Week 46 - Birthday Day week!

Mom,

How are y’all doing?? Golly I am turning 20 this week... It is to crazy. I am nervous about it I don’t know why. But it is all good. I love Sunday’s as well! Well especially when I was at Grandma and Grandpa's because it was just a relax day, and y’all know I love Round Valley. I can seriously live there forever. But anyways, my Sunday was great as well. Church went really well… Michael and Amanda came to church. Michael is getting baptized on Thursday!! I am so excited! I have no idea why all of the sudden these baptisms pop up but I am more than grateful for the opportunity to teach these wonderful Tennesseans. So Michael is having his baptism on Thursday because his schedule on Saturday doesn't work out. And you will think this is funny... Friday won’t work because everyone is going to the football game haha! I thought it was kind of funny, but I am crazy too. But so that is why he is getting baptized on Thursday. RIGHTEOUS!

Yesterday we went down yonder to Smyrna, Tennessee to switch for exchanges. So right now I am with elder Moser, who is from Sacramento, California. But we will switch back on Wednesday.

This past week was a good work week. Did some more tracting and contacting. Mowed some lawns and found some Less Actives and will start visiting them!  An older lady in our ward came up to us and asked if we could   teach her friend.  She also said that her husband is in active and would like us to talk with him. I am glad that the ward is working with us more and more. If every area was like that missionary work would be way easier haha...

We had an amazing lesson with Amanda! It was pretty awesome. I had given her my conference Ensign from last October, and she loves it. She is starting to post things on facebook from the Ensign! I was so shocked when I saw it haha. But she is progressing and is praying for a baptismal date! So she is moving along.

Michael was having some hard times last week. More girl drama than anything.  And you know dad and those sorts of things. And I think I am becoming like him more and more haha.  I had a very good talk with him about how all this drama stuff is not from Heavenly Father.  Heavenly Father has given us this gospel to fight the forces of evil. And then I had a brain blast and just had a sweet visual lesson with him on the chalk board. He really understood it and thanked us so much. I am just so honored and grateful that I am here In McMinnville Tennessee at this time in my life helping those come unto Christ. It is an amazing blessing in my life and a privilege. Honestly a mission does more for you than you do for the Lord. It seems like you try to give it you’re all each day and in the end you get so blessed.

I love all the pictures! Oh man do I miss camping on the beaches, and the white mountains. Elder Whitney is doing pretty good. He is getting pretty trunky though haha. But he is respecting me and is doing the best he can. He really got into the work last week. He really does care for the people we are teaching. I am hoping that it sticks with him. He is a great elder. Another interesting companion but I know I am to learn a lot of lessons from these 6 weeks. Ii am sooo excited! I am almost to the top of the mountain and I will work even harder this next year! I am so thankful for you mom. You are just straight up amazing. You do so much for me and I am grateful for that. And I love all y’all! Thanks for all the support and love and prayers! I miss y’all so much and love y’all with all my heart! Have a great week!

Love your son

Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 45 -- My 2nd Baptism

Howdy Y’all,

Well I am doing pretty well. This week was pretty rough but well worth it! I am trying not going to focus on the bad things, but at the beginning of the week it was pretty humid and the sisters needed the car so we let them have the car most the week. We did A LOT of just contacting and talking with people.. I may not be the best at contacting but I think there are better ways to get to teach people. But it's all good.

 We had a zone meeting this week and it was really good. I got to see Elder Hyde again and that was fun. The zone has set a goal to get 22 baptisms this month..... And we had our first one Saturday!!! Yeehhaww! It was great! Well... it was kind of scary at first because Diana totally missed her interview, but we were able to get her interviewed on Friday. Saturday I think I was a little stressed out because I wanted her baptism to be an amazing experience. And it was. It was a very spiritual experience. I was able to confirm her on Sunday. It was my first! I thought it went well.

I love a missionary's life is. It’s always on the go always changing. I think I have found my calling as a missionary. To get struggling missionaries to cheer up, man up, and work hard. Sometimes it’s hard for me but choose to be happy and lift my companion up.  It’s what the Lord wants me to do.

I am excited for this week.  One, we get the car, and two, its just going to be a great week. Michael is still on the go for getting baptized on the 25th. Last week I showed you some of the things he has been saying, and it has blown me away. This Gospel is truly changing this 21 year old boy’s life around. And I am so grateful for this opportunity to be on the Lord's errand to help his children come closer to Him. Michael is going through some tough times but I know through Jesus Christ and his atonement he can get through it all. And he knows that as well.

Well Elder Whitney, my new comp, is from California! He tells people he is from Modesto.  I know you and Dad lived around there so y’all might know where that is. He has red hair. He is hilarious. He is super old as a missionary. But I am going to make his last transfer a good hard working transfer. He already loves McMinnville and is way excited to serve here. I got him worked in when we went to visit Bro Smith. And he is a hoot. He raises goats and cows. He knows I want to raise cattle when I go home, so he gave us a tour on his 150 acre land. He has two dog herders and they are the coolest things ever! Bro Smith is amazing. He is too funny he said to come back because he needs some help on the farm. We might get Michael to come with us. That would be good for him.

So funny story I think I am one of like 5 missionaries who says yes sir no sir yes mam no mam. Or have manners at all. And these past couple weeks I have been getting lots of compliments about it. And I say that's the way I was raised. so thank you for that. Thank you for all your prayers. I honestly feel them each day. I am so thankful for my family. I have met sooooo many missionaries who complain about their family.  I got to get going but I love you so much. And miss you and the family so much! I am so grateful for all that you do for me. I hope y’all have a great week!

Love your son

Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

P.S. The pictures shows that I am rubbing off on Elder Zinkand, he wants to be me ha!!

Week 44 -- Transfers - Staying in McMinnville but with new Comp

6 month mission marker by burning a tie...did not get it done until 10 months out

Looking out over the front porch at the Hoyles house in McMinnville

Service Work...on Bro Deals golf cart behind the farmer's nursery

Hey mom,

I am doing great! Can't believe that this transfer is already over! We got calls on Saturday and I am staying and Elder Zinkand is going to Nashville. I am getting Elder Whitney, and this will be his last transfer. So in missionary lingo I am killing him off Haha!!!!

But McMinnville is great! I love it and I am so glad I get to stay her for a few more months. Our investigators are doing great! Yesterday it was announced that Diana will be baptized on Saturday and I am so excited for her. It feels like I have done nothing and she is progressing so far. She reads and loves church. She fits right in with the ward which is really good. The Hoyle family, one of my favorites, pick her up for church and drop her off after. And Sister Hoyle is going to be picking her up on Saturday to help her get ready for her baptism! The Hoyle's are amazing.

They have my dream house.. It is so awesome. Brother Hoyle is a cowboy and we talk about his bull riding days and they are awesome. He has a horse named Cricket and on Saturday they invited us out to eat supper with them and do some service. Well my service was to brush Cricket and rub him down with fly stuff. It was so good to be close to a horse again. I definitely know what I want in life... But anyways! I have an amazing story.. I am still in shock that this happened and is continuing to happen..

Thursday morning we go walking with a recent convert.  We get back to our apartment and we start getting ready for the day. As we are getting ready for the day we both miss the phone go off, and so I check it later on and see that there are two voice mails. I listen to the first one and it is a guy my aged named Michael and he was wanting to meet with us. He said he was a member of the Church of Christ all his life but he has seen how the Church of Christ has started falling away and that the LDS Church has always stayed strong! He said he just had a bad break up with his girlfriend who was LDS and wanted to learn more. After listening to that I get all pumped and call him right back!... I was on the phone for an hour and a half listening to his story of what had happened.. Little did I know that that phone call had helped him out so much!

The next day we meet him at the Three Star Mall in McMinnville. We talk for a while and he is gaining a testimony dad gum fast. There was this old man, like in his 70's, who saw that we were talking to him.. He came up to us twice and told Michael to read the bible, then another time to read the King James version and not the Mormon version.. But what blew my mind was that Michael said I don't understand how people can be so judgemental of Mormons when they don't even know what they are talking about. If they would read the Book of Mormon they would understand! I guess I just lack faith but that built my testimony up! He asked if we could meet him later on that day at his house.

We bring the sister missionaries with us because they know how to describe feelings about relationships and what not better than I can.  They do a really good job.  Anyways, the lesson at his house was so spiritual.. It was one of the most spiritual lessons I have ever had these past 10 months.  I felt so prompted to tell him about my senior year and all that I went through.  How my dream as a young boy was to play under the lights Friday nights and make it to state.  I told him how after all my concussions I wasn't able to play, but that after Christmas I started to realize how the gospel can change my life. I asked him to commit to be baptized on the 25th! He said to me.."wow the 25th... I know that with Jesus Christ I WILL be baptized on the 25th. I will take state with you brother. You and I will defeat Satan and take state." Coming into his life and helping him progress in the gospel has been one of the biggest blessings of my mission.

So to those back home who are deciding on serving a mission? Go. I would never want anything more than this right now. A mission blesses you more than you could ever imagine. It's not easy, but it is well worth it.

On facebook I have been teaching Michael and he has put up some status that has touched me..

Just got home from Church and Church...was..AMAZING! I have been touched by everyone's testimonies.I have met great people along with making new friends.But what really happened today...was I fallen more in love with the book of Mormon.I am finally happy that I have not just found myself but something that I am only doing for me and for no one else but Jesus Christ.And I am proud to announce,that on Saturday,August 25th,I will be baptized into Jesus Christ and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.Last week has now past,and my negative ways and negative world and attitude is now gone.God has told me to let that go,and I am glad I did and won't regret it.Thank you Missionaries and Sisters for making this happen.Thank you so much.I can't wait for 3 weeks from now.I will be there every Sunday,I promise.Now to rest and look forward to this week and seeing how everything goes. Thank you Vaughn Perkins! I promise that I will not back out of this decision I have made no matter what happens.On August 25th,We're winning State! 

Mom and Dad,

This last week has just been a spiritual powerhouse. It has been awesome. I know I am being overly blessed for my obedience and commitment to serve the Lord. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of my favorite quotes is "The gospel of Jesus Christ changes bad men to good men. from good men to great men."

I know that He lives today. That he runs this church and that there is a prophet on earth today! The Book of Mormon is true! A man can get closer to God by reading that book than any other book! I love my family so much! I love y'all so much! I love Tennessee! I am so grateful to be able to be a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am so grateful that I have been called to represent my Savior Jesus Christ to help people come closer to him. Time is going by to fast and I give it my all every day.

Well I love you so much mom! And I love the rest of the family as well! Thank you for all the support! It truly does help me out so much! I miss y'all tons an love y'all tons!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins