Lower Lights, Ice Cream & Racism

I'll be sure to devote some time to an email to Josh today. It's important that I give him what advice he can get... Leaving home is a hard thing, but I think he'll be better off than I was considering that he's used to being away from home/girlfriend/etc. The thing that will be hardest for him I think is the cultural adjustment. No matter where you go, it's pretty darn drastic!

I love the hymn "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy". It's always been one of my favorites as a missionary... And I think I can say that I'm kind of a "lighthouse person." What I mean I guess is that I'd love to live right on the ocean with a lighthouse nearby. It's just the most appealing thing in my mind! So then when I picture people hurridly "burning the low lights", it just touches me. You would think that a single light on the shore of a massive coast would be the most insignificant thing, but to those battling the waves, it's life-saving. It's such a powerful metaphore for the power of one righteous individual! Never should even the humblest of persons discount their spiritual power and potential.



Today was a sweet day! It was super P day at the beach! We had a lot of fun soaking our feet in the waves small ;-). The closest thing to swimming in two years! The sun totally flogged me though. I get a lot of "Washingtonian" comments from these other American losers who, for whatever reason, just can't get sunburned! It's all good fun though. I'm so proud to be from the Pacific Northwest! It's the only place I can call home (after Sierra Leone, of course).

We played, ate, soaked in the sun, and enjoyed. We went with Elder and Sister Krumm back to their apartment afterwards (just me and Elder Willis), and they took great care of us. They gave us REAL ice cream! Elder Krumm said that he'd try and find you and Mom on Facebook so that you could see some pictures. They're pretty sweet! I couldn't help but remember our family vacation to Hawaii. The beach was exactly like the ones there, on the sand here was a little more coarse. A good day!

As far as other things that happened this week, my appointments to get new glasses took a hefty chunk out of our teaching time this week. This past monday was P day, Tuesday was district meeting, and afterwards we had to travel all the way to town, and basically consumed the whole day with getting the examination and things. They next day, wednesday, we had to do the same thing, but in the end, I got some pretty sweet new specs. I got a black plastic frame that makes me look like Elder Svongwa, so I like them. They also tint a little in the sun, so it's okay for my eyes.

The thing about the whole experience that would shock you is just the pure RACISM that the people at that hospital have! Their eye examination pricing was as follows:

$500 Liberian Dollars (around $7 USD) for a Liberian citizen
$35 USD for a foreign black
$45 USD for a foreign white.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? I was pretty darn outraged. Truthfully spoken, one of the things that I will love so much about being home is NOT being noticed for the color of my skin! That's one of the only things that I've truly detested about being a missionary here in Africa: Being white!

After that, it was some pretty standard teaching. We had a pretty funny experience where we were teaching a woman about the Book of Mormon, and when we pulled out a copy to hand to her, she recoiled in fear! It was hilarious. She had heard from her church that it was a daemonic book, and that those that read it become in correspondence with dark spirits. We dispelled that. She took the book, and paused in silence for a moment. When she spoke again, she said: "God says I must not lie. My name isn't Fatu [like she had told us]. My real name is Esther." She said that she was genuinely afraid that if she gave her real name that we would take it to the church to give to daemons to come and find her. Oh man, it was funny! People say the darndest things about us.

Well, I'm running out of things to say. Things are good, the work moves onward. I am pretty sad that exchanges have to be conducted tomorrow, because I hate being away from Elder Willis. I na mi best padi. We work so well together. It's just been so surprising to me to see how two men from very different upbringings and interests could grow so close as friends. The church is so very true!

Love you all so much!

Elder Vaughan

Sweet L-I-B vs. Salone, Obedience & Being Perfectly Happy

You should cancel that order on the glasses! Sister Krumm is taking me to the eye clinic here in Monrovia tomorrow, and I should have my new specs by Friday at the latest. Sorry, but I don't think you can beat that time. Sister Roggia says that she'll handle all the receipts and things so that it's covered by insurance. If you have any questions, I guess you can email her. I can get it here much faster than you can send it, and I can get a more accurate prescription. According to what I've been told, it'll cost less than $200 for everything here (for an examination and a pair of glasses), which I think is less than it is at home, or roughly the same. Thanks though!

I thought I told you not to send me more packages?? o_O I really don't need them. We have a DVD player in our apartment for training videos that we can use to watch general conference when it comes in a week or two.

Uh, and I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but my mp3 player was stolen three weeks ago. I beg, don't send another one. It's not worth your time, effort, and money. If you feel so impelled to give me something, just put the money aside and take me shopping when I get home. ;-) Really, my mission is coming to a close, and I don't have an addiction to music like I used to. Just focus on helping Josh. Really, I'm okay here. The only thing I'll ever ask for again is some money to travel home with, and I'll ask for that in like 4 months when the time draws close.

Um... The difference serving here as opposed to Sierra Leone? I don't really know... The work is essentially the same. The people are very similar. The only differences lie in things like the food and the way that people talk. Admittedly, I miss Salone so much. Liberia is nice, but I can't call it home. Maybe with another 6 months here (hopefully I will have gone back to Salone instead) I'll change my mind. But yeah, the work is basically the same in almost every way. We walk in the hot sun, we get made fun of by little children for having white skin, and we baptize. It's sweet.

As far as being in a different country than the mission president, it puts a lot more pressure on me, especially as a leader, to be obedient. There are quite a lot of missionaries here who can't handle being perfectly obedient. In fact, I just got out of an interview with President Roggia not even 30 minutes ago. He gave me a pretty hard time about eating monkey... I guess it's not okay. Yeah, the Spirit kinda nagged me small that it was a bad idea, but I've repented of ignoring that warning. To be fair, we could eat monkey every day and not know it. I also ate a boa constrictor a few weeks back, but the Spirit had nothing to say on that one... Maybe it's 'safe'? Anyways, as a Liberian missionary, you have to be SO committed to being obedient, and not just because there's someone else over you telling you that you must. Obedience is an act of faith for us.

Anyways, not a whole lot else going on. Just work, walking, talking, growing, and all that jazz. I'm perfectly happy. Love you! Have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Stepped on a Nail, Broken Glasses & Book of Mormon Teaching

We're going to see Wicked when I get home? Oh yes!! It's the perfect way to be welcomed home! Then we can go see The Hobbit as a family. Oh boy, it'll be awesome! I can't wait! As much as I hate to think of leaving the field, I really am excited to one day be "home" again.

I really don't have much to say this week. It's been a little more discouraging these past few days. I stepped on a nail (that REALLY hurt), broke my last pair of glasses, and am just feeling weak in general. The work was a lot more demanding too, with fewer people coming to church. No worries, I'm well taken care of. It's just been a little hard on me, which in turn will be for my benefit.

I guess in terms of "profound" teaching moments, the highlight of the week was with our new investigator by the name of Kollie. He stopped us one day and asked us to come back another day. We did, and as Elder Willis and I usually do, we taught our first lesson which is on the Book of Mormon. We emphasize this rather than the Restoration as a whole because the Book of Mormon is usually a pretty difficult thing for people to grasp and accept. So, we resolve all issues surrounding the book first, so that anything else we teach afterwards is credited. If the book is true, then everything else is too. It makes things simple. Teach them one principle and extend two commitments rather than eight principles and five commitments. (Teach B of M, invite to read/pray versus teach God is our loving Heavenly Father, gospel blesses families, dispensations, life of Christ, great apostasy, restoration, Book of Mormon, revelation through the Spirit, then invite to read/pray/attend church/be baptized/specific date. Yeah, easier to digest for sure.)

Anyways, I guess it wasn't anything that big, but I guess it was just in the way that the Spirit helped me and Elder Willis explain the book. Seldom do we have people who completely understand it right off the bat. Well, I felt like we had some exceptional guidance, and it went really well. Nothing really miraculous, but it was good.

Remember the sister that we so boldly invited to keep the law of chastity? She's being baptized this Saturday. It's going to be a special day for me and Elder Willis. :-)

Alright, that's all I have energy for. Love you all! I can't wait for our time together again! 6 1/2 months!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Life as a District Leader, Real Pizza & Sweet Monkey Meat

First off, my letter to President, since you all seem to like it:

Hello President!

Another fantastic week in New Georgia! My gratitude in being trusted with another six weeks here with Elder Willis is overwhelming. Both of us are just so happy to be here! Our relationship just continues to deepen as our love and understanding for one another does.

The coming week is a very exciting one for me and Elder Willis! We have up to five candidates that we have thoroughly prepared for interviews in the coming weekend. We're so excited for them! They're all people that Elder Willis and I had found and taught from start to finish. The others that we have had baptized before were just leftovers from the previous missionaries. It's so sweet to see our labors coming to full fruition!

The work is going on very well these days. We just teach and teach and teach! I'm just so happy to be blessed to stay with Elder Willis for another transfer. I would have been pretty upset if it hadn't been the other way. We're dedicated to making New Georgia a shimmering gem in Zion! Elder Willis and I would like to say that if we were kept here for six months, the branch could be prepared to split! It's just phenomenal here!

I guess our only other hinderment is lack of materials... The 'mission wide shortage' of Restoration tracts, and more particularly, our shortage of copies of the Book of Mormon will make it hard to focus on the year's theme of Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Restoration. Hopefully the Lord will bless us with a speedily replenishment.

Not much more to say I think. Just joy! Sweet, irreplicable joy! Thank you for your endearing support!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

It's difficult to pin EXACTLY what makes my companionship with Elder Willis so powerful... At this point, I'd have to admit that he's the best friend I've ever had. What interests me the most about that is that he and I have a lot of polar opposite interests. Regardless, we have so many commonalities. I think our strength comes from two things (mainly): Love for one another, and a powerful determination to work and serve others (including the other companion). It's been so sweet! My ability to love others has expanded to vastly, and his own maturity at such an early point on mission is just inspiring. I wish I could have been the missionary he is now when I was where he is now. I guess it's the way things are though; he's meant to stand atop my shoulders and lift another higher.

Elder Willis was also brought up in a... "less spiritual" district, so to speak. I can't speak from my own experience, but I've been told that there were quite a lot of broken rules in those days. He, being a new missionary, didn't know what to do and stood by as it happened, refusing to participate himself. When the time came that that particular assortment of Elders was disbanded, I was sent for damage control. The area was in pretty bad shape when I met it, so I put on the turbo and he kept pace perfectly (in fact, it is evident at times that he can work much harder than I can!). Mission has never been sweeter to me. Thank the stars that we're staying another six weeks!

You asked if I like being a District Leader. Well, I actually think I really like it! Admittedly, I didn't always feel that way, but I take a lot of pride in my district because of how obedient and trouble-free they are. I made it my goal to make sure that any district I serve in as their leader would be mission-known as the most obedient and most successful, and indeed it is! Plus, whenever we have leadership training with President Roggia, we get sweet food. Last month we had pizza! REAL PIZZA! Only in L.I.B. Sweeter than the pizza, however, is the training itself. I love being in such a close environment with President Roggia. He's such an inspiringly-powerful man! I heard a quote once that stated that mission presidents aren't just presidents for the mission, but are mentors for life. I really love the idea of that. He's an inspiration to me. Sometimes, when those wayward doubts come along, President Roggia is one of the people that I KNOW has a full and true testimony of the restored gospel. It's such a sweet association to have, even if he is a whole country away.

So you want to know something I wouldn't ordinarily tell you? Okay, here's one: About a month ago, Elder Willis bought a monkey (we made it rule-abiding). Here's how: the rules say that we cannot keep pets. Therefore, I told Elder Willis that I wouldn't permit such a thing in my district. He then promised that it was for food, and therefore was no different than keeping chickens, which is a practice that is widely practiced in the mission because of how much money it can save. Therefore, he committed to eat the monkey before he was transferred. To avoid attachment, we also refrained from giving it a name, so we called it 'monkey'. (As far as I see, no rules were broken.). We gave it to a member to make into palm butter, which is one of the sweetest dishes here. Indeed, monkey meat is one of the sweetest meats I've ever eaten! It was a wild adventure. :-) Admittedly, it's something that I will relish telling others about for the rest of my life!

Sounds like you don't need me anymore at work! Well, that's okay. ;-) I'll be most grateful for any part I can play as your son. Elder Willis and I watched the Testaments this gone week, and the interplay between the father and son really touched me again (I guess it always does). I don't know if I had told you, but it was that movie that made me decide that I wanted to return and take full part in the business like you wanted. The father, Helam, was so right when he said that sons are there to the place of the father when they grow old, to be a friend when no one else is there. I can't wait to be that for you. :-) I kept visualizing myself as that son who was carried off into his own dreams and desires, and ended up so far from his family that he almost lost them. I'm determined to prevent such in my life.

The word 'sacrifice' has had so much meaning to me since becoming a missionary. I learned at EFY one year that the roots of the word make the meaning literally "to make holy/sacred." True indeed, sacrificing my family has made them sacred to me, and I can't wait to be a full part and parcel of it again. Is it no wonder then that the sacrifice of Christ is to "sanctify" us? Oh goodness, the gospel is great!

Well, time's just about up. I think I ended up writing way more this week than I normally do, thanks to this sweet net cafe in town.

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Digging Deep, Parting the Red Sea & a Dowry to be Paid

Hey Everybody,

Time is shorter than usual today. Here's my letter to Prez-o. Everyone seems to like those:

Hello President!

Another good week! We've been working hard. I guess the only thing that holds us back is the sun setting each day. Things like leadership training and rehearsals, no matter how beneficial, are also 'interfering' with our work. We have SO many people to see that when things like that come along, it means that someone has to fall by the wayside for that week. Regardless, we did very well this week.

This area is so darn busy! Elder Willis and I are to the point of almost AVOIDING new investigators because we simply can't take any more! We're certainly being pretty picky about who we visit. We have to, otherwise those that are earnest seekers of the truth cannot progress. We have thirteen people that we have high hopes for in the month of April to be able to enter the waters of baptism. We had a lofty goal last month of twelve, but because of one thing or another, many of them weren't able to commit themselves to baptism. This month, however, we really feel that we can reach this goal. These thirteen are prepared people who are already progressing towards baptism.

I think our greatest success this week comes from the sister that met us at the leadership training this past Tuesday. As you know, I took a step that I was very afraid to make, and I invited her to keep the law of chastity that very day, which meant that she'd likely have to move from her home. Well, it worked! It was miraculous! She went home that night and found that the man was sleeping to his working place that night, so she had the room to herself. She spent all of the next day praying and fasting with a member friend to be inspired with what to say and do. When the man came, she spelled it out to him that she wasn't going to sin any more. The man's heart was softened, and he agreed to move from the room until her dowry was paid, which he committed to pay by May. He also provided her with some money so that she could kick up her own business. All in all, things are going great for her! She's so happy now that she is keeping the commandments. I was honestly surprised that it worked out so well for her. She is such an amazing convert.

Elder Willis is a powerhouse, as usual. Both of us are reaching the ends of our ropes physically. We're just burning out a little. Each day we're able to dig down deep and pull off another full day. He's truly inspiring to me, and i will lament the day we must separate.

Since that same training, I've been doing my best to help my district members learn and apply the doctrine of Christ as found in the first fundamental. I'm going to make it the focus of this week's district meeting.

I went on exchange with Elder [X] this past week, and it was great. I had some good time to talk with him and get to know him. He's a really excellent teacher, he just needs to overcome some of his pride. He has his way of doing things, and it's been hard for him to do things any other way.

This week we had a good breakthrough with Elder [X] and Elder [Y]. I was sensing a little tension with them, so I took a minute to sit down with them and talk before going out to teach Friday morning. It wound up into a two hour talk, in the which Elder [X] opened up a lot and was able to share some things with his companion that he was holding inside. He's felt that it's better to "tolerate" the negative or irritating aspects of a companion than to help or correct them when necessary. I think the hardest thing for him was admitting his own shortcomings in order to help his companion with the same ones. In the end, both of them were able to set goals on how to become better, more Christ-like missionaries.

We also performed a district service project this week. We moved our morning study time to the evening on Friday to give us time to go to a community well to help them dig the sand out of it. It had become too dirty to use for anything, and the people in the community were going without water. We were wise and didn't enter inside the well, but we sure did our part in helping them haul away the soaked silt. We also made sure to sling a few mud balls at each other for fun. ;-) In the end, it was a positive experience for everybody. From what one of the members living in that area told me, it's done a lot to soften the hearts of some of the more stubborn people in their area. They said that many people that saw what we did were asking why a few white guys were so willing to get down and dirty when they had their own well. It was a lot of fun.

Well, I'm looking forward to another week in Zion! Thanks for all that you've helped me to learn!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

As you can see, busy week! The best part for me was the leadership training this past Tuesday. It was just the District Leaders and Zone Leaders in Monrovia Zone with Pres. and Sis. Roggia and the Assisstants, as well as Elder Krumm, one of the senior couple missionaries. Our main focus was on magnifying the doctrine of Christ in our own lives, and becoming more converted. Doing so helps each individual missionary to become more successful, because everything he or she does will be driven by a desire to serve the Lord. It was real sweet.

We had been informed that we should have an investigator meet us at the chapel after the training segment in order to do some 'practice'. We had a sister come who was struggling with cohabitation. We did everything we knew how to help her to find a diplomatic way to fix things with the man, i.e. get married, separate, or whatever it was going to take. In the end, nothing was changing fast, and she was still breaking the law of chastity, and she was completely unhappy.

Before she arrived at the chapel, I was able to have a great conversation with President Roggia and Elder Krumm about what we should do to help this sister. Elder Krumm was my companion for the exercise since Elder Willis was away on exchange during the meeting, so we were also discussing what we should teach. We talked for a good hour or so, and President Roggia's advice was to actually drop this sister because she wasn't 'progressing'. In his eyes, he felt like we had done everything we could to fix the problem, but that the ball was then in her court, so to speak. Elder Krumm and I decided to revisit the law of chastity once again with her with a special emphasis on temple blessings when she arrived.

She arrived late, as Liberians usually do, but this time it was attributed to some severely redirected traffic. She ended up spending all the transportation money she had to get there, and arrived after nearly two hours of traveling. As I saw her enter the chapel, I whispered over to Elder Krumm "I hope we can make this lesson of ours worth the great sacrifice she made to come." Indeed, I was outstandingly nervous. I was afraid that I had wasted her time and money in coming to the church just for a lesson. How wrong I was for supposing such a thing!

The discussion that Elder Krumm and I had with here was miraculous! We talked at length about the temple, chastity, the blessings thereof, and being right with God. In the end, I did what I was afraid to do, and felt that I lacked the faith to do, which was to invite her to keep the law of chastity from that moment on, no matter the cost. The Spirit was there in such a way that is rare for even a missionary to find! The environment and atmosphere was perfect for the occasion. She was on the verge of tears the whole time. She accepted the invitation, and committed to never violate the law of chastity again.

At the end of the lesson, she knelt and offered one of the most sincere prayers I've heard on mission. She pleaded with the Lord to "Part the Red Sea, even as He had done so for the Israelites." From there, she went home, and we waited to see next what would happen.

Elder Willis and I met her at her home a few days later. Just as I related to President, the following happened:

I think our greatest success this week comes from the sister that met us at the leadership training this past Tuesday. As you know, I took a step that I was very afraid to make, and I invited her to keep the law of chastity that very day, which meant that she'd likely have to move from her home. Well, it worked! It was miraculous! She went home that night and found that the man was sleeping to his working place that night, so she had the room to herself. She spent all of the next day praying and fasting with a member friend to be inspired with what to say and do. When the man came, she spelled it out to him that she wasn't going to sin any more. The man's heart was softened, and he agreed to move from the room until her dowry was paid, which he committed to pay by May. He also provided her with some money so that she could kick up her own business. All in all, things are going great for her! She's so happy now that she is keeping the commandments. I was honestly surprised that it worked out so well for her. She is such an amazing convert.

(I don't know if you knew this, but the Brethren recently announced that the Church now views 'traditional' marriage (i.e. dowry) as a full and binding legal marriage for all ordinances in the church. Therefore, one who is 'traditionally married' is eligible for baptism, temple ordinances, etc., and are not violating the law of chastity.)

We've been so happy for this sister! I was amazed at how seemingly lacking my faith was... Sometimes I feel like my faith is unshakable, but when things like this happen that test my faith, I discover just how truly feeble it is. True enough, faith precedes the miracle.

Well, that's about all I have time for! Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

More of the Same, Some Mail, & Mission Scars

Sounds like another week for you all! Busy as always. Yeah, as for me, more of the same. You know the drill: Find, teach, baptize, etc. It gets hard to figure out what to share! It's just more of the same!!

I did in fact receive a package from you... at least, well, MOST of one. I think it was the one that Mom intended on sending music in, though it didn't make it. There was some half-eaten cheese inside, so that may be the cause of the missing items. I did get the sandals and the sweatshirt, both of which are greatly appreciated. I don't think I need any more money or any more packages from here on. Thanks! Send them to Josh instead. I'm sure he'd need them more than I do!

I got a couple letters too... It's funny though, because they've stopped being the highlight of my time here. The highlight of every day is when we are out teaching. I can honestly say that it's the first time on my mission that I've LOVED every minute of being out and about. It had been pretty hard in the past, but nowadays, I love EVERY SECOND!

For the record, I'd love to go to some trade shows with Dad when I get home. It sounds like my kind of thing. Well, I guess ANYTHING with my dad is 'my kind of thing.' ;-)

Yes, to answer your questions, President Roggia usually emails me each week. If nothing else, it's usually a one-liner of some kind. The encouragement and support is wonderful. I think the most treasured one from this transfer is when he said "I can feel the fire of your area all the way here in Freetown." Ha ha, yeah, we're blowing this place apart! We (at the moment) have nearly 50 investigators, 40 of which have accepted baptismal dates. Yeah, sick right? We teach ALL DAY LONG, and then there's STILL not enough time to see everyone we need to see!! I'm thinking about moving our personal and companionship study to the evenings so that we have two more hours out in the day. We really need it!

Yeah, as far as companions go, Elder Willis and I are tighter than any companionship I've ever had! Since he'll be going to USU the winter after I do, we're basically planning our college lives together. It's interesting because we're so different in terms of interests and background, but we're so alike in a thousand other ways. I've got him just about talked into being an EFY counselor with me the summer after he returns up in Washington. We're just never getting sick of each other! I can honestly say that he's been the best thing that's happened to me since Elder Kenner left (that one was hard...). He's my best friend, and we're so excited to our lives ahead.

I think I remember Dad talking fondly of Kevin Hart... Is that right? If I remember correctly, he was one of your fondest companions. I guess that's basically how Elder Willis and I are right now. We're fighting the good fight, and loving every minute of it! We never have an idle moment. Good grief, I just can't even express how much of a blessing it is to have a companion who is as committed to the work as I am! He is such an inspiration to me, that at his relatively young age as a missionary (he's reaching 6 months soon), he's driven to do the work, and it's fully satisfying for him. For that, and many other reasons, I cherish our time together.

Well, my time's about up. I hope you guys have a wonderful week in Sin City! That place is child's play after what I've been through out here. I don't think anything will ever phase me again, ha ha ha. Most of my mission scars will be found on the INSIDE (although there are also a great many on the outside too! Ha ha ha!). Love ya Mom and Dad!

Regards to all who actually remember me... ?

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Powerful Friends, True Conversion & a Dream

It's funny Mom and Dad that you mention preparing for missions yourself. Sister Krumm (one of the senior couples here in Liberia) reminds me of Mom a lot. She's really exuberant and loving. I can't help but picture Mom there someday. The couples work REAL hard here, and they are so greatly loved! I can't wait for that to be my Mom and Dad! It would suit our family well to quote Elder Holland in our home: "In this family, we serve missions!" It's the way to be! The work is so wholly satisfying and joyful that it makes it very hard to miss home, especially as my time is steadily drawing to a close. Some seven-odd months or so still seems like a long time, but it really isn't. I remember being with Elder Lancaster when he was where I am now. He's been home for nearly a year! It's so insane how fast the time flies.

I think I'll get in the habit of sending you excerpts from President's letter:

Hello President!

This week has been an interesting one. It went so darn fast that I don't even remember anything all that specific about it... It was nuts.

We've spent the majority of the week teaching exclusively on the Book of Mormon, which has been both amazing and incredibly discouraging. We have so many people that will do anything to avoid the book; they just want us to 'Bible' them to death. Elder Willis and I refuse, and we put it on themselves to find out that the book is true. It's very encouraging when people read and find out that it's true, but SO discouraging when they don't do it. I couldn't believe my ears when an investigator asked "Can I be a member of your church and NOT believe in the Book of Mormon? I really like the church, but I can't accept the book." I was nearly shouting when I replied that the church he is interested is founded upon the book he professes to not accept. Regardless of our obstacles, it's our number one priority to help people know about and come to know the book is true.

As pertaining to things within our companionship, we are doing great. Elder Willis and I love each other so much, and work so hard. He keeps me up and running when I'm starting to run down. Just like everything else in the gospel, 'enduring' is the hardest part. It's easy to get physically tired in this area with so much walking in deep sand. At any rate, we work hard, and we love being here.

This week also brings an exchange with Elder Opuene, which I'll report on next week. Until then, we look forward to seeing you again. We miss you lots over here in Liberia!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Things are really sweet here, you know. Elder Willis and I are powerful friends, so no matter what happens, we're happy. To be honest, things are getting harder now that people are openly fighting the Book of Mormon. When we teach them briefly about the Book for a short time, and then never mind it again, we can baptize a lot more people, because many more people don't know what it is. They think of it more as a Bible study guide, not knowing that it's something different. So, when they find out that it's another book of scripture, and they hadn't accepted it (or their old pastor convinced them that it's a demonic book, something like that), then they fall away. Well, we're preventing that step and making sure that the revelation from the Spirit of the truth of the Book of Mormon is the primary focus of our teaching. As we've done that, many people have been threshed and blown away as chaff, and some have been gathered unto the garners. I guess it's the way it should be, right?

This week is going to be interesting... I have an exchange with Elder Opuene in Gardnersville branch on Wednesday, leadership training in Paynesville on Friday, and our Easter Program rehearsal on Saturday in Sinkor. It's going to be a bit hectic, and I think I'll feel like I haven't seen much of my area, but it'll be alright.

One cool experience happened with a woman named Garmai this week. We have been surprised by her repeated appearances at church after she had beforehand told us that she'd be attending her old church. We met her and asked her why she had so suddenly changed her mind. She told us that she had been really thinking about what our church claims; that is, to be the only true church upon the earth. She was also thinking about the Jehovah's Witnesses, who claim the same thing. She said that as she thought deeply on these things, she prayed to know what the true way was, and she went to sleep. She explained that she had a dream, in the which she felt a hand grip her wrist. She couldn't see the hand, but she felt it, and knew that it was Jesus Christ. She said that she was laying down, and the hand moved her outstretched finger to point in the direction of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She said that since then, she's never dared to go to any other church, because she knows that none of them are true. We're now working with her on some commandments, and as soon as they're resolved, she'll be baptized. Of course, baptism isn't the victory we're looking for. She's CONVERTED, and that's why we're already celebrating!

Could I be doing anything better for my life right now? Unlikely. I pity those who feel that they don't need or want to serve missions. I pity even more those that are unable to complete the two years. It's the best labor in which one could be anxiously engaged! I really love being here, and I dread the day that I must return.

Regardless, I love you all so much! Thanks for your love and support. :-)

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Two Little Chickens, Two Oranges & a Banana

Because of time, here is my letter to President Roggia again:

Hello President!

Things are awesome around here, to be brief. Elder Willis is a stud of a missionary. We're working hard and doing great things.

Our focus this past week has been on the Book of Mormon, which has met a great deal of resistance. People will be otherwise friendly with us until we INSIST on them receiving a revelation that the Book of Mormon is true, and then they give us a great deal of resistance and generally avoid the topic. On the other hand, there are those that are receiving the revelation, and these are they that shall inherit eternal life. We are so happy for them!

I went on exchange with the zone leaders this past week. In summary, it was good, I learned much, and gained a great deal of trust in our divinely-appointed leaders. They also expressed gratitude to our district for not being "cumbersome" on them. For that, I'm proud of my Elders.

I'm thrilled to be doing so well. It's my intention that you receive such great reports every week. Thanks for your love and support!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Yeah, we're busy like crazy. At the moment, we have like 45 investigators, 35 of which have baptismal dates. More will be added this week. It's nuts!!! We work real hard, then play real hard.

We bought two chickens today to raise. These ones are small, so it'll be a while til you hear of their demise. *Thinks of cutlass* Oh yeah... ;-)

Well, I'm real sorry for the brevity of this letter. The servers here are murder, so it's a slot machine as to what'll happen each time you browse. Today is two oranges and a banana.

I love you all so much! Congrats to Josh for surviving the endowment. ;-)

I can't wait to go back to those sacred halls!!

Love ya!

Elder Vaughan

A New Era, a Cutlass for Defense & Real Life with a Capital "R"

Since you liked the last one, here's part of my letter to President from this week:

Hello President!

I think my arrival at the New Georgia district marks the beginning of a new era for the work for our respective branches. I've made it my intention and design to make New Georgia known throughout the mission as the most strictly obedient district in the mission. No worries President, you'll be hearing lots from us.

This week opened a lot of doors for us as missionaries and we made a lot of progress with our investigators. We found that doing what PMG teaches us, that is, bringing people to church, is very helpful to increase the compliment of investigators in church. As you can see, we had 13 this week, which is a vast improvement. On top of that, we have 10 new investigators to work with. Elder Willis and I do our best to knock out lessons all day long so that those people can receive the attention that they need, and occasionally, people are falling by the wayside, so short are the hours that we're allotted. We do our best, and this week we'll be getting our branch missionaries on board to help. With that, I see no reason why our investigator count can't keep climbing at the insane rate that it's going. Quite honestly, I anticipated that the new investigators would decrease this past week, but as you can see from our numbers, it's been rather steady.

As you can also see, our goals for the coming week are lower than that of the actuals from the past week. Well, we're simply having unexpected amounts of success! While our original goal for this week may be to reach 30 investigators with a baptismal date, we may more realistically try to reach 35. We're really reaching our upper limit though. If we acquire too many more investigators, we will no longer have time to see them all in the space of a week. Again, we'll be getting our branch missionaries on board to lighten the load. We'll take what the Lord gives us and be grateful!

All of our success here can be attributed to obedience. Elder Willis is a very obedient and dedicated missionary. 95% of our daily chit chat is about the work, and seldom do we reminisce of home. It's awesome, because we are outstandingly focused as a companionship. We work so hard day in and out that we can hardly stay conscious the moment we stumble through the door. I love Elder Willis so much for his strength as a humble servant of the Lord. I can see him becoming one of the sharpest arrows in the Lord's quiver. His dedication is a great support for me in my own weaknesses of flesh. I don't think we would be doing so well were it not for this divinely appointed and aided companionship.

I think that's all for this week. You can be sure to expect marvelous things from us President. It's a promise I'll give. Thanks for your support!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Things these days have been so awesome for us!! New Georgia is hands-down the best branch I've served in. It's definitely coupled with the best companion I've ever served with (well, we just have the best UNITY anyways.), and the members are awesome. The work has never been sweeter for me. I've never had such a craving to proselyte. When the Zone Leaders told us that we'd be conducting a two-day exchange this week, I was pretty upset. I don't want to be away from my area or my companion. I'm enjoying it way too much! I'll be in Paynesville branch with Elder Buckman for a couple days, so we'll see how that is. I hear they have the best apartment in the mission though, so I'll be enjoying that!

No, I haven't received the package yet. The couples usually let us know when stuff comes. Since the mail to Liberia has been heretofore untested by you, I'm slightly nervous as to how reliable it will be. Elder Willis says that he's never lost a package, so I think we'll be okay. It just takes time.

New Georgia is a little like Bo in that we are in the bush a little. Sure, ten minutes on the road takes you downtown Monrovia, but we really are living in the bush again. And the place is SANDY!!

Oh, I bought Dad a sweet present today: A CUTLASS!! Well, it's what you'd know as a machette, but they call them cutlass' here. It's pretty dang cool. Since I guess he still goes camping with Jesse (I'd assume?), it might come in handy for fighting bears and lions and things. ;-)

I bought a cutlass for myself too to defend us from thieves. Our apartment was broken into Saturday afternoon. They busted through the plywood ceiling of the back porch and kicked through the roof in the kitchen and climbed down inside the house. Scary, right? They made off with about $300, a phone, an mp3 player, and Elder Willis' sweet knife. Fortunately for me, nothing irreplaceable was taken. Just $185 of district funds, but that'll be taken care of. It amazes me that they took the envelope of district money and left my personal money and subsistence money in the envelope right next to it! This guy was a crappy thief.

In consideration with what happened, we have 24-hour watch on the house until the mission can complete the wall and put barbwire on it. Really, it's a highly-needed improvement for our security, so I'm pleased with it.

It can be hard for me to find things to share when my mind is so tired... Elder Willis and I are treating ourselves to some much-needed R&R and TLC when we go home today. We bought two whole chickens and a bag of fries to enjoy to ourselves. Oh man, sweet times. We're just having fun all blessed day long, and at the end of the day, we look back and realize the work that was done. I've never been happier on mission.

Elder Willis and I are so productive these days that it's just blowing my mind. In the 13 days that I've been here, we've found 24 new investigators who have accepted baptismal dates. We've knocked out dozens of lessons, and we had 13 people in church. Our teaching pool has roughly 40 people in it, and there simply aren't enough hours in the week to see them all. The number is increasing. Our goal for baptisms this month is 13 people (There's been lots of 13's recently... Skaven??) and we may even have more than that. I've never served anywhere like this in my whole mission. It's so sweet. I could, and happily would, finish my mission here if I were called upon to do so. In fact, I'll pray and fast for it to come to pass so.

I like what you said about gospel living. It's what I've committed myself to do to the day I die. I'm going to live like a missionary my whole life, because, as Elder Holland said, "This is as close to 'real life' as you're gonna get. Capital 'R', capital 'L'." It's made me happy, and it makes life meaningful. Just like it says in The Other Side of Heaven, "There is a connection between heaven and earth. Finding that connection brings meaning to everything, even death. Losing that connection makes everything meaningless, even life." Or something like that. It's how I'll live forever. :-)

Love you all so much!

Love,

Chris

Life in New Georgia, Sand & Lobsters

Things here in New Georgia are great!! All except for the internet, of course. It's really giving me a hard day. To give a little more bulk of my words, I'm including my letter to President Roggia for you to read for this week. Time permitting, I'll add more.

Hello President!

Things here in New Georgia are fantastic! I have so much to share, so I'm not really sure where to start...

I think I'll start with Elder Willis. I'm telling you, this Elder is really solid. He's hard-working, but I think his working potential has been a little smothered with his previous companions. We have outstanding unity and love one for another. He's very devoted to the cause of bringing souls unto repentance. It's been a long time since I've experienced a companionship so sweet. Thanks for pairing us together; I promise that neither you nor the Lord will regret it. In fact, I'd even advise that you keep us together as long as possible. The work is advancing at unprescedented speed here in New Georgia.

Considering the lack of material from the other Elders who have worked here, and Elder Willis' own inexperience with the area, we've basically opened the place up all over, which is most sweet. We have the Spirit here with us at all times, so it's drawing people to us like I've never seen before. We have had tons of new investigators this week, and some of them even came to church Sunday. It's been a powerful week for me. I'm really loving missionary work these days. We have a goal of more than a dozen baptisms this month, and I strongly believe that we can make it happen.

As far as the District goes, things are good, if not a little quiet. I think the quiet is good though. Things are very friendly, and we're not having any problems there.

This companionship is reminding me of my time with Elder Bennion. Good grief, we worked so hard, and taught so many people, and we really had the Spirit with us. We had a lot of fun too. I'm seeing the same here in the coming six weeks, and I'm really going to make the most of it. I really love being here, and I really love my companion. Things are just so sweet!

Thanks for your love and support!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

This week was filled with so many spiritual experiences that they've almost been innumberable. To answer Dad's question about how the people here receive the Book of Mormon, here's the following experience that Elder Willis and I had with a woman:

This woman, Mabel, was a referral from one of our members here in N.G. We sat down, and right away we asked if she had any questions for us. She said no, and the then the member blurted in "Well what about those things you were asking about the Book of Mormon??" We got a good laugh out of that. We then proceeded to teach her about the book, where it is from, and what it is about. We sat with her and read the Introduction together. In a solemn moment at the end, Elder WIllis and I bore testimony of the book, and sister Mabel simply said "I need this book." We haven't had a follow-up with her yet, but we know that she felt something that day. It was awesome!

The key to conversion is in the Book of Mormon. Plain and simple. So, we invite others to read it, and then, if indeed that person is an honest seeker of the truth, they will find out for themself. That's the beauty of the book.

As for ideas for Joshua's mission preparations, I can't really think of anything... Just make sure he's set like I was! Maybe a decent flahslight, but I bet he'll have electricity, unlike me.

As for N.G. area, it's SANDY. We proselyte in sand all blessed day long. It's kinda fun though. I really love this palce, and I really love Elder Willis. It's amazing to me that two people of such different background and interests can come together with such astonishing unity as we have. It's just AWESOME. :-)

As for my day today, Elder Willis and I thought it fitting to enjoy as much as humanly possible today. So, we went to the supermarket in town and bought tons of chicken and pork to BBQ on an overturned fan cover. What's more, I went to the most ghetto place in Africa and bought three lobsters. Yeah, we're living the life out here!! :-)

Regadless of how comparatively underdeveloped N.G. is than Sinkor, I like it so much more. It's like a sandier version of Bo, so I'm in love with it! The weeks ahead are going to be the sweetest; oh, the very choicest indeed.

Well, I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week! Love and adoration to all!!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Transfer News, Pictures & Cheap Clams

Things are good these days!! Things have been a bit hectic too. We just got our transfer news this morning (a week or so early... This transfer was bound to be a nutso one. There are 8 newly called zone leaders and 1 new assisstant in the mission. Crazy!), and I found out that I'm being transferred to New Georgia branch tomorrow morning! It's in our same zone, but on the furthest edge outward. I'm excited, because I'll be serving with Elder Willis, who will be going to USU when he returns home in two Octobers. It'll be awesome! I like having things changed around.

I'm so happy to hear about Joshua's mission call to El Salvador! I got the news this past week from Sister Roggia via text message. WOO HOO!!! I'm so excited for him!!!

Oh!! I have some pictures for you this week since I won't be able to send pictures from here on out while I'm in Liberia. Here you are. We have some pictures at the beach, one at the apartment, one of us preparing snails for dinner, one of a baptism, and one of Elder Raymond eating. It was sweet times man...









Hey, guess what? I found somewhere I could buy clams!! They're cheaper than the sand that they live in!! I bought like 20lbs of them for roughly $0.40. Yeah, sick right?? :-) Mission is so sweet.

Goodness, I'm just so distracted today... I wish I had mind to tell you more. I love you like crazy, so that's what's important right? Ha ha ha. Things are good. As I mentioned to Dad, I'm being transferred to New Georgia branch, so things are a little shook up for the time being. Times are good-o!

Love you!

Elder Vaughan

An Apostle Visits Liberia

Oh man, I might be just as disappointed as Josh that his mission call hasn't come yet! I'm just waiting to hear that it's the Sierra Leone Freetown mission. ;-) Wherever it is, I'll be so happy for him!

Considering that there isn't a whole lot to answer in neither yours or Dad's email, I'll just send one home this week so we can share some sweet details about Elder Holland's visit.

He arrived Friday in the late afternoon, around four. He was scheduled to come Thursday evening, but there has been a lot of dust blowing in from the Sahara, so planes could neither take off or land in all of Sierra Leone or Liberia. President and Sister Roggia had spent four days trying to get here from Salone, but because of the weather, they were only able to arrive just hours before Elder Holland did. We, the missionaries, were supposed to have a meeting with him Friday morning around nine. As the news passed around that flights were being delayed and things, it was pushed to three, four, five, and so on a so forth. We were even beginning to question if he'd be able to come at all, because the most recent news we had heard was that his plane was in a holding pattern above Roberts International Airport in Liberia. If he wasn't able to land, there would have been no choice but to return to Accra.

Faith, as it always is, was the answer. Elder Holland is an apostle of the Lord. Can he not command the dust to quiet itself to allow him to land his plane and minister to his people? Of course he can, and indeed the dust cleared, though not a moment too soon. Had he spent another ten minutes in the air, the plane would have turned back.

Sister Roggia was already at Sinkor chapel, where the entire weekend was being staged. She announced to all of us anxiously awaiting missionaries that Elder Holland had indeed landed, and was on his way to the chapel. We cheered. We were gathered together in one of the classrooms as we waited for the long-anticipated arrival of that great apostle. Elder Liufau was there too, and he was standing outside the door in the hallway. After some period of time, he slid inside the door with a dazed look on his face. "Uh, Elders... He's here." We all looked, and beheld him as he walked down the hall to where he was to wait before his first meeting with the priesthood and auxiliary leaders of the church. Quickly recovering, we had another moment to also see President Dickson, Elder Snow, Elder Sitati, Elder Mensah, and their wives coming down the hallway towards us. AH! We were like a whole bunch of school children.

We continued to wait in the classroom for the first meeting to conclude. When it was done, we were admitted into the chapel for our missionary devotional with Elder Holland. HOW SWEET!!! We all got to shake his hand, and there were many pictures taken (there were some LDS.org reporters there. They said to wait a week or two and you'll be able to see their reports on Elder Holland's visit to Liberia. You might wanna check it out, since I was in the front! ;-) ).

We heard some brief testimonies from President Dickson and Elder Snow first, which were really wonderful. The program was a lot less structured than it was originally planned to be, considering Elder Holland's delayed arrival. Instead of a Q&A session, he simply talked to us specifically about our mission and things.

He first expressed his gratitude for our diligence as missionaries, and fully acknowledged the brutal nature of this mission in particular. He said that "every other mission in the world is a 2-year holiday from BYU-Idaho." That made me laugh. He narrated how it would be with us "staggering" through the funeral doors of our home chapels, and proclaiming over the pulpit "I'm back from MONROVIA!!!" with wild and bleary eyes. That also made me laugh. Yes indeed, this has to be the hardest mission in the world. Of every mission I've ever heard of in all of the world, even in Africa, this one takes the most guts to complete. We take it as it is; just part of the call.

He then took time to admonish us to be the best missionaries we could be. He started by analyzing the mission numbers, stating that the mission has over 1000 baptismal dates for the month of February. "1000 baptismal dates??" He said, "Most missions can't get 1000 baptismal dates in ten years!! And these are only for the month of February." he concluded with a sarcastic air. He continued by saying that nobody was here to watch us do what we do, so it's up to us to maintain the mission in Liberia. The mission president is in Sierra Leone, so he can't watch over you, and "heck, I represent church headquarters, and I couldn't even get here!" He made a point by saying that "If you want to sleep in, you can sleep in. If you want to loaf, you can loaf. If you want to break mission rules, nobody will know; except for the Lord and the angels in heaven who keep score."

He concluded with talking about what we will need to do as returned missionaries. He related that the thing that makes him "go ballistic" the most is missionaries who serve an honorable two years and then go home and are less-active. "What-in-the-world kind of Latter-Day Saints are those??" He endeared us to internalize our missions; to never forget them, and to live up to those people that we served. As a concluding commentary, he said "If I find you in three or five years and you're less-active, I'll wring your necks!"

That was the majority of what he said to us the Elders and Sisters. I have a few more notes that I took, but I don't have them on me. It was really nice for us to be aknowledged as the toughest of the tough, considering that we serve in one of the most thankless jobs there is. We work and work and work, and not an ounce of "thanks" is given for anything, save when one is baptized, and even that is seldom seen. It doesn't really bother me, but it was wonderful to be praised by an apostle, especially one like Elder Holland.

The meeting concluded in prayer, and we returned home, rather late I might add, arriving home about an hour and a half after curfiew. It's okay, the apostle blessed us. ;-)

The next day, Sunday (yesterday), was kind of a zoo for us. All of the same church dignitaries were there at the church, and we the missionaries had the job of ushering and doing odd jobs for the sake of the district conference. The conference was held in two sessions: Morning session for Monrovia district, and afternoon for Bushrod Island district. We, unfortunately, didn't get to listen to much of the conference because we were counting people, guarding the bathroom so the Liberians won't dirty the place for Elder Holland, and the like (we had 800 in attendance in the first session, and nearly 1000 in the second. Sweet!!). In the end, we were rewarded for our labors with the scraps left over from Elder Holland's catered lunch ("table scraps" makes it sound bad... I've never eaten so good on my whole mission. Ka-peesh.).

We were fortunate to hear a little from the last session of conference from Elder Holland. He said that "If I were looking for a church, there are three things that I would make sure are key in the church doctrines." The first he explained was that the church must teach that God is our loving Heavenly Father, indeed in the form of an exalted man, and that we, as his children, are heirs to such a glory. He talked more on the subject, cross-referencing from various scriptures and other quotes. The second requirement for his church was an organization like that of the primitive church in the days of Christ. He said that he needed apostles, prophets, and continuing revelation, and so on and so forth. The third, unfortunately, was lost from our ears as we were carried away on another assignment elsewhere in the building.

At the conclusion of the second and last session of district conference, Elder Holland made a hasty departure, on his way to catch the plane back to Accra. It truly was a blessing and a miracle that he was able to come here and speak to us. I was sitting right in the very front and center of the pulpit during the missionary devotional, so I even got to feel the breeze of his breath, so to speak. If any pictures show up of that, you will surely see me. The camera guy got quite a few of us Elders in the front. I think that concludes my thoughts on Elder Holland's visit for now... without my book, I can't remember much else.

I DID have an interesting conversation with Elder and Sister Fife, our area doctors while they were here (I guess they're required personelle in Elder Holland's entourage). They are a real young senior couple, so I was curious as to how they landed their call as area doctors. Sister Fife explained that she was a respiratory therapist back home, and her husband was a general physician. She said that they are taking a two year sabbatical in order to serve a year and a half, after which, they will both return and continue their work as medical practicioners. It made me think of you, Mom and Dad. ;-) It won't be long before the two of you can be considering a mission, huh? I'd love that for you two. :-)

Well, that's about all I've got today. I hope it's good for you! Things are as busy as they always are. I love you so much! Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Snapped Back, the Divine Gift of Agency & Fisher of Men

Things are a lot better these days. I don't know what really happened, but I just snapped back into a better mood and attitude. Things are great these days. Elder Raymond and I are having a great time. I just feel awesome.

Agency is wonderful, isn't it? Think about it: Of all of God's creations, we are the only ones that are given the power to willfully disobey him. Wow. Everything else in the universe must live or die by his word. We are given the divine gift of agency, to choose joy, sorrow, or anything else in between, and it all comes from simple obedience or disobedience to the principles of eternity.

This week was pretty sweet!! Every Sunday, people come and visit the church for their first time. We figured out a sweet tactic of "netting" them (Fisher of man, anyone?): On our roster sheet in gospel essentials class, we added a column to indicate whether or not the person is a member. This makes the biggest difference for me since I'm still getting to know the people. If I don't know the person that is a nonmember, we flag them down after class and set up appointments to meet them at the church to teach them. If they come, sweet, we have a new investigator. If not, well, that's how it usually is. They come and visit and then never come again (often because the church isn't very "lively", as they would say.). Our days end up with us at the church teaching lesson after lesson with powerful investigators from noon to six. Yeah, it's awesome. Things are going on alright these days.

One of these lessons was particularly sweet. The brother's name is Bartimaeus. He came on Sunday, we talked to him small, and invited him to come back to the church the following Wednesday to meet with us. While we were in our office on Tuesday, he showed up. We told him that we had planned for Wednesday, and he replied that he knew, and that he was simply hoping to see us there. Well, we had some extra time, so we sat down and asked him a few opening questions about church and things. He said that he loved the church, and that he wanted to be a baptized member. Uh, wow! Sure! We assured him that it would be possible.

I saw that he had a Restoration tract (we had never given it to him, so I was curious), so I asked him what he knew of it. He then reiterated the complete contents of the lesson of the Restoration from memory in its entirety. From there, we had nothing more to teach, so we simply gave him a baptismal date and a return appointment. Sweet, right? He already had testified to us that the Book of Mormon was true, even though he hadn't yet recieved one for himself, because he had sincerely asked God if it was true. He explained that he had visited the church seven years ago, and had long been impressed by the teachings therein, and that now was simply the time for him to unite himself with the church. Man, the work is so sweet when we are lead to prepared investigators!! :-)

I can't really say that there's a whole lot going on these days that's out of the ordinary. For us, we haven't had any office work in three weeks, so we're just ordinary missionaries. I like that. Then we get the perk of our office that we use for emailing home.

Elder Holland is coming this weekend, which is huge. I think I mentioned that, right? I better have... At least it's been a while since I did. I'm very excited. He's having an hour long Q&A with the missionaries in Liberia. Am I excited? Uh, YES. It's going to be awesome. I'll report on that next monday. It's surely going to be a powerful experience. We're having a two-session district conference here in Sinkor. Our district is first, and then Bushrod Island District members. It's going to be crazy. I'm just excited like nothing!! Being a missionary means I get to meet tons of general authorities, which is the best. I love it so much!

I'M SO EXCITED FOR JOSH!!!! Sis. Roggia will be here in Liberia on Thursday, so I'm sure she'll tell me in person if she gets the email from you guys with the news on Joshua's mission call. :-)

Thanks for the package. I'm going to make a request: Don't send any more. I don't really need them. The love reaches me just fine through email. Now that I'll have everything that I could need, you don't need to spend any more money on me. At least, til I get back. ;-) That's what you could do, you could save it to lavish on your precious baby when he gets home! ;-) Ha ha ha, kidding, kidding. But really, you don't need to send anything else again. I think I'll be good for the next 9 months (yeah, 9 months. Crazy, right??? It goes so fast!!!). The same with Western Union. I don't think I'll need any more money until I'm a few weeks from going home, then I might need some to get me safely back. Deal?

So STAR WARS EPISODE ONE IS NOW IN 3D??? Oh man, I'm going to cry if I can't see that. Episode 1 has always had a uniquely special place in my heart. Man... I'm in awe... Yeah, I figured that 3D TVs would be available by now... Man, I want to see that so bad... Anyhow, I'll be blessed for my sacrifice.

I'm sure I'll have a lot more to talk about next week... And Josh will have his call!! Woo hoo!! I can't wait to hear about that. :-)

Love,

Elder Vaughan

African Chemistry, Dogs & the Effects of Affliction

FINALLY! My stuff got to you! I was wondering when it would... I just sent a letter to Bro. Kenner chastening him for his tardiness. Well, that now needs to be rescinded... I figured it'd be the best gift you guys could get from me. I don't think you really NEED the neck ties or lappas, but they're fun. The pics and videos are the real gold, aren't they? ;-) How about the lappas? You just wear them around the house like a towel. They are more of lounging clothes... Anyhoo, I'm glad you got them and like them! I'm working on more things for when I'm coming home. ;-) It's never too late to be prepared!!

I'm glad you liked the West African Chemistry and Physics exams I found for you Mom. Yes, according to the description given by the student from whom I recieved the tests, he said it's the advanced level of Chemistry, similar to AP. I could remember those things on the test, but if you asked me to do them right now, I obviously couldn't. It's actually funny you mention that, because I went shopping for a calculus practice book yesterday. I was realizing that all of my mathematically-based skills are slipping big time, so I wanted something to help me regain the ground that I've lost, especially considering that I have from 7-10:30 p.m. in the apartment. Unfortunately, there was nothing that I could use since I don't have a calculator. I've just decided to not worry about it for now, because I know that the Lord will bless me for forsaking my mathematics for mission. I'll remember in time.

You asked about our methods for butchering chickens. Well, we kill chickens by chopping (rather than wringing their necks) simply because it's cliche. We don't kill chickens often (in fact, since the most recent video, we haven't killed any). We just buy the pre-killed ones. Less entertainment, but it's a lot easier, and we don't have to clean up after them (they're the messiest eaters/poopers!). But yes, by now, I've got it figured out in theory how to clean a chicken. Never done it myself though, because I've never had to. I've also learned how to kill a goat (merely spectating, as usual. I'm not really a hands-on kind of person in the art of butchery). Oh, and the neck is one of the more prized pieces of the chicken. It's delicious. This place really teaches you a lot...


Yes, to answer your question, there are MANY dogs here in Liberia (as well as Salone, although the Salone dogs are a lot mankier. More like street curs, rather than actual dogs). I've never really observed an aversion from the Muslims to dogs, but I wouldn't be surprised. Remember also that there are different sects of Islam, just like there are with Christianity. Perhaps one thing that is taught in one place isn't observed elsewhere. Plus, the faithfulness that the people in Salone have to Islam in general (or any religion, for that matter) is rather weak, so it wouldn't surprise me if they were SUPPOSED to observe it, but never do. What's more, there are very few Muslims here in Liberia. I'd say 90% Christian, if not more. It's not like Freetown East, where it's more like 40% Christian and 60% Muslim. That's something that's a nice change about this place.

Well, as for the work here, things are moving along. We had three baptisms this weekend, which was sweet. Now we're back where we always end up: With lots of recent converts and a handful of investigators that don't come to church. The real trick to missionary work is to be able to sustain the teaching pool full of progressing investigators. It's easy to invite people to be baptized, but it's hard to get them to actually DO anything. They're used to their ordinary lives where they're not obligated to act on anything that is taught or preached to them. It's frustrating, but it makes it very easy to see who is really prepared for baptism when that time comes.

I'll be honest, as for me right now, I'm not having the easiest time. I don't really know why; I'm just not liking this place. I'm healthy, so far as I know, and there's nothing wrong. I just have had a hard week. My patience is being tested like nothing. And it's not just me, but the five other elders in our district as well. All of us want to return to Sierra Leone. This totally isn't the same mission here in Liberia. Anyhow, we're here, and that's where we're staying for the mean time. I'm working on getting my head in the game in a more positive attitude. President Roggia also tells me that for a time that I've lost sight of the grand vision of the work, which may be true. When you face affliction and trial, it's easy to be distracted. At any rate, I'm doing my best, and praying that I can become stronger and better than I am now. I'm eating well, I'm sleeping well, so I think it's just left to myself to be happy and productive. I guess it's just been a rough patch. You know how I am, it's not too natural for me to complain when this has been my divinely appointed assignment. I just need to express myself a little. Right now, things are tough, but it will end one way or the other, so I'm going to make the best of it!

You're right Mom, the gospel is really the only thing that can allow us to overcome the problems that we face in our lives. It's the atonement that can carry me through to the other side. So now, it's left to me to make of it what I will, and I will make i great. My trials are just coals in the furnace of affliction that evenly temper the sharp edge of a sword. Anyhow it goes, I'm happy enough, and am workin' my buns off as usual. ;-)

Love you all! Have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Technology, Bucket of Snails & 80 Degrees Cold

Well, I DID just have a huge email composed for you... which the computer deleted. I'm really not happy about that right now... >:-(

It's funny hearing you talk about your technology and gadgets back home. It's hard for me to even think about those sorts of things here. $500 for a gadget in my head equals 5 months of food. Man, why waste it? I get by on $4 a day, buying my own food, paying my own transport, everything. I'm excited to try my new skills when I get home.

Speaking of food, we have a free dinner tonight. My companion spent the morning foraging for snails, and he got a HUGE bucket of them that we'll fry up tonight. No worries, there'll be a lot of pictures. Being in an all-African district is so dang awesome! Snail is actually really good... I don't know why we make fun of the French so much for eating them... I think they're good. My companion is a lot of fun. It was actually pretty funny, because he disappeared into the banana grove in our compound (pictures of that forthcoming) and came out thirty minutes later with a bucket full of slimy goodness!

At the moment, the internet is being exceedingly crappy, so I'm trying to work that out. I'm here at the church, so I'm surprised by this problem.

To answer your question that I can remember, Elder Holland is coming in three weeks, so yes, we'll be seeing him. They've arranged for us to have a one-hour Q&A period with him. Sweet, eh? I'm prayerfully considering anything I might want to ask him. It’s unlikely, considering that the gospel of Jesus Christ is so simple to understand, even for the unlearned. The only questions that missionaries tend to ask are of deep doctrine, and I don't really even have questions about that.

Oh, I loved the snow pics by the way, but, honestly, I'm a little scared... Why? Uh, well, I get cold here... at around 80 degrees... O.o So, uh, in your next package, could you please, uh, send one of my hoodies? (Wow, did I just ask for that aloud??) That way I can wear it at night AND use my fan, thus protecting me from those vile mosquitoes. We all want that, right? Without it, I just get way too cold. I put it on the lowest setting when I lay down, and at around midnight I just shut it off because I'm shivering. Crazy, huh?

The computer has never been this fussy here. Lets face it, Liberia has just been a place of affliction for me, hasn’t it? I can’t wait to go back to Sierra Leone. That’s where I want to be right about now…

So again, sorry! This email will have to do for this week. Next week will be better; I promise! I love you! Have a wonderful week!! :D

Love,

Elder Vaughan

"Thanks for the Life", New Companion & Pizza!

I'm at full strength, so no more worrying or praying for me! The whole malaria business was totally crappy, but I'm a strong believer that whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger. On top of that, I believe that the closer to death you get, the more powerfully you bounce back. So with that, I'm actually rather grateful to survive yet another run in with the most notorious disease in Africa. Something about being sick this time really awoke in me a love for my life that I've never had before. People here, when you ask how they are, often respond "I tell God thanks for the life," which I never really understood. Now, I KNOW. Every day I wake up and tell God thanks for the life, because one day, it won't be there.

Thanks for the pictures from the business. Man, Dad's warehouse isn't going to be anything like how I left it! I guess that's good, since it comes from growing and not from anything else. I'm excited to be a part and pull my weight. And I'm so happy to hear about Helen and Heather getting married! Marriage is truly the greatest thing. It always makes me so happy to see two people who put themselves aside for someone else. It always brings out the best in them. Around here, it's not too common to see, so when I see it now, oh how it touches my heart!

Oh, I just remembered something I wanted to ask you about. What would you think about me being an EFY counselor when I get back? I was bouncing ideas off of Elder Liufau the past couple nights of what to do with life as a RM, and that stood out as the most awesome. I don't really know anything about what the schedule looks like for that, but I know that I'd love to be a part of it. The only other concern would be how it interferes with my participation with the business. But anyways, that's a thing of the future that was on my mind this week.

I've recieved a new companion who has a reputation to work very very hard, so it'll be just what I need to get things back in gear after everything was thrown from the sickness. Missionary work is just sweet! Now I'm with Elder Raymond from Nigeria. We've been together for a whole two hours or so, but I can tell it's going to be awesome. I'm really excited. I love getting new companions, so it's always exciting. What's more, it now makes me the only American (okay, here they simply say "white". There's no shame or insult in distinguishing race, since we're all treated fairly.) in the apartment. I'll be with Elder Raymond, Elder Esiaba, Elder Ameworlor (from Ghana), Elder Obinna (from Nigeria), and Elder Mazani (from Zimbabwe). I'm telling you, it's gonna be a blast!

As for Joshua's mission call... I'm guessing Texas for stateside, and Kenya for international. That'd be cool, right? You mentioned the establishment of a mission in India and how the church is seeking Mormons of Indian descent to serve there. It makes sense that they want Indians to serve in India. That's what they want here too, but the demand for missionaries is WAY too high for the branches to meet. Hence, we have about half foreign and half native missionaries. And I guess by native I mean native to West Africa.

So Jesse's been listening to Dragonforce? Man, I was seriously not liking that music when I left on mission. Now that I've had a famine of worldly music, it would be so appealing! I thought it'd be a lot harder for me to leave the music I like behind, but really it hasn't been so bad. I still have music (mission approved), and though it may not be my first preference in terms of entertainment, it's still music. It's like going vegetarian; there's just nothing as good as a medium rare steak.

Thanks for sending those items I requested. I really appreciate it. Sure, I'm in Monrovia where it's POSSIBLE for me to get things like sandals for myself, but the difficulty is in finding ones that are good quality. You know that if it's from the states that it'll be good. But here, people have become very talented at making things that are crap appear to be top quality. Hence, I really appreciate the help. Oh, and I don't remember if I asked for it, but deoderant is one of the best things to recieve. It's so insanely expensive here. So, if you throw in like 3 or 4 of them, I don't think I'd need any more until I came home. That, and shaving cream. It's EXPENSIVE! One can or maybe two will do just fine for me. Thanks!

Can you believe it? I don't have double-digit months any more. I have 9 1/2 months left to go! I'll be SO SO SO SAD when that day comes! I'm really not ready to come home. Which I guess is good, because I still have a decent bit of time left. I really love being here, in spite of all of the hardships we go through as issionaries in Liberia.

Oh, speaking of hardship, we have a new guardian angel in our branch. His name is Mark Luzaine (not sure on spelling), and he's from the states. He's staying here for six months working for the Air Force. He's sealed, has two kids or so, and is by himself here. Last week, he came to our apartment and brought us a pizza and grape juice. Man, it was the best thing I've ever eaten! My first pizza in 14 1/2 months! He's a really great guy, and he's offering to help us in any way that he can. So, there's an additional reason for you to be completely sure that we're being watched after here in Africa. ;-)

Alrighty, time is finished for me today I think. I love you all so much, and hope that you have an awesome week. Grandma Little told me about what you did for Dad. You know, buying a double recliner so that the two of you could still be together and so that he could sleep sitting up. I'm so impressed by you and Dad; the way that you take care of each other. You truly live what you said when you told me that marriage is about putting 100% into it all the time, so that when one is less than that, the other is there to lift them up. I admire you so much, and appreciate similar sacrifices that you've made for me in my own life. You and Dad are simply incredible people, and I can't wait to be with you again.

Love,

Elder Vaughan

More on Malaria, Ninety Percent & a Baptism

It's not really advised for you to try and diagnose me overseas, hahaha. To calm your mind, here's exactly what happened with my Malaria:

Saturday: Heavy fever/chills, and I suspected malaria. Sister Krumm took me to be tested, and I tested positive for P. Falciparum (the same one as before). I was given medication and began taking it immediately. I went home, and runny stomach, the most severe migranes, and occasional vomitting ensued for the duration of the day. I spent the day trying my best to sleep. Not very easy. Saturday night was when I passed out.

Sunday: More of the same, only more vomitting. Towards the evening and through the night, my body was rejecting all the fluids in my body, and I could feel myself dehydrating. Up to this point, I still hadn't eaten anything, but I was doing my best to drink plenty. I was still taking my medications, which included ibuprofen, paracetamol, ciprofloxacin (in case of other infections), and the anti-malarial. Miraculously, whenever the time came to take the medications, I was able to keep them in me, whereas anything else I took was forcefully expelled.

Monday: Elder Kirkham was concerned about dehydration, so he took me to the emergency room for a saline drip. While I was there, I also received an injection in my leg to stop the vomitting (that was key). I stayed there for a few hours, got rehydrated, and the doctor came to check on me (no worries, Dr. Mahmoud knows his stuff. He's very reputable as an excellent doctor). He said that I was okay to go home after the drip, and that the medications and everything that I was taking was good. He prescribed two anti-nausea medications for me as well. I was finally able to eat in the evening time for the first time in three days, and things started going down well.

From there, it's just been a slow recovery process. The parasite really took it's toll on me, so it's just been a matter of time. Sister Krumm in particular is a worry case, so she's been forcing me to stay inside and sleep even when I feel okay. Ha ha ha, it's really funny actually. She worries a LOT for us Elders, so if any of us are sick, we get a great deal of TLC from her.

I personally believe that I was infected by the parasite here in Sinkor since I came. When I first came, the mosquitoes were REALLY bad in our compound. Our screening wasn't quite adequate, and most detrimentally, the septic tank had a rupture in it, so we had our own breeding pool just outside our window. I was being bitten like crazy when I first came. The doxy that we take can only inhibit the reproductive ability of the parasite, but if we're exposed to too much of it, there's only so much it can do to stop it. I think I was just overexposed. Since that time, we've had our screening repaired, the septic tank has been repaired, and we keep an ample supply of "Raid" in our apartment to keep it mosquito-clean.

Malaria isn't common in the mission like it used to be. It used to be that every missionary was expected to contract it at some point in his mission, but that was mostly because of the general disobedience regarding doxy and things that was being observed. Nowadays, Sister Roggia has everyone keeping the rules. While indeed the cases of malaria have been minimized, they haven't been eliminated. That's virtually impossible, considering that malaria can be contracted from a single bite. So, it is contracted every once in a while, but as we are heading into dry season, we're anticipating that it will get a little worse before it gets better.

So, as far as my own health now, I'm doing quite well. I'm at about 90%, so things are great. Sister Roggia trusts the medication that I was given, so I trust it too. I don't believe that this case was a recurrence for me, beause last time I even took two rounds of treatment to be extra sure. I guess the one I took this time is a lot stronger, so it's not necessary. Even Dr. Mahmoud recommended it, so I think I'm okay. It's just been a matter of taking it easy this past week. But really, I'm doing great now.

I really appreciate all of the prayers and things. We really are helped and guided out here, and we need it every single day. Missionary work is not easy at all. The only thing that I look forward to when I leave here is having the heavy mantle of "Elder" fall from my shoulders. To carry it for two years is the heaviest task I've ever had, so it's wonderful to receive support from those on the other side. Thanks so much!

I'm so glad to hear that Dad's not going to have any problems with his health again. I'm relieved to hear that. I'd hate for your capacity to serve as couple missionaries someday to be hindered. ;-)

Yes, recovery is the most frustrating part of being sick. I've wanted so badly to go and work all this week, but doctor's orders said that I needed to sleep. Well, I'm doing great now, so I'm grateful for that!

You know, I could really feel it when I heard Dad try to talk on the phone Christmas day. I could feel just how much it meant for him to talk to me. I think that hearing him struggle to talk is what touched me the most. I mean, I guess I just had no idea what was going on at home, and then to hear that he was in the hospital in some unknown condition just dying to talk to me... I dunno, it really did touch me.

I spent the remainder of the day thinking about it all the way through the next day. And I can just tell when my Mom has been overworked! ;) I'm grateful for the way things turned out though, and I'm especially grateful for the doctor that was able to help. I'm just so glad that he was so sensitive to you and Dad as well, trying to make things alright in a situation that was just so messed up. I think I'm most grateful for him. While I am indeed watched after by earthly angels here, you are where you are as well. I guess it's a mission blessing or something.

Well, this week wasn't all that much in terms of missionary work. Mostly resting, sleeping, and relaxing. Yep, not much else. We did have a baptism on Saturday, which was awesome. It was amazing that we were able to pull off a baptism considering our severe lack of proselyting, but it was wonderful all the same. We were originally going to have it in our chapel here in Sinkor, but there was no water, and nobody to help us get water (our physical facilities manager was in Kakata). So, what we had to do was go all the way to the Matadi chapel and baptize there, which was a pain, but I was grateful that our candidates had to sacrifice a little for their baptisms. It always makes it much more meaningful for those people. They'll never forget it, because it didn't come so easy for them. I was really happy with it.

Anyhoo, that's the week in review for me. Not a whole lot going on. Thank malaria for that one. This week will be a lot better though. I'm on my feet, and I'm feeling good, so no problem.

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Happy for the Breath in my Nostrils

Mom was kind of the giveaway to me that everything hadn't been as rosy as she was trying make it sound (with Dad). You know how I am. I can just, I don't really know, FEEL it I guess. I knew she'd been through a lot, and I was just very sad. I'm relieved to hear that Dad is doing well now! It sounds like quite the ordeal.

If it makes you feel better, I've had my own fun ordeal over the past weekend I had another run in with Malaria, and it was worse than before. (Before I get into this, KNOW THAT I'M OKAY NOW!) It all started Saturday with tons of fevers, chills, diahrrea, vomitting, pain through every bone in my body, and the most excruciatingly painful migranes. The pain was just staggering. My conscious mind just resceeded further and further into a world between worlds, and my body was on autopilot, going between the toilet and my bed. I was too weak for anything else. I spent all of Saturday curled up and moaning. I wanted to die. I really did. The pain and the agony was just horrid.

Night came, and around 4am, my body gave out, and I fainted. I awoke on the ground to Elder Liufau asking if I was okay. My mind was clear, so I knew that I didn't hit it hard. I said I was okay, not sure why I was on the ground, but pretty certain I had blacked out. I knew who I was, where I was, and even what year it was (as it had just changed to 2012 only a few hours prior). He helped me back to my bed, and cleaned the various scrapes and bruises on my face (Which are PLENTY! Ha ha ha, I kinda look like the Phantom of the Opera. ;) ), and I crashed again.

My body was really having a hard time. I drank as much water as I could, took the meds I was supposed to, but I was still suffering for all of Sunday. I didn't go anywhere. I just languished. In the evening, I started vomitting again, and there was nothing left in my body. My body was dehydrated, and refusing to take anything to become hydrated. It was terrible.

Mindful of this, Elder and Sister Krumm (my guardian angels) took me to the hospital for a saline IV, which helped so much. At the same time they gave some injections to stop the joint pain and vomitting. Really, the treatment there put me back into shape. On that day (Monday), I ate for the first time again too. The Krumms were making sure I was well-taken care of.

Today is Wednesday, and the first day that I've been permitted to leave the house. The only thing I can do is office work until further notice. It's a little (okay, A LOT!) crappy, but I'm grateful to be alive. I don't really know what happened to me in those few days...

For three days, I wished I could pass away that I might not suffer again as I had suffered. On the fourth day, when I woke, the migranes had subsided, and the vomitting ceased. I had never been so happy to be alive! I hear people all the time say that God gives you the breath in your nostrils every blessed day and that you should be grateful for it, but I've taken it for-granted all this while. Now, I'll never do it again! I think the difference this time was how much help I received this time. The first time I got sick, only my companion helped me, and it was with getting water to flush the toilet and things like that. Elder and Sister Krumm, Elder and Sister Kirkham, Elder Liufau, my district, Elder Esiaba, and the sweet angel nurses at the hospital all contributed to me getting better. I was so darn happy for the breath in my nostrils, no matter how quickly it comes and goes!

You know Dad, I think we both learned something important around the same time. To be alive is such a precious and wonderful thing. But we, considering that our lives aren't always endangered, don't think anything of it. When our lives are put in jeopardy, it helps us to remember the Lord who made that life, and to thank him that we have breath in our lungs this day. I'm grateful today to not be suffering like I was on Saturday and Sunday! The life I have is enough to be grateful for.

I had to reflect a lot on a promise that was given to us missionaries. We were told in the MTC that we'd never get Malaria if we slept under our nets, take our doxy, use the fan (where possible), and use the filter bottle (which doesn't prevent Malaria, but obedience does!). I've done those things!! Why have I gotten Malaria TWICE now? I think the Lord is testing me a little like Job. In life, I've always had everything I needed. I've never had any serious injury or illness. Well, here in Africa, I'm living in quite the opposite state. I have almost nothing. Really, I have my toiletries, some few books, my clothes, and that's about it. My health is not always there. I think the Lord wanted to make sure that I would be valiant even if I was suffering in the physical realm as much as possible without killing me. Sure enough, I passed the test.

So, in the end, was Malaria the most horrid and painful thing that I've ever endured? Clearly yes. For BOTH times I've had it. Was it worth it? Well, I believe that the Lord knows that one. I had a priesthood blessing, so obviously His will was to allow me to be strengthened through this tremendous trial. An experience of a lifetime, that's for sure.

So, just as you made me promise to not be worried about you, you as well should never be worried about me. 100% of missionaries return home from this mission, so what is there to fear? Ha ha ha. I'm happy, I'm learning, and I'm (almost) healthy. (I should be by Saturday or so. No more negative symptoms, just immense fatigue). I was originally planning to not tell you about this, but I appreciate that I was told straightforwardly about Dad, and so I figured I'd return the favor. Again, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! Ha ha ha. This mission has safety as #1 priority.

I love you all so much! Dad, take care!

Love,

Elder Vaughan