Mommy!!!

Thank you so much for sharing all of those cool stories with me! It is always so amazing how Heavenly Father uses us and the message that we prepare to get a super important message to others. We had another MLC (Missionary Leadership Council) this past week and we talked a ton about obedience and also using the Holy Ghost to his full potential. President Toone is feeling that the missionaries are getting too caught up in the deeper doctrine of the church rather than just focusing on the simple things. It is so amazing how when you just focus on the basics and the fundamentals of the gospel everything starts to make sense. We do not need to know all everything to know that this gospel is true. We do need to know enough that we can trust our Heavenly Father as we get down on our knees to pray though. That is one of the biggest things ever!!! If we are humble enough to get down on our knees and ask for help, it will come.

I had a really cool experience just last night and this morning! We are now planning for another training that we have to do tomorrow, and I have been stressing out about it again. I think it is probably similar to how you were feeling about getting up and giving a talk. ;) I woke up this morning and got ready for the day, and then realized that I really have not gotten down on my knees to pray for my morning studies in a couple of days. I just sat in my chair usually. But this morning I felt like I needed a little bit of extra help, so I got down on my knees next to my desk and just asked for anything that I needed. I specifically asked to be guided to some places where I could find more information on how to receive answers from the Holy Ghost. As soon as I finished my prayer I started writing down in my study journal what I thought. I got a few scriptures down and some plans for the training, but then my mind went completely blank... :/ So I got down on my knees and prayed AGAIN! This time I had something amazing happen! I immediately thought of my Patriarchal blessing. So I pulled out my blessing and began to read and write down some of the things that stuck out to me. In the beginning it tells me that as I read my Patriarchal blessing my mind will be cleared and I will be able to receive promptings from the Holy Ghost. It was that experience mixed with Sunday nights experience that got me... On Sunday night we were able to have some of the people that we are teaching come to the church and watch "Ephraims Rescue" with them. Ephraim in the movie is an amazing priesthood holder that always tries to do what is right. He realizes that he is not perfect, but he can get as close to perfect as he possibly can by following the teachings of the prophets. He is exactly obedient and does anything that they ask! Because of his STRICT OBEDIENCE he is able to perform miracles for the pioneers that are crossing the planes. In my Patriarchal Blessing it tells me that I am from the tribe of Ephraim. I know that I have been called to share the gospel and what I know is true to all of the people in the area that I am currently serving in! I am not sure if it really made sense how I explained my experiences, but I guess that is what happens when a 19 year old tries to talk right? ;)

I am so glad that I am out here on my mission and I am going to continue to make these last 5 months some of the best months of my mission!!! It will be amazing! LOVE YOU TONS!!!

Love,

Elder Brandon Wallentine

Mommy!!!

Thank you for sending me all of that information about the new Insurance that I am on now! :) I am going back into the Dr. today just for a little check up to make sure that it is healing how it should be! But it is feeling so good and we were able to play some basketball this past week without my toe even bothering me a little bit. It was awesome to be able to do that again for sure! Oh and BT-Dubs I am basically killing it out here when we get to go and play basketball with people! There are a couple of people that we are teaching right now who are like high school kids, and they will not talk to us unless we play basketball with them. We played like 4 games in a row with them and beat them every time!!! It was a blast though! When you are out doing the same thing every day for 18 months, it is really amazing how much better it feels when you get a little bit of time to go and play some games like that! It really puts things in perspective!

OH and about the bed bug problem... THEIR BACK!!! So when I thought that they were gone because we haven't been being bit, I laid down in my bed and slept until about 2:30 am on night, and then woke up because I my neck was itching. I got up and looked in the mirror and I had HUGE bites all over my left shoulder and the right side of my neck. :( That was super lame... So then I put some toothpaste on the bites and went back to sleep on the living room floor. It actually reminded me of on Sundays when I would always just lay on our living room floor and sleep until dinner time! Those naps always felt so good, and it will be nice when I can take naps again for sure! But we are going to talk to the housing people again today to see if we can get it all figured out.

I have not been getting Elder Elwood's emails lately so if you could like forward them out to me that would be super cool of you for sure!!! Oh and before I forget I have some good news. . .. Transfer calls came on Tuesday night and Elder May and I are staying together again!!! It was super surprising because I have never been with a companion for more that 2 transfers! But Elder May and I made it a huge point in our emails to President Toone for us to stay together for at least one more transfer! I am so happy!!! :D

This past week was super fun because we just were basically in Aww that we were staying together first of all, and we also got a new Elder in our house named Elder Mason from Virginia! He is a brand new missionary and he is super cool for sure. He reminds me a ton of Ryan. He is super big on like video games, and running, and all of the other kind of things that Ryan is into. He is also huge into computers and stuff like both Ryan and Tyler! It is really cool to be here with him and see how exciting it is for the new missionaries to come into the field! We are doing our very best to set a good example for him so that he knows what the mission expects of him! He is one of the most obedient elders that I have been with so far for sure! He is awesome!!! 

Anyways I am super stoked for this next week and all of the stuff that Arizona has in store for me!!! 

Love,

Elder Brandon Wallentine

P.S. Elder Forson just finished his mission this last week... I am going to for sure keep in contact with that guy!!! :) 

Mommy!!!

That is super crazy that Hannah had that same problem in her mission! Bed bugs are for sure no fun at all! I got bit a couple of nights, but then they just kinda went away and all started biting Elder May which was a bummer for him... We told the people in the mission home that we have bed bugs, but they have not sent anybody in to kill them yet. We went out and bought some rubbing alcohol, and some bug bombs. So the problem has at least gotten a little bit better! :) But, we will see what happens with that! As for my toe, it is doing a lot better! They did a really good job of trying to make it so that I will not have any more problems with it hopefully. It is super good walking on a non destroyed toe though! :D

So this week was super funny because we went on an exchange with another companionship in the zone on Tuesday! I went with an Elder from Tonga named Elder Naeata who is super cool! I have been on exchanges with him before and he is just like one of the funniest missionaries ever!!! But on this exchange I went to his area and was told 2 times in one day that I look like one of the players on the Patriots Football team named, Rob Gronkowski!  It was pretty funny, but the big difference between us is that he is RIPPED!!! Probably because he is kinda in the NFL. But that is not even the best part of the exchange... We went over to dinner at 5:30 and apparently the member that we went to is like obsessed with Ghost Peppers. He made us ribs with Ghost Pepper BBQ sauce that was actually super good!!! But then he gave us both the challenge to eat a ghost pepper... I told them that if Elder Naeata would do it that I would do it too... Elder Naeata said, "Yeah I will do it!" So of course being a man of my word I did it too... So you remember when I told you that I ate a habanero pepper, and how I will never do that again because it was so hot... The Ghost Pepper DESTROYED that habanero pepper with its heat!!! As soon as I ate it I could like barely even talk because it was so hot. But it was totally worth the experience after I got lots of ice cream and some tums. haha Plus now I can say that I ate a Ghost Pepper! It was crazy!

I am learning how to teach from the Book of Mormon so simply though! I have really found out that you can teach the Restoration of the gospel super easily by just using the introduction to the Book of Mormon, and the testimonies of all the witnesses in the front of it! It just makes it so obvious that the Book of Mormon is totally true and that I am not out here for no reason at all! I am so happy when I am able to have little testimony builders like that! :)  I love you so much!

Love,

Your Favorite Missionary Son Who is on His Mission Right Now!

Elder Brandon Wallentine

P.S. Transfer calls got changed to this coming Tuesday so I will let you know if one of us gets transferred on Monday... I hope Elder May and I stay for another transfer!!! THIS HAS BEEN THE BEST TIME IN MY MISSION!!! So pray that we stay together! We told President Toone that we want to stay together for the rest of for FOREVER!!! Love you Mom!!!

Hello Everyone,

Yeah, I remembered when I was over in Maryvale and would tell you all of the stories about all of the sketchy things that happened to me and how I told you about them way back then! :P So I figured this time I would give you a little heads up since things like that have not happened to me  in a super long time! :D Oh and BT-Dubs the training went amazing!!! We got up there at to the front of the room and went CRAZY! We were training on the nature of God and who God is to us! It ended up going super well. The training went way better than I could have ever pictured it for sure and after the training the Assistants came up to us and said that our training was the BEST that has happened by the Zone Leaders! So NO BIG DEAL! :P It was super cool though! I also got to have an interview with President Toone and it was super cool. Now that I am down to just 6 more months on my mission, he started talking to me a little bit more about the things that are going to be going on after I get home, and also making sure that I am not getting TRUNKY! Don't worry I am for sure not trunky at all! 

I am super excited for this coming week because this last week was super amazing! I am having so much fun here in Maricopa with Elder May and I am really hoping that we get to stay together for 1 more transfer! :) Our house may or may not have gotten Bed Bugs though so we might be staying together again just because they don't want them to spread throughout the mission! ;) I would be perfectly fine with that as long as we get to go one more transfer here!!! That would be super cool!!! But this week was really cool because we were able to meet up with a lot of the people that we have been trying to see for the entire time that I have been here. It was really cool to just see all of the fun stuff that can happen on the mission when you do what you are supposed to do! :) I love MARICOPA!!!

Sorry that this letter is not super long... :( I am going in to the doctor today to get my toe looked at again, because it got bad for a second time. Super lame... :O But that is alright because I am going in to see Dr. Crezee again from my ward in Ahwatukee and I am going to talk with him a little bit more about JB to see how he has been doing these past couple of days! It should go well and hopefully this time will be the last time that I will have to get my toe taken care of on my mission! Good luck with all of your classes even though they sound like they could be pretty hard, I love you tons and will be keeping you in my prayers always along with the whole family! :) You guys are the best!!! I am memorizing The Family A Proclamation to the World right now so I will let you know how that goes! :) Love you FAMILY!!!

Love,

Elder Brandon Wallentine

p.s. We hit our 18 month mark this past week so we got to take off our skirts! (finished our Sister Missions) ;)

Mommy!!!

Yeah, it for sure helps to have cousins and family members setting a good example for everyone! I am just hoping that this awesome streak that we have will continue in being active in the church! :) That would be so awesome. It is really cool just how the Lord works with all of the new tools that we have as members of the church. Skype and Facebook is such an easy way to find and contact the less active members of the church! :) It is one of the best tools that we can use for sure!!! 

That is super funny about the FHE though with that talk! :P At least he started talking about God a little bit! I can only imagine what was going through your head when that came up instead of the real talk that I was talking about. If it helps the talk is by Troy Dunn. :) But it is an amazing talk and Elder May and I are actually doing another training on Thursday to the zone and also President Toone, Sister Toone, and the assistants are going to be there! It should be fun because we are basing the training on that talk! :) It should be really good and super fun! I think you guys will really like that talk though! I honestly think it would hit Tyler the hardest right now though. It gave me a whole new understanding of the plan of salvation and how I can teach it to my investigators! Its AMAZING!!! :)

It is amazing some of the things that you hear from other missionaries out here in the field! It always brings me right back to the story of Nephi and his brothers. There are always missionaries who are totally obedient to the rules, and then there are others that couldn't care less about the rules. Missionaries always seem to think that the only blessing, or the only way they can "prosper in the land" is if they get baptisms. That is so false!!! It has been amazing to see even some of the most disobedient missionaries that I have known of baptizing a ton of people. However, their own personal conversion is still the same as it was before. :( I have really focused as I have been out here on my mission to keep thinking that I am here specifically to serve with President Toone. Although some of the mission rules may seem a little bit strict, I know that those rules that he makes have been discussed with the Lord, and the Lord is saying, "Elder Wallentine needs _____ in his life, so here you go President Toone, this rule will help him prepare for _____." As I have continued to think that way the mission rules have not even been an issue. I know what they are, and I know how to keep them. I am so glad that I was taught the importance of obedience and hard work. Even though sometimes it did not come across as that when I was home. I am IMPROVING!!! :)

Anyways this past week was super good and we were able to meet a lot more people. One thing actually kind of funny that happened last week I forgot to tell you... DONT WORRY I AM FINE! :) There is this guy that we have been trying to get in contact with a lot since I have been here. He is 6' 7", Black, and super big! He is probably one of the people in the world that I would for sure not want to meet in a dark alley. Anyways we knocked on his door at about 8:00 one night and nobody answered. So we walked back to our car and got in. As soon as we started the car I looked up out of the driver side window and saw him standing outside on his porch. I jumped out of the car and said, "Hey!" Then as we got closer he recognized who we were, and said, "Oh man, I wasn't expecting anybody. Let me go and put something away." He then pulled out from behind his back a HUGE Desert Eagle Pistol, took the bullet out of the chamber and went inside. But then he came back out and invited us in and we had a good little discussion! :) It was a pretty crazy night for sure!

I LOVE YOU ALL TONS!!!

Love,

Elder Brandon Wallentine

Mommy!!!

That is not fun that everyone there is getting a little bit sick! :( Tell everyone that I will be keeping them in my prayers for them to get feeling better. That is super funny with Coco though, how after she got all of the medication she just started jumping all around and playing with everything! :) She is such a funny girl! I have THE BEST FAMILY EVER!!! You guys are so awesome and I love all of the support that you all have given me so far in my mission! I could not even imagine coming out on a mission knowing that my family didn't even support my decision to come out... That would make it so much harder. It is such a great blessing to be a part of a family that are members of the church and have the same beliefs that I do. :)

I have been thinking about like all of the rules that you all had for me while I was home... I always thought that they were kind of ridiculous. Especially the ones for when I needed to be home at night, and the ones about dating members of the church because you marry who you date. I always thought that was a little bit strange. :P But as I have been on my mission I have seen so many families that do not have the same beliefs, and it is so much harder for a family to function when they do not even have common beliefs. I am totally looking forward to when I have a family of my own, and do what I can do to raise my kids in the gospel. :) Our family is so blessed since all of the family is active members of the church! That is such a rare thing now for everyone to be active! :D It is crazy how many people have believed that the gospel is true, but then fail to come to church, and act on the promptings that the holy ghost gives them. Its super sad... :( OH and I don't think that those rules are lame anymore BT- DUBS!!!

This week we had some really good experiences! Mostly this past weekend! :) I was able to get in contact with Alexis Chandler on Facebook yesterday! :) It was really fun to talk to her again. I have this friend that was in some of my classes in high school who lives in Columbia and she is not a member of the church, so we were able to teach her yesterday!!! I Skyped Alexis, and the other girl and we were able to talk about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith! It was so amazing to be able to teach someone who is actually one of MY FRIENDS on my mission. I want to give all of the members that same experience that I had yesterday! It is so amazing that if you are willing to teach, someone will come into your life who will listen! They may live on the opposite side of the world, but they can use the gospel in their lives just as much as we can here in the USA! :) It was a great experience!

Then we went over to this family’s house yesterday and had a super fun time!!! Have you heard the talk "Life is a Game of Football" by Troy Dunn? We listened to that talk a couple of times this last week in the car and it is so amazing how simple the Plan of Salvation can really be explained! We talked about the Plan of Salvation and then talked a little bit about baptism! :) The question got asked, "Why do you want to get baptized?" It was super funny with the timing of his response! Right away he said, "I WANT TO GET BAPTIZED SO I DONT GO TO HELL!" It was perfect! This family is so amazing and I am so excited for what is going to be in their future! :) Please continue to pray for me and all of the people that we are teaching at this time!!! :) I love you all tons!

Love,

Elder Brandon Wallentine

P.S. I am feeling better now!!

Mommy!!!

Hey, that was super fun talking to all of you on Christmas day! :) It is so awesome how the members here are all so amazing and so willing to have us in their homes. Our ward mission leader is the one that let us use his home to Skype with all of you, and rather than just going up stairs he said, " Hey, lets all go outside and play with some of our new toys to give the missionaries a little bit of privacy." It was super funny! He is one of the best people that I have met on my mission so far! Anyways, I am super happy that I got to see all of you on Christmas. That was for sure by far the best part of the day. We had the whole zone together to play sports that night, but it did not even compare to Skyping.

The past couple of days have been super weird... Tons of people have been getting sick so we have not had many people that we taught, but the past couple of days I have not felt sick but I have not felt totally normal either. It has been really weird. But I am feeling good today! :) So I am super happy about that!!! Oh and don't worry, as much as I love all of you guys I am not homesick or anything! It is such a great blessing that I have not been super homesick yet on my mission. That would just make  everything super hard haha! :D

Yesterday a little miracle happened! :) Someone that I taught in one of my past areas was having a hard time for the past couple of months, and hasn't been seen by any of the members in the area for a while. It was super scary because I wanted to know what was going on, and I wanted to help in any way that I could... But as I have been thinking and praying for him it finally payed off! :) Yesterday on Facebook I got a message from Sister Hickman in Ahwatukee and she said that he was at church today!!! :) That was the best news that I have gotten all week! It was just such a relief to know that he is doing alright! :D

I think that is super cool about the lesson with that teacher. I know that if I were to be recorded all day every day I would act, and speak differently. It isn't even that I use bad language, or am a bad person or anything but I just know that I could always do better! :) That would be a super fun thing to do one of these days for sure! Thank you so much for telling me about that little story!

I have been stressing out like crazy for the past couple of days!!! :O We have Zone Meeting on Tuesday so Elder May and I need to prepare a big training for the entire zone which is already a little bit stressful. Then we found out that we were going to be teaching Gospel Principles on Saturday night before church which was crazy, and now we just found out that the Assistants want us to have the entire transfers training plan to them by tonight. :O IT IS GOING TO BE A CRAZY DAY! But at least I know that when this is all done I can go back to feeling normal again! But even though I am stressed out of my mind, I am still having a BLAST on my mission!!! :)

Love you tons,

Elder Brandon Wallentine