Elder Brandon Wallis

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 11:57 AM

Hey so a lot has happened! haha. I am in El Paso and it's AWESOME!!! The apartment is what you probably saw online. It is like a resort! I want to swim so bad in the pool here. It's one of the nicest pools I've seen in a while! ahhhh!!!! The weather has been awesome. We've had a lot of rain and it's pretty humid. I kind of like the change! I feel like I'm in Florida... I'll be sure to look up Mike! I was really excited when I got called down here because of that soul reason! My companion is Elder Hill. We're a little rushed this week, so I'll have to upload some more pictures and videos next week. I'm in a car share area, which is awesome! I get to bike for a week and then have a car for a week. Because we're all the way down here, I wasn't able to get my bike :/ so I'm using one that is already here, which isn't bad. The roads here are flat. I'm actually using a fixed gear bike right now. Kind of fun! I'm going to need to buy some cages for the pedals so I can stop better though... our investigator pool is ok... a lot of them have been taught for a long time and none of them are progressing. Looks like this area had plateaued pretty bad. That's usually when they do a transfer though for new ideas and new methods of work. So I'm here to shake things up a bit.

Yesterday was Temple day!!! So I drove all the way down to El Paso only to drive back up to Albuquerque on Monday haha. A member drove us up there though, so I got to sleep! It was a super cool trip. I learned so much, and I'm so glad I wrote it all down last night, because I can't remember it all off the top of my head anymore! The biggest things that stood out to me were the need to go to the Temple as often as possible. I have a goal of when I get home to go weekly. Because I need the blessings of the Temple, especially with the decisions and big life changes that will be happening when I get home. President Miller made us a promise that if we go to the Temple weekly then we will be better students, better employees, and we will receive confirmations and guidance for the big decisions coming up in our lives such as schooling, career, and marriage. I also pondered on my purpose as a missionary. I know my purpose and it's to invite others to come unto Christ, but with this last trip it gave that purpose a deeper meaning. I'm to invite others to come unto Christ ALL THE WAY. Not just baptism, or church, or read scriptures for a bit, but to make it to the TEMPLE!!! Elder Bednar says the only reason we baptize is so we can go into the Temple. In a way that is true! We need to be clean in order to enter God's house, that is through Baptism.

Well, it's been a crazy week! It was also Stake Conference here, so I was able to see all the missionaries down here in the Stake. Which was AWESOME!!! Lots of friends that I haven't seen in a while. Just like my areas in the past I know I'm here in El Paso for a reason, or reasons. It's always exciting to find what or who that reason is! In every area I've had I can name at least one person that I felt like I was there specifically for, and people that were there or companions that were there specifically for me. The mission is the refiners fire, it's a microcosm of life. There are many growing pains in the mission, but that's the exciting part. I've learned so much, and have so much more to learn! It's been amazing to be able to go all over the mission, to experience the culture in each area. I love this church, and this gospel. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and that He is our older brother. I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who loves us enough to allow us to go through the pain of life to be able to become like Him. I know that the Temple is the house of the Lord. He walks those halls. I love this work, and I love the fact that I don't ever have to stop doing it. Every member a missionary.

I love you all! As far as a care package, I need to buy some more pants... Alamo kinda destroyed some of them and the biking has been pretty hard on them too haha. Cliff bars are great, and anything else you want to throw in there haha. Thank you!!!

Love,

Elder Wallis

Elder Brandon Wallis leaving the Alamo Reservation

                                        PEACE!!