Aspira a lo Alto

Hello!

Okay so I arrived at the president's house in Huancayo on Tuesday after over an 8-hour bus ride. He’s a really cool guy. I was the second to last Elder he met with. We talked about my family, and then he asked me if I had a question to ask him. I wasn’t ready for this, but then I asked him how could I be effective as a missionary without speaking Spanish. He told me pretty much that you won’t be. Nicer, but that was a direct quote. Then, he talked about were I was going to be serving and who with. He said I'd be serving with a Latino companion and that my area is the most physically demanding area in the mission—Cerro de Pasco. He said straight up that in two weeks I will be thinking what in the h-e-double hockey sticks am I doing here? While he was saying all of this I just started to smile really big and almost laugh to myself because I couldn’t think of a worse situation to start my mission in. But then again I couldn’t think of a better way—the cold, the altitude, the Latin companion all just give me a reason to work harder and enjoy my mission. Because well the situation may stink but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. 

Getting to Cerro de Pasco was a 4-hour bus ride. Honestly, the altitude and cold weren’t as hard to deal with at first as the food. Camron may be right in that the best food I eat is in the CCM. All I’ve eaten is stew twice a day.

My comp is Elder Contreras, and he is awesome. He is 20 months in the mission and is from Ecuador. His family are all non-members. He was a Zone Leader before training me, and seriously all of the members in Huancayo (we got one day to proselyte in Huancayo to help with adjusting to the altitude before going to Cerro) and missionaries love him. He is super loving and likable and kind. I’m learning a lot from him.

What you need to know about Cerro. First, is bigger than you might think. There is a giant mine in the middle of the town, and the town is all around the enormous mine. There are a lot of people here, but doesn’t even make sense why they are here. I guess they are just stuck there. The altitude (over 14,000 feet) and the cold and the ugly mine make the town kind of unpleasant to say the least.

Cerro is cold. It’s bitterly cold. It’s the kind of cold that numbs the limbs and pierces into the very soul. It’s weird though. Sometimes is will be cold, and then it will be extremely cold. And it will switch between these two during the day. It’s very temperamental. Haha. But don’t worry about me mom I sleep with 8 blankets at night so I’m fine. And I’m probably about as cold as you are in Las Vegas. haha. I think I finally understand you, Mom. My toes are always cold like yours, but I don’t have Brody to warm them up :( ohh and heating, I don’t have a heater too. Haha.

Holy cow I’m writing a lot this week. Also after my interview with President Henderson I knew I was going to Cerro, but that night I realized I lost my little baggy with my passport, wallet and temple recommended. It was funny before I was like wow putting all these important documents is a good way to lose everything at once, and I did. Long story short it fell out of my suit jacket pocket in the bus and the other elders unpacked the bus while we went to eat that first day in Huancayo, but IT was FOUND. Yeah! They called the bus company that night when I figured out I was going to Cerro, and they said they didn’t have it. So that night was rough because I was so worried, but then they found it on the bus the next day. It stinks though because I still don’t have my money right now.

Last thing, Elder Bednar describes three different ways to receive revelation. He calls them the pattern of light. One is like a light switch. Instantaneous knowledge and conviction of the truth. The second form is like a sunrise. At first nothing is visible, but almost imperceptibly things start to come into focus. The Third way is like walking down an alley on a super foggy day. You can only see far enough to take maybe a few steps. This fogginess describes me right now, not for revelation but for faith, and I don’t know hope of things. I don’t know everything, but I know enough. I knew enough to come to Cerro, and I know enough to take the smallest of steps forward.  

Yep, I've got a shirt for the Cerro de Pasco zone. I can’t send the picture. But the joke is that the shirt is the best part of going to Cerro. Love you so much. I’m not going to give up.

Elder Walker

In Huancayo!

Hi,

So I made it to Huancayo, and I’m in President and Hermana Henderson's home right now. The bus ride was... long. We were stopped for over an hour at the peak of our trip. I think it was over 4800 in meters not sure what that converts to, The Hendersons are spoiling us we ate Burger King for lunch got donuts earlier and are eating dinner in a minute in their home. No time, but so much has happened. Don’t know where I’m going. I know will tomorrow, but I know that I will have to go back to Lima this month for immigration stuff, which stinks. 8 hours otra vez on a bus. Love you love everyone so much. Bye.

Love,

Elder Walker

President and Hermana Henderson with Elder Walker

New missionaries!

Just Keep Swimming

Hi,

Mom, first off HAPPY BITHDAY!!! I can’t believe you are in Argentina right now! How exciting and don’t worry I’ll think of some way for you to make it up to me.... Yeah, I’m not that upset about it, mom. Not even at all. It is awesome that you can experience some of the South American life. You have probably seen about as much as I have considering I rarely leave the compound. Couple of things I need to say. First, I’m glad everyone liked my last letter, but I can’t write that great of stuff every week. I mean this last week nothing has happened, and I haven’t really had any cool experiences or have any noteworthy spiritual experiences. Pretty much this week has consisted of me frantically trying to learn the Spanish language for next week. And may I remind you that I am leaving on Tuesday! But yeah nothing exciting just me working and working and swimming and swimming and swimming. “No eating here tonight. I'm on a DIET!” (Side note: I’m really disappointed that I miss Finding Dory. Like I’m really mad). Sorry I’m easily distracted right now. Second I have a list of things that I want for my first package I receive. Not to sound like I expect a package, but if you happen to send me one please include the following: my farewell talk, stake conference talk, “Do You Love Me” talk by Elder Holland, “Why is it so Hard” talk by 
Elder Holland, and swedish fish. Please. Also, I want when you can manage it a cool calendar con important dates. ALSO I NEED TO KNOW what I got on my calculus AP test. It’s been bugging me, and I just forget to ask you every week. 

So yeah sorry for the disappointing email. Nothing is really blog worthy. Also, did you make me a blog? If so, I want it set up like Chloe's with the companion thing on the side. I’m so jealous that you’re with Chloe right now though. AHHHH I miss my sisters :( Another thing I had a question about John 3 1 hasta 8. I love these verses but specifically 8. I want to know the symbolism. Like is the wind the Holy Ghost or what? Maybe there is a general conference talk on it. I thought it would be something fun for you to do. So I guess I’ll copy something I wrote from my journal.

I get the part were I’m suppose to understand and speak the language after 3 months, but what am I suppose to do for these first 3 months? Today Elder Shreiner and I were practicing by teaching a Latino Companionship. One of the Latinos spoke super fast and acted like we were natives the other like we were infants, which to be fair we are…but non-the-less, it was still annoying. At the end of our lesson there advice was. Wait for it... Speak faster and better Spanish. Yes, thank you I know my Spanish isn’t great. Estoy tratando. It is frustrating not to be able to express yourself and the feelings you have. I don’t know what I’m going to do in a week when I’m out in the field for real teaching real lessons. I don’t want to be a burden to my companion because can’t be effective as a mute. Whatever, we shall see.

Yeah, I know it’s a jaw-dropping ending. The last sentence that is. It seems like all I'm doing is complaining about the language, so I’m sorry about that. Thanks for your email I enjoyed what you said about how impatience impedes faith. I’m trying to be patient. Love You! Miss you all. Excited for 8-hour bus ride! Till next time!

Elder Walker

I'm a Senior in the CCM :)

Hola,

This week was pretty unremarkable. I did the same stuff as last week and the week before. Since I’ve been here for 4 weeks now, I’m an advansaro. All the older elders left, and now we are the older elders. It’s kind of like a microcosm of high school in the way that there are three grades. So now I’m the hot shot senior. Haha. Except not really at all. I’m glad that I only have 2 more weeks because I’ve accepted that I’m not going to learn the language in the CCM, and any more time seems pointless. What I mean by that is I’ve accepted accepted that I wont know the language in the CCM and know that while I’m going to continue to work hard, I know that even 4 more weeks here won’t help me learn the language. I’m positive I’ll learn more in the field. Despite this, it is extremely scary to think about going out into the mission field because I’ve been playing in the kiddy pool here in the CCM, and I’m about to be dropped off in the middle of the ocean. It’s weird because I want to be out there in Huancayo, but I know that I can’t speak Spanish.

Something kind of interesting is that Elder Shreiner and I were made zone leaders this week. It’s not a big deal because in the CCM zone leaders don’t really do that much, but I’m glad I can try to help out. I really only mention it because I think being leader has helped me to get outside of my self and my own worries and trials and think of others. I hope I can learn can continue to learn from being ZL now.

Yesterday, I watched a message form Elder Holland, and what can I say, he gets me every time. His talk was about the story with Jesus and Peter. It starts after Peter denied Christ 3 times before the death of the Savior. Jesus after the resurrection finds Peter back at the sea fishing. Christ asks Peter, "Do you love me?" Peter answers yes. Christ asks again, "Do you love me?" And Peter answers yes. And yet again, Christ asks, "Peter Do, You, Love, Me?" Peter responds that he knows everything and knows that he loves Him. To which Christ responds, “Feed my sheep.”

Christ is asking me this same question. I’ve answered it the first time, “Yes, I love you. I’m here. I’m on a mission.” But he continues to ask me. Do you love me enough to bear your afflictions? I ask myself do I love Him enough to let Him do that for me? Certainly, Peter wondered and searched his heart to discern his true feelings for his Savior the third time Christ asked him. I too have the done same.

The question Christ asks is all encompassing. Christ didn’t ask will you follow me or do you trust me? He asked do you love me. Every hard thing I have to do on this mission and every hard decision I have to make comes back to this question. DO I love him enough to sacrifice a portion of my life to Him and to really trust in Him and do His will? Trust him in the language? This question also implies two things: one, that I recognize that He loves me and two, that He atoned for my sins and my pain. Also, it implies action: that I show Him my love by feeding His sheep. That is what I’m here to do but sometimes it gets hard, and I have to ask myself this same question. Do I love him?

I went to Los Pinos again last Saturday for proselyting. My comp was Elder Lorenzan, and he is the loudest kid here in the CCM. Anyways, we get along great, and we just trusted in the Lord completely because he knows less of the language than I do. We were with a member named Andrew who lives here and is going on a mission to Bolivia in November. We actually got to teach 8 little lessons. It was a lot of fun and way better than the first time.

Tell Anna to watch Frozen for me because it’s stuck in my head right now. And tell her I love her mucho. I hope everyone has a great week.

I love you all mucho,
Elder Walker

The First Great Commandment - Jeffrey R. Holland - October 2012 General ...

Typical Week at the CCM

Hi,

Since some have asked about it, I’ll start off with soccer and what I do during physical activity every day. When I first got here there were a bunch of people who played soccer, so most of the time I played ultimate football, which is like ultimate Frisbee with a football. I liked it because I didn’t have to wait after every game, and it was continuous activity. Since the 40 new missionaries arrived last week; however, there have been way too many playing UF so now I play soccer. There are actually quite a few good soccer players from North America. You’ll be proud to know that yesterday, I had a hat trick in 3 of the 5 consecutive games we won. Winner stayed on. It is funny to see the Latinos reactions when I do something good though (they don't expect the Americans to know how to play), and I love the Latinos because they love to laugh--most of the time at me trying to speak Spanish! But that’s okay.

I don’t take any new pics this week, and it’s pretty much been the same old in the CCM. After emailing I’ll get to go into town and shop. It’s weird today because the temple is closed. The computers are working now though, but I have no idea when I’ll email next week--just sometime on Wednesday. I have to send you a picture of Elder Schreiner and I on the public buses because it is comical. Literally, they are made for 20 people who are 5 feet 8, but they stuff more than 30 people on the bus, and we usually have to stand. Our shoulders touch the roof.

I have loved reading the Book of Mormon. I have written all of my favorite scriptures down and I wish I could just talk to you about all of them because they are so great. I could talk for hours about them. My favorite book is probably 2 Nephi. I don’t have enough time to talk about all of the things I love in the BoM. The person and missionary I want to be most like though is Ammon. He is the perfect example of how to be a missionary through his example of humble service. He doesn’t ask for anything and rejects King Lamoni’s offer for wives and riches and in short stays focused on the work and serving. I also love the perseverance of Alma the younger in his missionary service because of the amount of time he was rejected and kept going (like in Alma 26:29).

Yesterday, we had a General Authority 70 come. He was Elder Wadel, and he lives in Lima. He was great and talked about our purpose as missionaries. He said that we have to be different missionaries than our dad and brothers because our objective has changed. It was find, teach, and baptize. Now it is convert, retain, and activate. So the focus isn’t to baptize but to convert investigators and members because the final goal is the temple and the first step is baptism. He was a cool guy and is 6’ 5” and big, and he speaks Espana Spanish because he was a mission president there.

The language is slowly coming. I have to teach a fake investigator twice a day and I’m getting better, but it is hard to be patient. Right now I know the verb I want to use, but I just can’t conjugate it to future or whatever I want. My far off goal in the future is to be able to speak good Spanish when I call at Christmas. I mean I hope I can by then, and if I can’t I’ll probably shoot myself. Basically, I’m not getting discouraged until then.

I wrote quite a bit. Mom, don’t expect me to write this much every week. Other random news is I met an Elder form Vegas, and we were just talking about how he went to LVA but was zoned for Palo. Anyways, I found out that he happens to live in the Simister’s ward. That’s cool.

Love,

Elder Nicholas Walker

PS. Thanks to all my other mothers and others who wrote me an email this week.  I really appreciate it. Sorry I didn't have time to write back.  I spent all my time (I only have 30 minutes) writing this long email.

Me today, right now, right outside the computer lab.

Busy Week in the CCM

Hello!

I had a busy week. We went to Caral on Monday, which is the second oldest civilization in the world. A lot of people think that it could be the ruins of the ancient Jaredites. It wasn’t that much fun because it was a 3 hour bus ride both ways, and I’m not that into archeological proof for the Book of Mormon. It is cool to say that I’ve been there though.

So we are no longer the noobies in the CCM anymore because we got 40 new missionaries today! 20 left and we got 40 so there are a lot more missionaries here now.

Last Saturday was my first time proselytizing! It was crazy we went to Lima North. Los Pinos was the name of the area, and I promise Camron must have served there. It was crazy exciting and scary. First off Lima North Mission area, or anywhere in Lima, is very different than the US. I saw about 15 stray dogs everywhere, and Peruvian dogs are not cute. I also saw other things that I won’t describe to my mother--nothing too bad. I promise. Haha. But everyone who is a beginner normally gets an advanced American companion and a member from the ward to go out with. But I got an intermediate 2 weeker comp and no member!!! So it was just me and another elder out in Lima for 6 hours preaching the word. Long story short, our assignment was to talk to less active families and we only had one on our list, and they just told us to come back later. So we walked around doing street contacts until we ran into the hermanas of the mission. Then they hooked us up with a member and we went to some more “less active” members houses. It was cool.

We watch a lot of Mormon message type videos here in the CCM, but there is one that I have seen 4 times now. It is one with Elders Erying and Holland talking. Elder Eyring talks about how when he thinks he has done some hard thing and want to take a rest he thinks of Christ and the atonement and how Christ after going through the atonement didn’t stay in heaven and sleep, but he came back to us. Holland ask repeatedly. Why is it so hard? Why is missionary work so hard? Why don’t more people want to get baptized? It is great. He answers that it is because it wasn’t easy for Christ, and it wont be easy for us. (I know I don’t need to ask mom, because she will do it, but search for the video Holland why is it so hard and watch it and put it on my blog.) I love you!

More about the comp. His name is Elder Max Shreiner. He’s 18 and a recent grad like me from Springville, Utah. He was a star athlete in football and basketball, which he played on the varsity team on as a sophomore. He’s super humble. On our first real day during orientation for all of the new missionaries, one of the CCM ward leaders recognized him, and it turned out to be a guy from his ward. Anyways in front of everyone this leader, Elder Hill (he’s on a senior mission), talks about how great Elder Shreiner is and how he is an amazing athlete, but super humble and a great example at the same time. He was so embarrassed. It was super funny. Really, though he is awesome, and we work really good together. He’s just a boss. He makes me look short and small in the pictures. Haha. He is a goofy kid, and we are always cracking jokes.

I’m doing great. I love you all.  Thanks for the emails and love,

Elder Nicholas Walker

Here is a picture from the temple last week. The computers still aren’t working right, and it’s kind of frustrating. I swear it is a problem that Camron could fix in like 15 minutes though.

My district. From left to right are Elders Tolman, White, Shreiner, Benally, and Bishop. Then Hermanas Mason, Loyaza and Reynold. Tolman and White are going to Huancayo, and the others are going to Trujjo. We are all really good friends.

Hermana Loyaza is our teacher and she is the best!! Unfortunaltely, she is so good that because so many new missionaries are coming she is teaching them. So now we have a teacher that speaks no English!!

Caral. 

Elder Shreiner and I at Caral.