Cold and Sick

Hey,

It's starting to get really cold here, and I'm kinda dying to be honest. I hate the cold, and I loved it when it was hot here. But this is how it's going to be for the next 5 months so that's cool. Haha. 

But yeah I don't have much to say either. I'm still here with my comp and honestly we don't have very many investigators worth talking about. Nobody went to church this last week probobly cuz it was freezing cold, but hey animo right. No the worst part has just been being sick, and once I feel a little bit better I'll be fine because working when your sick sucks. I already feel a little better, so that's good. My comps doing well, and I'm excited to be with Elder Moesinger for another change. 

The best part about this ward are the people, and I just love them so much. I'll be having a bad day and they just remind my why I'm here, and I just want so badly to help them. Anyways mom don't have anymore time to write, sorry. I spent it all doing mission stuff. Love you and I'll write a better email next week.

Love, 

Elder Walker

Ups and Downs

Hey!

So this week was full of ups and downs. The best parts, however, had to be and those that I'm going to talk about were talking with my family on Monday and going to the temple with a recent convert. 

Of course talking with my family was going to be pretty awesome, and wow there was a lot to talk about this time. Last time we talked I had just recently left and there weren't so many new things happening. This time I heard about crazy stuff with new technology, playoff games, Nascar races, weddings, classmates going crazy, and Clayton's hair? I don't know why, but I was surprised to find out the the world is still spinning over there. There were two things that stood out to me in the call of all the things that my family members said. One was something that my dad said when we started talking about different things he reminded me to stay focussed. The second thing was my sister talking about how obedient I was as a missionary. These two things really inspired me and made me think. Amidst the craziness of the 1 out of 2 hours that I get to talk to my family during the year, they were worried and reminded my about my sacred duty that the Savior has given to me. 

The other awesome thing that happened this week was going to the temple with Daniela. It was amazing, and she is so strong in the church and it's just so great to see the gospel changes someone's life. Literally just a miracle. We were able to go with her to do baptisms for the dead, and it made me think of my little sister doing the same thing a few thousand miles away. 

Anyways love you guys,

Elder Walker

PS. Sean's hairs is still as crazy as ever...way better than Clays but what can you do? Ty, wait Ty is a teenager?????Nooo! Wow, thats so crazy! Bret just a baller, and it was so nice to hear his manly voice for a few seconds.

Talk to You Today!

Dear family,

I'm so sorry for the call failure yesterday!! I feel so bad for my comps mom :( 

So the new plan is that I'm going to talk to you at 4:00 my time. I'll see you later!

Love,

Elder Walker

PS Just so you are not shocked, I went to get my hair cut on Saturday. I explained that I like a #3 on the sides and then blended up and a little longer on top. Then he proceeded to snap on the #3 and started right on the top of my head!!!! After that, there was nothing he could do, but just shave off all my hair. So don't be shocked when you see me, Mom. And Chloe, I can't wait for you to cut my hair again.

This is a big happy communist party banner thanking all the mothers in the world. Mom this ones for you.

Until Next Week

Hi,

First of all, I'm going to call you Sunday at 7 my time so after or before I could talk with Nick. I just need to figure out if I have permission. I forgot to ask, but I'm going to be in touch with my leaders this week. 

Wow, the bathroom looks crazy awesome!! Sorry, I wasted all my time downloading stuff from lds.org, but I've got time for one story. We have this investigator whose name is Hector. So Hector is just some guy that saw us in the street and started speaking English, really good English and told us to go to his house. Later that week we went to his house and started talking to him. He said that he lived in the US for 14 years. We get talking about our lives, and before we taught him, I asked him about his family. He told me that he has one kid who lives in Germany, one that lives in the US, and one Chilean daughter. We were pretty surprised he has three kids in three different continents. So then he asked where we were from, so my comp told him he's from Utah, and he said wow it's beautiful there and the mountains are just gorgeous. Then I tell him I'm from Vegas, and he stopped and looked at us and said, "I got married in Vegas!!!" I just died so hard laughing. hahaha.

Anyways other than that we had an awesome meeting with the stake leaders and with the mission president focussing on working on unity!! It was amazing and or ward is just the best! I love these people so much!! Anyways talk to you guys 7 my time this Sunday. I'm super excited!

Love, 

Elder Walker

Work and Hope

Well this week was pretty interesting, we had a suprise trip to the temple, I got super sick, then I made some pizza. So my week was pretty normal. 

So after 9 months, I went back into Providencia and it was pretty weird. Santiago is really similar to the U.S. It's almost the same actually, super nice and clean, more dogs but pretty much it looks just like Los Angeles. After being in the country and run down areas, it was real weird to go back to a place where I feel like I'm in the US. The temple was amazing, and I had one of the best temple experiences that I've had. It was so amazing to be in the House of the Lord. 

Anyways, Friday I got sick. After lunch, I felt awful, just really bad, and I being super stubborn decided to go work anyways. We just walk around my sector for a bit looking for someone to teach, but my sector is not good for a sick stomach, and we finally got into a house and started teaching. In the middle of the lesson asked to go to the bathroom. I just stood up and pushed my way in. Right when I got in, I fell to my knees and threw up in there toilet. Pretty gross. But after I got up finished the lessen and said the prayer. Later that night I threw up about three more times, and it was just peachy. haha. but life's good. 

It's hard not to get discouraged sometimes. I'm siting in the cyber next to a man with a big gage hole in his ear and a cigarette lighter hanging in the hole. He's probably a great person. I don't know, but I look at him and think why waste my time. Then, I repent inside and feel bad. I contacted a house this week and talked with an old lady who was super sweet and nice. She was holding her little grandson, and I told her she could live with him forever. Then, she told me she wanted to hear more on Tuesday. So I left to move on to the next house. Just outside the door, I stopped to write down the adress of her house, and I could hear her laughing. I stopped and listened, and I heard the same sweet old lady laugh about us and say, "No, don't worry. I won't be here on Tuesday". It is so hard to find people who want to change. I want to help give these people the same joy that I've felt, the eternal happiness that God loves us, but they don't listen. I'm working hard with my investigators, but it is hard to keep the hope and fait and enthusiasm going.

Oh well! We get to talk in a week. Right? All chill. I will plan on calling at 5 my time. Work it out with Nick.

Love you lots, 

Elder Walker

Temple!

Happy Birthday, Anna!

Hi,

Wow, you go to church from 5 to 8 my time. It would be pretty hard for us to call after church, so I think it would be better if I could call before your church. I would like to start studying college level text books in the only two things that I can study: Spanish and the Book of Mormon. So if you could send me those books when you have time or when you can that'd be awesome. Other that the normal stuff for a package would be great: ties and sweaters and such because its about to get really cold here. Well, I guess Boulder City got the message about eternal marrage!!! Lexi and Preston!?!? That is some crazy stuff. The world keeps spinning over there, I guess. 

Anna! Twelve years old!!! ¡¡Mi hermanita!! ¿Dejes de crecer ya? No me gusta eso. I can't bieleve it!! I sure that everyone in the family remembers whe you were born. I remember being in Challenger school and being picked up from school to go see you. Who can forget the 21 of Abril?? Expecially when weve celebrated you birthday 3 times that one year. haha. All right, so I've thought of a few things to say as you enter young women's this week!! Wow no lo puedo creer. Don't forget to pray. Ever. It's so important. I pray all the time: before lessons, during lessons, 2 times in the morning, in the night, and every time that I eat. We can pray and ask for help always in any moment. I was thinking about you in personal study the other day and found a scripture in Alma 39:10, so go read that--it's pretty awesome. I love how the scriptures just talk directly to us sometimes. Listen to your older brothers and sister. Life's rough sometimes but that's why God gave us the amazing gift of prayer to talk to Him and counsel with him in the good moments and in the bad moments. Love you so much!!!

Anyway so this week was pretty cool. We taught a ton of people had a few people swear at us, had some investigators at church, so a pretty great week as a missionary. Love the mission.  Sorry ran out of time. It's pretty dirty sometime here after the feria. haha. That's one random thing. They have huge ferias, like street fairs with venders and things, and that's where everyone buys their food. After the streets get really dirty. haha. Love this country.

Love,

Elder Walker

A baton for when the Chileanas come runnning. haha 

Working as Missionaries Do

Hello again,

We split our Sector, and now I have a super different area to work in. I honestly have nothing to say this week. I studied pretty hard and worked pretty hard and slept even harder.

I'm with Elder Moesinger, who is just really awesome, and in fact he's teaching me how to smile more. He is just always smiling during the lessons and the contacts, and I love it. I find that he has so much faith. The thing that we've been working on is our teaching. He is quite new and for that it's been hard to have fluidity in the lessons so we've been studying really hard. It's pretty awesome because President just changed it so that we can study more, and I'm really excited. 

So the work has been pretty exciting finding new people and talking about the restored gospel. One thing was difficult about the week, well really just one day in particular, was that we had to say no to teaching three different investigators and menos activos because there were only women in the house. This is a common rule, and when you enter the house and realize that the person is alone and obviously doesn't care about the rule, it's a little hard to stand up and leave. But obedience, that's pretty much my life.

Chloe, you're going to be fine--there are a lot of fish in the sea. Actually, I feel sorry for him. Good luck finding anyone as good or better than you. That guy has just messed up his life! haha. I'm excited to see the house in 2 years!! Things look great, Mom.

Love ya'll,

Elder Walker