Week 43 --- Bike crashes and HUMIDITY

Hey Mom and Dad!

I am doing pretty good! McMinnville is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO humid now! But still is great. Yesterday we got to teach Elders Quorum and that went pretty well. I think this week was a lesson learner for me. I am just doing my best each day and giving it my all to the Lord.

Amanda Perry is still doing okay. She is just trying to adjust to a "Mormon life". But slowly and surely she will accept the gospel. We weren't able to have a meeting with her this week because her ex husband and stuff is just causing chaos. But the gospel is true....

A week or so ago we were walking back to our apartment complex, and this lady was sitting on the stairs and she said I need to meet with y'all. We started talking and set up an appointment for this week. We went over there and had a pretty interesting but awesome experience! We set a baptismal date for August 4th! She is so excited to be baptized too. Her name is Diana Mccray. Elder Tondevold taught her but she said she just fell away for a bit but now she is back. She came to church yesterday and she loved it! The ward members treated her and her kids so well, the primary president placed her kids into the right classes. It was pretty legit.

We started our "Less Active" Exodus and it is slow going ha. We are also visiting recent converts and talking with their friends so hopefully we will be able to start teaching them.

Funny story....One day we had been biking ALL day and it was way humid, and we were on our way back home for supper and my companion ate the pavement hard! He was riding behind me and he tried to go in between a trash can and pole and his tire hit the grass. So then it slipped and he smacked the pavement! I felt bad but now it is pretty funny, and he really didn't hurt himself. He got pretty lucky.

We had interviews this week and it was great to talk with President and Sister McKee one on one. They both said that I am doing great and have changed alot since I came out ALMOST a year ago! Its crazy! But anyways I talked to him about how I have been happy, and how I understand why I am put with certain companions. And President McKee told me he puts me with companions that are difficult on purpose.  I know it teaches me a lot. We also talked about how I have only had the opportunity to teach and baptize one lady in 10 months. He said that success isn't based on how many baptisms I have. Its my commitment.. but I already knew that. It just gets on my minds sometimes.  It is good to hear it from the President.  I am grateful for all my many blessings and for what I have been able to do as a missionary.

Devan will have a good experience at football camp. Probably one of the hardest things I have done but it taught me a lot. That is way cool about your missionary experience! I know sometimes people say that want to do things but certain things hold them back. That's when we tell them the blessings that come from obedience. But I know you are doing great. 

I know! I will turn 20 in almost a month! It is crazy! it seriously feels like I just turned 19.. and then a month after that I will have been out a year.. Too crazy. I will just have to work harder this next year! I know I can and I have learned so much in so little time. Well I hope y'all have a great time in California. Make sure to take pictures! And I will do my best to keep on taking pictures! I love you so much and miss you tons. Have a great week!

Love you so much!

Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

A Tennessee hot and humid summer day as a missionary... haha i know i look ridiculous

Week 42 -- The Kidney Stone passed

Mom,

This week was another week just trying to get Elder Zinkand healthy again.... And he is Kidney stone FREE!! We went down to Franklin, Tennessee yesterday and went to the doctors to check on his progress.  I guess his kidney stone had broken up on its own and I guess he passed it without knowing.  He had to get his stent taken out, so the doctor had us come back later that day to do that operation. They took the stent out when Elder Zinkand was awake! But the cool thing is, he taught a 1st lesson while he was getting the stent out! Such a Stud! I was laughing so hard when Sister McKee came out telling me that he taught a 1st during the operation. Pretty sweet.

So we are teaching a girl named Amanda Perry. She is engaged to the Stake President's son! Some pressure haha!!!! But the stake president son is less active... So it's hard to have her understand commandments when her fiance is not keeping them. But we are making progress! It is way cool to teach her because she is so sincere! We meet with her twice a week. Since she is a single girl we have to teach her at a park by the river! It's pretty cool. But this week we are going to focus a lot on part member families and less active! There

I love the rain! I really do miss the rain so much! Rain here is different... I cant' really explain it. Its just not the same thunderstorms or lightning storms we have back home.  Actually last night there was a thunderstorm and i just sat there looking out the screen door pondering about life hahaha. It is so relaxing though. But I will always keep working hard out in this Tennessee summer sun and sweat till my shirt goes yellow! Yes, it happens.. It's pretty ronchy.

The town is pretty small. In Tennessee there are TONS of factories!  The people are pretty nice, just the Church Of Christ preachers are nuts... When preachers try to tear down my testimony and beliefs, it only strengthen my testimony. They read through the Book Of Mormon looking for faults and errors. Ways to prove me wrong. But they don't recieve a witness because they don't have faith or real intent. 2 nephi 29! But I need to be Christlike and have patience with them.

The ward is awesome. Lots of really nice people. I do look skinny! I have lost weight. I am around 190 195 right now. But I can't go lift, so I do the best I can in the morning with my push ups ha. I sure miss yall a lot. I miss grandma and grandpa a lot too. I love them so much, How is brandon doing? I hope he is doing better. I think I will write him a letter soon. 

My life is great right now. Learning a lot! I just feel good and tired all the time haha. A mission is spiritual exhausting haha. But it is dad gum worth it. I love it. I love waking up everyday and putting that tag on. I am so thankful I have this chance to serve the Lord! In all reality, I try to do my best each day, get 6 inches better, leave it all out with no regrets and soak in this experience and the things I learn as much as I can. I sure miss yall and love yall so much! Have an awesome week!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 41 -- Kidney Stones and Book of Mormons

Mom!

First! Sorry for taking so long to email! It has been a CRAZY week! To start the story... Friday morning.. I wake up and go to the bathroom.  Then I think I hear something. So I step out in the hallway and hear
"AHHH!" So I run to the bedroom and see Elder Zinkand on the floor, grabbing his side, curled up in a ball. With my mind and body still trying to wake up, I call Sister McKee and try to explain what was
going on as best I could. After the call I gave him a blessing and it lessened the pain.. Days go by...(good song) Sunday night/Monday morning. 1:30 AM. I wake up to "AHHH!" again he is on the floor
grabbing his side! So I call Sister McKee.. no answer.. President McKee.. no answer.. Zone leaders.. no answer.. Then thankfully President McKee calls back. I tell him what was going on and he says
"change into your proselyting clothes and take him to the ER. Make sure to give out B.O.M" So I run and change. Carry him to the car.  Drive and try to find the hospital in this small town and carry him to
the ER and wait until about 5 or 6 am. Turns out he has a Kidney Stone!  I feel so bad for him! So since last Friday we have been imprisoned to our apartment haha. That is why we haven't had the chance to email
till today. And he still hasn't passed the stone but hopefully sometime today he will.

You can imagine this week hasn't been all the eventful.. But a couple days before the whole kidney stone shingdig we had a miracle! We got this referral and turns out like all the info is wrong. But we still try to
go find this guy. The address that we had was pretty good. It took us to the general area of where this guy could live. But it was out in the sticks. But I see this guy down the old dirt road down yonder. So i pull up and ask him if he knows where this address is. He says" that's my house. Oh y'all are the Mormon missionaries! Y'all want to meet at my house or at the church?" There was a Church of Christ building right next to his house. I say "whatever is more comfortable for you"... he chooses the church. So my natural man comes out and in my mind I am thinking he is just going to bible bash with us.. But while walking up to the church I notice he has keys and a quad! Like all the 4 books of scriptures in one. And we had a awesome lesson! He asked a lot of questions which was good. And then at the end of the lesson I invite him to come to church and he says "you know I would love to but, I PREACH at the same time!" I was so shocked! haha so right now we are teaching a Church of Christ preacher. And it is even cooler because he is so sincere about learning more.

I hope you are having an awesome time at Grandma and Grandpa's! I know I sure miss y'all a ton! But I know that I am supposed to be here at this time. And I love Tennessee. I love going
around sharing the gospel. I have learned and gained so much in this short amount of time. I am trying to figure out this whole computer and how to put pictures on it. So sorry if i don't send pictures today
:( but i will figure it out! I sure love you lots mom! Tell everyone hello! Hope you read this soon!

Love Your Son Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins