September 23, 2008
Hey all,
Having lots of fun here, most of the time anyways. Jokes just fly left and right whenever someone feels down. Anyways, my P-day is Tuesday. This is the only day I will ever be able to read e-mail and mail and receive packages. Speaking about packages, I NEED THERMALS! It is only September and it is stinking cold! I can see snow on the mountains already! Mail? Physical mail is fun to have, but e-mail is fine.
By the way, there is a CD you guys should buy there. It is called The Garden. It is basically a musical about the Atonement. Awesome music. It is not a stage production, just sung. Highly reccommend it. It is very good.
Met my favorite investigators so far yesterday. Brandi Shilling is the one we are teaching, but I have just become close friends with Garth, the husband. He is an inactive. Who knew that Dungeons and Dragons could make us connect that quickly? Once that was brought up (somehow, I really forget how it did) it was an immediate friendship. He wished I could come and play with his friends every Friday. It was just really funny how quickly it happened.
Gave a talk on Sunday on.....missionary work! Wow! Who would've guessed! We were giving it in a 31-45 age Singles Ward that has 4 relief societies and 2 elders quorums. Its goal is depletion. Anyways, I gave the first talk and had everyone laughing with some of my quick thinking. I created the entire talk by following the Spirit. I just wrote down bullets in my little black book of talks and let the Spirit take over. Everyone said I gave one of the best talks they ever heard. Some said they felt the Spirit during mine stronger than during the talk the Seventy who was there gave. Overall, the whole lot of us got 400+ members there fired up about missionary work. The Spirit was strong, very strong. We could barely get out of the building. Amazing!
Something cool I just learned is Elder Perry's revelation about the missions of the world. He said that the Eye of the Lord is set on the Valley. The Salt Lake Valley. MY MISSION!!! I was blown away when I heard that. Statistics on the valley show that 1/3 of the people here are members. 1/5 of the members are active. Those numbers are not good in the heart of the church. Once we start getting 20 teaching appointments a week, then this mission alone will get more missionaries. The goal is to get a companionship per ward. Our small area alone has 12 wards. INSANE!
One thing that has me down though. Whenever I try to teach the lessons, my mind goes blank. I know everything, it just goes completely blank. I have no clue why, it just does! I try my hardest to study the lessons, then when we get there and it is my turn to teach, I was ready and had all I felt I should say, then I open my mouth and it all just whites out. Am I nervous? NO! Am I scared? NO! Do I know these things? YES! So I really do not know what it happening. The only part that I can do and really get across is my testimony. When I do, oh boy does the Spirit flood the room. Talks I can do, testimonies I can do, teaching, for some reason I cannot do. I was great at the MTC, but the field? Nope. Was I teaching with the Spirit in the MTC? Yes. Am I doing this in the field? Yes. My mind just goes blank. It disappoints me greatly.
I am getting a lot of advice for acting out here. They say to NOT take acting classes. They took them and it made it harder to get parts because they were using these certain methods. They said also to go into Film Studies and do something like lighting or some other production tool. I said writing. In response to that, they said that good writers are needed since the film industry is getting real bad. So basically, lots of people are excited to hear my stories about the musicals and how I came about with my focus on acting.
Food out here is great. We didn't have a dinner appointment one night and we were just tracting around. Came to this one door, the Bears, and just started talking. They asked us if we had a dinner appointment. We said no. They said, be back in 3 hours. So we were! They had canned at least 30 jars of tomatoes while preparing this. Sirloin steaks, corn on the cob, watermelon, garlic bread, salad, plus desert! In three hours! We said they didn't have to spend that much money. Their response....oh, this is all food storage. They apparently buy half a cow, freeze it, and store it. Everything else was freshly picked from the garden and homemade. 3 hours to do all that! It was amazing!
So uhh...there I one thing I don't like about being in the mission. It is something called lightning storms. Yeah, you guessed it. We were biking right in the middle of one. Here are these bolts of lighting, touching the ground mind you, and here we are, the tallest things in these bare streets, no trees around! I was highly inclined to seek shelter! Elder Peters just kept biking along. I yelled at him that he was nuts! Which he IS! The scariest moment I ever had!
Anyways....what is happening there? How is golf going? Is Ace still sleeping wherever he lays down? Am I getting those thermals that I really need (I'm not kidding)? I have an inquiring mind!
Love all,
Elder Waller
Austin's Address is
Elder Austin Daniel Waller
Utah Salt Lake City South Mission
8060 South 615 East
Sandy, Utah 84070
Austin's e-mail is adwaller@myldsmail.net
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Week 4
September 16, 2008
Hey all!
Sorry I can't send anyone individual e-mails. I can with letter though! Takes time. Anyways, the field is much better. An answer to Elder Post's comment on the more righteous go to foeign countries, the more righteous actually stay inside the country. It is harder to teach here because less people are willing. So you need the strongest in the states. No joke. Taught my first lesson last night, an actual lesson. I was supposed to start off, but my mind went blank. Elder Peters took over and we kinda flip-flopped who taught what. I did fine after that. Dallan, the kid we were teaching, is really smart and basically absorbed everything like a sponge.
Well, it had to come. My first bike wreck. Dad will love this. So we were coming off the street going in between these wall things to get to another street. Elder Peters got through just fine. I apparently turned a little late and my left handle hit the wall. The wheel steered into the wall, the bike was leaning hard right. I managed to catch myself, but didn't go far enough off the seat. I basically got caught in a place no man should ever get caught. No dramatic flips or anything, just lots of pain. We were on our way to dinner too.....bummer. Yeah.
We met another guy named Michael Marshan, a Louisiana member. Tattoo artist with tattoos and piercings. Before knocking on the door we hear this heavy metal music, no lyrics. We knock and here is this guy, his eyes get huge and he yells "WHOA!" He jumps to his stereo and turns his music way down. He was shocked to see us, we were shocked to see what he looked like. Anyways, he is pretty cool. Ends up his daughter is asking him questions about the church he cannot answer. Funny how this works.
Later that night, Elder Peters and I were going past a house in the woods off the street. He got the feeling to go in, but didn't tell me till we crossed a bridge and got to a stop sign. He asked me if we should go back and I felt we should. Well, we get back to the bridge and both of us immediately get the feeling of NO. Well, you can imagine how confused we are, but that was so strong we discussed it but were not going any further period. Interesting.
Yeah! That is basically it! Good to finally hear from people. Went to the Jordan temple today. It was neat. People here belive I am the answer to their prayers. Apparently President Laney tells everyone that I am a gifted one. I don't know what he sees, but ok. Thanks for the memory cards. I wont be able to send all the pictures, but once I get back, they will all be available. Hooray!
Love,
Elder Waller
Austin's Address is
Elder Austin Daniel Waller
Utah Salt Lake City South Mission
8060 South 615 East
Sandy, Utah 84070
Austin's e-mail is adwaller@myldsmail.net
Hey all!
Sorry I can't send anyone individual e-mails. I can with letter though! Takes time. Anyways, the field is much better. An answer to Elder Post's comment on the more righteous go to foeign countries, the more righteous actually stay inside the country. It is harder to teach here because less people are willing. So you need the strongest in the states. No joke. Taught my first lesson last night, an actual lesson. I was supposed to start off, but my mind went blank. Elder Peters took over and we kinda flip-flopped who taught what. I did fine after that. Dallan, the kid we were teaching, is really smart and basically absorbed everything like a sponge.
Well, it had to come. My first bike wreck. Dad will love this. So we were coming off the street going in between these wall things to get to another street. Elder Peters got through just fine. I apparently turned a little late and my left handle hit the wall. The wheel steered into the wall, the bike was leaning hard right. I managed to catch myself, but didn't go far enough off the seat. I basically got caught in a place no man should ever get caught. No dramatic flips or anything, just lots of pain. We were on our way to dinner too.....bummer. Yeah.
We met another guy named Michael Marshan, a Louisiana member. Tattoo artist with tattoos and piercings. Before knocking on the door we hear this heavy metal music, no lyrics. We knock and here is this guy, his eyes get huge and he yells "WHOA!" He jumps to his stereo and turns his music way down. He was shocked to see us, we were shocked to see what he looked like. Anyways, he is pretty cool. Ends up his daughter is asking him questions about the church he cannot answer. Funny how this works.
Later that night, Elder Peters and I were going past a house in the woods off the street. He got the feeling to go in, but didn't tell me till we crossed a bridge and got to a stop sign. He asked me if we should go back and I felt we should. Well, we get back to the bridge and both of us immediately get the feeling of NO. Well, you can imagine how confused we are, but that was so strong we discussed it but were not going any further period. Interesting.
Yeah! That is basically it! Good to finally hear from people. Went to the Jordan temple today. It was neat. People here belive I am the answer to their prayers. Apparently President Laney tells everyone that I am a gifted one. I don't know what he sees, but ok. Thanks for the memory cards. I wont be able to send all the pictures, but once I get back, they will all be available. Hooray!
Love,
Elder Waller
Austin's Address is
Elder Austin Daniel Waller
Utah Salt Lake City South Mission
8060 South 615 East
Sandy, Utah 84070
Austin's e-mail is adwaller@myldsmail.net
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Week 3.5
Austin's e-mail is adwaller@myldsmail.net
Hey!
Pictures this time! Yay! So, my first area is the...Midvale area. It is really confusing here. The address system is much different as compared to that back home. It is a bike mission, and I WILL guarantee, that if I am not Lance Armstrong by the time I am back home, something has gone wrong.
My first trainer/companion I can tell was chosen by the Lord, not just the mission president. Why? He stresses water like there is no tomorrow. Oh yeah, news on the bike situation. Don't bother for now, I have a free one! It is a really good one too. The first day out though, I nearly died. You hear that...DIED.
Left the MTC on a really good note though. Had the chance to see one of the rarest things at the MTC, one of the First Presidency. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf came in. He is hillarious! His laugh is addicting, especially when his wife was making jokes (accidentally) left and right. He tosses his head back and laughter and turns all red. Apparently he still writes her love notes. That was a funny part. But that was neat, Quentin L. Cook one week, then Pres. Uchtdorf the next. He was also speaking without a teleprompter! That was amazing! You could tell it was the Spirit there. I can't really say anymore, other than it was amazing.
My companions name is Elder Peters. He is quite funny, and quirky a little. He is the one without the glasses in the picture with the sign. Elder Douglas, the other one, left this morning for Mexico...Tiawanna (or something like that). Had to wake up at 5 this morning. Oh boy, am I sore! My thighs are killing me from biking uphill! IT HURTS!
I saw Elder Peebles. Notice how I said saw. SAW. Didn't get the chance to talk to him, on two occasions. Yeah. It was definitely him though. Other than that, nothing. Wait! Pres. Uchtdorf did something really cool before the devotional at the MTC was over. He left an Apostolic Blessing on the missionaries and their families that both would be successful and safe. It was cool! YAY!
Anyways, where is the mail? I was hoping for something. Did HANNA knock everything out or what? What is happening? Would just like to know. Don't send mail to the MTC address anymore, send it to the other address in there. I'll try to find the exact thing soon. Difficult to do at the moment.
I will certainly guarantee that I will look much different by the time I get home. Weight loss, muscle gain......knowledge gain.....spiritual gain......gain....gain. You get the picture. Please send e-mails or something. It helps keep my spirits up. According to the missionaries I have an hour to do everything. That is what they say, this clock here in the corner says differently. So on that, I am confused. I don't like it that we are doing this from the library. It costs a dollar. Anyways...please write.
Love,
Elder Waller
Hey!
Pictures this time! Yay! So, my first area is the...Midvale area. It is really confusing here. The address system is much different as compared to that back home. It is a bike mission, and I WILL guarantee, that if I am not Lance Armstrong by the time I am back home, something has gone wrong.
My first trainer/companion I can tell was chosen by the Lord, not just the mission president. Why? He stresses water like there is no tomorrow. Oh yeah, news on the bike situation. Don't bother for now, I have a free one! It is a really good one too. The first day out though, I nearly died. You hear that...DIED.
Left the MTC on a really good note though. Had the chance to see one of the rarest things at the MTC, one of the First Presidency. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf came in. He is hillarious! His laugh is addicting, especially when his wife was making jokes (accidentally) left and right. He tosses his head back and laughter and turns all red. Apparently he still writes her love notes. That was a funny part. But that was neat, Quentin L. Cook one week, then Pres. Uchtdorf the next. He was also speaking without a teleprompter! That was amazing! You could tell it was the Spirit there. I can't really say anymore, other than it was amazing.
My companions name is Elder Peters. He is quite funny, and quirky a little. He is the one without the glasses in the picture with the sign. Elder Douglas, the other one, left this morning for Mexico...Tiawanna (or something like that). Had to wake up at 5 this morning. Oh boy, am I sore! My thighs are killing me from biking uphill! IT HURTS!
I saw Elder Peebles. Notice how I said saw. SAW. Didn't get the chance to talk to him, on two occasions. Yeah. It was definitely him though. Other than that, nothing. Wait! Pres. Uchtdorf did something really cool before the devotional at the MTC was over. He left an Apostolic Blessing on the missionaries and their families that both would be successful and safe. It was cool! YAY!
Anyways, where is the mail? I was hoping for something. Did HANNA knock everything out or what? What is happening? Would just like to know. Don't send mail to the MTC address anymore, send it to the other address in there. I'll try to find the exact thing soon. Difficult to do at the moment.
I will certainly guarantee that I will look much different by the time I get home. Weight loss, muscle gain......knowledge gain.....spiritual gain......gain....gain. You get the picture. Please send e-mails or something. It helps keep my spirits up. According to the missionaries I have an hour to do everything. That is what they say, this clock here in the corner says differently. So on that, I am confused. I don't like it that we are doing this from the library. It costs a dollar. Anyways...please write.
Love,
Elder Waller
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Week 3
Hey,
I just sent you a letter with some more information on it. Hurricane? Hmm...
You can send as many e-mails as you wish, I will just have 30 minutes to read them all and then reply to them. Give everyone the e-mail address and mission address when you get it. The support really helps. I leave for the mission home tomorrow.
If there is one thing I miss, I mention this in the letter also, it is music. Hymns are being sung here nearly every hour of the day, and it is driving me up the walls. Sure, it invites the Spirit, but I'm the person who needs variation. They believe here that anything without an LDS logo on it is hypocrisy or something. I wish they would realize that there is other music out there that will invite the Spirit also. You don't know what I would do to get my hands on a violin or viola.
I'm perfectly fine now as far as sickness goes. Everyone who comes here will get sick. That is what the Branch President told me. The only problem now is exhaustion.
We had an Apostle talk to us last Tuesday. Quentin L. Cook. Ironically, it was the day I felt horrible and puked because of the food. I am really concerned with cafeteria food now. It happened at school, now it happened here.
I have had several personal spiritual experiences here, the strongest was Sunday night. I wrote that down in the journal. It is really hard to report on everything here. How do you like the pictures I sent you on the CD? Weidler is the tall one with brown hair. De Jong is the tall one with blonde hair. Prince is the blonde buzz with the chin. Buhler is the one with the really short hair. Faerbare (I think) is the one with....just a tad taller than me. Harris is the one with the weird haircut, one with the glasses. Jensen is the blonde with a long face. Marrott is the almost bowl cut with brown hair. Jones is, Jones. Pretty much it. Gotta go.
Love,
Elder Waller
This e-mail letter was dated September 9, 22008
Austin's e-mail is adwaller@myldsmail.net
One minute a kid
The next a teacher
Austin's District posing in front of the Provo Temple August 31, 2008
I just sent you a letter with some more information on it. Hurricane? Hmm...
You can send as many e-mails as you wish, I will just have 30 minutes to read them all and then reply to them. Give everyone the e-mail address and mission address when you get it. The support really helps. I leave for the mission home tomorrow.
If there is one thing I miss, I mention this in the letter also, it is music. Hymns are being sung here nearly every hour of the day, and it is driving me up the walls. Sure, it invites the Spirit, but I'm the person who needs variation. They believe here that anything without an LDS logo on it is hypocrisy or something. I wish they would realize that there is other music out there that will invite the Spirit also. You don't know what I would do to get my hands on a violin or viola.
I'm perfectly fine now as far as sickness goes. Everyone who comes here will get sick. That is what the Branch President told me. The only problem now is exhaustion.
We had an Apostle talk to us last Tuesday. Quentin L. Cook. Ironically, it was the day I felt horrible and puked because of the food. I am really concerned with cafeteria food now. It happened at school, now it happened here.
I have had several personal spiritual experiences here, the strongest was Sunday night. I wrote that down in the journal. It is really hard to report on everything here. How do you like the pictures I sent you on the CD? Weidler is the tall one with brown hair. De Jong is the tall one with blonde hair. Prince is the blonde buzz with the chin. Buhler is the one with the really short hair. Faerbare (I think) is the one with....just a tad taller than me. Harris is the one with the weird haircut, one with the glasses. Jensen is the blonde with a long face. Marrott is the almost bowl cut with brown hair. Jones is, Jones. Pretty much it. Gotta go.
Love,
Elder Waller
This e-mail letter was dated September 9, 22008
Austin's e-mail is adwaller@myldsmail.net
Austin sent a cd with photos. We've got pictures!
Danny and I haven't figured this one out yet. I have written Austin and hope he will share how these guys defied gravity.
One minute a kid
The next a teacher
Austin's District posing in front of the Provo Temple August 31, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Week 2
An e-mail from Austin: September 2, 2008
Hey!
I am about to go insane! Being here at the MTC is alright, the district is great. For pictures, I'm just going to send a CD. Letter? You never mentioned me sending any. That really boosted my confidence when I got the largest mail package. Hooray! Anyways, I have at least three headaches a day from how much I am learning here. My outlooks are changing on practically everything.
The sickness I had lasted for a long time, and now everyone else is sick and blaming me. The weird thing is, I suffered far worse than any of them are. It is just weird. Not much to report on other than that I am just ready to leave. I get out of the MTC next Wednesday, the 10th, around 6am. Our teachers are telling us that we are the craziest district by how we can be funny at one point and be focused the next. They brag about us to the other teachers about how good we are at teaching and how broad our talents. They range from an acappella group to various other things. These are being forwarded right?
I guess I'll start writing letters to you. Oh yeah! My box for the MTC is 113. You are going to love the pictures I have. Most are of the people in the district, but I have a couple good ones in there, plus a couple of the Provo Temple. Ends up there are 3 temples in my teaching area. You can also see most of my teaching area from our room. It is pretty neat.
And an answer for your water concerns, I am getting one 500ml water bottle in plus 2 glasses of water per meal. My weight dropped 6 pounds, but came back in the form of muscle. Food concerns? None. And no...there has been no green jello.
Elder Waller
Hey!
I am about to go insane! Being here at the MTC is alright, the district is great. For pictures, I'm just going to send a CD. Letter? You never mentioned me sending any. That really boosted my confidence when I got the largest mail package. Hooray! Anyways, I have at least three headaches a day from how much I am learning here. My outlooks are changing on practically everything.
The sickness I had lasted for a long time, and now everyone else is sick and blaming me. The weird thing is, I suffered far worse than any of them are. It is just weird. Not much to report on other than that I am just ready to leave. I get out of the MTC next Wednesday, the 10th, around 6am. Our teachers are telling us that we are the craziest district by how we can be funny at one point and be focused the next. They brag about us to the other teachers about how good we are at teaching and how broad our talents. They range from an acappella group to various other things. These are being forwarded right?
I guess I'll start writing letters to you. Oh yeah! My box for the MTC is 113. You are going to love the pictures I have. Most are of the people in the district, but I have a couple good ones in there, plus a couple of the Provo Temple. Ends up there are 3 temples in my teaching area. You can also see most of my teaching area from our room. It is pretty neat.
And an answer for your water concerns, I am getting one 500ml water bottle in plus 2 glasses of water per meal. My weight dropped 6 pounds, but came back in the form of muscle. Food concerns? None. And no...there has been no green jello.
Elder Waller
Week 1
Danny and I received this e-mail from Austin, Tuesday August 26, 2008
I cannot see posting a blog without a photo, so I'll use some of Austin a few years ago. This is Austin in early morning seminary, September 1, 2004. We were playing a Jeopardy style game. Austin had picked "Illustrate the Plan of Salvation" for 500 points. He got the points.
A few weeks ago we were sitting in Sunday School together when again, we were studing the Plan of Salvation/Happiness. He still remembered it. Although, I can say he seemed a little happier than it appears in this photo.
From Austin:
Hey!
Ends up we can use e-mail here at the MTC. Other than getting used to the immense compression of information and the extremely sore throat today, everything is fine. One day here feels more like a week, we are doing so much.
The elders here are cool. I am the most collected of the district. Have some pictures but forgot to bring the camera equipment. Sorry. Anyways, my first practice investigator teaching was awesome. My companion and I destroyed it! In the good way. There is no possible way to send everything that happened, there is way to much, especially in the last couple of days. That is why I am writing in that journal! Yay! Anyways, learning a lot here. Recalling scriptures from memory is the hardest thing for me, but I overcompensate by the depth I can go into them. Anyways, this one is going to be short, I am a little rushed.
Elder Waller
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