September 27th...

Hello my friends in America!!! Maybe Estonia as well.... This week has been so busy, but so succesful. We had the training by President Dance and it was so much fun. I learned so much stuff. We did a lot of practices about calling on the holy ghost when we are teaching and getting more comfortable with silences to really listen during a teach. It was also really helpful beacuse we learned that while we are having companionship study; say we have a really difficult investigator that we don't really know what to do with, we can each pretend we are the investigator and teach 'him' and recieve revelation how to better understand him and know what to teach. It was just a really good training. President seemed to single me out to in all the teachings and was helping me and it was awesome. He seemed to always be my companion and it just went really well. He seems to have loosened up so much or else I am just liking him more. haha. But I really enjoyed myself. We went knocking this week and we got to this really beautiful house with no dog. So we rang the doorbell and this man walked out and I thought 'okay, we're leaving!'. But he invited us in, we taught him, and he promised to read. Then on Friday we did splits for a little while and me and Elder Jenkins taught a 15 year old couple and they were way good and way intersted...so yes, we got 3 new investigators this week. Way awesome. Its about time. hahaha. Then the best day was Sunday. District conference in Tallinn!!!! I got to see all the members from Tartu and Parnu. It was so much fun. Man I missed them all like crazy. It was so much fun. I got to see Bruno, Tiia and Jaana. I made Jaana a book cover and she was so worried I was going to forget but when she saw it she said "nii armas!" So that was really good. I was really excited she liked it. I also made Eda a book cover and she was excited as well. We just had so much fun being together. It was amazing also...we sang 'The Spirit of God' and I heard it in 3 languages. English, Estonian, and Russian. I mean, does that happen anywhere else? It just touched me. I can't explain it. I just loved it so much. I love this mission. God really had a hand in sending me here. I know that. I cannot imagine myself serving anywhere else. I love it so much. Well anyways, I hope you are all doing well.Armastusega,Vanem Boyce

September 20th...

Well Hello everyone!Flip! Another week. haha. I cannot believe how fast it is going. Well this week we finally found somebody to teach!!! Yay. haha. It has been so slow, but we have just been working so hard to find people to listen to us. We met a guy named Said or (Sayeed). He happens to be egyptian, and a Muslim; but that didn't deter us. We found him an arabic Book of Mormon and met with him and told him a little of our history. It is really crazy how much our religions are similar. We prayed, and then he prayed for us. That was very interesting. I had never seen anything like it. He also gave us a koran so we have to give it back next week, so it was a good excuse to meet again. We also found a new technique to get into peoples house: ask to use the bathroom. haha. It worked. So that has been really cool. This week was just good. I don't really know why. I just feel like we are working so hard, and I know that God is going to put someone in our paths. We still freak out knocking because all the dogs, but it gives for good laughs. We've been caught in the rain alot too. Soaked and knocking. You would think people would take pity on us, but they just eject us from their yards instead. haha. Its all good though. I am loving it. This is how its suppposed to be right? And getting stuck in the rain means a hotter wife right? While we're knocking, she's just getting hot. Well this week we have alot of training coming up. President is coming to Tallinn Thursday and Friday to teach us, and then Sunday is District conference. This is when all the branches in Estonia come together. I am really really excited about that. It will be so awesome. I miss everyone from Tartu and Pärnu. Well thats all for this week. Loves. Elder Boyce

September 13th...

Well Hello!!!

Big news!! My sister is pregnant!!!!! Heck yes. I am going to be an uncle twice over. The Estonians say I am a 'very rich man' because of this. So I am doing absolutely wonderful! Can I just say, I love Tallinn and my companion is the best. We have an absolute blast here. We have had the funnest week. Tallinn is huge, way bigger than Tartu or Pärnu so yes we were enjoying ourselves getting lost everyday. It was just way fun. We have no investigators or potentials or contacts beacause our area was ran my sisters and then closed down for 12 weeks. So pretty much we are starting from scratch. We have just been contacting and knocking like crazy. People are very different here. They are much more busy and less open to talk with us. And the most annoying part, that answer back to us in English. Yuck. I hate english. haha. Especially when we can both talk in Estonian with each other just fine. But we are still working hard and trying to find those people that are ready. It takes about 20 minutes to get into our area, so we only went in on Wednesday. We went knocking for like 3 hours and lets just say, there are some huge dogs. You would've have been hysterical watching us check the gates for 5 minutes to see if there was a dog or running from dogs or jumping and screaming because dogs scared us. But really I am loving it. This just makes me not want my time to end. I live right in downtown Tallinn as well and it is so fun. Reminds me a lot of Salt Lake. There are so many people and sky scrapers and we just love it. haha. So Eda from Pärnu was baptized on Saturday by Bruno (who was baptized 3 weeks ago). She called us and was just super excited about it. We were way excited too. We haven't really found any investigators yet, but we are working on it. Miracles are in the works right as I am typing. Our branch is huge. Its like a ward. haha. Well not quit. But there are about 60 active members, tons of priesthood. They just don't need missionaries here. It is weird, because we are so needed in Tartu and especially Pärnu. So its a different feel. But i like it because we can just focus on finding people. Way good week. I hope you are all doing well. I will attatch pictures.
Elder Boyce

Enjoy the pictures. There is an 'american' store here called stockmans. The oreos are 10 bucks. haha. but they had bisquick and...wow. Just amazing. haha.

Labor Day...

Hello Everyone,So do you want to hear some news? I have finally made it up to the big leagues. I am in Tallinn. Me and Elder Aardema have both been white washed into Tallinn and I am district leader. Lets just say it has been a fun and confusing few days. He had to stay back in Pärnu until Saturday so I came up with Elder Jenkins and Elder Baird for a couple of days. They got sisters in Pärnu finally after a year so he had so introduce them to everyone. So I came here and tried to learn my way around for when me and Elder Aardema got together. It has been a hilarious few days. We are so lost, and have no idea what we are doing. I felt like the new, awkward kid in church yesterday which was strange. But it has been such a blast. I wasn't to excited to serve here. But me and Elder Aardema were plotting to become companions, which worked, but we both didn't want to be in Tallinn. But I already love it. It is a blast and there are so many people and just so much to do. I have learned how to work a gas stove after letting gas leak out for 5 minutes (new worries we have a C02 detector) and we figured out how to bake a cake without a thermostat on the oven. We have figured out what to do when lost, and we can make it to the church, grocery store, and now the library. We are attempting our area tomorrow. haha. I am having the time of my life and I love it here. I hope you all know that. I miss you like crazy and I can't wait to start sharing more miracles with you. Tell everyone hi, and pass on my new address. Love you like crazy. Vanem Boyce Oh ya, happy labor day. They don't celebrate it here, but its always good to remember. Vanem BoyceP/K 3379Tallinn 1056Estonia (Eesti)