Hola familia!
First off I've been working on my Spanish. The Spanish Elders in my district, who I have become extremely close to, are working really hard to teach me their language. When we go on exchanges with them we have some serious Spanish learning. I have now learned to pray, bear testimony, and teach a bit of the lessons in Espanol. I'm really thinking about asking President to put me in a bilingual or Spanish area because just the other day he said that he really needs more Spanish speakers in this mission.
Well here is the most exciting part of the week; well I don't know if I would say exciting as much as terrifying. We were on exchanges this last week on Thursday and Friday and while I was laying in bed for the night I was thinking about transfers, which are on Wednesday, and as I was thinking the thought came into my head that I was going to be called as a trainer. I immediately pushed that thought out because there was no way I was going to be called to train with only being out 41/2 months and especially with only 4 new missionaries coming this transfer. That was the end to my thinking on the topic. Well Friday nights are when President calls to give new leadership assignments and when I didn't hear from him that night I just assumed that Elder Call and I would be staying together again because President Colton said that he wasn't going to be moving too many missionaries this transfer. Saturday morning as we were finishing personal study I got lost in my thoughts about this transfer and what was going to happen. At 9:07 the phone rang and it said "President Colton" and my heart skipped beats. I answered and he said, "Elder Walker I have a new assignment for you." That sentence coming from the mission President is enough to make you start shaking. I know because that is what happened. Well President has asked me to serve this mission as a trainer and a senior companion.
Well that was enough to get me to shake for the rest of the day. I think I have coped with the idea now but come Wednesday when I pick up my new, new companion I will be shaking again.
I am staying in St. Anthony again and will be a daddy. I am giving birth in my birth area! Weird huh? I haven't ever had another companion other than my trainer. I really need prayers come Wednesday especially because I'm still "green" myself. I know that I'm not ready for this change but the Lord is and he is my senior companion. This is going to be an adventure.
We set a baptism date this week with a boy named Kyler Kunz. He is 12 and he and his Mother are not members. Kyler's mom, Amber, is sooooo close to getting wet. I think when she sees her son get baptized that might be the catch to get her to commit.
Missionary work is still going forward. St. Anthony was sad to hear that Elder Call is leaving to Idaho Falls but we will continue to work hard and labor in the Lord's vineyard. I love this work and love the Lord.
peace and love,
Elder Walker
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Elder Walker March 15, 2010
Hello everyone,
Well I asked President about seeing Chelsee when she comes up here. He said I can! That makes me very excited. He told me I can do what ever I want, I can go to the temple, go to lunch, maybe both... He told me to give her a big hug (not in front of a lot of people) and then tell her I'll see her in two years. I'm very very excited that I can see my sister when she gets home.
Transfers are coming up not this week but the next. I asked President Colton about transfers and he told me that this mission is only getting 4 new missionaries; he wants to keep this transfer as invisible as possible. I said so does that mean that I will be staying in St. Anthony with Elder Call again? He said that most likely we will. I told him that means I am the only missionary that came out with my group that is still with my trainer and will be with him for 6 months. He then responded and said, "well if you didn't baptize 11 people in 2 1/2 transfers then I would consider splitting you up. I do like Elder Call, and I love St. Anthony but things are getting a bit monotonous. I think it's weird to be with your trainer for 4 transfers. Elder Call told me the other day that if we do stay together again then that is cheating me of some learning experiences from other missionaries. He said that he learned the most from his second companion anyways. Who knows though, President told me that before they even decided anything.
Well we still don't have any baptism dates set yet but we are trying really hard. We have a couple that are getting close but are afraid to commit because of word of wisdom problems. I hope to see a difference here this next transfer if I stay again.
I never thought that the temperature getting to the 30s would be warm, but let me tell you, we are getting toasty here in the 30s. When the temperature gets that high we like to park the car and walk because it's warm enough to be outside without coats.
We look forward to general conference because then we can take off our suit coats and just wear white shirts. I wish we could go out in jeans but that is just wishful thinking...
We are going to take Robert Terrill to the Idaho Falls temple visitor center on Tuesday to see the Joseph Smith film and Legacy. It's great to have a visitors center close to take investigators and recent converts to see films and paintings.
I love you all very much. I hope all is well and life is great.
Peace and Love,
Elder Walker
Well I asked President about seeing Chelsee when she comes up here. He said I can! That makes me very excited. He told me I can do what ever I want, I can go to the temple, go to lunch, maybe both... He told me to give her a big hug (not in front of a lot of people) and then tell her I'll see her in two years. I'm very very excited that I can see my sister when she gets home.
Transfers are coming up not this week but the next. I asked President Colton about transfers and he told me that this mission is only getting 4 new missionaries; he wants to keep this transfer as invisible as possible. I said so does that mean that I will be staying in St. Anthony with Elder Call again? He said that most likely we will. I told him that means I am the only missionary that came out with my group that is still with my trainer and will be with him for 6 months. He then responded and said, "well if you didn't baptize 11 people in 2 1/2 transfers then I would consider splitting you up. I do like Elder Call, and I love St. Anthony but things are getting a bit monotonous. I think it's weird to be with your trainer for 4 transfers. Elder Call told me the other day that if we do stay together again then that is cheating me of some learning experiences from other missionaries. He said that he learned the most from his second companion anyways. Who knows though, President told me that before they even decided anything.
Well we still don't have any baptism dates set yet but we are trying really hard. We have a couple that are getting close but are afraid to commit because of word of wisdom problems. I hope to see a difference here this next transfer if I stay again.
I never thought that the temperature getting to the 30s would be warm, but let me tell you, we are getting toasty here in the 30s. When the temperature gets that high we like to park the car and walk because it's warm enough to be outside without coats.
We look forward to general conference because then we can take off our suit coats and just wear white shirts. I wish we could go out in jeans but that is just wishful thinking...
We are going to take Robert Terrill to the Idaho Falls temple visitor center on Tuesday to see the Joseph Smith film and Legacy. It's great to have a visitors center close to take investigators and recent converts to see films and paintings.
I love you all very much. I hope all is well and life is great.
Peace and Love,
Elder Walker
Friday, March 12, 2010
March 8th
Hello everyone!
So the funniest thing just happened 30 seconds ago... Elder Call just flipped while reading his e-mail, stood up and started pacing. I was like what's going on? He says read this e-mail. I read a paragraph that says that his family has put up his house for sale and they are now moving to Texas from Illinois. The reason this is so funny is because he has always given me grief about Colorado being the second most prideful state in the Union with Texas being the most. Karma! This is hilarious! Only because this didn't happen to me. hint hint... please don't move away from Colorado... ever.
Alright so the update for this week. We concluded our 11th baptism this Saturday. Robert Terrill was baptized very successfully. He was very excited and very prepared for that day. Once again I had the great opportunity to confirm Brother Terrill. There is no greater opportunity than that of giving a child of God the gift of the Holy Ghost. I can't wait to see him take his wife to the temple a year from now. After the baptism Brother Terrill took me aside and told me that if he had a son he would hope that he would be just like me. I will never forget that moment. That means a hole bunch to me.
We have now run into a problem... Yesterday was the first day of the mission that we did not have anyone with a baptism date. I don't know what has happened. Actually I think that the problem is that the stake just got rearranged and we got 7 new ward mission leaders. I think the work is going to explode when these new bishops and ward mission leaders get things under control.
The next transfers are on the 24th of March. I'm pretty sure Elder Call is going to get transferred because he has been here for a while but then again think of Elder Bosen, he had a lot of junior companions leave before he did. I think we need a little change here to get things going again.
Congratulations to Iver to get his call to Mexico. That officially means that every one of my friends are Spanish speaking except Scott. Bernie, Casey, Spencer, Patrick, and now Iver are Spanish speaking. I think it's great for Iver to go to Mexico because he is already used to eating bugs... haha. I'm very excited for him. I know he'll be a great missionary.
I do have one thing to say about the Idaho Pocatello Mission. There aren't too many missions where you get a shoulder workout because of waving to everybody who honks at us to say hi. Also I feel like a celebrity sometimes especially going to ward parties or church. Everyone wants to shake the missionaries hands.
Yesterday the lesson in church was about home teaching. I had the impression that I know that dad and I taught the Lindsey family for a reason. I believe that by dad making me teach the lessons I was prepared to teach families here in Idaho. I know that wasn't a coincidence. What a great family for me to "practice" on for preparation.
Well the last thing that happened is that we got our new car on Saturday. We got a brand new Chevy Malibu. It smells like new car which is my favorite part. The funny thing is that because our mission is so close to Utah our car has Utah license plates. Now everyone knows who the missionaries are.
Well the work is going forth. We plan on working hard all the way to the end of this mission. I know there are more people to find. We had a district fast yesterday to find more people to teach. I shouldn't complain because having 11 baptisms in 3 1/2 months isn't a bad thing by any means.
I love you all very much. I hope and pray that little Briggan is doing well.
Peace and Love,
Elder Walker
So the funniest thing just happened 30 seconds ago... Elder Call just flipped while reading his e-mail, stood up and started pacing. I was like what's going on? He says read this e-mail. I read a paragraph that says that his family has put up his house for sale and they are now moving to Texas from Illinois. The reason this is so funny is because he has always given me grief about Colorado being the second most prideful state in the Union with Texas being the most. Karma! This is hilarious! Only because this didn't happen to me. hint hint... please don't move away from Colorado... ever.
Alright so the update for this week. We concluded our 11th baptism this Saturday. Robert Terrill was baptized very successfully. He was very excited and very prepared for that day. Once again I had the great opportunity to confirm Brother Terrill. There is no greater opportunity than that of giving a child of God the gift of the Holy Ghost. I can't wait to see him take his wife to the temple a year from now. After the baptism Brother Terrill took me aside and told me that if he had a son he would hope that he would be just like me. I will never forget that moment. That means a hole bunch to me.
We have now run into a problem... Yesterday was the first day of the mission that we did not have anyone with a baptism date. I don't know what has happened. Actually I think that the problem is that the stake just got rearranged and we got 7 new ward mission leaders. I think the work is going to explode when these new bishops and ward mission leaders get things under control.
The next transfers are on the 24th of March. I'm pretty sure Elder Call is going to get transferred because he has been here for a while but then again think of Elder Bosen, he had a lot of junior companions leave before he did. I think we need a little change here to get things going again.
Congratulations to Iver to get his call to Mexico. That officially means that every one of my friends are Spanish speaking except Scott. Bernie, Casey, Spencer, Patrick, and now Iver are Spanish speaking. I think it's great for Iver to go to Mexico because he is already used to eating bugs... haha. I'm very excited for him. I know he'll be a great missionary.
I do have one thing to say about the Idaho Pocatello Mission. There aren't too many missions where you get a shoulder workout because of waving to everybody who honks at us to say hi. Also I feel like a celebrity sometimes especially going to ward parties or church. Everyone wants to shake the missionaries hands.
Yesterday the lesson in church was about home teaching. I had the impression that I know that dad and I taught the Lindsey family for a reason. I believe that by dad making me teach the lessons I was prepared to teach families here in Idaho. I know that wasn't a coincidence. What a great family for me to "practice" on for preparation.
Well the last thing that happened is that we got our new car on Saturday. We got a brand new Chevy Malibu. It smells like new car which is my favorite part. The funny thing is that because our mission is so close to Utah our car has Utah license plates. Now everyone knows who the missionaries are.
Well the work is going forth. We plan on working hard all the way to the end of this mission. I know there are more people to find. We had a district fast yesterday to find more people to teach. I shouldn't complain because having 11 baptisms in 3 1/2 months isn't a bad thing by any means.
I love you all very much. I hope and pray that little Briggan is doing well.
Peace and Love,
Elder Walker
Monday, March 1, 2010
March 1, 2010 Four Months
Hello everyone,
I'm glad to hear the news that Briggan is doing well. There is not much worse than being so close to him and knowing that I am so helpless. I'm am relieved to know that all is well and that I can continue with out worry.
Yesterday I hit my 4 month mark. Can you even believe that it's been four months already? I can't. I also realized that if I stay in St. Anthony another transfer I will hit my 6 month mark here meaning that I would have spent a quarter of my mission in this great place. I hope that happens. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks though.
At church yesterday they had a returned missionary speak. He said something that has really made me think... He said, "homesickness results in the guilt of not showing your love for your family when you had the chance." I then think about Max Bastian after he was out a bit and how Spencer would say that he turned into a softy. Maybe I'm just going through one of those stages; I hope you all know that I love you. I know I wasn't perfect at showing my love, especially my Junior and Senior year of high school with the chaos, but please know that If I could do it again I would show more of my love to my family. If there is one thing I learn from this mission it is how much my family means to me.
President Walker, the stake president, said at a recent baptism, "Heavenly Father could have had us do this on our own but that isn't the way he created His plan, he put us here in families for a reason." I strongly testify of what President Walker said. My greatest joy is seeing a family become united in the gospel.
Aaron Boots was baptized Saturday! None of you will understand why that is so significant just trust me when I say that it is. He has been meeting with missionaries for 3 years! The last month or two we really focused on eternal families and our Heavenly Father's plan for us. That has really hit home for Aaron. He now understands the responsibility he has as a husband and father to keep his family together in the Celestial Kingdom with our Father in Heaven. I had the wonderful opportunity to confirm Aaron yesterday. Let me tell you, if there is ever a light that turns on in someone after baptism, Aaron Boots was a spotlight. He had such a different countenance about him. His burdens were lifted and his spirit was rejoicing. THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. This is why I am here. This is who my Father in Heaven has sent me to find. Aaron is now apart of his fold and I have never felt such spiritual satisfaction than to watch his progress.
On a more temporal note... Elder Call crashed this week. We were late for a meeting so he was speeding. Well the roads were icy and we went off the road. The problem was that the car crashed into this large chunk of ice which took us air born and flip us 180 degrees. We were protected and we are fine. We do get a new car this week which is great. It's either going to be a truck or a Subaru so we will have four wheel drive. The brother who pulled us out asked where we were from and when I said Colorado he made comment, "well why don't they have you drive? I wouldn't be pulling you out of this mess if you were driving." I just laughed because that's what most people say when they find out where I'm from.
Well that's pretty much all the exciting things I'm doing... I do spend quite a bit of time with the Spanish elders because Elder Call has a bunch of leadership meetings this transfer. It's great though because they are teaching me Spanish. I now know how to bear my testimony in Spanish and how to pray. I'm going to ask President if there is an opportunity I would like to be put into a bilingual area. Wouldn't that be cool? Espanol es muy facil.
Peace and love everyone... amame
Elder Walker
I'm glad to hear the news that Briggan is doing well. There is not much worse than being so close to him and knowing that I am so helpless. I'm am relieved to know that all is well and that I can continue with out worry.
Yesterday I hit my 4 month mark. Can you even believe that it's been four months already? I can't. I also realized that if I stay in St. Anthony another transfer I will hit my 6 month mark here meaning that I would have spent a quarter of my mission in this great place. I hope that happens. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks though.
At church yesterday they had a returned missionary speak. He said something that has really made me think... He said, "homesickness results in the guilt of not showing your love for your family when you had the chance." I then think about Max Bastian after he was out a bit and how Spencer would say that he turned into a softy. Maybe I'm just going through one of those stages; I hope you all know that I love you. I know I wasn't perfect at showing my love, especially my Junior and Senior year of high school with the chaos, but please know that If I could do it again I would show more of my love to my family. If there is one thing I learn from this mission it is how much my family means to me.
President Walker, the stake president, said at a recent baptism, "Heavenly Father could have had us do this on our own but that isn't the way he created His plan, he put us here in families for a reason." I strongly testify of what President Walker said. My greatest joy is seeing a family become united in the gospel.
Aaron Boots was baptized Saturday! None of you will understand why that is so significant just trust me when I say that it is. He has been meeting with missionaries for 3 years! The last month or two we really focused on eternal families and our Heavenly Father's plan for us. That has really hit home for Aaron. He now understands the responsibility he has as a husband and father to keep his family together in the Celestial Kingdom with our Father in Heaven. I had the wonderful opportunity to confirm Aaron yesterday. Let me tell you, if there is ever a light that turns on in someone after baptism, Aaron Boots was a spotlight. He had such a different countenance about him. His burdens were lifted and his spirit was rejoicing. THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. This is why I am here. This is who my Father in Heaven has sent me to find. Aaron is now apart of his fold and I have never felt such spiritual satisfaction than to watch his progress.
On a more temporal note... Elder Call crashed this week. We were late for a meeting so he was speeding. Well the roads were icy and we went off the road. The problem was that the car crashed into this large chunk of ice which took us air born and flip us 180 degrees. We were protected and we are fine. We do get a new car this week which is great. It's either going to be a truck or a Subaru so we will have four wheel drive. The brother who pulled us out asked where we were from and when I said Colorado he made comment, "well why don't they have you drive? I wouldn't be pulling you out of this mess if you were driving." I just laughed because that's what most people say when they find out where I'm from.
Well that's pretty much all the exciting things I'm doing... I do spend quite a bit of time with the Spanish elders because Elder Call has a bunch of leadership meetings this transfer. It's great though because they are teaching me Spanish. I now know how to bear my testimony in Spanish and how to pray. I'm going to ask President if there is an opportunity I would like to be put into a bilingual area. Wouldn't that be cool? Espanol es muy facil.
Peace and love everyone... amame
Elder Walker
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