye opening and it heightened my desire to talk with people like that all the time. and another question i was supposed to ask them was "have you ever come in contact with the mormon church?" one person was like "never" and then i was like "where do you go to school?" and then she said "BYU" and i about said "abrie su ojos!" (open your eyes) but i didn't.

anyways, i got your letter madre and i will write back a hand written one today.


Before even reading this letter, I quickly replied, knowing he was sitting at the computer:


I love you so much!


Within moments I got this:


i love you too! jajajaja espanol.


Then I tried again:


It is like we are having a real conversation. I'm crying now!  (The tears were slowly falling down my cheek)


Then one more response from him:


no mas no mas. esta bien. yo voy a hablar con tu en como 2 semanas. no more, no more.  It is good.  I am going to speak with you in two weeks.  any news on my fbi clearance? i'm really getting off the computer for good now. lo siento. i need breakfast. le amo.


This mama started off her Veteran's Day on a good note!  Happy Veteran's Day.

November 4, 2011

Hola! I'm looking forward to a package! Hahaha Send the coat to Paraguay although I might never use it there. I have a lot of books and stuff that I have to take with me and I am not sure how i'm going to get all my stuff into my bags as it is. So the sweaters, two of them work really good. And I let one of the other elders in my district use one of them and I use a different one. And its crazy that you told me not to wash them because I totally almost did. But i didn't so, esta bien. I sometimes think of things I could use here and then totally forget to ask you about them. Anyways, mountain dew por favor. and a cameblack bladder. I will use it. I'm always dehydrated here and I don't know why. I play soccer for like 1 hour a day 3 times a week. Thats the extent of my physical exhertion.

 

I think its so funny that you are friends with Elder Rodeback's mom. He isn't my comp but he is in my room. Good guy. Haha yes, that phone call home will be good. I'll have to practice my spanish because everytime i get on the computer I plan to write something in spanish but then i forget everything. Just know that I do know a lot of spanish and I teach lessons to "investigators" every day in spanish. We have a thing here called "TRC" and every tuesday we go to a different building and teach lessons to volunteers who aren't pretending to be an investigator. They are just being themselves as members of the chuch but in spanish. most of them are returned missionaries. anyways, we teach them and they write feedback and last week me and my comp got a paper back that said "Thank you for bringing my closer to Christ through your lesson. Both of your spanish was great, especially Elder Johnson." That was a huge confidence booster for me! But I know that the Spirit was present in that lesson so I know it wasn't only me talking.

 

The empty fridge seems all too familiar. But you gotta love those PB and J's. I remember during my Junior year literally eating at least 4 of those a day. 2 right after XC practice in the morning and then 2 for lunch. Then I would usually come home and eat more after school. And I'm still only at 150 pounds. I have gained about 5 since I've been here so 155.

 

I just taught a lesson on the Sabbath day and it has strengthened my testimony on it. I love the day of rest. In spanish it is literally called " La dia de reposo" So yeah, although I think I appreciated it more during cross and track last year. Especially in my peak weeks of running 60 miles or more a week. That is when I appreciated sunday the most.

 

Anny! I will write you and Derek a letter this week. Probably today, so expect it in the mail monday or tuesday I think. I'm not really sure how fast the mail goes.

 

As for pictures, i'm glad you enjoy them. I will send my memory card of 200 plus pictures right before I leave the mtc. so like 3 weeks. 3 weeks!

 

I love you too mom and I look forward to this email all week. and I like your dear elders too.

 

love,

 

Vance.