Elder Adam Walker:

Here is a before and after picture, its pretty neat.
The one picture is at Jessica's baptism, Aaron wasn't reading or praying at that point and wasn't going to get baptized. The second picture is the day before I left, both of them had been baptized and are now solid members. The light of Christ definately is real, you can see it in their eyes.






Me and Elder Schatt. He goes back to Rexburg in 3 weeks, our time is dwindling down!


This is what it is like to be an old missionary haha, you have 5 of your companions at a zone conference with you. It was pretty neat.


Our week here has been pretty good. We have found some pretty good investigators. We set one man with a baptismal date, his name is Wayne Willis. He is in his 50's and he knew the Book of Mormon was true and he said he didn't need to pray about it, that he would be okay. I stressed to him that he had to pray to gain a testimony in his heart. We got that through to him and he prayed. He knows its true. He is getting baptized May 15th. We also have a part member family that we are working with, one of the daughters is really interested. Her mom is a member and she has been surprised at how receptive she has been to us. Usually she just shrugs off the missionaries and that is that, but we have had some great lessons with her.

On Sunday there was a kid who came to church, he is 19 and is a member but hasn't been too active over the last while and hasn't been living the greatest life style. But he has had some pretty neat experiences lately and he knows that going on a mission is the best thing to do in his life right now so he is preparing now. Well, he has a girl friend that is not a member, I talked to him about her and said lets get her ready so you can baptize her before you go on your mission. He liked the idea, I guess he has already talked to her a little bit about it. He said she really liked the part to where she could be sealed to her husband and children for eternity. Her parents are fine with her coming and everything so I guess the hardest part is behind us. Now we just have to start working with her. Great things are happening here. haha! All I have heard about this area is negative things but I don't know why, I think its great, you just have to be patient and do things a little different. There is so much more to missionary work than tracting. Sure that is a good chunk of your time and people are defiantly found in that manner, Wayne was found tracting, but there are more effective AND efficient ways. I think that's one of the things that most missionaries struggle with most, including me sometimes. You have to work hard and work smart. This is the Lords work but he expects you to do everything on your end as well.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot again! I was going to tell Dad last week but I was at conference and there was a Philippine woman there. Kind of a neat story, she came to the Saturday session and she made us a Philippine dish, they were like these clear noodle sort of things with chicken in them, it was really good I thought, it had a different texture to it but I thought they were good. But while I was eating I asked her what part of the Philippines that she was from, I said my dad went on his mission to the Philippines, I think he was in the Davau mission. She got a huge smile come over her face and said REALLY! what year!? I said I think around 80 she said that was about the same time she was there. She said her mission president's name was President Sperry. This lady's name was Sister Tolentino (that was her maiden name) she married a guy from Salt Lake City and now they live here in West Virginia. She said she remembers an Elder Walker but doesn't remember exactly who he was she would have to look at some pictures. So there were no guarantees but does that name sound familiar to you? Its a small world out here, I have made all kinds of weird connections. When you're a member of the church the world becomes very small. There is a member here in the branch that I am in who has a daughter who dated Zach Lindstrom, I played baseball with him. haha small small world. Its been a great week though. Time just cruises right on by. I'm loving it all though. Everything is great! Love you, Elder Walker

April 10, 2010

So this has been a pretty neat week. Our best investigator Wayne Willis, we have him set for Baptism May 15th. He came to church on Sunday. He enjoyed it a lot and so that was great. He wants to keep coming and he hasn't had any coffee since last Friday so we are making good headway with him. We tried to go and teach a lady that had been taught in the past by some other missionaries in this area, and when we were there she told us if we didn't get off her porch she was going to shoot us, haha, it was pretty funny. I'm pretty sure that is a threat. There was a cop right across the road, we were just laughing cause we could turn her in for a hate crime, that seems to be what people are all about now, its ridiculous. We just laughed though.

Yesterday was kind of different, We were in our apartment and all the sudden someone comes and pounds on our door. We answer it and they tell us to get out, there is smoke coming from out of the building! So I loaded my journals in my backpack and we got out, (that's about the only thing that I have that is important to me at this point, everything else can be replaced). The fire department came and everything, the whole building was filled with smoke, it was a mess. When someone opened the door of the building, smoke would come billowing out! The whole building was evacuated and the "experienced" volunteer fire departments from the 3 surrounding towns came to fight the fire! Come to find out a dryer, that is used to dry towels at the physical therapists office which is below our apartment, burned up and caused a little fire or something that caused a ton of smoke. It didn't damage our apartment at all but the building that we live in reeks like a burned up snow machine belt! haha its great. So that was pretty exiting. That's something that doesn't happen everyday so it was fun. Its been a great week though. I love it out here, I hope things are going well there.
Love you all, Elder Walker

Elder Andrew Peña:

April 19, 2001...Last update!

Thank you everyone for your emails! I loved them and they are helping! This last week was great! My last full week on my mission we were able to teach a lot of people and to see Quincey Williams be baptized, so I guess you could say we ended with a BANG!! That was awesome! And it was a miracle! The members here are amazing! I have been able to grow a friendship with them and it's going to be hard to leave! Everyone says, how do you feel about going home?!..haha I have no idea. To everyone that asks me that question my response is I don't know, I have mixed feelings. Now let me explain..... families are the greatest thing that we have and I feel I have been able to grow a special appreciation of my family since I have been gone and that I am very grateful. However there have been so many amazing experiences that I have seen and witnessed on my mission! I can't believe that things I never knew before have been the things that I have grown to love and even through this service have seen so many lives blessed because of the teachings from the gospel of Jesus Christ and I am a witness to it and will ever be grateful! But I know it is not an end but a new chapter of life which is exciting! I can't believe it has been two years! It goes by fast! On April 16th this week I went to Chile's with me and my companion and Elder Cook and his companion and with Sister Alexandrina Borges who is one of the recent converts that was baptized that we found and taught. This week we also were able to finish with 3 non member church tours! That was great! I am running out of things to say so I will end with my testimony....... I know that God lives, I know that he has prepared for us something that is bigger than we can now understand and we are all apart of it and he has prepared a way for us to be happy and successful. I know that we will be successful through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ and by remaining faithful to the covenants we have made! Through our faith we will see changes in our lives and others and we will only want more of that happiness in our lives. I know because he loves us he called a prophet in these latter days and as we heed to the warnings that come from him! We will find guidance, direction, peace, comfort and answers to our problems in our day and for our time as families and individuals! I love our Savior, He has willingly laid down his life for us and because he did he understands perfectly our heartaches, our trials, our pains, our afflictions, our burdens and if we come unto him, through his teaching by obedience and diligently seeking him we will find that peace and answers which we search for daily! I know he atoned for our sins and loves us all! I especially know that He, Jesus Christ lives today and He can and will be a part of our lives if we will allow him to come in! We do not have to be anyone special. He has given us all the gift of the Holy Ghost for more guidance. We will all feel imperfect, that is because we all are! But it is through the decisions that we make that will give us more happiness and peace! We will choose our own salvation, we will choose our own happiness, we will choose liberty and eternal life through Jesus Christ, or we will choose captivity through the devil. My prayer for myself and us all is that we may be faithful to those promises we have made and learn to better understand them so that we may choose the better decisions in our lives! I love all of you and thank all of you for you support and for your love! I will see you in a couple of days!:) Love, Elder Peña

Elder Adam Walker:

Sounds like it was a good week for you all. It was good here, it was nice and warm all week so that was nice. Today it is a little cold, small snow flurries but it is nice. I got transfer news yesterday, I am going to a small town called Pennsboro, its up kind of by my first area. The Branch is a really small one, I guess the smallest in the mission they only have 8-15 people there each week, so when I thought I was in a small one now, it only gets smaller. It will be fun though, I am looking forward to it. I am getting a missionary that has only been out for a month so that will be fun as well. Elder Chin is getting transferred as well and he is going to another small branch in the same stake up there. This morning we went on a hike to a waterfall it was about a 2 mile hike but it was pretty neat. The Waterfall was misting really bad and it was pretty cold when we got by it. If I wasn't a missionary I would have jumped out in the water, it was very tempting haha. It looked really refreshing. There are some really pretty places out here that is for sure, I am going to miss it a lot. haha its a little different than the green of Idaho. It will be nice to see that beauty again as well though.
We had stake conference on Sunday, it was a regional conference, it was really good. Elder Packer spoke along with Elder Jay Jensen (presidency of 70) Elder Sitati (the black 70) and sister Thompson ( counselor in the general relief society ) it was a great conference. it was a multi stake thing so they broadcasted it from salt lake. It was a good preparation to General Conference here in a couple weeks. They all really stressed the family and how the family unit is getting smashed more and more and how we are going to have to make a better effort than ever to save it. If we follow the prophet and do the things that he tells us to do we will survive the storms. He is the Watchman on the tower, he can see whats ahead, he knows what we need to do to prepare for the future, so we need to heed his council.
It sounds like the "Obama Care" passed, alot people out here are glad it passed, I don't agree with it I don't think, I can see it causing lots of other problems coming because of it. the Government has control of 1 more thing about us now. but hey, we can stay on our parents insurance until we are 26 I hear? That sounds good, I don't have to grow up for 5 more years now! haha I'm kidding but I'm sure that is what many people are thinking about that one. Our World is a mess, Spiritually and Temporally. God has become the past and the strength of man has become our Idol. I'm sure our Heavenly Father is pretty displeased with alot of things. I guess all we can do is do our best and live the way we are supposed to. I have been reading in 3rd Nephi over the past while specifically when Christ first came here and the signs that lead up to his arrival. Samuel the Lamanite warned the people and gave them a sign telling them in 5 years a new star would appear and there would be a day then a night with no darkness and then another day. When the five years came, many people had lost hope and said it was false and many fell into transgression and went against many of the followers of Christ. Eventually the sign did come and many were ashamed that they had gone against God. I hope we all can stay strong even though the world around us is beating us down saying to do otherwise. Its saddening and frustrating to see especially the young people who are now being raised and to see them being raised in darkness, they have no guidance, God is a pastime for them and they say they don't need him. Its been humbling to see, I hope that I never forget what I know and how I have seen others struggle and how the gospel has gotten people through the hardest of times. God loves us, he wants the best for us all. If we will just accept his will and do the things that he has asked us to do, great things are in store, it might not be a pocket full of cash, but he has promised us eternal life. something no pocket full of cash can buy. I love this gospel and this work, I know its true.

Elder Walker

Elder Andrew Peña:

April 5, 2010
Hello everyone! this week was great! AGAIN! Ok so first off while I would not like to jinx myself so I will " knock on wood. " I haven't been sick or hurt or have done anything to myself this past two years! And the last three weeks of my mission the 1st one I sprained my ankle and it turned all black and blue and swollen to where I had no ankle! Then the 2nd week I was sick and couldn't talk and my throat hurt and I was losing my voice and last week on Monday I was playing ultimate Frisbee with our zone and while playing, dumb me ran for the Frisbee as fast as I could and trying to catch the thing I went to dive for the Frisbee and my middle finger hit the ground and I slid over my finger and bent it back to what seemed to be my elbow because it hurt so bad! My first thought was that my finger had fallen off! Anyways I went to a member in our ward who is a physical therapist and told me I hyper extended my finger and the ligaments are tender and swollen so the 2nd and 3rd day my hand was huge and you couldn't even tell I had a middle knuckle! It was bruised inside my hand and today it is still sore and still a little swollen! So I hope I don't continue to hurt myself because I may come home on a stretcher!:) haha.... but ok starting with the week! It was amazing. We set a baptismal date with Quincy Williams. He is 9 and from a part member family. They have been coming back to church for the past 3 months. He will be getting baptized on April 17th! So hopefully that will turn out to be my last baptism on my last weekend in the mission field! We had a good lesson this week with Joe Brown who is 20 years old and wants to know a little more about our church and has a lot of questions! He came to the first two sessions of conference and seemed to like it and had some questions! He seems a little more curious than wanting to be baptized but I think his curiosity will turn out for the better, eventually! We are going to try harder to teach one of our investigators named John Bjork, good guy, very kind and open! We are just struggling to catch him home! We hopefully found a awesome family. Her name is Jamie and she has three kids and she has family members that are members of the church in Utah and she wants to do a church tour so hopefully this week we can take her and her family on one! She was super open in speaking with us so I hope it all goes good. We have an appointment this Tuesday at 2:00pm! General Conference was amazing! I loved it! It is the best thing that has ever happened to this world! I love going and listening to the messages and the testimonies and to the warnings that we need to be aware of! The world is ripening in wickedness and everywhere we go there is something that is trying to distract us! Music and television and so much that tries to catch our attention! One of my favorite talks out of soooo many was in the priesthood session when President Uchtdorf talked about an experiment some doctor did to test these 4 year old kids! He put them in a room gave them a marshmallow and said if you wait for a period of time you can have two marshmallows. If you eat it you don't get anymore! He left the room and left the kids alone and watched from a two way mirror or whatever you call them! He said that many of them immediately ate the marshmallow and some waited a couple of minutes and 30 percent of them waited until they could have two marshmallows! I guess the doctor thought it was interesting and later realized later in life the kids that waited were far more successful than those that didn't wait! They had better grades in school they had an education in college and successful marriages those that didn't were the opposite! He went on and explained much about the blessings of patience and taught much the doctrine of patience! I loved it! So what do I notice? In the last two days I find myself very impatient!.. Yikes.... it's nothing new. I always need to repent! That was my week and I loved it all! I hope everything goes well and I hope you all have a good week and I will look forward to reading the emails of those that email me this upcoming week!:)
Elder Peña