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