Week 52 - New Companion - Elder Smith

Hey Mom :)

Everything is going great, I finally got my hair cut today, I was looking like a fuzzy muppet.  We had zone sports this morning and we played chair soccer and volleyball.  We didn't have any baptisms this week, but we should this Saturday.  Thanks for the pictures.

Sounds like High Adventure is going to be pretty fun, hope Jacob has a good time.  Oh, you should have him cut his hair too, it's starting to look like a lizard :)  Oh, so I found a book on personalities laying around the apartment.  It turns out that I'm a white personality and I found out that you are a blue personality.  It was interesting.

I'm excited to hear where Dylan gets called to, it should be the Logan mission!  We are getting like 26 new missionaries this transfer.

Corbin Allred?  That's awesome!  Thank you for  having them hold the scholarship!  Guess who has the best mom?  Me!  We've had a pretty good P-Day so far :)  I'm excited for this week, I hope the baptism goes through!

Anyway, ask me lots of questions that I can hopefully answer, things are getting busy.

I love you mom!

Elder Walker

Elder Smith

Week 51 - Transfers

Hey everyone!  So today is the last day of the transfer.  We are about to officially find out what is going to happen, but unofficially we have been given some insider info and we know that Elder Mobley is leaving, we just don't know where to yet.  Last night we both got called to be district leaders again, I am looking forward to it this time, this district is awesome and I think we will continue to see a lot of success.  I am also going to be step-training again, so my new companion will be my third step-son.  I guess I'm the eternal step-dad haha.

So this past week our goal set a new mission record for amount of baptisms in a week in one zone!  We had ten, all but four companionships in the zone baptized, it was an awesome Saturday.  For us, Lynzi got baptized!  It was an amazing baptism, she had so much support from the ward, it was amazing to see.  She asked me to sing I Love to See the Temple, so I did that for her, everyone said I sounded good, so I' glad it worked out, I was worried about it.  I'll attach some photos from the baptism, we were so excited for her!

We had two people come up to ask us this week on the street and ask us to be baptized, we were like, "Sorry, can't help you there" and walked off... no, we actually freaked out on the inside and calmly set up an appointment with each of them.  So those, were some cool miracles that we saw this week, I love this area, It'll be sad to leave.

Another cool thing!  We got permission from president to leave the mission in order to take the Spencers to do Baptisms for the dead. I got to baptize brother Spencer and and Elder Mobley and I baptized each other.  It was a great way to start closing out the week.  The spirit was so strong, Brother Spencer started tearing up after the baptisms, no, it wasn't just the water pouring down his face, he had tears.  It was amazing, and to think, right before I leave the mission, I get to go through the temple with their family.  I'm so excited!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this upcoming transfer, I appreciate the support that I get from all of you.  I pray for you every day, love you all!

Elder Walker

I am getting Elder Smith for my comp :)  I hear he's good, so hopefully that's true :)  Summer is going well.

Lynzi

Week 50 - Not A Lot To Say

Hey mom, super sorry I didn't write earlier, I usually wait for you so I can respond, but that's no excuse :/  I'll write more next week I promise!  We are having a baptism this week, Linzi, so it should be awesome :)  They're having me sing at it, so we'll see how that goes :p  Anyway, I am safe and sound and the mission is going great!  Transfers are next P-day so I will let you know what happens.  Today we were kinda all over the place.

Anyway, I love you a bunch!  Glad to hear everything is going well :)

Your apologetic son :(
Elder Walker

P.S. Tell Lauren congrats!  :)

Week 49 - Mission Life is Great

Hey everyone!  Sorry it's been a while.

The mission is going great!  We found some new investigators this week and we have three good potentials out of the six we have on date.  We met a man named Brodie on the side of the street as we were walking back from Randee's wedding.  He said he was a recovering alcoholic and that he wanted something better in his life and wanted us to start teaching him.  So we did that and he is on date to be baptized on the 25th.

So, Randee and Devyn got baptized on the 28th.  They were both awesome baptisms, I still have to get the pictures from people though.  Yesterday Randee got the Aaronic priesthood, which was great!  He is really embracing his new commitment to the church and it's awesome to see him progress.  The Spencers all got up to bear their testimonies yesterday.  They did a great job and they shared a lot of miracles that have happened to them as they have come into the church.  I'm super proud of them and I can't wait to see their son get the priesthood.  We are doing family history with them to help them find names to take to the temple soon.  Oh, and they told me they plan on giving me a ferret to take home in a year.  (Sorry mom, I promised they're adorable).

So yeah, mission life is going great at the moment and we have been able to see the hand of the Lord in our ministry for sure.  I am so grateful for this gospel and I know that it is only through Jesus Christ that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father.  I challenge all of you to share the gospel with at least one friend this week.  Miracles come when we open our mouths.

I love you all, and I pray for you often, have a great week!

Elder Walker

Week 48 - Work is Going Well

Hey mom, this week went pretty good, we had two baptisms, they were awesome :)  We hiked today and now we are just at the house playing Monopoly.  The work is going pretty good, I just don't have a bunch of new stuff to say anymore haha :p   How's everything going at home?

Elder Walker

Week 47 - Breaking Records

Hola!  Mis amigos!  No, I'm not going Spanish speaking, just thought I'd switch up the greeting.

Sooooo, this week has been absolutely fantastic!  We managed to solidify three people to be baptized this upcoming Saturday!  It is going to be great :)  Gracie, Devynn, and Randee!  Gracie is a nine yr old girl who we have been teaching for a few weeks.  She is super smart and is super excited to be baptized.  Devynn is a 10 yr old boy who was never baptized because he was always chose going to be with his dad on the weekends over church, but he recently decided after we visited with him, that he wanted to start coming to church and be baptized.  So that's awesome, we are excited for both of them.  Randee is Westynn's soon to be step-dad.  He has been taught by missionaries in the past, but decided that he didn't want to get married or quit smoking, so baptism never happened.  But!  After Westynn's baptism he was really quiet, and when we asked him what was wrong, he said he knew he needed to be baptized, so he has quit smoking and on Saturday, we turned from missionaries into emergency wedding planners, as in, they are going to e married this Thursday and we spent a good while helping them fill out the paperwork (it was kind of a zoo because none of us had gotten married before :p) and then Randee will be baptized on Saturday, so that is pretty cool!

Today is a super special day!  One of our investigators is a foster child, and today she is going to finally be adopted!  And we got invited :)  So we are baking her some Ooey Gooey Cake this morning and we are going to leave the mission (with president's approval of course) and go see this super special event happen! :)  She is going to be baptized next month as well, so they are all excited!

Now I will let you know what happened on Saturday!  The Spencers got baptized!  It was such a cool baptism :)  After Brother Spencer baptized his family, he teared up and it took him a bit to make his way out of the font, he announced to the audience that the feeling he was feeling was indescribable and that he was so glad that he had the chance to perform this ordinance for his family.  The spirit was so strong, it was overpowering (I may have teared up).  I am so happy for them :)  We are going over to help them find family names this week so that we can take them to the temple!  They are super exctited!  I love the Spencer Family, they are fantastic and I just realized that I get to go through the temple with them in a year, just before I go home :)  It is definitely something to look forward to.

Anyway, the mission is going awesome :)  Our zone is going to break the mission record this week, we are amazed at all the miracles that we have been able to witness this month, it is a really humbling feeling realizing that it is all because of the Lord that we see success, it just makes me want to be the best that I can be, for him.  I just want to bear my testimony that I know that this is the true church and that this gospel has been restored to the earth.  I have a testimony of priesthood power and the effect that it has on the lives of other people.  I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I love seeing the power of the atonement take effect in people's lives.  I love my Heavenly Father and all that he does for each and everyone of us.  I am so glad to be serving a mission and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Elder Walker

The Spencers

Week 46 - The Spencers

This week has been pretty good, we had a few people drop out on us, but we will still have four baptisms this week, and more next week.  Brother Spencer got the priesthood on Sunday, so now he can baptize his family :)  It is going to be awesome!

That's sad that Steve (Nathan's violin teacher) is done teaching, but it's good that he is going to try and spend more time with his family, he's awesome.  Let him know I appreciate all the time he spent teaching me :)

Lauren's graduating!  That'll be  cool!  Tell her I'm proud of her :)  can't wait to get the announcement!

Yeah, the Smiths were a fun couple to eat dinner with, they were super nice.  That's cool that she gave you a call.  How did she get your number?

Tell Ainsley that I'm sorry I missed her talk :(  But I'm sure she did an awesome job!

I'm excited for this Saturday, the Spencers are one of my favorite families, they are awesome :)  I'll send you pictures after the baptisms!

Today we all just went and played sports, now a bunch of Elders are at our place and we are emailing everyone :)

Anyway, love you!  Let me know if there is something I forgot to tell you, or that you want to know :)

Elder Walker