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!