Fw: Office Orations

Hello Family,

Well, things continue to go well for me here in the office, though our proselyting time has proven to not open up as we have been hoping it would. We were really desirous to be able to leave by around 3:00 this past week, but things have just not worked out that way at all.

Much of this week, we have been laboring over the financial records for the branch in Constanta. While the branch president there is, by all reports, a very classy and charitable man, he is also a poor, and somewhat shifty record keeper. Since the beginning of this year, he has been using an unauthorized cash fund, composed of various donations such as fast offerings and tithing, to pay for branch activities and financial help given to needy members. All such donations must, of course, be deposited in the bank immediately after they are received, but this has not been happening. Nor has he been operating within a budget, nor properly recording all that has taken place. Thus, it has been a giant pain for us to try to parse out the records and determine just how much, if any, money is missing, what he has been doing with the money, and what actions we must take to correct it all. It has been exhausting, with Elder Hurley, Facer, and I all spending countless hours with these numbers to make sure that no conclusions are drawn or accusations formed without proper and clear documentation. We finally seemed to figure things out Thursday night, and we will be meeting with President Ashby Monday morning to ask his advice in how we are to proceed.

Friday, yesterday, we had the treat of going to Zone Conference. There, our Zone leaders, including Elder Andrus (the former AP, whom I lived with for a few months), gave an excellent presentation on cleansing the inner vessel, focusing on Christ, and being criers of repentance like Samuel the Lamanite (who, they point out, has found himself on the bottom of the snowboard owned by world class professional snowboard champ Jeremy Jones). The Assistants
then spoke on the importance of evaluation in helping us to raise the level of our spiritual determination and focus and, especially, in the quest to become 360 degree missionaries, and to not be lopsided. Thus, by evaluating ourselves in our daily, nightly, and weekly planning sessions, as well as after our lessons, we will find ourselves improving markedly in how we teach and preach the gospel. President Ashby then gave a very, very good presentation on God's omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience by virtue of His being the creator, orchestrator, influencer, and preserver of this and all known worlds. He spoke also on the light that fills us and the glory that becomes available to us upon obedience to the laws of the gospel and
our striving to gain knowledge of the truths of God, as well as how that seeking of knowledge ends not with our lives on earth. Very deep, inspiring, motivating stuff that truly makes me embrace and rejoice in the plan of the living God for us, His children.

Beyond these few details, little of note has transpired in the past week. There is still no verdict as to whether I will stay or leave in a couple of weeks, when this transfer is over. I am thinking there is a good chance I will not. Whatever the case, however, I will gladly accept the blessings,
difficulties, and challenges that will face me in my particular calling.

Thank you for all your support! Thanks for being patient with my long e-mails detailing my boring life. I love hearing from you! I mourn with Belle's bus missing, am bursting with glee to hear of Courtney's film endeavors, am proud to have a politically responsible and generous father, and honored to have such a hard-working, book reading, health-preserving mom, whose many wonderful attributes I hope to emulate. May the Lord bless you until next we hear from each other.

With love muchly,
Elder Walker