There Is No Higher Calling

It’s crazy that I have already been out for 4 months on my mission! It is going too fast and I know that it is only going to go faster. This last week was amazing! We found so many new people that we contacted. At the end of every night I am so exhausted … missionary work is definitely NOT a walk in the park! I love it because every day you talk to someone you have NEVER met before in your life and share your testimony with them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's always fun because we do meet a lot of interesting, crazy, and inebriated people. "Inebriated" is a proper term Elder Rollins uses when saying someone is "high" on drugs or "drunk". To see how low some of these people are in their lives is sad, but we see them in a different “light”. When you look into someone's eyes you can see a light. Yes, at times it may be very dim, but there is a light, and that light is the light of Christ. Missionaries are sent out to help that light grow in people.
This week I read my patriarchal blessing. A patriarchal blessing is a blessing we receive, usually during our teen years, and is given by a stake patriarch. It is then recorded and typed out for us to keep, but it is a very sacred blessing and it must be kept that way. I like to look at it as a letter from heaven. It is a blessing from our Heavenly Father, and as long as we are righteous and keep His commandments, He promises to bless us. As I was reading my patriarchal blessing I felt this overwhelming sense of peace. I felt like I am truly on a righteous path and that this is where I need to be. I know what my purpose in this life is … to do His will and not my own. I know that God has a plan for each and every one of us and that He has given us a way to return to him.
I was named after one of the latter-day prophets of our church. I know that during his time he was called as a prophet in these latter days and that he, along with the prophets before and after him, receive modern revelation for us the children of God. President Spencer W. Kimball said that "there is no higher calling than to be a missionary". I love that, and I love that I have so many friends serving faithfully on their missions. Elder Spencer Butler (my twin)- Spanish Provo Utah; Elder Jaden Talbot- Montreal Canada; Elder Mark Carlson- Argentina; David Bryant- Paraguay; Gilbert Marchant- Sweden; Paul Skousen- Honduras; Elder John Henstrom- New York South, and so many more. Soon to be leaving are Elder Kent Thalman- Honduras; and Hermana Olivia Baeza- Los Angeles California, and many more. There is no higher calling. We are all literally representatives of Jesus Christ. I love the feeling that I am not only serving the people here, but I am serving my Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that the gospel is true and I know that anyone can know of its truth through sincere prayer and reading in the Book of Mormon. Thank you all for your strong testimonies and for your packages/letters. They are MUCH appreciate and enjoyed!
Con amor de mi corazon
Elder Vance