Dear Shanell,

Happy New Year! Our mission is having a New Years Eve party tonight. It should be fun.

We had some changes come up with the baptisms we had planned. We had committed this one family to baptism on Saturday the 28th and when we went back yesterday, Mrs. Snell said, "I have prayed about it and the answer is no." Well, I almost went into shock! We continued to give the 5th discussion and towards the end of it we asked her what kind of feelings she had after praying. She said she felt good on Saturday night when she prayed, but on Sunday morning she had "feelings of contention telling her not to have us come back again. It was so neat to hear that. We quickly explained and asked her if she prayed Sunday morning when those bad feelings came. She said no. We then explained to her that until the family is baptized, they cannot have the Holy Ghost all the time. Only if someone else brings it in or to answer prayers and that she needs to pray, with the rest of the family often to keep Satan out. By the time we got back into the discussion, their 2nd oldest daughter came running in crying and then the dad rushed out. Apparently, her old boyfriend hit her in the stomach and all his friends were giving her heaps of garbage. Elder Adams and I were just getting ready to go help Mr. Snell work them over, but they got away. Mr. Snell had a hold of the window, but fell and scraped his hands and knee rather bad. He then came back in the house and the boys rang up to apologize, but Mr. Snell told them to come to the house and apologize. It was a mess! This family is facing a lot of opposition. They will still be baptized on the 15th though. I know it. The sister missionaries have been working with them since last January and once taught 4 discussions. I am District Leader now with Elder Adams so we asked permission to go in and work with them. We committed them to baptism. Actually, the Spirit did, but we helped a bit.

Being on a bicycle keeps me fit. There are heaps of hills around here. I hope you have a good week!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Well, I still have my companion with a fried brain. I will be staying here and transfers are today. I already know I will be staying. I am happy. We have 6 people we are teaching now.

Last night Elder Toi and Adams and Sisters Peterken and Benson all went caroling. The first lady we went to was an elderly lady and she started to cry! She said it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. It gives such a great feeling to make people happy like that. I think it is times like this that make missions all worthwhile. Too bad Christmas only comes once a year.

Our mission has our Christmas party today and our mission president is going to make us wear our suits instead of jeans and t-shirts. I guess he has his reasons. It sure doesn't seem like Christmas here. It is hot and there is no snow. We are still working toward a "white Christmas". Hopefully, we can have a baptism.

The members here are kind of going crazy. We have been to 2 tea dates (dinner) and Elder Ottley belched through both of them. When we were caroling, he asked to use our investigators' bathrooms. It is slowly driving me insane. I can handle it though, I hope. The other night I was talking with him and I found out that he hears voices. I asked him what the voices say and he said, "They call my name and they tell me I'm standing in cement". I'm going to chat with President Wells about it today.

Have a nice week!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

It has been about 6 months wince anyone has taught a family in this area and we are doing it now! The family's name is the Tamarapa family. They are islanders from New Zealand. They are a super family! I am looking forward to to Friday when we teach them again!

Instead of giving out Book of Mormons, we have been asked to sell them. They cost $2.30 each and I can't afford it like many others. We have been asking the members in this ward to help, but they aren't helping much at all. I am going to write to my home ward to see if they could donate enough for a case of Book of Mormons. It is really sad to see the members not doing their best. The bishop is really hesitant to give us money to buy Book of Mormons and I wish he would talk to the members more.

I wish I could have seen President Kimball's funeral. I loved that prophet so much. He went through so much. President Benson will do super, too. I know he is a prophet called of God!

Today is p-day and I just cleaned and rearranged our bedroom. Elder Ottley is still having problems. At members' homes, he asks them their names about 4 times. His memory is terrible.

I appreciate your support and encouragement!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I drew this picture and our zone leaders were so impressed, so I put a caption to it and titled it "President Wells".

President Wells gave me a new companion. I am a senior companion now. My companion is Elder Ottley and he has some real problems.  He spends 1/5 of his time on the toilet. He goes to the bathroom 4-5 times every 2 hours. He also makes rude noises at members, but President Wells and I are going to work on him. His mind is wasted from drugs before his mission. Another trial of faith. I guess the Lord wants me to grow. 

Today was Wednesday (p-day) and we had a zone Thanksgiving dinner and played softball and football (American football). It was quite fun! We got to kind of "let our hair down" today. We made pyramids of people and just goofed off. Tomorrow is zone conference and it should be neat. Elder Toi, Elder Adams, Elder Ottley, Sister Peterken, and Sister Benson and I are going to sing tomorrow at zone conference. We are singing "The First Noel". I sing bass with Elder Adams. Elder Adams and I are best friends. I am closer to him that I was with Jesse. Jesse is still a great friend, but it means so much to have a friend that shares the same goals and values. Elder Adams is from Idaho Falls. He is a great guy!

Thanks for all you do to support me.

Love,

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I had a great experience. The Spirit told me one night at about 12:30 am to go give a blessing to one of the sister missionaries who suffers extremely from hay fever. I woke up my companion and I got dressed in my suit and he threw on some jeans and a t-shirt to give a blessing. Anyway, we woke her up and my companion anointed and I acted as the instrument of God in giving a blessing. I was scared! I didn't know what I was going to say, but after I started, the Spirit put words in my mouth! She was promised in the blessing that God would not let her suffer as long as she was in His service according to her faith. The next day, she did not suffer at all! The priesthood heals! I know it! It was humbling to be able to act in God's name. I love my mission! I hate to say that I felt pushed to go on a mission--from you, my family and your family. But, I'm so thankful I was pushed. Transfers are coming up in about 6 days. I'm hoping to be made a trainer.

Thank you again for your support!
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I'm receiving letters quite regularly now that the strike is over. I'm not sure if I told you, but we got our 30 hours tracting and gave away 16 Books of Mormon. That was the best in the mission! President Wells was very pleased!

My companion, Elder Ballew, and I are getting along great now. He doesn't like this area though. I love it! Sometimes I think there is nothing interesting happening here and then when I go to write it down, it seems a lot more interesting.

You are a great strength to me. Thank you for your support!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

Mission life is great now that I have a companion that wants to work!  He's from Texas and he is a pretty good guy!We have a goal of door-knocking more hours than any other companionship from October 28 to November 3! With the Lord's help, we can do it! There are discouragements out here. I appreciate the poem about not quitting! It says, "When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, when the road you're traveling seems all uphill, when the funds are low and the debts are high, and you want to smile, but you have to sigh. When cares are pressing you down a bit, rest if you must, but don't you quit!" It has helped me a lot! I guess if we didn't have the bad times, we would not appreciate the good. We just had our two investigators ask us not to bother coming back. We are still going back to one of them. We don't give up that easy.

Nobody back there has been writing to me. The only people still writing to me is my family, Carmacks, Randalls, and occasionally, your family. I guess everyone is pretty busy. I really do wish the members would take time out and write though! Maybe a mission shows who your true friends are.

The weather is starting to warm up here. We are just going into summer. It will be weird to spend Christmas in the summer. I really enjoy reading my scriptures and am in Corinthians now. Today we had a correlation meeting with the ward mission leader and we straightened out the area handbook. Today has been busy! I loved it! We tried to get a hold of some people named Bob and Alice Rose to invite them to church. They weren't home so we left a note saying we would drop by tomorrow.

I appreciate all the support you give me. I love my mission and know the church is true!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Thank you for the goodies! My companion is still Elder Pruett and he is dead against tracting, or any other type of work. I've gotten him out a couple of times, but he's not very cooperative in that way. All he wants to do is listen to music and read his Sports Illustrated. Right now he is listening to "Born in the USA". We aren't supposed to listen to rock music, but he gets sick of me putting in my Mormon Tabernacle Choir tape. It is rather frustrating because I want to teach and baptize people. I hope my next companion likes to work.

The people that said they would come to church didn't come and I am rather curious why. We are going to check up on that, I hope. The blind elder I told you about is now with Elder Todd Herrera. I think you know him. Elder Shawn Crosgrove is going home on Friday, October 25.

Thank you for all your support!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I haven't received letters for quite a while and just found out why. The Sydney mail system has been on strike! I will be getting a new companion in one week. My current companion has been in this area for 6 months, so he will definitely be getting moved. I really enjoyed him as a companion. I think I already will welcome this transfer though. He is Elder Pruett and he loves missionary work if you leave out the "work" part. He is a super guy, but he still doesn't like working. He is a recent convert and usually they work the hardest. Oh well.

Remember the elder I sat on? When I was with him, he would always drive and go out of our area. I explained to him that we would get our car taken away if he din't quit. Well, I found out 2 days ago that he was caught out of his area and he no longer has a car. I can't believe some of the stupid things missionaries do out here. I'm not perfect, but some missionaries go overboard! This is a pretty rowdy mission. In our district, we have a motto: "Don't be a nerd. . . be obedient". It is working well. When somebody does something not in line with the rules, we just look at them and say, "Elder, you shouldn't be a nerd!" It is working as stupid as it may seem.

We have 2 investigators and both are not progressing very well right now. Faith is the key. Well, all in all I love my mission! A mission is where I have to be now to make my Heavenly Father happy. I love serving Him and I'm grateful for your support.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I really enjoy all your letters and your support for me out here! We are teaching a lady named Allison Randall and we went to teach her again on the 10th of October, but she was gone. We have 2 people that we met knocking that said they would come to church, too! We just need to work with them. I am so excited for this work!

I have had an interesting experience that has taught me the importance of being an example. When I came to Christies beach, the area I'm in now, my new companion, Elder Pruett did not go tracting at all. He didn't study, he was always swearing and was always watching television. As you know, I got very tired of him being so lazy so I decided that since he is senior companion, I would just try to set an example. I started by praying and studying in front of him. I then suggested that we go tracting more. I also recommended that he not watch his television since it is against rules to even have one. Guess what? He is up-to-date on his scripture reading now and he doesn't swear hardly at all! He is still very reluctant to go tracting, but I'm still working on that. Being an example is probably the best way to get someone to do what's right. I'm learning heaps out here! There are a lot of rules, but I am learning obedience for sure!

I set a couple goals in October and each time I keep them, I give myself a star on a chart I made. I guess I must get a thrill from putting stars on a piece of paper! Our zone leaders came by the other day and asked me how mnay mission t-shirts I wanted. I said two. One for me and one for you! Won't that be fun!

I am trying my hardest out here! I am 100% on my mission! I love this work! I love writing in my journal and am on the 300th page. I love serving my Father in Heaven! I love Jesus Christ! I love serving in His church.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

The missionary work is picking up in this area. We taught a lady yesterday and it took 2 hours for one discussion. I thought it went really well! My companion, Elder Pruett, is still being really lazy. He is the senior companion and he doesn't like tracting so he just sits in the flat and sleeps. I'm not out here to sleep so I just read our study while he's sleeping. He will probably be getting transferred on October 24 so I'm still hoping to train a new elder. I really get along with Elder Pruett, but I hate to see a super missionary like him get lazy! He has excellent potential. Our mission president just came over yesterday morning and talked with us. He just wanted to know how we were doing.

On Wednesday, October 2, myself and Elder Adams were on our way to his flat and he was driving. He didn't see a bicyclist coming down the hill and when he went to turn, a guy ran into my side of the car and his hand came through the window and glass went in my face. Elder Adams quickly slammed on the brakes and we both got out. The guy had flipped over the car and his bicycle landed on top of him. We took the bicycle off of him and his hand was bleeding from about 75-100 cuts. His arm was definitely broken and he was in sort of a mild shock. Someone went and phoned the ambulance and while we were waiting, we put a tourniquet on his arm to stop the bleeding and just directed traffic and kept him calm. We covered him in a blanket ad then the ambulance came and took him to the hospital. The police came and Elder Adams had to give a report of what happened. I never thought I would use what I learned in scouting, but I was grateful to know what to do. We went and visited him in the hospital and he is okay. He just has a broken arm. Elder Adams asked him if he would like to know about the church and I think they are going to try to teach him What a way to ask someone the golden question. The guy's name is Keith Dalton and he is really nice. He is 20 years old. Both Elder Adams and I are okay except I have a few cuts but nothing real serious.

I guess I'll say bye for now.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Thank you for the poem you sent me. I loved it! That was one your dad used in seminary, huh. I miss his great advice and lessons! It looks like I might get to train a new missionary in about a month! I'm excited! I want to show a new missionary how to do his best and I know I would learn so much from him, too. I love my mission, my area, my companion, this great work, and our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I love all of this church! I know that Satan cannot overcome someone on the Lord's side unless we let him. Here is a quote we had to memorize in scouts: "There is no chance, no fate, no destiny, that can circumvent, change, or hinder the firm resolve of a determined soul!" This si so true! I am trying to practice this out here on my mission. It is working. Once your mind is fixed on certain goals, nothing can stop it except your own doubting!

I know that as I focus on the Lord's work, He will take care of everything else in my life. The missionary work is picking up here. We are expecting a baptism in October. We don't know who yet, but we will find someone. I have faith! I have a companion that said something really neat to me a couple days ago. I asked him if he thought that if I had enough faith to walk on water, would the Lord let me? He said something that was so simple, but yet so true. He said, "Yes, the Lord would let you, just as he would let you move a mountain, if there was a purpose; a righteous purpose. I think this is true. We need to develop and exercise our faith in ways that will help us and others grow. Christ did not just walk on water to show off. He did it to fulfill a purpose.

It is so amazing how easy the Lord makes things sometimes when it is for a good cause. Without the Lord's help, baptizing out here would be next to impossible.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I talked with President Wells the other day and he wants me to become a trainer. I am so excited and know that by being obedient to all the mission rules, I can be a good example to him.

I am reading "Jesus the Christ" and "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder" as well as the "Articles of Faith". My favorite is "Jesus the Christ". I love reading it! I just finished reading about Jesus Christ's crucifixion as told by Mark. It brings tears to my eyes when I read of the suffering He did for us. He is a great older brother and I wish I could repay Him for what He did! I also read my patriarchal blessing today. It gives me the neatest feeling inside. There is an elder here that asked me if my blessing would mean more to me if Christ himself had given it to me. I told him it would make a difference and that it means just as much done by a servant of the Lord. He could not accept that. I don't know why not. Our Heavenly Father calls the people in the church. I know it.

Have a nice week!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I've enclosed some photos of the sunsets here and thought you would like to see what sunsets in Australia look like.

I am back in Adelaide. I'm in an area called Christies Beach. Our bedroom window overlooks the ocean and it is so gorgeous! I really liked the thought you sent about prayer being a radio. That is so right! Where are you in the scriptures? I just read where Jesus chased all the money changers and others out of the temple. I also found out something new while reading. In Matthew 17:11 it mentions "Elias" and it was a small letter "a" for a footnote. When I followed it, it said to look in Joseph Smith translation. I found out that Elias and John the Baptist are the same person! I found that very interesting. The scriptures are so fun to read! 

This new area has been interesting. We have one investigator and he's not progressing very fast. It was neat hearing about the temple trip. I miss not going to the temple. I love the great spirit there. I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ and I know it is the only way to the Celestial Kingdom. I am working toward that now.

Thank you for all your encouragement and support!

Love,

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

By the time you get this letter, I will probably be back in Adelaide. There have been some problems with a companionship and I think President Wells will transfer me to Adelaide to calm things down in that particular companionship. We saw a camel train here in Alice Springs. I didn't have my camera with me though. Darn.

Things are going quite well out here. It is about 76-80 degrees and it feels great. We just had Zone Conference today and it was pretty good. It was my second Zone Conference in the last week. We have visited 2 members and an investigator. We stopped in at a leather shop and Elder Terry was looking at a sheepskin coat to buy. He and his family are so stinking rich. He is always bragging about his truck and how many cars and businesses their family runs. He always talks about how many nice things his family has in front of our members and investigators. Most of them are real poor and I don't think we are out here to flash our money around. If that is what money does to people, I would rather stick with not having that much.

You would not believe the ignorance of some people here. They give us a bunch of smart comments. This guy today pulled out in front of me and said I was an idiot. I wanted to go back and rearrange his face, but we have been told that we can't while on our missions. I'll remember that. I don't mind people yelling stupid comments, but I have had about 20 people try to run me over. Oh well. The Lord will watch over me.

I really want you to know that I know this is the only true church!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

So the Aborigines camp in the river bed. There is a river that flows through Alice Springs about one month out of the year. The rest of the time it is dry. Well, the aborigines just camp out by the trees in the river bed. They never bathe, they drink all the time, and they have a smell that won't quit. They are our Heavenly Father's children so we need to love them too, but maybe long distance. All of the aborigines that live in Alice Springs get checks from the government and it is pretty sad. The aborigines used to be a real great and hard-working people, but white man has come along and gave them a reason not to work. Some of the aboriginals here still go out hunting for kangaroos or wallabies to feed their tribe. They don't need a license to hunt here. I really think it is sad to see such a great race of people so lazy. There are still aborigines living out in the desert in the same way they have survived for thousands of years. The government has given them houses but all they do with the houses is to wreck them. They are never shown how to live in a house. Some of them have chopped up the wood floors in the homes and they have campfires in the middle of the family room. Some have lit fires inside electric stoves. That is what they think the stove is for. A lot of them knock walls out of the house so they don't have to walk around them. Pretty bizarre.

There is a lady in the branch here that has a baby red kangaroo for a pet! It is about 1 1/2 months old and it was found by her husband when he was hunting.  He had shot a mother red kangaroo and it had a very young baby in its pouch. They have raised it and are feeding it with a bottle. It thinks that June is it's mother. It is funny! Every time she holds out a pillow case, the baby kangaroo thinks it's his pouch so he jumps in it. It is so cute! They make great pets but they are really not immune to colds and pneumonia. We went over to her house last night. Her husband goes on mini-safaris and sometimes hunts a kangaroo for an old aboriginal that is too old to hunt himself. The guys name is Nick Patrick and his wife's name is June. He is going to take us out tonight when he goes.

We are working with about 5 people here and one of them should be baptized this month. It has been 2 years since Alice Springs has had a baptism. We'll hopefully change that. I know this church is true. If I didn't, I wouldn't be out here.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

It is now transfers and I have been transferred! My mailing address will remain the same. I am being transferred to a place called Alice Springs. It is in the middle of Australia! Very dry and very hot! Yes, I will finally get a tan! I'll draw you a map and show you where I've been so far. We are going into spring here and it is really nice weather! I will probably be in Alice Springs for the next 4 to 6 months.

Right now I am with Elder Larson. He just got his wisdom teeth pulled an hour ago and his mouth is full of cotton. I will be staying here until Saturday, August 31, until my plane is scheduled to take me up there. It should be neat! 

I think I told you about our baptism on the 25th of August. We baptized Inatio Ben that Sunday! It was neat! The bishop of the ward was mad at us because he had to come out of his youth council meeting to welcome Inatio into the ward. Crazy! Having a new person in God's kingdom is a lot more important than a meeting. I am enjoying my mission, but the church does not operate as smoothly here in Australia as it does in America! Don't take the church for granted! It runs so much better at home though. It is still the true church, but the people need to get their act together and do things the right way. I love teaching people and bringing them to the true church. I love our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father! I love Joseph Smith and all he did for us! I love President Kimball and I know he is a man called by God! The church is true and I know it. 

I loved your last letters! They gave me such a lift. By the way, the blind elder is doing great! I won't be serving with him any more, but he is doing well.

Love, 

Elder Wallentine 

Dear Shanell,

My companion, Elder Cash, is getting a little better after I sat on him and told him I wouldn't get off until everything was solved! Only 4 days left until our baptism! I am excited! The days go much faster if you work hard out here! I think I already told you that I got to shake President Harris' hand yesterday. He as the neatest spirit about him. I dream of being like that! I would love to be a general authority later in life!

It is kind of funny, I can picture my dad as a General Authority. I love my father so much! I wish I would've showed it to him more often! Don't let a day go by where you don't tell your parents how much you love them.

The missionary work is going forth with tremendous power, but it could use a little more speed! I am well! In fact, "If I was any happier, I couldn't stand it." This is a quote by President Harris! The new discussions are quite fun to give. I love them. By the time 2 months is past, we won't hardly need any notes. They are excellent discussions thought. It gets about 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit here in the summer and very humid. I have taken a lot of pictures on my mission. I want to turn them into a slide show when I get home. That would be fun!

I was reading in the scriptures where Jesus says that John will never die, but will remain on the earth until the Second Coming. That is so neat! What a great blessing to be given, huh.

You would not believe how guys treat girls over here! None of them open doors for them and all the guys here act like they are doing the girl a favor by going out with them. How stupid!

We are going to do laundry and then play racquetball. Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I got yours, Wendy's, and David's letters today. They sure gave me a boost! Thank you for telling David to write. I appreciated his letter. I was beginning to wonder if he had forgotten me or what! I received the cookies you sent. They were all whole and delicious!

Are you ready for this now? Gather your family around again! We have another baptism on this next Sunday! His name is Inatio Ben and he is Gilbertese. That is like Samoan except from the Gilbert Islands. He is so cool! With that baptism on August 25, we might be able to get his wife baptized also! I hope and pray we can. She is super neat, too. They aren't actually officially married until August 24, so we can't baptize them until the 25th. This next baptism will be counted as my 5th baptism in 5 months. That is quite good for this mission. Actually though, it is not my baptism! It is the Lord's. I just helped Him.

I do know Sister Cottrell. I met her at a meeting today. I guess her parents and yours are good friends! She is a good missionary. My companion told President Wells that I am too pushy of a junior companion. I told him that he needs to do what he is supposed to if he doesn't want me to do everything. He is so lazy! The blind elder is actually only 90% blind. He is a great guy! He likes me a lot and we get along great! He does not like our other companion too well.

Elder Harris, the General Authority, came and spoke to us today at 8:30 am. It was so neat! I got to shake his hand and you can feel the Spirit so strong around that man. He is so neat! When I left that meeting, I felt like going out and converting the world! He is a man of God! I should be getting transferred on the 28th of August. It would be nice to have a change!

I am so happy to be out here on a mission serving the Lord! It is so neat! I can't wait to get to heaven and to embrace those people that I helped bring into the gospel again. "How great shall be your joy!" The church is true and Spencer W. Kimball is a true prophet of God today and Jesus Christ did atone for our sins so we can be forgiven! I know that God lives! Thank you for the person you are!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

We are getting a new elder in our companionship. His name is Elder Greene and he is blind. We will be in a threesome until August 29 and then I will be getting transferred. It should be neat being with a blind elder. Missionary work has slowed down now and we are not teaching as many people. Remember when I told you a while back that myself and Elder Dalrymple got "Top Companionship" for baptisms in June or May? Well, my last companion, Elder Fusselman, and myself got "Top Companionship" for teaching the most discussions out of the whole mission. Pretty neat, huh!

Do you remember Elder James? He was my companion in the MTC. He has been telling members here that we did not get along in the MTC and he is making it look like it is all my fault. I'm going to call and talk to him about it soon. I can't believe him. I guess I need to forgive him and just make sure I don't do the same thing. It is nothing I can't handle with the help of the Lord, right.

We taught a discussion yesterday to a lady who has the Jehovah Witnesses come around on Wednesday. They are teaching her how to use the Bible. She was telling us the other day that the JW were telling her that we are evil. She told them that we were nice YM and that if they were going to talk about us that way, they could leave! She is so nice! She lets the JW's over to teach her about the Bible, but she has told us that she doesn't believe a lot of things they teach. We believe that it is helping her to have them over because now she can recognize when the Spirit tells her something is wrong just as He tells her that we're right and true! The Spirit is a missionary's best teaching aid and friend! Without the Spirit, we could rattle on all day and never get any where!

We have a lady--the one we baptized about a week ago--and her husband has this super cool shirt. I was telling her one day how much I liked it and when I went over there a couple days later, they had bought me one. It is a $40 shirt! It is excellent.

I love your letters and the support you are giving me. I am working hard!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

We are doing great! We had our baptism and I cannot believe how strong the spirit was there! Elder Byington, a real good friend from Ririe, Idaho, baptized her and I confirmed her. I didn't even know what I was going to say until I started the prayer. Then every word just rolled forth so easily. I can't even remember now what was said! The Spirit does take over in things like that! He did it yesterday at the baptism! We have about 9 families in our teaching pool at this time. That is the best in the zone!!!

My new companion, Elder Cash, is weird, but I'm trying to show brotherly love. I know this is a test! Right now I am doing laundry. I sewed my first hole in my socks the other day. That is a major operation for me! I also sewed my pants where they started ripping. I can also iron my shirts super good now! I'm going to make a good wife someday, huh!

My mission is going great! It is so neat to make people happy and to see the Spirit radiate from their faces after receiving the Holy Ghost! They are so happy! We have a new sister missionary. Now, both of them are about 5' 0"! You can imagine the fun I have singing the song "Short People". My companion is super short, too.

I care for you so much! I'm grateful for your support!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

How are you doing? I have a new companion. His name is Elder Cash. I can tell that this is going to be a long month! He has 15 months left. Thank you for the leaf from the Sacred Grove. I loved it!

Are you ready for the big news!!! First of all, gather your family around so you can all rejoice with me! We have a baptism on Tuesday, August 6! Her name is Diane Lee and she is excellent! That will be my 4th baptism in 4 months! The average is 2.5 per missionary per mission here. I've almost doubled that! I am going to be the top baptizer by the time I leave! If all goes well, we should get at least one more baptism this month. Isn't that exciting!! It is so neat to see people you grow to know and love join the true church and kingdom of God! I love it out here!

I grew to love my second companion, Elder Fusselman, very much! We will have a strong relationship forever. We have a forever-lasting friendship now. We hated each other our first week together, but we got to know each other and now we are best friends! There is a saying that says it all: "There are two kinds of people in the world; the ones you love, and the ones you don't know."

I guess I just don't know Elder Cash yet! I am trying hard to love him though. We have a goal of 3 baptisms for this month and I hope and pray that we get them! It won't be easy. I might get to be a trainer next month or in August. I hope so! I think I would be a good one. I know I can do it.

The new discussions are really neat! It is neat to not have to memorize. It isn't any easier on us though. We have to concentrate on getting the spirit of the Holy Ghost there. I am so grateful that I came on a mission during this time! I am sincerely happy to be on my mission. It isn't easy, but I know that I am doing what is right! There is no way I would quit now. I am receiving blessings all over!

Shanell, the church is true! Jesus is our Savior! God and Jesus Christ live with real bodies today. All the prophets from Joseph to Spencer W. Kimball were called of God! I know these things are true!

Thank you for encouraging me to come out here. I am thankful for your support!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

How are you doing? I'm doing great! We have three new people in our teaching pool. All of them are doing quite well. I am trying to learn the new discussions. They aren't very hard to learn, but there is a lot of information to accumulate. It should be pretty hard for me because I don't have very many brains to store the information in!

South Australia is going to be 150 years old in 1986! They will probably have a great big party here in the city for it! In the town square, there is a big marble thing that says "Only 6 months to go!" The whole city is counting down the months until 1986! I'll get lots of pictures while I'm out here. What did you think of the giant rocking horse? Pretty neat, huh.

In the letter-writing contest you are still winning. My family has 23 and you have 28. Please write again soon.

Love,

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

As you know by now, I don't have a bicycle anymore. Oh well! Life goes on in the mission field! We do have the new discussions and they are definitely different! It will be a unique experience to teach with them. We are not using them until August 1, 1985.

I have written almost 2 pages in my journal every day! Not bad, eh! I hope you are writing in your journal very often. Some people use the excuse that nothing exciting ever happens to them. Well, I can assure you that if you write every day, your life is exciting. I'm not lecturing you because you are the person that got me writing in my journal again!

We got two new investigators! One is named Jeff and the other is named Lynn. They are both interested, but Jeff asks questions like, "Where did God come from" and "If God is perfect, why did He create sin through Satan?" Well, we know the answers, but it is hard to explain them without talking an hour on it. He loves to argue! The missionary work is going quite well in Australia. We are all still alive.

You're the best support I could ever have.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hello Shanell,

On Wednesday night we took Inatio Ben to an open house at the mission home. It was really good! We borrowed the AP's car and picked him up. He enjoyed that. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he would read in it. His is from the Gilbert Islands which are SW of Hawaii and NE of Samoa.

We celebrated the 4th of July by going to the Buroughway's house and having a pizza party! They don't really celebrate Independence Day in Australia. The US is 209 years old today! At the party a fat lady from a crazy gram place showed up and stripped down to a swim suit in front of Elder Byington. She was sent by Susan Burroughway, one of the girls that lives in the house, to embarrass him. It was highly inappropriate and he was embarrassed.

On Friday the day was not going so well. My companion got a flat, nobody would talk to us, none of our call-backs were successful, and we got more garbage from people than ever. Then at 4 pm we visited an investigator named Diane. It was good to talk to someone friendly. At 7 pm we went to Inatio Ben's and taught him the 3rd discussion. His wife, Lyn, also listened in and even her son, Andrew. That shocked me! He is very polite, but he is in a hard-rock band called "Delusion" and has real long hair. He showed a little interest, so that was cool. When we were teaching Inatio, he said, "I know I will join this church. I feel it is the right way." Elder Fusselman and I jut about dropped our jaws! Inatio has already stopped drinking alcohol and coffee and he is trying to stop smoking. We haven't even gotten to the discussion on the Word of Wisdom yet, and he is already trying to live it. We talked to him about tithing, too. They asked questions about tithing and polygamy and we answered them and they seemed pleased.

On Saturday we visited the Ben family again. The we dropped Elder Fusselman and Byington off at the Lees to teach and then Elder Call and I drove to downtown Adelaide. After we picked up Fuss and By we all went down to Hindly Street just to see what people here do on the weekends.

On Sunday Inatio said he would be baptized! We are so excited! He will be the first person who I started with and ended with baptism. He thinks his wife will follow, too. We had dinner with the Hortons and then played UNO with them. Then we went to Jasna's house and played a game with Jasna, Debbie, and Morven. Debbie and Morven are brats. Morven slapped me for no reason and I was ticked off.

On Tuesday we had a tea date at Sister Hayes home. The McCallisters (the senior couple) and Sisters Grey and Gardikis were also there. It was a great meal with chicken, veggies, potatoes, and peach cobbler. Elder Fusselman got a letter from President Wells saying that a member told on us for buying Coke, but we didn't.

It is getting chilly at nights here. Sometimes it gets windy


A while back I was struggling with mission life and felt like I just wanted to quit and go home. That has all changed and I want to stay here and keep teaching the gospel! I am in the greatest mission in the world and I'm so happy to be out here. I owe you more thanks than I could ever give to you! Thank you for encouraging me to serve a mission and supporting me.

Here's our theme for July: Baptize!! Don't stay dry in July!!



Remember the baptism we had scheduled for July 16th? Well, we were teaching him and his wife the law of chastity and we found out that they weren't married. We asked them if they want to get married and they said, "Yes". So, they are applying for marriage tomorrow, but they have to wait for one month to get married. We have postponed the baptism until August. That is too bad. He was excited and so were we.

We got the new discussions on Friday and they are pretty neat. I think they are much improved. I am so thankful that I will be one of the first chosen to use them. They are truly inspired.

Have a good week!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

For p-day last week we did our laundry and then lifted weights and played racquetball. Then we sat in a hot tub. It felt nice. At noon we had a trade-off and Elder Larsen went with Elder Fusselman to play cricket and I went with Elder Hendrix to chop some wood for an elderly lady. She tried to pay us, but we told her cookies and pop would be enough. It felt so good serving her! I had a great time chopping wood with Elder Hendrix. He is a great elder! After we left there we went shopping at Rundle Mall which is a giant outdoor mall with outside escalators. We had a district meeting later and it was good! I am having a hard time out here. Missions are not easy and I've wanted to come home many times. I talked to President and Sister Wells about that problem and the helped me come to the conclusion that I should take one week at a time and see how I feel. I love my mission, I just feel very down and depressed right now. We went tracting for an hour today and taught one discussion to Hoa, Chung, and Hien. They are Vietnamese and don't speak much English. We also got one new investigator whose name is Karen. She is living with her boyfriend's family and wants to take the discussions.

On Friday I set a goal to get along well with all of my companions. I know this will help me in all aspects of my life. Elder Fusselman and I went tracting and got 3-4 call-back appointments. Then we taught a discussion to Karen.and the Spirit was there.

On Sunday we took the Sacrament to Grahm in her home and went to visit Lilly. She is the lady that has the friend that told her not to read the Book of Mormon. She asked us not to come back, but when we went there she invited us in. It was nice talking to her and I think she'll let us come back.  We also ate tea at the Griffins and it was great! Then we taught the "Ben" family and showed them "Families Are Forever". They enjoyed it.

Monday was "motivation day" to motivate every companionship to baptize in July! That is the mission goal. We had some other elders over to have breakfast together and everyone helped. We played softball and soccer and then had homemade root beer and sloppy joes at the party. It was fun! After we ate, we had a bunch of skits put on by each zone. Ours went quite well. We did a skit of 2 greenie missionaries learning about how the mission is really run. We used slides with it. It was quite funny! After the skits, we watched "Victory". It was an excellent movie! We ended the day by teaching the Ben family the 2nd discussion and having tea. It went well.

We weeded Jasna's front yard and visited Karen and Josey on Tuesday.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

For P-day last week, Elder Call and I played squash and lifted weights. Then we sat in a hot tub and talked with about 8 other city elders here in Adelaide. Then we went and played Cricket and basketball. Later we had a district meeting and then we cooked dinner for Sisters Grey and Gardikis. After dinner Elder Fusselman and I went on trade-offs with 2 of the men in the ward. We visited part-member families and inactives. It was fun!

Thursday evening we had tea at Morven's house. It was great! We had shishkabobs, soup, and cake. We scared Morven twice that night. We also had scones or biscuits at Debbie's house. That same night when we arrived back at the flat. Morven and Debbie were waiting for us. They wanted counsel again. We tried to explain that they need to talk to the bishop instead. We told them a couple of our feelings and they finally left. Debbie falls in love with the missionaries. It is sickening. She fell in love with my companion and has become a nuisance.

On Saturday we tracted for an hour and a half in the morning and from 12:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon. We taught one discussion to a girl named Trudy who is down in Adelaide visiting her grandma. She is from Victoria. That one discussion made the whole day worthwhile and I'm glad we could give her a brief introduction to the gospel. We got yelled at by a Russian guy for about 20 minutes and by a husband and wife, too. Then we had an interesting conversation with a Jehovah Witness couple at their door. I am so glad I have the church to guide me because the world has some warped ideas of what the scriptures mean.

There was a farewell on Sunday for a guy named Andrew Pryor. It reminded me of my farewell. Usually we go administer the sacrament to Grahm, who has arthritis and can't come to church, but she wasn't home. The ward mission leader got mad at us for skipping Sunday School, but we were talking to a member about an investigator they had for us. President Wells has told us we should focus on finding people to teach, so the mission leader was out of line. That night we visited the Hortons and had tea with them and then went and visited Grahm. Elder Fusselman's tire got a flat again, so we had to walk the 1 1/2 miles home to fix it.

We had a busy day on Monday. We went to Jasna's house for breakfast and bought a tire repair kit. Then the zone leaders, Elders Yeager and Kittle, came over and we went with them to teach a lady who was the sister of David James, one of my Whyalla investigators. After teaching her the first discussion, we went knocking doors. We visiting a super funny member named Desi Hannett. He trimmed my hair and laughed and talked with us. Then we went to tea at Sister Hay's house and met the McCallisters, the senior missionaries, and the sister missionaries there. It was an excellent dinner! Sister Roper told Sister Hay that I eat a lot. Oh brother! After that we visited a non-progressing investigator, Margaret. She is nice, but won't commit to baptism because she is too busy to attend meetings and won't do anything unless she is wholeheartedly into it. She will be a challenge. We also went to a 6 year old's birthday party and gave him a card with a dollar taped to it. He liked it! Then we went back to Jasna's for their FHE and played games and ate cookies and chips. It was a fun day!

On Tuesday we taught Cindy Senior the second discussion and started off with the filmstrip "Families are Forever" with the song "I'll Build You a Rainbow". The Spirit was so strong! I cannot express the neat feeling that was there! I have felt the Spirit today like no other time in my life! It was excellent!

I love the scripture in Nephi about the Lord preparing a way for us to accomplish the things He has commanded us! I want to develop that kind of faith in Heavenly Father.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

On Thursday I got on a bus at 8 am and arrived in Prospect, a suburb of Adelaide, at about 2 pm. We had a transfer meeting and I got to meet Elder Fusselman. He is super cool!

The next day I found out that Elder Fusselman can cook quite well. We had a great breakfast. I am excited about serving in this area. We went tracting and also visited some members. We gave a couple of kids, Micky and Gradonna, who are member kids, rides on our bicycles. Micky, the 6 year old, got his foot caught in Elder Fussy's spokes and he screamed very loud. He was okay, though.

On Saturday we tracted to a lady named Anne. My companion mentioned something about her being psychic, but I thought he was kidding. Then she started telling me weird stuff about something being a barrier to me in my life. She asked if anything in my life had disturbed me. It was like she was understanding my anxieties and fears. I'm not sure what to think about it. I wonder if God could have possibly given her that ability. There wasn't a bad feeling there at the time, but more like peace and sincerity.

On Sunday we had a lot of meetings. I don't want to sound rebellious, but I sometimes wonder if my time could be better spent tracting and finding people to teach than sitting in meetings. I do try to learn from others in the meetings, though. We ate dinner at the Griffin's home and watch "Cipher in the Snow". That was the first time I saw it and it was very sad!

On Monday Elder Fussy and I went out knocking. We knocked a street that only had 4 houses on it and then left to go find 8th Street. We had felt good about 8th Street earlier when we prayed about where to go. We started tracting and I got a horrible feeling. At one house a man came to the door and said, "Not you again!" to my companion. I looked at Elder Fussy and said, "What does he mean, again?" We both began to wonder what was going on and then we noticed we were on Chesley Street. We had been on the street that Elder Fussy and Elder Furness had already knocked. When we knocked 8th Street we got about 3-4 call backs. We didn't get in to teach any discussions, which was sad. We need some people in our teaching pool. I also bought a roo skin for $33.50.

On Tuesday the sisters picked us up late for zone conference, so we got there late. Afterward, we went tracting and got word from the office that a girl named Debbie wanted us to call her. She was at the home of Micky, the boy whose foot got hurt. She had a hurt knee and wanted a blessing, but then she laughed all the way through it. It made me pretty upset. I don't like the thought of anyone mocking the priesthood.

As they say here: Gday!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Last Wednesday the Holmes family came and picked us up and took us to Flinders Gorge. I started climbing up a cliff of rocks and my companion followed me so that he wouldn't look like a chicken. We got up to the top of the rocks and we had an excellent view. It was so pretty! I loved it! After that we went to another place called Alligator Gorge. We ate lunch on a blanket and it was quite chilly. Then we walked down about 1/4 mile of steep stairs to get down into the canyon and then we hiked around for a while. We saw some pretty neat formations of rock.

I am very excited about this month of missionary work! We have 5 baptisms planned. On Thursday we went to give Jose Lang a birthday card, but she wasn't home. We sent to Sister Stuart's house and found out that Jose went to Adelaide for 2-3 weeks.

Friday was an excellent day!! First we taught Helen and Sister Ernesti was there during the discussion and it went very well. Then, I was able to baptize a little 9 year old girl that the sisters taught. Her name is Linzy Jason Scott Haberle. I was quite nervous because it was by first baptism! The water was very cold! When she came down into the baptismal font, the water came up to her waist and it only came up a little past my knees. My garments didn't even get wet. When I brought her up out of the water, she had lost her breath because of how cold the water was. My legs were numb, but I can easily say it was a high point so far in my mission. I felt so warm inside through the whole baptism.

On Saturday I was sitting in the foyer at our church building and Janice Ernesti and Ruth Baker were driving me nuts! They were climbing all over me, pulling my hair, and scratching and biting me. Finally after fighting them off for about 15 minutes, I got sick of it and kept asking them to quit. I finally stood up and grabbed one of them by the shoulders and told them to calm down in the church house. She ran off crying and told her mom I beat her up. Oh brother! The other girl called me a meanie. I have bite and scratch marks all over me. Kids around here don't know how to treat the church or how to act in it. I love playing with kids, but when 10 year old's can't behave, I'm not amused. Later that day we went to a BBQ and ate lamb chops and sausage. It was great!

We took Cindy to church with us on Sunday. Kylee Shultz went, too. There was lunch served after church, so that was great! The next day there was a testimony meeting and breakfast to celebrate the Whyalla chapel being 20 years old. The testimony meeting was excellent, but I wasn't very impressed with the breakfast. I was hoping for eggs, pancakes, sausage, and juice, but we had cold cereal, muffins and hot milo (like hot cocoa). I keep telling myself that I am not in the USA any more. My companion got another flat tire and when he went to fix it, he put another hole in the tube. He fixed it again and when we went to pump it up, he filled it too full and it blew up! That is 5 or 6 times he has put holes in inner tubes in 2 months. I haven't had a flat tire yet.

On Tuesday we had a great experience! Cindy Shultz has read the Book of Mormon and many other books we have given her such as A Marvelous Work and a Wonder. She loves reading a lot and writes down questions, and when we get there, she asks us the questions and we answer them. She had two questions this week and they blew us away. Her first question was "If there really is a God, why did my baby die?" The day before we had come to her house to take her to the breakfast and she was in bed. When we went in to see her, she looked at us and said she hated us and the church and everything about it. I almost broke down. Then after a few minutes, she said, "No, I'm sorry. I don't hate you." She told us she had a miscarriage. I felt so bad. The other question was "Will you help me find out if there really is a God." The missionaries have been working with Cindy for 4 months, but religion was never really discussed until then. We will be giving her the first and second discussions and she gave us permission for her daughter, Kylee, to be baptized.

I am getting transferred to the Prospect area in Adelaide and my new companion will be Elder Fusselman. I am happy and sad about the change. I won't get to see Kylee or Cindy get baptized.

Thank you for all your support!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Last Wednesday we got up at 6 am and washed our clothes and went shopping. Then the Ernesti family came and took us to the beach. We had a picnic on the beach and played Frisbee. Elder Dalrymple dropped their little girl in the water because she threw sand in his face. It was quite funny. Afterward, we came back to the flat and I prepared my talk for district conference.

On Thursday we met with Helen and the discussion went very well. She is accepting everything quite well, too. We went to visit Cindy Shulz, but she wasn't there, so we talked to her son and a guy named Tommy who is staying there. He could really talk and was quite rude, but we are missionaries and we must be understanding and loving! There are a lot of people out here who don't want to know anything about the church, but they are very nice to us. We try to meet people on the streets and most of the time we chat with them about motorcycles, houses, or whatever comes up. Many times they ask us why we are on missions and then we get a chance to talk religion with them. A lot of them say, "You must have given up jobs or something to come out here." I always used to think to myself, "Yea, I gave up the most wonderful girl in the world for this mission!" The more I think about it, the more I realize that I didn't give up you. I gave up being with you, but you are always in my heart and prayers! You are such a great support to me on my mission and that is such a blessing to me.

On Friday I got to pick an orange off of a real orange tree!! Isn't that neat!! On Saturday we had a zone conference and I officially certified! I had an interview with Elder Scicluna who is an assistant to the president and passed off all the discussions and dialogues. We have to re-certify every 3 months or so to make sure we know all the information. I had a good discussion with some of the sisters today and we talked about why we came on our missions. I really dug deep and know I came on my mission to become a better person. I didn't come to convert myself because I already know that the church is true.

On Sunday I came to Port Pirie again and stayed with Elder Jennings. He is having some problems with his thinking process and is part deaf, too. We went to visit some members and it was quite fun. We also had a district conference that was quite good. Lots of people attended and it was such a joy to see the Whyalla chapel full! The Spirit was definitely there as we were singing. I love having the Spirit so close! Mission life is great! One of the rules in this mission is to have fun. I like that rule. Some things are not easy or fun on a mission. The bathtub here in Port Pirie is 2 ft. wide and 2 1/2 ft. long. I had to curl up my legs to get in. There is also no refrigerator. Milk is delivered each day so it is still a little bit cold. I cannot imagine not having a fridge. You also have to go outside to get to the bathroom and toilet. Here in Australia, the bathroom is just a room with a tub/shower and sink. The toilet room just has a toilet and sink. The two rooms are totally separated. It is a new lifestyle.

On Monday I was back in Whyalla. I like Whyalla a lot more than Port Pirie. I actually love Whyalla! One of my favorite scriptures comes to mind: "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that He giveth no commandment to His children, unless he prepares a way!"

I want you to know that I love and appreciate you so much!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Last Tuesday we went tracting in the pouring rain. We got drenched! We visited the Whites and they fed us hamburgers. Then we went to visit the Elders Quorum president, but he wasn't home. His wife was babysitting a young boy and the boy's dad came and we gave him some pamphlets and a Book of Mormon. We had a great talk with him about the church. We also visited the Woodums and Cooks.

On Thursday we met with the Elder's Quorum President and discussed which inactive members we can visit. I think we will have plenty to do for a while. Then we visited a man named John Costigan and his wife who are investigators, but they don't seem too interested. After that we wanted to visit Cindy Shultz, but she wasn't home so we went to the bank and post office.

On Friday we visited the Dugans and set up a chess game for later so that we can get to know one of the kids who lives there that is not a member. Then we went to visit Sister Stewart and Jose Lang was there, too, so we set up an appointment with her for later. After dinner we went over to see Ross Reed and he is super cool. He is not a member but we are working with him. We also visited David Mann and his wife. She is a member, but he is not. He would make an excellent member though!

On Saturday we went to see Sister White. Her son, Leslie is going to go tracting with us next week. It should be good. He listens to Iron Maiden, Wasp, Black Sabbath, and other hard rock groups. Today he was being quite nice to me and he was very calm until my companion started bothering him. Even though he was jokingly hitting him, it ruined all the trust I had built up with him. I was kind of upset, but I'll just keep trying. After that we went and invited Cindy Shultz to come to church the next day with her daughter and her daughter's friend. We also went to visit Stuart, but he wasn't home. His sister said he was interested in going so we decided to stop by before church. We had tea at the Ernesties that night. It was fun talking to them!

On Sunday we took Kylee Shultz and two of her friends to church and the girls were not treated nicely. Two of the girls said they would never come back. The member girls and boys ridiculed them and would not quit harassing them! It made me so mad! The members should know better than that! We are going to talk to the branch president and President Wells about it.

My companion showed me what is known as the "Southern Cross". It is a constellation of stars that can only be seen from the southern hemisphere. I also found out what "Whyalla" means. It means windy city. That fits very well right now because the wind is blowing dust and leaves everywhere! I received your package yesterday! It meant so much to me! The cookies were great!  The missionary work here is starting to pick up now. We got 7 new referrals from another investigator and we got an inactive x-Branch President coming to church again, too! He is a super man. There is an investigator we have that is really having a hard time with fighting the devil's temptations, so Monday we asked her if she would like a priesthood blessing. She said yes.  I know that it is helping her. There was such a peaceful feeling there! I love using God's priesthood to help others.

On Monday we visited Eon Clark and met Tony Morrison. He actually attended Ricks College and at a football game against Dixie College, there was a contest to see who could kick a football through the goal posts and win a prize of $5,000. Well, Tony did it and won the prize! Tony is a great guy and we had a nice time talking to him. Eon and his wife are super neat, too.

I am not perfect yet, but I am learning how to love everyone. I am also becoming more patient. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Last Sunday Cindy Shultz came to church and brought her daughter. That was great! We also talked to a friend of hers who is an alcoholic. His name is Doug and he is 43 years old. As he was talking to us today, I almost cried my heart out for him. He wants to return to his wife, but he said he has to quite drinking first. We told him to pray every time he wants to drink. He was crying and he kept saying he wants to come to God. I really think we can help him. He definitely has the desire to change. Later we went to a fireside and President Baker spoke on self esteem and feeling good about yourself. It was very helpful and I loved it. He shared this poem with us:

If you think you are beaten you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't.
It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
for out in the world we find
success begins with a fellows will.
It's all in the strength of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win a prize!

Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man.
But, sooner or later the man who wins
is the man who thinks he can!

I honestly believe that poem is true! We have to think positive. Positive thoughts can never lead to unhappiness.

On Monday we went and visited Doug and Cindy Shultz. We also visited one other investigator and two other members and went door knocking for a couple of hours.

On Tuesday we tried to visit Jose Lang, Sister Stuart, and Doug, but none of them were home. We were able to visit Ross Reed's wife, however, and we played "footie" with her son and mucked around with the bull terrier named duke. Then we visited Sister Bell who is the sweetest lady. She wears a tubing to help her breathe and could complain if she wanted to, but is always so positive. She is knitting me a "jumper" or sweater. It has a picture of an Aussie flag shaped like Australia on the front and down the sleeve it says "I Love Australia" with a heart for love. She is super nice and enjoys knitting. It only takes her 3 days to knit a whole sweater.

I have learned that nobody here likes Idaho. They think we all grow potatoes. My companion always knocks Idaho. Elder Toi and my companion just walked in with our 2 week supply of drinking water. The tap water here is gross! It comes out looking like dirty mop-water, so we drink rain water.

We get up each day at 6:30. That part is not very enjoyable, but I love teaching! It is a great experience to share the only true gospel with people. I do know honestly that this church is true!

That's all for now.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Last Wednesday we did our laundry and bought groceries. Then we were planning to go bowling with Elders Harp and Toi, but the league was practicing so we went golfing instead. It was my first time golfing and I loved it. I did not do really well, but I had a great time laughing about it.

On Friday we went tracting and a BIG dog lunged out at us. I never want to own a dog! We also had 4 or 5 doors shut in our faces as soon as we said the words, "From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." I wish they would listen to our message before they chase us off!

On Saturday we went to fill the baptismal font for a convert baptism from Port Augusta. Then we tracted for about an hour and got in a discussion with a man who said that we should not push religion down people's throats. He said that Christianity is not meetings, it is helping others. We explained about the programs the church has in place to help people. He kept arguing with us and about miracles and how they don't exist and how everything can be explained scientifically. After that we talked to him about why we were here and where we came from. He looked puzzled and said, "Do you know where we came from?" We explained to him the Plan of Salvation which is the 2nd discussion. It was kind of funny because he had told us he didn't want to talk about religion, just relief programs the church has for the poor. I love trying to teach people. It is a challenge to feel love for them while they are cutting down the church, but it is fun to watch their reaction when we just smile as they are yelling at us. After the baptism we went to dinner and then saw a recording of General Conference. We got to watch them on Saturday and Sunday. I have always taken for granted that we could watch conference on TV. They only get to listen to it hear or wait for the recordings to come.

On Monday we visited Jose Lang, the sister we baptized on April 27. I love to see her so strong in the church! She is a great asset to the branch. Then we taught Helen, the lady who came to the door last week with face cream on. We are going to visit her on Friday, too. I hope she will pray about these things. After dinner we visited the Skragg family and heard about Brother Skragg's mission. It was fun! Then we visited Sister Waite. She has a son who acts like he worships the devil, but he is a good kid deep down. We also visited the sister missionaries. Sister Grey is still sick and Sister Roper is going crazy.

On Tuesday we visited a family name the Popes. They have an 8 month old baby and he his cute! I loved holding him and playing with him.

The missionary work is going slow here, but we are working hard to change that! I still have not seen any kangaroos or koala bears! Bummer! They have a bird here called a "Gala" and there are millions of them! People hate them here. They are worth hundreds of dollars in the states. I wish it wasn't illegal exporting them. I could be rich!

I would like to share a thought with you that an elderly lady here told me. It made me think because I would often use the phrase "I'm bored". This lady said, "Only stupid people get bored. If you have any sense, you can always find something to occupy yourself." I won't ever say "I'm bored" again.

I honestly feel that you have helped me improve myself into a better person. I could have easily skipped over a mission, but you knew I needed to grow and that a mission would help me. I know that you believe in doing what's right and not what is always just easiest. I love you even more for urging me to go on a mission. I thank Heavenly Father for sending you down when He did to bless my life.

I'm taking lots of pictures to show what Australia is like! The Church is true! Joseph Smith was a prophet of God! Jesus is the Christ! I love this great work!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

On Sunday we gave one of the sister missionaries, Sister Grey, a blessing. I was able to anoint her and Elder Dalrymple gave her the blessing. It was really neat to use my priesthood! I am so happy to be worthy to call on the Lord for help! It is a great feeling.

Some days I really struggle with feeling bummed out. My companion seems to cut me down every chance he gets in front of members and that makes the homesickness worse. It seems like all the anxieties of missionaries have hit me all at once. It seems to help when I pray for comfort and those depressive feelings usually go away.

On Monday we knocked about 65 houses. One lady came to the door with white face cream on. It scared me at first! She asked us to come back next week. We also met a lady named Elizabeth and taught her the first discussion and she also asked us to come back next week. She sounds very interested. I hope she is! One embarrassing thing happened to me today. We were tracting and as we entered a front yard of a house, an old man who appeared to be the gardener, said, "I don't think you will do much good here fellows." Then he mumbled something about sisters being there and I thought to myself, "This isn't the sisters area so they wouldn't have come here." Well, we got up to the door and Elder Dalrymple knocked. It was then that we noticed a sign that had a bunch or writing and said "convent" in the middle. I about died! The Catholic Church made that house into a convent. A man came to the door and we said, "We have a message about Jesus Christ." He said, "Yes, He is a nice fellow." We then asked if he would be interested and he said, "No." I wasn't surprised!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hello Shanell,

There is a couple we are teaching that are not married. The boyfriend is moving to Queensland to find better work so they will be separated. Then they can be baptized. I think that Chris and her little boy will be baptized. It is so neat to teach people the gospel.

Last night we got stoned again. We were riding our bikes and rocks started coming at us all over. We quickly got out of there. People around this area, Whyalla, don't appreciate Mormons very much. We are just going into winter here. The kids here go on summer vacation during December and January. It is about 75 to 85 degrees here and the skies are clear and the sun is bright. I have seen my first orange and banana trees since I have been here. It is neat.

On Saturday my companion went to Adelaide and I was left in a town called Port Perie with Elder Tilton. My companion is a great guy, but he snores. That's okay, though.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

We went tracting on Monday for my first time. We went to about 48 doors and only 1 got literally slammed in our faces. We got 2 call-back appointments and all the rest told us "no". We went tracting from about 12 noon to about 9:30 pm. we stopped and grabbed a banana for dinner, but that was our only break. One guy didn't believe in God or Jesus Christ. Can you imagine how hard it is to teach discussions based on Jesus Christ when they don't even believe in Him. We got discussing other things, such as the Plan of Salvation, and he kept backing up his side of the discussion wit a bunch of philosophy. I finally, nicely, pointed out to him that no matter what the subject is, someone can argue the point. I also asked him if he had ever read any books that were for Christianity instead of against. He said, "Not really". So I handed him a Book of Mormon and he said he would love to read it. He said he likes stories.

About 2 houses later, an Aborigine lady let us in. We taught her the first discussion and then my companion said, "If you want us to come back, our next discussion answers these 3 questions, "Where did I come from? Why am I here? and Where am I going after this life?" Her whole face lit up and she said, "Can you really tell me where we are going after this life?" We told her that we could and that we would return on Thursday. I think she is very interested. We are working on quite a large number of inactives and they are all nice. We are going to baptize a lady named Josey Lang this Saturday. She accepts everything and has prayed about it and felt good.

My companion is Elder Dalrymple and he is a pretty good guy. He does, however, have a tendency to make me look stupid at members' homes. I am enjoying it out here, though.

You would not believe this area I'm in. The government gives people housing and the people take it and also get welfare checks all the time. Most people here are about 20 years behind the times. I do love the people here. They are friendly, but a lot are lazy. We go back on Thursday to teach the 7th discussion to Josey Lang. I'm looking forward to that!

Thank you for all your support.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hello,

I had my first embarrassing moment today. We went to "Hungry Jacks" (kind of like Burger King in America) and ordered something to eat. When I was waiting for the food, a lady there said, "You right?" In Australia, that means, "Are you all right" or "Do you need anything else?" I didn't understand her because of her accent and I just looked at her weird. Elder Thomas just laughed and told her I was from America and that I didn't understand the accent very well. I was embarrassed. Right now I am staying in a flat right next to the ocean. It is excellent! Australia is gorgeous! Elder James from the MTC is still my companion until Saturday it looks like.

Thank you for all your support! The adventure begins!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I am going crazy! I cannot wait to get out to the mission field! My companion really works hard to get on a guy's nerves. I am learning patience! It isn't easy to live with someone for 24 hours a day when you don't get to choose that companion. He is a good guy, but it is just hard to live with anyone 24 hours a day! I am, however, trying to make myself a better person. Patience is a good quality and I know that this mission is helping me to learn patience. I do like it here, but I am just anxious to get out and really do the Lord's work! I will do my best! Melody always ends her letters with these 2 words: Be Best! I will be best and I won't let up until I'm finished with my mission.

We just received our flight plans to Australia today. We will fly to Los Angeles and then to Hawaii. After Hawaii we fly to Sydney Australia and then we will fly to Adelaide. We leave Monday at 6:20 pm and will get to Australia after 18 hours on an airplane. That is 18 hours of sleep! We shouldn't be tired by the time we get there! Only 8 more days until I get on the plane. It is kind of scary, but I think the excitement outweighs the scary feelings.

We are getting interviewed by our branch presidency today. They are interviewing the entire branch. I'm going to keep working hard.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

We got to sleep in until 8 am today because we are watching General Conference at 9 am. I think we have a meeting before that. I only have 10 days left in the MTC, but only 4 or 5 more class days. I can't wait to get out in the field and thrust in my sickle (bicycle). I always have the Lord helping me!

I just memorized 5 scriptures last night. They are the same scriptures we were supposed to memorize in seminary. I really do wish I would have studied harder in there. I am working hard. My prayers are with you!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hi Shanell,

I wanted to let you know about a meeting we had this morning. We had a super neat teacher and I have never felt the Spirit burning within me so much in my whole life.  Our teacher talked about the 3rd and 4th part of the 1st discussion. It is about the birth and crucifixion of Christ. He went into depth on it and I could almost imagine what pain he went through for us to repent. I really almost started crying. I have already grown close to the Lord and I love the great Spirit that is here.

I have passed off all of the 6 concepts in the 2nd discussion. Something has happened with about 2 or 3 guys in my district. My companion and 2 other guys are not showing the love to the other elders that they should. The Spirit isn't as strong when there is a spirit of contention here. I'm going to try to talk to them so that we can have the Spirit here strong again. I still do love the Lord and this great work!

I want you to know that I have a great testimony of Jesus Christ and this great church. I have already grown spiritually about 100 times. I feel the Spirit of the Lord here so strong. I love the scriptures and they will always be a special part of my life. Thank you for your great support.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

You would not believe the Spirit already up here! It is so neat to walk around and say "Hi Elder" and have them smile and return the greeting. Yesterday was just an orientation and we had one class. Our mission president here is so neat. He reminds me of your bishop. He always has a super great spirit about him. I can already tell you one thing! By the time I leave this MTC, I will no longer be the spiritually immature boy that you knew before. Nobody could be here for 3 weeks and not have it change their life, countenance, spirit and everything else. We get to go to the Provo Temple on p-days (Thursdays). I'm so excited! Elder James is my companion and I love him and think the world of him. He is super! You are in my prayers. I look forward to hearing from you.

Love,
Elder Wallentine