It is amazing the miracles that can be wrought by the love, patience, and diligence of a faithful senior couple and three sister missionaries. This little branch is in a town of 800 people. When the Vances got here, five months ago, there was no primary , and hadn't been for years, no official Relief Society to speak of, and only 10-12 people at church on any given sunday. The community had long standing families with ideas of how "things are." The Vances started lovingly letting the branch president know they were there to serve him. They were given a list of people to find and visit that were in anywhere from a 10 to 60 mile radius of back roads and Highway mail boxes. They started showing up on doorsteps (with the spirit as their GPS ) with apple bread and cookies in hand and a smile of love and hope on their face. They would spend sometimes an hour or more on a porch learning to "know" the stories of these saints and families that had lost their way. Sometimes hard feelings, sometimes tough times had gotten in the way. Day after day, week after week of calls and visits started to pay off. Sister Missionaries volunteering to serve and help in any way they could with their loving enthusiasm and expert teaching of the gospel. Organizing BBQs for 10 people to show up, but a few more at the next one, special music and loving lessons given by the sisters, and going through papers and files to help organize a bishop's office started to pay off. They now have as many as 30 people to church. They have a primary with children (3-5) every week, a Relief Society with called and set apart teachers, and visiting teaching being done and reported. It is the miracle of the pure love of Christ being exemplified consistently day after day hour after hour. We love you Elder and Sister Vance and Sisters Myer, Bunker, Pedersen, and English.
