Santiago Oeste

Hello!

Well, this last week was filled with a little more water and a drastic change in the temperature. It’s safe to say the winter is starting up and the jackets and scarfs are out of the bags. I think that winter started a little bit earlier this year and am ready to take on the cold. I mean I should probably get used to it if I’m going to live in Provo. Besides the cold, things have been spectacular here in Ochagavia. We had a good month in Abril and are now looking for May to be awesome.  

As far as teaching, we have a few good investigators who have gone to church a few time now. We have to help them understand the doctrine and have a real conversion. We’ve found some awesome new investigators though the last week, and now most of our hope in May is in the people we just found. As a missionary here we enter so many houses and meet a lot of great people, but one thing I always pray for is the the ability to recognize the people that will progress. We have to always find new people, but at the same time be able to recognize those who want to come unto Christ. It’s just another thing on the long list of reasons why we need the Spirit 

On Friday, we had a meeting as a mission. In Maipu we got together, which usually takes us about 45 minutes by bus to get to, ate sandwiches for breakfast, and listened to President. We had to get there early, and President told us that we’d all get a flu shot to protect us this winter. After the shot, what called my attention in the meeting was when President, after a little bit and out of nowhere, started to talk to all the missionaries who go home in the next two month. He told us all not to be Zombie missionaries and to work hard, and he said that he needs us to endure to the end. It was kind of a slap to the face, not because I wasn’t being diligent, but rather that I realized how soon I’m going home, how important it is to finish strong, and how much of an impact it will have on the mission for us to finish strong. 

In my personal studies, I learned a little bit more about the power of the word of God. Alma upon seeing the sins an iniquities of the Zoramites in Alma 31 began to worry about the the well being of the Nephites. "For it was the cause of great sorrow to Alma to know of iniquity among his people." The fear was that the Zoramites would go and join themselves with the Lamanites, which would be a huge loss for the Nephites. While some might have wanted to go to battle against the Zoramites, Alma said in verse 5:

"And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God."

What a powerful verse! The word of God and correct understanding of gospel principles can change our behavior and our hearts, and it can protect us from future temptations and trials. Elder Nelson described it like a shot we use shots to protect us from future viruses and diseases that might harm and kill us (like the flu shot I just had) and in the same way God gives us His gospel to protect us from the spiritual risks in the world. The mission as been so life changing I think because I’ve been able to read, understand and apply the word of God in my life. I’m so grateful for those special hours of scripture study in the morning and hope to maintain the habit always

Anyways, Mom, thanks for the letters yours are always better than mine. haha. I think it would be good to Skype at 7:30 or 7:00 my time so that I can have to time to get back to the pension because we live far away from the church. Looks like things are really moving along over there I’m starting to miss the family even more and sometimes I feel like I’ve missed so much, but the Lord blesses and protects the families of His missionaries. It also makes me happy to hear how well my family is doing. I love you all so much!

Elder Walker

No Time

Dear all,

Sorry I managed my time pretty badly with writing Anna for her b-day, letter to the president and another letter, but things are good here in Santiago. The umbrellas and boots are out because it’s been raining pretty hard. I didn't have changes and stayed in the same sector with Elder Hunter, but we received a new companion Elder Hansen. He’s a great missionary, who I also met a long time ago. He’s a redhead, part Chilean, from Utah, and I can tell that were going to get along great. It was sad to see Elder Bradley leave too fast, but the Lord needed him in another place. This area is great and the mission keeps going. I like Nicholas want to baptize a family and am going to work hard for the next 3 months to do it. I like what Presidente said the other day that there ain’t no rest for the wicked and the good, well they just don’t it. I love when he starts to randomly talk in English like that. Love you all so much!

Elder Walker

Wait Upon the Lord

Well this P-day has been pretty crazy. The secretaries called us yesterday to tell me that I had to go take care of my visa today. So I spent the whole day waiting in lines and spending ridiculous amounts of money for pieces of paper. However, it was fun to walk around the big city of Santiago and see the big skyscrapers. It really is a beautiful city. 

Interestingly enough my scripture of the week is in Isaiah in the 40th chapter and 31st verse. "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." I was surprised to hear that same verse repeated when Jeffrey R. Holland gave his Sunday afternoon address and said, "So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." Those words have stuck with me as my shoes get a little more worn, my feet more tired and my body sore. We must wait upon the Lord and see His blessings in our lives. They’ll come; they always come. 

It reminds of yesterday when we got to church and Veronica wasn't there for her confirmation, and I was pretty startled. We called her and everyone in her family, and after a lot of failed attempts I sat down on the bench and said a pray telling the Lord that I’d trust in Him. Then, I walked outside and saw them! When I got outside the church and looked over, I could see Veronica and her family walking towards the church. Some might call it a coincidence and say that they would of gotten there without my prayer, but the I know that the Lord responds to faith. We just have to wait upon Him. 

I’m so excited that Camron brought home a girl!!! I mean after what Elder Uchtdorf said in the men’s general conference session, I think that it’s pretty clear that we all have to date. Doing the math I feel pretty safe in saying that if things work out with her, he won’t get married before I get back. That’s good. Anyways, I love you all so much. Have a great week.

Elder Walker

What a Week!

Wow!

What a week in the mission! General Conference has been a time of hope and of spiritual rejuvenation when I so desperately needed it. General Conference has been so important to me in my mission. I remember when I first got to the mission field, and the mission really humbled me with the language difficulties, new culture, etc, and Conference was a spiritual lift to my troubled heart. General Conference has also served as landmarks to mark the progress and time in my mission. This last Conference was especially wonderful to me because it will be my last before returning home. There is nothing better than General Conference on the mission!!

     Some of the talks that I really enjoyed were the talk by Elder Renlund and the the last talk by Elder Holland. Elder Renlund talked a little bit about the entitlement that we sometimes feel as the distance increases between us and the giver. I was touch by the example that he used about the Sacrament that was given personally to a Sister that didn't receive it during Sacrament meeting. Individual, personal, just for me: we sometimes miss that aspect of the Atonement in the Sacrament meeting when were in a congregation of 200 people. It was a talk that helper me and was then followed by an amazing number by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that really touched my heart. The words of Elder Renlund and of the Choir help me come to important conclusions about my 20 months of service; as the choir sang I felt the Spirt so strong that Saturday morning session. Then there’s the talk by Elder Holland! The stage was set so perfectly for him to be the last speaker. His motivation was and is us as latter-day members, and his love for us touched me and made me think that my motivation in my ministry in the mission are my investigators.

Veronica was baptized after the Sunday afternoon session, and it was such a spiritual experience. Her conversion was a miracle as she fought doubt and family members in order to get to the waters of baptism. Her conversions definitely shows to me that this is the true work, and it’s is directed by the Savior himself.

Thanks so much for everything. I love you all.

Elder Walker

PS. Daniel, who I taught in my last area, got baptised with his family last weekend!

Easter

Hi!

Here in Santiago the temperature is changing, it’s starting to get pretty cold in the morning while at the same time, it’s still hot in the afternoon. Winter is coming in the Southern Hemisphere. There was a lot of fog this morning, and I couldn't see more than 20 yards. As the climate changes, we keep working. Last week went by fast and was full of success. We confirmed Ivonne and Emiliano in sacrament meeting and are now getting ready to baptize the sister of Ivonne, Veronica. The gift of the Holy Ghost is so special, and it reminds me of the talk by Elder Bednar about actually receiving the Spirit in our lives. The significant phrase that was said on Sunday, "Receive the Holy Ghost,” is something that we have to do every day of our lives. That’s what keeps missionaries safe, and inspires and converts people to the Gospel.

Even though you can’t really tell because these are just words on a computer screen, I’m more than a little excited to listen to General Conference this week!!! We’re planing on setting up a room to watch conference in Creole (the native language of the Haitians) so that they can enjoy more the messages of the Prophets. It’s incredible to see the missionary work with the Haitians because they are so humble. Something about being a foreigner makes people more humble and open, and we spend a lot of time teaching them. 

At church we had to teach a class in French because a lot don't speak Spanish. Elder Bradley can speaks good French, and so I would say something in Spanish, he would translate it into French and then a Haitian would translate it into Creole. Only in the true church of God does that happen. The message goes beyond language, cultural and other barriers. Like I’ve said before I feel the the Celestial Kingdom is going to be a lot more diverse with many more different cultures and traditions than we sometimes realize in the U.S. 

To finish up, I also learned the another family that I taught in my last area with Elder Moreira, the missionary that I trained from Brazil, got baptized yesterday. I love the mission! Love this work and hope to stay strong for the next 3 months!! 

Elder Walker

PS My companions say thanks for the Easter gifts. Here is a picture of us wearing our Easter ties on Easter Sunday. Love you!

March: A Month of Trials and Miracles

Hello family!

First things first, I haven't gotten any packages, but I could get one this Wednesday because the mail comes that day. 

This last week was a blast. I'm not sick anymore!! I’ve enjoyed the mission more than ever these last few weeks, and I think that it’s something best explained by Elder Bednar. We had a meeting on Tuesday with the whole mission, where I feel like I know fewer and fewer people as more of my friends leave, and Presidente showed us a clip of a devotional with Elder Bednar. He was recently in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, in a devotional with the youth. A future missionary asked what he could do to prepare for the mission. He said that a lot of missionaries get out to the field and say, "The mission isn't meeting my spiritual needs right now,” or, “I'm so obedient and humble why don't I have more success,” or, “What's wrong with my investigators?” It’s a hard trap not to fall into, and when we think more about me and I instead of the people we’re serving, our chances at peace or happiness go down exponentially. Elder Bednar helped remind me why I’m here and what I’m doing. It was never about me. What we do without modern day prophets!? 

My companions are some of the greatest people I know. Elder Hunter has an incredible work habit and is always trying to do things better. He is focused and determined, and surprisingly he says he was a beach bum before the mission in the sense that he surfed a lot. He’s kind of an interesting combination of super hard worker and laid back at the same time. Then there’s Elder Bradley, he is a smart, witty guy who has us laughing during the day. He studied for a year in Virginia in the small university there supported by the church. He's easy to get along with, and we three have a great time teaching and baptizing. This last week from our balcony we could hear concerts going with bands from the U.S. The stadium/arena is pretty close to our apartment building so we go to hear some of the bands we know. It was an interesting interruption to our day. 

I’m happy to say that Ivonne and her son Emiliano got baptized yesterday.We felt like they were ready and after teaching Ivonne and seeing her diligent study of the scriptures and prayers, we interviewed her. It’s miraculous to see the spirit of understanding work in the people when they open their hearts. Sister B taught us about the difference between having a knowledge about something and understanding it. Understanding comes from an open heart. A good example is Abinadi when he taught the evil king Noah and said,

32 And now, did they understand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts; for they understood not that there could not any man be saved except it were through the redemption of God.

Our understanding depends on our ability to open up our hearts. The baptismal service was after church, and a lot of the ward attended. The service went according to plan without any problems, which is a miracle. I’m so grateful to see the miracle of conversion in the mission.

Ready for another week.

Elder Walker

Hey Hey Hey

Well,

This last week was an interesting week of work and record breaking. We broke my personal record of lessons and new investigators found, and were able to bring some of those new investigators to church. We have been teaching a bunch of Haitians, and they are so receptive to the gospel. They almost always let you in to teach. Anyway, we are teaching a Haitian couple the man is named Philip, and he is so great. We found him last week, he speaks more Portuguese than Spanish so it was fun to speak in Portuguese to teach him. I don't speak perfectly, but it’s good enough to be understood. When they went to church on Sunday they loved it! It’s always a little nerve racking to bring an investigator to church for the first time, but it was a success. We got to watch a special Satellite transmission from Salt Lake for all of Chile. President Nelson directed the meeting. Elder Bradley looked at Philip and his wife when Elder Nelson went to talk and said this is an apostle of God...the spirit was so strong. 

We’re also teaching a sister called Ivonne and her sister Veronica. They’re amazing as well, and have listened to us for the past month. I love to teach them because they have a real desire to learn and to try. When we went to teach her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we asked her what she understood from the pamphlet that we left her to read. Her response was perfect. She said that baptism really called her attention, and that she felt the need to get baptized before it was too late to repent. We've been trying our best to turn that desire into faith. She worked a few Sundays, but we’re optimistic about the future and are confident that she’ll get baptized. 

Other than that I got a cold, but I’m getting better now, so no worries. I’m really enjoying being here with Elders Bradley and Hunter! It’s been really entertaining, and we spent most of the day teaching and laughing. It’s not always easy, but it is fun to be a missionary and a lot of that fun depends on how well you get along with you comps. In that respect, t I feel like I’ve been really blessed here on the mission. Thanks so much for all the support. Love you guys lots!

Elder Walker