9th letter from Groningen, Netherlands - Week 51 & 52 (1 YEAR MARK!!)

Hey everyone it's Elder Walker!

Sorry this update has to be super quick, but I'm doing really well.  God has taught me so much and honestly I feel more at peace right now than I think I have in my entire life.

The work is really picking up here in Groningen, like we are seeing lots and lots of miracles so it's just great and we have an investigator that is getting baptized this week!  Intense, it's so cool! haha

This truly is the Lords work!  I get transfer calls this Saturday so I'll let you all know whats going on there.  I love you all!

- Elder Walker

Here are some pictures he sent.  Not sure exactly where he's at or what's going on in some of the pics, but enjoy!  Also all the missionaries got to go to the Temple and then to the Keukenhof Gardens for the day.  Keukenhof is the worlds largest spring garden with more than seven million bulbs.  It is a beautiful place and hopefully we'll get more pictures of Jerricks' trip there next week.  Fingers crossed! These first two are from the Caldwells. :-) 

The two northern zones.  This is 1/3rd of the mission. (Jerrick is on the right, back row)



Elder Walker & President Bunnell

More cool street art.  Translation "Nothing beats Groningen"

Conference week

Elder Walker

More silly shenanigans :-) 

Elder Walker & Elder Crowson



8th letter from Groningen, Netherlands - Week 50

Elder Walker didn't have a lot of time to write this week, but I thought I'd share some things he had to say.  He has the strongest testimony and the biggest heart. And still keeps that sense of humor too.  ;-)  

haha yes!  It is truly a blessing to be here with the Caldwells again, they are truly amazing.   General Conference was amazing, haha it seemed like the conference was made for me and it was just an answer to my prayers.  I look forward to going back and studying all of the talks later!  I'm so grateful to have a Prophet here on the earth. 

And btw,  hey duck faces are sometimes needed mmmmkay. (referring to the picture above)  Mom being here serving the Lord has been the best choice I have ever made.  It has brought me so much closer to my Savior and I know without a doubt that this is the Church of God on earth. 

I loved the talks about peace and where we actually find it. haha I think we all can use a bit more peace in this stormy world. I love you and I'm sorry I cant write more this week, I just don't have the time, but I'm good, the work is going good and I'm loving life as a missionary.  Have an amazing week and I will talk to you soon!

- Elder Walker 

Also I wanted to share some wonderful things the Senior missionary couple, the Caldwell's had to say about Jerrick.  They are truly amazing people and I'm blessed that Jerrick has been able to serve with them more than once.  :-)  
Dear Walkers,

We are thrilled to be back serving with your amazing son.  Now, of course, he is our district leader.  He still throws himself into the work with tireless energy, but now he has the polish of a seasoned leader.  It is truly a blessing for us to be able to work with him again.

He has great maturity and judgement.  He is extraordinary at bringing out the strengths in others.  He is a very effective trainer.

We had this picture snapped at the Church today after watching the taped Saturday afternoon session of conference.

Thanks again for sending such a well-prepared missionary to serve in the mission.

Elder and Sister Caldwell

7th letter from Groningen, Netherlands - Week 49

Wooden Shoe Factory to purchase some shoes customized w/his mission info on the back :-)

Leeuwarden province where the first baptisms were performed in the Netherlands.  (left to right: The Caldwells, Elder Crowson & Walker, Zusters Duncan & Wilkinson)

Pulling the weeds to help keep the monument looking great

Good morning Everyone! 

It's Elder Walker here!!  Almost 12 months into the best two years of my life, haha, and I'm still loving every second of it!  Man this last week shot by like a blur, we are teaching some amazing people right now!  Man it's cool to see how much the Lord prepares people. 

We are working with an amazing man now named Maurice and he's just amazing and so humble.  It's just awesome he has been investigating with the help of a member friend for the last 6 months or so and he's honestly just ready, so we picked a baptismal date with him on the 23 of April which is super awesome! 

It's so cool to see how the gospel truly change's people. haha and it's even more amazing to think about at this very special time of the year, so I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter surrounded by loved ones, that you also took some time to remember what Easter is all about and that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ! 

This last  week I have been thinking a lot about Christ.  Firstly,  the atonement and what that means for us.  The fact that because of his sacrifice and his perfect example we can all learn and grow and live as families forever in eternal peace and happiness.  I mean amazing right?  

Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son so that we may live with him again.  And Christ has so much love for us that he was willing to go through all of the pain, sorrows and everything just for us.  It's amazing to look at the example that he gave us while he was alive.  That man truly gave when there was nothing else to give through his hardest time's, where any of us would have said he deserved a well earned rest, he just kept on serving.  He took time to succor anyone who was in need of succoring.  

One of my favorite examples of this is actually in the Garden of Gethsemane right after he performed the atonement and Judas brought down the guards to arrest Christ.  Peter raises up his sword and cuts off the ear of one of the guards.  Instead of allowing a fight to break out and fleeing he stops Peter from killing the man and heals the man's cut off ear, knowing full well that he was walking into the hands of those who would crucify him.

I'm so grateful to have such an amazing example to look towards.   So I would challenge you all to take a look around you and see who you can serve. Forgive, maybe just smile at someone this upcoming week and in doing so remember him our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

I can promise you that in doing so you will find peace and joy.  For his yoke is easy and his burden is light. 

I love all of you so much and I'm truly grateful for the opportunity I have to be out here on a mission and to serve these amazing people.  i say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

I hope you all have an amazing week and enjoy the amazing spring weather! Till next week! oy oy!

- Elder Walker

6th letter from Groningen, Netherlands - Week 48

Hey Everyone.  Elder Walker didn't really give us much of an update this week, but to say that he's happy and safe and that he'll update us all next week!  :-D  So I thought I'd share some old pictures that he recently sent me from his first area in Leuven, Belgium.  

In lieu of  the terrorist attacks that occurred today in Brussels, Belgium, please send prayers to our missionaries serving in the Belgium/Netherlands mission and those also serving in the surrounding missions.  There were 3 missionaries in the Paris, France mission that were injured and hospitalized today.  :-(  

Please keep the people of Belgium, France  and the Netherlands in your prayers as they get through this horrible tragedy that has occurred.  

The Church is doing everything they can to keep our missionaries safe from harm and keeping us all updated.  

First Area, Leuven, Belgium.  He was a greenie then, now he's almost a year into his mission! Time flies!

In honor of Jerrick's missionary companion in the MTC, Elder Drinkwater :-) 

Touring an old church (somewhere in Belgium)

Street art in Belgium.  I know Jerrick would appreciate this.  :-) 

This is a current pic of Jerrick from the Senior missionaries, the Caldwell's.  They served in Leuven, Jerrick's first area and are now serving in Groningen with him!  This is what they said.  "That evening we had dinner with the Gouts and met our beloved Elder Walker again.  Leuven was his first city in the mission and we enjoyed working together.  He is now our district leader in Groningen.  It was certainly a joyous reunion." 

 

5th letter from Groningen, Netherlands - Weeks 46 & 47

March Zone Conference!  :) Rotterdam and Apeldoorn Zone (Jerrick is on the 2nd row up on the right side)

Jerrick on the left, in mid chew, talking to one of the Zusters.

Spring is in the air.  The flowers are already starting to bloom :)

 Hello Everyone!

It´s been a really good week! We have seen a lot of miracles actually and had the chance to see a man get Baptized on Saturday, which was a very special experience.  He was actually baptized by his Son, which was just amazing there was such a special spirit there and it was just super awesome to know how much that the choice he made would bless him and his family.  haha, he had a renewed light in his eyes that was amazing to see and I am so grateful to be a part of that process!  

Transfers were last week and I am staying in Groningen and my companion is Elder Crowson.  He is from all over the place originally from Wyoming, but has lived in Germany for the last two years before his mission and we are getting along great and we have seen a lot of miracles!  Honestly the last couple of weeks have been crazy! 

There has been a Facebook campaign going on offering the Lamb of God movie to people and it has been crazy successful. In the last two weeks there have been close to a thousand referrals so we have 14 of those to look up at this point, so yeah we are super busy.  But as I always say, it's better to be busy than to have nothing to do! haha, so yeah that's been awesome. 

This city is amazing, I love the atmosphere of the city and we have met some really cool people from all over the world!  So it's super awesome!  I love missionary work!!!  

okay so the scripture for the week is Psalms 8:7.  

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. 

I love this scripture because it is very straight forward and has so much meaning behind it. If we give our hearts to God and put down our weapons, he will truly be our strength and shield, because honestly our heart and our will are the only things we can give to him, he has everything else. And what is cool about it is that when we make the choice to give our hearts unto him it allows him to shape us and help us to reach our full potential.  

I'm so grateful for everything that he has done for me, and I can testify that he knows each and every one of you personally and loves you more than you can ever imagine and as we come unto him, his burden truly is light.

- Love Elder Walker

4th letter from Groningen, Netherlands - Week 45

Hey Everyone!

It's Elder Walker here!  Life is good here in the beautiful city of Groningen, haha flowers are starting to bloom everywhere and Spring is in the air, awesome that's all I have to say!!  haha I hope all of you lovely people are killing it back home and that you are all happy and healthy! 

So news, me and my companion Elder Jardine have the awesome experience of helping a man prepare to be baptized and its awesome!  He has been investigating the church for years and has been going to church every week for a really long time and he has made the decision to join the church and it's super awesome!  haha, it's cool to see how the Gospel has blessed his family and it is truly a blessing and an honor to help him make this awesome step. 

Just some food for thought, God has given every single one of us some amazing gifts because he loves us!  And we have the super awesome opportunity to develop and to grow these gifts so that's awesome, so think about what gifts you have and what you want to do with them and then make plans to do it!  

I promise that as you prayerfully do this you will find more joy and gratitude in your daily lives and more satisfaction as well.  

Whelp I love you all and have an amazing week!

- Elder Walker 

Last weeks P-Day in Groningen playing some sports.  :-)