Selected Thoughts From Elder Volk

Elder Volk


From the MTC
"so yeah they actually time you on this computer thing. so please dont send lengthy emails. send letters. handwritten too. i'll feel more loved. i finally got my first letter today from dad on dear elder. not as good as a handwritten letter though... haha but yeah everybody had gotten mail cept me up until today." (Poor baby:-(

"but yeah on sunday sis nally had us sing this cool version of called to serve where we started off whispering like we were over a hill or something and then it got louder and louder until we were standing at the end. it was great. the whole bleachers shook forward when we stood up and everybody kinda freaked for just a second though. apparently word got around to Elder Kearon about it and we willingly suffered another couple minutes in that muggy crowded building to sing it to him as well. i hope he speaks in general conference and talks about us, that would be legit, just sayin."

"my foots pretty much better almost, they still wont let me play in gym which is way annoying to have your foot in a bucket of ice for 20 min while everyone else is playing volleyball or working out. been wearing the brace everyday but it only hurts in the morning or if the brace is too tight. well i'm about to get kicked off for now so yeah like i said, letters, in the mail, handwritten, i have time for those, not so much for these... haha and yeah my pday is wednesday. i could use some more money on my card too...haha" (We didn't even know what he was talking about with his foot cause his handwritten letter telling us happened came the day after this email. He had sprained his ankle the 2nd day at the MTC playing volleyball)

Mission Field
"so i hope you guys got my letter of chastisement! haha and please be available to talk on mother's day. just sayin." (when we missed his call from the airport)

"oh and we're on bikes too, its totally cool... i wrecked my second day and chewed up my thumb pretty good. i wasnt paying attention and hit a curb and kept holding on with my left hand which ended up with my thumb pinned between the sidewalk and the handlbar, all with the bike still in motion. pretty bummed about that but life goes on. i hope it heals soon, and that hurting myself on the second day everywhere i go doesnt become habit ha! first my ankle and now my thumb."


"so i guess you could say i've had my first bible bash the other day. this guy who the elder before me and my companion tracted into named tim has this firm belief that joseph smith can't be a prophet and all that jazz. we visited with him yesterday and he is totally all about the bible and how every religion (except ours cuz we have false prophets apparently) can teach the same thing, but different at the same time and all still be right. its stupid and makes no sense. my companion did most of the talking because i'm still not used to it. he asked about where in the bible does joseph smith come in or is prophesied about. i remembered a scripture but it was in the b of m and he said he thinks its like a fairy tale his kids brought home. yeah, right. so i found the scriptur about the stick of judah and the stick of joseph, found the scripture in the b of m proving lehi was a descendent of joseph and read them to him, explaining what it all means. then as i was in the middle of bearing testimony he totally interrupts me and i was like, ok there is definitely no Spirit here. he said that those scriptures weren't enough. he used lots of scriptures out of context, we batted those down with sensicle scriptures but he just brushed those off like we didnt say anything. it seemed like some kind of fun game to him to see if he could get us mad. i was mad, but i just thought of the Savior and tried my best to love him anyway. we left for a dinner appointment and i just walked away laughing with my companion, knowing we did our best and used the right scriptures, its his choice to read and pray, we can't force him. sometimes we're planting seeds and sometimes we're harvesting i guess."
 
"so i didnt bring any notes for like a spiritual thought to leave with you guys. i figured i should start doing that. but i have been studying on hope. our mission does one Christlike attribute a month and this month is hope. from what i've studied so far, my view of hope is not the right view of hope. i viewed hope as like, i would really like it to happen,like a lot, but it probably won't. now i view hope as faith that it will happen, and most new to me, expecting that it will happen. there are quite a few references in the scriptures which talk about how we should have hope for a glorious resurrection, and that we can be saved through Christ. like i said, it is expecting that it will happen, not just really wanting it to." (ahhhh...he is learning!)



"last week was exciting i just didnt have my journal with me and i couldnt remember. so here's the update for last week and for this week. well at least for last week i almost got hit by a truck, but i didnt haha. my companion used to ride dirt bikes all the time before his mission, so he likes to ride fast and stuff (which i dont quite appreciate but whatever) and he went through a cross walk before i did. as i got up to the cross walk i saw a truck coming to the stop sign, he made no signs of stopping and good thing i slowed down and stopped because he totally didnt even look my way, he was looking for oncoming traffic and didnt even see me. close call but i'm a pro, so no worries."


"oh before i forget, you guys remember the buxtons telling us about this goofy kid named johnny? well i met johnny. hahaha. his family lives in the ward i'm serving in now and my comp and i had to speak this sunday as well as johnny. i'm shaking his hand and he just looks at my nametag and goes, are you megan's brother? hahaha so weird. and yes, he is as goofy as the buxtons described him as being." (Johnny had been living with our friends, the Buxton family, in UT while going to school and waiting to leave for his mission. Small world eh?We met Johnny but Jake did not while we were out there to take Jake to the MTC.)

"...anyways so right after that we were going to go do some service for another guy, he's not a member, his wife is, but he kind of likes to use missionaries to get some chores done around the house. we try and talk to him about the gospel while we serve but he thinks he's good for now. but yeah, we were going to go do service for him, helping him fix a shower or clean it or something (my companion doesnt really communicate with me...at all) but when he picked us up he had some change in schedule and just took us out to lunch to get some burgers instead. we went and picked up his wife and then before we knew it, we were walking into a bar hahaha. it was a small little pub really, just like four tables in the place. they apparently won the best burger award in Simi Valley last year and the burgers were pretty good i'll give em that. needless to say it was a little weird for us, luckily we were in our service clothes and not our church clothes, so we didnt stand out too much...haha."

"so its official. i hate bikes. so far i've fallen twice, tore up one shirt, and the chain has chewed up one of my suit pants, and two of my regular church pants. i hate bikes. everytime i forget to tuck my pants into my sock, something bad happens. one of the pants should be repairable, just tore a little on the seem, if i sew it it shouldnt be too noticeable or bad. the other pair, my olive ones which i really liked, may be beyond repair... i have no idea what i'm going to do about my suit pants really. i'll just keep wearing my other suit for now though. did i mention that i hate bikes? cuz i do, like a lot hahaha. my nerf gun broke as well too, i packed the spring too much and i busted it, but a little glue should fix it. yes my nerf gun is the thing i'm worried abuot most just in case everybody is wondering hahahaha jk."

See any running themes in these snippets of Jake's letters?
Haha
Just Sayin'
IDK
No worries-my favorite considering his injury count and bike issue!