9/14/10

All,

Haha wow this week was AWESOME!!! Like seriously I still feel like tings just fell right into place!! Haha so first off, no big deal, just worked for ten hours on a bike in the middle of a hurricane... Hahahahah wow it was the craziest thing ever!! I love being a missionary. PS: my shoes are still drying :). But yeah then the next day the Bishop of the St. Cloud ward calls me and asks that I give a talk this last Sunday. I really thought I had escaped those for these next two years. It was on member missionary work, details of that to come. First I would like to first talk about my investigators because I didn't have time to write about them in the last letter...

Blanca...Isn't moving so hopefully this week is her baptismal week! She is so solid and loves to really learn about the gospel and how she can be the best person and deciple (sp?) of Christ she can. She is a wonderful example to me and has pushed me to further my quest on the path to my Savior.

Trisha... SOLID!! She is so awesome!! We are able to really connect with her and her family on a really great level. She loves learning more and is set with a date for the end of September. But she very ready now! She will be a great addition to the ward!

Miss Eunis Jones... She loves the Book of Mormon and has read everything we have given her complete with questions and thoughts. And yesterday when I was on exchanges with Elder Law, she turns to us and says, "I guess it just comes down to prayin' and findin' out that this is true huh?"... YES HAHA!! She is so solid she is set to be baptized at the end of September as well. Her only worry is up and leaving her baptist church. That is a tough and as missionaries we merely invite and help further them in the gospel. As people pray and find out for themselves that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today, that Jesus is our Savior and that His gospel has been restored to today, we help them act upon those feelings to follow His gospel.

Then a true miracle...We met a new George! He is incredible and normally George waits for the bus a little bit further up on Bandera, but he dicided to wait for a while underneath these trees in the shade. This is on Friday and it so happens Elder Berntson and I went to see a different investigator than we planned and we crossed paths. He was super interested, had us over the next day, came over on Saturday taught a super sweet lesson with a member, Israel Delgadillo, committed him to pray and to come to church and got a soft baptismal date for for the 30th... Then he actually came to church... We asked him how his prayer was and he said with a big smile and a wink, "I am here aren't I." Hahha I love that man!

Then We have been teaching this one man named Isidoro, forever and he was kind of an eternal investigator and it wasn't until Friday when we came over and he had 3 grandchildren there, we taught them and they loved it!! It was so sweet, then they came to church and all said they were about 99% sure they would come back!

Truly miracles all over the place!!! It has been awesome!! I have loved this week!! This Friday also we had the opportunity to go to the Temple!! Wow it was extremely pretty and I had just so many prayers answered and gosh it was such a unique experience as a missionary!! I learned so much as the Spirit was able to freely teach me the things of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that God answers prayers, that really we can know His will and recieve all He wants to give and bless us with as we ask! What a BLESSING!!??

This week too I learned a lot about the plan of salvation, that plan of happiness that we have been provided. I know without a doubt that families can be sealed and live forever and all eternity!! I know that as we live the Gospel of Faith, Repentance, Baptisim, Recieve the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure forever we can live with families forever!! How wonderful and loving our Father in Heaven.

We had 7 people at church!!! It was insane!! I loved it!! So awesome!! My talk was good basically just talked a ton about all yall haha. Hope all is well!! Take care, love ya!!!

-Elder Tommy Walter