Hey family!
How are yall?? I've sure missed you this week! It's weird. Watching General Conference, looking in the MoTab and seeing those people that were such a big part of my life only a year ago! All those wonderful faces from Savior of the World and thinking, "At this very moment, my family is listening to the same words, watching the same people and probably taking the same notes." It's a miracle and such a privelege to have this broadcast throughout the world!
Well.... Another week. Starting into week 5/6 of this transfer and boy has it FLOWN by!!! I can't believe this month I will turn 9.... That's CRAZY!!! I'm still a baby though... I feel like ive only been here for like 5 maybe 4.... Weird! All of my friends that I made my first transfer are either dead or dying!!! WEIRD!!! Not to mention it doesn't help realizing (thank you Joe) that according to General Conference time... I'm half way done!!! I only have 2 more left.... Sad day.... Weird day.... But great day!
My favorite talk was probably Tad R. Callisters on the book of mormon. Talk about a HUGE help for our investigators eh? He just SLAMS it down with testimony that this is the true church. This book is either from God or from the Devil. But it must be from one or the other. Oh and here, let me show you why it couldn't ever be from the devil. What a man. That's the kind of testimony that our investigators need to hear everyday!
Speaking of investigators, we had 8 there. Giovanni and Arianna were first. SO tight! Giovanni and I are pretty close already and the best thing is he's closer to the ward! The ward just loves him and he loves the ward! He said it was the first church that he had gone to where they welcomed him with open arms and really just gave him confidence in the church. His girlfriend is Arianna and I know that she felt the spirit testifying to her of the truthfulness of this gospel. How great is that? Oh and did we mention that Giovanni's mother and sister are members? Because they are! What a wonderful help they will be. They're coming down to eat dinner with them on Monday aka today and we're invited! It will be quite the joy to go over there and talk with them and hear his mothers testimony. We're expecting a spiritual A-Bomb over there. Also Quenia and her cousin Rosa came. It was tougher with them because of the little kids that Quenia has and the tempertantrums that were being thrown during the session. Rosa looked like she enjoyed it but didn't feel anything. Duh. We still haven't taught her about the Holy Spirit and the fruits of it.
I've learned on this mission that without teaching of the fruits of the spirit, you have no right to ask how people feel. They get confused like well... I feel fine...? I'm not sick.. My stomach isn't rumbling... My soul feels peaceful so... Good? And then say "That's the spirit telling you it's true." Though for many they'll agree, they won't know the other fruits of the spirit mentioned in Galations 5: Peace joy longsuffering happiness patience. Those are fruits from God that he gives. If they don't feel those things that like Elder Callister said, this is the church of Lucifer and we have all been decieved. BUt the great thing is they HAVE felt those, they just may not recognize it.
One family that has recognized it is the Hernandez family. All four were baptized on sunday and confirmed as well (We know, not supposed to but conference sunday we can). It was so great to see how great they were and how content and everything. The husband even came asking if he could be baptized. It was sad to have to tell him no. He works on Sundays so it is tough for him to be baptized. We can now focus on him. He'll be baptized before this transfer ends. I KNOW it! He's so great. I lvoe him to death and I'm excited for his family to join together in the temple in a year! They're one of my favorite families I've met out here.
Though baptisms are SUPER stressful up until everyone is seated, soaking wet, the feelings that we recieve and the testimony that we recieve after is amazing. We were singing, Eternas Pueden Ser las Familias aka families can be together forever and I never really looked into those words until that baptism. I have a family here on earth they are so good to me I want to share my life with them for all eternity.... How great a message is that? GREAT! and yet the chorus is even better with the assurance that families can be together forever through heavenly fathers plan. Right there... We see how... and yet another expression of want I always want to be with my own family... My OWN family and the assurance that the Lord has shown me how I can... Explains perfectly the Lord will always show me. I started to tear up through that and then it hit me in the second... While I am in my early years, I'll prepare most carefully.... Looking up at the 3 youth that were baptized on sunday brought the trears even stronger as they testified and promised to carry Christs name and PREPARE CAREFULLY to live forever. What a testimony builder. THanks for the tissues everyone, they were definitely needed!
I was able to assist by giving the Holy Ghost to Eneida and the spirit just took over. It was amazing how for the first time the blessing just came. In spanish.I know that through hard study of the language, we can be blessed to help others in th e gospel. In the blessing, Heavenly FAther told her that her family would be sealed in the temple and that there were others waiting for her to go through the temple. After the blessing I looked up and a few of the ladies in the congregation were crying. Not knowing exactly what happened I looked down and realized what had been said. I know that those words were not mine, but directly from Heavenly Father to his daughter.
I'm so grateful to be a part of this work. It is amazing and no one can stop it as Elder Holland said that we need missionaries! Good missionaries. Solid missionaries. THink of a mission full of Elderly missionaries. HOw successful that mission would be in bringing others to Christ? We will know sometime... I love you all
Love,
Elder Walker
