Wow!

Dear familia, 
 
This week has been eventful and yet nothing really happened at the 
same time. So last Monday and Tuesday I was in Sucre as you know. It 
was a lot nicer than Potosi. Anyways, so I had my interview with the 
president. I told him everything that went on with my companion and 
the other elder that lives with us. He was pretty surprised but knew 
something was different with them when he interviewed them. I decided 
that I really like my president. He´s down to earth, funny, 
knowledgeable, and inspired. Everytime I said a name, I usually said 
their last name and then he corrected me saying ''Elder'' so and so. I 
did it like 3 times. Then later he said only  their last name and then 
I corrected him. We laughed. Well the president said he would take 
care of everything. So this last week, nothing really happened at all. 
The same things were still going on - nothing. Then Friday, we got a 
call. My companion and the other elder were to leave the next day to 
Cochabamba. So last Saturday, my companion left and I´ve been with 
Elder Shafer since. I don´t know what is exactly going to happen. I´ve 
been praying for a good companion that´ll work hard and help me learn 
more spanish. I just found out last night that my new companion is 
Elder Dias from Ecuador. He comes in Thursday. He is the ''son'' of my 
zone leader and he said that Elder Dias works pretty hard. Apparently 
he used to have a pony tail because he is from a tribe in Ecuador and 
it is honorable to have long hair. But then he cut it. Yep, that´s 
about all I know about him. Everyone that knows him says that he´s 
pretty cool and a good missionary. Lately. these past couple weeks, I 
haven´t been feeling like a real missionary. Seriously, it feels alot 
better to be actually working hard and obeying all the rules. That´s 
why I´m hoping my next companion will work hard. 
         Well, since I really haven´t had any spiritual experiences 
that stick out this week, I will share a little from what I´ve been 
learning in my studies. The difference between believing and knowing. 
When you believe something, it´s usually because someone told you it 
or you read it from somewhere and it makes sense to you. It´s logical. 
Your belief system changed or altered a little to fit it in. On the 
other hand, to know is intrinsic in nature. When you know something, 
it´s something you have felt. Most of the time, you can´t explain what 
you have felt. This is what happens with investigators all the time 
and I am here to tell them that it was the testifying power of the 
holy ghost that they felt. To know something is way more powerful than 
a belief. So at testimony meetings, when people say they know 
something to be true, it´s because they can feel it. 
Also, I was reading in D&C 46 where it tells the gifts of the spirit. 
For some reason, it just clicked that a testimony that Jesus Christ is 
the son of God and the savior of mankind is a gift of the spirit and 
nobody can actually know it to be true without the witness or given by 
the holy ghost. I always thought that I came up with it on my own and 
that others do too. But once again, I´ve been humbled to know that it 
came from the holy ghost. This gift is given so that people can be a 
beacon, guide, and help others share the great message of Christ. 
 
Good stuff right there, 
Elder Walker