November 14, 2011

Bonjour Famille, how is everything going? Well things are going great - just living life as a missionary, working hard and having fun. We have had a good week. We have also had a couple of miracles. The work is starting to pick up...This week we have fixed two baptism dates with our investigators. One - his name is Luis and he is half French and half Portuguese. He came into the visitor center one day and we started to teach him. Then we went on an exchange with the zone leaders and Elder Tehaai fixed the date with him for Dec 3rd. Actually, Luis is the one who fixed the date for the 3rd so we are going to work with him and try to get him ready by then. He is good though. He told us that he wants to change his life so he came to learn more about Jesus Christ. He is pretty cool. We will hopefully see him this week to get him ready for the 3rd. The other baptism date is a guy named Juan. He is from Ecuador and is now here in Paris. He is pretty cool. We taught him a while back in my 1st transfer in Paris. Then he left on vacation and had work and then it was just complicated. But we got a hold of him and started teaching him again. We fixed a baptism date with him for the 3rd of December also. So things are starting to pick up here. So those are a couple of miracles we have had here. This week also we had my last zone conference and we had Elder Kopishkie of the 7O’s come and speak to us. It was such a great conference. All he brought was his scriptures and at the first of the meeting he told us to write down a question. Then after we wrote it down he told us that we just set the theme for the conference. He promised us that if we pay attention and think about that question that it would be answered in this conference. So then he just talked for the first part. We talked a lot about the spirit. Then after the lunch break he talked about desire, and what desire really is. It was good. After the conference my mind was finished. He blew my mind out of the water. It was good and he talked about how god answers the desires of our hearts and he asked us what we each desire. He asked, “Have you ever desired to know what your mission president sees for you or what God sees for you in the future?” All in all it was a great zone conference and I will have to go back and look at my notes, but in the end he was right! My questions were answered. He told us also that we can do this at church. If we have a question and write it down on a piece of paper and then go to church and think about the question, ponder and listen carefully. That question will be answered. The answer may never be said by someone, but it will be answered never the less. So it was a great conference. Well, so that was the highlight of our week. Our investigators are doing all great also. Our mother, Graciela, is doing great. She reads 3 chapters in The Book of Mormon every day and she even went to church when she was visiting her husband down south. She is doing great and she even told her daughter that she will be baptized. Cherif, our friend from Egypt, is doing ok. We haven’t seen him in a while. He came to English class though, but we haven’t seen him this week. We will call him and see how he is doing. Things are going great though. We have been getting some new investigators and things seem to be going pretty great. So we are happy about that. Well family, I love you and hope things are going great. Well, after this I will only have one e-mail left. The mission has been a life changing event that I would never trade for anything in the world. I met new people and friends from all over the world - from America to France to South America to Africa to Egypt to China. I will never forget the stories and the times I have had - the good and the bad. I have learned a lot about our Lord and Redeemer and I still have much to learn. It is a lifelong process. This has been something that I know has changed my life and I want to thank you all. All my family, friends, members - everyone. If it weren’t for you and your testimonies I don’t know where I would be in my life. You all have played a major role in my life and it is something I am truly grateful for. Thank you! You all mean a lot to me and I wouldn’t change it for anything. You all have been a blessing in my life. I will never forget this place and the great times I have had serving the Lord. It has truly been the best two years. Well, next week will be the last e-mail. Then I will shortly be seeing you. I love you and I will talk and see you next week. BYE

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TTFN LOVE ELDER WALKER