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