Happy new year!

It was great to talk to you guys on the phone on Christmas! It sounds like things are going pretty well there, even within all the trials. You guys are strong, and I know that you were sent there for a reason. I was reading a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 6 today, and I thought of you guys. If you would each read that, by yourself, or as a family, it helps a lot. The last of the section gives the words of Christ himself, speaking to the early saints. He says in part, "Fear not, little flock, to do good." He goes on in a later scripture to say "doubt not, fear not; for lo, I am with thee, even to the ends of the earth." I thought that was a great insight.

You guys were sent there to provide an example. Ryan and Ashley are so strong, they can have such an impact on the branch. Just "fear not...to do good." You guys are great! I love you all, and I know you guys are going to do great!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hello everyone,

That's really cool about the Joy to the World DVD's. I'm glad you guys have some, because every one in the mission is all out! Those videos really seem to be a heavy hitter here in Philly! It's pretty cool to go deliver them. We get in more doors when there is free stuff involved! The Muslims here don't celebrate Christmas, but the Christian people really go ALL OUT! I've never seen so many lights! It's pretty great.

I've heard a lot from the family back west. Amy and Jason sent me a really nice tie and some candy, and I got some great cards from Wendy &Kenny, Eric &Lisa, and Aaron & Carin. It has been really great to hear from them. I got the packages from the branch in Belgium, and one from Rod Hansen, but I haven't opened them up yet.

This week has been pretty crazy too. My last companion went home on the 16th, and the new guys don't arrive until the 28th.For those ten days, I'm with another trainer, and we are trying to run two areas, with one companionship, and no car. It's pretty crazy, but we are getting by! It's a lot of work trying to run between areas though!

I love the mission field, and I hope you guys are having just as great of a time there! Stay safe, and have a great Christmas!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hello there,

I don't have much time right now to write, but I just wanted to say thank you so much for everything! I got the package from you all, at least I think, the package has dutch writing all over it :)
Things are going really great here, and I am so excited for Christmas time. It's pretty cool here in Philly around Christmas. Some of the public buses play Christmas music. It's really great!

I look forward to being able to call you guys on Christmas, BUT, I don't have your phone number. You can call the mission office and give it to them if you like. I don't know if I can email on p-day, it's on Christmas eve. I can get an international phone card, so that won't be an issue. I should be getting my passport here pretty soon as well.

Things are going really great here, and I am really loving the mission field. I got a call from President Murray yesterday, and I am going to be a trainer for the next seven weeks! That was pretty exciting! I'm looking forward to it, but it's not going to be a walk in the park, I'm sure!

Tell everyone thanks, it will be a long time until I can get letters out to everyone, but I got some really great packages and cards from Wendy and Kenny, Eric & Lisa, Aaron and Carin, and Rod Hansen and the priest quorum sent me a great package with a tie that plays Christmas songs! Everyone's been really great, and it's so fun to hear from all of them! I love you guys! Thank you so much for everything that you have done! I hope everything continues to go well!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey everyone,

Things are going very well here, again! Christmas time in Philly is different. Everyone here claims to be "Muslim", so there aren't a lot of Christmas lights up either. But, it's pretty cool to see the snow and everything! We got a few inches this past week, the temperature dropped to about 17 degrees, and today it's back up to 55.

We had some pretty interesting things happen here lately. My companion goes home to Utah next Tuesday, so I'll be getting a new comp pretty soon. We'll see how that goes. I tried to cash Grandma and Grandpa's check today, but they don't even do personal checks. I' not quite sure what to do with it.

Everything is going great here in Philly! I love the mission field, and I'm learning so much out here every day! I love you guys! Stay strong! I know it's not easy, but it'll all work out!

Thanks again!
Elder Wallentine

Yeah,

Things have been pretty good here lately. I loved the package you guys sent me. We really enjoyed the waffles, cookies, and the chocolates! Thank you all so much! The cards and the letters were so great! It really made everything fantastic!

My birthday was on a zone conference, so they brought me and a couple other missionaries up front, and sang to us. It was cool, and we got a bag full of shaving cream a razor, a toothbrush, and a load of candy. It was pretty cool. I got a really great package from Wendy and Kenny too, full of brownies and hot cocoa. It was really good!

We had a baptism lined up for this Sunday, but ghetto drama is pretty intense. She got kicked out of her home the Saturday before, and now lives in Mt. Airy, about ten miles north. We got the cops called on us when we went looking for her, so that was a bummer. But, God will provide a way for us to meet with her again. We're going back on Tuesday.

Other than that, things are going very well. I got the letters from Grandma and Grandpa Decker and Wallentine, and they were both so great. I'm going to take care of the passport information this next week, so that will be taken care of.

Thank you guys so much, keep us in your prayers! I love you all, and I hope everything goes well! Tell dad to have fun in China! We are probably going to go see the Liberty Bell, and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier today. It'll be pretty cool! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey all you guys,

I don't have much time. I only have 30 min on the computer today, but thank you so much for the wonderful package! That is some of the best chocolate I've ever had! It was so great to hear from all of you again! We are having a great week, and we are seeing many, many miracles! It sounds like you know how that goes! I love you guys so much, and I just wanted to let you know how much I love you all. Good luck with school, make sure you read your scriptures before you start studying for school tests. I was surprised by how much that helps. A lot more than the rock music does.

I love you all, and I know that God is taking care of both of us. Thank you so much for all that you do! Good luck with everything!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey everyone,

Things have been pretty great, but the Spanish thing didn't end up working so well. Just as I thought I got it down, I got transferred. I'm now serving in an area called Germantown, North Philadelphia. We have a lot to look forward to these next six weeks, and I am so thankful for all of your prayers. Last Sunday we baptized a woman named Anna and her granddaughter, and they are inviting us over for Thanksgiving. It's not in my zone anymore, but we got permission earlier, so it will be fun. They are so strong, and I feel with them as though I can be looking forward to pictures from the DC temple here in the next year or so!

Things are moving really great here, and that was funny to hear about most of the missionaries seeking out black people to teach. Here it is a little bit different, but not too much. We, if possible, try to work with Dominicans, Africans, Puerto Ricans, and South Americans, the African Americans don't tend to like us much, and the white people are a no-no in a lot of places. They tend to throw us off their blocks.

We've had some pretty cool experiences happen this week, and God has shown me that the Holy Ghost truly can protect us from harm!I love it so much, and I am so grateful that God has our back!
Congratulations to Emily for her baptism, it's exciting to hear that Ryan got to do it! That is so great that you guys are helping out the missionaries with the work, and with Thanksgiving! If the missionaries ever need members to come with them, send Ryan. I did a little bit of teaching with them at ISU, we taught a guy named Kyle, and I found out recently that he got baptized in December! It's such a great opportunity,

It's so good to hear things are going well, I am so glad that you're learning dutch, it's kinda rough when you don't speak the people's language huh? I know how that feels. Take care! I love you all, and I know that as you stay strong in the ward, and show an example, others will follow, and the work there will jump start as well. Members just seem to need a nudge sometimes. I love you guys, take good care of yourselves, and enjoy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey everyone,

I was reading some old emails, and I realized, it's been ages since I've last written many of you. I apologize for the wait, and I'm short on time, but here it goes:

Things are going great in Philadelphia! Right now I've been serving in the Spanish section of North Philadelphia, and I've just been transferred into a branch of the city called Germantown. I'm not quite sure what to expect, all I know is that it hasn't much to do with Germany.

Philly is pretty crazy, as usual, and the temperatures have dropped quite a bit in the last week. I didn't quite understand just what makes Valley Forge winters so intense, until now. Time to bust out the winter gear!

We had two really great baptisms yesterday, a great lady named Anna and her granddaughter. It was so exciting to help them prepare for baptism, it's really been wonderful! They are so strong, and I am so stoked to see them later on as she is already excitedly preparing to go to the temple! I am loving the mission field, even though it is by far the hardest thing I've ever done, (and investigators keep telling me I have an accent?!? Maybe I'll notice it later on.

I love it here, and I hope everything is going well out west!
 
Thanks so much for all of your help and support! It helps me out so much to know that you are all there right behind me! I love you all, and I am so grateful to have such a great family! Thanks so much!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey there!

We are having a very interesting week here. We have a great investigator here named Anna. She came to church, and loved it. She was glued to the speaker in sacrament mtg. The miracle...it was actually a high councilman speaking!  It was really great, and I am excited. She said she wants to get baptized the 11th of November, so we are very excited for that. Just keep her in your prayers!

The other missionaries in our district had a couple problems at their apartment this past week, and it was pretty disgusting. I lived there for a night on exchanges with them, and while we were planning, I saw 7 DIFFERENT mice run across the living room, and three living in the couch. It was pretty crazy, and the place was about to fall over, so they moved in with us. Our apartment is pretty nice. It's 2 bdrm, and there is almost enough room to fit us four in there comfortably...almost.

The mission is great, and we are finding some really great people. I got to speak to a couple of young men on Sunday about how to prepare for a mission, and I kind of surprised myself. They asked what I think would most prepare them to serve a mission, and I answered "people skills and reading your scriptures." For the most part, everything else was pretty well taken care of in the MTC. I do wish I could've been better at just simply speaking to people on the street when I came out. I was reading my journal, and that was pretty hard for me at first. I'm sure the other kids would do great at it if they could learn how to do it in dutch!

I love it out here, the people are great, we have a few really solid people, and we are looking forward to a great next few weeks! Winter is coming up here, and they are famous! It makes for great tracting when it's 10 below zero, with freezing rain and 45mph winds! It's pretty crazy here in the winter, not many of the Puerto Rican people even stay in town for winters. I love the mission here though, and I'm excited for this next week! I love you guys!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey all,

It sounds like things are going pretty well there in Belgium. It's pretty hard here, but what you said is right. God is just working on us, and when all is said and done, we will be better off in the end. We worked our tails off this past week, and lost everything on Saturday. No one came to church, and it seems we have to start over. But, it will all work out.

I'm learning a lot about patience, above all else right now. It's been a long time since I've had a baptism, and it's getting progressively harder not to get discouraged. I am glad though, that I'm learning this lesson right now. Things are going pretty crazy for both of us it sounds, BUT...it's all going to work out; because that's what's good!

The Ghanian people are some of the greatest people in the world, aren't they? I would give anything right now to work again in an African area. They've been through a lot, them and the Liberians. It's pretty incredible to hear some of their stories.
 
I love you guys, and it's great to hear that all is going well, even if it doesn't seem to be the case right now.  Keep up the good work, you're all great! Thanks again for all your support, it means the world to me!

I love you guys!
Elder Wallentine

Hey guys! (I mean, uhh...dutchmen)

It sounds like things are going very well there, and I want to assure that conditions there it sounds like are not too different from a lot of them here. I've been so blessed with apartments so far on my mission. I went on exchanges to another part of north Philly, and we saw 9 different mice and a full size rat run across the combined living room/kitchen. It was pretty nuts, it's definitely different from Idaho, so I'm sure there's a shock factor in moving to Belgium.

I love the mission! This has been a very hard week. It's been a long time since I've been blessed with a baptism, and I couldn't seem to figure it out. Finally, after days of asking for an answer, I got it. It would be fine. Then, on Sunday, we got an incredible woman at church, with her 9 year old granddaughter. I'm so excited for them. She had visited the church for a year earlier in 2005, so she's already familiar. And when we asked her if she ever got baptized, there's nothing like hearing her reply, "unfortunately, no."  I'm so stoked about her, just keep on praying for us and the people here. I like N Philly a lot more than west, it's a lot less stressful, but there is still a lot of work to do, (especiamente con mi espanol.)

I love the mission, I'm so excited for this next week, it's going to be a lot of fun. We did a service project the other day, and it was a lot of fun. We did landscape restoration at a local park, so it was right up my alley. It was a good time.

I love this gospel, and we have seen so many miracles it's too incredible to even get started to tell you everything. One interesting thing though, is the concept of opposition. I never quite understood it until this week. There are a lot of rumors around these parts about the church anger African-american people, in one way or another, and many never miss an opportunity to bash on the church. It's nbd though, we don't pay much attention. But I noticed one thing; when I was at home, sure, I knew it was all true, but there was really no opposition. no anti people, no real opposition. But the real testimony, the real conviction, begins I'm realizing, when someone on the street looks you in the eye, and tells you "you've been mislead.", or "You need to do your research."
and I can tell them, "I HAVE! and GOD told me that it's true! Who's been giving you your research?"

It's so interesting to see what happens in their heads, it's pretty funny.  I know it's true, and the work of God will never stop. I've said it once, and a guy on the street actually told us this week too, that the church must be true, if it wasn't, us 19 year old kids on the front lines would have messed it up already.  I know it's all true, and the blessings are real! I love you guys, thanks for all of your support!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

PS-Pigeon tastes a lot like chicken, I found out this week. It's not bad, but kind of gummy. Tastes good in Chinese food though. I don't know why they try to tell us it's chicken, even I can tell the difference.

Dear everyone,

Wow, it sounds like a pretty crazy trip you guys are having. I'm so glad everything is going well, and I know that god is sustaining you through all of it. As the people here say, "God is good, all the time!" It's just a catchphrase all the baptists use. That and the "Baptized, sanctified, filled with the Holy-Ghost, speaking in tongues and singing in Technicolor." (Except we usually get that one right before they tell us "I've known Jesus a lot longer than you have, leave me alone" [slam of door].

It's pretty funny here, but there are so many people that are prepared in so many ways. I love the mission, even though it has been a little scary at times. I'm in a different area now in North Philly, so don't worry, but when I was in West Philly, some stuff was really going down. A car got bombed three houses down from our apartment on Market Street last week, and there was a police shootout a little down the road. If you want to check out the area on GoogleEarth, the address was 5713 market st, Philadelphia, PA. We definitely get the "Philly Experience" here. Normally, I'd be terrified, but the spirit of God is really something. With all that happening around us, we are promised safety and security, as are our families, I'm finding out in the D&C. It's really true, it's incredible how calm we can stay when people living around all this stuff are having such a time coping with it.

I'm in North Philly right now, but I feel like I'm serving in Puerto Rico. Mi espanol es...non-existent, but I'm learning slowly and surely. We are finding some really great people, I'm very excited. My new companion is really cool, he speaks fluent Spanish, and is trying to teach me. It's great, but all I can say is "hi, we are the missionaries from the church." and then smile, and wait for my companion to butt in. It's going to get better.

My favorite talk was in Saturday Evening session, where Elder Holland ROCKED THE CHRISTIAN WORLD. He bluntly spoke out against false doctrine, (i.e. trinity, the unembodied God, etc.) It was pretty cool, check it out when you can. Elder Nelson gave a sweet talk on the Book of Mormon, but to get the full effect, you have to watch that one on the net.  I don't think I've ever seen an apostle read straight from the BOM in a talk, it was raw Power! Conference was great this time, I loved it!

I love the field, it's great! It's so hard to believe that I have been out 8 months yesterday! 1/3 of the way done. I think I almost got sick when I saw that. It goes by so fast. I know that this work is the truth. They've started to allow us to use the Testaments in teaching, and thus far, it's solidified every person that sees it. I love it, and I know that this is definitely the work of God. Thank you so much for all of your letters, it's so great to hear that you are doing well! I love you all!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey guys,

Pretty much, the last week has been a circus around here, too. You said I could tell you the stories after they happened, right?  It's interesting, because the neighborhoods are a little dangerous lately, but we are calm through the whole thing. I just realized that if I were a tourist, I'd be terrified to walk in some of the places we go. But with the badge on, the mantle of a missionary is definitely one of divine protection. This past week, a car got bombed two doors down, and it was pretty crazy. It was pretty burned up when we walked by it on our way to get our groceries. The spirit of God is something that causes a great deal of comfort to come over you, even in some of the most distressing times. I know it's very real, and I've come to rely on it so much, I don't know how I'd get along without it.

Transfer calls came in, and I will be moving to North Philadelphia again. But there's a catch; God must want to see how I do learning Spanish. I'll be serving in the North Philadelphia Spanish branch, so that will be a change of pace. I don't get to learn the language first at all, so I'll be thrown into it headfirst, and I guess I'll have to learn pretty quick!
 
My companion will have been out for a while, so I'm pretty excited for all that I can learn from him.
I hope everything is okay in Belgium, sounds like it was a trip trying to get settled in. Did you get all your luggage and stuff yet? Just wondering. I have some pretty cool pictures here.

I just want to thank you all for your support and your help. It's been so great to hear from you, and just so you know, I got the letters and everything. Thanks a lot for sending them! I know this church is true, and we are working with some very cool people here. Just keep us in your prayers, and pray that the Spanish clicks fast. We'll see how that goes.

I love you guys, you're all great, thanks so much for all you do! Keep me posted on how everything goes with the big move! Don't stress out either, I know it will all work out! It always does!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey all,

Things are going very well here. We had a lot of success, and then it went dry for quite a while. Things are beginning to come together as I am learning more and more about what i need to be changing. Little by little, I'm learning how to be a better missionary.

We are teaching some great people--a family and a wonderful lady named Michelle. Please keep them in your prayers, and I know everything will go well. My new companion is an African, and in short, I'm pretty sure he's crazy. He used to hunt lions in Africa, and he's lived in Belgium for most of his teenage life. He says it's a great place. He lived in the Brussels International Ward.

Thank you so much for all of your support. I am grateful to have you guys behind me out here. It's pretty crazy, but I think I am officially the only white person in West Philadelphia. Even my companion is African! It's pretty funny! For the most part, everyone is cool with it. Every once in a while there is someone who wants a fight or tells me to leave their neighborhood and go back to "my people", but 99% of the time, everyone has general respect for us. I never realized how many legions of angels God has sent for us from time to time, until I see some of the stuff going down just outside our apartment. God takes care of us. I don't think I need to elaborate. I love the mission so much. I can't believe I've been out for 7 months now. It goes by so fast!

We visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall last Monday. It was pretty cool for all of us, except maybe one missionary who is British and wasn't too fond of some of the jokes the tour guide said to him. Thank you all so much for all you do! I love you very much!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey Family,

Things have been very good here. I got a new district leader from West Africa and he's a real fireball. He's a great missionary, and we are gong to find a lot of success these next five weeks.

We have found some very good people and things are going very well. We got a new companionship moving into West Philly this week which makes three of us. We have a lot of work to do. But, I'm learning a lot, and I am truly being humbled here. My district leader came out the same day I did, and he's great. I'm already learning so much from him. It's pretty incredible.

I love you!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

Things are going very well here in Philly! Transfers just came in and my companion is going back to North Philly. I am getting a new companion/district leader. His name is Elder Appiah-Knudsen, from Ghana, West Africa. I came out of the MTC with him, so we are going to have an incredible six weeks!

We found a lady last week that is having such a hard time gaining a testimony. On Sunday she overcame a fight with her boss and a broken down car to get to church. So she's doing very well. We are excited for all that is going on now.

We found a possum stuck in our porch garbage can today. I've never seen one, so that was pretty funny. I'm learning a lot. The last few weeks have been hard, but things are definitely looking up! I love being out here and I'm so excited for the next week of work. My p-day is still on Monday. My schedule was dicey for a while, but it's all good now.

Many people out here say to us, "God is good to me, and He's all I need". I think they think it's some sort of "opt out" for learning more about the gospel. They usually say it right before they close the door on us. The funny thing is this: they are right. If we rely on God and do what He asks, He will provide for us. A job, a car, immigration papers for our family, anything. I know that He lives and that He is watching over and guiding all of us.

I love you all!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

This week has been crazy! We've been running back and forth, things are way busy, and we all got to sing the anthem at the Philly's baseball game vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates last week. It was really cool! I got some good pictures from it. I was on the far left, middle row. It was a real blast!

We are finding some brand new people and they are really great! I don't have much time.

I love you all!
Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

We met a lady this week who really was going through heck. Things were very hard for her, and she said she had hit rock bottom. She invited us in and after talking with her a bit, we saw her entire attitude change. She invited us back and things are going very well. She overslept and missed church, but we found out that was the first time she had been able to sleep in a week, so really no complaints there. We're just letting God do His thing. I'm very excited about her. She really wants to go somewhere! I'm starting to realize that the gospel changes people in more ways than just their outlook on life. Every person that has stayed active in the church that I've seen has been able to feed their family. Financial burdens have been lifted, and many times they can even move out of the projects! It's incredible the loads of blessings God pours out upon those who put off all else to serve Him.

There was a woman getting confirmed last week, and she had been scheduled to work on Sunday, so she wouldn't be able to make it to church. But, she knew what was important, and who hooked her up with her job, so she stuck to it, and went to church. She didn't worry about work. It worked out and she is at work right now. The Lord is certainly good at what He does.

Things are really going great here in Philly. We're starting to see more and more success and our new president is going to light this mission on fire! He's already got some incredible things he's planning for us. The next 18 months are going to be crazy!

Thank you all so much for the package! I love all that stuff! It was really great of you to do all that! Thanks to Jeff and Melissa, too. They sent me a package as well. All your letters were so sweet! Thanks to everyone, I've gotten so many letters from people, I can't even keep track of them! It's great to hear from you all!

We use PMG a lot and find that when we just read it verbatim to the group, asking thoughtful questions over two or three lines, it's a lot more powerful than anything else. Christ's words cover all the doctrine and tend to answer any questions or concerns even before they can ask them. I look like a total idiot trying to teach using my words, But when we trust His words, then the Spirit can teach and he's got all of us beat!

We have lots to get done today! I love you!

Elder Wallentine

Hey Family,

It was awesome to get your letters! I love it here and we are staying very busy. We have many people to teach and many more to find. We can hardly keep up! My new companion is a good guy and I'll probably never get mugged with him around. There is a couple in the mission office that Grandma and Grandpa Decker might know. They are the Vollmers. Things are going great, but I'm out of time. I spent too much time writing to the President. Sorry.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

This week has been absolutely incredible! I just got transferred on Tuesday into West Philly and am now the District Leader's companion. My companion is a football player for the Y and is Samoan. His name is Elder Ah You. He is a great guy and I look forward to working with him. We both are just coming out of a dry transfer, but the next six weeks are going to be unbelievable. God is preparing us for something huge. In the last week, God has given us a miracle family every day and we are running to keep up with them. There are so many miracles. I truly feel like I am living an Old Testament story!

One day we felt prompted to go tracting out of our focus area, just a couple blocks west of the norm. For one reason or another, we both just walked right up to a street htat was never part of our plans. We just felt like we should start there. We tracted it out and didn't even get into a single door, until the very last one. We knocked on the door and a very tall man came to the door, hollering and swearing, just about ready to slam the door on me, and then he stopped. We told him we were servants of the Lord, and that He has a message for his family. His whole countenance changed and he let us in his house. He gave us five minutes. Ten minutes later, upon talking with him, we came to know he pretty much already knew about the Restoration. He figured God would restore his prophet and that we would again receive the authority Moses had. He figured there was a true church somewhere out there and had been praying that morning to send the truth to him! He had never really been to church, but God had taught him those things through the Bible and he had been prepared very literally by the hand of God. We went on to teach him and that lesson proceeded to be the most spiritually charged lesson either of us had every experience. He cam to church and brought his wife. They loved it and are set to be baptized pretty soon! We are so excited for him!

All I can say is the field is white and it is so wonderful to see so much happening. I know this is His work and I cannot believe it's already been almost six months! I wish I could start back again. It's so exciting here. Whether I go back home to Europe or Idaho or wherever, I know this is where I should be. Thank you so much for all you've done for me!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

Things are going absolutely wonderful here, but it is a lot of work. God works in some funny ways sometimes, doesn't He? We had gone two weeks without seeing anyone of our investigators at church, and it was getting pretty frustrating. I'm not going to lie. Yesterday, we had some great families that said they'd come, but when the time came, and we called them Sunday morning, things weren't nearly so hopeful. It looked like another dry Sunday. But, lo and behold, a woman names Phyllis showed up at church and asked where she could find Elder Wallentine and Elder Urrutia. We had taught her six weeks earlier, but she kicked us out and stopped answering our calls. But, by God's grace, her heart was softened, and she actually came on her own! I know now more than ever that all flesh is in His hands, and that He never drops one of us. I know that He lives and that Christ did so much more than I ever before understood. Jesus the Christ along with the scriptures really put some things in perspective.

I'm moving again. This time I'm moving to West Philly and everything is packed up. It's pretty exciting. I'm moving in with a Tongan elder name Elder Ayu. He's really cool. The new president is amazing! I met with him on Thursday and talked with him Sunday, too. I am way excited to work with him. He's got more vision than anyone I've ever seen! I could see him making new business strategies for how to help the mission out, just as he was first introducing himself. The next 19 months are going to be great!

The 4th of July was kind of cool here, but in light of youngsters liking to shoot bottle rockets at the missionaries, they locked center city missionaries down that afternoon. During break we got to stop by some of the block parties, and so many people gave us so much barbecue it was ridiculous. I wish they liked listening to our message as much as they do feeding us! I'd have some cool pictures of the Center City fireworks, but they got rained out and the only big ones were along the horizon over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. I took some pics of center city, though.

I know that God has a plan for each of us and I'm starting to understand exactly why my papers didn't get sent the first time. I love you all very much!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey Family,

When do you think you'll be moving to Belgium? That's pretty exciting!

This week has been another really rough one, but things are starting to turn upward. We have an appointment hold this week, and he's looking pretty solid, but he went camping this weekend with a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses. I'm not sure if they are going to have a chat with him, but we have another appointment tonight, so we'll see how he's doing.

I know that God is truly one of mercy and love, but at times, it is definitely "tough love". Things seem so hard at times, and yet I know that it will all be for our benefit in the end. Even though things are difficult at times, I know God is leading the work, and I know that He loves each and every one of us. I know He hears our prayers, and that even though it's not always how we want them, I know He answers them. I am having such a great experience over here. Keep us in your prayers.

I love you all!

Elder Wallentine

New Mission President

Hey Family,

North Philly is absolutely amazing. I learned an interesting lesson this week. For the last little while, something hasn't felt quite right. I was doing what I was supposed to, but it still felt as if I were just going through the motions, and we were having little or no success. I couldn't figure it out. Then we had a zone conference on Thursday. President Fillmore is a great man. He spoke on how to increase and/or maintain the blessings and support we receive from God. He brought up something interesting. He said that we can do things pretty good at a certain time in our missions, and find enormous success. But, in your next area, doing that exact same things will bring you absolutely nothing. That is God's way of bringing us higher over time. As we try to improve, we maintain that success, and we begin to have more of that "fun" that comes with diligent missionary work. I learned a lot from that. That day we went tracting because we had not appoinmnets, and we found a great family of four. I know it's the truth and that God has His ways of pullling us higher each day. I love this gospel and I know it's true!

President Fillmore is leaving this next week, so we are all kind of bummed about that. But, President Murray is going to be a great man, too. He has notified us of the attempt the church is making to move the elders into member homes, but none of us are too sure how that will work with the rowhomes and city housing so prominent in the Center City. It'll be interesting, though. They should be doing that here too before the end of my mission.

I'm so excited about the work, and it is going forward at unreal speed. I know this is God's work and have met many people who have been prepared for the missionaries. I know God is assisting this work. I love the gospel and am so thankful for it. I know that by following it, we can be blessed in all we do!

I love you so much!
Elder Wallentine

Hey everybody,

Thank you all for your letters! It was absolutely wonderful to hear from all of you!

This week has been a difficult one as well. This whole transfer so far has been especially hard. I'm starting to realize now just how easy my other area was with a car and the grass. It's definitely a different experience than up in Morrisville, but I'm growing to love it as well. The subway and public transportation have been a new experience.

I've got a funny story for you. Right before I left, I tried on three of my pairs of slacks out of the four we bought. They all fit, so I didn't give it any thought. Well, I went to wear the fourth pair the other day and the waist is several inches too small. I haven't gained any weight out here, they just don't fit. I don't know why I didn't check those earlier, but I can't do much with them. I don't think Peterson's can do anything about it, can they? Anyway, I'll be okay without them, it's just kind of a waste.

I don't have much more time, but I want you all to know that this gospel and this church really are true. It is the only way to receive all that God has for us. Being out here has really changed my perspective on that. Back in Boise, it almost seemed like there wasn't any other way to go besides the Church. I'm beginning to realize now just how blessed we are to have the full gospel in beautiful simplicity, especially after meeting many pastors and hearing how they understand the Bible. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet and that President Hinckley is, too. Thank you so much for all you've done; You don't know how much of a strength you've all been to me in my life.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey you guys!

The city has been pretty nuts so far. When we got moved into this area, there wasn't much going on, so we've been tracting a lot. At first, our success has been pretty minimal. We've found a few people here and there, but we hadn't seen much success. This week though, God is starting to justify our labors and the miracles are starting to appear. I've seen that as a well established pattern in how God blesses us. He waits for us to make small changes or ventures in our lives, waits to see if we are humble enough to rely on Him, and diligent enough to give it our all, and then at the very end He steps in and dumps a load of blessings on you. Yesterday we tracted nearly all evening, from about 3:30 to 9 pm. We knocked about 200 doors and just as we were getting ready to do in for the night, God provided us with a family of three teach. The miracles are starting to come at us like crazy!

I took some pretty cool pictures of the city. It looks pretty cool when it's foggy outside.

I finished reading Jesus the Christ early last month. It took a while to understand some parts of that book, but it was pretty remarkable. It's almost like Talmage was talking with the Savior face to face when he wrote that book because some stuff in there was not that specific in the Bible. It was a really good book and I learned a lot about a lot. My favorites were the chapters about the atonement, the apostasy, His American ministry, and when He walks on the sea.

I have to go because our district is going shopping in a few minutes. I don't want to miss the subway train. I love you guys.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey there everyone!

Things have been absolutely crazy here for the past two weeks. Sorry I couldn't get a letter out to you. I was too busy packing all my bags and the library was closed for Memorial Day. Last weekend I got transferred into the city, not just the suburbs, the City! In one week my surroundings went from the Delaware River and historic sites and mansions to the graffiti, litter, corner stores, basketball cages, and sky scrapers of Central Philadelphia. It's pretty crazy here, but the view from my apartment is amazing. We woke up early on Thursday and ran to the Philadelphia Museum of Art--the Rocky steps. It was pretty cool. Next week we are going to see all the old places like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, so that will be cool.

It has been a rough week though. We got doubled into the center city, meaning there was no veteran elder to show me the area or tell us about any new investigators. We were on our own. We got to work and have been tracting all day for nearly a week. Things are starting to shape up. It has been one of the hardest weeks of my mission to date, but it has been a great way to strengthen my faith.

I never really got too homesick, but now I'm starting to miss some of the weirdest things from back home such as the late night trips to Walmart for milk or cereal. I'm doing pretty good though, as long as I'm working, I don't really have time to get homesick. They took our area's car and we are either walking everywhere or taking the subway to church on Sundays. I don't have to worry about gaining weight.

I know this church is the true and living gospel and that without it, we would be so confused. I've seen some of that out here. It's pretty hard to see so many people trying so hard to get by, but without God in their lives, it just isn't possible. I am so grateful to be allowed to witness this work going forth and I know it's God's own.

I love you all!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

Everything is going great here in the mission. We just baptized a family yesterday of four!

Things are going great and we have 3 more baptisms scheduled for next Saturday! It is really exciting here in the mission field. About tithing--I know it is a real and a true principle. One of our baptisms next week was about to lose his house. He was going to be evicted on the 25th, so he was going through some really tough times. His job wasn't giving him enough hours, and he couldn't survive without working 7 days a week. He told us he couldn't come to church because he found a job he could get extra hours at. We promised him that if he declined the job and paid his tithing, he would receive a job within the next week that would pay all his expenses, get him out of debt, and give him work Monday-Friday. The next day, after he had committed to come to church, God must've known his commitment was sincere because he got another job working weekdays and is currently getting out of debt and keeping his apartment. The blessings are real and it's so exciting to see lives turn around when they follow the commandments.

I have a funny story for you. We knocked into a young man last week who readily let us into his apartment. Something seemed a little strange with him, like he didn't get out much or something. As we talked with him, we found out what it was. He has the Bible memorized! He was brilliant! The problem was that he knew it. He shortly became more set on showing us how much he knew than having a discussion with us. As we were leaving, I commented on how nice his apartment was. He had a huge HDTV with a PS3, Nintendo Wii, all the new stuff. Just as we were walking out the door, he said, "Wait, I have something for you". He walked into his back room and pulled out a Nintendo Game Cube. I told him I didn't want to take it from him, but said he was on his way out to throw it away. I told him he could probably make a pretty penny off it, and I didn't want to take it for free--nor did I want to buy something like that out here. He said selling it was too much trouble and he had no use for the silly thing any more. I tried to decline again, but he hastily put it in my arms, and went to go get a bag for it. I really didn't know what to do. As you already know, I have no use for it right now, but i's got some pretty cool games the kids would really like. I sent it home today, so it should be getting there pretty soon. I think the kids will have a lot of fun with it.

Things are going absolutely great here and the entire mission is seeing ridiculous amounts of miracles and success. I love the mission field. Thanks again for all you've done to help me. I couldn't be here without you.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey you guys!

Sorry I couldn't get a letter out to you. I tried 3 times, but we are staying so busy, I do not have five minutes to spare during the day! This week has been the craziest week of my life. It was great!

On Monday we had p-day and went out shopping and tracted for a while that night. We felt prompted to go to one particular house, pretty late at night. She turned out to be an old Dominican lady, very interested in the gospel. Tat lesson went well.

Every day since Tuesday, we have found a family of at least 3 people and we are getting baptismal dates left and right. In the next two or three weeks, we should have five more baptisms and maybe even six! It's really getting hectic, and God is pouring out his miracles on us!

The mission set a goal of 1800 baptisms last year on June 30 and the 1 year deadline draws near. Right now we are at 1290 with two transfers left. You might say we are under the gun. However, we know that God wants that goal even more than we do, and if we are diligent, those baptisms will come fast, as they already are beginning to.

I didn't have to move on this transfer or change companions. They usually only move people around every 4 or 5 months. Bristol is a great place. It's really old. The town was founded in 1587, so you can imagine how well the roads are set up.

One of our investigators cooked us some African food she called Toborghee. She used pig foot, chicken foot, and some sort of turkey neckbone. It was pretty good, though. I'll find out how she did it if you want.

We live above a magic shop. They have some cool things. The mission is having so much success right now and we are very busy. I love you!

Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

Thanks for all the letters! I've got some pretty cool stories and pictures for you! I'm having a really great mission.

We just finished the first transfer and everything is going pretty well. Our area is struggling a bit. It needs a little more work to find very many people. Especially with the apartments as complicated as they are. We've got a few families on our mind and things are going very well with the ward mission effort.

We had zone meeting this week and it was fantastic! I got certified out in the field in 10 days, tying the mission record! I was pretty happy about that! We are staying pretty busy here and the weather especially doesn't want to cooperate. You may have seen it on the news, but a storm came through here. They called it a "nor' easter". I don't really know much about it, bu t rained for 2 days. The Delaware River flash flooded everywhere, and it amounted to a level 1 hurricane. Nevertheless, we were still out tracting in it. I took some pictures of our car almost getting submarined. Most of our investigators were stranded at home and couldn't even get to their cars.

We live right next to the Delaware River and there are huge boats out there. Some are battleships. It's pretty cool!

Have a great week! I love you!

Elder Wallentine

Dear family,

I emailed already, but wanted to write about some of the experiences we've had this week.

On Monday, I tried to cut my hair. After I figured out the razor thing, I'm sure you can imagine how well that went. We have had a rough week of tracting. We found a few good people, but we had one guy set to be baptized on Easter who fell out on Thursday. He was a great guy, but he just didn't see why he should have to pay tithing. We were pretty bummed about that. The next day was as if God were trying to comfort us, as new investigators came out of the woodwork! Until this week, I never realized what they meant by these weeks being the best and some the worst of my life. I'm starting to catch on. As always, the work moves forward in Pennsylvania!

My companion is a great guy. He has his quirks, but he's pretty cool. He got a box of Easter candy from his dad, but didn't want to eat it all, so he gave it to the kids of some of our investigators. We had a pretty good time doing that. We had two confirmations on Easter, both of which I was told I would perform just as we walked into the chapel. It went very well, though.

I got a bunch of letters from the ISU student ward this week, so that was fun! Thanks for everything!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

I loved being able to read all your letters last week! Thanks for all the recipes!

This week has been interesting. It was a little rough for tracting. It turns out that we've been kicked out of five apartment complexes and one residential city block, just because people don't like solicitors. They made up a phony rule and tell us we need to have a city permit to go tracting and threaten to call the cops on us. It's not anything big, but it sure gums up the works. We have to leave for an hour and tract elsewhere until we're sure they didn't call the cops on us, then we go back to work. Don't worry. Even if they do call the cops, the cops have bigger things to worry about. They just look at the person funny, and go back to their business. There are some really great things happening and we have seen miracles almost daily in finding people and new opportunities that pop up everywhere. It gets more exciting, too, when we have to occasionally hide from the apartment workers to avoid getting booted out of the place. We had two confirmations this Sunday and have set a few more baptism dates. It is exciting!

I love being out here on a mission. Thanks for everything you've done to help me get out here into the field. I found out that "The Testaments" is on DVD now. And, instant oatmeal is fantastic!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Hey all,

It was great to read your letters and emails! Sorry if you haven't been receiving letters from me. The email was down for a while and I don't have a whole lot of time to write plain old letters.

Things have been crazy here. Last week I tried giving my companion a haircut, and well, I don't think I need to elaborate on how well that went! I have been eating some pretty interesting African food. I can't count how many times I've wondered what they were feeding me at some of these houses. I seems like they use any kind of random meat--turkey neck, pork shoulder, anything with fins--mix it with hot peppers, vegetables, and spices, and boil it all together, bones and all, and serve it over rice. It's pretty good, though. I love being out here on a mission.

We had a rough week, but everything is going pretty well. We got another baptism on Sunday and we should have one for next week as well. I've almost read the Book of Mormon through again, and I'm loving the lessons  and the people we get to teach. Things have been hard sometimes, and the inner city is pretty run down and dirty. We saw a lot of drugs and burned out buildings. I wouldn't want to be there without being a missionary, but it's not so scary when you have the little black name tag on.

We had a couple of investigators watch General Conference. It was great! One had two little kids who like throwing things, so I spent a lot of the Sunday session catching toys hurling towards my head. It was great though. I loved Elder Scott's talk on Sunday. The mom of those two little boys got baptized between Sunday sessions of conference and it all went pretty smoothly. Thanks for sending me my line of authority. I love this place, the atmosphere, the people, everything is pretty fantastic. Our apartment was built the same year as the Constitution. I haven't seen much of inner Philadelphia, but there are some pretty cool parts of the suburbs that are really old. I'm in Bristol, PA if you want to look at it on Google earth.

I have learned the power of fasting and prayer. One boy who we had to prove to that we were missionaries. . . well his dad got really mad when he found out he was talking to us. He refused to cook him dinner that night. We were pretty terrified that we were going to lose them. That night, I fasted and prayed like crazy that his heart would be softened and that he would no longer stand in the way of his son's conversion. At our next appointment, everything was settled with his dad, and we can visit him whenever now, not just when his dad is at work.

Pennsylvania is really nice right now. When I got here in March, it was freezing and there was about 3 inches of solid ice over everything. The wind was blowing and it was pretty cold. After that storm, we spent a couple hours of service helping people get their cars unstuck from the roads. They were actually frozen to the ground. Now it's about 60 degrees and sunny, sort of. Kind of rainy, really humid, a lot like Florida, only colder.

Have a great week! I love you guys!

Elder Wallentine

Hey family,

I love the mission here in Philadelphia! We're really starting to find people that are ready to hear the gospel and things are moving really fast.

I live in an old part of town. Some parts from about 1681, and the buildings all look really cool. I think our apartment was built in 1781, so we live on a pretty cool street. We've had two baptisms and the ward has been really great taking them into the family.

We've had some great things happen and we are starting to see some miracles. I can't believe I've been out for almost two months.

I haven't really seen much of the inner city, although I did go on exchanges there last week. Some parts are pretty rough, but people are generally friendly to missionaries. We just need to gain the people's trust first. We had to prove to a couple investigators we were missionaries, not mobsters or anything on Saturday. People don't trust others as much as in Boise. I'm having a blast. I love hearing from everyone. Thanks to all who have written to me. It means a lot.

I love you guys!
Elder Wallentine

Arrival in Pennsylvania

Dear Family,

It's now Monday, and I'm leaving for Pennsylvania in about 12 hours. The MTC has been great, and I'm so excited about getting into the field! It's been a great experience, and as much as I thought it impossible, 13 hours a day in class has been a blast! (That's exaggerated a little--only 11 or 12 hours).

I know as I focus on the Lord's work, everything else in my life will work out. We've gone to the temple a lot and it's really pretty during a blizzard. I saw the Joseph Smith movie again. They play them at the MTC after the Sunday firesides. I look forward to calling you tomorrow.

I just lost my train of thought. . . one of the elders just fell out of one of the dryers.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

Thank you so much for the letters and the package! Those shorts will work great! The cookies were good, too, Ashley! I've had a great stay in the MTC, even though I've been busy.

My first companion left for NY this morning, so I had to move last night, but it all worked out. My new companion is great. By the time you get this, I'll probably be packed and ready for the field. I miss you already! I'm reporting to the airport on March 6, and I found out I'm allowed to call you from the Salt Lake airport. However, it will be at about 4 or 5 a.m. If the kids can wake up that early, it would be great to talk to you all.

I've had a really great experience here. One day in particular, last Thursday, I was working in the referral center answering phone calls from people with questions about the church. One woman called and right when I picked up, she said, "I'm confused. There's so many churches out there, and they are all different. How do you know the truth?" I turned to see if the teacher was monitoring my call. She was and she told me, "Let her have it". We talked for a while and she wanted me to send the missionaries over with a Book of Mormon. I'm really starting to see the joy of missionary work, especially when I heard how excited she was to receive the gospel. Things are going so well, it's almost hard to believe! Tell all of the kids I said hi.

Tell everyone that asks that I'm doing great, and even though it is hard, I'm having the time of my life! I love you all and miss you like crazy, but don't worry. I'm doing fine!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

Today is p-day, so I have a few minutes to write you all. Life is good here. I'm in meetings for a lot of the time, but I've never been so excited in my life!

Elder Uchtdorf sat in the cafeteria for lunch yesterday. That was pretty exciting, and we got to go down to the Provo Temple today. I'm having a great time here, and I found out I may be staying more than the three weeks. I don't know yet, though, so we'll see how it works out.

By the way, thanks for coming down to drop me off here. I know I wasn't the nicest big brother you have, but thanks anyway. I love you guys, and to tell you the truth, I kind of miss all the "he bit me", "she hit me!" things I'd always get so annoyed at.

Love,
Elder Wallentine

Dear Family,

I'm done with my first day in the MTC, and I love it! I've found a few surprises, though. I talked with my branch president and he wants to try to get me on a plane in three weeks. It's not set in stone yet, but I'll keep you posted.

I found out I did forget some stuff, though, and if you haven't mailed that box yet, it would be great if you'd send me another set of p-day clothes, preferably shorts, if that's okay.

Thanks again for everything. I'm a little homesick, but I'm doing alright. Miss you guys like crazy, but don't worry about me.

Love,
Elder Wallentine (still trying to get used to that)

We made a quick visit to Aunt Mindy's house before taking Jason to the MTC.

At the MTC.