LEAVING ON MONDAY

Oct 30
Mark Vomocil

Hello there. This week is going so fast just like the others here. Just to clear up everything about travel. I leave on November 2nd and have to get up at 3am to get to our flight that leaves at 6. Then I have a 2-hour layover from 9:30 to 11:30 in Dallas, then another 3-hour layover in Miami from 3 to 6, all local times. I arrive in Quito at 10 pm local time. They aren't going to charge me for any of my bags if they are all under the weight limit so that is great news.

I got all of my presents, the Cube Clock, the book, and the party in a box. Thank you so much. They are awesome. I hate to try and bad talk any form of thoughtfulness, but my birthday is on the 4th :D. It will be such a great birthday I am sure, spending it in Quito.

We got to talk to a native named, Hermano Shulca, he is from Ambato and told us about everything, the super nice apartments, the maid, the weather, the food, the people, everything. It got me so pumped and even more grateful for just how awesome of a place I got called to. Supposedly President Sloan is major rule crazy, because they called him to replace someone halfway through their time or something, because of all the missionaries that were getting sent home because of obedience issues.

This week has been one of the best overall. I have been making all the effort I can to make sure each day I can make accountability before myself and the Lord, that I didn't waste any of His time. It is such an amazing feeling to serve with no expectation of reward. When you put everything you have into a work that you know is not guaranteed to yield any immediate rewards the satisfaction comes from yourself and from the Lord. Knowing that He is pleased with me and knowing that He accepts my sacrifice of time and effort makes it all worth it.

Our Tuesday devotional was another blessing. We got amazingly close seats and then Elder L. Tom Perry showed up with his wife. The Spirit that an apostle brings is unlike any other. One of the most significant events of the night though was before he even started speaking. When I read under his name, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. At the moment the seriousness of that calling hit me. We believe in prophets and apostles. We have the same organization that existed in the church when Christ was on the earth. The speaking of the apostles now has the same weight as the recordings of the apostles in the scriptures. It was another testament to me that this work is true, this message is true. After devotional we had our testimony meeting like we do every week and it was our best yet. We got to have our Branch President, President Lloyd speak. He is one of the most humble men I have ever seen. And he just gets it, he knows this is the truth, he knows the preciousness of what we are bringing and he shares with us at every opportunity he gets.

With everyday I know more and more of how serious what we do really is. This is not fake. This is real. This is not some story we make up to make ourselves feel better. This is all real. The blessings that come are unimaginable. Pride is such a widespread thing it is hard to even fathom it. Not only is pride the source of our sin but it is the force that stops our repentance. On every turn the natural man pops up with our pride to make us do the wrong thing. So the ultimate counter attack is humility. A trait that is completely foreign to the natural man, humility is a gift of the spirit. Humility comes from knowing that our decisions, and our will, are always worse than God's. It is a hard way to live. Knowing that you must give up thinking you are right and constantly seek out the thoughts and decisions that God gives you. A scripture I found in Isaiah just put a metaphor to how pathetic pride really is. Isaiah 10:15, I don’t have my scriptures but it is like, Will the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? God is everything and does everything for us. And when we finally recognize and give thanks for all the things He does, He gives us even more things, we are always continually more indebted. The knowledge that He still loves us perfectly is so humbling.

Before my mission it was always, you will have 2 years to develop this skill or 2 years to do that. But a thought I had yesterday really shook me up; I don't have 2 years anymore. I have 22 months to do this work, this isn’t preparation anymore this is performance. And there is no excuse I have to not be prepared with the gospel.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth! (Isaiah 52:7, 3 Nephi 20:40)
Yeah I know I quoted it wrong, you can fix it for me mom. But back to the point, we have published peace, and I am bringing it to a people among the mountains. A people that the Lord, through an apostle, has called me to because he knows they need me. I am helping fulfill all things that the Lord has said. The Lord has prepared me for this.

Once again thanks for the birthday wishes, I am going to turn 20. I feel so old. The teenage years, looking back, went pretty fast and pretty easy for me.

I love you so much.

Elder Vomocil

s' up?

 

LAST WEEK-MTC

Today in the mail we got our travel plans. Yup, I have one week left in the MTC, and I am excited to get out there doing the real work, but I feel like I still have so much more to learn. We leave at 3 a.m. and get there at 10 p.m.
Sounds like you had a fun time on your vacation mom, and it is OK that you talked about all the food. I found the Malt O Meal brand of Honey Bunches of Oats and that is how I have been surviving. Thanks for all the news that you give me. I love basically anything you want to tell me about. I literally have no outside contact so anything you say is news to me.

If I had to describe this week in a word it would be humility. Lesson after lesson that we have taught here has been a serving up of humility. Whether it be my progress on the language or lacking the Spirit or just failing to complete my purpose. I know that these experiences will help me and our devotional this week seemed to be a warning of the events to come. The theme was planning. He gave the scenario of a man in a boat in the middle of an ocean. Which direction does he beginning rowing, how long is he going to row before all motivation leaves him and he just sits there waiting for some miracle or for death? Now imagine off in the distance he sees an island, he knows where to go, he knows each stroke he takes gets him closer to safety and rest.

We need to have a vision as missionaries, a vision that is based on our purpose. Goals for what we want to be like when we get home. Goals for what we want to accomplish this week and today. Without these goals we give up, we stop progressing, and we fail. So to continue studying this topic I read in Preach My Gospel, it says goals are an act of faith. By setting a realistic goal with the Spirit there to help you know what will stretch you and what you should aim for, you are telling the Lord, what you expect of yourself. You are letting him know what you are going to work on and then after you have given your all to achieve that goal God gives you the rest. He will make up for your lacking and He will bless you in time of need. Goals turn the desires of our hearts into words, they make our hopes actions. Goals could not have been less important before I got here and now I focus on them everyday. But we will have failure, if we always succeeded, if every prayer we offered was answered like we wanted their would be no faith. In fact there would be no misery, sickness, or failure, our period of testing would not be a test. So the devotional speaker gave us his definition of success, success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. I don't know what the situation will be like in Ecuador but I do know that I can decide and act now to always know that God leads this work and nothing can stop His cause.

Last night was a crazy one. After one of our humbling lessons that we had with another zone, Elder Messer, our zone leader, came back and was frustrated because of what had happened. He said that this would be completely different in the field because the person would be real. Hermano Del Toro, who I have found handles every situation with more Spirit then I can imagine, didn't like the attitude that he had. He asked him why couldn't that lesson be real? Why can't you invite other missionaries to come unto Christ? People need help, this world is such a tough place. Everyone around us needs what we have to share, you never know when what you say could have such an impact on the life of another. Sometimes not even because of what you said but because you brought the Spirit. Sometimes all people need is to bring the Spirit so it can testify of what that person needs to hear. It has happened to me here, I have had truths that I needed taught to me because I was in a place where the Spirit was testifying not because of the exact words of what someone was saying but because I listened with an open heart. Some people might think we are throwing our lives away here or that we are losing something but we are saving souls and that is more important than anything. I truly know that this gospel lifts us, that it helps us, that it SAVES us.
Today I had my first experience in the temple with sealings. I was there for a family to have their deceased father sealed to his family. Truly the power of the priesthood and the power of the Spirit is made manifest in the ordinances of the church. I could feel the binding power of what occurred in that room. I know that these things are necessary and such a blessing. Parents and children have the opportunity to live forever with each other, God will honor what we did there today forever. It is such a powerful place.

Another thing that I have been working on so hard to improve is my prayers. God has given us the opportunity to talk with Him. God, the greatest of all, listens to the desires of my heart. How blessed we are to have that, and we should never treat it lightly, we should never feel like it is a burden to pray. It is a chance to talk to God.

Well I love you all so much. I think of you all the time. I hope that this service I am giving to my brothers and sisters in Ecuador blesses my brothers and sisters back home.

Have a great week.

I love you.
Elder Vomocil

2 WEEKS TO GO

October 16, 2009


Hey everyone, this has been a crazy week.
First off thank you so much for the letters and the packages. I wasn't sure at first what you had sent me, but I think that the Under Armor will be very useful. Some things I really need, that book that you have been asking if I wanted, you should send that. And I lost my pencil bag thing the first week I was here so I have been surviving off of one pen, then I lost it. So if you could send some pencils pens and highlighters that would be awesome.

We got two new districts in as many weeks and they are all awesome. I got to host on Wednesday which is where I take them to all the places around the MTC and help them on their first day. It was so funny to think how clueless I was and how much I have grown.

The Spanish has been coming along great. After having a really difficult time with the Spanish in one of lessons I knew I had to study harder in order to be able to be ready to get right into the work when I get to Ecuador.

Oh, I get to call in the airport so if you want to send a phonecard you can. Or, I can buy them here just let me know if you are going to send one.

I have really found out this week if you think that you can do it by yourself the Lord will let you, and you will fail. I have come to rely so much more on the Spirit than I thought possible. It is funny whenever I go into a lesson thinking that I am prepared enough or even over prepared ,those are the times when I never use the lesson plans, instead the Spirit leads to what I should be teaching. Seems that the Lord favors the prepared.

Every couple of days I get to go to the hospital with Elder Hirschi because of his knee.
When I was in the lobby waiting for his appointment to be over, a man sat down next to me and asked me what I was reading in. I told him that I was reading in D&C 121. I was reading it because in the devotional earlier the speaker had talked about it and I was not very familiar with it. He told me that his name was Joseph Smith, also that his brother's name is Hyrum and his best friend's name is Brigham Young, nope not lying, (Joseph is the Prophet who restored the gospel, Hyrum is his brother who died with him, and Brigham Young was the prophet following Joseph’s death) and that that section meant more to him than anything else in the scriptures. He said every morning he wakes up and reads that section in order to be able to get through the day. He was a drug addict, smoked, and drank. In his youth he was ripped from his family and put into foster care. He had been a less-active member until one year his wife and he decided to move to a small town to change their lives. They promised each other that they would go to the temple and to get married. One year later his wife had gone through the temple to receive her endowments and was doing great. Six months after that she died. Instead of losing all hope Joseph tried harder to fulfill his promise. He is now off the drugs, doesn't drink, stopped drinking coffee, and is almost off smoking. His faith was unshaken, his promise is his driving force for everything. He has completely abandoned his whole lifestyle because of a promise to someone that is no longer even alive.
I was so happy for him but I didn’t get to talk with him after he told his story. He had to go to the appointment. His dedication through his trials made me see just how blessed I am. I know that this gospel changes lives. I know that through the Atonement of Christ all that is wrong or unfair about life can be made right. That is such an impossible promise yet through Christ it is possible and available to everyone. Why missionaries call this the best two years is easy to see, as I draw close to God he draws closer to me.
It is hard to keep going, every time I sit down I feel I need to collapse and I am only beginning.
One of the most important things I also learned this week is about repentance. Many times the hardest part of repentance is forgiving yourself. We feel we need to have that guilt in order to remember not to sin. What we really need to do is let it go, let the sacrifice of Jesus Christ help you in the fullest way possible. Lasting happiness only comes through this. The Lord forgets what we have done wrong. Although we will still have the memories ,we need to let go of the guilt and hurt that comes from mistakes.
It is hard to share what joy I have from being out here, it is hard to tell you how much I know that the Savior loves us individually. I have never felt such a crazy mix of emotions as I have here. I have never felt before that every choice I make either prepares me to fulfill my purpose or is a waste of time. I know what I am doing is the right thing, I will have trials but as it reads in the scripture that now has so much more meaning,
“Peace be unto thy soul, thine afflictions shall be but a small moment.” And the reward is greater than I can
imagine.
I love you all so much.

Keep strong.
Love Elder Vomocil

CONFERENCE WEEK

October 9, 2009

Oh man this week has been so long, so many things have happened. First off the swine flu has returned with a vengeance. Our next door neighbor got it first. Then someone else in our zone, then my companion got sick and I was freaking out but it turns out his is only the normal flu, yea! This week has also seen the first couple of "arguments" in our companionship, they were really dumb, but it just shows that things aren't always perfect ,but if I am always striving to be a disciple of Christ the situation gets solved easily.

So first I should talk about conference. Oh man I don't even know where to begin. Conference was life changing. Never before have I even realized the importance of apostles. I was so eager to listen to those who have been called by God to lead His church. I mean I always have loved the apostles but truly their divine calling was made known to me during this conference. The time went so fast, who knew 10 hours could feel so short. Elder Scott's talk was so powerful. The Spirit has been one of the biggest concerns since I have arrived here and before conference we had to write 5 questions that we were to look for answers for in the talks that were given. Every last detail of Elder Scott's talk answered one of my questions so perfectly. I know that they had him talk first because he can call our people unto repentance. He tackled one of the biggest issues of today and he did it with so much love and power it was hard to not take deep heeding to his words. The overall topic of this conference I thought was love. Many talks were given directly about it and all of them had somehow linked back to it. Elder Holland's talk was incredible, I have never felt more secure in my knowledge of the Book of Mormon just after having finished reading it and then to have him testify with pure conviction. I have listened to it so many times. I love his testimony and I love the Book of Mormon . I loved Elder Hale's talk it was similar to Elder Holland's 20 minutes of his testimony to the world. Elder Eyring's talk was so important to me, I love all of his talks. I have had to try so hard to remember all the things that I want to change in my life. I am so glad that I could have so plainly and so easily accessed all the advice that I will need for the next 6 months. http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-1117,00.html

The large group meeting from this week was so incredible also. Every Tuesday we meet with 2 other zones and they teach us about some aspect of missionary work. This week was on the Spirit and recognizing revelation. I feel like everything I learn here is so new and something that I get to apply, then I realize if only I had been excited like this from the beginning how far ahead of my current self I could be. I never want to waste one second, I can't afford to.

The Referral Center has once again been an amazing part of my week. This week I talked with so many people that just felt like that they needed that something extra in their life. Each of us has a place in our heart that we want to be filled with the Spirit even if we don't know what that is. If we don't fill it with the Spirit the world will gladly fill it for us, things that will leave us hollow ,things that don't satisfy any fraction of the happiness we can have.

I was able to participate in my first ordinance of Melchizedek priesthood today. I helped give a blessing to Elder Hirschi, truly the power of God is made manifest through the exercising of the priesthood. As soon as I placed my hands on his head all doubt left, all human insecurities were replaced with the pure knowledge that through my faith and through his we have the power of God, and I all did was the anointing. What an incredible statement, what an incredible opportunity. I, a nobody, through my faithfulness have the ability to do all that is expedient to the Lord. Never before has this meant so much to me, I have never appreciated all that we have, the importance of why this is not just any other Christian church.


I have been studying charity lately. I know that as soon as I think that I can do this on my own the Lord will let me. And I will fail. Charity is the only thing that can not fail in a world where all things must fail. Charity is the strength that cures hate it is the source of our motivation. Without charity I can not teach this. I haven't ever felt more worthy before the Lord in my life, but I have also never felt so weak. I see in all things ways I can improve, but I love learning I love being here. It is hard to tell you in words my conviction to this message. I know that this is true, I know that the Lord does not need our love to continue on, but oh how much we need His.

Thank you so much for all the letters. I love getting news and I loved getting letters from Sarah this week. I am writing back Erin and Brooke today as well.
Tell Nate his letters are fantastic!

I love you all so much. Elder Vomocil

 

This is Elder Vomocil's companionship.
Elder Caresia on the left, Elder Hirschi on the right.

The Month Mark-- 2 October , 2009

Man what a week it has been. I am half way done with my stay at the MTC but I don’t know if I have learned half of what I wanted to by the end of the MTC. I always want to learn more.
Well this week was Fast Sunday which means that we had mission conference. The first one was hard because I was so hungry but this one was fantastic. Every topic that I had been thinking about or working with got covered.
First speaker was Gordon Brown, he talked about sin. We must be willing to give up all of our sins to know God. Sin will effect every single day of your life. Only repentance can bring joy and relief but somehow those decisions you made will remind you of what a painful experience it was.
Pamela Craig talked about humility. If we are not stripped of pride then we are not prepared to meet God. God will have a humble people whether through choice or through force. I need to choose to be humble then do whatever it takes to make people hear my lesson. This is the most important path anyone could ever walk. This is eternal life.
President Craig then talked about the Book of Mormon, the most effective tool to fulfill my purpose as a missionary. It is either completely true or an absolute fraud. I know that all testimonies must be linked back to this book because it contains the answer to every single question. This week I got to talk to Hamad on RC for an hour about prophets, the Holy Ghost, and knowledge. After a while he asked me why I kept trying to get him read and pray about this book. I told him with no doubt in my heart or mind that every single piece of knowledge that is important in this life that I have came from that book. Every single happy thing can be linked to that book. It is the best way I know how to share all my answers , by reading the Book of Mormon. Back to the talk, he said we are asking investigators to do something completely unfamiliar to them. To change everything that they know and do over their testimony. They have to know it is right and what to expect. Assumptions of truth are insufficient.
This hit me so hard. Since getting here I have often asked myself if my parents weren’t members would I have ever found this truth? SO, today in the temple I asked Heavenly Father, I asked him if I hadn’t been raised a Mormon would I know it would be true? I got a witness, I know this is true. This is my life, my work and my salvation. I needed this so much. Now that I have my reassurance I need to help others to do the same.  
Miriam Clegg then talked about family history and how membership retention more than doubles if converts get involved in the work. But the most amazing thing she shared was the journal of her ancestor from 1704. He was wondering about the truth, about the afterlife, he said his father had a dream that the truth wasn’t here yet but someday his family would find it. And that he would be waiting, “For I shall live to meet you again.” It was incredible, the story, this man who had no chance to hear the gospel but knew that it was true.
President Clegg talked about Repentance. The other half, the happy half. So many people know the truth then fall away because of pride. Almost anything can be linked to pride. But when we finally humble ourselves we must do as in Acts 9:6; “What wouldst thou have me do?” You have to give it all. The second half of repentance is living a good life, following Christ, and calling others to the good cause.
Finally President Smith talked about self mastery. It was a great talk but more one of admonishment. It made me realize that every problem, everything unfair about life, can be made right through the Atonement.
The devotional that night was also incredible Robert Swenson talked about rules, how they don’t hold us back, but focus us, and direct us, and make us more free. I have knowledge that investigators want to know. Everything up until now has been about me, this is no longer about me at all.
Then Tuesday rolled around and the devotional was fantastic. Sister Naudauld talked about, this is hard, this is a mountain that we have to climb, but when we climb we are closer to God than ever before. God loves me too much, and loves the people too much, to let me fail so I better not let Him down.
Elder Nadauld opened his talk with, “When I think of missionaries I think of you as heroes.” I always thought that praise would be to God but I realize just how much these people will love me if I serve them with everything I have, because I love them so much and I can’t wait to meet them. Losing myself in the work means that I am unable to even think about anything but my purpose. He told us to read Alma 32. So for personally study that is what I focused on and it was incredible. Alma tells us to experiment on his words, that if we have no more than a desire to believe that we can get the knowledge God wants us to have. In the TE, which is like the most amazing place, I had a lesson with Brother Schiede about questions. How questions are not just to get in the way, or make sure they (people) are awake, but are to have them testify. By asking the right questions you let them give a testimony they didn’t even know they had.  
I know that this work is true. I know that this will be a thing I look back on everyday of my life. I know I need this opportunity to come closer to Christ. Because Christ is our one light in darkness. Christ is all we have to cling onto. Christ gives us hope, gives life meaning. This is more important than I could have ever dreamed and I never want to lose this fire shut up in my bones.
I love you all so much .I want you all to be successful with everything you do.

Until next week.

Love Elder Vomocil.