'We Sometimes Need to Show a Little Faith'

We had an amazing week. As you know I was whitewashed into this area. (Don't know why but I think it had to do with the last missionaries). It is really hard to be white washed in because you know no one and no one knows you. So the first week we taught no one. The next week we taught 1 person and now we have 5 people on date to be baptized in December! This week has been a huge blessing week. We are teaching so many. My area is projecting 1/2 of our zone. It is truly a blessing from God that we are able to find and teach so many. One of the kids' names is Jade. We had a lesson with him about 1 hour ago. He is going to be baptized on December 14. He is Korean and speaks a little English. We watched the Restoration video in Korean. I could almost quote it in English because of how many times I saw it. That was a cool experience to have. I can't wait until he is baptized. I still get to teach people that are not from America here. I think God sends people here to Utah so that they can hear the gospel and take it back to where they came from. 

We are also teaching a person named Ben. We took him to Temple Square on Saturday and he loved it. It is fun because we get taught as well because the sister missionaries lead out in the discussion. I love that opportunity that we get to go down there. We have so many experiences that happen each and every day that just testifies of Christ and of God's love for everyone. Especially on the hard days.

I am learning so much more then I thought I would on my mission. One of the best things that I am grateful for the talent that I have developed is the ability to make friends. It is so much easier for me to go up to someone and introduce myself and make friends. I also believe it is easier to do that in Utah when you have a name tag on (maybe I will make a name tag and where it around after my mission 'Hello my name is Walker') lol, it is also a lot easier to make enemies, but they are not mad at me but the church. That is another blessing I have God's protection and help even from mean people. I don't feel the least degree of anger towards them any more. I am just sad that they have such a hard heart. There are very few mean people here in Utah so that is good. 

A good story to go along with your faith proceeds confirmation from God. 

It is in the Old Testament about the ark of the covenant. They had to take it across a river and the water was too deep. God told them that they had to get their feet wet and walk in there with the Ark of the Covenant before he would stop the water. (Joshua 3). So they had to show faith then God would do his thing. He will always help us if we show a little faith. Same thing happened to Nephi when he had to go in the city to get the plates. He had tired everything he could but he had to show more faith and God helped him by providing the way. 

Relating it to us we sometimes need to show a little faith by trusting in our feelings and getting baptized even if you might not happen for you the same as everyone else. 

Remind me sometime to relate the Butterfly Circus movie to this. We watched it at zone conference with our mission president.

One of the Most Eventful Weeks

So much has happened this week. It was probably one of the most eventful week of my whole mission. Crazy right? A lot of it I will not talk about because it involves other people, but something that did happen is I got news from my former companion that a excommunicated person that I was teaching and loved very much in my last area just died. (I was at his funeral this morning that is why I am emailing so late.) That was really sad. Question that I have been pondering and one I can't find. What happens to those who die and who are excommunicated? I heard that you can't do baptisms for the dead for them so what happens? 

I can't believe that Sean is back! Every one that left for their mission before me is almost back. That is strange to think about. 

I have had so many meetings my last week I have been to a total of 27 hours of them this week including church. Crazy right? Every day of the week I have had something. I like meetings a lot more then I did before my mission. I think it is because I know that I can learn so much more and I realize how much I do not know. 

We found a new investigator this week. That was fun. His wife is a recent convert to the church with a really strong testimony of the gospel and every lesson she cries and tells him how much she wants him to be baptized and then sealed in the temple. He is on date to be baptized on December 7 and he is working really hard to get there. 

We are finally finding work in this stake. It is difficult to get work started in a stake when missionaries have both got pulled out of the area. We had to start from scratch. I believe that the rewards are greater when you have greater struggles. That is why I am thankful for my mission. I have grown so much and am growing so much more then I ever have. (and no Mom I am not taller than Ben) unless Ben shrunk. Haha. I love my mission.

Two more things I need for my mission. First I would love a shoulder bag. All the missions have been required to get one instead of backpacks. My companion got one that has a wast strap so when you are riding a bike it does not go in front of you. I would love one like that. I need the shoulder bag no later than the new year. 

Also tell Robert that Elder Kolpakov bought me a present and it was a chess game. I have played it once. I won, but it was close. That is our p-day game. 

I would love to be in a class with Ben and Sean teaching it. That would be so cool. 

Have I told you all the service opportunities I have had? I have fixed a tiller, made a fence, put in sod for many people, I have put in dry wall and have done mudding for them as well, mowed hundreds of lawns and hundreds more of leaves raked up. OK probably not a hundred, but too much to count, I have put in insulation for a house (fiberglass), fixed someone's electricity in their house, have dug lots of holes for miscellaneous things. I have put stucco on a house, painted a whole garage (that one hurt my neck because I did the ceiling). Fixed a sprinkler system. (kinda put in a new one actually) I have tried to fix a printer and a weed wacker unsuccessfully, but worked hard on it. Have fixed a table and made it look really nice. The holes where the screws were stripped so it would not stand and there were missing pieces. We made new holes and made it look way nicer then it had been. I have picked up apples and also peaches (sound familiar) from the ground. I love those opportunities to do this. I have learned so much from all of it. I was able to do a lot of it because of Dad and the things we did together like putting up the light above the fireplace or fixing the sprinkler system. There were more then one baptism that came because of these things that we did. 

Love Elder Walker. Have a great week everyone!

Temple Visit

This week was interesting. We had a week filled with appointments but the people do not always keep appointments. We have a whole bunch of investigators it is just hard to meet with them because of things going on in their life. It is nice to know that we we have people to teach.

We got to go the the temple. That was a lot of fun. I don't think that I have ever been at the temple at night before. It was cool to see the lights of the temple and be able to go at night. We had about half of our mission in the celestial room at one time. And the celestial room is not that big. That was also fun. 

We have transfers this week again. I have been with Elder Kolpakov for about 6 months. That is four times as long as I have had any of my other companions. We hope that we will stay together next transfer as well. my companion is going home on December 17 so this will be his last transfer. He is going to get married almost as soon as he gets home. 

I cant think of what really happened this week. I normally remember because I write in my journal at least 2 times a week but I did not get the chance this week so I don't remember what happened. We are baptizing a boy named Ayden this week. That will be fun. We also picked up 2 new investigators that are Russian. It is interesting the mom has married an active member from here. She moved and is now going to church with her son for 1 year. She wants to be baptized, but lies to us about coffee her husband said that she is badly addicted to it. She lied to Elder Kolpakov that and said that she was willing to be baptized and did not drink any coffee. They were speaking in Russian so I did not understand neither did the husband because she was speaking Russian and he does not speak Russian. It is a little strange situation that we are working on.

It snowed yesterday in the valley. We had to ride our bikes thought it. That was fun. For some reason my hands get really cold so when I shake people hands it kinda startles them.