Dear Shanell,

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas!!

On Christmas Eve I helped President Gray do transfers. I get to go out to Elizabeth the end of December, and I'm excited! Then we went caroling with 5 of the office Elders and Sisters Dulics, Kuhn, Hoffman, and Fawcett.

On Christmas day we went to the Barossa Valley and arrived at the Charltons at about 10:30 am. Elders Chapman, Steed, and I got some letter-writing sets from them. They are neat! Then Elder Chapman got dressed up like Santa and the kids got little stockings and even the adults sat on his lap. He got very hot!

We ate dinner with Peter Hollow and visited with his friend, Joseph, whom he baptized on his mission in Melbourne. Then we went up to the Snell's home and it was fun! They gave us boxes of candy! 

On Friday we had a Book of Mormon marathon. Elders Bleyl and Webb started at 5:30 am and finished at midnight. A grand total of 18 hours! Pretty good! Since I had already done a marathon, I decided to study the Old Testament. I gained a better understanding of the book of Ruth and how it fits in with the Bible. 

On Saturday we drove President and Sister Gray to the airport to go to Port Lincoln. Then the whole office staff watched "It's a Miracle" at the President's home. 

On Sunday a man by the name of Brad Pierce called and asked to come to church. He is a member from Provo, Utah, and we found out he is a world class tennis player. He played Boris Becker, Jimmy Conners, and Pat Cash (Australian). He is in Australia to play again. Elders Bleyl and Webb brought him to our ward and he was called to bear his testimony. It is neat to say I've rubbed shoulders with him. 

On Monday I spent $200 on souvenirs. Elder Steed and I went to Rundle Mall and I bought 2 cuddly koala bears, a book on South Australia, 7 postcards, and a big Red Kangaroo skin. Afterward we called everyone about transfers and I packed up to leave the office flat the next morning. I hope I can be a good follower to my zone leaders. It will be humbling.

On Tuesday I loaded my stuff in a car and Elders Angst, Steed, and I drove to our new flat. It is the nicest flat in the mission. It is beautiful! It was a very hot and humid day and we had stayed up so late talking the night before that I crashed on my new bed. At 6 pm we went to a zone meeting. Elder Norris told me to be quiet twice and Elder Zurzolo just jokingly leaned over to me and said, "Eating humble pie, huh?" It was funny.

At 7:45 Elders Steed, Angst, and I picked up Elder Adams from the airport. He came back from Alice Springs and it was so great to see him again! He is cool! We took him to visit with President Gray and then went back to our flat to get to know each other better. It was great to see him again!

Love,

Elder Wallentine 

Dear Shanell,

On Saturday we had a great zone meeting with the city zone. Elder Steed spoke on selfishness and it was quite good. Before the zone meeting, we saw Elder Nielsen off. President Gray took him to the airport and we just waved good-bye. It was rather sad because he was cutting his mission early for football. He does not receive an honorable release and he requested to go home. He caused a lot of problems.

Later than afternoon I was working on a presentation for the Schley family about the Bible and the Book of Mormon at at 6:20 we got a call from Sue Schley canceling the appointment and letting us know that Gunther and her are separated. That stinks! We will just have to pray for them so they can be baptized as a family. Later on Elders Chapman, Bleyl, Webb, Steed, and I went to Waterfall Gully and Hungry Jacks.

On Sunday Elders Chapman, Steed, and I went to church and Mike was there. I about gagged on the smell of smoke on his breath! He said he hadn't smoked! Oh boy!! We've still got a lot of work to do!

On Monday Chris and Diane Lee came and picked up Elder Chapman and I and took us to the Adelaide Zoo. It was pretty fun! The animals were really neat to see. Afterward we went to K-Mart and bought some "Rambo" gifts for the Christmas Party tomorrow. We also went to "Northside Souvenirs" and I bought 2 seamless coin pouches.

We had our mission Christmas party on Tuesday. It was very good! There was a devotional at 9 am and then everyone divided by zones and had workshops with all 3 sets of city zone leaders running them. They were quite good, too. At 12:15 we ate lunch and had the gift exchange. I got a Pavlova kit. Then each zone put on a skit. They were funny! The office staff also put on a skit, and although it was a bit unorganized, it was fun. We had a great time doing it! We spent most of the night cleaning up the cultural hall and when we got back to our flat, it was almost midnight--Christmas Eve. We called Sisters Dulics, Kuhn, Hoffman, Fawcett, Allen, Thomas, Clough, and Tan and sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to them. The sisters from Mildura and Wyalla zones are staying with Sisters Dulics and Hoffman.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Last Wednesday we help the Marion Zone's conference and it went pretty great! The missionaries needed a fire lit underneath them though. I wondered if they were ever going to wake up because some of them acted like zombies. Elder Bleyl, President Gray, and myself put on a program suggested by the missionary committee on the commitment pattern and it was quite excellent. We didn't get all the excitement that we were looking for, but the excitement grew as the meeting continued. At noon we had a great lunch prepared by the Relief Societies from different wards.We appreciate them for doing all that work and always give them a thank you note. After lunch we had a testimony meeting and Sister Benson and Elder James shared theirs first since they are leaving in 4 days. It will be sad to see them go. Sister Benson is one of my favorite sister missionaries and I have grown to love her like a sister. I love to hear others bear their testimonies and feel the Holy Ghost.

We visited Mike again and taught him about the Word of Wisdom. He is doing pretty well on his smoking. We went to the Goings for tea. They are the couple missionaries that work in the office and they are pretty funny. It was a great meal!

On Saturday I was in the office working on the transfer list and Elders Casillas and Young came in and said there was an emergency. Apparently, they were mucking around and Elders de Lannoy and Urry locked Elders Young and Casillas out of the flat. They tried to get through the window and Elder de Lannoy tried to hold the window shut by putting a little pressure on the window. Obviously, he pushed too hard and put his hand through the window. His hand was cut badly and glass went flying out at Elders Young and Casillas. It's a miracle neither were hurt. Elder de Lannoy was admitted into the hospital and will have to have surgery and maybe a skin graft on his thumb. I called President Gray, who was in Port Augusta for a zone conference. He called the missionary department and de Lannoy's parents and let them know what happened and that he would be okay. We went to visit him in the hospital and he was able to joke around even though his hand was bandaged like a boxing glove. Seeing the blood made me weak.

We left the hospital and taught the first discussion to Gunther, Sue, Kylee, and Andrew (the baby) Schley. This was a referral we got out in Modbury last week. It was probably the best discussion I have ever taught and the Spirit was stronger than I ever felt when we bore our testimonies to them. Sue is excommunicated and had tears in her eyes while we were teaching her. When we went to leave, we asked the father if we could have a prayer and he said we could, but that he was not going to stick around for it. During the prayer, I heard him walk quietly back in the room and stand in the corner. We blessed each family member individually and I know that they really felt the Spirit. After the prayer it was neat to see the changed look on Gunther's face. He keeps telling us that we can't convert him, but then he insists in clever ways that we come back when he is there. I already love this family heaps!

On Sunday we attended the Torrens Ward where President and Sister Gray spoke. It was a great meeting. Then we went to a baptism in Marion. Her name is Elizabeth and when she was 12 years old (7 years ago) the missionaries knocked on her door and the father let them in. On the second visit, the father got in an argument with the missionaries, but there was an I-care member there and he looked at the little girl and said, "You don't understand a lot of this now but when you get older, give the missionaries a listen because this is all true." She remembered that advice and asked the missionaries to come teach her. She is 19 now. The amazing thing is that the missionary who originally taught her was from Queensland originally and moved to Adelaide. There were some arrangements made and he was able to baptize her! Also the member who bore testimony to her called her from Pt. Pirie and his name is Coz Russo. That truly was a miracle and something you might read in a church book. It was sure neat to see all the things that came out of that baptism and though her parents took her car away and are being very stupid about it, she continues to be an example!

Thanks for all your support!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

On Thursday we had some good experiences with missionary work. We got ready by 6:45 a.m. and opened with Elders Grover and Platero. It went quite well and we studied with them and had breakfast. It was a good experience and I think they enjoyed it as well.  At 1 p.m. we went to the baptism of Mike's sister's best friend. It was sad that we got there after the baptism, but we made it in time for the confirmation. Mike was there and so was Peter Hollow's mother who is getting baptized this Sunday. She was the pianist for the baptism. Eddy Grzybowycz is now the ward mission leader in Torrens Ward and Brother Kelmesz is in the bishopric. They also have a new bishop and his first priority is missionary work. It is exciting! 

Elder Webb is in the office now since Elder Humphries is in the mission home with a broken leg. Elder Steed and I worked at finding some investigators. One man who had committed to baptism got in a car accident and ended up in a nursing home. We have to find out which one and then we will baptize him. We showed Mike "Man's Search for Happiness" which is the most outdated filmstrip in the whole church, but it has great meaning. We talked to him about giving up booze and smokes so he could be baptized on December 14. We will continue to fast and pray for him. We are going to help him pain his back room that was damaged from smoke and fire. He is a great man!

We also set an appointment with David Eglington for next Tuesday. He is a busy man, but we'll teach him and baptize his whole family. Then we took a drive in the hills to a place called Water Fall Gully and we saw the prettiest waterfall. We hiked a bit and then came home.

On Friday Elder Steed and I went to help Mike paint his back room that had caught fire. It had smoke damage all over and after the first coat, it already looked better.

On Monday we had to drive a half hour just to tell a lady we wouldn't be able to come dig up her lawn today. That night we got our handouts ready for a training meeting with the DL and ZL. Then we wrestled and beat up Elders Steed and Webb and we all had a great time. I got 2 bruises and a sore arm.

On Tuesday I bought "A Man From Snowy River" hat. It cost $57. It is a nice hat. Elder Steed and I went and visited Mike and he hadn't had a smoke all day. We set his baptism for Sunday. It will be great! 

Love,

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

On Thursday we started the program for the new missionaries that just arrived the day before. It went very well. Afterward we had a Thanksgiving lunch with the whole office staff and the new missionaries. It was quite good! We had pumpkin pie and turkey which I really enjoyed. Elder Steed and I then helped take the sister's belongings to their respective flats and had a very busy evening. President Gray talked to me later and told me that he wanted me to work out in the field with the other missionaries as much as I could. I'm excited to do that. Elder Steed and I have a goal to get out and study with at least 3 companionships per week.

On Friday we took President and Sister Gray to the airport to go to Darwin. After that we did some work in the office and had a city zone meeting which went well. Later, Elder Steed and I were on our way to David George's home when I had a feeling we should go see the Davis family. I turned the van around and went to their home. The husband had been in the hospital because of a stroke and his hearing was gone for a short time. Elder Jackson and I had visited him in the hospital a while back. They let us in and welcomed us very well. They expressed thanks for visiting him in the hospital. I was glad to see that his hearing is back and that we will be able to go back and share the gospel with them.

On Saturday Elder Steed and I got up at 5:30 a.m. and left to go open with Elders Zurzolo, Smith, Green, and Vanderhiede. When we got there at 7:30 everyone except Vanderhiede was in their robes and stuff. We told them we'd study our scriptures while they got ready. Everyone got ready except Elder Smith. He came out in his robe and I said, "We'll wait while you got get dressed." He replied, "I don't get dressed until 9:30 and I've already taken my shower." I explained that President Gray expects us to be clothed and ready to open by 7 a.m. He just looked at me and said, "Give me one good reason why I need to be ready to study in my Pros clothes." I said, "Because President Gray said so and that is all the reason we should need. Now go get dressed or I'll carry you in there to do it I have to." He then went and got dressed, but he held it against me for the rest of the morning. Later, we went tracting with Sisters Dulics and Kuhn. We placed a Book of Mormon with a lady who lives in Ceduna.

On Sunday, Mike came to church and we were so happy to see him, but he had alcohol on his breath. It was very sad. We took him home and talked to him more about the Word of Wisdom. I know if he puts forth the effort, he can get baptized. At 2 p.m. we went to the baptism of Karen Horton. Sister Benson had worked very hard with her. It was so neat. Elder Fusselman and I had committed her to baptism before, but then she ran off with a bikey and we didn't hear from her again. She is now back with her husband and they are doing well. He was excommunicated a while back and he looked very solemn throughout the service. I hope he comes around and gets rebaptized so they can go to the temple.

For P-day Elder Steed and I took the van and just looked around the city. We went to a port and saw a Soviet Union cargo ship with the hammer and sickle emblem on it. Very interesting. Then we drove to Glenelg and played video games and had lunch. We ate these Greek things called giros and they are beautiful. They have lamb meat inside a pita bread. I love them.

Later that evening, we picked up President Gray and Elders Smith and Jones from the airport, since they have just come back from Darwin and Elliot. They looked a bit bewildered and like they had been away from the city for so long. Elliot is a little aboriginal camp and Elder Jones had been there for about 5 1/2 months. Elder Smith could not stop talking about Darwin. Elder Call took his place up there. There was a lightning storm tonight and Elder Smith and I sat upon a hill and watched it. It was really neat and the air smelled so fresh. The sky gets bluer here than it does back home and also the water is a very vivid blue. The sky and water have a gorgeous blend. 

Love,

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Things are going well here and I'm so happy to be serving a mission! I am not allowed to drive any more on my mission because this mission has a rule that missionaries aren't allowed to drive the last month of their missions. It has been great helping President Gray. I have a lot of mixed feelings about coming home. I am so excited to see everyone again, but I get really worried because I may never see some of these people again. It is kind of sad to think about. I really do feel that the experiences I have had here will help me the rest of my life and the leadership skills I have learned will carry through and help me be a better father and husband.

Last Thursday Elder Bleyl and I went to teach Mike the 3rd discussion and it went really well. We felt the Spirit strong and he has re-committed for baptism on the 29th so he can stop drinking and smoking. I know he can do it! It is so neat to be in his presence and feel the sincerity in his words and prayers. I love that man!

Then on Saturday, the Oswalds were baptized! That was amazing to see! Lance Oswald asked me, "Do you remember the time you came to me and said that you would like to see my wife and I back together?" I said, "Yes" and he said, "Well, we are now back together." It made me feel so great to think that I had something to do with his conversion and I have grown to love that family. They are great people.

On Sunday Craig Brabbyn got baptized. It was great! It went well and he was excited to come into the true church. Is is the 19 year old boy that is a bit slow that Elder McPherson, Stansfield, Jackson and I have been teaching. It was great to see that work pay off. Elder Jackson and I didn't get to stand in for him confirmation, which wasn't cool, but we just took it in stride. The Lord knows that we helped. Craig's father was not going to come at first, but he came and he was crying through the whole thing. It was touching. Supposedly, the father and his wife cannot be baptized, but I would like to follow up with them.

After the baptism, I had to go pick up my white baptismal pants from the Prospect chapel because Elder Call loaned them to a lady who was kind enough to donate them to the ward. I was not impressed, but it is okay since I got them back.

On P-day Elder Steed and I left for the Modbury zone leaders' flat with the van to go on the "Thanksgiving outing". We picked up Sisters Kofford and Reihana and Elders Zurzolo and Tehei. It was a tight fit in the van. Then we headed to Barossa Valley. Our first stop was a miniature "zoo" with wallabies, birds, and different kinds of animals. I was very fascinated with the animals of this wonderful country and am so glad I'm serving here. I love it here!

After that we went to a park and ate a picnic. There were wild Emus running around and we fed them food. They were quite aggressive and kind of like ostriches in that they eat anything, even chicken bones, and it was incredible to see how they swallow everything whole.

Then we went to "Whispering Wall" and started hiking around. The canyon was pretty steep and Elder Humphries started running down the hill. He slipped and began to lose his balance and bounced off the dam a couple of times before landing on the ground. He didn't move for a short time. Elder Wooley and I carried him back to the van and took him to the hospital. President Gray was not very happy.

On Tuesday we kicked off the "White Christmas" theme for December. We dressed in our "whites" an got really jacked up for the upcoming month. It went quite well. The sad part of the meeting was that Elder Jackson and Elder Parker are leaving. Even President Gray was quite broken up about it.

We have had about 16-17 baptisms this month and have about 5-6 more scheduled for the mission. Our yearly high was in May with 25 convert baptisms. It sure doesn't sound very great compared to some of the other missions in the world. We have to work our tails off for just one baptism. I like it better that way because it really makes us sacrifice for the success and I really feel great when someone enters into the waters of baptism. It represents a lot of work and prayer.

Being an Assistant to the President is pretty good, but I get down sometimes because we don't get to go out tracting very much. My companion and I did go tracting with some other missionaries for a couple of hours the other day. There were a lot of people that did not speak English and that made it tough to communicate with them.

I'm planning to work my hardest for the next 1 1/2 months. It feels like I want to move faster instead of slow down. I want to be able to say I worked my hardest clear up until the time I was released from my mission. Another thing I have decided I want to do is to keep my standards up to missionary standard and to keep my hair short, my clothing neat and I want to look like I should. I will not grow a beard, mustache or anything like it.

This past Thursday I did a lot of thinking about Thanksgiving and what I am thankful for. I'm so thankful for families and the love and support they give me. I'm thankful to be a member of the church. I'm thankful for the priesthood and that I can be a priesthood holder. I'm thankful to be a missionary and to have this time to serve the Lord. I'm thankful for my testimony of Heavenly Father and our Savior. I could go on forever.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I kind of had a hard day today because it was the day that I was supposed to go home, or at least meet my parents. Elder Jackson, one of the elders whom I came out with, had his parents come out here and get him and it was tough for me to see him go. I will get over it, though. I now have a new companion, Elder Bleyl, and he is a real great elder.

Things are going very well out here and I am thoroughly impressed with the work! Baptisms have been down in the last few months. In September we only had 3 for the whole mission and in October we had 8. So far this month we have had 15 and there are a few more scheduled and we are excited. We have made our goal of "Double Digit November" by getting double digit baptisms.

Time is going by so fast as we are engrossed in the work and forgetting ourselves. I now have a new assistant that I am serving with and he is a bit cocky at times. I asked for his help today and he just flat out turned me down. I was a bit shocked because that is not how he should have responded. I know that as we talk out our problems that he and I will both become better people. As an assistant, we do a lot of trade-offs with other missionaries and help them on their door approaches and we help them to become better missionaries and also we become better missionaries ourselves. I am learning more and more each day and President Gray told me that I could spend my last 13 days of my mission serving with Elder Adams and that we can pick our area. I am going to set a goal to achieve a record breaking door-knocking week for the history of this mission as far back as it has existed. The record now is 50 1/2 hours knocking in a week, but I want to beat that by at least 10-20 hours. That means my companion and I will have to knock for 60-70 hours straight on the doors. It will be tiring, but I have seen missionaries go home and slack off towards the end of their missions and I don't want to end my mission that way. I want to end it on a working high and I want to really get super tired from serving the Lord my last weeks especially. I know that Elder Adams and I can do it and President Gray already said that we can serve together and I am excited for that.

I had a discouraging day this week. I attended a Sister's Conference where some negativity was shared about Relief Society and how the sisters are just as great as the elders. It felt like a waste of my time and I was frustrated. Then as I was carrying in a stack of about 10 chairs into the chapel, I stepped on a slippery spot and fell on my back. I was in my brand new suit and that was all I could take. I got angry and said things I shouldn't have said. President Gray ended up coming to visit me at my flat even though it was very late. He didn't say anything fancy, but it sure made me feel better.

I know the church is true and that no matter how hard people try to prove the Book of Mormon wrong, they can't do it! I know that God lives and that Jesus atoned for our sins. I am so thankful for that and I now can honestly say that I am well acquainted with the Savior. I love him and Heavenly Father with all my heart!

Thank you for being the best and sweetest young lady a man could ask for!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

This has been a super day for my companion and I. We started it off by opening with two of the zone leaders and it was really good. We then practiced with them to present the new study program that we are going to present to the mission this next Tuesday.

After that, Elder Larson, one of the zone leaders, and I went to teach one of our investigators and we committed him for baptism for November 23. He is the 2nd person we have committed for that date. It is going to be exciting to see my companion, Elder Jackson, see some baptisms before he leaves to go home. His parents are coming out to get him, and he is pretty excited. It is really tough to see him go because we were in the MTC together and we came into the mission field together.

President Gray keeps us busy and that is the way I like it. I don't want to waste any of this time while I am here serving the Lord. We don't get a lot of chances to go out and find our own people to teach since we are always in the office, so Elder Jackson and I went to our Heavenly Father and asked Him that if we couldn't find the time to find our own, that He would guide them to us. He has done exactly that! It has been miraculous to see people walk into the office and say that they want to hear the discussions. I am so excited about it all!

We were teaching a man the other day and in the middle of the discussion he looked at us and said, "You know the feelings you told me I would have as you spoke about these things? Well, I can feel them now." He also made the comment that thinking of getting baptized makes him feel all tingly all over.

We did go tracting on Sunday, November 9 and asked about three people if they were Mormons and then we said, "Why not?" like President Sonnenberg told us to do! It was funny to see how people responded.

A while back, we opened with Elder Larsen and Bleyl and they cooked us breakfast. It was pretty good except these little meat things they gave us were a bit weird tasting. They told us it was veal, but it tasted like slimy chicken to me.We found out later that it was lamb brains! We planned to get them back in the morning by not getting them back. We will show love in return and turn the other cheek. They came over for breakfast and we fed them pancakes. President Gray helped us figure out that it work best to feed them a good meal and leave them wondering. They were a little apprehensive and it worked!

The experiences that I have had out here couldn't be traded for any other experiences any where. The weather is beginning to get quite warm and it gets very hot sometimes. I appreciate you very much!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I received your card the other day and I loved it! It really cheered me up! I am really enjoying it out here. Elder Jackson wants to type a line or so in this letter to you. Here he is: Dear Shanell. Where did you find this nut! He is a wacky guy, but I can see why you like him. He sure is a ball of fun isn't he. I actually like him a lot but I give a hard time so he thinks that I hate him. Actually, he's one of the funnest companions that I have ever had. If big Wally ever gives you a hard time like he does me all the time, just call him a ninanush with a "D" and he'll settle right down. Have a great day.

Elder Jackson and I came out together and he is already starting to pack for his departure for home. It wouldn't be too bad, except I was originally going home at the same time. I'm glad I made the decision to extend my mission, though. It is fun to go tracting with Elder Jackson and we have a lot of fun together. He says that I'm crazy but I am no where near as crazy as he is. He's fun though. We think of new door approaches to use on the doors and some of them are really funny. It will be neat to come home and to share the experiences with everyone that I have had on my mission. I have loved it heaps. The office is a busy place and we don't get much time to go out and do our own work, but we do get to help other missionaries reach their own goals and to commit people better to baptism. We have a lot of new missionaries out now so a lot of them don't know how to commit very well yet, but we're trying to teach them how with the help of the Lord. This mission is really improving in the last little while and I am convinced it is because President Gray is an inspired man and he knows what programs this mission needs now. I love working with him.

One of the new missionaries is Elder Sant from Washington. We took him to try a real Aussie meat pie and we had pie floaters again! Then we went and picked up his luggage and took him to the bus station and put him on a bus to Alice Springs. He will be on the bus for 14-16 hours. He was probably a little scared.

On Monday, November 3, we went to Flinders Ranges for p-day since we were traveling to Whyalla. Elder Spencer and I went up to go into the cave first and just as he went into the cave and I was about to, out of nowhere came a kangaroo jumping out at us. It scared the living daylights out of us! All four of us went exploring in the cave. It went for quite a ways. It was actually an old mine shaft and there were crystals all over in it. In some places we had to crawl on our hands and knees. At the bottom, we turned off our flashlights and it was total darkness. It was a weird feeling. We found another cave, but you needed a rope to enter so we didn't go in that one. The flies were really bad and buzzed around our ears, eyes and noses. We went to Alligator Gorge and spent some time. It is a beautiful place.

You mean the world to me. I know that the church is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and the truth has been restored in its fullness on the earth today. I also know that President Benson is a prophet of God. I love Jesus Christ and I have learned to know Him better than I have ever known Him before. I love Him for His great sacrifice and I want to live the kind of life that He would have me live. Thanks again for all your support!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

On Thursday we drove to the airport to pick up President Sonnenberg. It took us 45 minutes to get there and it is usually only a 5 minute drive. The traffic was bumper to bumper. We dropped him and his wife off at the mission home and then Elder Jackson and I had the opportunity to teach them the "Crossing the Bridge" program to them. We taught a general authority how to do missionary work! We thought that was quite funny!

On Friday we had a city-wide zone meeting with President Sonnenberg and it was excellent! I loved it! He is excellent! You listen to him for 2 minutes and you can tell he is a general authority. He is definitely a man of God. I know it! After that we had lunch provided by the Payneham Ward Relief Society--my ward. It was good! Later we met in a zone leaders meeting with President Sonnenberg and it was super! At 7 p.m. we attended seminary graduation and heard President Sonnenberg speak again.

On Saturday we drove up to Whyalla and Port Augusta with President and Sister Sonnenberg. They are super! You can feel the Spirit when you're with them. He likes to go up to people and ask, "Are you a Mormon?" When they say, "no", he asks, "Why not?" He likes to see them stammer and stutter. When we arrived in Port Perie, we got hamburgers and President Gray paid for everyone. Then we drove on to Port Augusta for the chapel dedication.

We left the dedication and headed for Whyalla and saw 2 kangaroos that had been hit by cars. About 25-30 km. out of Port Augusta, we noticed we were on empty. We decided to turn around and go back and barely made it. It seemed like the gas gauge was moving faster than we were. We filled up and headed back to Whyalla. As we drove into Whyalla, it was really weird to get the feeling that I was coming home.

At the chapel we had a tea with the Whyalla, Port Perie, Port Augusta, and Port Lincoln branches. Elders Cash, Spencer, Jackson and Sisters Wahlquist and Dewis were there. The Copes, a missionary couple, were also there. At 7 pm we had seminary graduation and President Sonnenberg and President Gray spoke, as well as their wives. It was excellent! Afterward we came back to the motel and Jackson and I showed President and Sister Sonnenberg and Gray how to work the heaters in the rooms. Then Jackson and I went for a walk to the beach. While we were walking, I heard someone yell, "Wallentine!" It was the Ernests! She had her baby last October and they were so fun to talk to.

On Sunday we had zone conference from 7 to 10 a.m. and it was very spiritual! Then we went to the Whyalla District Conference. President Sonnenberg spoke in it also, and it was very good. After I certified Sister Dewis, we left for Adelaide and stopped at KFC and President Sonnenberg bought us dinner. We arrived in Adelaide at 5:40 and came home and ate and then met all the zone leaders at President Gray's with President Sonnenberg. We got photos taken and President Sonnenberg signed my kangaroo skin!

The gospel is true!!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I am doing wonderful! Things are looking great here. Being an AP is a busy job. I understand now what it is actually like to have an office job. My companion now is Elder Jackson. He came out at the same time I did. We were in the MTC together. He is a super companion!

President Gray caught some of the elders playing cards at midnight and he was not at all happy! It apparently has been going on for a long time. I really don't find myself being to impressed with some of the elders, but I don't want them to get sent home, either. Elder James has been struggling and is living in our flat now. I'm going to try to help him.

We still haven't seen General Conference, but we will on October 26. I'm excited! I'm looking forward to hearing the General Authorities speak! I am super excited to hear what Ezra Taft Benson has to say on behalf of the Lord. Elder Jackson and I are excited about tomorrow. We get to teach our member missionary lesson to President Sonnenberg! A General Authority!! Is that cool!! It could be a nervous situation, but it will be worth it! It will definitely be a journal writing experience! I'm looking forward to it! I'll let you know how it goes.

We went tracting last night and it was fun! We are going back to teach a man named David next week. I'm excited!

On Saturday, September 18, I read the entire Book of Mormon! I started at 8:30 in the morning and finished at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. That is 16 hours and 48 minutes.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support, especially in extending my mission to January! It made me feel good to know that we both asked Heavenly Father about it and felt like it was the right thing to do.

I'm thankful for you!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I thought I would drop you a line and let you know how things stand in the land down under. Being in the office is really good, but it sure is tough at times because I would rather be out doing some tracting or something of that nature, but it is not always possible. I guess that is one of the sacrifices I have to make to be in here working with President Gray. I find the time going very fast and I can barely keep up with it sometimes.

President Gray asked me who would make a good assistant for when Elder Jackson goes home and I suggested Elder Adams. I may get to serve with him at the end of my mission! That would be exciting!

I think the toughest thing about being an assistant is that we are trusted with a lot of information that we are not allowed to tell anyone about and sometimes you almost bust because you can't tell any other missionaries about it. I realized the other day that I have 1225 pages in my journals. I love writing in my journal! It will give a detailed account of my childhood and also a good detailed account of my mission. I love keeping a record and writing down my personal triumphs and failings. It really helps me grow, too.

On Saturday we got up at 5 a.m. and packed our stuff and Elder Parker and I took off in the car at 6 a.m. and showed up in Berri at about 8:30. We visited with Sisters Thomas and Burwell until about 11 and then we went to Monash which is a huge playground. It was cool! We got to ride on a river ferry in our car across the Murray River. We then left Berri and saw the "giant orange" outside of Berri.

Then we drove to Mildura and completed some business with Elders Chapman and Nielsen. Before driving to Broken Hill, we stopped at the hospital to see Jesse Mott who had a heart attack. She is a member and a super lady! We left at about 6 p.m. and Elder Parker and I stopped in the desert to open our special mission-wide fast. The sun was setting and it was beautiful! As we drove, a kangaroo jumped about 20 ft. in front of us. It scared us to death! I know the Lord was with us. With some effort we found the address of the Balleys, the missionary couple we stayed with. I slept on a flat air mattress in a state called New South Wales in a city called Broken Hill on Garnet Street.

On Sunday, September 12, we attended the church in Broken Hill and the counselor in the branch presidency asked us to each speak for 10-15 minutes instead of our original plan of just bearing our testimonies. Elder Parker spoke on feeling good about yourself and I spoke on charity and serving others.

We drove back to Adelaide after the meeting and saw many frilled and blue-tongue lizards on the roads! We also saw heaps of beautiful purple flowers everywhere in the hills as we got closer to Adelaide.

I love the gospel with all my heart! Thank you for always supporting me.

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

I received your letter on the 7th and was so excited to hear from you! I have been very busy. Being an assistant to President Gray is rewarding and enjoyable, but is also very demanding. That is fine with me though. We get to help with transfers every month and he really lets us in on everything that the General Authorities tell him in meetings and it is real neat to help him keep this mission running smoothly. It sure is tough sometimes.

We have introduced a program here in Adelaide that is practically fail proof! It is called the "Crossing the Bridge" program and it is a member missionary program to help introduce members' friends to the gospel. It sure beats some of the other programs we have seen. We taught it last night to 3 members and committed them to ask 5 people to hear the discussions. The program also helps in such a way that it sows members a very good way to share the gospel with their friends and it isn't even hard to do. I would love to show both of our families this presentation and know that it will work! I know that it is an inspired program and am so excited about it!

I have made the decision to extend my mission to January and feel very good about it. I don't feel like I will have any regrets coming home then. I am coming home in January because I already fulfilled my call to it's fullness (18 months) and I am now going the extra mile by staying out longer because of my love for the work and the Lord and for President Gray. I have asked myself many times if I will ever regret coming home in January and I have come up with the answer that I won't every time. Here is something that I have thought a lot about: There are 2 kinds of pain--the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. The pains of discipline weight ounces, but the pains of regret weigh tons.

If there is one thing I have learned on my mission it is that I will always try to do my best today so that there will be no regrets tomorrow when I contemplate what I did or didn't do. Here is another quote that is really good: The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm on doing today's work superbly today!

We just received the conference tapes in the mail today from Sydney and we will be viewing them soon. I am excited to hear the prophet of God speak. I was studying about Joseph Smith just recently and I learned something very neat! When Joseph's father gave him a blessing, he told him that he would help administer the gospel to other civilizations of other worlds that have been created. I guess it makes sense because Moroni came back and administered part of the gospel to Joseph Smith. I thought that was interesting!

Peter Hollow is a really good friend of mine and is the member that got me thinking about extending. He is super cool and he served in the Melbourne, Australia Mission and he knew the missionaries that I knew in the MTC. He is a cool guy!

Thank you for all your support!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Guess what?! I am now Assistant to the President! President Gray called me into his office on Monday, September 29 and called me to be an assistant. He told me I must be beyond reproach and a few other things. I really began to feel the responsibility and I became quite overwhelmed! I thought being a Zone Leader was tough! Ha! It is really cool! I am looking forward to the challenge.

The other two assistants are Elder Jackson and Parker. Elder Parker is going to get moved out of the office at the end of this month so Elder Jackson and I will be President Gray's assistant then. Right now there are 3 of us. I am in charge of re-doing all the statistic sheets for the mission and I am in charge of 1/3 of the mission. We help President with transfers and it is really neat! After we prayed today and again and again, etc. we finally decided where the new missionaries would go and who would be their trainers. After we announced it, one of the new missionaries said, "How did you know w were supposed to be together?" Apparently he felt he knew his new companion was going to be Elder Norris.

Elder Vladusic is a new elder and when he joined the church at age 19, his dad gave him a broken nose, withdrew his inheritance (thousands of dollars) and kicked him out of their Catholic home. His father is very high in the Catholic church and he doesn't even believe in God, but he does it for the money. Isn't that sad! Elder Vladusic is cool! He is from Melbourne, Australia and he knows two of the missionaries that were in the MTC with me that went to Melbourne on their missions.

I don't get to do much work as a missionary because we're always busy working in the office. We are very busy! That is okay, though. As long as we can help others baptize. I love to see others have success. It gives me a good feeling to help other missionaries get baptisms! I've already seen a lot of success so now it is time to help them. I feel like I've grown so much out here!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

My new position keeps me busy serving the other members of the zone. President Gray and his assistants went out of Adelaide to the Northern Territory to visit the other missionaries and he left my companion and I in charge of the 3 city zones. It was a big responsibility! Do you know what I find hardest about being in a leadership position? You can't always have the zone members like you and still tell them to obey. Some elders in our zone are upset with me because we told them to get rid of a TV set that they had in their flat! Oh well. We did what we were supposed to do. It was hard, but I guess it was right.

On Saturday we met a guy and his wife that came to the door and said, "Are you Mormons?" We said, "Yes". He then said, "We want nothing to do with you! I've seen how you wreck families!" We ten just smiled--which was hard to do--and told him to have a nice day--that was even tougher! He then came out and said, "I will have a nice day because I have God with me" and his wife said, "You boys are bad news." They were such jerks about it and it got me so mad that it almost ruined my whole day. We then tracted out a man who smiled and said, "Come in". We were shocked! His wife just died recently and he is interested in the pioneers. We are going to get him a book about it and he said we could come back. It would be so neat to baptize him so he could be with his wife forever.

There are times on my mission that I would give it all up for $.10. And there are other times that I wouldn't sell a moment for a million dollars! My mission has not always been the happiest time of my life, but it has always been the most rewarding time of my life up to this time. I love my mission! It scares me to think about leaving the gits I have received specially for my mission. I love these gifts! Only the gospel of Jesus Christ could turn a selfish boy to a man who wants to serve others! I know that I have grown so much out here!

The work is going better and better! We are teaching a family of four and also a couple and two single mothers. It is excellent o be teaching again! One of the single mothers wrote my name in the Bangoli language. It looked cool! We are helping her learn English. It is fun!

Thank you for your letters and support.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

A Poem for Shanell

Some nights I lay in bed

just staring into space.

And then a special thought

comes to me,

your sweet and loving face!

So sweet and so beautiful

gentle, loving and kind,

You are so very dear to me

and you're often on my mind!

All the love that you have shown me,

through all the strife we've had,

you're always by my side,

whether times are good or bad!

My mission is near to closing,

I've grown a lot out here.

In just a few short weeks,

we shall once again be near!

Dear Shanell,

We have been so busy lately running around being Zone Leaders! It is a very demanding calling. It gets hectic out here, but the only times I really remember are the good ones.

On Tuesday we had a transfer meeting. It was sad! It was hard to say good-bye to Elder Dalrymple and Elder Pass! I love them both like brothers. Elders Selwyn and White and Sister Cetner are all going home. After the meeting, we went and picked up 5 bicycles from the bus depot and delivered them. We also visited the companionships Speas/Young and James/Douglass and welcomed them. I also got a bed, so I'm not sleeping on 2 mattresses now.

We have a sister missionary in our zone who was transferred to the mission from Melbourne. She is so frustrating to talk to at times! She asks questions and then when I answer them, she argues and argues the point with me. It drives me nuts! She can be a pain in the neck.

We have zone leader meeting tonight and it should be interesting. They are pretty fun. President Gray is really down-to-earth. We were tracting yesterday and we met a family named the Brownswords. They are cool! We are going to start teaching them on the 15th of September.

I love the Lord and this great work!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Today Elder Call and I got up at 8 am and picked up the Sisters Dewls, Benson, Kofford, Hodge at 8:30 and Elders Speas and Young at 9:30 and the eight of us headed up for Gumeracha. We saw a giant rocking horse and climbed it and Sister Hodge was a bit scared of heights. We got her to go up though! We then went to the car museums in Birdwood and then ate lunch.

Afterward, we dropped everyone off and then prepared for our district meeting. In the meeting Elder Pass and Sister Cetner bore their testimonies. It was their last district meeting and it was neat to hear. We had tea at Sister Steven's and chatted until about 10:30.

Have a nice week!
Elder Wallentine

Dear Shanell,

Everything is almost great here except for the fact that we aren't teaching anyone in this new area. Kind of depressing. Being a Zone Leader is tough! We have to sacrifice our own tracting time to help the other missionaries succeed. I would rather be a normal missionary, but if this is what my Father in Heaven wants, I won't fight His will. I feel like He is watching over me. I was reading my patriarchal blessing the other day and it really helped me keep things in perspective. It was helpful to read about the part on missionary work. I'm grateful for all I am learning out here.

Today Sisters Wahlquist and Allen stopped in and asked if we wanted to go to Cleland with them and Elders Jackson, Parker, Andersen, and Lonnie Green. We hurried and got ready. We had a picnic by the wildlife preserve and then went in and fed the "roos" and it was fun! We put my sunglasses on one kangaroo and took some photos of it! It was hilarious!

Thank you for all you do!
Elder Wallentine