Q&A

This week Tommy answered a few questions that I had asked. You'll have to excuse me if my questions seem a bit ignorant. We are all learning together. His answers are in Wildcat Blue. See, he does respond!

So how are you doing? I get emails forwarded from Jeron Giles. He has had a cold lately so he isn't feeling the best. He also talks about some challenges he has with people. Must be like passer-bys or whatever. He mentions how angry he gets. Do you get that kind of abuse?

As far as abuse or any problems with people... Texas is really nice in general! You will of course find your fair share of people who are rude, or talk and talk and are rude some more, but every time they say those things, they are so far from the truth it isn't funny. So we smile, say we're sorry if we had hurt them and continue on with the work. The thing I think that has helped is really the first and one of the most important principles of the gospel; God is our loving Heavenly Father. He loves every single one of us as much as the next. You actually gave me some of the greatest advice on the first week of my mission when you had said that a lot of people didn't choose to be in the position they are in. They definitely could have made decisions that would have been harder, but better in their life. That is why I am a missionary. To invite everyone to have the opportunity to come unto Christ by repenting which is simply turning from their old ways to instead follow the way Christ lived. So to some this up, yes I have seen my fair share of nay-sayers, but who am I to keep them from making a decision to better their situation.

What is the hardest thing about the mission experience? I think your work with the missionaries here must have helped you a lot. Especially not knowing that life at all.

The biggest struggle on my mission... Really has been to really become a missionary by giving all of my heart, might, mind and strength. You can take that as literal as you want as a missionary. There is no denying though that the great missionaries are the ones who take that to heart. The ones who relinquish their thoughts or sorrows of home, who keep the rules, who work until they hit the bed, who study and apply what they learn, these are the great missionaries. There is no big secret other than that. ALL of your heart, might, mind, and strength!! I am so grateful for that opportunity. I would say that that goal is definitely far from accomplished but in progress. It demonstrates self-control and builds useful and important habits for the future.

I haven't heard from Cortney. I am sure you have and I hope all is going well with her. (cutest person on the planet!)

As far as Cortney goes, she is doing great! She has decided to go to Jerusalem next fall for a couple months! Pretty sweet! She has a ton of stuff that are going to becoming up this next week for finals but all seems well! I told her to call all y'all. That should be coming soon!! (she did, thanks Cortney!)

I went to see Harry Potter last night. Good movie. . It is a good movie though and you'll have to do a marathon when you get back.

And yes I will have a Harry Potter Marathon when I get back!!! That sounds perfect!!! I am so stoked!!

But right now you have work to do! You sound so good and I know you are really happy. I hope you had a great thanksgiving and if you gained a few pounds, you'll even make that look good!

Thanksgiving was great... two dinners... nearly died on the spot... So yeah it was great!! But that was the start of 3 days in a row of 40 degrees... I did love the 80 degrees so much haha. I am spoiled!! It is like 70 today, not bad ;)

Love,

Elder Tommy Walter

Busy Time!

Well HEY,

Well Sunday was the perfect way to end a great week! During the week we had kind of a roller coaster! It was crazy! Awesome! We had found some way sweet families and it was just so great to see! Then on Sunday, more than at any other time on my mission, I felt a greater understanding of my purpose as a missionary. I was blessed to confer the Aaronic Priesthood to Gwlyn. Tricia Williams then was called to be a primary teacher. And Sister Eunice Jones went out to a lesson with some other missionaries and helped them invite their investigator to be baptized, of which was accepted. As I was sitting there and all the talks were on the theme of President Uchtdorf April Conference talk, "You are my Hands", I realized how small I was in their eternal progression. Maybe important, but small. That they now have been called in various ways to serve the Lord. That they have an opportunity to "be His hands". With the fulfillment of the prophetic call to all missionaries, the Lord can then fulfill the work and the glory of the Father. Gwlyn will serve his family and others as he holds worthily to the Priesthood. Tricia as a primary teacher will influence the next and rising generation to be even better than the last. And Sister Jones is helping others come closer to the Savior as through baptism by the Priesthood and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. The best part of this is that this is service that can be done also outside of a full-time mission. I never want to forget what it feels like to be out here. It gives me more hope and has made me desire to be better and to always strive to do so. I am so grateful to be in San Antonio. It is numbered as one of my greatest blessings.

Phillip Settles and Phillip Settles Jr. are very awesome people!! They are very excited to be baptized on the 5th of December!! They saw the baptism of another person this Sunday and they have just gotten more excited!! Phillip the older is 50 and Phillip Jr. is 8.

Leticia is a great woman!!! She loves the gospel and has been reading and knows it is true!! We missed her at church but she is very motivated to do it for the family!! Angelica and Brianna are her two youngest daughters and Angelica is 15. They are set for the 12th of December.

Then there is Johnathan who is set to be baptized on the 19th of December ;). He is so sweet!! We met him last night and he was very excited to be baptized and follow in the footsteps of our Savior!!

Well we are working hard and will continue to do so!! Love all y'all!!

Elder Tommy Walter

Good Week!

To all,

This week has been a good week!!! We baptized Alfredo this week and it is looking that will end the streak of salvation... It was such a sweet baptism though! It was weird in spanish, and pretty tough to understand all of it, but it was the sweetest experience. I had the opportunity to bear my testimony, and I learned that it is the same testimony haha. Just in another language. It was a sweet experience!! I am so grateful to have the opportunity to learn a language! It is very cool that God can help all of His children and that he wants to! I am not the greatest at spanish, pues, I am very very far from that haha, but God still can help those He needs to. Lets just say that I am grateful Elder Morales is here with me. He is such an asset to this area. We have seen our efforts in the Spanish branch grow bastante because of that gift. We are definitely going to continue to magnify that!

People have been hard to come by in these last couple weeks. But there have been some sweet miracles!! We are teaching a few people who can really progress soon if they remember the Spirit that touched them in their readings and in the lessons! So we are definitely excited for the week to come!!!

Antionette is one of those people! She is awesome! She is younger, like 20ish, but she really is super excited to continue and said she would love the opportunity to be baptized! So we are going to continue to teach her, and set her with a date hopefully for the first weekend in December! That would be awesome!!

The next one is Leticia. She really enjoyed the message of the Restoration! She too said that she would like the opportunity to be baptized! She said she wants a solid backing for her kids. I truly know that there is no better backing than to have that gospel! I think the Spirit was able to testify that to her.

Because of some circumstances, we will be unable to baptize Ruben, aun que haiga a change in the circumstances. So we will be working with him still. He is a great person and is really changing. He can come to church still and it is our job to encourage him to do so.

The Pearce's left... They were the senior couple missionaries that reactivated soooo many families!! The ward will miss them and so will we...

Thanks for your love and prayers! I love you all and hope all is well!!

Elder Walter

Roller Coaster Week

Hey all!!!

Wow this week was just a roller coaster!!! Of awesomeness!!!! Elder Morales and I are having so much fun and we have some super awesome ideas for the area. The area that I have been working has been worked pretty hard, and our teaching pool is getting smaller and smaller. So we are moving north in our area!!! Haha that doesn't sound like much, and to be honest it isn't really, but Elder Morales and I are making it huge haha. We are so excited for the work that is going to be happening!! On Tuesday, we had a zone conference where Elder Maines of the Seventy came and spoke and blew my mind!! I love it when the Spirit gets you pumped up. I learned, or rather relearned, we can always be more obedient, more prayerful, more efficient, having more faith, planning better, setting better, clearer goals, more and better everything. That that progression depends on the diligence that we put forth. That God has designed all to experience unlimited joy, pending on the effort we put forth to receive it. Using our agency, or choosing to act and work for that joy. Diligence will bring forth joy in the fruits of our labor. Yesterday, Elder Morales confirmed Eunice Jones a member of the church and conferred the gift of the Holy Ghost and baptized Gwlyn Slaughter!! We were overjoyed!! These two are exemplary people added into the fold of God! It is so sweet to work with them and truly humbling it was to witness the love and pure faith they had in our Savior. Therein lies the joyous fruits of our labor. The humbling witness of the Holy Ghost. The testimony of truth and the love of God! So next week, Alfredo Ramirez is to be baptized!! We are excited and so is he!! I will also have the sweet opportunity to confirm Gwlyn a member of the church and the 6 missionaries are doing a musical number in sacrament haha!! I know that threw all of y'all a late breaking slider!! I am so excited!!

Alfredo is getting baptized this week! He is very excited and it should be way fun, he is getting baptized with his cousin!! My first Spanish baptism!!

Tony is a man that we just set to be baptized the 5th of December!! The Holy Ghost worked just flawlessly as his heart was softened and opened to the truth!! It was a true miracle!!

Ruben came out to church with us this week and said that he was going to come back next week! He is set to be baptized of the 21st, pending a court date for the 10th. Our prayers are with him.

Thank you all for you prayers and love!! I love you all so much!! Take care and hope all is well!!

Elder Walter

Elder Walter the Trainer!

Hey to all!!

So on transfers I thought that I would be training...I never thought I was the one to be trained haha. Elder Morales is the new missionary and he is just incredible!! A very natural teacher oh and PS, he is from Mexico, so our Spanish outreach will be enhanced un poco. I am so excited to be his trainer! He is very go get-em. He loves to get after it and he basically just goes and loves to work! I have tried to whip him into shape, but it didn't take more than a day for him to desire to really be involved in the work. He is really into planning, allowing us the opportunity to really teach to the needs of that specific investigator! I love it! We will continue to be prayerful, obedient and hard working.

This Halloween was especially special! Sister Eunice Jones was baptized! It was quite the turnout and it really was special! She bore her testimony and it was perfect! I really liked it! What a special opportunity. And I feel awful because I didn't take one picture haha. We were of course a little late to our own baptism with it all being hectic in the Spanish branch and the font took forever but alas they had just barely started as we arrived and then after I couldn't take pictures because Daniel Reyes and Jacob Fisher were getting the Melchizedek Priesthood and I was asked to be apart of the circle. It was awesome but yeah, we will take much more at her home.

Also, Elder Ashton Jessup completed his two year service as a full-time missionary. He was one of the best missionaries ever. He was basically my example and it truly was so great to serve right next to him! Gosh I learned so much from him and I could have never asked for such a good friend. He is basically awesome!

Right now we are working with...

Glenn Slaughter- He is a machine and is getting baptized on Sunday! He has a heart of pure gold and just wants to be happy. I have never taught anyone who better understands the doctrines of Christ. He truly is a sponge, almost robot-like, he applies the things the Spirit downloads on his hard drive! He is incredible, he told us the other day that he doesn't want to just be a member who goes to church on Sunday, but he wants to be an active member. I told him those are the people we like to baptize haha.

Alfredo Ramirez is a little Spanish boy who is nine and his father asked us to teach him. So we are and it is fun, but I can't speak Spanish that a kid would best understand... I am still working on that haha, thank goodness for Elder Morales.

Also keep in your prayers, Ruben Martinez and Manuel Lopez.

-Elder Walter