Week 4: The adventures of a cocky missionary

 Well it’s been another week, and Elder Van Pelt has been out for a month this week! I can’t speak for anyone else, but I feel like July has just flown by. I didn’t think this month could go by fast enough because we just miss our little Zachy-poo so much.

Let me begin the post this week by saying that Elder Van Pelts letter this week was very confident, confident enough that I am calling it cocky. Not in a bad way. He is cocky with the spirit of the lord.  But he is also cocky about his super-hot bod. Let me give you an excerpt of his letter that led me to this conclusion:

“I stood on the plate shaking my hands nervously for another pitch. As the pitcher wound up and rolled the ball i imagined how the outfielders would react to this powerful kick? Bam! Home run again. We played kick ball during gym with 2 districts and i had 3 home runs, 1 of which was an inside the park off of a bunt. I guess it pays off to have calf muscles the size of Moroni's biceps!”

I think I can confidently say that the comparison of his calf muscles, to Moroni’s biceps are a first for me and I have officially dubbed him a cocky missionary. As a cocky missionary, Zach has seemed to think he is invincible this week.  Shortly after this kickball tournament of home runs, a huge rainstorm rolled in and Zach remembered that he only had 3 or 4 hours of sleep the night before and began to get dizzy. He ended up going to the doctor just to get a checkup and was told that he really needed to rest. Elder Van Pelts response to this? You may think he would say he would take it easy? Nah, he said he would rather be in class working. He did just that afterward, working as hard as he could until he got to his room that night, surprised at how he got through the day and immediately zonked out.

One can only run from the results of not sleeping and overloading yourself so long, and it has finally hit Elder Van Pelt. He’s got his first cold of the mission! Yet, this still didn’t stop him. He decided to not rest and to push himself until he can’t go any longer (which to me sounds a little like death). He is appreciative of the work ethic he has learned from our parents. He remembered a time when our dad was having some back problems after a herniated disc, and how he kept persevering through his pain to go to work to support his family. Don’t worry though; Zach is keeping himself awake during his study sessions by doing pushups.

Later on in the week Zach was able to play hand ball for some exercise, which I’m sure his brother-in-law Austin is super jealous about. He is always talking about wanting to play hand ball. Again another excerpt from Zach’s letter, because only he can say it like him:

“Our district against the oldest district in the zone. I don't want to brag or anything, but dang! I'm good. I'm an all-around good player at every sport for our district.”

*cough* Cocky *cough*

Zach’s favorite day of the week (next to p-day) is Sunday. He said he will miss it most when he leaves the CCM. On Sundays he gets to rest and be spiritually uplifted at the same time. In his district every Sunday they have sacrament meeting. Everyone in the congregation has to prepare a talk and after the sacrament, the President calls an unknowing victim to speak. They give about 6 people the time to speak during sacrament meeting. They also have a devotional every night which Zach has enjoyed and has come to appreciate President Holland’s words of wisdom at them through video recordings. His words pumped him up spiritually.

Elder Van Pelt would like everyone to read Alma 14. He said that it is one of the most tender, heart-felt, sad chapters in the Book of Mormon that he has ever read. This chapter will help you to strengthen your testimony of the Book of Mormon and increase your dedication to God. Another couple chapters he recommends is Alma 7 and Mosiah 14. In Zachs words “Please read the Book of Mormon, it’s amazing, it uplifts your soul.”

I think we all can take that challenge this week.

Jokes aside, I am among the few that can tease Elder Van Pelt, because I am pretty sure I changed his diapers and he owes me, but what an amazing time it looks like he is having. He is truly being strengthened through God to do whatever he needs to do to accomplish his goals. 

Now although Elder Van Pelt is physically cocky, I am grateful for his spiritual cockiness. He is so uplifting in all of his letters and I love to read them. It is good that he not only has the calf muscles of Moroni, but the heart and mind of Moroni. I have never seen someone so dedicated to the gospel as I have seen my little brother Zach is. So I suppose that his cockiness is evened out for the better J

In closing, Zach wanted me to post his always growing testimony in Spanish on here.

“Yo se que jesu cristo es nosotros salvador y redentor. Yo se que cuando nosotros trabajar mucho y persavarar, muy bien bendiciones puede seguir de jesus cristo. Jose smith es un profeta y jose smith pudo traducir las escristuras. Yo se que cuando nosotros orar a dios, dio puede escuchar a mi y ustedes. Mi vida es muy bien aqui... ahora. Yo soy agradicido por todos problemas in mi vida y yo soy agradicido por el expiacion que nosotros puede con participar. Jesus cristo is mi salvador y mi redentor.”

Hasta Luego!

Week 3: The adventures of the miraculous toilet

Well Zach is in his third week in the Mexico CCM.  Zach has been getting A LOT of emails, which he is very grateful for, but he just cant respond personally to everyone as he would like with his allotted 40 minutes on p-day. If you would like Elder Van Pelt to write you back personally, I have posted his address here on the blog page in the right handed section. There is also an awesome tool that we have while he is in the CCM called:

www.dearelder.com

At Dear Elder, you can type your letter as an email and the site will print it out and deliver it to Elder Van Pelt there at the Mexico MTC. I'm sure it would be a boost for him to receive some of your letters through out the week and not just all of them on Tuesdays.

Anyways Elder Van Pelt is having a much better week and has received some much needed help from the Lord. As he told us in his last email, he was having a hard time getting along with his companion. One of the area 70's taught a lesson about needing to love one another which he has tried to apply to the situation. He and his companion also were taught some teaching methods in their classes, which he said has cleared up a lot of the problems they were having while trying to decide how to teach their investigators. Zach says that he owes all of his success thus far to the Lord, Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost.

Zach also was able to witness the power of the priesthood this week. One of the Elders was injured injured his foot while they were playing soccer with some of the natives last p-day and was unable to put any weight on it. It turned out being bad enough that he needed crutches to get around. That night the district leader gave the Elder a blessing, when he finished Elder Dyer stood up and walked with no trouble. Zach was really excited to be a part of this small miracle.

Elder Van Pelt has still had some troubles with the language but still tries to focus and just let the Lord guide him.  An inspiration that he mentioned is our Father who has dyslexia. Zach mentioned that because our dad has been able to overcome some of the difficulties with his disability, that he too can learn the Spanish language.  He is also trying to smile more. He has found that  more people like to talk to him when he is smiling all the time. Though he misses his family and friends, especially his little niece Tegan, he has realized more than ever that Heavenly Father loves him and is blessing him with lots of tender mercies.

A tender mercy he felt was blog worthy this week is what I will call the tale of the miraculous toilet. Zach first woke up at 5:45 one morning and for some reason really needed to go to the bathroom. Typically he doesn't need to this early (great now we know his baño schedule). Turns out the water stopped working promptly at 6:00, so he dodged a bullet there.  Later that day at about 10:00 AM, he again had to use the bathroom really bad, however the toilets were still down. Zach said a quick prayer that he either wouldn't have an accident all over himself or that the lord would fix the water in the toilet. He went to the toilet, pushed the knob and it flushed! His prayer was answered, and this was not any magic voodoo people, it was god who cares about all of us and is always listening, even when we are just praying about the toilet.

Elder Van Pelt had a few other events happen this week he wrote about. He watched the movie "John Tanner", which he would recommend to everyone because he cried the entire time. He also had the opportunity to give Hermana Chamberlin a blessing without knowing what was wrong. He had to rely on the spirit and can't remember anything he said but felt like God was truly speaking through him and he felt so strong because of it. He was also able to go to the Mexico City Temple today and LOVED it.

Well that is all for this week, keep Elder Van Pelt in your thoughts and prayers, because I know he keeps all of you in his. I am going to make an effort this week to smile more like Elder Van Pelt mentioned and I challenge all of you to try also. It is a beautiful world and we have this beautiful gospel, BE HAPPY!

Hasta Luego!

Week 2: Adventures with a dirty missionary and Nutella bars

Allo from Elder Van Pelt!

Zach has hit some bumps in the road during his second week at the CCM. He is tired and is still trying to get used to his sleep schedule and "working his butt off". He is still having lessons with Jesus and wrote that he had a hard time staying awake in some of their lessons this week.

He has also learned the true meaning of patience this week, as he has had some struggles getting along with his companion. I think it was just a matter of time before two young men fresh out of high school, who have never lived outside of their parents home, started having a few tiffs. He said it has been difficult to mesh their personalities this second week as the excitement of arriving as new missionaries has worn down, it seems that his companion has lost some spark. As most of you know Zach is NOT a clean freak. He would never admit to it, but his room is actually pretty messy at home and has a weird smell to it. Anyway this fact just adds a little more seriousness to this statement Zach gave us:

"Right now I'm thinking mainly about everything with my comp. I don't know what I should do to fix it. My companion is so dirty! SO dirty! I tried serving him one morning while he was in the shower, cleaning up everything. By the time I got all ready and we left the casa, he had already made it messy. I don't know if he noticed."

He is trying hard to keep his cool and be positive toward him in all situations. When he has put Zach down, he tries to reciprocate with a compliment which is super admirable in my opinion. 

He has also been struggling with the language in comparison to his first week as he speaks with different investigators. He was uplifted when he read through his patriarchal blessing where it stated he would serve a mission in a different language. This has given him some extra faith to keep working so that he can learn the language and understand it fully. Everything is possible through our savior! He is trying not to be too hard on himself about it, but I am sure some extra prayers his way would help immensely!

Zach again wants everyone to know how much he thinks of you all and has loved all of the letters he has gotten.  At the end of this week, it will mark the longest he has ever been away from our home in Spanish Fork. He really misses everyone and has kept everyone in his prayers. Elder Van Pelt has spent most of his days in the class room studying. In a two day period he had been in the class room for over twenty hours. He said it is hard but worth it. That is our Zach! One day he and Elder Washburn (one of his room mates), were missing home because they were both singing country music, and the Bastille song "Pompeii"  has been stuck in his mind all week. Good thing it is wholesome music and not any Jay-Z or Kanye West, otherwise we might have a problem here.

This week on food updates, Zach has discovered the "Nutella bar" at breakfast and dinner. That was a big enough thing to put in his letter, so I am guessing it is pretty amazing!

Zach wanted a story he was taught this week about specific prayers when you are in need of something to be shared to you all:

A missionary left his back pack in a taxi cab when he only had 2 months left in the field. The back pack contained his scriptures, camera, money, etc. He went out the next day with his companion and held signs saying that he had lost his back pack. He prayed that the taxi driver would pull up to them with the bag, and nothing would be missing. They made a time limit to stand with the signs for 1 hour and at minute 58, a taxi drove up and handed him his back pack, telling him that he is Christian also. 

A cool story and great reminder that our Heavenly Father is always listening to us and that we can talk with him about our specific needs and situations. 

Elder Van Pelt ended his letter with declaration that he would be playing soccer with some of the locals. He was pretty confident that he would kick some butt, we will have to wait till next week to see if his confidence pays off.

Keep Elder Van Pelt in your prayers and if you have any words of encouragement please leave a comment on the page at the top.

Hasta luego!

Week 1: Adventures of saying all the wrong things in paradise

Well Elder Van Pelt has been having an amazing time at the Mexico City MTC and is already learning so much about the culture and language. He arrived last Wednesday and received his name tag which he is really excited about. He already is known around the MTC because apparently there is another Zachary Van Pelt from St. George, so everyone is always asking if he is related to him.

On his second day at the CCM (Centro De Capacitación Misional, also known as the MTC), they didn't hesitate to get the missionaries up and working. He says that most of his days are spent in the classroom studying the scriptures, which is heaven for Zach because of his love of The Book of Mormon. He has also been learning teaching methods and most of all the Spanish language.

Zach also met his first companion, Elder Cox. He is very excited to be put with him because of his work ethic and that is on Zach's list of criteria of a good missionary. He has 2 other roommates, Elder Dyer and Elder Washburn. Zach really likes Elder Washburn. He is 20 years old and has been saving up for the past 2 years so that he could go on a mission. He is also having some trouble with the language so Zach is asking that we all keep Elder Washburn in our prayers as he is trying his hardest to learn Spanish.

Elder Van Pelt has found comfort in his Spanish Book of Mormon at times when his district gets a little distracted, but he wants everyone to know that he is giving himself breaks throughout the day to talk with all the new people he is meeting. :) He has complimented the sister missionaries in his district, telling that they are very beautiful. He is always trying to keep his companion and other elders focused when they are studying so that they don't drool all over themselves and get jealous of one another.

Zach had his first investigator at the CCM, Jesus. Just in the last 6 days they have taught him 3 times and they seem to be getting along very well. One day when Zach was teaching Jesus last week, he showed a picture of his little one-year-old niece Tegan. Jesus told Zach that she would be a lot bigger when he gets back to the family. He replied with what he thought was "she will have really long hair when I get back too." He was surprised when Jesus started laughing at what he said. Turns out pelo,which is hair on the head, is different than peluda, which means hairy everywhere. Elder Van Pelt also tried to sneak some FIFA finals information out of Jesus, but has learned that the information is unstable because Jesus is a dancer and doesn't watch soccer.

 Another funny story Zach wrote about with the language barrier was when he was walking through the campus and saw a worker working on the grounds. Zach asked him in passing "trabajo mas?" in which he replied "si." and Zach said "gracias!" and was on his way. Soon after, he realized what the conversation had actually meant in english. He had basically asked the Mexican worker that he himself works more, in which the probably confused worker said "yes" and Zach replying with a thank you.

Elder Van Pelt is in FOOD HEAVEN! As most of you know, Zach, LOVES food and loves a lot of it. I remember always trying to finish my food at dinner when we were little so that I could get seconds before Zach would get his seconds, which were the rest of the homemade meal. He is raving about the fish, chicken, vegetables and fruits and the quantity he can put down. He has admitted to himself that he will get fat, but we all know that probably will not happen...

Zach is doing well with the language so far. His companion Elder Cox has often told Zach that he thinks he has the gift of tongues. At times, Zach will ask Elder cox a question only to realize he has asked it in Spanish and Elder Cox has no idea what he is talking about. God has really blessed him with excelling in the language. He has noticed himself writing certain things in his journal without even realizing he is writing them in Spanish.

Elder Van Pelt would like everyone to know how much he is loving his mission already and that he wishes he could do this for the rest of his life (which our family probably wouldn't let him do). It is the perfect environment for him to feel the spirit all day every day. His p-days are on Tuesday and has 40 minutes to write emails, so if you write and don't hear back, he wants you to know he loves you, but probably ran out of time.

We are so proud of Zach and all that he is achieving. If you would like to give Zach some short words of encouragement please go to the comments section at the top and leave it and I will include it in my weekly email to him.

Keep Elder Van Pelt in your thoughts and prayers as he continues on this awesome adventure! Until next week...

-Whitney

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Elder Van Pelt left this Spanish passage in his email this week, I don't know what it says but I love it anyways!

Yo se que jesus cristo vive y su expacion es muy importante. Jesus cristo es todas ustedes señor.

​"Mi objectivo como missionario es invitar a los personas a venir a cristo al ayudarlas a  que reciban evangelio restarado mediante la fe en jesus cristo y su expacion, el arrepentamiente, el bautizmo, reciban espiritu santo y la persavarar hasta el fin."

With tons of amor,

Elder Van Pelt

The countdown begins...

Well, we dropped Elder Van Pelt off at the airport at about 3:00 AM for his 6:00 AM flight to Mexico. He will be training at the Missionary Training Center there for about 6 weeks and then will head out to Concepción for the rest of his mission. Before Zach left he was really excited to go to the MTC in Mexico because from what he had seen, it looked like paradise (which it kind of does). Looks like a beautiful place to study some beautiful things! He was also really looking forward to FINALLY getting his missionary tag. Though he wasn't able to find the perfect silky pajamas to bring with him (like Elder Van Pelt in Zach's favorite movie, The Best Two Years) he seems to be well prepared and ready to take this adventure on.

 It was tough to say goodbye to him, as we are a very tight knit family, but we know that the Church is true and that this is one of the most important tasks an 18 year old could ever do. We are proud of Zachs choice to serve the Lord and devote all his time and energy to the people of Chile for 2 years of his life. What an incredible opportunity for not only him, but his family and friends to see him grow. We are excited to hear of his experiences and will try to keep everyone updated via this blog. I will keep his address updated in the tabs for those who would like to send any letters to him.
Thanks for all of the support you have given Zach at this time, he feels your love and prayers, keep them coming!