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
Wednesday, June 26, 1985
Wednesday, June 19, 1985
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
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
Wednesday, June 12, 1985
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
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
Wednesday, June 5, 1985
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
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
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