Preparing the way....

Hi everyone!

How're you all doing?! I miss you all very much but you're hanging over my bed so I can always see ya when I wake up!!!

This week was SWEET. Ok, it was super super tough. We got in some GREAT lessons, problem? Most of our appointments fell through. Our investigators didn't come to church. Our new investigators that looked golden cancelled twice. It was hard to do! But that's what missionary work is!

That was my testimony builder today, that even if we're doing all we can, being as obedient as possible, trying our best to be strictly obedient, the Lord isn't just going to give you people, you still have to go find them. He's put a lot of people in our way, now we just have to help them pray so that Heavenly Father can show them the way. We really don't do much. We say words and Heavenly Father does all the teaching. He's amazing! I've started to get tired of Catholics but, I figure I should get used to them seeing as EVERYONE is a Catholic. I don't understand why so many people claim themselves Catholic, without going to church and without knowing what they believe in. Catholics ARE Christians.... They believe in Christ as their Savior and God as our Heavenly Father.... I love them so much, but they confuse me constantly.

I love knowing and learning more and more and more about the church. It's so great! I love when people let us in and we teach and can just feel the spirit overcoming all of us. One lady, her name is Linda Washburn, she's a Jehovah's Witness (half of you just gasped, I know it) and she wanted to read the Book of Mormon (put your tongue back in your mouth) and she did with us and we asked her to pray at the end and she started crying, pleading to know if the Book of Mormon was true. It was amazing!

One funny experience was last night. We went on a 'blitz' which is where you split up people and go to their area and talk to them. So me and Elder Beeson found this Cambodian guy and talked to him. He WAS a member, but not active. He smokes, has a kid, drinks. So he said he wanted to come back and we were kinda beating around the bush and I just felt like I needed to be bold. So he had a cigarette in his ear and I told him, "If you want to change your life stop smoking, drinking and having sex. Clean up your life and pray. Get on your knees and let's pray right now, at your door." I was surprised that I'm still alive. I'm more surprised that we prayed. That HE prayed right there at the door. Phew!

Number two last night of boldness? This mexican guy (not racist to call people mexicans) was being all snotty to us saying that he kills people for fun and said he can't wait to die and go to hell with the devil and drink beer and stuff. I felt the spirit strong and told him, "Well my friend I can guarantee you that you won't be going to hell to drink beer or anything with Satan." He asked why and I said, "You have no idea who Jesus Christ is. You haven't spent the time to know who your Savior is. We believe that you need to know who Jesus Christ is perfectly and THEN deny Him to go with Satan. If you would like to know more about how you can progress like that and gain that testimony, call this number and come to this church." Elder Beeson and I left after that and the guy just looked stunned. Some white guy in a shirt and tie said that to him? We told him his Heavenly Father loved him and left and he said he respected us and would always have our backs. Cool :D I got protection down here!

This week was the hardest yet. Elder Rodriguez said it was one of the hardest he'd have but the tender mercies of letters, a little girl that looked EXACTLY like Becky (my sobrina) when she was younger and things like that keep ya going when the day is hard! Yay for friend testimonies :D

I love you all! Keep preparing for the work!

Love,

Elder Walker

"Silly Satan..."

Hola mis padres! Como estan?! Como fue sus semanas?!

Oh mi palabras... Que una semana... He aprendido mucho en este semana pasada... Correcion, El Senor me ha ensanado mucho a mi alma y mi mente. Espanol es mas facil ahora por que he sido tratando duro a aprender y progresar en esta idioma. Es deficil en momentos, pero, con Dios ninguna cosa es impossible. He recibido una testimonio de eso.

That's my spanish for this time!

It was an... Interesting week to say the least! I learned that missionary work isn't missionary work if you're not having fun! Now, not like bad fun but just fun fun while doing the work! It's not wasting the Lord's time if you're out doing the work and having a good time. That's the biggest lesson I've EVER learned here on my mission! Time flies when you're having fun and you HAVE to do it on the mission or you'll HATE it and so will your investigators.

We had a rough week. Most of our appointments dropped out. Our investigators moved.... without telling us.... And to top it all off I finished off the week, with the worst cold I've ever had. I understand what Moroni is talking about in Ether when he talks about not being able to receive your witness until after the trial(s) of your faith. I learned that missionary work isn't all smiles and baptisms over here. Funny how it's, missionary WORK, right? Who knew?!

Just sayin', missionary work is as fun as you make it! If you just do work and just knock doors and just teach lessons and just get baptisms, you will be so excited to get home from day one. I learned that if you knock doors with excitement, if you teach with love, trying to make it interesting and you baptize, always understanding what that covenant means and represents, your mission will be the best thing ever.

I came in with blinders on, not letting anything come into my eyes that didn't have to do with sticking exactly to the lessons, exactly to the book. My companion has taught me that you can do that, but no one will want to listen to you. You have to smile and make it enjoyable for you, because if it's enjoyable for you, it's enjoyable for them too!

I learned this when we went on these exchanges and we went to these black kids house right. They were all about my house just shootin around. My companion that i had exchanged with couldn't shoot. So of course, us two white kids challenged them to a game. I was freaking out saying, "Elder, this is NOT in the rule book! We need to teach and move on! We can't just play them. The Spirit can't work through basketball." He laughed and told me to take off my back pack. So I did. I immediately started feeling horribly scared. They were black. I was white. It was in their jeans to play and I was wearing a white shirt and tie.... This was going to end bad. He said "Alright, if we win, we teach you a lesson, if you win we leave, game to eleven." ELEVEN?!?! I said in my head. We're done. 3 on 2, they're mini Jordans and I'm wearing Nunn Bush's.... Well my friends, the power of the Lord IS there! First shot, I dunked. Boy did that feel good! Those kids were freaking out. Apparently they didn't play much basketball. PHEW!!!! The score was 9-10 us when I threw the game winning ally-oop to my companion who smoothly kissed it off the glass. We taught a great lesson and got invited back. Now if we had just asked to teach them they wouldn't have ever let us in or let us talk to them. They still wouldn't know about our church. Because we had fun with them, they hugged us at the end and told us to come back again and play and teach more!!!! What a blessing.

We later, after having more fun doing the work, discovered 4 new investigators that already said firmly and excitingly, that if they found out that this church was true, they would come and be baptized :D What a week.

I know that this is la gran obra de Dios! No one can stop this work from going forth. Satan tries EVERY hour of EVERY day but fails. Silly Satan, souls are Heavenly Father :D I love being called to serve him because he's ALWAYS with me!

Love,

Elder Walker :D

Sac-Town

*This was the first letter we got from Elder Walker since he's been out of the MTC. We thought, since there are so many new thing happening, we'd send him a questionnaire to answer some of our questions. Here are his responses!*

1. Where are you living?

In STOCKTON!!!! How cool is that?! I'm born in the city of dreams :D It's so amazing here and there's NOTHING to worry about! We're close to down town where all the action happens that everyone here's about but we're far enough away that nothing will happen so don't worry! BUt yes, in mission terms I've been 'born' in Stockton Morada mission.

2. Can we mail things directly to you?
You actually can't. You have to mail everything to the mission office but they get everything here quick! Make sure you priority or first class all the packages or else I won't get them for weeks. They filter the mail through the system so we don't get junk and send it from the mission office.

3. What is your address?
Unfortunately, I can't tell you my address that I'm living at, but you have my California address. It's the one in the packet. It's 8267 Deseret Ave. Fair Oaks, CA 95628

4. What’s your apartment like?
It's pretty g-hetto... Haha it's pretty trashed but the spirit is strong!!!! It's a wonderful place for a few missionaries to stay at :D

5. Who is your companion?
O estrellas mias!!!! (Oh my stars) My companion... So out here, they call your trainer your daddy and wow... Back home AND out here I have the GREATEST daddy in the world! He's absolutely AMAZING!!!! His name is Elder Rodriguez (yay christian!!!)

6. Where is he from?
He is from San Antonio Texas.

7. How long has he been out?
I'm his last companion and he goes home in May!!!! He's been here for 23 months...? I think... Something close the that.

8. What do you have in common with him?
We both love to obey and work as hard as we can and teach and he's great at basketball and he's fluent in Spanish and knows SO much!!!!

9. In what ways are you and he different?
He's experienced, so I think that everyone we talk to is going to be baptized, but he knows those that have the intent. He also is a Spurs fan... That has caused some trauma.... Also he doesn't mind the messy stuff... Apparently I was WAY off... Everything must be cleaned!!!

10. Does he remind you of anyone from home?
He reminds me a LOT of Joe sometimes. He's very good at making people think before arguing and has that work ethic of getting stuff done and making sure it's done PERFECT before anything else! He's very good at being maticulate.

11. What did you do your first day in the mission home?
We went up to the temple and talked to the President and interviewed with him... We got in at about twelve and filled out some papers and then left after that. Let's see... It was FOREVER AGO!!!! But we did that and then ya... Chilled and had a great dinner that was very similar to mom's chicken in white sauce.. But wrapped in bacon WITH italian dressing!!!! Que una buena cena!!!

12. What did you do your first day in the field?
First day, we went straight out and started tracting AND taught lessons. It was great! First day here, we got 8 returns to come back and teach! And we got 2 investigators that day. Two brand new that I think are going to get baptized!!! What a WONDER!!!

13. Have you had your first Spanish teaching experience?
I have helped teach about.... 16 lessons or so? We've only been focusing really hard on a few people because we had a baptism with one of our investigators on Saturday, so we had to prepare her and that was great! But yes we've taught many people and I've DEFINITELY been thrown into the fire in this mission

14. How did it go?
It was amazing! The first lesson I didn't say much, but I could understand... SOme of it? haha it's a different language out here I swear!!!! They're so quick!!! Santa vaca (holy cow). Luckily my companion is great with the language!

15. Are you understanding the language?
I am now. I wasn't so much the first few days, but I'm starting to get used to it and picking up new phrases. I still struggle a LOT and some of the members and investigators have fun with me, but it's been great! We just all laugh about it.

16. Are you comfortable speaking the language?
I'm getting to where I am. Apparently I came prepared. A lot of the Elders and members in the ward were very surprised that I could put together a sentence! I'm starting to be able to think and speak it quickly. But my vocabulary is very limited to gospel things which is great! But my companion is being very helpful!
17. What percentage of the work you are doing is in Spanish?
100% of the lessons are in spanish. The tracting is in English and Spanish, but we only teach spanish people, the english elders teach the english people. So all of our work ends up in spanish. Like if we get an english person that wants us back, we call the english elders, and vice versa.

18. Do you have families you are working with now?
We do! We have a great family that we asked last night if they would be baptized if they found out this church was true and... They accepted! So they came to church and the fireside yesterday and just loved it. So hopefully they'll follow through! They seem really excited. Another family we discovered our first day and they're going to be hard because they're so catholic but, I know that they can do it! I'm so excited!!!! And we have a few others as well. Lots of work to be done here!

19. Do you work with the members much?
We work with the members every day! My companion is great at making sure we get member lessons done and other things like that in. A lot of inactives in our area that we're working on re-activating. It's my favorite thing EVER!!!

20. Do you have dinner appointments most nights, or are you cooking for yourselves?
We have had a lot of appointments, but we don't eat a lot. Sometimes we'll go home and grab a sandwich, but most nights, we're really just not hungry. My first or second night, I was starving and we weren't going home for dinner and had this great lesson with Francisca, who just got baptized on saturday, and I had a silent prayer that we'd go home and get something to eat, but we went to her house and we get out of the car and out of nowhere this guy comes with this huge tray full of spanish bread and he gives us each a piece for free! It was so good and really showed me how the Lord will ALWAYS provide so that we can always be doing our best.

21. What was your first Sunday in Church like?
It was hard to understand the meetings other that testimony but that's alright because OUR INVESTIGATORS CAME!!!!!! It was the BEST feeling ever to look over and see them paying attention and soaking all of the testimonies up! That was really cool.

22. What is a typical day like?
A typical day is we wake up, study at 8 till 11 with different studies, then go out and teach lessons for a while and tract somewhere for 2 hours or so and then come home at about 9:15 or so! The days go by SO quickly, it's unreal. The lessons always seem like 5 minutes, when really it's 30-45. It's the best thing ever. Oh and did I mention we get cars? THere are only 2 areas for spanish that have bikes so... Hasta Luego bike! It looks awesome though! Blends in with my backpack!

23. How is your bike?
It's great! I still haven't used it yet, but I might if we don't have any miles left for the car... But it looks really cool!

24. Do you ride it a lot?
Nope :D haha never.... EVer but sometimes, I just sit on it, and peddle backwards in my suit and back pack and helmet, imagining the road while my companion fans me :)

25. What are you doing for P day?
For PDay we played basketball with the zone and then just relaxed at home after going shopping. It's super chill and really nice. I love every minute of pdays now. We still study and everything and go back to tracting at 6 so it's not a whole day.

26. How are you feeling?
I'm feeling AMAZING! I'm always smiling and it's weird. We had to tract in the rain like the pooring rain and so I gave my companion my coat and an umbrella and just got SOAKED but I was smiling the whole time because I knew what those days are for and why I'm out there in the rain. If I complain, I'm not trusting in my Savior, but if I'm open and happy, there's no way that I can be sad! Every day is a new, great, wonderful day to be serving my Savior and helping to progress his work.

27. How is your tummy doing?
My tum tums is great! I haven't had any problems re adjusting to real food and the spanish food out here is.. Wow... I've only had nachos, bread, and a REAL homemade everything quesadilla, but wow... Real home made chili and goodness gracious!!!! I am eating well and feeling great!

28. Is there anything you need or want that we can send to you?
Umm... I don't think there's anything right now... Maybe just something fun.. haha I dunno! We've got a whole lot of stuff.. Oh yeah! Those pencils that Lauren got me, I've loved them and they've been PERFECT for marking, but I gave some to a friend out here that I made that didn't have any to mark! I hope you remember what they look like lol they're like eagle mountain markers or something? I can't remember but it's all wood...

Just a quick report on my first week because it was amazing! BUt pretty insane! So like I said, we got some amazing investigators that might be baptized soon! In the next three weeks we hope. And the two others we found as well. They're great.

We've re activated a family of 2 girls and hope that their little sister will want to be baptized as well. My first saturday here, I got left in charge of 2 baptisms. That was sure stressful! My companion planned everything out but had to go to meetings since he's the district leader here and so he left and left me with another missionary that's been here for6 weeks and didn't know what to do either. So that was great! They came of smoothly! Francisca was the lady that was one of our investigators that had been taken care of by the other missionaries and they left right before the baptism. So saturday was hectic!

I'm learning spanish pretty well! I've started to participate a LOT more in the lessons and contacting and stuff. It's been great to have the knowledge that the MTC gives us! So i'm not completely useless. I've learned so much in the scriptures and have had some great, faith lifting experiences that have really helped me to be better and grow! It's been a great miracle. I've missed my family a whole lot more, and the first few days were hard in the mornings, but once we leave, it's a whole new ball game!

President wants me to lead the Zone in the mission statement, which apparently is a big deal haha. My companion was very happy for me and said usually the assistants do that! But it's been amazing out here! The spanish people are SO much nicer than the english people... But really. There always open!

I learned what marijuanna is... We were knocking and this house was open and so my companion told me to take it and I went and started talking and they were passing around this smoking bowl thingy andsmoking it and I just thought it was a knew way to smoke a cigarette so I was like cool, but my companion started like blowing the smoke out of his nose while I was talking, well, we got a return to come back, but I don't know what will happen. It was pretty scary! Anyway, this area is great, my companion is amazing! The work is progression!!! I love it!