Hey

Dear family,

Hope you guys had a great week and are prepared to have another one.
Marissa writes,`` Well i hope you are doing well and feeling successful.  You should be just knowing your age on the mission.  I remember at that point of my mission it was like being on a spiritual high 24/7.  You know the language, you're aware of how the mission is ran and works, and by now you understand how to be a preach my gospel missionary.  The spirit can just run through you.´´

At least somebody listened to the spirit this week. Even though I am far away, you guys will know and feel when I need help. Marissa´s right, I do know the language, how the mission is, how the spirit works though me and how to find and teach people. But what I´m not feeling right now is very successful. Maybe in a few weeks. It´s just that this week was very hard for me.

The first thing is my area. Good news, we had a baptism this week (the first in this new year). Eduardo got baptized, maybe if you guys look back in my emails a couple weeks ago, I mentioned him. He´s from Cusco, Peru ... so mom, there´s your ticket to Machu Pichu. Cusco is the city closest to there. The president also came to the baptism because it was the stake conference of Sucre yesterday and he gave a talk along with a 70. It was great. Well, it seems like whenever I come to an area, there´s nothing. When I leave thats when the baptisms come. Remember Bella Vista, my last area? They´ve had 8 baptisms since I left. I know and taught 7 of them. Cool right! Bad news, we could´ve had 5 baptisms this week. Some of them even had their interviews but just didn´t go to the baptism. I feel like I´m sooo close to having a ton of baptisms here,  but all of them fall. We will have 3 si o si the next month but I also want to know why these 4 didn´t want to get baptized or what happened. I´m just a little confused. Maybe the Lord wants me to learn something like patience.

Another thing is la Zona Sucre. Having 22 missionaries here is tough and 4 more are going to come next week. I feel sooo inadequate, you guys have no idea. I make soooo many mistakes and I feel sooo bad that I´m the reason why the zone gets divided, etc. I just don´t know how to lead a group or really how to talk to people correctly if you know what I mean. I´m more of a teacher, not a motivational or inspirational speaker, thanks. And I lack a lot of love for people.

-Elder Walker

I got some cool quotes for Cameron´s cool collection of quotes.

``Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble´´ -George Washington

``A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd´´ -Max Lucado

``Disobedience is obedience to the things for which the Lord did not ask´´ -E. Walker

Hey.

Dear family,

This internet is very slowww. 30 min has gone by and I just barely got to this page.. Hopefully this letter makes it to you guys. I´ll make it short.

Something I really don´t like here is when they talk about United States, because the governments really don´t get along. It´s a good thing that I only tell you guys about the good stuff that goes on here because there´s alot of opposition especially against northamericans. But apparently there has been some crazy stuff going on there like killings, terrorists, rumors of war with North Korea, etc. Even though I´m on the Lord´s errand, I hear it all, about what goes on and not. But I don´t worry. I know there´s angels protecting the missionaries and that they are also preparing the heart´s of men to hear this message. Those who know don´t talk; those who don´t know talk in ignorance.

We had some good finds this week. One of them is Rosemary. She is probably one of the humblest persons that I´ve met. We contacted her in  the streets and read with her the bienadventurados (I forgot the name in Ingles) in Matt. 5 then taught her how to pray. She lives in this tiny apartment without lights with her grandson. She sells goodies in the street and has suffered alot in life like the death of her husband a long time ago. The Lord loves these people because they really are the treasure of the Earth and will inherit it someday. She came to church the yesterday and brought her grandson and I was impressed with the members, how well they made her feel welcome. Golden.

Another find is Melina, a college student (studying psicology and economics). We found her by knocking doors. She is probably one of the smartest Bolivianas that I have taught. When I say smart, I talking about bible smart. We start quoting a scripture and she finishes it. We had to use alot of logic and the spirit because she understands and recognizes what the spirit is, but says she´s never felt it in its full function in any church. But she´s never been to ours... We say we´re great teachers, but I think the Lord is testing our skills and dependecy on him. If we can convert her, that would be something huge for us.

Keep working hard and be happy.

-Elder Walker

Feliz Cumpleaños Emily

April 17, Emily was born. The end.

So this Saturday, Elder Pino and Craig Christensen are coming to the mission Cochabamba, and Elder Bednar to Bolivia to talk to us and divide the mission... But the bad part is, the missionaries from outside Cochabamba; Tarija, Tupiza, Bermejo, Sucre, and Potosi will not see them. So that includes me. What a bummer! I really hope someone gives me the details because I love hearing conferences, training meetings, etc.

My companion磗 been helping me alot as well as our area. He磗 a great missionary. I can tell he磗 changed alot in this mission. Seriously, the mission changes lives of others as well as the missionary. You get a better perspective on live and what to do to be successful. It teaches you many priceless lessons and you come back more humble and more powerful. One thing my companion always tells me that we need to suffer in the mission. Many missionaries don磘 want to get up at 6:30 cause they don磘 want to suffer. They don磘 want to be exactly obedient cause they don磘 want to suffer, etc. But if we represent Jesus Christ, we need to suffer because he suffered everything.

Perhaps I don磘 understand the atonement completely. We helped a woman in a wheelchair roll up a hill (and there are many in Sucre). She has a daughter and was picking up her son from the day care. She is single. I guess I do not understand the atonement because this woman was so happy doing things alone, without husband or help. I dunno. I just don磘 understand. When you think you do, you don磘. We are sometimes really blind.
Then a 25 year old came to us, running and screaming `` Elders!创 This young man was baptized at 13 years. He went through many problems: one year after his baptism, he went inactive, he joined a gang, took drugs, did other bad stuff, and says he knows how to shed blood .. Serious things. But despite all that, he trusts Elders and wants to return to the Church and did! Now, he wants to be a missionary to help people who are in the same situation.

So, we had seen many miracles this week and even more than what I told. I hope you guys are seeing and doing many great things too.

Elder Walker

Tuesday . . .

Fam,

My ankle´s fine now, thanks. Sure it still hurts a little, but I just shouldn´t play that much soccer or run... or trip again. 

Mom, Dad question. What was the name of your mission? Concepcion, Santiago, Viña del Mar, etc?

Say maybe you guys are wondering right now why I´m writing on Tuesday instead of Monday. So basically there was a huge Earthquake in Sucre yesterday. I don´t know if you guys heard the news or not. But it wrecked many buildings and all the power went off. As missionaries, we spent the whole day helping, rescuing, saving, pulling out bodies from under the buildings. We then preached the gospel to them. There are about 5 thousand people that are going to get baptized the next week. 

At least that´s what I dreamed about two nights ago. In reality, President Dyer and his wife, the asistents, and the Potosi Zone came to Sucre. We went to a cool green park with two swimming pools (how tempting), a soccer field, beach volleyball, we played many board games, chess, and we did a huge parrillada (Barbaque). The president also was doing interviews in a hut there. It was awesome and I forgot to bring my camera. But I´m sure I can get the pictures from other people. It basically took the whole day. We came back exhausted while my companion and I went to the president´s hotel to get interviewed. Came home and slept at 10. And now, in 30 min, we have a leadship training meeting. I have to give a class of 40 min, fun. This is going to be an all day thing. Like I said before, most of my time is spent helping other missionaries and doing administrative stuff rather than working in my actual area (which i would enjoy alot more). 

General Conference was great as usual. Elder Holland is still one of my favorite speakers. He doesn´t bore me. But I feel like his talks are always to short. There was a lot of talks about missionary work (Yea!), chastity, and obedience. A little bit of SLICE here and SASS there. K`AAA. Wasca. That´s good stuff.

So this week, I basically ran out of gas. I got a huge fever (due to too much stress says Doctor Walker) and burned out. Good thing that was only one day because now the fuel is back in. But I would just like to reemphasize what Cameron said and what President Dyer also told me in my interview. You gotta make time to relax. Being busy is not good. I don´t image Christ being busy, running back and forth between meetings. I should let the missionaries resolve their own problems and I plan my own time, not them. I don´t have to be like a dog that drops everything and comes at the whistle of the master. He told me that they look at me as a good leader that has helped them, but that is not respect. Respect is helping them, help themselves. Have time for myself and my own area doing my studies and other things necesary. Also, to be more happy, I need to find 15 to 20 new people every week and help rescue someone. Then I would find a new source of happiness like day and night that would shoot like a rocketship through the roof. 

I taking on that challenge. Do the same.

Have a good week,

Elder Walker

feliz semana santa

Hey familia,

How´s everything? Happy Easter and april fools day (in Bolivia it´s December 28). And instead of Easter, they celebrate semana santa because of the catholics culture here. They serve certain foods each day (so I´ve eaten the same thing for each meal). There is no such thing as the Easter bunny here. At least the practice of hiding and finding eggs is in the scriptures; Job 39:14, and 2 Nephi 20:14. It obviously represents the gathering of the lost tribes....

So this week was stressful to say the least. I was without a companion until wednesday came around. All of those things that I listed last week, I did them and that made my week stressful. I was in the airport and the Bus terminal everyday this week picking up and dropping off missionaries. But with alot of dificulties, I learned a lot. 3 things that I learned are:

1. Under stressful circumstances, be calm, especially if you´re the leader. People will follow that example. If you´re shouting, stressed, impatient, etc, it just makes things worse.

2. The role of stewardships and recieving revelation for every calling, leadership position, etc. You recieve revelation for that calling and nobody else. Things came to my mind this week that I wouldn´t have thought otherwise. We should always respect those that are called, even if they´re not perfect.

3. The Lord always provides.

So even though we didn´t have that much time to work in our area, we still we dilligent and taught a good number of people. my compi Elder Medina is awesome. He´s very obedient, humble, knows alot, and we get along great. He´s probably one of the best companion´s I´ve had. He´s already taught me so much in these few days. He has a ton of desires to share the gospel with everyone and we´ve already gotten to work. He always say that `` (the people) have ears, but do not hear.´´ That has helped me alot take more control over the lessons. Anything that they could say to us is not more important that what we have to say. At least we know the truth and we, the missionaries, need to take control and be the driver in this bus headed towards exaltation. 

Have a fine day,

Elder Walker

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Dear Family,

 

Thanks for writing me. Mom says, ``There are rumors flying about the mission changes in Bolivia with the forming of the Santa Cruz North.  Will it affect you?´´ My answer is yes. They are taking out two cities from our mission, Tarija and Bermejo. But I haven´t been in those cities yet. They are also taking out many missionaries, assistents, secretaries, zone leaders, etc. We don´t really know much detail about that yet.

 

We found out the transfers yesterday. ``You have heard it been said... but now I say unto you...´´ That is my theme for the mission now. There are 60 new missionaries coming. 41 are staying in our mission. That´s a huge jump because the last group that left were 10 and the next group that leaves are even less, like 5. Many people are training and opening up areas. That means that i´ll be very busy. I´m already a little stressed because my companion left and so I´ve been ``alone´´ since Friday and will be until Wednesday. I´ve been doing EVERYTHING by myself and everybody calls me for everything. I´ll just list a few things that i´ll be doing for the next few days: Getting airplane tickets and sending the missionaries that are leaving off, picking up the incoming missionaries, sending some off in a travel bus to other cities, finding new houses for missionaries, buying all the things they´ll need for their house (beds, closets, drawers, desks, blankets, ironing stuff, etc), paying the water, the lights, and the telephones for each house, and apart from that, just running a zone full of complaints, problems, etc. That hurt my head just writing that stuff.

 

So I after I wrote you guys the last week, we went out to play futsol. I kinded twisted my ankle there. I couldn´t walk the next day it hurt so bad. As of now, after much medication, bandage, muscle relaxers, and this cremy stuff, I´m now walking. But if you look at that picture with my foot purple, its now even more purple. But i´ll be fine. It just kinda put a little hindrance on the work.

 

Besides those dificulties, the zone is improving alot. My personal sucess rate that I have put for the Zone Sucre has increased alot, and will continue to. Oh, I forgot to mention that my new companion´s name is Elder Medina, from Buenas Aires, Argentina. He´s actually from my MTC group and I get along with him really well. He´s funny. We´ll see how we work together.

 

That´s about it for now. Have a great week!

 

-Elder Walker

 

Ps. I finally put a picture of me washing my clothes. That is me every monday morning (I should be studying...) Also the others elders live in the same house as me and one is my companion

 

Did I mention that while I in bed for the day, I learned the rubik´s cube. You just get really bored sitting there all day feeling useless. So even though I shouldn´t have worked wednesday, I did anyways ;)  Here are some pictures of my foot: