I Got Grandma Honey's Peanut Butter Package. Letter from August 26th

Hey hey hey family!

Wow, where does the time go? It feels like yesterday that I emailed you guys, and now it's Monday all over again.

I'm going to apologize right now. I woke up this morning with a pretty sore throat, and my head feels a bit foggy right now, so if I'm all over the place, that's why. Mom, don't stress. If it gets bad I'll call Sister Edgren.

I received Grandma Honey's peanut butter package! Tell her thank you very much for that. We've finished the big 3 lb. jar and we're now moving on to the one that Grandma Honey sent. We're excited. As for the fry recipe, we have not tried it yet. I got put on a very high fiber diet last week that consisted of lots of fruits and veggies, so I haven't had the time to try them. By the way, did you know that kiwi skins are super good for you and high in fiber? They're also edible. Two little facts I had no idea about.

Now, onto some stories from the week.

We had Zone Conference this week, which was super awesome. I talked a lot about it on my voice recording. We were given a whole lot of latitude in everything that we do. We were also given a lot of lee-way regarding rules. From the sounds of it, almost anything is free game within reason, and as long as it helps us to accomplish our purpose. I was taken a bit off guard by the announcements made, but I'm excited to see what blessings and results they will bring. I realize that there has been a lot of trust put into the hands of missionaries and these new tools and opportunities will only be effective if focused on the purpose. The older I get as a missionary the more I realize just how inspired that purpose is. I'm trying to make it a part of everything I do as a missionary. I forget it at times, but I'm trying to make a conscious effort to improve.
I'm also learning a lot about leadership. I'm so grateful for an opportunity to serve with Elder Rittmanic. He has great people skills which I am learning a great deal from. Not that my people skills were inherently bad at the beginning of this transfer. I don't think they were. They did, however, have a lot of room for improvement. Especially in the area of giving guidance and counsel. 

Mieliśmy duchowe doświadczenie wczoraj. Byliśmy przed naszymi drzwiami około 8:55 i podjęliśmy decyzję pójść dalej w dół ulicy. Nie chcieliśmy powrócić do domu aż do 9-ej. Jak szliśmy dalej, spotkaliśmy pewną panią zwaną A. Ona kiedyś wpadła do domu G podczas gdy mieliśmy tam spotkanie kilka tydoni temu. Ona nas zatrzymała i powiedziała że chce z nami się spotkać. Dosłownie ona ukradła Księgę Mormona z mojej ręki. Ona nie była do końca trzeżwa kiedy to wszystko się stało, ale ustanowiliśmy z nią kontakt i mamy nadzieję że wielkie rzecze się zdarzą dzięki temu doświadczeniu. Wiem że błogosławieństa pochodzą od posłuszeństwa, nawet te małe wydarzenia kilka minut przed 9-ą.
(We had a spiritual experience last night. We were in front of our door at 8:55 PM and decided to keep on heading down the street. We didn't want to return home until 9:00. As we went about 100 yards farther down the street, we ran into a lady named A. She had stopped in at Gs house once while we were teaching him a few weeks back. She stopped us on the street, and told us that she wants to meet with us. She literally stole the copy of The Book of Mormon I was holding out of my hands. She was fairly drunk as all this happened, but we were able to make contact with her and we hope to see great things come from this in the future. I know blessings come from obedience--even the little instances at 8:57 at night.)

I came to an interesting conclusion this week. I realized that a lot of the people we talk to on the street end up trying to teach us and don't exactly want to listen to what we have to say. We talked to a kid in his mid 20's for about 20 or so minutes on the street this week. At the end of the conversation, he asked me who was going to go away from our conversation and think more about it. I told him that I probably would. He talked a lot about what we could believe in. He said we can believe in what we experience. He believes that God exists because he had a very near death experience and feels that God saved him. Yet, he doesn't believe in a church and claims he doesn't need to believe in a book because what is that to him when he doesn't experience anything from it. He said he had even read the Book of Mormon some time ago. He didn't finish it, but he read quite a bit of it. I encouraged him to read it again. I tried to simply bear testimony and touch his heart, but I'm not sure how effective it was.

Dad, thanks for the outline of Pres. Scoresby's talk. I'm beginning to realize his wisdom. What a smart guy. Thanks for the scripture as well. Don't worry, I'm focused on the work, but doesn't BYU football start soon? As Corwin would say, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Love you lots. Thanks for all you do.

Emms, good luck adjusting to AFJH. I'm glad you got over to the Hall's house. Their cat Jazzy is super cool. Good luck with ballet! Love you.

Heath, you're now officially a senior! I'm freaking out. That's totally not allowed. You're way too old. I remember walking out of Coach Atwood's class with a very sore hand as well. He keeps you busy writing. Have fun with everything this year! You're only a senior once. Loves you lots!

Hannah Doober! I love your poems. Good luck with the bug catching business! Have fun in school. You're super cool. The gospel is true. There's no more blood in my ..... we'll just leave it at that. Loves you lots!

Mom, way to go being back at school! Sounds like you had a good time there. You're going to rock your new calling, for sure! You'll do great. I'm super excited to see what you learn. Thanks for all you do. I'm convinced I have the best momma in the whole wide world. Love you lots!

Well family, sorry if this week's letter is a little bit shorter, but Elder Rittmanic is already done and I hate making him wait. I love you all lots! Keep up the great work, and remember, we're the Vernon family!

The gospel is true.

Elder Vernon