Thursday, July 26, 2012

Staying BUSY!-Letter #2


 Sup yall!!! hope you get this. I totally remembered, I dont have mom's email account..... so what can ya do? This is me guessing, if it’s right then that’s awesome if not.. its alright:) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FLOWERS, PACKAGES, and LETTERS! My companions everyday have been like "so what did you get today Waite?" its pretty funny:) So I feel ripped off because so much happens and so much has happened and I don't very much time to write. :(   
          My branch presidency is way cool, my p day is wednesday and I have two companions, I just went to LA, I'm already teaching a finnish dude, my roomates are cool, I’m here for 3 months, I feel the spirit, the food is good but its nothin’ like mom’s.
         I wish I had more time but due to lack of typing skills I have and a time telling me to go I would write more. But I AM happy here, I AM Okay, and sorry about the last minute LA trip notice, thats how I felt, but on the 24 I woke up in Provo, spent the day in LA, and fell asleep in Provo, pretty crazy huh? But the whole point of the trip was so the FINNISH consulate could get my fingerprints. So have fun this week, I love you all and miss you. tease parker  :) Love you :) Greg

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Highlights from the 1st Week at the MTC- Letter #1


July 20,2012

Wow, so much has happened! I’m so busy I can’t decide what to do first. They give you so much stuff to get a handle on and it’s a little overwhelming. They got us learning Finnish right away, it’s a crazy language. My name is Vanhin Waite, you say it Vahn-heen Waite.
Elder Waite, yo! J

I have two companions. Vanhin Christianson is from Taylorsville, he’s short and a twig. My other companion is Vanhin McDonald he’s from Vegas. He is also short and a twig.

We already started praying in our language and are supposed to teach and speak to each other and to practice investigators in Finnish. I can’t even count to ten, but I have faith. J

So we met our Branch Presidency [MTC bishopric] and they are really cool people. President Hicken is the Branch President and he already knows our names and faces. The Spirit here is awesome. In our meetings a scripture was given about the blessing families of missionaries get and I felt comforted. I loved it. J

But in our interviews I met with Brother Anderson, one of the counselors. I told him everything I felt at the MTC, he asked “Do I feel like a missionary?” and I said, “No” it hasn’t hit me yet but hopefully soon. There is a real power of love and strength given to missionaries, I have felt it already. J I loved my interview and I believe he is a great man.

So much else good and kinda bad has happened, but I’m not given very much time. I’m still way unorganized in my room with my suitcases and desk but I have a handle on it. J

Just casually let people know I cannot always get to writing letters. Time is valuable here and they fill so much of it already. It’s great but I just can’t write that much. L I will try and get to it though.

About the MTC, it’s very fast paced, meals are fast, but the days seem to go by slowly but I can’t believe it’s the end of the week already. In the Branch meeting I was made Senior companion and Vanhin McDonald was made District leader.

So district leaders pick up our mail- and if we have a package he gives us a green slip. Well the first night we got mail. I got three letters and three green slips. J Thank you so much for sending the letters!! J The other Elders in my district didn’t get any.

My companions got a notice though, that I did too! We’re going to Los Angeles next week! Found out the night we got our mail which was the 19th! You’re probably wondering what the Parker Poo are you going to L.A. for, but we have to pick up our visas in person from a Finnish consulate thing in LA. So it will be a little field trip to LA and back in one day J

I still have TONS to learn but I’m excited. It’s amazing how the feeling of home sick and loss of friends goes away when you focus on the work! And although the language is hard, I am SO grateful to have a difficult language to take my mind off home and everyone I care about!

So there are these things called Narnia Holes, and they’re places where past Elders have hid things. Like behind the vent in our room we found a Pez dispenser. The MTC is cool! I like it but I might be eating my words later.

I love everyone who’s helped me!

Love, Vanhin Waite!


Thursday, July 19, 2012

Picture Time!!

Here are some fun pictures of Greg's farewell. We sure will miss Elder Waite, but know he will be an amazing missionary!
The "Crew"

Jessica & Derek making the food for all the hungry people at the farewell.


Saying 'See ya later' to Elder Waite


Grandma and Grandpa Asay

Greg and 'da Momma'



Elder Waite's Farewell

Highlights from the Sacrament Talk


Mt. View Ward, Spanish Fork, UT                     July 15, 2012


Topic: The Importance of the Book of Mormon
(the following represents highlights from Greg Waite’s talk given July 15, 2012)
         Joseph Smith said, “The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, and is the keystone of our religion.”
         Pres Ezra Taft Benson in his Conference address in 1986 helped me understand the concept of the book of Mormon being the keystone of our religion. He said: “There are three ways in which the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It is a keystone in our witness of Christ. It is the keystone of our doctrine, and it is the keystone of testimony.”
         *With this Keystone of our religion in our lives, we should also make it the keystone of importance in our lives. 
         Pres. Benson also explains that an actual keystone is the central stone in an arch. It holds all the other stones in place, and if removed, the arch crumbles.
         Without out the book of Mormon the church crumbles, and more importantly, without the book of Mormon our own lives crumble. The book of Mormon was written, protected, and saved for our day. It was written for us.

Share parts of the Book of Mormon that have meaning to me:


Stripling Warriors 
         Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.


Abinadi stood up to a king!



Capt. Moroni

Captain Moroni was the chief commander of the Nephite armies. He was a strong and mighty man who loved the Lord and loved his people. He had sworn with an oath to protect his people from Amalickiah and his Lamanite army.
         Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.