Feb.15, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,
This week went well. I like my new comp and im working him hard. Maybe a little too hard b.c his feet are getting pretty torn up from walking. Mine are good though. I just dont really have a limit to working hard and forget some people aren't as use to it as me.
His name is Elder Zelaya and hes 23.
So i still dont really have any pictures of our whole family b.c the ones you send me always seem to be missing you. HMMMM????
The vitamin c drink packets you sent me work great though. I have alot more energy. You should have heath try them in the mornings and once in the day especially before games.
We had a family come to church this week. It was awesome. Im hoping to set a baptismal date this week with them. I had been fasting so i knew that they would come.
Do your home and visiting teaching. Ive really come to understand how important that is in maintaining converts and reactivating people.
I love you a ton and never forget that.
LOVE,
Elder VIncent
ps yeah i think they do have valentines day here.

February 1,2010

Dear Mom,

    Things are going good.  Im in a trio with my district leader and his comp.  I probably wont get a new comp until next week.

    Things are good.  We gave service this week to a really cool family in their area that is going to get baptized they loved to take pictures and I will send them to you when I can.

    I got a dear elder from Sister Schettler this week and a christmas card from Gage.  The card from Gage meant alot to me and helped me a ton when I was a little down.  I especially loved the pictures and the part about not every hit is a home run.

     I also got a package from Aunt Nancy which was nice.  I"m up to 6 letters since I left the ccm now. Im on fire!

      Things are good here i just need to help people get to church any ideas?  

    Tell people there how important references are and if they truely love there family and friends they will introduce them to the missionaries.

    I love you and thank you for all you prayers.  Let me know if there is anyone I can pray for.

         Love,

               Elder Vincent  the blue eyed one

January 25,2010

 Dear Friends and family

       My comp has been really sick but we still got alot of work done. Oh we also went to the zoo for pday and i got to see tigers and jaguars which was really sweet.  It made my day.  i took pictures and will try to send them to you when i have time.
    I love you and will try and write more soon.  The computer wasnt working.  Tell Luke Good luck!
   Love
          Elder,
                  Searle Vincent.

January  18, 2010

Dear  Family and Friends,
     So Im writing this right now and the earth is shaking!! haha just swaying but kind of cool all the same.   
      How are things going?  How're things back home?  I've been praying that you will get my package soon.  I know you'll get it. Dont worry about sending me money.  Its safer to just take it out of an atm in guatemalan money.  Im glad Heath's doing good in school and bball.  Im really proud of him.  I love my brothers alot.
     So they send alot of donated clothes here to guatemala and so i see alot of cool/interesting shits/clothes.  This week i saw a springville fire department shirt that i thought dad would think was kind of cool and also i saw a t guy wearing a taylorsville days shirt and i thought natalie and her parents would think thats cool.  I've yet to see park city gear but i have seen some byu.  There was a guy in taxisco wearing a byu hat.  I see alot of cool jerseys i want to buy off people though (mostly bulls)
      This week we had a multi-zone conference.  We focused alot on talking about dedication b.c there was an Elder here who got hit by a car and has been in the hospital.  He was trying to teach the nurse there still and told here he wouldn´t eat until she got baptized haha.
       Im doing really good and this week is going to be great seeing as it is my 24th week (im not trying to keep track its just numbers are so easy for me haha)  Im really praying to get a baptism this change but the people have to be converted first and do there part.
       I called my old companion this week to see if he could check about the package and he told me a bout the baptism of Maria-Isabel, the little girl i had been teaching in taxisco.   He said it was amazing and that she wished i had been there to baptize her.  He said Sunday after she was confirmed she bore her testimony and that it was really powerful and that there wasn't a dry eye there.  Im so glad she was able to get baptized and come unto the Lord and be able to have the constant guidance of the Holy Ghost in her life.  I do wish i could have been there but truly im just happy she got baptized.  She is such a blessing to her family.
     Im really happy to be a missionary.  There is nothing i would rather be doing right now with my time.  I want to help these people and this place so much.
      Tell people i am praying for them alot.  I really pray name by name b.c i care about the welfare of so many people but i am here and am much more interested at the moment of how i can reach the people here.
       I love you so much and if there is anything i can do for you all please let me know.  And Eric good luck with tryouts.  You are a great strength to me.
          Love,
                 Elder Vincent

January 11, 2010

Dear Mom, Family and Friends,
     This week was really good.  We were blessed there are a couple of families here who have gone around with us to visit and show us were alot of inactive families live.  We visited alot this week and it paid off.  We had 62 in church today compared to 43 last week.  We still only had two investigators in church and they just came with friends so we dont really know them yet but will start to teach them.  We've found some really good new investigators we just need to show them that they are only recieving part of the blessings from heaven they can receive in their churches now and how we are there b.c we truely care and love them.
   You had a question last week about  how taxisco changed while i was there.  I feel like it changed alot while i was there.  My first change it was an under 20 attendance every week and my second change we never had under 20 once.  We got alot of non member youth good expirences with the church and we reactivated three people including one 16 year old who was completely on the wrong path but is completely focused on going on a mission now and even pays donations to the church mission.  Him and almost all his cousins and aunts are inactive members but the grandma is a member (lady with bird) and when i left she was almost in tears b.c of how much time we`d spent trying to help her family.  It was a really cool expirence.
    So you´ll have to let me know when you get the package b.c they told me it would get there b4 christmas.  I dont know what`s up.  Youll love it when you get it though.
    So i´ve never asked where Sister Poston is from in Guatemala.  You should let me know.
    i know i wasn´t as ready as i should have been to come on my mission but i am so greatful for this opportunity, this mercy of the Lord allowing me to reshape and readjust my life to where it should be.  I love serving the Lord and I love sharing about the atonement.
    Please tell everyone hi for me and dont send me pics from my mission send me pics of home and our family and friends and the one with all the cousins please.
    I love you so much and hope with all my heart you'll are doing well.  This work is to important not to try and share with all that we can.  I have personally seen the difference in my life when I am closer to my Father in Heaven and when I am not so close.
    I love you and give my best wishes to everyone.
         Love,
                 Elder Searle M. Vincent

December 29,2009

Dear Family and Friends

   How are things going back in the snow?  It was really good to talk to you this week.  I recieve so much strength from you as a family.  I thank you deeply for that.  I recieved your other package.  It was great.  I especially loved the all state football stuff.  They did so well this year individually and as a team. Im so proud of them.

   I did have transfers yesterday.  I am now in the capital and it is actually quite cold.  My comp is Elder Ordoñez and he is from Honduras.  We are opening a new area called Carolingia in zona mixco.  I dont know a ton about it besides its a really small area.  So I'm going from one of the biggest areas in the mission to one of the smallest.  I'm excited to be in this new area b.c I know it is where the Lord needs me but I also realize since we are opening an area we once again probably wont get alot of help from the members right off the bat.  We'll just have to serve them and show them love so they can trust us.

    In Taxico my comp will be training and I feel so blessed that we were able to teach enough and set a date so that a new missionary can have a baptism in his first week.  I am a little sad I wont be there to see Maria-Isabel (the little 9 year old girl I've been teaching from the pictures with the coconuts) be baptized but it doesn't really matter if I'm there or not.

    I love you all and keep up your good work on the Mission work back home.  I am so greatful for how you´ve all stepped up since I left.

    I love you all so much.

           Love,

                   Elder Searle M. Vincent

December 22 ,2009

Dear Family and Friends,
   So first off I love you all and am very excited to talk to you as well.  I will probably call you in the morning on Christmas and then have you call me back on whatever phone would be cheapest.  Its a little complicated so if it doesn´t work to call back you can go through the oporator.  Im in taxisco, Santa Rosa Guatamala.
    I love my mission so much.  It is such a mercy of God to have been able to come on my mission.  It saved me. We're working hard but its hard to get people to change.  I just pray for them all the time and do my best and always I believe I am making a difference.
   We´ve found two families that I think could be golden for this branch here we just have to teach by the spirit and love them.  I really hope we can help them join the Lords team. We also have a baptism date set for a 9 year old girl, who's parents are inactive, for the 2nd of January.  This is the last week of the change so I don't know if I will be here next week or continue with these people but I will continue to pray for these people just like i pray for the people back home.  I hope I can stay here longer though.  I would be willing to stay here the whole two years if I could make a change here.
    So yesterday we had a Christmas reunion for pday in the cap so thats why I didn´t write until now but i belive i have all my packages so Christmas will be a good day.  Speaking of that did you get my package yet :)
   So funny story I was giving my talk Sunday (The missionaries give one every week in my branch) and this drunk lady came in and just started blurting out stuff.  Then during my comps talk she stood up and said she wanted to share her testimony.  My comp finished and I was leading the music and she came up and was standing right next to me singing something completly made up.  My comp and I walked her out and to her house but she still had a hymn book.  We tried to get it back from her but she said it was scripture and that it was sacred and she wouldn´t give it back.  So a drunk lady stole one of the hymn books haha.
   I fasted with you on Sunday.  I fasted that you all would find someone to fellowship as a family so that they could be baptized in the next two months. I know thats alot to ask but I know if we have faith and work hard it can happen.  There are so many ready people back home.
   Also I sent a letter inviting you all to read the book of mormon with me in 90 days.  Im going to start on the 1 of january and finish the last day of march so if you dont get the letter b4 then you can still start.
   I love this church and I know this gospel is the true church of the Lord.  I am continually pained for the weakness of my past but know through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I will eventually be forgiven.  I love you with all my heart and would do anything for you.  That is why I am so greatful to have the gospel in my life.  I know I can be with each of you for eternity.
   Love,
          Elder Searle Vincent