I am Freaking Out that Parker is Home!

Cole, Parker and Miles Farnsworth. Parker just returned home form his mission

Hey hey hey family!

Well, what a week. I can't believe it's already gone. It's been a great one! Elder Rittmanic and I enjoyed being able to travel to Poznań, teach Zone Training, and having an interview with President. Before we get any farther though, I'm freaking out that Parker is already home. Where did time go? I felt like I said goodbye to him yesterday, and now he's home. That's scary. As in really scary. He looks awesome though. I think I told you, but Elder Rittmanic was actually good buddies with Parker when they were in elementary school. Then, Parker moved to American Fork when junior high started, and that's where we met. Small world! Anyway, I'm glad that he got a chance to see Miles before he heads out on his mission. That's a good group of guys right there. Somebody better tell Parker that he's not allowed to get married until I get home. That wouldn't be cool if I didn't get any guy time--and what I mean by that is some Donkey Kong gaming time--with him before he caught himself a wife. But I digress. Time to answer some of your questions.

The missionaries in my zone are as follows:

Szczecin--Elder Mikolyski and Elder Waskiewicz; Elder Kotter and his trainee Elder Hardy

Poznań--Elder Jesperson and Elder White; Sister Bown and her trainee Sister Whiteley

Gdańsk--Elder Skolimowski and Elder Dodge; Sister Swenson and Sister Barth

Bydgoszcz--Elder Rittmanic and I; Elder Stockford and Elder Allen

I think most of the people that I know things about, you already know. I will tell you a few interesting things though. Elder Dodge is from Highland Utah and went to Lone Peak High School. He's a super funny kid and actually served in Bydgoszcz for 4 months. He was here when I got here. I don't know much about Elder Kotter's trainee, Elder Hardy, except that he's from California. He and Elder Kotter are also right now tearing things up in Szczecin with 4 baptismal dates. Sister Barth actually knows Will Vernon fairly well and was in the music major program with him at BYU. Sister Whiteley graduated from Timpview High (same place as Elder Rittmanic), so that's kind of an interesting connection. They didn't know each other though. I think that is all. I'm not sure what you already know about Elder Stockford and Elder Allen. I think I've talked about Elder Rittmanic a fair amount though. He's from Provo, went to BYU for a semester, and a big time football fan. Elder Allen is from California, has a pretty serious girlfriend, he also sings crazy well, and went to BYU for a year. Elder Stockford is from Oregon, is about the boldest missionary I've ever met (no joke, he'll talk to anyone), and went to BYU Hawaii for a year. We have a fun district and it's a blast to be here in Bydgoszcz. It's a fantastic little city and I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it.

Now on to some stories from the week:

A spiritual experience I had this week was with a slightly drunk man named K. Elder Rittmanic and I ran into K on the street on Tuesday, after we returned from Poznań. He stopped us and kept asking, "Mogę się nawrocić? Chcę nawrocić się." (Can I still convert?--In essence, be saved--I want to convert). He was quite upset, and it was hard to keep him settled and relaxed. As Elder Rittmanic and I spoke with him, shared some scriptures with him, and bore testimony about the power of the gospel, he calmed down more and more. After a while, he told us "Widzę Boga w waszych oczach." (I see God in your eyes). I know that what he was feeling was the calming presence of the Spirit, and that he saw the light of Christ in our eyes. It was a testimony builder to me of the power of the Spirit. First, it helped K calm down and relax. Second, it helped Elder Rittmanic and me not only bear testimony, but view K as a child of God. Before my mission, if I ran into a frightened drunk man I'm not sure I would have stopped and talked to him. In this instance, however, I know the Lord wanted us to help K. I'm not certain how we helped him exactly. We had a meeting with him on Friday, and when we went to his house, we found out he had been picked up by the police and taken to the hospital. I am certain, however, that K was in a better state after our conversation than before.
I was very grateful for the opportunity to have an interview with President Edgren this week. It was a great experience for me, and an insightful look into President Edgren's leadership style and the way he wants to lead the mission. It's quite obvious that President Edgren's focus at this point is planning. A quote that was said during Zone Training was "When we take planning seriously, the Lord will take us seriously." I believe it. When we do all we can to prepare for the next day, the Lord will put people in our path who are ready to hear the gospel. I also talked to President a bit about my upcoming exchange and how to not only be a good leader, but how to give effective council. He advised me to take a deep look at Doctrine and Covenants 121. I'd done so a few times before, but this time I went back ready to learn and apply. His counsel has helped me not only prepare for my exchange coming up, but also in my relationship with Elder Rittmanic. For a while now, I felt like we had been doing well as a companionship, but there was still some sort of tension or something that I could feel. Elder Rittmanic and I are different people, that is for sure, and we're learning a lot from each other.Elder Rittmanic is a great people person, and I'm glad to be working with him as a companion. I am grateful for the help that Elder Rittmanic is giving me as I learn and grow. I'm so blessed to be able to serve with him. He's a very talented missionary. He's also helping me learn how to apply the 80/20 rule. We're having a lot of fun together as well.

In other news, Our zone trainings this week were a lot of fun. We went to Poznań on Tuesday and had one in Bydgoszcz on Wednesday. President and the Assistants were at both of them, and although it was a bit nerve wracking, we handled things well. The missionaries also accepted things well. It's always fun to get out and about and visit other missionaries. I really love my calling as a Zone Leader right now. It's a bunch of fun.

Well, we also had a missionary version of a sleep-over on Tuesday, which are few and far-between. Elder Żeleźniak and Elder Raines (the assistants) slept over on Tuesday. We didn't get too crazy, but it was a lot of fun to go running in the morning with 4 Elders. Something new for sure. Elder Żeleźniak also showed us the proper way to eat Vegemite with toast, so that was fun and tasty.

In other exciting news, the Branch President's daughter, O, had a baby this past week on Tuesday! She has named her B. It was humorous, because President Zalewski is now a grandpa, so we all teased him about that on Sunday. O already had B at church yesteday too, which was a big deal. Everyone crowded around to see and meet the newest "member" of the Bydgoszcz Branch. O headed home right after sacrament meeting of course, but still a brave outing for the new mom and the baby! 

Last story for the day. Elder Rittmanic and I ran into a lady who appeared to be in her 40's or so at one point this week. She was a psychologist, had some interesting views, but we had a good discussion with her. In the end, she had me in some sort of quasi-situation where I had to act like she was a distraught mom whose 8 year old son had barely died and was left with almost nothing in the world, just heartache and sadness. She wouldn't let me use The Book of Mormon or any scriptures either, I had to just help this lady with counsel from my own mouth. Well, it was an interesting discussion, and I'm not sure what exactly came out of it, but I hope we helped her somehow. She ended up taking a copy of The Book of Mormon. This lady lives in Warsaw, so we couldn't really set up with her or anything, but I know that if she reads The Book of Mormon, she'll find exactly what she's looking for!

Grandma Fernie, I'm hoping that you will recover quickly! 40 people sounds like it was a very big party. That would be exciting to see Mike move to Japan. Who knows what it might hold in store for him.

Dad, yes I am reading the talks from the binder you sent me. I made sure to read the Stephen R. Covey one as well. It truly has great advice in it, and I'm trying to develop power behind my testimony. It sounds like Stephen R. Covey was truly one of a kind, as is Sean from what I know. Thanks for the great talks. It's a gift I truly treasure. Also, thanks for the insights about Priesthood Power. I appreciate it. It's something truly great. I can't believe how many people are already home. Time flies. You're the best Dad ever! Love you.

Hannah bear! The cat "mansion" looks awesome! I bet Tao loves it. We placed 5 copies of The Book of Mormon this week. My companion is doing awesome! We're having a lot of fun serving together. Keep being the Doober! Good job on playing piano in Primary. Love you.

Heath, sounds like you're loving life and keeping busy! Keep it up. A dull life is never any fun. I'm glad you're able to help Kelsie. That's one of the marks of a true disciple of Christ. Helping and empathizing with those who need it. Good luck getting back into dance. Enjoy the farewells! Before you know it they'll be home-comings. Love you. 

Emms, I'm running out of time, so I'll give you some quick suggestions on switching coaches. First, Dad's the master, so listen to what he says. Second, don't be surprised when changes come. They will come, and it doesn't mean that the old coach did something wrong. Be flexible, and buy into the new system as quickly as possible. That may be something completely new, or something with very minor changes. Whatever it is, be ready and willing to work hard, and just do your best. Miss you too. Love you.

Hannah enjoying her free slurpee on 7-11

Emma enjoying her free slurpee on 7-11 after a long day of ballet

Mom, you're the best! I had no idea about the change in missionary clothing standards. That's something very interesting. I'll be interested to see how it's accepted by all the missionaries. In other news, thanks for celebrating free slurpee day! I'm glad you guys did. We'll be going to get a slurpee when I get home, for sure. Thanks for Shauna and Brett's email. It sounds like they're having a fun time. I still haven't heard about a ban on backpacks, so we'll see. President hasn't said anything about it. Lastly, as for what to send with the shoes. I'm honestly doing great on everything. I'm lucky to have such a great family that sends me awesome stuff! I would love some fruit by the foot, fruit roll-ups, and some nutter butters, but other than that, I'm good! Thanks for being such an awesome mom! You're the best! Love you lots!

Well everyone, the gospel is true! This is the Lord's work, and I'm a missionary! Can you believe it? I still can't. It's the greatest calling in the world though. I'm trying to make every day the best day ever (Elder Maddix would be proud) and serve the Lord in the best way possible.

Remember, God loves us. I've got the best family ever!

Love you all,

Elder Vernon

Meeting President and Sister Edgren

Elder Vernon on the Rynek

 Naked Nathan. He's actually some famous balancing statue above a river, but he's quite naked. So, we called him Naked Nathan (direct quote from Elder Vernon)

Sunset by Elder Vernon's apartment

Hey hey hey family! How's it going? It sounds like everybody had a great, fun week, except for Emma's bee sting. There was a huge bee in the library just a second ago, but I don't see it know. I'm talking around the thickness of my thumb. This guy was a monster. Nobody would ever want to mess with him on the playground when he was in elementary school. Anyway, I digress. Emms, I'm glad you're okay and there was no lasting, serious damage. This week has been a super awesome week. Especially with going to Mission Leadership Council and getting to meet President and Sister Edgren. They are awesome! I'm excited to work under them. Sorry that you are missing Sister Nielson's blog, but I will try to update you on as much as I can now that you have to do without.

Tuesday: We head to Poznań for Zone Training--Elder R and I are teaching. President and Sister Edgren will be there to do interviews, as well as the Assistants--Elders Ż (an Aussie, he loved to hear that my Dad served in Australia) and Raines. Missionaries from Poznań and from Szczecin will be there (that includes Elder J, Elder M, and Elder K). We return that night from Poznań and we will have a mini-exchange with the Assistants for a few hours, after which they'll be sleeping at our apartment.

Wednesday: We will teach Zone Training in Bydgoszcz, again with President and Sister Edgren present, as well as the Assistants. Gdańsk will be coming down for that as well. Apart from that, our week looks pretty mellow.

My plans to achieve goals this week are some plans that Elder R and I set during weekly planning after Mission Leadership Council. We've set the goal to find and baptize a family this transfer, and in doing so, these next two weeks are going to be heavily focused on finding. We're planning to study finding, contacting, and planning in these next two weeks to be effective and skilled in our daily contacting. Using all the tactics and strategies we've put forward and making sure we are contacting to a destination is going to help us place ourselves in the path the Lord needs us to be in. Above all, we're trying to be aware and focused on our purpose.

A spiritual experience I experienced this week was contacting on preparation day. Elder R and I were out and about and a little bit behind schedule as preparation day was coming to an end. I looked at my clock, saw that it was 5:59 PM, so I pulled out a copy of The Book of Mormon and got to work. The very first person I contacted, right before 6 PM, stopped, listened to our message, and took a copy of The Book of Mormon. We were also able to exchange numbers with D and we hope to be in contact with him. Wiem że Pan cieszy się naszą ciężką pracą i jest gotów nam blogoslawić pod warunkiem naszego posłuszentwa. (I know the Lord is pleased with our hard work and is ready to bless us when we are obedient.)
Another spiritual experience I had came with a similar situation. Elder R and I were planning for Zone Training coming up on Tuesday last night. Unfortunately, planning took a bit longer than we realized it would and we weren't able to get out on the street as quickly as we wanted to. We were faced with 20 minutes until planning and decided that our best use of time would be to get out on the street and talk to people. As we set out with a destination in mind, one of the first girls with whom we talked was very ready and prepared to hear our message. She took a copy of The Book of Mormon. It may not seem like a big thing, but once again, I do know the Lord will bless our obedient efforts and strive to help us, even when all we can put forth is a short 20 minute block of contacting.
The principle I learned this week was focused on planning. I feel that everything we learned in Leadership Council was directed specifically at me. I understand much better now that to plan effectively, vision is absolutely necessary, as are specifics. I think it's similar to building a wall. Vision is the mortar, and specifics are the bricks. Without both, a sturdy wall cannot be made. Obedience also plays a role in this analogy. If we are not obedient--in other words, if we do not place all the bricks in the right places and build the wall according to directions--we will not be effective and the wall will still not be built correctly. Understanding the role we play in gathering Israel, being specific, and being obedient and three main keys that I know will help my companion and me be more effective tools in the Lord's hands and accomplish what He expects of us.

This is from my President's letter. If you're wondering why part of it is in Polish, it's because President Edgren is really trying to learn Polish, and is doing a great job. He's asked us to write portions now in Polish with a translation to help him learn. I thought you guys might get a kick out of it as well. Google translate it maybe, and see how I did.

Mission Leadership Council this week with the Edgren's was awesome! They're going to be fantastic. President really understands the principle of planning, having a vision, and being prepared. Something he said that really struck me was this, "Puny preparation, puny revelation." I believe that this is true. We can't ask the Lord for His help worthily until we've done all we can. The better our preparation is, the better our revelation will be, as long as we are worthy. He also focused a lot on not only being obedient and working hard, but doing so efficiently. He's incredibly focused on the missionary purpose. He talked to us about the Abrahamic Covenant and how we fit into the equation. It was very instructive. He takes great pride in his work, as is obvious, and makes sure that it is suitable for the Lord. He's going to be a fantastic leader here in Poland and will do great things.

Mission Leadership Council was mainly focused on planning. It was awesome. The Assistants lead a lot of it. They're playing a huge role right now in all the mission does, mainly because President Edgren is so new. I'm realizing now just how much they have to do. I've got a lot more respect for Elder M now and all the hard work he's put in as a missionary. It's a tough job.

We also extended a baptismal date to a man named G this week! It's for August 3rd. He's been very busy, and it was our first meeting with him, so we haven't met again, but we should be setting something up today. I'll keep you updated on him, but for now, he's reading The Book of Mormon and will hopefully progress to baptism!

In other news, we had a meeting with K, our other recent convert, this week. She's doing great. We talked about prayer, and she brought up an analogy we shared with her a while back. We were thrilled she remembered it. She's learning and remembering what she learns! We told her it would be very strange if we went through a whole day at home and never talked to our mom or dad. Such it is with Heavenly Father. If we don't talk to Him all day, we begin to stumble, and His influence in our lives is put on the back-burner. It's interesting. I'd never understood what Alma meant when he talked to his son Helaman and told him to pray at all times, in everything we do. I'm now beginning to understand. Prayer is so vital. It's playing a much bigger role in my life now than it ever has before. When I remember that it's the act of bringing my will in line with Heavenly Father's, it becomes even more powerful. The gospel is so perfect and so true!

Dad, as always, thanks for the great advice and counsel. I so appreciate it. As for PMG, my advice would be as follows:

1) Though it may be centered on missionary work, this is really the Lord's way to teach. As I've learned lessons and seen principles in PMG, many times I have had the thought that such a principle or pattern is how the Lord wants all teaching situations done.

2) Regarding teaching situations, commitments are powerful. Everything centers around them. Without commitments, people will never grow.

3) For me, a lot of times things seemed like they didn't make sense and that such a way would never work. Now, I know they will, and will work the most effectively, for it is the Lord's way. Preach My Gospel is directed toward the perfect, sanctified, consecrated missionary. If we follow the things it says in there, such a missionary (or person) we will become.

4) Lastly, these are not new things or revolutionary processes. These have been used in all missionary work that missionaries have done in ages past. Watch for patterns found in the work of Alma, Ammon, and Aaron especially. You'll find the things they do match up with Preach My Gospel perfectly.

I'm glad you're still willing to take kids out to the cabin and go boating. I realize how much time you sacrifice to do so, and how rarely you get to ski or wakeboard. Thank you for all you do. You're the best Dad ever! Love you.

Hannah bear! Have so much fun at ballet. Hey, I've been seeing advertisements everywhere for a new Monster's Inc. movie. Did you get to see it? Is it super good? I bet so. I'm glad you get to play with Haley. We're working for a baptism! Love you lots and lots too!

Heath, I'm jealous you guys all went up to the cabin and had fun out there. I miss the cabin tons, but I wouldn't trade a mission for anything. The cabin, hopefully, can wait. We'll definitely be getting out there as soon as I get home though and be doing some serious boating. Enjoy time with your buddies before they all leave. I can't believe they're all leaving so soon. Life moves fast. I'm laughing about your scarf story. What color was it? Was it mission appropriate? Anyway, love you! Have fun at Dixie Camp!

Emma, don't worry, I plan on doing some serious boating as soon as I get home. Not so serious that we have to go straight to the lake from the airport, but still pretty serious. Dad definitely is experienced out on the water. I've never seen anyone else slalom like he can. I don't think he ever has shown us how well he can ski at full speed either. Maybe one day we'll get him to do so. I'm glad you didn't die of bee-sting! I'm proud of you for inviting your friend to sit by you. Such is what the Lord would do. Most importantly, I know He's proud of you too. Keep an eye out for such opportunities. They're around us more than we think. Love you!

Mom, thanks for the talk from Elder Holland and everything! You're the best. I don't know what I did to be so blessed to have you as my Mom, but it must have been something good. I'm glad you all were able to celebrate the fourth of July and go to Stadium ON Fire (pun intended--and I might be singing in my head). Weird to think I'll probably be home for the next fourth of July. I'm glad you put up with Dad and Emma's escapades. I feel like they get bigger and better every year. Thanks for always taking time to tell me about your lesson. I appreciate your insights and doctrinal thoughts. 

I realized I haven't talked much about President and Sister Edgren. They are from California, President actually mentioned Uncle Rick to me before I could bring it up. President Edgren loves baseball--we talked about that for a minute. It had been a long time since I had a good baseball talk. They feel very overwhelmed, of course, but are going to do great things. I'm excited to serve under them.

The gospel is true! I'm running out of time, but I love you all. Keep up the great work, and remember, We are the Vernon's and we know who we are! Namely, a forever family!

Love,

Elder Vernon

A New Week with a New President and Companion

Vernon Family with President and Sister Nielson (missing Heather) 

Angie, Sister Nielson, McGraths, and Eric

Family!


Wow, what a week! I'm so happy you were able to hear the Nielson's speak in church. It looks like you were also able to see the McGrath's! I hope you told them hello from me. I'm so glad you got to meet the Nielson's. They are some of the most incredible people ever. I'm glad I have a family who is so spur of the moment crazy! It definitely makes life fun. Ah, I'm jealous you got to spend time with the Nielson's too. I hope you sent them my love. I'm excited to work underneath President Edgren. In talking to the Assistants, they have told us that President Edgren already speaks Polish incredibly well. As in better than a lot of missionaries here in Poland well. I'm so impressed. He sounds like he's ready to get to work and a very diligent man. I'm excited to get to know him better and to start as a hard working zone leader who takes his counsel and follows it exactly. Indeed, flipping the switch will be a vital key in making this transition as smooth as possible. Coach Knight knew what he was talking about.

Thanks for typing up the talks Dad. President Nielson talked to us about the three part road to conversion before as well. It's a very interesting analogy. It changed a lot of the way I look at doctrine when he presented it.
Hannah Bear! I'm so sorry I forgot to wish you happy birthday last week. It totallly spaced my mind. With everything going on with transfers and what not, I spaced it. I'm glad you had a great birthday though! I can't believe you are 9. When did you get to be such a big girl?
I will probably be sending a couple boxes of stuff home soon that I don't need out here. My rockports (shoes) have also seen better days. I love them for the winter because they're so waterproof and durable. My ecco's are still holding up great. I've kept them nicer and wear them now mainly for nicer occasions, such as district meetings, zone conferences, etc.
A principle I have been learning this week is of focused effort. There are good things, better things, and best things on which I can focus during the day as a missionary. When I finish my day and I am accountable to the Lord in prayer, I want to be able to tell Him that I not only worked diligently throughout the day, but that my efforts were focused on those things that matter most. In a conference talk I re-listened to recently by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, he mentioned something he did on a daily basis. Every night, he would list the things he needed to accomplish the next day in order from most important to least important. Then, the next day, he would put all of his effort into the first task until it was accomplished. Then, he would move to the second, and third, and so on. I've started doing so as well, and it has helped me maintain a focused effort on those things that I need to accomplish. When I focus my efforts, I am much more effective. I've noticed a difference because of it. It helps me not fear accountability to the Lord. Rather, I am more willing to be accountable in my nightly prayer because I have done all that I can.
A spiritual experience I had this week happened on Tuesday. Elder Wilson and I were on our way to a meeting when we were stopped by a man who had clearly been drinking alcohol. He told us so himself as well. We were in a hurry and I wanted to be at the meeting on time, but he said he wanted to meet when he was sober. He asked us to come with him to his house, which he claimed was just around the corner, so that we could obtain his business card and visit him in the future. In all honesty, I grumbled a bit and wasn't so happy to follow him, but we did so anyway. We got his business card, found out where he lives, and then set off for our meeting. I was frustrated and stressed that we were going to be late because of a setback, but as always, the Lord knows best. Our meeting did not go through and the investigators did not show up. I was immediately humbled. In my hurry to be obedient and on time, I almost missed an opportunity to share the gospel with someone else. The Lord, however, knew better, and helped us to be tools in His hands even when in a hurry.
Another spiritual experience happened on Saturday night. Elder R and I had a scheduled meeting at 7 with a mom and her family. As we were about to leave our apartment after dinner, I had the thought to take a couple copies of "The Family: A Proclamation" with us. I did, and we set off to the meeting. She was not home when we showed up and the neighbors told us they weren't sure when she would be back. At this point, I had forgotten about the copies of the proclamation that I grabbed. We went back out onto the street, and as we were contacting, I had a longer conversation with a man named R. As we talked, he expressed to me he did not want to read The Book of Mormon. We did, however, talk about authority, and he explained to me that in his church, women hold the priesthood because all humans are created equal. I was able to bear testimony to him about the divine and different roles of men and women. As I did so, I thought about the proclamation to the family, and offered to give him one so he could learn more about our beliefs on the subject. He accepted one and I hope that he will read it and learn from it. I'm grateful that I was aware enough of promptings from the spirit to take a few copies of something I don't normally have with me. It definitely paid off.
Another story from this week happened a couple of days ago. I talked to a mom and her daughter for a long time. They were complaining about polygamy in our church (nothing new, we hear that all the time) and how unfair it was. They told me a lot about polish culture and it gave me a whole new view into these Polish people and how to help them. It was a very interesting conversation. Especially because I feel like just lately I'm learning how to be a real missionary. My whole mission, when people would talk for a long time, it just made me frustrated because I felt like they weren't letting me teach them what I wanted to teach. Now, I realize that I was totally in the wrong. I'm so grateful that I'm beginning to really understand polish and I can communicate with these people. When I understand what they are saying to me, what their concerns are, it allows the Spirit to work through me to bear testimony about a certain principle of the gospel which will be applicable to them. My missionary work is starting to take a whole different light, and it's because I'm learning to listen. I'm not perfect yet, and true listening takes hard work, but I'm getting better and the Lord is helping me.

Hannah getting 2 teeth pulled

Mom, good luck with your lesson! You'll do great I'm sure. You're the best mom in the world! Love you lots.
Hannah, loves you lots too! Way to go on being brave and having teeth pulled!

Hannah (minus 2 teeth)

Heather's first time back on skis after her knee (ACL) surgery

Daring Emma and Hannah

Heather and her friends that will be leaving on missions soon

Emms, have fun boating! You'll do great and enjoy it I'm sure. I'm glad you enjoyed EFY! Take something from it and go change something in your life. It totally pays off. Love you!
Heath, I'm glad your knee is getting better! Keep improving. Enjoy every day. Soon all your guy friends are going to be gone. Enjoy it while they're still here. Have fun at the cabin! Love you!
Well, my time is short, but I love you all! The church is true! I'm grateful that our family can be together forever!

Love,

Elder Vernon

I am Staying in Bydgoszcz!

Hey hey hey family!

So, I'm super excited to talk to you guys this week. That's so cool that you met a missionary going to Poland! I'll keep an eye out for him. Elder Saltmarsh is actually training this transfer, so Starszy Fotu might be his new companion. We'll find out!

Note from mom: this is a picture of a missionary going to Poland this week. We ran into him at the Marriott center after the training meeting on Sunday afternoon.

I love this work and am so grateful to be a full time representative of the Savior. One thing President stresses frequently is that the character we will have stepping off the plane to end our missions is the character that will remain through the rest of our lives. It will be very hard to change our attitude toward the Lord, His work, and the church at the end of our missions. That being said, I want to come home with the best attitude of humility, hard work, diligence, and obedience I can. So, I've now got to go set specific goals to do so. 

Mom, Dad, I need to give you a big thank you for teaching me how to work hard and to set a plan and go to work--especially with regard to cleaning a house. We have cleaning checks today and Elder Wilson and I more than prepared, thanks to making a list, doing deep cleaning, and getting to work. I know I may have grumbled and complained then, but I appreciate the value of hard work I have now.

Well, I'm sure you all want to find out about transfers. Elder Wilson and I were almost sure we would be staying together, but alas, it was not to be. Elder Wilson is heading to Katowice (I'm just a little bit jealous. I love that city and miss it badly.) to be a zone leader there with Elder N, another missionary from our group. I'm staying here in Bydgoszcz as a senior zone leader and my new companion will be Elder R. He's from Provo, UT and is a group ahead of me. In other words, he's in Elder Bokinsky's group in the mission. He also served in Kato my first transfer there, so I know him decently well. He's super fun, and I'm excited to serve with him and work hard! I'm super sad to say goodbye to Elder Wilson though. It's ok, we'll be doing lots of hanging out at BYU when we get home. As for now, there's work to be done. In other news, another Elder I've become really good friends with, Elder R, has been called to be an assistant. I'm super excited because he speaks polish really really well, and now I can talk to him about polish questions all the time. I'm doing my best to be a real student of the language. Every day I realize just how much I don't know about this language. It's crazy.

Sister Nielson and President Nielson taking something to remember Elder Wilson and Elder Vernon

Mom, now to answer some of your questions. Yes, it was hard to say goodbye to the Nielson's. Sister Nielson was funny. She was trying to get away with just shaking the Elders hands. Well, Elder Wilson and I went first to say goodbye, and by the time she was halfway through the handshake with me, she said, "Alright, that's it, I can't do this!" and gave first Elder Wilson a big hug, then me, then all the Elders down the line. We all had a good laugh about that. She's a mom, through and through. Mom, you cursed with me with my emotional genes. I shed a few tears in saying goodbye to the Nielsons. It's ok though, I'm lucky to have a mom like you, and I can deal with a few tears. The play, My Fair Lady, was awesome! It was super fun to watch and just enjoy. A nice break from things as well. I forgot how much I love My Fair Lady as well. It's a great play. Hopefully I can find some good plays to watch too in polish in the near future!

Our final Zone Conference with the Nielsons was so good! It was a blessing to hear from them one last time. Of course, we had the tie-cutting. I'm glad you guys like the tie, and the suit. I thought I'd be gutsy and get a blue one. Hopefully I chose well. I don't know if the Nielson's talked about this too, but one of the coolest parts of Zone Conference was the ties we received from the Nielson's. When every missionary goes home, Pres. and Sis. Nielson give them a white temple tie (from Adam's of course--Pres. Nielson designed the tie) with the years of the mission on the back. We weren't sure if we were all going to get one as well, but we did. Pres. talked about how when we go to the temple, to flip our tie over, look at the insignia, and think about our missions. It's a cool tradition they have. As their final bit in zone conference, President talked to us about 3 things he knows will be most helpful to us in life. First, obedience, second, faith, and third, sacrifice. Sister Nielson talked about choices and consequences. I love the Nielsons. They're like second parents to me now. I know the Lord wanted me to learn specific things from them. They're incredible people. I'm so grateful to have served with them for this year.

As for other news this week, let's move on to some stories.

Last Bydgoszcz zone conference with President and Sister Nielson

Elders Vernon, Wilson, Allen, and Harris

The Bydgoszcz zone

My plans to achieve goals this week are focusing on one day at a time and prioritizing. I've decided to make a list of things that are most important that need to be done in the next day every night during planning. Then, I will prioritize those things from most important to least importance. In doing so, I will determine what will involve my full efforts first the next day, and then once completed, I will move on to the next thing. I've planned to do this both with personal items and with items dealing with investigators. Focusing on one day at a time will also be helpful. Lately, I've found myself either looking to the future too much or feeling overwhelmed by all that I need to do in a week's time. By focusing on one day at a time, I will be able to exert all my effort into only that day, and worry about the next day when it comes. As the Lord Himself said, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."
A principle I learned this week was valuing every contact. Elder Wilson and I were talking with a man named P last night around 7:05. I was anxious and wanted to get inside and get planning because we had numbers to take and transfer calls to prepare for. P looked a little bit rough around the edges and I was doubting that anything would come from the conversation. I mentioned to him that we were lacking time and asked if we could set up a meeting or at least exchange information to keep in touch. He responded by saying that it's very hard to get in touch with him. That was when the overwhelming feeling hit me that if we didn't do all we could to help him understand and accept the Gospel, he might not ever get another chance. I don't want that hanging over my head. So many people simply do not recognize the importance of the message we bear. I'm humbled that Heavenly Father trusts me to bear such a message. I know that as I do my part, Heavenly Father will help me and lead us to the people who are prepared. As I was thinking about the fact that people do not understand how important our message is, my mind turned to the Savior. I'm not sure how many people in His time understood the importance of His mission, but surely it was not many. If He, however, could press on through the trials that He faced, I can deal with people not understanding the importance of what we share and being negative toward it. It's an honor to be a defender of the truth. I feel blessed to be a missionary in this day and age.
A miracle that we experienced this week was on our year mark. On June 20th, Elder Wilson and I decided that we were going to work as hard as we could all day. We only spoke Polish, spent 8 and a half hours on the street, and were absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. Yet, I'd never felt more content at the end of a day. We had great success. We were able to help 6 different people come closer to Christ by introducing them to The Book of Mormon and giving them a copy. We also taught 3 different lessons on the street. That wasn't all. We had a meeting planned with a recent convert, but while we were en route to the chapel, she called and canceled on us. That caused us to take an unexpected back road to match up with our back up plans. As we did, we ran across A, an investigator who we had lost contact with, but who we felt needs this gospel badly. We were able to talk to her and set up a meeting for the next day. The more I am on my mission the more I am convinced the Lord is in this work. He knew that our recent convert would cancel on us, where A would be, and how we could get in contact with her. As we are obedient and strive to do our best, He blesses us with these miracles and experiences.I'm running short on time, as usual, but I'm freaking out that I've already been on my mission a year. I can't believe it. I'm having a mid mission crisis. Dad, how do I deal with such things? It's not like I can buy a car while I'm on my mission. Haha, I'm just kidding, but it is weird that time passes so quickly. As Sister Nielson says frequently, we have two years to serve, and an eternity to think about it. I'm trying to do my best to make the most of every day here so that my mind won't haunt me in eternity.

Emms, have fun at EFY! Your testimony will grow immensely. It's a great place. Love you, and congrats on Lacrosse!

Heath, I'm glad you loved EFY. Studying the scriptures is definitely different from reading them. The scriptures have real power. I've learned that on my mission. Enjoy the time you have with farewells. They pass quickly. Oh, and give Parks--Elder Farnsworth--a big hug from me when you see him. He's the man. Anyway, love you!

Grandma! You're the best. I'm excited to be able to help James mow your lawn and spend Sunday nights at your house in a year! I love you.

Mom, the journals are great, thanks! Any updates on that email address? As for blog updates, you can send them if you like. Maybe once a month or so. You don't have to do it so often. Now, I'm not saying to send a month's worth of updates, just a little update on my buddies once a month. Anyway, you're the best mom. I love you!

Hannah bear, Keep having fun and being awesome! I love you small, I love you tall, I loved you back when you could crawl!

Dad, you're the best. Thanks for being a stalwart example and always following Christ. I'm grateful for your example. Keep working hard and being awesome. I hope I can watch this broadcast soon. President told us about the internet policy now. I'm shocked, but excited to see what it can do for all of us missionaries. We'll find out next week how soon we get to use it here in Poland. It will be interesting. Love you lots too.

I love you all! The gospel is true. I'm glad to be a representative of Christ.

Love,

Elder Vernon

One Year This Week! (June 17th Letter)

Family!

I'm so happy that I get to email you guys once a week. It's the best. We've had a pretty good week here. Nothing absolutely crazy has been happening as of late, but missionary work is always exciting. Anyway, a few logistics first. I did receive my package this week, and it was so great! You guys definitely packed it very full! I was impressed. Elder Wilson and I have been taking down the graham crackers. We missed those. In other news, we also bought European suits last week! We were very happy about that buy. They are sharp too! Maybe when I grow out of this one I'll give it to Justin as well. He is looking good in my old one. Anyway, I bought a dark blue suit, and Elder Wilson bought a black. We'll be wearing them tomorrow for Zone Conference, so keep an eye out for them on Sister Nielson's blog! As for a tie I've chosen to get cut, I'm going to cut one that I bought here in Poland. It's a black and blue paisley tie, and everyone in my district agrees that it suits me well.

Note from mom: Cousin Justin in Elder Vernon's old suit

This is a picture we sent to Elder Vernon of our family on a pioneer trek

Another picture of our ward/family pioneer trek

It looks like you guys had a wonderful time on trek! Dad, way to go on sharing the gospel! We never know when the opportunity might arise and when we need to take advantage of it. We are always missionaries, in all we do, in who we are, and in our everyday life. In reality, a missionary is simply a special witness of the Savior. We all, however, can be witnesses of Him everyday in all we do. We took upon us His name during baptism, and we promised to be witnesses of Him in all time and in all things and in all places. Every member a missionary! Now that I've ranted long enough, I am excited that you guys had missionary experiences. Elder Wilson and I have really been trying to help these Polish members learn how to be missionaries. It's not an easy thing. I'm glad that you, Dad, made sure I knew that as I prayed and fasted for missionary experiences, they would happen. They do happen as well. I still remember our trip back east last year. I was scared to pray for a missionary experience. I didn't want to step out of my comfort zone. I knew, however, I did need to learn to be a missionary, since I would be leaving so soon for my mission. Then, I was able to give a copy of The Book of Mormon to someone on the plane ride home.  When we pray for these experiences, they happen. That's what we're trying to help these members understand, and then to help them in inviting their friends to learn more. It's good to talk about the Gospel, better to share it, and best to invite others to learn more.

Wow, I'm really on a soap box today. Missionary work is the best though. It's scary from time to time, but it is the Lord's work.

Now on to some stories from the week, alright?

A miracle we experienced this week was contacting Monday after P-day. We were set up to have a lesson on the island in the middle of Bydgoszcz, but the man unfortunately did not show up. We were contacting when we noticed a father with his daughter a little way off of the path. We decided to go contact him, even though it was a little way off the path. I'm so glad we did. We were able to teach him a lesson on the street and give him a copy of The Book of Mormon. His name was D and he is very concerned about raising his daughter with good morals. We were able to promise him that the morals and things found in The Book of Mormon would help him to do just that. He told us he would read and we set up to call him the next day to set up a meeting. Unfortunately, when we called his wife answered and was a little bit less than nice on the phone. I do know, however, that D has an understanding of how he can use The Book of Mormon to help him in his life. I hope that he will do so. Having a lesson fall through and teaching a different lesson thanks to some "fill-in" contacting may sound like a coincidence, but I know the Lord wanted us to find and talk to D that night.
President Eyring's words have stuck with me recently. There truly is danger in someday when it is not this day. The more I learn about this, the less time I have to waste. A mission passes fast, and it scares me that I'm already a year into mine. I just hope I can utilize every day, show the Lord my love for Him, and do all He expects me to do.

We also got sent on a wild goose chase this week. We had a meeting set up with a potential investigator, and when we made it to the address that was given to us, no one answered. Thus, we gave him a call, and we told him we were outside his door. Still, nobody came to the door. We called him again, and we appeared to be in front of the wrong door, but the address that we had and that he confirmed was the address of the door in front of which we were. So, we went outside the apartment building, went back to a landmark, and followed his directions, which led us directly back to the same door. Well, that still didn't work. Throughout all of this he kept saying, "Where did you guys get off to?" We had no idea what was going on or where we could have been. Finally, we asked him if we could just meet at a landmark and then go to his apartment. He agreed, and we waited in between a tennis court and a pre-school for his arrival... which never came. We're not sure whether he was just pulling our tail, got much too fed up with us to come meet us, or what exactly happened, but Elder Wilson and I did our best.

Wednesday was a long, hard day. It's probably the hardest working day of my mission I've had so far. Elder Wilson and I were on the street walking around for 7 and a half hours, with only a placed Book of Mormon to show for it. We had some longer contacts, but most of them were people who only wanted to argue and such. When Elder Wilson and I got home, utterly exhausted, we looked at each other and said, "Well, if every day of missionary work were like that, life would be rough. You know what though, it'd still be worth it." And it totally would be.

I can't believe I'm going to have been on my mission a year this Thursday. Where is time going? I'm freaking out about it. Elder Wilson and I have been talking about it, and we're scared to come home. Not like out of our minds scared of it. We definitely want to see our families. We're just scared to have to face real life. It's so nice to not have anything to focus on out here but the gospel. We're celebrating our year mark well too. We're having culture night on Friday, going out to dinner, and then seeing My Fair Lady in Polish. It will be a fun time! We're excited.

Hannah-bear, it sounds like you were a regular old pioneer! I'm glad you were able to pull the cart and wear a pink dress. It sounds like you had a great time! Elder Wilson and I had a good week. I also love you little, love you big, and love you like a little pig.

Emms, good luck with your tourney! I'm glad you were able to go on trek. Lacrosse tourneys are good, but a chance to learn about the gospel and go on trek is definitely better. I'm sure you were a big help pulling the handcart. By the way, when did you get so tall? Have I been gone that long?

Mom, good luck making it to Vail! You'll do it, I'm sure. I'm praying for you too. You're right. Trek brings out special memories and a better recognition of how remarkable the pioneers were. They set a wonderful example for us. It's something we need to remember. What's happening to all these grand kids? Bryce looks like he's my age. Nathan, Josh, and Trevor all look like they grew a ton! I'm surely getting old by now. This is weird.

We had a family reunion this week and this is the picture we sent to Elder Vernon. His cousins are getting older! 

Dad, thanks for the insights on what you teach. I'm glad to learn from you and to have a Dad who is so versed in all gospel aspects. It's a real blessing. Keep sharing the gospel. I use your scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 often. It's been a real help to me, as well as Alma 38:12.

Heath, Have fun at EFY this week. Remember amid all the flirting, there are great spiritual lessons to be learned. You'll have a great time, I'm sure!

Anyway, time is unfortunately short. I love you all. I forwarded President's weekly message. He's the best. He has some great insights into life, and not just missionary work.

Remember, above all else, the gospel is true, and because of it, we can be together forever someday!

With lots of love,

Elder Vernon

What a Great Time to be a Missionary. (June 10th Letter)

Family!

You guys are the best. I'm so lucky to get an email from all of you every Monday and be able to hear from all of you. I'm very grateful for it, and I think you should know that. I know summer will be getting busy, but please keep it up!

Tell Bryce congrats! That's so awesome. He'll do a great job in Canada. The Lord has some great things in store for him. Entering the MTC on his birthday? That's his 18th birthday, right? He's going to be the youngest kid in the MTC for sure. Crazy!

Wish Grandma Honey and Aunt Shawna a belated happy birthday for me! Sorry I didn't wish them that last week. I'm glad Grandma likes the pottery!

Anyway, let's get some logistics out of the way really fast, like always. First off, we have Zone Conference next week. I'm sure you all have seen on the blog that Sister Nielson cuts a tie off of every missionary who is going home. Well, the Nielsons are going to do the same thing for all of us who are staying, because they are going home. Thus, I assume it will happen next week at Zone Conference. I still have no idea which tie I want to get cut. Any advice? The charge that has probably already come up on my bank account is for My Fair Lady tickets. For culture night we're going to go see it in Polish, just figured I'd give you a heads up about that.

Now, on to the fun stuff for the week.

Let's start off with some non-spiritual stuff. Last Monday, we went go-karting with Kyle Kagele (Sister Kagele's son-he's 20 and was here for a couple weeks before he went back to the states). That was a blast! We were all so sore the next day though. Elder Wilson and I also bought a 25lbs. watermelon this week and ate it. Well, not all of it yet, but we're getting there. We had an adventure cutting it up though. We've got a long way to go before we're master chefs, but we're getting better!

A spiritual experience I had this week was when we were teaching a referral we received from the office. M is his name, and we had a lesson with him on Friday. It was a good lesson, and he seems sincerely interested. The spiritual part of the lesson came for me when I was testifying about the first vision. As we began to describe the Joseph Smith story, phrases came to my head in Polish that I hadn't used before. I'd seen them in Preach My Gospel or in the Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith pamphlet, but I had never strived to memorize them or even use them before. Then, when we were teaching M, they just came. I know the Spirit was who prompted me to say these things, and it was He who brought them to my remembrance. I'm so grateful that the Holy Ghost is here to guide us and help us in these situations. I may not understand why M needed to hear these things expressed in such a way, but the Lord does, and as long as we are willing, He will use us as tools in His hands. We taught M on Friday night and invited him to R's baptism the next day. Amazingly, M came. Elder Wilson and I were happy, because we knew that if M was willing and truly searching, he would feel the Spirit at the service. We unfortunately didn't have a great chance to talk to him after, but we hope he felt something there. He's also committed to coming to church next week, and we are excited to help him understand the importance of it and what it truly means.
A principle I learned this week was last night with Elder Wilson. I feel so blessed to serve with him. Together, we've been having all sorts of uplifting experiences, and we can see the Lord influencing us line upon line and precept upon precept. This week, the Lord raised our minds and showed us just how important love is in everything we do. Our attitude toward everything, whether it be keeping a clean desk, or teaching a lesson, can be and should be a reflection of our love for the Lord. I've seen great examples of it in my life from my Dad and other Priesthood leaders around me, and now I'm realizing that I need to improve to show the Lord just how much I love Him. I guess, if I tried to put what we learned in a nutshell, it would be the what, why, and the how of the Gospel. The what is obedience. Obedience is the first law of heaven, and without it, we cannot progress. The why is love. The plan of salvation was created because God loves us. We are obedient to Him because we love Him. The how is the atonement. Without the atonement, none of this possible. We could never progress or obtain exaltation without the atonement. We are simply not capable of doing so alone. We are human and will make mistakes, but with the atonement, we can overcome both spiritual and physical death. I'm continually amazed at how the Spirit can inspire us and lift our minds. The gift of the Holy Ghost truly is one of the greatest gifts that God could give us. I'm grateful for it in my life, and hope to use the things I've learned to help those around me, even if it just be a small smile.

As for our teaching pool, we really don't have many investigators right now. We've been trying to find, and we feel we're on the verge of doing so, but it just hasn't quite happened yet. We do teach a lot of lessons with recent converts.

Hannah Bear, We only placed 3 copies of The Book of Mormon this week, but we hope for a better week in this coming week. We're working hard and going to do our best. Wow, I'm excited for you guys to go on trek! Push hard. You're going to be a real pioneer. I love you!

Emms, wow! You're a busy girl! Have fun with all these activities this summer. Find some time to relax too. Tell Megan I say hi! Heather definitely loves you. Loves you lots!

Heath, I'm glad to hear you had a great time at Laurel's camp. What a neat experience. I remember Helaman's camp well. It's a special thing for sure. I'm so grateful that I've had leaders that have taken the time to make sure I understand the gospel and to understand how it should be applied in my life. I'm sure you're learning that too. A few comments about conversion. I assume you read the talk by Elder Bednar from November 2012 Conference. He gives us great insights about it. I'm not nearly perfectly converted to this gospel yet, and I don't know when that will come, but I can say I am much more converted now than I was before my mission. Conversion is a process of a lifetime, whereas testimony can come in an instant. Our testimony can and will strengthen over time, but if we truly seek it, we can receive a confirmation from the Holy Ghost quickly. Conversion, however, is a little bit different. It's a process of diligence. Constantly being true to what you know won't come in a second, but will be proven over time and with trials. The beauty of the gospel is, when we do our best and strive to become converted, the atonement will take over. That's where the mighty change of heart comes in. The Lord will help us if our desires our righteous. Anyway, I hope I haven't rambled too much. If anything, I've learned about conversion as I've made comments about it to you. Keep me updated on what you're thinking about a mission. It's definitely an option. Love you.

Mom! Have fun at Sundance. Lucky you to get a couple of days away from everything. You and Dad will have a great time, I'm sure. Keep me updated about how this trek thing goes. Yes, babies and toddlers will be a very interesting experience. You will get a real feeling of how the pioneers felt, that's for sure. I'm sad I have to miss this trek. It would have been a really cool experience. I'm jealous! Anyway, love you lots!

Dad, I'm literally laughing out loud from your document. That is priceless, and definitely needs to be a Vernon family staple. One thing is for sure, Polish has helped me correct my grammar. I'll explain it all to you one day, but in Polish, there's no possible way to dangle a participle. It just doesn't work. Nice huh? It's also helped me learn how to use whom. I'm not perfect yet, but it is nice to be getting better. Thank you for your gospel insights, and for keeping me updated on Mom's teaching. She sounds like she is a very skilled teacher and does a great job. Of course she does, she's Mom. I've felt for a long time that I've needed to study the Savior's life more fully, and your comments have made me decide to do so, starting this week. Everything we do needs to be in accordance with His example. Thus, to truly follow Him, we have to know Him. Like he says in D&C, "Draw near unto me, and I will draw near unto you." In other words, He's saying "Abide in me" which is what the parable of the true vine is all about. Restoration scriptures are so incredible. We're so grateful to have them.  Anyway, you're the best Dad and I love you. 

Well, I love you all! The gospel is so incredibly true. I love having a chance to serve the Lord out here in the field and to be doing His work. What a great time to be a missionary! Keep reading the Book of Mormon. It's the word of God!

With love,

Elder Vernon

P.S. Elder Wilson says hi!