Week 9 - FINALLY PICTURES

Hey Mom and Dad!

So yes I finally sent the pictures.  I looked so weird...almost Asian in them. I woke up like at 230 in the morning to leave the MTC. So those ones you can not show people. I am working on taking more pictures throughout the week. 

That's good you had a good thanksgiving! I think my favorite times are when our family gets together especially during the holidays. My thanksgiving was great! We just ate lots of food and between appointments.  I also took a nap.  I can not remember the last time I took a nap ha ha. My first one on my mission! I never have time to on my P Days so it was great.  Our first appointment was Sister Sandy Anderson. Her daughter is Whitney and she is going to marry Charlie. Whitney and Charlie feed us dinner every Tuesday night, they are awesome. Sister Sandy Anderson is a great cook! They live in the middle of the backwoods haha it's pretty sweet. But I had Hash Brown Casserole, cheesy Pineapple Casserole, this special gravy, and lots of pie! I know Inever liked pie but I love pie in the south. Chess pie, Key Lime pie, and Lemon ice box pie are sooo good. So after the Anderson's we went back to the apartment for a while. Then we went to the Greene's for dinner. They are just awesome. We got to see there house in the day time for the first time! There house is made up of the 3 different trailers, AND somehow has an upstairs. I don't know how that's all possible but they built it somehow. We got there around 330 but didn't eat till around 7 or 730. Their family is hootnanny, its just craziness there. It is so fun to be there though. They invite us over every Monday night for dinner and FHE. They love having us over. 

I hoped Grandma and Grandpa got my letters! I'm really glad they did get them. I sent your letter and dad and Scott's letter this morning so hopefully you'll get them soon. I wish I could have helped Grandpa more when I was there! I loved working outside! I wish I could have helped built the fence back up. I cleared out a lot of the land where he used to keep the cows. I can't wait to get back and help Grandpa out there. I hope that Devan will go help Grandpa if he gets animals again. I know being up there taught me a lot.  And now I know what I want in my life. It's a goal for me to work towards too. It's a motivation for me right now on my mission. I know if I give it my all everyday I will be blessed right now and in time to come. And then you and Dad can move to the country where I'll live and you can have horses and cows with me! It is going to be great mom. Just wait and see.

Camping in Colorado this summer was one of my most favorite camping trips ever! It was really fun and riding was fun also. I hope you got to see the videos Grandpa took at night around the fire, some of them were pretty funny! haha and the videos of Jace and Noah getting on the horse was way funny haha. Ask grandpa or if you can to email me some of those videos if you could.

Well the cold here is alot colder than Gilbert! But I'm doing fine. I keep warm throughout the day and at night. It has been raining for like 3 days in a row now so it gets pretty chilly out in the country at night. We went through the area book and found a couple who used to take the lessons. And they live out in the country about 15 minutes away. There names are Caron and Raymond, he works on the big farm but they invited us to come back to start the lessons again! I'm excited! and oh my goodness, last night we had a lesson with Gracie and I have never in my life felt the spirit so strong. I made everyone in the room cry cause the spirit spoke through me. Even Gracie was crying, and I was too. But it was my most spiritual lesson yet. Elder Tondevold said that's in his top 5 lessons and he's been out 18 months. The spirit can do amazing things.

The ward I am in is called the Murray ward and the stake is the Paducah Stake. I think its the second biggest stake in the mission. Area wise, definitely not members In Mayfield they had 14 people attend sacrament meeting one time. So that should give you an idea.  

I am so grateful for your letters and emails.  They help through the times of home sickness.  There are few now, but they help.  I know that my faith can conquer my fear but i just got to stick to my faith in Jesus Christ and hold on.  

 Love Elder Vaughn Perkins

Week 8 -- Happy Thanksgiving

Dad and Mom!

I am doing just great! MOM...When you call me sweetheart I laugh because all the older ladies in the south call me sweetheart or honey when we talk to them...especially Gracie.

Well I gave my first priesthood blessing this week! I have anointed tons, but Elder Tondevold pushed me to do the sealing part this time. We gave the blessing to Sister Greene. Her house is out in the backwoods. They are probably my favorite family in the ward. We go out there every Monday for family home evening.

I'll try to explain their house the best I can. It's made up of 3 different trailers put together. There somehow is an upstairs. There are holes in the floor and they put plywood over the holes. They may not have what the world says is good, but they are just so awesome. They literally live in the middle of no where. It's like right next to the LBL (Land between the Lakes). Which is pretty cool. They invited us for Thanksgiving. Brother Greene asked us to help him with his job one day... he was putting up this fence. It's a good thing I learned that with Grandpa and Fernie. I really like doing service, I think it's one of the better parts of the mission.

There are members in the ward who also have asked us to help them around their land. I think this week were going to Sister Murray's place, she signed up to feed us and she said we have to work for it. Haha!!! It's good cause she is a good cook. I think she said she's making fried chicken and corn bread. That is one of the best things I’ve eaten out here. Brother Steinfield lives out in the country and has about 50 acres of land. He's trying to get it all cleaned up and asked if we would help a couple times a month. I am really excited for that. There are these two members named Charlie and Whitney and they are getting married soon and they invited us for thanksgiving too. They make interesting stuff also. So hopefully they have frog legs so I can tell you about it.

But how are you? I will tell you a little bit about P-days.  Today isn't really a P-day we just get to email and shop because they are counting Thursday our P-day. I usually do laundry during the week cause I run out in the middle of the week. We do go grocery shopping but usually just food or stuff for the week. Some missionaries buy like 10 big boxes of oatmeal to last the month then spend their money on dumb stuff. Like one elder buys TONS of nerf guns and then lots of Elders buy magic card games... dungeons and dragons mythical stuff.. I hope I don't turn into one of those Elders.  Haha!!!! I haven't really bought anything except food. I'm would like to start collecting certain things, like I think I'm gonna collect belt buckles...and things for you both, Danielle and Devan. I think I'm gonna buy Rhett a confederate flag and send it to him for Christmas! We get 125 dollars a month for anything really. BUT if you run out you have to stick it out to the end of the month! So I'm definitely learning how to use my money wisely.  Haha!!!! I actually manage my money pretty good so that I have extra money that rolls over to the next month in case of an emergency or something.

We set a baptism date with an older man named Jerry Price. He realizes that he needs to be baptized in order to be "saved" but also realizes he needs to be baptized by the authority of God. We are also teaching This other lady we met while tracting.  She said believed in the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and said she and her 3 daughters would want to be baptized! All in the 1st lesson! We were so shocked but it was awesome!!! Her name is Lisa and her daughters names are Emelia, Leanne, and Tori. Then this week we went on exchanges with the Paris elders and I went on exchanges with...... Elder Perkins! He was really cool and a good missionary. We were looking for this address in this apartment place and this guy came up to us and asked us if we were "like preachers"? He then asked if we wanted or had the time to talk to him about religion.  I don't think that happens ever. His name is Jay and is like 27ish and is in a biker club.  He had the "Sons of Anarchy" patches on his fridge but is in the local club.  It was pretty sweet!

This week we had two older people in our ward pass away. We went to both funerals and I said the prayer at Brother Johnson's funeral. He was 93! We met him before he went to the hospital and he talked to us for long time. He really liked me for some reason so his daughter sister Siefort asked me to say the prayer. Sister Siefort is a great example to me. She is a trooper! Her mom has been in a assisted living center for like 10 years, her Dad broke his hip, got sick in the hospital and passed away, and in that same week her husband had heart surgery down in Nashville on Monday! She is a strong lady.

So I had to give another talk yesterday and teach the lesson in Gospel Doctrine. And you know how much I love doing that. Haha!!! But I am getting a lot better. What stressed me out the most was Brother Munoz calling me Friday night and asking if I would speak, and I didn't have time to write that night. We had a zone conference in Clarksville, (which I think is in Tennessee so you can mark that down on your map) and Elder Hallack, of the 70, and his wife came to speak to us.  So I wrote my talk and my lesson from 930 to 1030 Saturday night. But it went well.

 

I learned a lot at the Zone Conference but had this feeling to talk to President McKee after.  So after the meetings Elder Tondevold and I went to go talk to him.   President McKee said throughout zone conference he felt a strong impression to talk to me.   He said Satan is working hard where the gospel is going so strong. President McKee said that I have been doing so good that Satan is focused on me and wants me to give up.  President McKee said that miracles are going to happen in my mission where I serve. A super cool thing is that in my patriartical blessing talks EXACTLY about all this stuff! I know with all my heart that this gospel is true and continue to learn and grow so much each day! I love my savior Jesus Christ so much and am indebted to him for as long as I live.

I try to be the man you are today Dad. I love you so much words can't describe how lucky I am to be your son. So don't worry for me, pray for me and I'll pray for you. I can feel your love all the way out in Kentucky. Thank you for all that you do.  You have made me so strong mentally and spiritually. I know that Satan will lose. I know that I have the priesthood that Jesus Christ has. I know that what I am doing in my life right now is what I need to be doing and it will prepare me and set me for my life ahead.

Well I'll try to send a letter with the memory card in it today! Hopefully I'll get the package today too. I love you and pray for you all the time!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 7 -- Happy Birthday Dad

MOM and DAD!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want you to know that I love you so much! And that you are the man I want to become when I am older. I hope I will be exactly like you when I have a family on my own.

I am honestly doing my best in everything I do. Missionary work is harder than those 115 degree days in pads during football. I definitely did not think it would be this hard but it is the most rewarding thing I've done in my whole life. Every day I feel like I'm growing up to be a better man. But Dad I will always be that same boy who you see, a young boy with bright red hair who would mess with Devan while you watched us when mom was at work. I will always be the boy who you taught how to become a man, discipline, hard work, love for my family and friends but most importantly the gospel. I love you for that and am forever indebted to you.

I am excited to hear about Thanksgiving at home! I really did enjoy having thanksgiving with all our family together. We got invited to Charlie and Whitney's for thanksgiving. Its actually Whitney's mom whose cooking but they invited us and they make great southern food. Did I tell you about how I ate squirrel?   Well its kind of funny.  We didn't even know till after we ate it.  This guy who made this chili put squirrel and deer meat in the chili and it was actually pretty good!   haha   The same guy is going to make us snapping turtle soon.

I am glad to hear about your goal for missionary work! One thing that the stake here told the members to do is to carry a book of Mormon in your car or in you purse so you can always be ready to give one out if the opportunity happens.

Thank you for getting those addresses! I haven't heard from JD or Jamison since they left, and I was still living with Grandpa and Grandma and the last time I wrote Rhett was right before I left to the MTC. I wrote Grandma and Grandpa this week. Hopefully they will get it soon! 

Johnny Jeskie is like my best friend now. He's 22 but didn't serve a mission.  He regrets it so much but he's actually meeting with President Okuda (Paducka Stake President) about serving now! He said since he's been going out with us he has thought alot about a mission and now is actually thinking about going!

My P-days so far are pretty fun! Today we are going to a funeral instead of having our p day.. its quite sad but we need to go to Sister Mathis funeral. Then after that we are going to the boonies to the Greene's! I love that family...they are so entertaining. On Saturday we watched 17 miracles with them and I think that's my favorite movie now. You guys need to watch that movie!   I almost cried during it, its about the pioneers and these 17 miracles that are true.   Its amazing.

The are some many different religions here in Murray.  There are Baptists, Church Of Christ, Methodists, Catholics, Church Of God, JWs, Pentecostal, and others.  Baptists and Church of Christ are the big ones in Murray. They are so nice and funny. We get invited all the time to go to their church.  We actually have gone to The 1st Baptist church and a Catholic church and it was interesting. 

I hope you are doing great mom and am thankful for everything you do for me. You were the best mom I could ever have and will have for eternal life. I love that quote you wrote me it is such a uplifting quote! and that scripture in 1 John 4... my new favorite scripture is the one above that talking about pure love casteth out fear. I love you with all my heart!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

PS i think ill just send my memory card to you when i write you back this week.  i collected some leaves for you! so ill send that to this week!

Week 6 -- A GREAT Stake Conference

Dad and Mom,

Stake conference was pretty awesome! President and Sister Mckee came up to conference, the mission president and his wife. He seriously has high hopes for me. and the assistant, Elder Adams, he's from Gilbert, AZ too, said that he's heard good news about me and to keep up my hard work. I pray everyday that I can have the strength to give it my all and so far its working. Biscuits and Bluegrass got cancelled.. but hopefully I'll get to serve in Paducah so I can go to that. The members of the stake are awesome they are so nice! I met so many members.

Yeah I've been to Paducah Kentucky like 4 times i think so far. It is so pretty, There definitely are more hillbilly villages out there. The locals call those boonies! HahH.  Next time I'll try to take a picture of the boonies. I was only in Mayfield from last Monday night to about Wednesday afternoon. That is a very small town, but lots of country houses, farms and ranches. And they're really sweet and cheap!

I guess in Kentucky you don't have to have tags to go hunting because a less active member in Mayfield said he killed a deer out in his land. Lots of people have there own ponds. That would be pretty cool if Grandpa got to fill his pond.

Could you call Tami, Rhett's mom, and get his address from him and ask JD's and Jamison's parents for their addresses. That stinks for JD I really hope he recovers fast from his surgery.

Gracie is so awesome! The spirit is so strong that every time we come over.  We all cry.   But for some reason she is holding back. I know that she will come around and want to  be baptized. She actually was interested in coming to church with us this week so I hope she will come!

Elder Barnes was super different. I don't say weird cause you said that was rude to say so i'll say different. He just talked about how he's a ladies man at college and out in the field.  He wants to be a marshal cause he is all bad. He called me to passive and said football was for pansies, while he played a stupid instrument on the field at half times.  But surprisingly I just laughed and said whatever. Sometimes he does get close to crossing that line,  but Elder Tondevold just says some missionaries are just like that and are very prideful.   I'm so lucky to be with Elder Tondevold he teaches me so much everyday.

I got a letter from Conner but not from Scott. There are these flea markets here so I'm gonna look for belt buckles! I don't know what to get Dad for his birthday, I was gonna look at this country home store thing but I don't know. I'm gonna send him something with a Confederate flag wrapped around it!! HaHa. There are confederate flags everywhere and all the missionaries collect different ones. I'm gonna start.

Well I love you so much, and in your letters back tell me some suggestions for his birthday.

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 5 -- Happy Halloween

Mom and Dad,

I am doing so much better this week! Today we are doing exchanges so hopefully the mail will get to our apartment before i leave! I am going to Mayfield Kentucky for a day or two and will be with Elder Barnes. He definitely is very different, but I know this is going to be a great experience for me. I am really excited to go there cause that's a real small town and the Elders live out in the country with a family. They live in this small apartment above there garage.

Our stake conference is this weekend and its out in Paducah. SSaturday we got invited to go to "biscuits and blue grass" haha. Its the ward mission leader up in Paducah and we will have breakfast while listening to blue grass music. Then we go geo cashing, I'm sure it will be fun.

We are teaching this older lady named Gracie and she is looking for an answer for why her grandson had died so young and that he was so close to Christ. She isn't a member but she knows about the Book of Mormon and other stuff.  Last night we were teaching her and we had decided that she is not going to progress if she doesn't have a goal. Elder Tondevold read Alma 34: the last four verses.  It is talking about the fruit of the tree and that's our goal. We said "Gracie one day you will face Jesus Christ and he will wrap his arms around you then he will step to the side and you will see Miles, her grandson, and you will get to live with him forever."  Now she is a strong, not taking any crap, woman, and she started to cry and the spirit was so strong. to be honest I started to tear up to. That definitely was my favorite lesson so far.

I will definitely pray for Mr. Simms.  You know what you might want to do, invite the missionaries over to his house and have you and dad or Brother and Sister Montgomery go to the lessons with him.  I really think that would help and having a member there makes it more spiritual!

It rains once or twice a week, but it does get cold. BUT I LIKE IT BETTER THAN THE HEAT!!!  I think today I am getting another blanket at the store.  Oh and I hope my stories are entertaining cause everyday I see something very interesting.  HaHa. Well I've got two stories to tell you...

First.. we went to some little backwoods group of houses trying to find a less active person who started going back to church. He lives in this super old trailer but he nailed wood around it so it looks like a house. It was pretty weird. The inside was nuts. There were no lights but a big tv with Dish.  There were posters of mythical creatures and scary things everywhere, next to what I guessed are pictures of his family. We went in and I went to sit on his couch, and my bumm hit the floor; so I bounced right back up.  I looked and there was a huge hole in the couch; it was basically a frame of the couch. But I love Brother Barbeau.  Definitely going to all these crazy places makes me realize how important college and how lucky we are as a family.  

Second... we went to a real small town called Hardin and went tracting. We knocked on this guys house and he came out and after we introduced ourselves he said he has been looking for a church to go to because he's trying to turn his life around.   He was an alcoholic and drug addict, but recently sobered up. He wishes he would have been religious like his family because he knows that Jesus Christ can help him.. so we taught him about the life of Jesus Christ, the Atonement and the Book of Mormon on his front porch.   Then the spirit had told me to tell about Uncle Craig, but I was being dumb and saying that's personal and so I didn't. But in my studies every time we talk of him i get the feeling to tell him. So tomorrow I'm going to bring it up if the spirit tells me too. When you have a personal story to tell the investigator it is so much more powerful and the spirit is so much stronger also. So hopefully it will touch his heart and he will act on our message and accept our invitations to church and baptism.

You are so right.  I am so blessed to have the friends I had through high school.  We had kept each other in line and did our best to do what is right.  Well i hope today I'll get your package! Oh...I took some sweet pictures of places where we walked and knocked doors! I'll print them out today and send them to you with my letter.

I love you so much and thank you for all you do.

Elder Perkins

Week 3...Part 3 of 3

Hi Dad and Mom!. 

First, I love you so much!  Thanks for everything!!! Well you are probably wondering about my first Area.  Well I am serving with my companion/trainer Elder Todevold.  He is so cool!  He is from Saskatchewan, Canada.  He is so cool.  He wants to work hard and have fun!  I am very lucky to have him as a companion. 
I am currently in small town called Murray Kentucky.  It is soooo cool!! It is 15 minutes from the border of Tennessee.  It is so amazing and beautiful here.  Lots and Lots and Lots of trees.  And acres and acres of land everywhere.  The leaves are starting to turn all color of red, orange and yellow.  There are no mountains here but lots of hills.  There is a place that you should look up.  It is called "The Land between the Lakes".  It is beautiful.  It is a place we will go to when you and Mom come back with me after my mission.

Today we had a district meeting in Paris.  Paris Tennessee that is..haha!!!! We ate a sweet restaurant called "Knott's Landing." They are well known for catfish, frog legs and other seafood. I had a cheeseburger and fries!!!!  The burger was as good as HO DADS in San Diego.

I just love the accents here.  I wish to obtain one!  HAHA!!! Today we met with the Bishop and his family.  They fed us dinner which was pretty good.  It was salad and some kind of soup...but I ate it.  Down here food is like a religion to people and I have heard that the cooking is amazing.  I can hardly wait!  Tomorrow and Lady named Karla James invited us over for dinner and for us to give her a lesson.

Ok, back to the bishop...He has asked me to speak in church this Sunday.  You called it Dad.  Two crazy things have already happened.  First, last night Elder Todevold and I went street contacting from six to nine.  It was pouring rain so we wore out jackets.  We talked or attempted to talk to with three different people.  One lady ran inside when we introduced ourselves, one closed the garage door on us and this big guy said "I am Southern Baptist.  I love Jesus and I am saved boys!  Good night."  I learned that like 70% or more of the people here are Baptist.

Today was my first time going knocking on doors.  We got rejected several times until we met a guy who was Arabic, Cambodian and Ore.  He said we could come back tomorrow and share our message with him.  I am so excited.  As we were headed back to our car, and guy came running down his driveway yelling, "The devil will rise!  Satan lives!  He then said *&^$%(@%&@(&$*!  My companion just laughed and waved.

I then went home and read this talk by Bruce R. McConkie called "I am called of God" or "How great is my calling."  Then I read 3Nephi 12:11-12.  Read that.  That is an awesome scripture.  After reading the talk and the scripture I know the Jesus and Heavenly Father are proud of me.  I may not be persecuted like Joseph SMith, but will suffer a small amount here.  But I know with all my heart that I am called of God to fulfill his work in the South.  One other talk you should read...A vision of the South by Spencer W. Kimball.  It is great as well.

My PDay is Monday and I will send you an email then as well.  I love and miss you all so much and promise that pictures are coming.

Love Elder Vaughn D. Perkins



Week 4... Part 2 of 3

Dear Brother and Sister Perkins,

A few days ago, Sister McKee and I were pleased to meet your son, Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins, at the airport and welcome him to Nashville. We have been anticipating his arrival for weeks and it was wonderful to finally meet him. We spent two days together and had the opportunity to visit privately in the mission home. During this time, Elder Perkins was with us at the mission home, he had dinner, participated in an initial training and a testimony meeting.

He has been assigned to his first companion and trainer Elder Tondevold. They will be laboring in the Murray area.

Your letters of encouragement will be a great blessing to him. I am also urging Elder Perkins to write to you weekly so that you will know of his well being and experiences he will be having.

We know that as he works with all his heart, might, mind and strength he will have a profound missionary experience. Sister McKee and I are honored to stand beside these tremendous young people in this sacred calling. Thank you for your sacrifice and service. We pray the Lord will continue to bless your family and keep you ever in His watchful care.

Sincerely,

William L. McKee, President Tennessee Nashville Mission

Vaughn, President McKee and Siter McKee

Elder Tondevold and Elder Perkins