Unang Pasko ko sa Mission (My first Christmas in the Mission)

So this last week was pretty crazy AWESOME! I had the wonderful opportunity to call home over Skype with my family and that was so great. Modern Technology is such a blessing! We also had a dinner at our bishop's home on Christmas which was fantastic! I'm so glad to have such a loving bishop... who knows English! :)

(Dinner at the bishop's house on Christmas)

(Christmas morning... new Christmas ties for Tanner and his companion)

This week was the best time, and the worst time, to go proselyting.  The people here love to hear our message, and especially during the time when we celebrate the birth of Christ, people are more open.  But people are also more drunk and busy. So that makes it kind of difficult.  Even members and our investigators were super busy.  It made it difficult to find time to go and teach, but we tried our best and we were able to teach a few lessons here and there! 

I have been getting over a cold this week, so I have had a lot of time to rest and to focus on studying, and I have really been getting into the life of Christ, and the more I read Jesus the Christ, the more I come to love our Savior Jesus Christ, and the more I understand about His life and what He did for us. I am just scratching the surface, but his life is such an amazing blessing to each one of us.. I would challenge us ALL to take time this next year, to learn more of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and come to know him better. 

We had a baptism this week, and it was awesome!!! It was for Tatay Portacio, and he is 60 years old.  He was in the army, and he was in charge of shooting the Giant Machine guns, that are mounted on top of the armored vehicles.  He is missing his right arm because during his days in the army, his arm was blown off by a machine gun.  Not his gun, but he was shot at.  It was a great experience teaching him and watching him come to accept Jesus Christ into his life.  He really soaked up everything we taught him, and his testimony is growing stronger and stronger every time we teach him.  It is amazing!

A super dumb/funny story really quick... we had a party this week, and about half way through, this super loud buzzing noise started to come towards the open door by our Cultural hall. Then all of a sudden this Gigantic Beetle flew into the hall. It was flying around, almost like it was drunk.  It ran into a few walls, and then all of a sudden it changed directions suddenly and dive-bombed directly into my lap. I freaked out (in my mind) and then hit it off and smashed it with my foot. I hear AND felt the crunch.. oh my gosh. It was gigantic! And out of all the people, it picked me. Sheesh. Super annoying! :P

I am so grateful that I got to talk to my family and I am so excited to call again on Mother's Day!.. ;)

Stay True! 

Elder Walstad

Maligayang Pasko (Merry Christmas!)

Everything is New... Again!

So this week has been full of a lot of adjustment and change.. again. It was kind of hard, but it wasn't nearly as bad as when I was "bago"(new) in the mission. 

I have a new companion, Elder Maagad, and my new area is in Santiago South.  It is a lot smaller than my last area, Mallig, but it is in the city, so there is SO much more here.  There are 3 McDonalds... 3 different malls, and there are a lot more well-off people here. It's awesome :) I am really enjoying my new area.. and my companion likes to work hard, so that is always a plus!

Elder Walstad and new companion, Elder Maagad

I have also been really growing in the language! My companion said that I sound like I'm Filipino! Which is a great compliment :) I just need to keep studying hard, and practicing all the time, and hopefully I can become super duper good! 

So last night, we had a dinner appointment at a member's house.  She usually feeds the missionaries a lot, and she is famous for stuffing them to the brim.  I didn't quite understand what that meant until after we finished eating.  She made so much food it was ridiculous. She would go around and fill our plates if there was any empty space left on the plate.  And when one dish was gone, she would somehow have 3 more come out of her kitchen. I had no clue where it was all coming from, and luckily it was all good food, because afterwards, I could barely walk, and my companion felt like he was going to blow up. 

This week has been great all around, and I am super grateful for all the blessings that I have had.  

Ingat Kayo Lahat! (You all take care!) :)

Stay True

Elder Walstad

Eating a roasted pig.  They gave Tanner the ear.  He's actually holding the pig ear in the picture above with his companion.

The new apartment!

Transferred!? What?!

During a really "hard rain."  Tanner said, "I've never heard it rain so loud!"

So, this week has just FLOWN by! Holy cow. I can't believe it's already P-day again, let alone December 15th! :o  Christmas is in 10 days.. that just blows my mind. But it just shows me the harder I work, and the more I enjoy myself, the faster it goes by. So I just need to take advantage of the time I have left, because it really is going to fly by.

So this morning, as I got up to go to the bathroom around 6:15, I walked inside our CR (Comfort room ;) That's what they call the bathrooms here) and I felt something crawling up my leg.  It scared the crap outa' me! (good thing I was in the bathroom) jk ;) hehe. But I thought it was a giant spider or Cockroach! But I just kicked my leg, and heard something go in the toilet.  I turned the light on, and it was a mouse! :O We finally caught the mouse that has been running around our apartment for the last 2 months! haha.  We took it outside, and took care of biniss ^.^ so, no more mouse!  

The "poor" little mouse 

We also had a zone activity today while we were waiting to receive the Transfer list.  When my Zone leader read it off, and when he said my name, I thought he was kidding. But no. It's true.  I am getting Transferred already! Everyone was confused.. because usually the trainer is the first to leave, but I guess President Rahlf received inspiration otherwise.  I am excited for the new adventure that lies ahead, and I will make sure to update you all next week who my new companion is and whatnot.

Loving the Christmas tree!

Earlier this week, we had our Mission Tour, and oh my gosh.  It was amazing!!! It was from Elder Bowen of the 70, who is part of the area presidency here in the Philippines. He is such a smart man, and he taught so many amazing truths.  He also gave some great promises if we stay obedient and work hard.  It re-ignited that fire that was already burning, but now it is a flame that is out of control! ;) 

I have had such a great week, and I am SO excited to be able to call home next week.  I am starting to really excel in the language.  Everyone is telling me how good I am becoming now, and I can really see improvement.  I am becoming more and more confident, and now that I am able to understand people better, it makes the work so much easier, and enjoyable! 

I love being a missionary! 

Stay True

Elder Walstad

In front of Tanner's apartment

"The District"

E-Jay and his grandma

A Typhoon this week!

 So this week was a pretty great one! We stayed really busy and we worked hard and now it's P-day again! And I can't believe that it's almost Christmas! I am really trying to make the most of the time that I have because I know that this will be over before I know it, and I don't want to have any regrets! ^.^

So, you probably have all heard, but there is Typhoon Ruby that hit the Philippines. Our mission is ok, thankfully! We have just had really cool weather, dark skies, and windy days. (I was actually cold the last 2 nights! Whaaa!?!) So I have really enjoyed the cooler weather, but everyone here is shivering and wearing layers and layers.. kinda like what I would do when it gets freezing in Utah. :) Hehe. It's funny. But We are doing well here, and it actually hasn't even rained yet.. we may see some rain a little later today or in a few days as the Typhoon leaves the Philippines. 

We had a Baptism again this Saturday! With Noah Gomez. He is 14 years old, and it was so awesome! His 2 Less-Active sisters accompanied him, and it was so amazing to see how happy they were to see their younger brother being baptized. I love to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings so much happiness to people.

We also visited some Less-Active families this week, and it was amazing to see them attend church Yesterday! They were so happy to come back, and thought that everyone had forgotten about them... but when the missionaries (us) showed up, they were so happy, and it brings so much joy to my soul when I see people coming back to the gospel and accepting it into their lives.. again. :)

I have been really improving in the language, and I am starting to understand more and more every day. It is so amazing to recognize my improvement, and go back and read in my journal and remember when I literally had no clue what people were saying. I guess the more that I am around it, the more I begin to understand, and the words just make sense.  The Gift of Tongues is real, and I have a testimony of Hard work :)

I love you all, and I am so grateful for the gospel in my life, and for the happiness it brings, especially sharing it with others.  

Stay True!
Elder Walstad

This is our new Branch Mission Leader, Brother Renato Corpuz

First counselor in the branch presidency(Bro. Nevaro) with his twin grandsons

It's December!?!

So this past week was pretty great! We had a lot go on, and it was pretty awesome! I learned a lot of great things in my studying and I am falling in love with reading more and more each day :) (that's something I never thought that I would say ^.^)

So we had Sixto's baptism this week! I was SO happy! It was such a great baptism, and the spirit was so strong! Sixto was so incredibly happy, and the testimony that he shared, thought I couldn't understand everything he said, was very powerful! You can just tell that he knows this church is true! And then Sunday, he received the Priesthood! So now he can baptize his kids and he is actually going to be baptizing one of our investigators this coming Saturday! :) Woo! Another Baptism! :D 

I feel so blessed and I am so grateful for each and every one of the baptisms that we've had so far. On Saturday, it will be my 7th baptism :) And what is great is each one of them are quality baptisms! :) 

I also tried making some Alfredo sauce this week... and it definitely didn't taste like Alfredo sauce. Haha. It got super clumpy and I ended up just throwing it away. Fun times :)

I have started to study the Book of Mormon in DEPTH, and just in the first 9 chapters, I have found SO many blessings of following the gospel and following the Commandments.

Always remember to follow the commandments and you will be blessed for it! :) You will Never regret following the rules and being obedient ^.^

Stay True!
Elder Walstad

Leihka, Cris (a recent convert), and Leihka's mom

A crazy week!

So this week was a pretty crazy one! We had a lot of different things happen. I still can't believe it all has happened in just a weeks amount of time. 

So a member of our branch passed away this last week.  I think he had Kidney failure, or a disease in his heart. Either way, he was really suffering, and I think that it was a blessing in disguise, because his suffering was put to an end on Tuesday. His wife, however, decided that she was not going to eat, because she was too sad. I think she has eaten though.. hopefully! Otherwise it's been almost a week since she's eaten. But they had a funeral service yesterday, and it was pretty good. We had a 2 people speak on the Plan of Salvation, and how we will all be able to see our loved ones again after this life. I love how much hope we have from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It brings so much happiness.  Of course, death is sad, but knowing that we will be able to see everyone again after this life... that is such great news! Which I am out here sharing with the people in the Philippines! And I love it! 

We also had Sixto's baptismal interview on saturday, but we hadn't been able to teach him the whole last week.  We went to his house probably 10+ times, and he wasn't there. We thought that we were going to have to postpone his interview, and push his baptismal date 1 week later.. which was really discouraging, because he had been SO excited about his baptism, that it would be sad to have to make him wait longer. But - we did find him, finally! About 25 minutes before his interview was scheduled. So we called our Zone Leaders to hurry up there so that they could interview him. We gave him one last lesson while waiting for the Zone leaders, and it was probably one of the most spiritual lessons that we have had with him.  He told us how grateful he is for the gospel in his life, and how happy he has become.  He then told us a story about how His family was struggling financially, and he wasn't sure what to do, because he needed money to go to church.  He told us that he had been praying, and he even paid tithing the week before, with the little money that he had, and he said that he went outside one day and there was a man standing there, and he asked Sixto if he would want to come work in his Rice field.  Sixto said that he was filled with joy and he knew that the Lord had blessed him because of his faithfulness.  And we discovered that that was the reason he wasn't at his house the last week; because he was helping that man in his Rice field. So really, everything happens for a reason, and there is always a blessing if we look hard enough! 

Sixto passed his interview, and with tears in his eyes, he hugged Elder Abadines and I and told us "Thank you so much for teaching me the truth, and helping me find what I have been looking for." 

I am so grateful for the chance I had to teach Sixto.  He was truly a "golden" investigator, and now that he is being baptized, I am filled with so much joy! He will be such a powerful member of the church :) These moments are what make missionary all worth it! :)

Always remember to recognize the Lords hand in all things, and remember to always turn to the Lord, and he will bless you :) 

Stay True!

Elder Walstad

Another fast week!

Wow! this week flew by! We had a lot happen this week. I would say that the main highlight of this week was the baptisms which we had! President Rahlf attended the service with the AP's, so that was awesome! ... But of course, since he decided to come, almost everything went wrong. Haha. We had one of our speakers bail on us, and then our candidates (Ronalyn and Elaine) were 45 minutes late. And almost no one showed up.  There were more missionaries there then members from our branch. Haha. But it was actually a great service! The spirit was really strong, and it turned out quite successful! Elder Abadines baptized Elaine and I baptized Ronalyn. We are hoping that their family will start to come to church and accept a baptismal invitation! 

I had some great spiritual experiences this week! I experienced the Gift of Tongues in a very real sense. I was able to teach almost exactly what I wanted to say in English 100%! It was pretty amazing, and I was actually surprised that I could remember a lot of the words that I used! But it was definitely the spirit drawing from my "Well of knowledge." I also have been studying in the Jesus The Christ and I have been learning A LOT about Christ's life. It is amazing some of the facts, that make so much sense. Like how Jesus' youth, he still had to mature and grow and learn just like everyone else.  Everything he knew wasn't just given to him all at once. So it just shows the importance of gaining a knowledge for ourselves. If you get the chance and have time, you should totally read Jesus The Christ.  It is a great book! :)

So in Tagolog, "Guwapo" means Handsom. It is funny .. pretty much every single investigator that we teach, they tell me how "Guwapo" I am, and how they want my skin and my nose and how they want to trade me bodies. And it's funny. In the Philippines, the people want to be whiter. So they have soap here that has "whitening cream" or lotion that makes you whiter. It is so hilarious, so when people see me, they tell me how much they want to trade skin ;) Silly silly people. Hehe. 

I am grateful for the experiences that I am having and for all of the great things that I am learning here on my mission. I look forward to, and am very excited to see how much more I grow while on my mission. 

Stay True!

Elder Walstad

Here's Tanner, being Tanner :0.  He said he was bored for a minute, and this was what he came up with!

Fast week!

This week has been gone by pretty quick! I officially made it through my first cycle! And I started a new planner today, so that is kind of a wake up call for how long I have left... haha :o But this week actually flew by! It was amazing to see all of the blessings that we received this week! I'll share some - 

So with Sixto, we taught him on wednesday, and he told us that he had read the whole WOW pamphlet, and that he had stopped everything... but that he had been tempted by his friends to drink a little bit of wine for a birthday. He said that he felt horrible afterwards and he immediately repented. He said that he knows he can overcome his addictions and that he live the WOW. It is AMAZING to see such strength in a person and such a strong desire to follow our Heavenly Fathers commandments. We then gave him a priesthood blessing after the lesson that he would be able to completely overcome his addiction, and on Sunday, he told us that he has completely forsaken everything. Smoking, drinking, coffee and tea. I can't express enough thanks for Sixto. It is so amazing being able to teach him. The spirit is always so strong.

So we received a referal from a member last week, and we followed up with it on Saturday. His name is Christian Sapla. At the beginning of the lesson we asked him if he had any questions for us, and he asked us what is not allowed in our church, and I thought "Oh no.. he's gonna turn us away." But we told him beer and cigeretts are the main "Bawal" or "Not Aloud" in our church. He nodded his head and we continued to teach him. The Spirit was SO SO strong, especially as I taught him about the atonement. He then asked us "How can I become like you?" He was asking how he could become a missionary!!!!!!!!!!! :O I couldn't beleive my ears! Then, both him and his sister asked us "How can we become members of your church?" :O

I was stunned. Is this real life? haha. We told them that they needed to attend church and then be baptized, and they accpeted our baptismal invitation. ANOTHER golden!!!! The spirit has been so strong this week, and I love it so much!!! 

I have been trying really hard to focus and stay busy on the work, and we have had a lot of success. We have 2 baptisms this Saturday, and we are so excited! I will make sure to send pictures next week! 

I love you all! And always strive to have the spirit with you ^.^ It makes a difference!

Stay True.

Elder Walstad

Making Deep Fried Oreos

Standing in a Rice Field

Family Home Evening Group

Pizza!  He even ate it with the veggies on it (Gasp!)

A GOLDEN!!!!!

So, you can probably tell what I am going to be talking about by the title of this email :)

We have a Golden Investigator!!!! It is SO amazing!!!! It is such a blessing! His name is Sixto (I think I may have mentioned him before ^.^) So almost 2 weeks ago, we went to his house, and he wasn't there. We went back a few days later and he still wasn't there. We started to become sad that he was just trying to avoid us and that he wasn't interested. Come Sunday - of last week - HE WAS THERE AT CHURCH! :D We were so ecstatic! He paid attention during the whole 3 hours, and even added in some comments during priesthood! The whole branch was so loving and accepting towards him, and I think that really helped!

 After church, we went to his house, and taught him. He told us that the previous week had been busy and he was out working in the rice fields all day every day. So we understood. He then continued to tell us how important this church is, and that he thinks that he has found what he has been looking for. WOW! THEN, he went on to explain how important it is for him to be baptized, because he had been studying in the Book of Mormon and the Bible about baptism, and it teaches that no one can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven without being baptized.  

He is so anxious, and it is incredible to see him grow. He eats up everything that we tell him, and he is so excited when we come teach him. He has also told us how important it is that his family joins the church too, so we are hoping that his wife will start listening to the lessons too.  We haven't had any luck yet, but his kids have started to show some interest. It is amazing! I feel so blessed, and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for Sixto Quiape! :)

We also had Zone Conference this week, and that was insanely fun! It was SO great to see my mission president again, and the advice/teachings that we received from him and his wife was so great! They focused a lot on overcoming temptations (The influence of the world) and also obedience. "Obedience is the first law in heaven..." I love this! It shows that, even God, has rules that he follows. Without rules, there would be complete chaos!

President Rahlf also told us a story, and it goes something like this (Sorry for the lengthy letter, I'm almost done! ;)) - There was a father who had a young son who loved to go outside and play with his dad. One day, when the weather was just right, and the father wasn't too busy, he took his son out to fly his first kite. The son was so amazed, and kept telling his father "Dad, it's so beautiful! It is so wonderful! Look at it, it is so great, flying so high! Why can't we untie the kite so that it can fly up higher and higher?" The father looked at his son, smiled and said "The string is what's keeping the kite in flight; if we untied the string, it would come crashing down." I love this story!!! President Rahlf said "Sometimes the things(rules) we think are holding us down are really what is keeping us up!" It is so true! I LOVE THAT! 

Remember to always be obedient, and follow the rules! Even if it's not the popular thing to do, or if they seem silly or hard. They are there for a reason, and the blessings you receive far exceed the moment of pleasure you may have from breaking the rule. 

I love you all! Remember who you are :)

Stay True!

Elder Walstad 

4-week Missionary Training at the mission home

Fresh Coconut!

Oh yes!

So this week was pretty good. We had a lot of awesome lessons, and our investigators are really progressing!  I am still really struggling with the language, but I must be saying something right because most of the investigators that I talk to seem to understand somewhat of what I say. Hehe. 

So yesterday (Sunday), one of our investigators who we were not able to teach this week came to church! It was so great! And after church, we went over to his house and taught him, and he accepted our invitation for baptism! He then went on about how he wants this for his whole family, so we are praying that his family member's hearts can be softened, and that he doesn't stop progressing just because the rest of his family doesn't want to.  His name is Sixto Quiape (Six-two -- Key-yape) hehe. Pretty awesome :) His first name is how tall I am! :) So I won't ever forget his name ;)

I also got "hit on" by a transvestite this week.. that was interesting. He/She had a super low voice, but looked SO much like a girl. My companion just laughed his head off, and told me afterwards that it was a "bakla" (gay). Haha. I wasn't quite sure at the time, because, surprisingly, girls here have lower voices than a lot of the guys! It's kind of scary, but its whatevs. They are still children of God ^.^

I also made French Toast this week! That was so fantastic!.. It only made me a little homesick ;) But it was really great having a "taste of home" here in the Philippines. I also had french toast when I went on splits this week. Splits was really fun, and I am happy because we have splits once a cycle, so every 6 weeks. That will be awesome! 

Well... I'll have more for you all next week! :) 

Stay True!!!

Elder Walstad

Tanner and his companion with Brother Nato Corpuz. He is an RM and he works with them a lot

One Month in the Philippines!

Oh gosh

So this week has been pretty crazy! Some weird stuff happened! But also some pretty awesome things as well!

I got to go to Cauayan, to the mission home, for our New missionary training and I got to see my (MTC Group!) That was so exciting! It was SO great to see Elder Olson (My companion from the MTC) and to catch up, and to realize that we are all going through the same struggles, and that we aren't alone in this change. Haha. 

With Elder Olson again!

Reunited with my MTC group!

 Later during the week we were at a dinner appointment, with the Branch President's second counselor, and his son came in towards the end of dinner, SO drunk.  It was pouring rain all day, so the ground was pretty slippery and muddy, and he was just covered in dirt. He was so drunk that he couldn't take 2 steps in a straight line. Luckily he didn't lash out or anything, because he apparently was fighting with someone outside before he came in. I was definitely uncomfortable, but I knew that it would be ok.. haha. CRAZY!

I have also been gaining weight! (I think). Not too much.. but enough to where I can feel the strugs of putting on my pants now! So I have been cutting down on how much rice I eat.. since we eat rice with every single solitary meal here! I like rice.. but eating that much can't be good for you! Hehe. 

I have also had a lot of time this week to really sit down and study the Book of Mormon, and I have really come to fall in love with the book. I know that it is so true! Everyone should read it! READ IT! :) ^.^

The church is true, Heavenly Father loves all of his children so much, and I am here sharing that message with those children who are lost. I'm so grateful for that opportunity. 

Stay True!

Elder Walstad

*Tanner has been in the Philippines for a month now and I wanted some more details from him so I sent him a list of questions and these are his answers:

The highlight for me this past week was ... Going to the mission home and seeing everyone from the Provo MTC again!

My daily routine includes .... Wake up, exercise, eat food, "shower" (More like a bath.. but actually, it's just a ladel that I use to dump cold water on myself. SO FUN!) And then I have study from 8-12. Lunch at 12, and then we are out the door usually by 1 o'clock. And we will come back around 8. Have nightly planning, for the next day, and then I'll eat more food and then study some scriptures, or other material. Then I'm in bed usually around 10:10-10:25, so I can be asleep as close to 10:30 as possible :)

I feel grateful for .... All of my family and friends. For the Gospel, and for the life that I was raised in. For the love and support that I have. For my trainer and his willingness to work hard and learn. Patience from the members and others who I try to speak the language to. hehe.

This week I've been studying about .... Staying positive, and remembering Christ in our life.

The language is ..... Hard. Haha. I am starting to kind of be able to understand it. Kind of. I really am just able to speak to people when it comes to gospel conversation. And I still use super simple speech. 

Some of the people I've met here are ..... Very nice, and very humble. 

Tell us about the members in the area.... The members that are active, are very strong, and have amazing testimonies. They work really well with us, and they feed us, so that is awesome!

The food is .... Yummy! I have yet to eat something that I REALLY don't like.

Something that I've had to get used to here is ..... Having just my companion to speak to. And the Bathroom.

My companion is .... A great guy! A hard worker, and really humble. He is short, and he is really good at creating a good relationship with the members. BRT'ing.

A favorite scripture for me recently is .... Phillipeans 4:13

And finally...

Here are photos from the baptism this past weekend.  Tanner baptized the little boy in the middle, named E-Jay:)

General Conference Amazingness

Sorry there aren't any new pictures this week, but here is Tanner's update! (I added his main email for this week, and pasted in a few pieces from some of his shorter emails that give a little more detail):


So.. this week had some rough patches, but I knew that I could get through it, and I had something to look forward to at the end of the week... GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! I was so excited to go to General Conference! They show it a week late here, because of our time difference. This General Conference is probably one of my favorite, and I think I felt the spirit, at points, the strongest I have ever felt. I know without a doubt that President Thomas S. Monson is the true prophet of God, and that what he says, is what God wants us to know and hear. 

I absolutely LOVED Elder Hollands talk. It really touched me, and since the Philippines is a place where there are a lot of poor and needy, it gives me a chance to really reach out and serve them! And I did see Ioane! I kinda teared up a little when I saw him.. hehe.

I am so grateful for all of the love and support, and the prayers. I feel them strengthen me throughout the day, everyday. I am starting to kind of get used to everything now. It has started to really become a routine for me, which it usually takes about a month to get into a solid habitual routine, so that is about right :) The time is an interesting thing. The days really do go by slow, but the weeks seem to fly by... in a sense. I am starting to feel a little more settled. 

We have 3 baptisms this coming weekend, so I am excited for that! I get to baptize one of them, I know for sure. I am baptizing a 10 year old kid, and his name is E-Jay. Um.. we were eating at a restaurant with some other elders, and he was trying to put some soy sauce on his rice, but the whole top came off and he had a pool of soy sauce. That was pretty funny. Also, when people see me they say "Hey Joe, whats your name?" It's from G-I-Joe, or something.. haha. Its pretty hilarious. I am still trying to learn this language.. but it has started to make a little bit of sense. It only sounds like gibberish 1/2 the time! Haha ;)

Love you all, and continually strive to follow the prophet! You won't regret it! :)

Stay True!

Elder Walstad

We walked, and walked, and walked, aaaaaaaaaand waaaaaaalked

So you can probably guess what I did a lot of this week ;).. STUDYING!!. Jk. hehe. We walked so much, that my legs and butt muscles are definitely getting buffer! So Aw yeh! :) 

I am still struggling with the language, but I feel like I am starting to get it slowly. I definitely have to rely on the Lord for help.  

We finally had our first rainy day, since I've been here, anyway. That was pretty awesome! It has been insanely hot, and I am sweaty from the minute we leave our apartment to the minute we come back home from a hard days' work. 

We have been visiting a lot of the Less-active members, and since that is such an area of focus for our mission, that has been our focus. Though, we do have 2 new investigators now!!! And we have 3 baptisms scheduled for 2 weeks! And I think I get to baptize one of them! So that is super exciting! 

The living conditions here are very different than what I am used to, but I am starting to get used to my apartment and the food and whatnot. I definitely see the Lord's hand in my life every day, and I make sure to pray and thank Heavenly Father daily.  

We have also really come to recognize the importance of having members present at lessons, or just the strength of the members in general, helps us as missionaries become stronger and feel loved. So if I could say one thing, it would be to go with the missionaries! Or invite them over for a Dinner! They would love it! I know that ;) 

Thank you all for your prayers, and love and support.

Stay True!

Elder Walstad