Week 30 -- 6th month Mark

Good Morning!

I am doing just dandy! How are you all? You know it has only gotten to like 83 or 85 degrees here and you sweat like a pig after 5 minutes... And that has only been a couple days. I am looking forward to when it gets warmer. HAHA!!! The work is great! We had the baptism on Saturday! Sister Elnora Brewer. She was so excited we took pictures and I got some printed out. So I will try to send some to y'all soon.

The beginning of the week was great. We went to Mammoth Cave for P-Day. It was pretty cool. It is the largest cave in the world I think. Or that's what the guide said. Then, we had AP interviews on WWednesday which was good. I got to talk to Elder Tondevold and he is just way too funny. He reminds me of Rhett and Conner Then we spent a day with Brother Higdon...... a 79 year old country man who is just a monster. He belonged to the Church of Christ for 30 plus years until he became a member of our church, 34 years ago. So he says he has been a missionary 34 years and will continue till the day he dies. He took us way out in the country close to TTennessee and just pillaged. We got in the car and he had a pile of books of Mormon and said he wasn't going to feed us supper till we had them all passed out.

We went out to the Amish country and talked to the Amish.  We went to the Amish market and got some stuff. The Amish people are way cool. Brother Higdon just goes around telling people that they need the Book of Mormon. He would be driving down a old back road then see some people down yonder and just swerve across the dirt road! Then he would get out and just walk towards the people and start sharing his testimony. But Brother Higdon is just awesome. I hope to continue to progress and strengthen my testimony and faith as I get older and older.

We also are continuing to teach those AAfrican families! They are just so great! They are so humble and happy. It was about time to go and they fed us supper. It was different but I ate it because they sacrificed that for us to eat. It's hard to teach them because we don't speak Swahili and they don't really speak English but it is going better!

There is a lady in the ward who said that she talked with you on facebook? I think her maiden name was Booher... its terrible that i can't think of her name but I will get her name for next week. 

I have noticed that the small and simple things you say to people can mean the most to them. When you bear your testimony simply and strong, the spirit can touch the hearts of everyone in the room. 

I sent a package to y'all today finally. Look for the Amish surprise!!! Well i am so glad that you are doing well. And thank you so much for all the sacrifices that you make. I am so thankful for you and love you very much. I hope you have a great week! Love you lots!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 29 -- First Baptism Date set

Hey Family!

I am doing great! Bowling Green is pretty awesome! It has a bit of everything like the projects, pretty country and the humble hillbilly people at the border of Tennessee. Elder Rothlisberger and I have set a date with an 83 year old lady to be baptized this SSaturday! Her name is Elnora Brewer.  Her daughter, Sister King just got re baptized two weeks before I got here. We also have been teaching two AAfrican refugee families! They are so fun to be around! They are always in a good mood. Elder Tondevold started his mission here and he baptized a man from Rwanda named Isaac. He went through so much in his life. He witnessed his wife and sister being murdered right in front of him in Rwanda. That made me even more thankful for being able to live in the United States. One thing they say a lot is "No problem. No worries." And if you remember on The Lion King they say hakunamatata. It is so fun to be able to teach those families.

We had a fireside last night. It was a Nashville missionary choir fireside. They are doing it all over our mission. It is like a concert where two elders teach a family and then the other missionaries, who volunteer to sing, sing songs that go along with what they are teaching. It was awesome!!! This is one time on my mission where I'll never forget or never deny of what I felt. Then after the fireside we had goodies and the missionaries went around asking for referrals and we got nine referrals! This morning two members called in and said that two people they knew wanted to be taught the lessons and be baptized! I was so shocked, which is bad I know but so thankful. It was a good way to start the p day.

Well mom I am sad to say but my watch and camera were stolen.... I couldn't find it in Murray and I asked Elder Clark to look and ask around but he said it wasn't there.. I am sorry. I am just upset because I had lots of cool pictures on there. Who knows, maybe it will show up one day in Murray. Besides that I am doing great! I hope that you are doing even better! I miss you and love you so much! and am definitely jealous of fishing and camping BUT am so glad that I am out on my mission! I think I can wait a little longer to do that stuff. Love you!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 28 -- Welcome to Bowling Green

Mom and Dad!

My first week in Bowling Green was great! My companion, Elder Rothlisberger is an answer to my many prayers!  He is just great! He works really hard and has a amazing testimony! and he is from St. Johns AZ! We know some of the same people, talk about the things we did up there and talked about all the lakes and stuff.   Its just great. He has heard of Belshe, but he thinks it is because of Uncle Jake and Uncle Matt. He said that wherever they went to play football... that school was good that year.  He's been to Grandma and Grandpa's Dairy Queen a lot.

We are living in the middle of Bowling Green, in an apartment complex. We have part-time car so we switch off each week. Bikes and walking are good for me.  I weighed myself because I thought my pants were getting a little more snug (they are fine) and i weighed 200 pounds on the dot.  When I left the MTC I weighed about 175 pounds. But members wanted me to tell you that they are making sure I eat LOTS of vegetables and fruits. Bless their hearts haha!!!

Drew's baptism sounded really fun! We go to other families and it reminds me sometimes of our families back home. Sister Harrison took a picture of Elder Rothlisberger and I and sent it to y'all. I look pretty tall in the picture for some reason. We went out with Brother Rienhart and Brother Croxall. Brother Rienhart is a professor at WKU and teaches genetics and biology.   He is awesome. He took us to Chinese the first night we went out. He is a favorite. Brother Croxall was in the air force and speaks like 8 different languages and is a spiritual MONSTER! He is always testifying and preaching the gospel... just a great man. My first day, Tuesday, Johnny picked us up took us around Bowling Green and told his mom that we were coming over for dinner. He showed us around his pretty awesome house and land. He leaves for Idaho on Wednesday. I am just glad I got to see him one more time before he leaves.

In Bowling Green their are a lot of refugee families from all over the world. We are teaching a family from Rwanda!! They are awesome! They don't really speak English, they speak Burundi? and Swahili?.... don't know how to spell either of them.. I thought Grandpa would think its cool to teach African families.  I know he really wants to go to Africa on a mission. They came to church yesterday and they loved it.

Well I sure do love you lots. I miss you tons and pray for you all the time. I hope that everything is going great! Have an awesome week!

Love Elder Perkins

Week 27 -- I am transfering to Bowling Green, Kentucky

Hey Dad and Mom!

I got my transfer call on Saturday..................... I am going to Bowling Green Kentucky!! Home of the National Corvette Museum.  I leave tomorrow to Nashville for the transfer meeting and then I'm headed back to Kentucky. My dream  was to go to Tennessee but the Lord wants me in Kentucky. And I am on his time right now and I'm glad I'm going to Bowling Green. Remember Johnny? It's crazy but that is his ward! I'm pretty excited! And my companion... even more crazy... is from where Uncle Jake played high school football! St. John's!! I haven't met him yet but next week I'll tell you about him!

Uncle Jake emailed me this week too! IT was awesome to hear from him! What he said is exactly what I needed. I feel bad because I don't have time to email him today but I will next week for sure!

The weather here is pretty nice too! It sure is getting humid though ha ha. You walk around outside for ten minutes and you are covered in sweat.  I'm excited for summer.

Conference was awesome too. Saturday we watched morning session with the Greene's but then they had to leave.  We walked down the hill to Papaw's..... and no one is home. We didn't have our car and no one was home. We were stranded out in the sticks in between sessions! Haha!!!! It was pretty funny I thought. But a miracle happened. Our phone worked and we got to call Papaw and he told us how to get inside from some back door. So luckily we made it to where we can watch conference.

That is pretty cool about Danielle and Devan doing good in school and in sports. I'm glad they are having fun. I sure do miss football.  To be honest, it is hard to think about it after the way my senior year in football ended. I wish I didn't have all those stupid concussions. Oh well life goes and life is great!

After Sunday morning session, Gracie came, I said my goodbyes to the ward. Some people teared up.  Brother Hightower told me he was going to whoop me for leaving him.  Haha!!! He is an o'l cowboy that has an accent where pillars mean pillows. It is pretty funny. We helped him out this week with tilling his garden so he and his wife can start planting.  Also this week I got to dig these big holes underneath a trailer to put support beams in. LOTS of spiders haha!!!!

It has been a great time here in Murray. I definitely learned sooooo much! And I am excited for my next journey to Bowling Green! Elder Tondevold said that it is country country, and that the Amish have a community out there. I love it.

Well Mom and Dad I sure do love you a lot! And am so thankful for all that you taught me and continue to teach me. I am thankful for all that you do for me. I hope that you have a great week!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 26 -- It is getting warm

Mom and Dad!

Yes I did get my cushions for my shoes! And they are great!  How are you doing? It sounded like you had a good week. So did i! Time just keeps on going by faster and faster. How is Devan doing in track? and Danielle in basketball? I sure do miss ya'll a lot.

Well this week was "crazier than a bed bug" as people here would say. We worked real hard this week and it was great! Made relationships in the ward stronger which is really good. We went out with the stake president and with our ward mission leader. They are great examples to me. We have helped out the Greene's a lot these past few months and they came to church! And Papaw came to church as well! I fasted that they would come to church and Gracie as well. But, Gracie is a whole other story....

The Greene's have been trying to clean up around there house, so they decided to redo their floors and bathroom. It's a hoot. Pretty nuts but definitely a hoot nanny. They thank us so much for helping them.  I think now I am starting to understand why missionaries don't want to stop being a missionary when they go home.

We also helped Brother Bierman out on Tuesday. I don't know if you remember him but Elder Tondevold and I found him through the ward. He was less active for 30 plus years and we started teaching him all the lessons. Now he is very active and hopefully receiving a calling soon! He says that we are his best friends out here. He is kind of lonely which is really sad. He has a BAD back. So we help him move and split wood.  This week we also went down to the Creek and got big ol rocks to put in the bottom of a pond he is building! This is the same thing that Grandpa and I helped Fernie do that last summer! I guess the things I learned back home help out a lot here on my mission.

Last week we went to Ryan's, a restaurant like Golden Corral but way cheaper. We gave a book of mormon to a worker there. He actually came up to us and asked about the book and said" I wish I had one to read" He was so happy to get a book! He said he would call us when he gets back from his vacation to Africa to see his family. I really do hope he will call back so we are able to teach him.

We were volunteering at a nursing home and I saw they had huge pictures of western things like corrals and cowboy stuff. I was just standing in the hall way looking at the picture and a older lady came and asked me how good was the picture.  I told her about the things I did with Grandpa and how I wanted to get more involved in that when I got done with my mission.... and she said mission? Just from looking at a picture of a couple of cowboys led to a discussion in a hallway in a nursing home. Heavenly Father blesses me so much!!!!! It's hard to recognize them all.

Well last night I saw fireflies for the first time!!!! They are so cool! Today we are going fishing with Brother Bierman and then having a BBQ with the Greene's tonight at the lake! Sister Greene said they we are going to get mason jars and catch tons of fire flies. Haha!!!!!!! I will make sure to take lots of pictures. Well I sure love you a ton! And miss you that much as well. I hope you have a great week! Love you much

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 25 -- Warm weather is coming

Mom and Dad!

How are you doing?? I am doing just dandy! My week has flown by! It feels like I was emailing you yesterday. I think that as we work hard, time just goes by so fast. I can see now how a mission goes by fast. Transfers are in two weeks! Some of the members are really sad about that, but until then I will endure and give it my all! The weather here has been actually pretty warm and humid. The thunderstorms last like 10 min which is a bummer... It doesn't rain long at all. But lately its been about in the 80's and it has been awesome. It hasn't been hot yet and I already have started to sweat like a sinner at church.. I can't wait till summer haha!!!!

Mom that is aweome how you are sharing your testimony with your friend!!! That seriously is so amazing! A lot of members sometimes are afraid to talk to other people about the gospel. Keep on telling her! I think the one thing that everyone loves to hear is that they are loved. That brings so much happiness to people.

Well some things this week... We did the normal of chopping trees and splitting wood. Then for Papaw we started digging out trenches so he can lay down cement. He is building a barn/garage shed thing. We helped Troy Greene, a former member, clean around his land. We spent a long time picking up trash and just junk, tearing down fences, and put it all on a trailer and took it to the dump. In his house he needed new flooring, walls and a tub for his bathroom. We stripped everthing and just destroyed the tub. We took a spliiting ball and destroyed his tub. It was really fun and really good that we were there to help him. Sister Greene took pictures so she will send them to me soon so I can send them to yall. Then Papaw, he really enjoys us and really needs our help. He talks to me about his wife's death. He said when the person your sealed to dies, it makes you really wonder and tests your faith. But for some reason, just me talking to him, helps him a lot. A lot of people judge and think badly of the Hillbillies in Kentucky. BUT I think they re amazing people. It is so humbling to be able to serve them and to be there for them. I have learned so much in these last 6 months that I definitely could not have learned back home. I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve.

Wednesday was District meeting, in Paris, Tennessee. We went to a members home in Paris and it was nuts... I am pretty sure that it is like an add on from pig pens. It was pretty crazy how people can live like that. There were cockroaches everywhere. I had to flick one off of Elder Clark.. But I guess that's why we go around and spread the gospel to everyone. I love you so much and miss you tons. I am so thankful for all that you do. Have a great week!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins

Week 24 -- Looking for the "green" package

MOM!

I am doing great! How are yall? I haven't gotten the package yet.. But i am sure i will get it today or soon. I am excited to see all the green things! haha. Well this week we worked super hard! Lots of tracting and strreet walking! We got to meet a lot of people! The people here are super nice. They invite you in when your walking give you water or some food. Then they thank you for what we do talking about Jesus. But they wont listen to our message cause they are firm in their belief. But you gotta love them. They are so kind. But It is our job to present it in a way where they can recieve our message and they have the agency to accept it.. Sometimes i feel like agency is the best thing and the worst thing haha.

The tornados were all over the mission. Elder Hyde got permission to call me and he said down in Shelbyville, Tennessee he took a picure of 4 funnels forming!!! It was nuts for him! . It has been sunny for most the week till yesterday. That is when it started to rain. It is good that you don't worry because some mothers, bless their hearts, call president and sister Mckee and worry way to much. The Lord will bless us as we are obedient.

The less active work is going pretty good. But............ Gracie commited to be baptized on the 31st! It was an awesome lesson! I called president McKee and he just starting screaming haha. It was hiliarious! She said she wants to be baptized in the lake I know that my work that I do isn't just for nothing. It is good work that we are doing.

I bet you had a good time in Texas. That restruant sounds really good.. The salt lick haha. The BBQ here are amazing too. They make the best food in the south.

I am glad Grandma is doing good! Haha thats funny what she said. I am one of a kind I guess. When it starts to warm up the business will do much better.

We had our zone conference on Thursday and it was great. I got to talk to President McKee and Elder Tondevold! He said he met Taylor Swift and Tim Mcgraw in downtown Nashville. I dont know if he was kidding or not, but that would be really cool if he did. We did some service for Papaw (Brother Beard). He is awesome! He makes furniture and lots of other out of wood! He was recognized by the President of U.S. He told us to try pepsi and peanuts together. I guess its a southern thing and some say its not that bad actually.

I gave my 4th talk yesterday in sacrament meeting. They called me saturday night and i wrote it in the morning. Very stressing haha. But it went well. They saved me for the last 20 minutes of the meeting. It was a long testimony haha. I hope yall are doing great! I sure do miss you a lot! I love you mom with all my heart! Have A great rest of the week!

Love Elder Vaughn Dee Perkins