11-2-15

Hey Y’all! 

   This week was an alright one for us. Elder Taggart got sick with the flu on Wednesday so that wasn’t fun! He was sick until Saturday! But that’s alright. It rained on Friday so much! It rained from sunup to sundown and the streets were all flooded! It was pretty bad! But it was my turn to drive that day so I had a blast (: 

   This week was a rough one for missionary work. We had one of our most solid investigators drop us. Shalimar called us on Saturday morning and said that she had talked to her pastor. He had told her that we were false prophets and that we were of the Devil. Then she proceeded to tell us all this other stuff that she got off the internet that wasn’t true. She said that she didn’t want to meet with us anymore and that she felt that we were leading her astray.

   Most pastors, preacher’s, ministers, whatever you want to call them, hate the missionaries here. Because we convert all their people which means they lose money. It’s all about money! I don’t want to sound judgmental but salvation seems to be all about money out here. Why would any 2 people who believe in Jesus Christ and are trying to get to the same place, bash and degrade the other one? We all want to live with God again. We should be working together to get there! I’m sorry if I have sounded offensive but I am very frustrated. We as missionaries don’t degrade or tear down others beliefs! We only build on the foundation that people already have and help them to strengthen their belief and testimony even more!

   I am so thankful for this gospel and all that it has done for me! I love y’all and hope that you have an amazing week! 

Elder Walker

10-26-15

Hey Y’all! 

            This week was a pretty good one for us. The Lord has blessed us with new people to teach and with cooler weather! I've missed the cold! Summer is so hot and humid here I’m ready for a change! I wish that it could have been like this all summer long! It’s down into the 50's and 60's now so that’s nice! 

            This week we were able to find 2 new investigators: Eric and Wendy. Eric we found by talking to him on the street. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and how it can change your life. He loved it and invited us back to teach him more! He is an Army Vet who served several tours in Iraq and has a really cool boy named Billy who is 4 and is awesome! 

            Wendy actually referred herself and requested a visit by the missionaries and a Book of Mormon. She said that she is searching for where she is supposed to be in life and wants to know more about our church! She said that she loved the little bit we taught her and wants to be baptized! So exciting!

The Lord is blessing us with people to teach who are prepared and ready to hear the Gospel! These people are all God’s children and he Loves them so much and wants them to be happy! I love teaching the Gospel! 

I am doing pretty well. Transfers are this week Elder Taggart and I are staying together but we are getting a new set of sister missionaries in our zone. They are getting shot gunned into the Edmond 2 ward! Then my MTC companion elder Morton is going to be the new DL (district leader) in Edmond as well! Things are going great here and I love it here in Quail Creek!

            I’m sorry to make this so short but we have lots to do today! I love y’all and hope you have an amazing week! 

Elder Walker

Oct 19th

Hey y’all,

   This week has been a little better than the last few. We have seen miracles though! We were able to find 2 new people to teach and had some other wonderful things happen! Most of our appointments still fell through but that happens sometimes. We did lots of biking this week.

The weather is amazing right now. It’s been in the 70s and mid 60's all week and it perfect! These Indian summers as they call them here are amazing! I love it! It’s the middle of October and its perfect outside!

This week has been a busy one! We had exchanges on Tuesday with the village south elders, a district leader council on Wednesday, and exchanges on Friday with the Edmond 4th elders then I get asked to give a talk on Sunday! Whew! Glad this week is over! With only 2 weeks left in the transfer, things are flying by way to fast. It needs to slow down... It’s crazy that time can fly by so fast. I never thought it would be possible. A lot of my friends and fellow missionaries are going home next week and it makes me sad! But the work continues on! I hope that we are able to have an amazing week like we have planned already! I’m looking forward to it. 

   This week I have been studying a lot about how we have been given many responsibilities.

In Luke 16:10-12,  

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 

It talks about how if we aren’t faithful a little bit or a lot we are still unfaithful. Also if we can’t be trusted with the things we have been given why could we expect God to give us more? Something to think about though. Can God trust you with the things that you already have? Can He trust you to give you more?

Hope that y’all have a great week! Love ya!

Elder Walker

Me and my companion Elder Taggart!

Oct 12th

Hey y’all,

   This week has been a hard one for us. We had the opportunity to teach several good lessons but no matter what we did, most of our appointments fell through. We have definitely seen miracles this week and have seen the atonement work as well. I don’t know why but I've been feeling a little down the last week or 2 and that didn’t help anything, but that happens every now and then. It only matters that you get up one more time than you fall. Cinch that saddle up and keep on going.

I am so thankful for this gospel and the peace and the support that it brings. I am also so thankful for you all and the love and support that you give to me as well. This week was hard for me but that’s not going to stop me from pushing forward and working hard. I know this Gospel is true and it has blessed my life so much! I love giving others the opportunity to enjoy that peace and comfort and that knowledge of God’s love and plan for us.

Sorry to make this so short but life is busy right now. I hope that y’all have an amazing week and don’t forget how much God loves us. After all, He did send His only son to be sacrificed for us so that we could return to live with Him again. I know that to be true and I will be eternally grateful for that. Never forget what our Savior did for us, that infinite and eternal sacrifice. I love y’all and hope that you have an amazing week! 

Elder Walker

Oklahoma sunset

Octber 5th

Hey yall!

   Holy smokes! One year has come and gone faster than a twister rippin through Moore Oklahoma!

On October 1st I hit my 1 year mark. It was a time for me to pause and reflect on my mission and what I have accomplished and become. In that year I have had 4 baptisms, 9 companions, trained 2 missionaries, served in 4 areas, been a District Leader and a Zone Leader, got pretty good at disc golf and basketball, rode the snot out of my bike and gained only 7 pounds (: I have loved every second of it! From the -10 degrees to 110 degrees and everywhere in between! But now that I am on the downhill slide, I have thought a lot about what lies ahead.

The mission as a whole right now is really young so I am strengthening my resolve to be the best example I can be. I know there is a good time ahead of me and I’m so excited for it! I have had so much love and support from all y’all and I have grown so much. Especially in my testimony! I thought I had a strong one when I entered the mission field but now it’s even stronger! 

Thank you to everyone who has been there to support me both financially and spiritually. It means a lot to have that kind of support. There are missionaries that don’t have that support at all and I don’t know how they do it. This work is hard but so rewarding!

I am so thankful for everything I have learned and the people I have met and taught. I know that this Church is the one and only true Church on the face of this earth. That is a bold claim but if that wasn’t true I would be wasting my time as a missionary. I know that God loves all of His children so much more than we will ever be able to comprehend. I know that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God and that it is inspired scripture written by ancient prophets and translated and brought forth by the Lords Prophet Joseph Smith. This work is so important and I am so blessed to be a part of it! It is the most important work that can be done here on earth! 

Other than that I am doing well! Zone Leader life is insanely crazy and I’m still getting used to it but I’m surviving (:

General conference was amazing and I am so thankful for a living prophet and apostles who receive guidance and revelation from God and direct us in His ways! I hope that y’all have an amazing week and don’t forget to pray! 

Elder Walker  

Sept 28th

Hey y’all,

   This week has been a pretty crazy one for us. We had amazing weather though which made it super nice! We got out on the bikes just because we can (: I like biking even though we have a truck it’s nice to feel the cool Oklahoma breeze. It’s officially fall now and its really cooling down fast.

This week we had the chance to visit with lots of different people. Ranging from less actives to investigators to active members. We have really been trying to focus on member missionary work! It is the most effective way to do this work! It’s hard to get it started but once it’s going it’s going! 

   On Sunday morning we had a meeting with our stake president and counselors, and our mission president to discuss missionary work in the stake. The Zone Leaders in the stake are in charge of the meeting so it was a little intimidating because there were some important people there. So it was me and Elder Taggart from Quail Creek zone and Elder Beus and Elder Quijada from the OKC Zone. Also the Sister Training Leaders, Sister Beltaton and Sister Garner were there. We discussed member missionary work with them and made some plans to spread that type of work across the whole stake. It was really awesome to be able to counsel with all those church leaders and correlate our work with theirs. We are striving to be a stake of invitation by having the members invite their friends to visit with the missionaries. It is the only way this work can be done!

I hope that all of you have the courage to invite someone to partake of the Gospel. General Conference is coming up this weekend and would be a wonderful opportunity to invite someone! So do it!

All is well here and I am loving being in my new area with Elder Taggart! He is an awesome missionary!

Remember that the success is in the invitation! The most they can do is say no! When you have invited, you have done your job and fulfilled your responsibility as a member of the Lords church!

Love y’all and hope that you have a week full of invitations! 

Elder Walker

September 21st

Hey Yall!

   This week has been a crazy one! Monday and Tuesday were spent saying goodbye to members/investigators in the OKC 1st Ward. Wednesday was transfer day! That was an adventure to say the least! At 9:30 on transfer day they hold a zone leader meeting. So I got to go to that for the first time and that was interesting! Being in a room with 20 zone leaders, the leaders of the whole mission, and I felt like I was back in high school again haha. Those guys are all crazy! I walked in and there were 2 elders wrestling around on the ground and there was stuff being thrown through the air and lots of laughing and making jokes and all sorts of stuff! I was like, um... this is what zone leaders are like? It was pretty funny I thought! 

   Anyhow, I was able to meet Elder Riley Jeffs at transfers! He is such an awesome guy! He is being trained in Cushing. It’s a little one light town in the furthest north eastern corner of our mission. It’s a great area and I’m so excited for him! I know that he will do amazing there! 

   This week we did lots of missionary work! So now that I have a truck, yes I said truck, we are able to get around easier. Now unfortunately, it is a Nissan. It’s a Nissan frontier. It’s a nice little truck and its brand spankin new! We get to switch off driving every other day so that’s nice. Now that I haven’t driven in almost a year! Plus it has a terrible turning radius so that made for a rough first day of driving. It was rough but I survived it all. I’m doing well and loving life.

  Elder Barton is doing good with his new companion Elder Hurd. I am so glad that he got a good companion for his breaker!

  It decided to finally rain here on Saturday night and into Sunday. When it rains in Oklahoma, it POURS!! It doesn’t mess around here! It straight up gets after it! We had a river running through our complex! But thankfully we have a truck now so we don’t have to worry about getting soaked (: 

   On a more spiritual note, we had the opportunity this week to help this brother give his grandson a name and a blessing. We are the "blessing elders" because we have tons of hospitals in our area. So we went to this hospital to help this brother out. His daughter had just had a baby and it probably wasn’t going to survive the night. They wanted the baby to have a name and blessing before he passed. As we reached into the little enclosed case the baby was in I couldn’t help but think about what was going on on the other side. This baby was brand new to this world and was going to be leaving it very shortly. We all placed our hands on the baby and the grandfather gave him a name and a blessing. The spirit was so strong there I knew that there were other people in the room other than us. I know it was a very hard time for all of them because they were about to lose the baby. I could picture Heavenly Father standing there with his arms out stretched waiting to welcome this precious child into his arms. It was a very tender moment and as he finished, a feeling of comfort flooded over the whole room. As the mother and father sat there crying I heard him whisper into her ear, “it’s ok, we'll see him again.” The Plan of salvation is so amazing and it is such a blessing to have knowledge of it! I am so thankful for this gospel and the peace that it brings. What a blessing to be part of that moment.

   This week I have been studying a lot about the Sabbath day. I know that the brethren of the church are pushing that really hard lately. There is a quote in Preach My Gospel that talks about the Sabbath. It says, "Our Sabbath Day observance is a reflection on our commitment to follow our Savior Jesus Christ." It’s very true and made me reflect on how well I do. As a missionary Sunday is just another day but we get to go to church. There isn’t really much that sets it apart other than that so I was thinking about how I try and make it special. The Sabbath is a day of rest but when we are not doing anything, that is not keeping the Sabbath day holy. We must always be doing something productive on the Sabbath. And Spencer W. Kimball (Prophet) Said that yes, even sleeping is a good thing to do on the Sabbath haha so no worries there! On the Sabbath we should refrain from spending money in any way, participating in recreational activities, watching TV, using electronic devices that distract us, and doing anything that takes our mind off of the true meaning of the Sabbath day. This day has been set apart from the beginning of this time as a day to rest and focus on the Savior and the things that He has done for us. It is a day to spend time with family and develop those important relationships. I hope and pray that all of you will evaluate yourselves and your Sabbath Day Observance and decide now how you will better show your commitment to follow our Savior.

I love y’all and hope that you have an amazing week! 

Elder Walker 

      

Here is my posterity picture! This is me, my trainer elder Stahlei (who went home that day), my son elder Barton and my brother Elder Kerr. (My trainer trained again after me) 

And then this is who I am replacing as ZL. Elder Fronk! He was one of my disc golf buddies (: 

August 31st

Hey Y’all!

   This week has been a really good one for us! Summer is coming to an end and the weather is cooling down, but also the work is picking up! We were able to do a lot of service for both members and non-members this week. We did 3 moves and a few lawns haha. We just need to start a business!

We were also able to teach a few good lessons to Colby and Amy and also to Kiera. Kiera came to church this week and that was awesome! She loved it and said that she wanted to come back next week! She is very curious and willing to learn. It’s so exciting when people are like that and progress so quickly in the Gospel! 

On Wednesday we were able to go to the temple as a zone! That was really awesome! We have the best zone leaders in the whole mission! Elder Bues and Elder Quist are amazing!! They are so inspired and led by the spirit in all they do! 

Anyhow, all is well here! We are getting along great! The rest of the district is doing good too.

This week I was studying in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 10) about Jacob talking about the coming of Christ. He talked about how Christ had to go to the Jews specifically in order to complete His ministry and the Atonement. Jacob talks about how the Jews were the only ones who were wicked enough to kill their Savior. Any other nation would have repented and accepted Him as their Savior. That really surprised me when I read that! Something interesting that I never really thought about before! I hope and pray that we all would repent and accept Jesus as our Savior if He came to us!

I hope that y’all have an amazing week and stay strong and don't be afraid to share the gospel and open your mouth! Love y’all!

Elder Walker

Here is our Zone at the Temple

August 24th

Hey yall!

   Another week flown by! It has been a better one for sure and the Lord has been blessing us a ton! The weather has been super nice and in the low 80's and 70's, which is unheard of for weather in August! We were blessed with a new investigator named Kierra and she is 18 yrs old. Super sweet girl who is sincerely interested! She is on schedule for baptism on Sept. 26th! So exciting! We were able to get a lot done this week. We visited with lots of people and worked hard! It rained a few days and that's always fun, but nothing new to me! Its been amazing to see how the Lord humbles us. When I got to this area, we had 2 baptisms within my first 6 weeks here. Things were on fire! Then I guess the Lord didn't want us to get too cocky because He let us struggle for ahwile. But now we are being blessed with new investigators and more people to teach!

Anyhow, there's a thought I wanted to share with yall. In D&C 137:9 it talks about how the Lord will judge us according to our works, and according to our desires. Right there He says that our works and our desires are one in the same. What we do is what we desire. Also what we are working towards is our desire too. So take a moment and ponder on what your desires are. Are they righteous? Are they selfish? Most importantly, are they in line with Gods will? Think about that and evaluate if you need to change some of your desires or not. I know I do! Our desires are manifest by the things that we do.

I love yall and hope that yall have an amazing week! Talk to ya next week!

Elder Walker

8-12-15

Hey Y’all!

   This week was a pretty good one! It was hot but still real good. It was the last week of the transfer and I am still staying here! I’m super happy I’m staying! That means that I get to finish Elder Barton's training at least. At the end of this next transfer I will have been here for 6 months so there’s a good chance that I could be getting transferred. But we'll see what happens. Anyhow, He is doing real good! He is adjusting to missionary life well and picking it up! He keeps me in check too. Holy smokes this kid is sharp! We really get along great and I have learned so much from him! One of the biggest things I have learned from him is patience. Not because he drives me crazy but because he is a very patient person and I’m not haha. But it’s good because I've been trying to work on my patience without praying for it because we all know what happens when you do that! But we work well together as a companionship. I have to get myself to shut up sometimes because I find that I talk too much. He is a quiet kid so I got to give him opportunities to teach and testify. He is so much further ahead of me when I was at that point on my mission. They just keep coming out better and better every single transfer! I am so lucky to be training him!  I got super lucky and got the stud of all studs! I feel like most of the time, he is training me. So it’s always fun to work with him.

   Also, I wanted to thank everyone for the birthday wishes that y’all sent me! On Friday I got 18 letters and 2 packages in the mail! I think that's an all time mission record! So thank you everyone for that! It was a special day for sure. It was another day of missionary work but it was still a special one!

   This week I read a scripture in Mosiah 5:2. It talks about the people believing the words of the prophets and knowing of the surety of the spirit because it has brought a change upon their hearts and because they no longer have any desire to do evil. When we let the spirit influence us in a positive way we will have no desire at all to do any evil and only a desire to do well. I have found that to be true on my mission. There are often times that you receive temptation and you really have to fight it. And when you are receptive and sensitive to the spirit, temptation seems to be super easy to resist! It’s a huge blessing to have access to the spirit! That is actually what I am going to give my training on in district meeting this Friday. So there’s a little sneak peak.

   I hope that y’all have an amazing week and sorry this is late. We had some other stuff going on Monday. Talk to ya next week!

Elder Walker

Sporting the birthday presents

August 3^rd

Hey Y’all!

   How’s the week been? It’s flown here in the oven of OKC. It’s been super hot and also milder too. This week we did a lot of service for both members and non members. We helped 3 different people move this week. I like getting all sweaty working hard! I have never sweat like I have here in Oklahoma. I think because it’s so humid here. But it’s kind of gross.

   Anyways, the work here is going alright. We had a slower week. Not everyone was able to meet this week for whatever reason. But hopefully next week will be better! We are going to be hitting it hard. It’s the last week of the transfer and there is only one of the sisters being transferred this week to Norman. So other than that our district is staying the same!

  Being a DL is proving to be lots of work and it is also very rewarding. I've got some great missionaries here in my district and I am honored to have the opportunity to serve them! 

   This week I have been studying in Enos. I love his story so much! Not only was he a hunter but he was also a man of God. His repentance process that he shares is amazing! I would encourage all y’all to go read Enos and ponder on how he was able to be forgiven. What a blessing it is to be able to be forgiven! I hope y’all have a great week and stay strong! Keep it up! Love y’all!

Elder Walker

July 20^th

Hey yall,

    This week has been a good one. We were able to get a lot done. We also did lots of service which was good! We mowed 3 lawns and did a bunch of other yard work too! I love any opportunity to get out of pros clothes! The heat and pants and a white shirt and a tie don't go well together! But we survive.

So this week we had a miracle! So y’all remember Colby that I talk about all the time right? Well he wants to be baptized but as of last week he couldn't because he worked on Sundays and they wouldn't give him Sundays off. And if you don't come to church you can’t be baptized. So he got sick of it and up and quit his job! So now he can come to church! Total miracle! We were shocked when we heard that! That doesn't happen very often! But now his wife Amy is going back to school to re-qualify for her CNA so she can work while he looks for another job. That was probably the highlight of the week! He's scheduled for baptism on August 22nd! Now the only thing he's got to do it quit his vape thing. Those stupid things are really popular out here. There are vape shops everywhere!

Not much else has been going on this week. We've received a lot of referrals and we've been running around everywhere to contact all of them! So that's good! Oh! And then on Thursday we found something nasty in our apartment! When I got out of the shower I almost stepped on a spider. When I got closer to look at it, I saw it was a fiddle back! (Or brown recluse for those of you who don't know the Oklahoma vocabulary). So we caught it and put it in a jar and fed it to another big nasty spider we caught earlier that week! Exciting stuff! Those things are everywhere out here!

   Anyway, on a more spiritual note, haha I read a scripture this week I really liked in 1 Nephi 17:13. In there the Lord promises us that he will be the light in the wilderness and that He will prepare a way for us as long as we keep his commandments! What a promise! He will prepare a way. And I have a testimony of that!

Love y’all and have a good week!

Elder Walker

July 13th

 What a week it’s been! It’s flown by! It was cool and rainy earlier in the week and got real hot this weekend.

On Tuesday I was on exchanges with one of our zone leaders Elder Quist. We were biking around in the pouring rain and I wrecked because my brakes don't work too well when they're wet haha. Oh well! Then we had a bunch of meetings. A meeting for the new missionaries and they're trainers called veterans meeting. After 2 weeks they're considered "veterans" I think it’s funny but whatever works I guess. Friday and Saturday we were biking like mad too!

  

Saturday morning we went mountain biking in the morning for our exercise. I think we may have found the only mountain biking trail in Oklahoma. And it’s right next to a lake. That was pretty fun! Got all muddy and sweaty! Great way to start off the day! I think we rode a total of like 20 miles Saturday! We were all over the place! That same evening, we were planning on going down to 30th St. (we live on 63rd St.) to do some less active hunting and elder Barton got a flat tire. So we were going to go to the apt. real quick to change out his tube and then head down there. Then my chain got jammed as I was riding behind him! It was jammed so bad that I had to disconnect it to fix it! I think the Lord didn't want us to go down to 30th St! And that's not even the ghetto, but oh well.

Then yesterday it was a million degrees outside! Holy smokes it was hot. And Sundays are hard days anyways because people are either sleeping or in church. Oh well. Hopefully we can continue to work hard and find tons more people to teach! We dropped like 6 or 7 investigators this week so we are down to 2 or 3. So please pray that we will be able to find new people to teach!

This week I have been studying a lot about Lehi's dream. Its talks about his dream in 1 Nephi 8 and also even more in depth when the Lord is allowing Nephi to see it as well in the few following chapters after that. It’s amazing to read those things and realize that they are all happening right now! These are truly the last days and the Savior will be coming quickly! Are y’all ready?? I am! I would highly recommend that y’all study those chapters deeply. There is a lot of cool stuff in there! Have a great week!

Elder Walker 

7-6-15

Hey Y'all!

First of all I want to apologize for not sending a big email last week. I totally spaced it!

Holy smokes it’s been hot this week! There were a couple days where it was up in the 100's, and the humidity doesn’t help either. But we've been drinking plenty of water and taking lots of slushy breaks, so don't worry!

 he work is going fine here. Our area is experiencing some growing pains a little bit. We are working hard but not much is happening. Trying to get the ball rolling again is hard. It’s also been fun trying to juggle being a trainer and a district leader. With that comes some stress, haha. I haven't really experienced much stress until now so I’m still trying to get used to it. But it’s all good and we are hanging in there. 

This week I have been really focusing on what the Lord wants for us to do in this area and it’s proving to be a challenge to figure out. It seems like we just need to find all new people to teach. Other than a few of our investigators, the other ones are starting to get stale... but tracting is super ineffective so we'll see how that goes. I hope that we can get things going again!

This week I have been thinking a lot about how everything that happens to us and everything that happens in general happens for a reason. Whether it’s for our benefit or for someone else or maybe we don't even know why at all! But it all happens for a reason. Also when the Lord commands us to do certain things, whether that takes the shape of a calling or any other responsibility or rule we are asked to follow, He asks us because He knows that we can handle it! He has faith in us. He knows our potential! He knows who we can become and who we need to become! 1 Nephi 17:50 says that He commands us to do things because He knows we can. He might have to help us but He has faith in us! He's definitely has a plan and has it all under control!

Love y’all and hope you all have an amazing week! Stay cool!

Elder Walker

Shane and his new trainee sitting next to him, Elder Barton

June 15th

Hey y'all,

   This week was a pretty good one! It was hot as ever. Well, it only got up to 104 and I'm sure it will get hotter soon... we had some rain this week too which of course brought the cooler weather which was nice! 

We had a STM (Specialized Training Meeting for the Zone) which was good! It was all about having the faith to baptize. That's a big focus right now in the mission is baptism. As missionaries we are responsible for one saving ordinance and that's baptism. The first one! What a great responsibility it is!  Then on Wednesday we had Zone Conference which was really good! We also talked a lot about baptism and teaching the "why" of every commitment we leave. It was said that anyone who doesn't keep their commitments usually doesn't keep them because they don't know why they should. If they understand, they are more likely to keep it! So that was good. Then during the rest of the week we worked! We were all over the place! Its nice having a car especially in the heat and the rain haha. Only for 2 more weeks though! Then I'll be hitting the road again on my trusty bike! 

Saturday night I got a call from AP Davis. (One of my favorite missionaries and a past zone leader) He told me I was training again! I am so excited! I'm not as nervous as I was last time. Even though I only trained for 2 weeks I learned so much! Hopefully I wont screw this one up! haha Just kidding! Elder Read goes home next week and we'll miss him a ton!

  

I want to make a shout out to one of my best friends Elder Drake Ortmann who just entered the MTC on Wednesday! He will be serving in the mission just north of me in the Wichita Kansas Mission! Good luck man! We'll be praying for ya! You'll do great!   

   

An experience that we had this week that really stands out in my mind is when we had a lesson with Colby. We dropped by right after Zone Conference to try and catch him and we did! We read Mosiah 18 with him and it talks all about baptism and the covenants we make when we are baptized. He said that he wanted to be baptized and we asked him when. He then pulled out his phone and picked a day!  July 17th! That never happens! Like ever! Anyone who has served a mission knows that its a miracle when someone does that! So that was really cool to be a part of! But that also depends on whether or not he comes to church and he has a hard time with that. So please pray that Colby will come to church!! Today we are going to play some more Frisbee golf with him so that should be fun!

   

Yesterday at church I had a crazy experience. The Village ward Sisters came walking down the hall helping this young woman to a chair. They sat her down and she looked pail and faint. They fed her some fruit snacks and some water thinking that would help but she soon was unresponsive. Her "caretaker" was there and she had just barley taken her meds. She was conscious but unresponsive. Then she passed out and then it got weird. There was another sister there who went and knocked on our bishops door. Fortunately our bishop and first counselor are a doctor and ER nurse. So they came over and helped out. They propped her head up and then she went crazy and had a seizure!! Holy smokes that was weird! They were doing all this crazy stuff and finally she stopped. They carried her into the other room right before the other sacrament meeting got out! Then they called an ambulance and they took her away. But crazy to witness that stuff!  

   

Anyhow! This week I have been studying a lot about baptism. I was reading in Mosiah 18 about the covenants we make. When Alma was teaching the people at the waters of Mormon about that, when he finished telling them of those covenants, they "clapped their hands for joy!" Because that was the desire of their hearts! All these people who were baptized, all two hundred and something, were so excited to be baptized! Yeah they had just been taught by the prophet but still. We must constantly be thinking about those things that we have promised to the Lord. Covenants are an amazing thing but there is one thing that is interesting about them. Since they are a 2 way promise between us and the Lord, we do our part and He does His. The thing is, if we aren't receiving the blessings or promises of those covenants its not the Lords fault! He's perfect! So it all depends on us! So remember that. There's no one to blame but ourselves! Inspiring stuff right there. I would challenge y'all to read Mosiah 18 this week and ponder on those things. Love y'all and hope you have a great week!   

Elder Walker   

We found a snapping turtle

June 8th

Hey yall!

What a week its been! Holy smokes! Its been hot all week. I've heard that its been hot back home too but this humidity stuff kills! It feels like I walk into an oven everytime I walk outside! Lets just say that I've been workin on my missionary tan all week :) On Wednesday it got up to 103 I think. The rest of the week it was in the mid to high 90's. I've probably shed a few pounds this week which is good. I can definetly afford that,haha.

  

Its been crazy covering two areas and trying to switch off every other day. But fortunately we've had success as a trio. This week has been good and bad. We had a lot of our appointments fall through, but theres nothing new there. We did find some really cool new people to teach though. Tracting in the hot sun works (sometimes)! We found this really cool dude named Cross and he took a BOM and accepted a return appointment for this Wednesday. Hopefully he's there and willing to learn!

   

This week I have been studying in Alma 29 about missionary work. I think that vs. 9 is my favorite! It talks about how we need not glory in ourselves but in what the Lord has commanded us to do. Then Alma says this. "Yea and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be and instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul unto repentance, and this is my joy." We should receive our joy from helping others build their faith and helping them come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Our Father in Heaven gets his joy from seeing us happy! So we must always be on the lookout for missionary opportunities! Love yall and have a great week!!

Elder Walker

Played some Frisbee golf!

June 1

Whats up Y'all?

This week has been something else! The weather has been back and forth! We've had crazy thunderstorms and hot sun too!

We have a car to drive which is nice. We are doing good as the 3 musketeers but being in a trio is weird. But I'm getting used to it now. Working two areas is hard too! We go back and forth every other day in who's area we work in. This week has been crazy with the work and we are still trying to figure out how to do this back and forth stuff. 

Crazy enough I met some of my distant cousins last night! From my Great Grandma from my dads side of the family. Its a small world! 

Its been a slow week but hopefully this next one will be much better.

I hate to cut this short but we are going to play Frisbee golf (which is pretty popular around here) with some investigators and recent converts! Love y'all and hope y'all have a good week! 

Elder Walker

We had to wait at the Chevy dealership when our car was getting worked on. 

Then we went to this super good place for lunch called Eischens. Its technically a bar but they have killer fried chicken and Okra!    

Boys will be boys even when they are on a mission.

5-26-15

Hey Y’all

   What a week. It’s been raining all week. Every day! Except Thursday, that was nice. But it makes it hard to go out and work because we are on bikes. We either get rides with members or walk, so we didn't get as much work done as I'd hoped... but that's ok. Hopefully we will accomplish more this week.

For those of you who don't know, I have been training a new Elder for the last few weeks. He is an awesome man and I have learned so much from him already. I respect him a lot because he just made a really tough choice to go home and clear up some things that will allow him to be a better missionary when he comes back out. Yesterday (Monday night) he left to go home, so as of now I am in a trio with the Elders from OKC 3rd ward. The 3 of us are going to be sharing OKC 3rd ward and OKC 1st ward. It will be interesting but I’m excited! Elder Read and Elder Murphy are good guys and I am honored to be working with them. I know that we will get a lot of work done! I am sad to see my son leave but also glad that I have had the opportunity to work with him and see him grow! Hopefully I will get to finish training him when he comes back out!

This week I have been reading a lot about the Book of Mormon in Preach My Gospel which is a great book to read if you haven't read it yet. But I love how it talks about how the Bible and the Book of Mormon go hand in hand and support each other in everything they say! They complete each other and testify of the divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ! There’s a scripture in 2 Nephi 29:8 that says the testimony of the two shall run together and become as one! The testimonies support each other. That's also why we are in a companionship as missionaries. To testify of what the other has said! The way the Lord works is amazing and never fails to inspire me. I hope that it may inspire you as well and help you to pay attention to the little things in life. Those are the things that matter so don't let them pass by! Love y’all and have a great week!

Elder Walker

Heres us in the shelter during a tornado