I Still Haven't Packed My Suitcases...

Hey family and friends,

I honestly am so grateful to have been able to serve two years here in the Guatemala City South mission. I have seen many ups and downs, but to be honest, I only remember the ups. Day after day after day I have been able to walk and walk for the Lord and His work. I dont have any regrets. I know that the Lord has put me in certain areas and with certain companions so that His work can progress.

This is the only true gospel of Jesus Christ upon the face of the earth. No doubt. I have felt the spirit EVERY SINGLE DAY here in Guatemala, and i cannot deny it. I wish I could put my testimony into words, but sometimes I cant express my feelings that way that I would like to. I know that Jesus is the Christ. HE lives, and because He lives, we can be guided by His prophets.

I have seen His hand, way too much. I feel a little too blessed. I am thankful.

I have learned so much. I have learned to love another country, another culture, another people. Guatemala has a piece of my heart and so do many people here that I have to leave.

In Monjas I learned how to work hard and truly develop patience.

In Montserrat I learned how to be a missionary that doesnt just work with his feet but with the spirit.

In Montufar I learned how to have a full time job, and be a full time missionary at the same time.

In Jerusalen I learned how to share precious experiences with so many special people, SHOUTOUT to my Hijo Unigenito, Elder Stuart.

In Florida I learned how to show faith and wait for the results. So many miracles.

I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, even Jesus Christ. I know that the church has been restored, I KNOW.

I love the people of Guatemala, they are a loving people. Most still have their hearts hardened and live in the wicked traditions of their fathers, but many have and will continue receiving the true gospel and the good news. I love tesitfying of the restoration. I love doing this work, for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He atoned for ME, i know that He is My Redeemer. He has allowed me to use the atonement before my mission, and that has allowed me to invite others to do the same in these two years.

I may not have baptized as much as I expected to, but I INVITED AND TESTIFIED AS MUCH AS THE LORD EXPECTED ME TO.

I love this Gospel, and I will never forget Guatemala.

I know that this email doesnt do my testimony justice, but you get the idea.

To those who are missionaries, keep working.

To those who will be missionaires, repent and get prepared, the Lord is calling YOU.

To my family, see you on Wednesday.

I share these things in the name of our Lord, Jesus the Christ, amen.

Elder nathan russell walton

1 Week More, Another Week Another Destiny

Hi family.

Well this last week was great! I have been feeling a little weird but I still dont think it has truly hit me yet. I dont really even know what to say to you guys.... besides the fact that I am so grateful that I have been able to serve a full time mission here in Guatemala. The mission truly changes people and it has allowed me to be a better person and to help those that truly are looking for the Lord and His love.

This week we got rained on like crazy. I was hoping to make it home before the rainy season but look like it got here on time... i love the rainy season though because even though we are getting soaked, it does not hinder the Lords work. We have been able to find some great new investigators and on Thursday we found a couple with 3 young kids... they are so ready to accept this gospel. We taught them the restoration and I am just so excited to teach them about eternal families tomorrow.

Honestly this gospel is so amazing and we can answer ANY question using the message of the restoration. For example, "How can my family be happy?"

An average missionary would teach the plan of salvation, but a good missionary would teach the restoration and then at the end focus on the restoration of the priesthood. Because the Lord sent His angels to give these keys or Joseph Smith, all families can be sealed for time and eternity in His Holy Temple.

Yesterday two converts received callings in the ward.

Francisco Ulin: Ward Mission Leader

Cande de Solis: Primary teacher.

It is always fun watching converts progress in the gospel and I am excited that i will be able to work with my convert who is now my mission leader her for my last week in Guatemala.

I love you all, I will bear my testimony through my email next week! SEE YA SOON!

Elder Nathan Russell Walton

2

It was great talking with you guys yesterday! Im not gonna write much about my week. But here are some pictures we took today, we went to a place called Mixco Viejo... some old ruins about 2 hours away from the stake center.... it was in the BOOONIES. It was a fun trip though.

Have a great week and I love you all!:)

Elder Walton

3

Hey family!

All is well down here in Guatemala... this last week went by WAY too fast... we just had so much going on I cant believe the week already ended.

On Tuesday we had Stake Correlation with the Stake President. That is when my comp and I update the Stake Pres on mission work in the stake and we set goals and make plans with him. That is always an interesting experience.

On Wednesday we had interviews with President Caffaro. Mine was way short because I am going to have my "final" interview with President in a couple of weeks. That is when he is going to give me advice for after the mission and we are going to talk about all that i have learned here.

Something crazy went down and some of the zone couldnt make it to the stake center on wednesday for the interviews because some bad guys shot 3 bus drivers.... so the buses got shut down... and then all of the sudden there was a riot and some people burned the police station down.... soooo that was pretty exciting!

Friday we had the mission council where all the ZLs, APs, and President get together and we talk about the past month, and the next one we are starting. We finished April pretty well here in the zone and ended up being the 2nd best according to the "numbers" of baptisms haha.

Saturday at 530 my comp and I ran over to the stake center to fill up the baptismal font and turn on the water heater so that it would be warm by 10 am. YES, Aurora and also Javier got baptized! We had to make sure that the water was warm because Aurora has been really sick and if it was cold she wouldnt have been able to do it... i mean, it isnt easy for 78 year olds to be baptized, but she did it! it was such a blessing. Javier is a son of a less active who we have been reactiving. The grandma is completely active so the good thing is that if the dad doesnt want to keep changing and coming to church, at least Javier will have a strong support from the Grandma. We already set the goal with him and his family so that he can serve a mission in 9 years!

This week was great and we have some good stuff coming up in these next 3 weeks. Love you all and thank you for all your support!

Have a great week.

Elder nathan russell walton

4

Hey guys!

This week went well, like always. It went by a little too fast and I am not really sure what to tell you guys all about.

We did lots of splits with the zone this week so I got to work with the missionaries in my zone. Usually we do about 2 splits a week but this week we did 4.

We saw many blesses this week.

One was yesterday. A family that we have taught a few times went with us to church for the first time and they loved it. After sacrament meeting the sister, Emily, said to me "This is not what I expected it to be like, I am used to other churches where they play loud music, scream, and people faint because they supposedly feel the spirit and the pastor raises them."

I then I explained to her that the difference is that we actually can feel the spirit in our meetings. The Lord explained to us very well what the spirit is like when he compared it to a dove. What happens if there is a dove in the room, and we start screaming? It goes away. That is why we need to have reverence and peace in the meetings.

After explaining this to her, she agreed and said, "We definitely we come next week."

We are working we some investigators so that they can be baptized on Saturday. One is Javier and he is completely prepared. The other is Aurora who is so great, the only problem is her health. So we are praying that she will feel well enough to be able to be baptized this Saturday!

Last night we saw a huge miracle. We 8 oclock we were headed to our last appointment, and they ended up not being able to receive us... so we had the last hour to go visit someone else. My companion had contacted a lady near by named Glenda so we went and knocked her door. A man answered and was saying how no one by that name lived there... we kept saying "Are you sure Glenda doesnt live here?" There was a lady next door who was buying something from the store, I could tell she was listening to us talk with the guy and then when he closed the door she walked over to us and said "Im Glenda".

It was a completely different lady, but with the same name who happened to live across the street.

Long story short, she invited us over and turns out her and her mother are long-lost members from Mexico, and we met her husband who is also from Mexico, but isnt a member. We shared a quick message with them and we are going back on Wednesday. It was such a blessing and I know that the Lord puts us where we need to be, and always at the right time, even if it isnt for what we originally planned.

Hope you all are great, Im doing great! Love you all and have an amazing week!.

elder nathan russell walton

Photos: My comp bought a hammock and so we set it up in the house, and some old pics from last month that i didnt have til now.

5

Hey family!

Well this week went really well! I am glad to be here in la florida still with my zone, I am so grateful that I am going to be able to finish my mission here.

Well this week we tried getting the members a little more involved in the missionary work. There are a few members that will leave with us to go to appointments, but many dont. So my companion and I decided that we were going to do our best to take the investigators to the members house at least once a day, that way we can teach the lesson with members. So we managed to do it ALMOST everyday and we definitley saw some better results and we were able to help the members get to know the investigators. On Tuesday we took a guy named Ruben to the house of Francisco and Victoria. Francisco is always willing to leave with us in the afternoon, but this was the first time we took someone to their house to teach. It was so neat to watch Victoria share her testimony about the restored gospel. She simply said "Before I met the missionaries I always went to a different church, but in my life I didnt have peace. I know that Joseph Smith restored the gospel, and knowing that their is a living profet brings peace to my life".

I am doing my best to enjoy everytime I got as a missionary, I know that these weeks will go by fast, but I am ready to make the most of all the time I got!

On Friday we did splits and I went with Elder Rodriguez in order to do some baptismal interviews for a family that will be baptized this Saturday. One of my favorite parts as a missionary is being able to interview people for their baptism, and being present when they share their thoughts and testimonies with me.

Yesterday during sacrament meeting sister Cande and her kids sang a special number and it was so neat to watch her participate in church as a member now, rather than an investigator.

Aurora is still progressing towards baptism and she went yesterday again. She is so sweet and willing to learn and truly recognizes when the spirit is present in the lessons and in the church services. She may be baptized this Saturday, the only thing that might get in the way is her health, so pray for her please!

Some other excited news is that on Tuesday was the Change Meeting and Elder Stuart is the new financial secretary! Like father, like son.

Well love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder nathan russell walton

ps. I didnt really take any pics this week, but I know mom you like when i send pics, so i took some just barely... one with elder lindquist and another one showing what we do all pday. we ball.

I Don't Know About You, but I'm Feeling 22 -Taylor Swift

Well... about half way during sacrament yesterday I realized that it was the 12th which means that I hit 22 months yesterday in the mission.... I am getting too old!

So this week went really well. On Tuesday we had a Zone counsel... so my comp and I talked with the zone about reaching our potential. We used Alma 48 : 17 and how if we were to be more like Moroni and have the faith that he had, nothing would be able to stop us.

On Wednesday I did divisions with Elder Anderson from the DR. He was in the CCM with me and it was so fun to be able to work with him. I learned so much from him that day, he truly has developed charity for everyone... I am still working on that one. I will attach a pic of us.

On Friday I was able to do divisions with Elder Kunde for the last time in the mission. It is sad to see him go... but we are going to have a lot of fun when we be roomin at BYU. We had a good day and ended the day celebrating with some Mountain Dew and reppin our new snapbacks!

On Saturday sister Candelaria was baptized. The service was so neat because A TON of members showed up to support her and her family because she has been an investigator for so long. It was such a blessing I dont really know how to explain the feelings and the spirit you could feel during the baptism. The bishop was the one who did the ordinance and I definitely will not forget that day ever! She truly has endured to the end, and she will keep enduring. They are going to give her a calling already because she has basically been a "member" for so long.

Francisco yesterday blessed the sacrament for the first time and it a cool experience. It was also fast and testimony meeting and he shared his testimony for the first time... he truly is converted to the gospel as well as his wife Victoria... they are such a great family and I am going to miss them so much when I leave!

Well last night they told us the changes for the zone... I am staying here for my last 6 weeks! Not many are leaving the zone which is nice, I will be able to work with the same missionaries for my last couple days here!

The Lord is truly hastening HIs work, and it has been such an amazing experience. Thank you for all your prayers and emails, I love you all lots!

Elder nathan russell walton

Rollin

Hey guys!

This week went really well! We had our ward conference this weekend so the whole week we had a bunch of activities in the chapel and it was so much fun. We were able to bring a ton of investigators to the activities and it helped a bunch because they were able to get to know the chapel and spend time with the members.

Well Frank got baptized this week! It was such a neat baptismal service. he was really nervous but he held in there and after the baptism in the bathroom when we were changing he just kind of stared at himself in the mirror just smiling, he was really happy and feeling the spirit and then randomly he turns around and then says to me... "do we need to mop this water up?" haha.

 The best part is my other convert francisco gave a talk in the service about baptism, and the fact that these two families got married on the same day, it was really special. Francisco and Victoria are doing really well!

Frank has finally taken a big step which will help his family and more than anything sandy, his wife (she is more than 4 months pregnant now)!

I can honestly say that what it says in Jacob 1 19 is true.

And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.

These couple months have been so great and the Lord truly blesses us when we lose ourselves in the work and are diligent at all times.

Love you all, thank you so much for the support! and have a great week!

elder nathan russell walton

The Lord Blesses Us

This was so special and one of the more spiritual weeks I have had in the mission.

On Wednesday we had a multimission conference with Elder Anderson from the quorum of the 12 apostoles. It is so amazing to be in the prescence of a true living and special witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He shared something with us, that I have been trying to explain to others my whole mission, and I finally got backed up. He spoke on TRULY helping these people gain a testimony of the Atonement and the Book of Mormon, basically he said that there is not point of baptizing someone if they are going to continue in the church... that is why we must always teach with the spirit and truly help them learn, BEFORE they get baptized. I have always been one to find those that TRULY are going to continue in the gospel, and not just baptize whoever, if we dont teach with the Spirit, we are not teaching in Gods way.

On Saturday Familia Solis got married! So amazing! These people have been investigating the church for a long time, but marriage has kept them from being baptized. They finally made the decision and they will be baptized soon:)

Francisco who was baptized about a month ago has been leaving with us to appointments a lot lately, on Saturday is was so neat to hear him teach an investigator about the Restoration and testify of the first vision. He has learned the way we teach, and he is doing the same. It is such a blessing every time he leaves with us, him and his wife Victoria are doing well!

Now you may ask, and Dad, you did ask "How are Frank and Sandy"? Well Frank has his baptismal interview yesterday, and he will be baptized this saturday! I am so excited, the extra month of teaching and him waiting has definietly been worth it because his testimony is so much stronger now.

This week we found an older lady named Aurora and her daughter Lilian, they go to a evangelical church but they are really interested in the message we share and they went to church with us yesterday and stayed for all 3 hours. They LOVED it, the Lord is truly blessing us and our area. Along with these two sisters, 8 other investigators went to church with us yesterday. I am loving these last couple months of the mission because I am seeing so many fruits in the work and I feel like the Lord is helping me reach my potential as a missionary.

I feel like I could write all day because so much more happened this week, but this is all I can share. I love you all, I know and testify that this is the True Church. I know that people can change, and when they do it, they are blessd immesely.

Love elder nathan russell walton

21 and Young

I honestly feel like i am still starting my mission, the fact that i hit 21 months this weeks literally doesnt mean anything. It just means I get to keep working in the vineyard of the Lord:)

So we have seen some crazy miracles this week. We are going to have a wedding on the 21st for familia Solis, they are eternal investigators that finally are willing to get married. The mother and her daughter are going to either be baptized this sunday or on the 28th. PLEASE pray for them, they are such a great family and have been waiting for this moment for years. The Lord and His spirit are truly softening their hearts, but I know that there are going to be obstacles this week.

This week we did lots of splits. I got to stay here on Wednesday with Elder Linford from my group! He is a great missionary and we started in zona Jalapa together and now we are going to finish in the zone together... at the end of the night we ordered pizza, two larges for the price of one. BUT the oven broke that cooks the larges, so they gave us 4 mediums for the price of one large. BLESSINGS haha i will attach the picture (ignore the trash in the pic, we were doing a deep clean that morning but didnt finish)

We found a nice lady on Saturday and she went to church with us yesterday. Her name is Marla and she is from Nicaragua... i wish the guatemalans were as receptive as the nicaraguans;) haha but she is great and we are going to work with her and her family.

I am super happy and work is going great. The zone is doing well and we are seeing so many blessings. I dont regret serving a mission at all, and i am going to go home with no regrets. I am happy with the way that i have been able to serve and I know that The Lord has helped me grow so much... I feel like He has allowed me to get closer to my potential.

I love being direct with investigators and making them realize the consequences of their decisions. " nefi 2 : 26-29 helps them realize the importance of choosing the Lords path, and avoiding the world. At the start of my mission is was hard for me to be direct with the people, but then i realized that the scriptures can be direct for me! Now I feel like no matter what I say, the spirit will testify to the people, even if what i say may come across as sharp or harsh, our purpose is to call people to repentance, we are going to be friends with everyone becuase many harden their hearts.

I know that this church is true, i love you all, have an amazing week!

elder nathan russell walton

ps elder aroche from guate came and worked with us for the day. He was both of our companion, and he finished in december.

Dug a Hole

So this did not start off so well.... first thing that happened, our shower head broke so i have been showering with cold water and it is miserable...

well theres my complaining for the day! haha

When I say we dug a hole, I mean a big hole. Our week started off so slow.... My new comp is elder Tamayo from Houston Texas. He is a great mission and was in the CCM with Elder Chase Walton. I wanted to start off the week strong with him, but for some reason we couldnt manage to teach many lessons... it was so frustrating.

On Thrusday night we were 15 lessons behind to reach our goal... basically it was nearly impossible to meet our goal if we kept having days like the first 4. I can testify, in this email, that when we make covenants with the Lord that we will do our part, He does His. We managed to teach 16 lessons before the week ended, and we had 8 investigators, 3 families in church yesterday. Such a miracle, I dont know how to describe how grateful I am. The Lord has blessed me with many great companions and I know that I am going to enjoy my last 3 months with Elder Tamayo, we will have success in all aspects:) (we even started leaving in the morning to run)! haha

We should have a couple baptisms in the end of this month. Rosita and Suli are still progressing but they couldnt go to church yesterday because sulis daughter got really sick. I know that in this life there are always roadblocks, but sometimes i think is so funny that Satan tries so hard, even though he know that he is going to lose.

Frank and Sandy are starting to progress in the gospel again after a few slow weeks. Hopefully Frank gets baptized this month.

The work is moving onward ever onward and our zone is so great! we got so many good missionaries, I feel like the Lord is giving us all the means we need in order to truly magnify our callings as missioinaries.

I love you all lots, I will attach a pic of my new comp and I, we just took it and it isnt the best... hopefully i can send some more next week!

love elder nathan russell walton

Alma 5:62

And Another Bites the Dust

Elder Rocha is going home this week... I am going to get a new companion tomorrow and I am really excited! Our zone has a lot of missionaries who are going to new areas, so itll be exciting this change getting to work with more missionaries!

This week was really slow but we tried our best. Elder Rocha worked as hard as he could for his last week, and the Lord definitely blessed us. Victoria was baptized yesterday, and her husband Francisco baptized her! It was such a neat experience, and this family truly has accepted and lived the gospel. I am so grateful that we were able to find and teach them, the ward is super excited because they hadnt seen converts as great as these guys for a long time! I love this family so much, and I know that they are going to continue strong in the gospel.

Francisco has been leaving with us a lot to go visit our investigators and he has helped us a ton with two ladies we are teaching, Rosita and her daughter Suli. They are so amazing, they went to church yesterday and loved it, the best part is when they showed up Francisco and his wife were there waiting for them with a bench saved where they could sit! These two sisters are preparing to be baptized on the 21st of this month, please pray for them!:)

On Saturday I got a random call from the missionary who replaced my in Jerusalen... he thanked me for leaving so many prepared people there... he finishes his mission this week and he just wanted to let me know that my converts are doing great there. They took Carlos Galco (hno from the wheelchair) to the temple to do baptisms and he loved it and truly was touched by the spirit. He said he wants to be as prepared as possible so that he can enter when he completes a year to receive his endowments.

Victor and Patricia are doing great as well... this elder told me that they go every week and are a great family. They are going to start taking classes at the end of march so that they can prepare to enter in the temple and be sealed as an eternal family in December!

Things are going great and I am so happy, hope you are all well. Say hi to everyone in the ward for me and the other friends you see.

Love, elder nathan russell walton

Last Week with Rocha

Hey again!

This email wont be too long because I wrote you guys a couple days ago... haha

So all is well here in our area. This should be an interesting week because it is elder Rochas last week in the mission!

So Victoria is ready for her baptism on Sunday... she just needs to strengthen her understanding and testimony about the Restoration. Francisco always encourages her and he has been leaving with us almost daily to go teach other families. He shares his converstion and testimony always and it is so neat. He loves being able to help others and it is so special taking a recent convert to go teach investigators. We believe that he is going to be the new ward mission leader because our old one just moved...

I know this church is true, i know that the gospel changes families, and I know that all that the Lord has allowed me to do in my mission has helped so many people and He is going to continue guiding more people to the true gospel through my work... i know i dont have that much time left, but it is plenty of time to help more families!

Love you all, and hope you are doing good! stay safe with all the cold weather up there!

elder nathan russell walton

I Love to See the Temple

This is different writing on Thursday. This morning was great, we got to go to the temple as a zone and it was so nice being able enter and feel the spirit which is so strong.

I really dont know what to say... like said on Monday, Francisco was baptized and the two couple got married. It was such a neat 14th of Feb and a great moment to celebrate having received my mission call exactly two years before!

Francisco received the aaronic priesthood on Sunday as well and we right now are teaching his wife, Victoria. She is preparing to be baptized as well and we want Francisco to realize the ordinance. This family is so great and the gospel has changed them so much, i cant even begin to explain. Lets just say the blessings of the Lord have been so noticable, everyone can recognize the Lords hand in this work. I know that the Lord guides us, and it is so neat to see this family change, especially because it is not what I expected when I first spoke with Francisco when I knocked his door.

Frank and Sandy are doing well, and they have been so happy since their wedding. Please pray for them... they are still a little worried and afraid to take the step of baptism, they are so prepared though.

Hope you all have an amazing week, and I will write you on MONDAY, or in other words, very soon.

Love, elder nathan russell walton

Weddings

So things have been really crazy lately.. we have been working well and I am really enjoying my time in the mission.

So this week we have been planning the two wedding we are going to have this 14th. Frank and Sandy, and now Francisco and his soon to be wife Victoria.

Quick story about Francisco.

I knocked his door my 6th day in this area. He told me about how his mother was a convert and a faithful member, but that she passed away 3 years ago. He told me how he kept her books, and that he would like to talk with us a little. We returned the next day but he wasnt home. We managed to find him 4 days later, taught him once but he didnt seem too interested and he told us he was going to leave for 2 weeks for the holidays, so we just left it like that.

About 3 weeks later we found him on a Friday and taught him about the restoration and gave him the book of Mormon.

Within two days he received his answer and has gone to church every sunday since for all 3 hours.

We set a fecha with him for the 31st but he told us how he was married to a lady in the states, and lives with someone (Victoria) here... big problem.

After wayyy too many miracles managed to figure out the divorce with the old wife, and has been able to figure marriage with Victoria who is super evangelica but now she has listened to us, went to church on sunday and is preparing to be baptized on the 1st of March.

Sorry i really rushed through this email, dont have much time... Frank and Sandy are going to be married but their baptisms wont be this saturday, hopefully in a couple weeks.

The zone should have 10 baptisms this weekend which will double what we had in January... the zone is moving along and I am so grateful!! I love the mission and this is the Lords work, no doubt.

Pray for the two families, and just so you know I wont write until next Thursday because we are going to the temple, but on monday my comp and I gotta send numbers so i believe that we can manage to send pics on Monday.

Love you all!!

elder nathan russell walton

February Has So Much Potential

This could be the best month our zone has had since May from last year.... most of the areas have investigators who are preparing to be baptized in this month, we are so excited!

This was a great week, on Tuesday we had splits with the APs again, and I stayed here in my area with Elder Wilcock, we had a great day and it is always so fun to work with the most experienced missionaries cause we can put together our minds and always have success.

Frank and Sandy are doing well and we are going to take their papers to the lawyer on Wednesday for their wedding on the 14th! Keep praying for them, they are so enthusiastic about the gospel, and yesterday they got to fast and give offerings for the first time and they loved it.

Francisco is still doing super great. He has gone to church I think for 5 weeks straight now and he stays for all 3 hours. He wants to be baptized so bad and he tells his wife everyday, Either we get married or you leave, but I cant be in this situation anymore. She tries making excuses and saying that they are fine but he knows that they arent. The culture here is so negative when it comes to marraige but he is so faithful and yesterday was a true miracle because we were able to sit down with his "wife" finally and she listened to us for the first time. She agreed to be married to him but she doesnt really want to accept our challenge to go to church with us. We are hoping that their wedding and his baptism can be on the 21st or Elder Rochas last Saturday which would be the 28th!

We have been teaching a guy named Edgar who is from the Pentecostal church. When we first met him he thought that he was going to be able to bible bash us and prove us wrong. The second time we taught him was about a week and a half ago. When he allowed us to share the restoration with him, he was super open and willing to listen. Last Sunday he called us and told us to go visit him... he had two friends there with him... we thought they were his pastors but they ended up being too members from that church and they listened to us.

Yesterday edgar went to church with us and at about noonish he called us and had two more friends waiting to hear us and they are super cool! They want to go to church this sunday and one is already talking about serving a mission in a year! haha Edgar isnt even a member and he already understands the importance of sharing the restoration with everyone. He is preparing to be baptized as well but we havent set a date with him yet!

We are working super hard and seeing so many blessings. Hopefully I will be able to be here for these baptisms and for the many other investigators we are teaching... i have "planted the seed" way too much in my mission.... i am ready to actually baptism the people I find with my companions.. haha love you all and thank you all soo much for your prayers!

Elder nathan russell walton

we got the money for the month today! haha

Miracles That I Can't Explain

Basically my comp and I have been calling our area Zion. We had such an amazing week I cant even express my gratitud towards the Lord, He has blessed us so much it is indescribable.

This week started off well, on Tuesday we had the change meeting, 8 of the 18 missionaries left so we got 8 new missionaries, guess what, Elder Kunde is in my zone again! He is going to train his last two changes then he will head home. We got some great missionaries and I can already feel the hard work atmosphere they brought with them.

I dont have a lot of time but I will just briefly explain a few stories.

On Tuesday a couple Frank and Sandy accepted a wedding and baptismal date for the 14th of February, they are prepared and so excited, We already got the lawyer (same one who helped us in December) and they are truly being blessed.

Yesterday we had a miracle, we have been teaching some eternal investigators, Familia Solis... after 14 years of investigating yesterday they finally said that they are willing to get married on the 14th as well. DOUBLE WEDDING!

Please pray for these two families, satan is going to work SUPER hard, BUT WE WILL WORK HARDER, I AM CONFIDENT.

Francisco may not be baptized this saturday like I originally said because he isnt married, but I cant explain the whole story... he will be baptized soon once the lady moves out... he is super faithful, goes to church for all 3 hours, and is paying his tithing already, please pray for him.

Connie is still preparing to be baptized on the 14th as well, if all works out we will have 7 baptisms that day. The Lord will only provide these blessings if we continue with faith and these investigators continue faithful as well. We need your prayers, if we doubt, we wont accomplish this goal, I know that the Lord will continue with his blessing though. I am so grateful for all these miracles.

I love you all so much have an amazing week and thank you for your emails!!

Also Elder Mendez went home... Ill attach the photo we took

elder nathan russell walton

10

Hey family!

This week went realy really well! I pulled a rookie move and left my daily planner in the house this morning... normally i write a few things down that I want to share with you guys but since i left it i am just going to have to freestyle this one!

This week we were able to take 10 investigators to church and it was such a miracle. 3 families! We also found a lady named connie who is preparing to be baptized on the 14th. I knocked her door and she received us along with her brother who was in town for the day. She said it was the first time she had ever opened her door to someone and now she knows why. She promised us that she would show up to church by herself and like she promised, she did. We showed up a little late actually waiting for Marina, Otto, Frank and Sandy and the sister connie happened to sitting there already! Such a miracle.

On Friday I did splits with my canadian friend elder Fisher from edmonton, we had a good day together and we ended the night with pizza! (Ill send pictures)

So what I would like to share with you guys is the how literal being set apart is. As missionaries we are set apart not only to preach the gospel, but we are literally set apart from the world and being a missionary is the most amazing experience. i love being to share this gospel and Elder Rocha and I are working hard to have success in our area and help our zone. There are always trials but we are doing are best to meet our potential.

Sorry this email is so fast I have been crazy busy this morning. Love you lots an have an amazing week!

Love elder nathan russell walton

the picture is from Monjas when the siblings of carlos were bapitzed, i gotta send the pics from his baptism as well. also i will send you guys 3 pictures next week and some investigators in jerusalen that just got baptized!:)

19 Months

I feel like time is slipping through my fingers... I never thought these days would come.. but it just gives me the desire to keep working and take advantage of the time I got left.

Well this week went really well! We started off the week with our district pday activity that we only get to do once every 6 weeks. We played lazer tag and drove go karts... it was a lot of fun and i dont think I had laughed so hard for a long time... one of the brand new elders in my zone crashed into the wall and the guy started yelling at him in spanish and he just sat there like.... I dont understand anything youre saying to me... it was a lot of fun.

So we had some really great experiences this week. We have been working with the Granados family and on Tuesday towards the end of the visit we told them that we would love to share the message with some of their friends as well.

On Thursday we showed up, and they had invited a family over to listen to us and watch a church video! It was so neat to receive a referral from investigators:)

We have an investigator named Francisco that we contacted about a month ago.. we taught him once and then due to the holidays we couldnt find him. On Tuesday he shared such a special experience with us about how he had read in the the book of mormon on Monday and God truly answered his prayer that it is true. I dont have enough time to share everything but he commited to a baptismal date for the 31st and he went to church yesterday for the first time and loved it, the talks were so good and it truly helped his small testismony and desire to grow even more.

On Friday I went on splits to San Juan Sacatepequez. It is outside the cap, the farthest area in this stake. It is so pretty and all the people there are true natives... i am sure if you google it you will see pictures.

Like I said our sacrament meeting was amazing. The couple that spoke talked about trails, challenges, and tests of faith. I loved the stories they shared... it made me think about the scripture

D&C 136: 31-33.  I dont remember how it is in english but I love the line "el que no aguanta el castigo no es digno de mi reino"

Love you all and things are going great! I am super happy and my comp and I are working super hard, really trying to give the zone our example.

Have an amazing week,

Elder nathan russell walton

A New Year

Hey family!

Hope you all had an amazing new years eve... here was worked as hard as we could although the 1st and 2nd was basically a ghost town in our area. We didnt do much celebration... i guess in the mission holidays just sort of disappear.. it just isnt the same, but that is how it is supposed to be.

We had an amazing day yesterday. 8 investigators attended church with us and that includes two families. These two couples need to get married (like always), but God is true doing miracles here in the area because they are both wanting to get married and baptized. Please pray for the Solis family and the Granadas family. Despite the holidays and all the celebrations... we have managed to have success and continue working... many members and investigators left town these last two weeks, but that gave us the chance to find new people, and now we are going to work with the new people we have found, AND those we were teaching that disappeared for the holidays.

On Friday we had the Mission Council... that is when all the zone leaders, APs, and the President get together and we talked about how December went, what we are going to change, and now my comp and I are going to share the information in the council tomorrow with the zone.

Our mission has been struggling lately... and President knows it has a lot to do with our faith, so he spoke to us about the 5 destructive Ds. La duda (doubt), el desanimo (discouragement), la distraccion (distraction), la falta de diligencia (lack of diligence) and la desobediencia (disobedience). It is a chain reaction and is all starts with doubt.

Faith and doubt can not coexist.

I love being a missionary. One of my favorite things is being able to invite others to ask God if the message we share is true. Let me ask you all a question. If we didnt know this to be true, would we invite others to ask God in order to receive an answer? I believe not.

I know this to be true, I am so happy that I have these upcoming 5 months of 2015 here in Guatemala.

2014 was amazing, Guatemala has treated me well and I have grown so much. I am changing, and change allows me to be better.

Love you all, have an amazing week!

Love elder nathan russell walton

photos... Ice cream i bought on the 31st! and some photos from the service project we did as a zone on saturday!

2015

Hey family!! I was so nice being able to chat with you guys on Wednesday! I apologize for not knowing what to say at the end, but it was great being able to see and talk with you all. Sorry to hear you guys are sick, but tough it out and go ski for me. Court and Sean, you guys gotta play lots of ping pong, darts, and mario kart for me too.

So this week was a little slow due to the holidays, most of the people we have been teaching left town to go be with relatives, or their relatives came here and they couldnt receive us... hopefully this week was can bounce back.

Like I told you on Wednesday, I was able to do some interviews for some people that are preparing for baptism, that was a neat experience, and NO, I dont want to be a bishop, interviewing people scares me.. hahaha

So this week was fun, we gotta eat a lot with some members, get to know them better, and we were able to receive some references. Christmas time is always special, no matter where in the world you are, it is special. I loved being able to talk with people in the street all month about the Lords birth, and it was just, fun. We watching HE is the Gift many times with members, investigators, and contacts. EVERYONE loved the video, I have never seen it in english but I assume it is the same... haha

Well for the record, I contacted my first Muslim and Hindu this week! They were people from Guyana south america, and then the next day I contacted my first Jew! So weird.. not normal here in Guatemala but there is a first for all eh?

We this week we were super busy making sure everyone could call their families, opening and closing the chapel and supervising... whatever that means;) and we also did house inspecions this week! I am super tired, but exhaustion reflects success. Our zone did quadrupled the amount of baptisms they had last month, we are rollin more and more.

I love you all, I am doing well and happy! Hope you have a great new year!!

Love Elder nathan russell walton

ROLLIN

Well I dont have too much to say today because on Wednesday I will be able to give you guys a call/skype! Cant wait to be able to get to chat with you guys... glad to here that it is finally snowing in good ole Utah.

Well this week went great. The zone is doing good and elder rocha and I are doing what we can to get things rollin.

On Thursday we had splits with the APs and is was such a good day because I gotta head back to the office and see the inside of the mission again! That day the APs were in a conference so we got started late, Elder Wilcock (AP) and I had to stay back and clean up from the conference. We then headed to the office and well... you know... we did some stuff that most missionaries dont appreciate, but it was fun to be in the office again and drive around in the mission vehicle. It is always a great experience being able to work with the best missionaries here in the mission... Elder Wilcock taught me a lot and gave me some great advice for the zone.

On Friday we had our Xmas multi zone conference with the Caffaros. It was a lot of fun, and the main thing Pte talked about was the book of mormon and the roll it plays in conversion. I know this book to be true, and i love reading and studying it so much. I was able to see a lot of my old companions and friends at the conference, I will send the pics.

Saturday morning we did a huge service project as a zone... sadly I didnt enjoy it as much as i wouldve liked because I got hit with diarhea that morning.... and due to that, I had some VERY interesting experiences we involved me knocking randoms doors to see if I could use their bathroom... luckily we had no accidents;) I will send pics from the service as well.

I am doing great and it sure is guatemalan christmas season here! The culture is a lot different, but I am enjoying living in a foreign country.

Love you all and I will talk with you on Wednesday!!

Elder Nathan Russell Walton

All the elders in his zone doing service

All the elders in his zone crammed into one missionary apartment

Catching up with old companions at the Christmas meeting