Mis queridos amigos y familia

Mis queridos amigos y familia,

I hope you are all doing just down right fantastic. I'm loving it here in the Wichita West Spanish Branch. Though I do miss Junction City. On the night before transfers I was a bit more doleful then before. I wasn't able to say goodbye to Dulce nor Mindy in person. Also on Tuesday night we got a call from Presidente Lorca asking what our address was. So we told him and he said that him and Hermana Lorca were outside to say goodbye. That was sad. Until that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I didn't know how loved and appreciated I was in that branch. I received some of the sweetest comments when I told people I was leaving, especially from those that I didn't expect. I'm so glad for the time I had there. Just as it is in a mission, I had some hard times there but the good times and the sweet moments outweigh them. I don't think I will be able to forget that place or the people any time soon.

I love Wichita! This place is great. We are in the part of town dubbed 'Little Mexico'. And it really is! Many businesses are 'solo Español', where the workers aren't required to have any extensive background in English, and the billboards in this part of town are in Spanish. There's so many Hispanic people here that there are sister missionaries in the Soanish Branch too. Though we're in a big town, it doesn't really feel like it. Downtown Wichita isn't even that busy. There's probably just a total of like 5 skyscrapers other than that, outside of downtown, I doubt any buildings are more than 4 stories.

It's funny the way people work. I've heard lots of statements about this branch like, "It's so small.", "There's no priesthood.", etc. But after a Sunday here I would like those who made these comments to go to the Junction City Segunda Rama for a week. There was at least twice as many people in this sacrament meeting than in the best weeks at Junction. And Junction didn't have the ability to enjoy two counsellors in the Branch Presidency for awhile. I just think that people's perspective is funny sometimes.

I guess I'll share a spiritual experience for the week. So when I got here I found out that a large majority of the recent converts are teenagers and pre teens. This troubled me some because sometimes I'm not very congruent with this age group. I don't fit very well in the 'dude missionary' category (by that I mean missionaries that say dude and the hang loose hand thing and all that jazz), which are largely the kind of missionaries that baptized these converts. So I prayed super hard that if I tried my best just to be myself and show some personality that these kids would like me so I could help them. It's worked out pretty well so far.

Thanks for every thought and every prayer,

Love Elder Waldron

P.S.

Don't be ashamed of yourself, God loves you

Luke 12: 6-7

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.