March 28, 2016 Every Member a Missionary!

This week has been good all less active work is strange if we get a referral we send it to the other missionaries in the ward there are 6 missionaries in the 2 ward I am serving in we all cover both wards. So this week has been good and I love my mission!!!! I am almost a year out that is super sad to think about!!!! Mom I am SOOOOOOO happy that I get to share the gospel with others. I know God lives. Me and my companion Elder Warr say this transfer the story of the transfer will be prayer we must pray and communicate with God seek to grow our relationship with him. 

Now my companion he is super cool he is half African American and half white. He is 5 foot 4 and 120 pounds he is a tough little guy!!!!! He loves to clean he works really hard and we both like to get things done relying wholly on the lord and God to give us strength and the spirit so that we may know what to do to best help the work in our area.

There are around 800 less actives in both wards combined so that is 400 per ward that we have to go out and find to see if they are still there and if they are interested if we get a not interested we will take Jeffery R Holland’s advice and "be a little persistent, don't take no for an answer! My wife has an Avon lady who is more persistent than you and she's just selling mascara!"

Now is the time for missionaries and members to work together. President Kimball said it how many times: "every member a missionary"

David A Bednar said "we as members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are full time finders the full time missionaries are full time teachers" the age of tracking is over the time for members to go find is here, the time for missionaries to teach and baptize throughout their whole mission is here. Members do the finding and missionaries do the teaching. 

Love Ya.

Elder Walker

March 21, 2016 Transfers!!!

Hey y'all guess what?!?!?!!?? I got transferred guess where?!?!?

I'll tell you a little background story so my mission president calls me into his office and says "elder Walker I need leaders I am not talking about zone leaders of district leaders because they are easy to find I need individual leaders elders who can go to ANY area that I call them and they will do miracles and wonders there in helping grow the missionary work. You are one of those elders. I need you to be able to go from area to area." The next thing he said was crazy "get ready for your next assignment the lord has something big for you and your companion to do." Then the climax "you will be opening up an area where you will be doing 100% less active work! If you get a referral you ship then off the other missionaries the only teaching of investigators you will do is if a part member family is less active."

So guess what I get to do. Start up an area doing strictly less active work guess how I felt? Hahahaha I felt completely inadequate but I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ I will be given strength. And I will be guided by the Holy Ghost as I work hard and as I am obedient. I know God lives and loves us. This is his church. I have been called on my mission to bring the lost sheep into the fold. The lord has prepared a way for every soul to come back to him.

My companion said one crazy thing "the story of this transfer will be prayer!" And how that rings true, so true. We ALWAYS start studies with a prayer we'll ever since the transfer began we have continually been fed what we need to do to have success. All y'all back home who are less active and who will possibly read his know that I will get home and do all within my power and call upon the powers of heaven to help you in your lives and to bring you back to the fold of God.

Have a great week and go out and find lost sheep.

Elder Walker

March 14, 2016 Prayer and the Atonement

My ipad screen is broken - great way to start off right? No hahaha. Not funny.

The atonement is the single most important act from the beginning of time through the never ending eternities. So it is the most important and perhaps one of the least understood principles of the gospel. The atonement of Jesus Christ is beautiful. Through the atonement we BECOME. We BECOME a new person in and through Jesus Christ. We can't just change our behavior rather we need to change our nature as we do so our behavior changes and our will changes. Our will turns to gods will and we BECOME very powerful and fruitful in our lives.

So if you are going through a hard time ask God in prayer for the strengthening and enabling power of the atonement. it isn't just their for sinners, it is there for all of us. So you know we are put through challenges for our growth I'll give you an example Saturday I was going through a rough time I asked the lord "Heavenly Father, please give me the strength to endure what you want me to do! I don't know why I was called here to serve in this specific area." Well I got an answer to that prayer a missionary I live with who is not my companion stopped me and we went into his study room where he sat me down and read from the D&C which said I have called you to this place to save souls and bring them unto me. So why am I here? So simple I am here in Mesa to save souls to do my best to help others come unto Christ or to return and I can do that through strength given to me by God.

So in prayer if you are going through a hard time don't pray for God to take the situation away. Instead use the atonement let it help you in your life. Pray for the strength to get through your challenges. Life isn't gonna be all sunshine and lollipops, but it can be. Through the strengthening and enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ your life can be so simple and your burdens can be light.

I'll end with a scripture: Mosiah 24:13 "And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort."

So lift up your heads and be of good comfort. I love you.

March 7, 2016 Easter

Creation is father to the Fall; and by the Fall came mortality and death; and by Christ came immortality and eternal life. If there had been no Fall of Adam, by which cometh death, there could have been no Atonement of Christ, by which cometh life (Bruce R. McConkie).

So there we see how important the fall of Adam and Eve really is.  You know they were innocent not knowing right from wrong, therefore they could not have kids because they didn't know how to. So when they partook they were given knowledge so they made mortality possible!!! Ahhhh mind blown!!!!!  Because they partook of the fruit they made it possible for all of us including Christ to come to earth and because Christ came he preformed the atonement where he suffered for our sins. Making it possible to return to live with God again.

So Easter is coming up don't think of flowers candy and the Easter bunny. Think of Christ and all he did for you.

I'll write more next week. Serve others - think of who you could serve and serve them. like Pokemon trainer says on super smash brothers brawl, "go for it!"

Elder Walker

            

February 29, 2016 Service in Phoenix, AZ

Hey y'all how's it goin? Random quote of the day " Love BIG, play HARD & eat DESSERT. Savor the simple things and don't worry about the rest. Choose today to be AMAZING!"

I read that on a paper towel so I write it down because it was cool. We had a zone conference where our mission president shared a story.

"There once was a boy named Benjamin. Benjamin loved to play his violin. Well he loved it so much that his mom would lock it away so he would do his chores on the farm. Once his chores were done he would play the beautiful violin. He got so good he auditioned for a symphony and was they were so impressed with his ability to play that he got a job where he would make enough money for himself and have enough to send home to the family too. Benjamin thought his life was made that's when his bishop called him into his office and asked him to accept a mission call. Benjamin ran home and told his mother, she was delighted but when he told her of the expenses her smile faded. They had nothing but land to sell and Benjamin would not let her sell the land. They had one thing to sell one thing that meant soooo much to him. The only thing they had that would cover the finances was Benjamin's beautiful violin.

Benjamin records in his journal "I woke up early and played my violin all day long I played wonderful melodies and played late into the night where the light grew too Dim for me to play anymore so I put away my violin knowing that in the morning I would not see it anymore.

Well he went on his mission and over 40 years later recorded in his journal " I am so great full I made that sacrifice and gave up something that was so dead to my heart for the God that I love even more."

Wow what a powerful statement what a great story. Now you know I am serving my mission in the Scottsdale Arizona mission where I am currently serving in Mesa. I was called to a marvelous work and a wonder to help "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

So my commitment to you to think about and ponder today and throughout your life "WHAT IS YOUR SACRIFICE FOR THE GOD YOU LOVE EVEN MORE?"

Now mission update this week was slow. We worked hard! we peddled hard, we biked, we sweat, it was in the 80's and 90's this week so biking was a blast you know (it was no sweat) Hahaha little humor well Sunday was our stake conference and 2 of the members in one of the wards I am serving in were translating English into Spanish. It was cool. The talks were great I sang in the stake choir we sang "this is the Christ" and I believe in Christ those 2 songs were sung with conviction and power it was truly amazing singing and feeling the spirit of music I love music.

We also got to do a HUGE service project. The Phoenix marathon was on Saturday and guess what station I get put at? none!!! I got to do garbage. Now man I have so much more compassion on garbage men. It is a nasty job. The liner would fall into the trash can and people would still put stuff in the garbage so we'd have to put a liner over the top of the whole garbage can and flip it upside down and dump the trash in and then put the liner with the garbage back in the can.

Now a little bit of math for y'all 15,000 runners and plus their families that is a TON of people!!!! And a TTTOOONNNN OF GARBAGE!!!!!! Now let's see 10 garbage cans and 6 of us at trash we would go around to all 10 garbage cans and if they were full we would tie it up pull it out of the can and have to walk it to a little cart that loaded up the trash and took it to a dumpster. Now it was crazy there was a lot of nasty food there was Famous Dave's, kneaders French toast, muscle milk with buff dudes and nasty girls handing out muscle milk, there was creamies oh man we would load up the little golf cart full of full bags of garbage and take them to the dumpster. When we got to the dumpsters we would have to throw the bags into the dumpster and sometimes the liners weren't strong enough so when we would throw the garbage the bags would sometimes blow open and cover us in melted creamies, Mac and cheese, Famous Dave’s barbecue sauce, kneaders syrup, and muscle milk!!! Nasty we were covered in nasty garbage.

we started at 6:30 A.M and got done at 2:00 P.M. We got 4 things of Gatorade concentrate kneaders gave us 25 14" x 6" trays of French toast and a ton of syrup and muscle milk gave us like 68 protein shakes which is a ton of money like a TON!!! So helped out got free stuff got to learn a lot about garbage and how oblivious people really are.

So had a good week full of service on Saturday and stake conference on Sunday I got to go to a Spanish baptism where I couldn't understand them but I could feel the spirit. So that was cool and yeah you are caught up on my life now.

Peace for now!!!!

Love you so much!!!!

-Elder Walker

February 22, 2016 Short Post

Well work is going well we found 2 less active families who we are working with!! :D we are trying to get them back to the temple and they are really prepared and I am super excited!!!

Love you,
Elder Walker

February 15, 2016 Bomber Week

Oh my heck Friday we went to this investigator named James house so his wife answers the door and we say is James here. she goes yeah!!! So James comes out, mind you I've never ever met this dude. He comes to the door and he is JACKED OUT OF HIS FREAKING MIND!!!!!!! This guy is 5 foot 9 and he is 240 POUNDS OF PURE MUSCLE!!!!! he is huge he says "when you want to come by or want to do service come by, we'll have a lesson well do service I'll cook up some steaks." This guy was like "if anybody messes with you, you tell me because I'm the guy who messes people up who mess with my missionaries!!!" Hahahaha we were like "bro I bet you could mess them up your freaking jacked!!! And he was like dude I'm out of shape!!!" He used to do professional boxing and used to make a 7 figure salary! He has trained missionaries after their mission for UFC and boxing.

So about the mission we have A LOT TO DO!!!!!!! It is pretty hard because work has been backed up for so long. in our area there are 260+ potential investigators who might want to hear the gospel. A potential investigator is someone who once made contact with the missionaries maybe on the street or at a booth or somewhere but either they don't answer the door or the missionary never goes by. So they never get taught a lesson. So we have to find out if they are still interested or if they even live there and here are over 260 houses we have to go by. we have lots of work.

our mission is making a push to teach member missionary lessons so what that is, is they are short little 10 -15 minute lessons where we teach members of the church to do missionary work. It ranges anywhere from using social media, to creating a mission plan, to inviting someone to church or to meet with missionaries. So it goes over a lot and it will be for about a year.

So Guys I have 2 commitments for you. Will you individually and as a family pray for opportunities to do missionary work? The hardest part about doing missionary work is opening your mouth. So my 2nd commitment is Will you pray as individuals as well as a family to have the courage to open your mouths when the opportunities arise to do missionary work?

I can promise you that as you pray for opportunities to do missionary work that they will come your way and it is a promise over and over in the scriptures that as you "treasure up in your mind continually the words of life it shall be given you what you shall say" also "take ye no thought beforehand what he shall say"

It is my testimony that God lives. God the eternal father lives! And loves us. I testify that Jesus Christ is the savior and redeemer of mankind, he bled and died for us so that we may return to live with him again, and that without his sacrifice we would not make it to

heaven. I know Joseph smith was a prophet he was called of God to restore Christ's church here upon the earth once again. I know that I have been called to Arizona to this great work so that I can further the work of the kingdom of God here upon the earth. I know from personal experience that as you pray for opportunities to do missionary work Heavenly Father will throw experiences your way. I know that he Holy Ghost will promo you on what to say. So listen to the holy host listen to the promptings of the spirit but more than listening you must act. A wise missionary I know once said "the more you act on a spiritual prompting, the more spiritual promptings you will receive." I have a testimony of prayer I know that prayer is the way we communicate to God and that God hears every prayer you pray to him and he not only hears them but he answers them but God will answer prayers it may not be at the time you want him to and it might not even be the way you want it but God is all knowing and all powerful he has a plan and knows what is best for us. I leave my testimony with you In The name of my savior, redeemer and brother, Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Walker