To Family

Mother, you are very clever for teaching your children, keep up the good work. For me, a huge part of having the motivation to do something is remembering what sacrifices have been made in the past to make what you have been given the privilege to do availiable, or to remember that others have been through much worse and what you are going through is actually a blessing despite any trials that arise. Even without realizing that others have gone through worse, we have a God that has promised us that every trial we go through will be for our good and will give us experience to be able to do better things in the future. Way-to-go Robert! Tough it out. Not even a band-aid! =-)

Joshua is almost at at school now. That's pretty fun. One of the Spanish missionaries in my apartment right now lives in Rexburg, Idaho and is just about to finish his mission and go back home, I'll get his address for Joshua to go and see him. Elder Bowman is a really good missionary, it'd be good for Joshua (and make me really happy) if he met him and asked about his mission.

We have some awesome people we are working with. The members are doing a good job at finding people for us to teach. There are several friends of members that have potential to be baptized in the near future.

To answer the food question. Our ward consists of mostly young couples that have kids under the age of 7. Frequently they are not able to have us over for dinner because of weird Navy schedules, but the ward sets up two red boxes in the kitchen counter for members to put food in for us if they are not able to have us over, and there tends to be quite a bounty in those red boxes each week. So yes, the ward takes good care of us. I've also got a great picture of us defrosting ice cold pried open cans of soup on the stove that came in a box that we froze in the freezer. It's a really funny picture for a stereotypical home made meal. (Our can opener broke, right before we attempted to eat this meal.) You'll be sure to get a copy of it from the memory card I send eventually.

I've been able to hear lots and lots of unique experiences that people have had, both spiritual and non-spiritual as a missionary. It is amazing how much God really does look after each and every one of us. I am priviledged to be a missionary, and I love it!

Elder Benjamin Ray Walker