February 18, 2008
All’s well in North Carolina! This weekend was our Stake Conference broadcast from Salt Lake. We heard from Elder Wood, Sister Tanner, Elder Nelson and President Uchtdorf. It was broadcasted to 42 stakes on the east coast! I got a lot out of all of their messages, especially President Uchtdorf’s. He focused a lot on missionaries. He said there were 717 current missionaries serving from those 42 stakes, encouraged more young men to go on missions, and encouraged every member to study Preach My Gospel.
Most of what he spoke about pertains to one of my biggest roles out here! I love being with the mission-aged members of our ward as we learn from Preach My Gospel. I am trying to encourage the attendance of other members, like returned-missionaries and those that aren’t as excited about going on a mission. Last semester went very well. Ben and Dallin enjoyed the Preach My Gospel class and recently left to serve missions in the Salt Lake and Anaheim Spanish missions.
I’ve really enjoyed learning from Preach My Gospel! While it’s for the full-time missionaries, every member can benefit from it, whether it’s used for Family Home Evening, lesson preparation, or mission preparation, it is a great tool to learn the doctrine and learn how to teach it. I was able to study it really hard months before I left for my mission. I still remember how much I enjoyed reading, highlighting, searching the scriptures it suggests, and trying the activities.
Six months into my mission, my copy of Preach My Gospel is not as pretty as it once was. The front and back cover are coming off, the pages are covered with a rainbow of colored pencil and every color of ink, and it is full of teaching ideas and quotes. A few of the pages still stick together and smell like an Italian restaurant from a Sister Gwyn’s spaghetti-transportation-mishap, but I still feel like I have so, so much to learn from Preach My Gospel!
Thank you so much for the letters, prayers and support!!!
Elder Walters
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hello From Chapel Hill
Elder Roseman and Elder Christman were in the “Daily Tar Heel,” UNC’s newspaper! The article focused on what life is like as a missionary and is a great example of how the media can be a way of sharing the gospel and clearing up misconceptions. These Elders are my companions right now, and Elder McDougle, also in the article, was recently transferred from our district. I was really sad to see him go, and the article came out the day after he left! You can see the article at lds.org/news click on ‘around the world’ and it’s the 4th or so article down, under Feb 8th.
(I posted the article on the blog on Saturday. Please see the post below. Bridgette)
Elder Ballard has spoken quite a bit about the great importance members have to talk about their religion and clear up misconceptions. The internet is a wonderful way for Mormons to talk about what they believe, and not leave it to others.
There is a great promise that the Lord will guide us in our efforts to share the gospel found in Doctrine and Covenants section 100:5-7:
5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;
6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.
7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.
Thanks for all of the support and for your prayers!
Love, Elder Walters
(I posted the article on the blog on Saturday. Please see the post below. Bridgette)
Elder Ballard has spoken quite a bit about the great importance members have to talk about their religion and clear up misconceptions. The internet is a wonderful way for Mormons to talk about what they believe, and not leave it to others.
There is a great promise that the Lord will guide us in our efforts to share the gospel found in Doctrine and Covenants section 100:5-7:
5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;
6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.
7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.
Thanks for all of the support and for your prayers!
Love, Elder Walters
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Young Mormons Spread Faith at UNC
Hey Mom and Dad!
Elders Christman and Roseman are my companions and Elder McDougle is my friend who just left our district the night before this was printed! love you, bye - Elder Walters
Young Mormons Spread Faith at UNC
The Daily Tar Heel
New missionary assigned to area
By: Allison Miller, Senior Writer
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section:
Elder Christman gives recent graduate Greg Carrero a copy of the Book of Mormon on Thursday in the Pit. Young Mormon men who serve as missionaries are called elders. Mormon missionaries work to educate people about the Church of Latter-day Saints.
At first glance, Jeremy McDougle looks just like all the other UNC students strolling through the Pit.But look again. His dark, formal suit and his name tag become apparent. And a short conversation reveals that the 21-year-old with closely cropped, brownish-blond hair is a Mormon missionary, not a college student.
"We don't come to change the world; we just come out to draw people closer to Christ," McDougle said.McDougle, a native of San Diego, Calif., came to the Triangle about six weeks ago to start his two-year mission. Church leaders assign missionaries to locations.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not required to go on religious missions. But many young men and women, called elders and sisters, choose to do so, with 182 serving in eastern North Carolina.When McDougle visited UNC's campus last week, he was paired with Scott Roseman, a missionary from Utah who has been in North Carolina for about four months. Roseman said he has traveled all over the Triangle doing his missionary work.
A new missionary is paired with one who has more experience and is familiar with the mission area, said Madge McGilvary, an employee in the Latter-day Saints Raleigh office who converted to Mormonism after two missionaries knocked on her door.
From one day to the next, missionaries might not be in the same place or with the same partner.Missionary work entails knocking on doors in neighborhoods and educating people about the church."We get doors slammed in our faces, cussed out, things thrown at us," McDougle said. "That's all part of the experience."He said he spends a lot of time trying to clear up misconceptions about the Latter-day Saints church."A lot of people think we have different views of God," he said.He is only permitted to call home on Mother's Day and on Christmas.
The missionaries also must refrain from dating, listening to the radio, and watching TV and movies.These regulations allow the missionaries to "devote time to teaching and serving the heavenly father and keep them from getting distracted," McGilvary said.
"I miss my family the most," McDougle said. "It's tough being away from home, but the congregation always watches out for us."McDougle said he adheres to a strict schedule. Six days a week, he wakes up at 6:30 a.m., studies Scriptures from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and does missionary work from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m.Someone from the Latter-day Saints Raleigh Mission office in Raleigh checks to see if he is in his apartment every night.
McDougle gets a break from missionary work on Mondays. He said he uses the time to do laundry, go grocery shopping and send e-mails to his family. While on his mission, McDougle doesn't earn any money, yet he has to pay rent and buy food.
The mission office is responsible for helping missionaries find an apartment and a medical care provider when they first arrive.The church also provides him a car with a monthly mileage allotment.McDougle said he has worked since graduating high school to save enough money to fund his mission."It's something that you always look forward to be able to do."
After his mission, McDougle said, he will work outside the church."Everyone in the church has normal jobs," he said. "I want to go into construction management and eventually build custom homes."
Elders Christman and Roseman are my companions and Elder McDougle is my friend who just left our district the night before this was printed! love you, bye - Elder Walters
Young Mormons Spread Faith at UNC
The Daily Tar Heel
New missionary assigned to area
By: Allison Miller, Senior Writer
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section:
Elder Christman gives recent graduate Greg Carrero a copy of the Book of Mormon on Thursday in the Pit. Young Mormon men who serve as missionaries are called elders. Mormon missionaries work to educate people about the Church of Latter-day Saints.
At first glance, Jeremy McDougle looks just like all the other UNC students strolling through the Pit.But look again. His dark, formal suit and his name tag become apparent. And a short conversation reveals that the 21-year-old with closely cropped, brownish-blond hair is a Mormon missionary, not a college student.
"We don't come to change the world; we just come out to draw people closer to Christ," McDougle said.McDougle, a native of San Diego, Calif., came to the Triangle about six weeks ago to start his two-year mission. Church leaders assign missionaries to locations.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not required to go on religious missions. But many young men and women, called elders and sisters, choose to do so, with 182 serving in eastern North Carolina.When McDougle visited UNC's campus last week, he was paired with Scott Roseman, a missionary from Utah who has been in North Carolina for about four months. Roseman said he has traveled all over the Triangle doing his missionary work.
A new missionary is paired with one who has more experience and is familiar with the mission area, said Madge McGilvary, an employee in the Latter-day Saints Raleigh office who converted to Mormonism after two missionaries knocked on her door.
From one day to the next, missionaries might not be in the same place or with the same partner.Missionary work entails knocking on doors in neighborhoods and educating people about the church."We get doors slammed in our faces, cussed out, things thrown at us," McDougle said. "That's all part of the experience."He said he spends a lot of time trying to clear up misconceptions about the Latter-day Saints church."A lot of people think we have different views of God," he said.He is only permitted to call home on Mother's Day and on Christmas.
The missionaries also must refrain from dating, listening to the radio, and watching TV and movies.These regulations allow the missionaries to "devote time to teaching and serving the heavenly father and keep them from getting distracted," McGilvary said.
"I miss my family the most," McDougle said. "It's tough being away from home, but the congregation always watches out for us."McDougle said he adheres to a strict schedule. Six days a week, he wakes up at 6:30 a.m., studies Scriptures from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and does missionary work from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m.Someone from the Latter-day Saints Raleigh Mission office in Raleigh checks to see if he is in his apartment every night.
McDougle gets a break from missionary work on Mondays. He said he uses the time to do laundry, go grocery shopping and send e-mails to his family. While on his mission, McDougle doesn't earn any money, yet he has to pay rent and buy food.
The mission office is responsible for helping missionaries find an apartment and a medical care provider when they first arrive.The church also provides him a car with a monthly mileage allotment.McDougle said he has worked since graduating high school to save enough money to fund his mission."It's something that you always look forward to be able to do."
After his mission, McDougle said, he will work outside the church."Everyone in the church has normal jobs," he said. "I want to go into construction management and eventually build custom homes."
Friday, February 08, 2008
Nan and Elder Walters
A few weeks ago Barry's sister, Nan, called to let us know she was going to Raleigh, North Carolina, with some friends to see Ryan's mission president and his wife, President and Sister Wallis, who are very good friends of theirs. I knew Nan was going but didn't want to ruin the surprise for Ryan.
Before Ryan left on his mission, he made it very clear that even though he can see his family because he is technically on a service mission, he wanted to treat his mission like a proscelyting mission as much as possible, so we were NOT to visit him! The only exception was that Aunt Nan and Uncle Keith were able to visit . . . without them Ryan's opportunity to serve in the North Carolina Raleigh mission wouldn't have been possible. Seeing these pictures of Nan with Ryan really brought tears to my eyes . . . if we couldn't be there I can't think of anyone else I would rather have him spend time with than Nan. I consider it one of those "tender mercy" moments in my life!
When I asked Ryan what I could bring him if I was going to visit, he thought for awhile and said, "my nieces and nephews." He really misses all of the "little people" in his life!
Love, Bridgette
Following is a note from Nan:
I am finally sitting down to my computer to load the pictures that I took on my visit with Ryan a few weeks ago. Boy do the days fly by!!! You can see that Ryan looks great--still has his darling smile and radiates. I got a letter off to him today and sent along a talk by Dallin Oakes that I talked to him about. It was about 8 ways we receive revelation. Keith and I had used it for a stake fireside with the Priests/Laurels just before I saw Ryan. Nan
Before Ryan left on his mission, he made it very clear that even though he can see his family because he is technically on a service mission, he wanted to treat his mission like a proscelyting mission as much as possible, so we were NOT to visit him! The only exception was that Aunt Nan and Uncle Keith were able to visit . . . without them Ryan's opportunity to serve in the North Carolina Raleigh mission wouldn't have been possible. Seeing these pictures of Nan with Ryan really brought tears to my eyes . . . if we couldn't be there I can't think of anyone else I would rather have him spend time with than Nan. I consider it one of those "tender mercy" moments in my life!
When I asked Ryan what I could bring him if I was going to visit, he thought for awhile and said, "my nieces and nephews." He really misses all of the "little people" in his life!
Love, Bridgette
Following is a note from Nan:
I am finally sitting down to my computer to load the pictures that I took on my visit with Ryan a few weeks ago. Boy do the days fly by!!! You can see that Ryan looks great--still has his darling smile and radiates. I got a letter off to him today and sent along a talk by Dallin Oakes that I talked to him about. It was about 8 ways we receive revelation. Keith and I had used it for a stake fireside with the Priests/Laurels just before I saw Ryan. Nan
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Monday, February 04, 2008
Cayce's Baptism
Cayce’s baptism was amazing! There were about eighty people there, including her family! That is more people than are usually at church in our ward! Her boyfriend, Martin baptized and confirmed her. Cayce also asked me to speak about baptism. I also talked about the Atonement, covenants in general and the sacrament. The Atonement is how and why we change, we change through making and keeping covenants, and the sacrament lets us renew our covenants and continue to change and become more Christlike.
Martin’s dad gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and talked a lot about what a special girl Cayce is. The Relief Society organized a notebook for Cayce by handing out pieces of colored paper so we could write her our testimonies. Later, they will arrange them all in a little journal for Cayce. It was so special to finally see her be baptized!
Maria was also at Cayce’s baptism with her aunt. Maria is going home this weekend and has decided to talk to her parents about how much she wants to be baptized and to set a baptismal date with their help.
The Church extends to all an invitation to find out for themselves if this is God’s church by asking the only one whose opinion actually counts-God’s. The introduction and the end of the Book of Mormon offer a challenge and a promise-that every person who seeks to know if the Book of Mormon is scripture will learn by the power of personal revelation that the Book is scripture, Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was His prophet and that this is God’s one true church on the earth right now.
Maria has a strong testimony of these things. Her testimony, like so many others, is not a passing thing or a phase-it is a belief that completely changes the natural man to become a man of God through the Atonement. Right now her parents are just trying to protect their daughter. Maria is just trying to have their approval and do what she feels is right.
PLEASE pray for Maria…and for her parents. She is an amazing young woman going through a very hard time. I worry that she will decide the Church is not worth the risk of losing her family, when in truth, the Gospel is the only thing which will save her and her family and everyone else for that matter!
On another note, Angela and Aaron are now engaged! They haven’t set a date yet, but if they need any help, we’re pretty good at helping others do that.
Also, I’m teaching a Preach My Gospel class at Duke and UNC Institute and a short lesson on the four Gospels every week at Duke. It’s going well and is challenging.
I hope you are all happy and doing well!
Thanks for all of your prayers and support!
Elder Walters
Martin’s dad gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and talked a lot about what a special girl Cayce is. The Relief Society organized a notebook for Cayce by handing out pieces of colored paper so we could write her our testimonies. Later, they will arrange them all in a little journal for Cayce. It was so special to finally see her be baptized!
Maria was also at Cayce’s baptism with her aunt. Maria is going home this weekend and has decided to talk to her parents about how much she wants to be baptized and to set a baptismal date with their help.
The Church extends to all an invitation to find out for themselves if this is God’s church by asking the only one whose opinion actually counts-God’s. The introduction and the end of the Book of Mormon offer a challenge and a promise-that every person who seeks to know if the Book of Mormon is scripture will learn by the power of personal revelation that the Book is scripture, Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was His prophet and that this is God’s one true church on the earth right now.
Maria has a strong testimony of these things. Her testimony, like so many others, is not a passing thing or a phase-it is a belief that completely changes the natural man to become a man of God through the Atonement. Right now her parents are just trying to protect their daughter. Maria is just trying to have their approval and do what she feels is right.
PLEASE pray for Maria…and for her parents. She is an amazing young woman going through a very hard time. I worry that she will decide the Church is not worth the risk of losing her family, when in truth, the Gospel is the only thing which will save her and her family and everyone else for that matter!
On another note, Angela and Aaron are now engaged! They haven’t set a date yet, but if they need any help, we’re pretty good at helping others do that.
Also, I’m teaching a Preach My Gospel class at Duke and UNC Institute and a short lesson on the four Gospels every week at Duke. It’s going well and is challenging.
I hope you are all happy and doing well!
Thanks for all of your prayers and support!
Elder Walters
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