Boo! Still Going Strong!

Dear family,

 

Life is great isn`t it?!

 

Dad - Ward Mission Leader eh? I think that`s perfect and just in time for me to come home jeje, I`m fired up still with some great new ideas

Mom - I`ll be there to help soon

 

So it`s weird that Ryan just left and I won`t see him for 4 years just like Cameron. (It was only a year and a half difference between Marissa and I).

I picked up my kid and my last companion Wednesday. His name is Elder Ortiz from Guatemala (Guatebuena o Guatepeor, he`s heard all the jokes). He`s really awesome and a fireball! He`s the perfect companion to end with. I taught many of my teaching styles (even the ones that I`m learning right now) and he`s implemented them all in action. We teach very good together and he`s a good friend. He`s very mature for a new missionary and has already made a great impression on the members. We set a goal of 20 baptisms before I leave! We also a set a goal of breaking some mission records. I just love the faith of new missionaries, they give a fresh new look at many things.

 

I just now realized this week a question that I`ve always had. ``Why do disobedient missionaries have more success or in other words baptisms than the obedient ones?´´ Doesn`t being obedient bring miracles? This is what I learned: Just like D&C 130:20-21 says, when we are obedient to the laws, we recieve blessings, because not a single blessing comes upon something without first being obedient. So why do disobedient missionaries recieve some blessings. It`s because they are obedient, at least to one thing: The principle or law of baptizing. They may not work as hard or obey all the mission rules, but they do obey the law to baptizing, that is finding, teaching to committment, working with members, being friends with their investigators, and doing other effective things. Surely, they will not recieve the blessings of obeying the mission guidelines (and they are many blessings or miracles for that!), but... For example, it`s like mowing the lawn. Someone could get up early and work diligently all day cutting the grass, being obedient to those rules, but they are cutting the grass with scissors. On the other hand, the other person is lazy, does it for one hour taking breaks in between, but uses a lawn mower. Which will cut more grass? The lawn Mower. I`m not supporting disobedient behavior in any way, just think if that first person was using a lawn mower. Miracles would happen!

 

So this past week and the next week, I can finally and have implemented many ideas into our finding, teaching, working with members, and baptizing in order to be more effective! For example with the members. We eat lunch with them every Saturday and Sunday. Many missionaries just eat and then leave. That`s wrong. What we did this past week which resulted in 10+ referrals from one visit was this: 1. First we talked to them during lunch and basically made friends with them 2. Taught them a cool, spiritual lesson. We talked about love for those around us and cherishing the moments that matter. 3. Then we ``played a game with them´´. They were to think of all the people around them (without committing them to anything);  family, friends, neighbors, work-people, school-people, etc. and write their names down on a paper while we sung a hymn. 4. We finished singing, and they finished writing. 5. We made them put a star next to the family names and double stars around the people who weren`t members. We didn`t even have to ask them for referrals, they just started giving us their names and addresses to contact them. El amor del Salvador abarca todo. More to come on other ideas the next week.

 

As I`m coming to an end, I just hope I learned enough to help me in my life. There`s a ton of things I lack and I`m not perfect. I just don`t talk about nor focus on those things. This sometimes gives people the wrong idea about me. So I just hope I`ve made a good balance in my mission (and soon to be life) between being chill, fun  and being the representative of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that I am.

-Elder Walker