Elder Austin Waller and Elder Collado Aug 28 2009
Week 54 August 31, 2009
Hey,
That is a really good e-mail Aunt Bonnie sent you. Also what you told me about everyone else and the help they are giving really gives me comfort. But about that mission thing.
I guarantee you that missionaries in the field since the bar has been raised will eventually become leaders in the church. Some of us are being pushed to the brink by many afflictions, temptations, and rough trials. It is VERY true that during trials we are only delivered at the darkest hour. Why? I know it. Missionaries in this day and age are being brought up to have the faith of Moroni, Alma and his sons, the sons of Mosiah, and others. We all face trials of many kinds, but unless we move on with faith that all will be right in due time, we cannot progress in the time to come. In the darkest of times comes the brightest of hopes and the warmest of comforts. We must stand as beacons to those around us so they will know where to turn. Never hide your light. Let it shine to the world.
So, there goes my preaching again. It is hard not to turn something into a teaching moment now. You know you've been in Utah for too long when you start recounting wars and you get to the more modern wars and end up calling Desert Storm, "Deseret Storm." Hmmmm...yeah. I call it Utafied. I am getting a bigger dosage of thyroid meds. Good grief, and if I am not hyper enough as it is! This...is going to be fun. Trust me, you will not remember who I am by the end of this mission.
The picture is of Elder Collado and I. I saw something in it that I haven't noticed before. I am thinner! Woo! Am I doing anything different? No. Someone told me that their son had the same problem, took the medication without changing his life, and all the extra weight and body fat literally melted off. I am looking forward to this. Ok, worldly pleasures I know. But this is a good one ok? Anyways, take care and know that I barely mention anything about your condition out here and people begin to pray for you. So many families out here wouldn't even want to think of something like this happening, so they do all they can to help out. Many more prayers are being offered without being asked.
With love,
Elder Austin Waller
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Week 53 August 24, 2009
Hey,
I loved the box! (We made Austin an Halfway Through box. Of course the contents were only 1/2 of each item-mom) The one thing that kinda irked me though was when I got half a tie and one sock. Another tie would be fun, but the socks would actually be useful. This week has been rather tough. I have been using that flower looking thing to keep my cool. We had appointments this week that would have brought us 8 new investigators! Guess what? ALL OF THEM FELL THROUGH! Two of those investigators fell through three times! GAH! Nothing much other than that. Wait...haha! I remember something!
Ok, so this happened once before already. We get out of the house and go out doing our business. Then Elder Parker needs to use the bathroom, so we go to a church building. Then he reaches for the keys in his pocket. I turn around and find him staring in front of him with a pale blank stare. He had forgotten the keys, which also have the key to our home! After telling him that I was going to kill him multiple times if we could not get into our home, we went to the house. Tried all of the doors, which were locked. I noticed one of the doors was not as secure as the others. My mind said, "All I need is a flat-head screwdriver." Then I look behind me, see the shed, and head to the door. I find that the door is locked and look down. And it came to pass that I found a flat-head screwdriver just lying, partially buried, in the dirt. I grabbed it and immediately went to work on the door trying to push the latch in. Guess what? It worked! We got in and got the keys. Then the owners, who were supposed to be getting back the NEXT day, drove up as we were exiting. Then it happened a second time, which we got on film just to prove that it was done. So that was funny, and Elder Parker still lives because I was able to get us in. Talk about following the Spirit! WOO!
Cats? There are plenty around here! ACK! It is crazy! Both rabid ones and docile ones! There are also a couple that have high-blood-pressure and go haywire and bipolar at the same time! We have large ones and small ones. Fat ones and thin ones. Buff ones and scrawny ones. Lazy ones and fanatic ones. CATS ARE EVERYWHERE! Dogs as well.
People out here were kinda pushing me to the brink about your cancer. However, I kept the faith that everything is going to go well. I also just stopped telling people. Made it easier for me. If you find yourself not having the faith to get through it, have faith in my faith. The reason why is because I know you will get through this perfectly fine and you will recover with no incident. Also take note that your name is still in the temple. So move on. Be strong and of a good courage, for the Lord is by your side. So is everyone else.
Dad, it may be hard, but you can get through this. If you ever find yourself in a hole, read the scriptures, listen to music, it will help. Play your violin. It is a good way to express feelings. Also remember hope. It is a limitless source of strength and courage. One of the best things to do is to be optimistic. Optimism will get you through anything. It has been a hard week out here, but we stayed optimistic and learned many things and enjoyed ourselves. It is a contagion of good. Remember that what you do to others will be returned to you. I'm basically going over things I have studied recently, but it applies. Remember that President Uchtdorf, at the MTC, gave a blessing to all the missionaries and their families that everything will be alright and everyone would be safe.
Enough about that. You will be fine. Just know that all is well. How is your violin progressing anyways? I'm not so sure I will be able to call. (Austin was able to call home Aug 29th. It was wonderful to talk to him. We were able to give him more details and we could hear the faith in our voices.) It would be best for you to call Uncle Chuck. Me also. That or just call President Laney. I found out that he did call and he left a message, but for some weird reason it did not come through. So, yes he did call. It just never reached our phone for some reason.
Love ya,
Elder Austin Waller
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Week 52 August 17, 2009
Hey,
The charges were all music, and all have helped keep my mood well. I was fine while doing the e-mail thing about cancer last week. Later in the day my mind went kinda like this. (Wait....WHOA! REWIND! WHAT?!) Anyways, the very next day, your name went into the temple. Hooray!
Things are getting better here as we are trying some new things. It is kind of ironic today that all of our appointments are on the same street. Weird how it worked out.
Cameron is home huh? I know exactly why they are in the mountains. It is really hard to adjust back to reality, kinda why I want to be driven home instead of fly. Arthur is getting married huh? To someone from Twin Falls? Could you ask her if she knows Brandy and Garth Shilling? They moved up there. If you remember, I helped teach Brandy and saw her baptized by Garth. Jeremy will go. If anyone knows, I do. He would do really well because of his family surroundings that he grew up in. Missions are for several reasons. One being self-improvement and growth. Another being for the salvation of others.
Man...things ARE changing at home. When I get back, that kid is gonna be almost a year old! Wait...NON-MEMBERS visiting church! WHOA! That is what we call golden out here! Fellowship them like crazy!
Medications? They are working well. I get to start taking two pills tomorrow. Elder Parker is excited for that since I have become really funny and energetic. He definitely notices a difference.
Uhh....maybe you should start by shifting on the "A" string. Enamel will last longer. Golf is a humbling game. I am pretty sure that is just Heavenly Father saying "Try again, you still have more to learn."
One funny experience I had was when we were trying to contact someone this week. I saw something red, thought it was the persons shirt, and pulled sharply to the side of the road, parked the truck and jumped out. Elder Parker was close behind. Then I see what it actually was. I say, "Carp." ( a word I commonly use since I think it is funnier to use a fish) Elder Parker asks me what. Then I explain to him that I accidently mistook the red mailbox for the person we were trying to contact. Shows you how much energy I have from the medication.
Love ya,
Elder Austin Waller
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Week 51 August 10, 2009
Hey,
Uhhh...I was never contacted about anything. I kept getting feelings that something wasn't right throughout the week though. I felt that it was back at home. Apparently, this is what those feelings were referring to. At least I was warned, spiritually. Don't worry, you will be fine. If I feel comfortable about it, you should. Just read James 5 and you will see why. I had that feeling about Uncle Chuck also. I know he wants to serve 5. Aunt Sharon doesn't want to leave again though. If they want to teach, they could work in the less-active mission coming here. I hear that is really good. They would only have to go to appointments as far as I know.
My thyroid is very underactive and apparently has been for a very long time. Dr. Sundwall was very surprised to see those results from me. I have been taking Levothyroxine since Tuesday. No more back pain. The doctor couldn't explain it. HA!
Shifting huh? First position is where your first finger, index, is on the first note. If you were playing on the A string, your first finger would be on the B. Second position on the A would be C. Third would be D, and so on. The position number just depends on where you put your index finger. It is often easiest to start with Third Position.
Speaking about music, I am learning the piano. Very, very quickly. I am pretty much getting the top notes down on most songs. In some cases, I don't need to look down anymore. "Sad Romance." That sounds as if it is on FF10. FF= Final Fantasy. Yeah it is. I have that game. I remember the part also. HAHA! Don't remember the music though, but it is good. You will find that most Final Fantasy Music is great. Have Dad search for Yuna's Ballad. That is my favorite. He should be able to play that and it will give him some challenge.
Also about music. Listen to it constantly. It has been proven to lift moods, help people heal quickly, and recover faster. Sure works out here!
I have learned out here why so many people felt I was a strong leader. It was because of my example. That is the exact reason why. I'm glad I finally figured this out. By the way, 10 days till I hit 1 year.
Love ya,
Elder Austin Waller
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Week 50 August 3, 2009
Hey,
2 more weeks till my half-way mark! AHH!
I kinda had to go during the middle of the e-mail talk. Sorry about that. I had a feeling that you would eventually come to the knowledge that it could be kidneys. When Uncle Chuck mentioned the possibility, I felt as if I had a death sentence put on me. Yes I did go to the doctor, and found out that I am perfectly fine? Uhh....pain does not equal fine! At least pain like that! And the warning about the ibuprofen came a little late, not on your part. On Friday I took some and had the worst flare of pain ever and could not find relief after that by laying down. Trust of ibuprofen now is completely kaput! I am still confident that it is not muscles. I have had muscle pains before. These are not alike. Not dehydration either. Your anxieties may be calm, but I am still trying to figure out how a nothing can cause a something! It can also be real hard when you companion starts going insane and slightly impatient...oh well. I should be figuring out later today about the blood test they are doing.
So, other than laying in bed a ton, really nothing exciting except for flares of pain and agony. Oh yeah...horrible week. I had a feeling something wasn't right, and shortly after, look what happens! WHOA! A new refrigerator? Cool. Literally. At least you actually HAVE storms. What they call storms out here are barely even showers back at home!
Back still hurts, not as much. Still trying to figure it out. At least I am on my feet a lot more and able to get out and do stuff. But the pain is mostly in the kidney area, which still has me concerned. I don't care what the doctor says, something is going on. I'll be fine, but I would ask that you pray that this thing will be discovered so that I can stop thinking about it. Sleep has improved slightly. That is really it.
Still can't find a post office around here.
With love,
Elder Austin Waller
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Week 49
July 7, 2009
Hey,
I figured out what the whole "something wasn't right" thing. It started only a few days ago. My back began to hurt. And it only got worse. It has gotten to the point that I cannot concentrate on anything else because of the pain. The only way to relieve it is to lay down. It hurts whenever I am sitting or standing, and yes it does hurt a lot right now. That is only one of the things. I have insomnia now. My mind is telling me to go to sleep, but my body is saying that I need to go and DO something, time to wake up, rise and shine, yet it is midnight. I've been getting at least an hour of sleep per night. So from 10:30 to around 5 each morning, I have been awake and could not help it. President Laney told me to call Uncle Chuck today, so that is my next step. Anyways, that is the bad news.
So they think that missionary work is all fun-and-games huh? Good! If I told them what happens in the reality of missionary work, they wouldn't go on one. No one will ever SHOW what happens during the actual work. One way to show them is by getting the Preach My Gospel DVD. It covers the activities of a district over a period of time. They probably wont understand it completely, but that is missionary work.
So Henry and Shanna will be in J2? I like it! Funny story about the car. Trujillo sounds familiar, same with Skyler. Ask them if they know an Elder Collado (Kol-ee-ah-doh) or Elder Zobell.
New pictures of baptisms and such, just forgot my camera thing. Dang. We helped an eight-year-old named Lizzy, I might have told you that. Also we had Eric Gardner baptized on Wednesday. I found a nasty scorpion with a glowing stinger in the Bishop's garden. Also met Dolores, a creepy Black Widow Spider that Eric's fellowshipping family had caught in their garage. YIKES! I don't like the thought of those nasties. Ow....ok that hurt. Got a little excited and jumped. Not a fun result I might add.
President Laney holds Uncle Chuck in high regards. I will be glad when I talk to him today, as long as he is not in Alaska or something. Hopefully we can figure this thing out. Don't ask me if I took ibuprofen or anything, that was one of the first things I tried. Didn't even dull it. I already went through everything Sis. Laney would have told me to do. My point is, it started on Wednesday and hasn't gone away. I do hope it isn't something bad.
Elder Austin Waller,
With love of course
