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
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