Monday, August 29, 2016

Bienvenida a Banfield! Photos


my comp and her new mama


with la Hermana Davis my buddy :)


con Elder Packer and his wife


pizza in the pench


my new comp our first day together

Bienvenida a Banfield!

Hola todas. So this week has been a crazy week full of moments where I just have to think to myself... I have no idea what is going to happen next! 

First off I spent Monday and part of Tuesday in a trio! Woo hoo rocking the trio! I was with my trainer and her new hija la Hermana Chaffin. It is kinda fun because Hna Chaffin is struggling with the same things I struggled with during my training so we click super well and it has been fun to hang out with her!  Hna Medrano hasn't changed a bit!

Also I got my new comp and hija!!! Hermana Hernàndez from Mexico.  She is super cute and we have a lot of work to do but she will be a great missionary!  Right now she is kinda a lot missing family and food in Mexico and isn't really embracing yet the mission life but I just gotta lead out and be an example, right? :) She will be great! 

We have had fun wandering around with our map in hand trying to figure out the new area, this area doesn't have a ton of investigators YET!!! But we are gonna work our tails off to find the people ready for us! Our area is huge and kinda confusing!  But it is awesome! 

On Friday we had a conference with Elder Packer, the son of the apostle and an area GA. He gave us some great ideas of how we can change the mission culture and improve it and he gave lots of great advice and I got to see lots of friends! 

Working here has its perks for sure! for example.... WE had lunch yesterday with Presidente Calquin and his cute wife and it was awesome! A roast and yummy veggies and it made me super happy! And they shared super awesome stuff with us, ideas and ways to improve!  And it made up for the fact that this week we don't have peope to feed us! 

Also it has been fun and interesting living 4 hermanas in a pench! We sleep in the kitchen which is weird but it is fun! 
-- 
Abby 

Monday, August 22, 2016

Surprise Photos



with Nocolas Troncoso..... creo que esto es baptism in ASL 



La Hermana Clara y la Hermanita Marcelina Galvan 82 and still rocking it 



Hermana Juanita Belizan



Angy Flores 



La Hermana Cristine Peña 















the Familia Troncoso 



saying goodbye to the ward 



saying goodbye to the ward 



baptism of carlos!! woo hoo!!











Saying goodbye to Ricardo broke my heart


Surprise

So I think I need to start off by telling yall how my phone call with the assistant went the other day..... "Hola Hermana Walker, you have changes this transfer (surprise 1, because normally a trainer is with her greenie for 2 transfers). You are going to open a new area (surprise 2) and you are going to train a different newbie (surprise 3) and you are going to be in the ward Banfield 2 (surprise 4 this is the ward of the President and the assistants) Any questions?" Basically I was just left a little more than speechless..... but as the song goes, "A donde me mandes irè Señor" in English that is I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord :) 

So basically I had to say goodbye to everyone...... the ward, the members and the investigators. The hardest goodbye for sure was Ricardo...... when I told him I was leaving he got all sad and told me that he had just gotten used to my being a part of his life and then when we said our final goodbye he said the sweetest words to me that basically broke my heart and brought us both almost to tears and I am going to miss that man he is so sweet and humble. Saying goodbye to the ward was hard too, I have lived and loved the members for months of my life people and to leave was ruff stuff but I am excited for new adventures in Banfield. Also I had to say goodbye to my lovely companera Hermana Gonzalez and I am going to miss her awful people! She and I get along super well and I am super good friends with her, but I know we will see each other further on :) 

But if you are gonna leave an area the way to leave it is with a BAPTISM!!! WOOOO HOOO CARLOS GOT BAPTIZED!!! He has been hanging out and playing futbol with the young men for years but recently decided he wanted to get baptized so we taught him the discussions and asked permission from his grandpa and 3 weeks later wooohooo! He was super happy and excited and the whole ward showed up to support him because he doesn't have a family other than the ward, his Dad died a few years ago and his Mom 2 years ago. The president of the young mens baptized him and basically we are just super happy for him :) 

I am super grateful for this chance I have to be a missionary and I know that this time really isn't mine, it belongs to the Lord. I read a talk about consecration the other day and I realized anyone who really understands the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His atonement will open their mouth and spread the good news. Because literally we are imperfect and cannot return to live with God and are going to die, BUT because of Christ and what he did, all these things can be reversed! The gospel and repentance is amazing, we can be made clean and receive eternal life, and all we have to do is the little things the Lord asks us. It is so easy and yet so hard. But strive every day to do the thing that is hard just a little better and I know we will receive countless blessings in the end. I am grateful for the support I receive as I consecrate this time to the Lord. Thanks and ciao! 
--
Abby 

Monday, August 15, 2016

Hope you know we had a hard week photos


pity party with popcorn after a hard week!



actividad de distrito!  















our bicis aren´t they pretty??


Hope you know we had a hard week

So this week.... kinda killed us. Every day and almost every investigator we came in contact with told us to basically not come back. One sent her mom out to give us back our Libro de Mormòn. One told us she knows that our church is true but that she is gonna stick to her church. Others told us they didn't have time for us, others were in their house all laughing and when we clapped they sent out someone to say no one was home.... when clearly there were 20 people inside. Another super progressing investigator who went to the temple with members last week one day was fine and the next told us they were not gonna come back to church and that we shouldn't pass by.... we were in kinda low spirits to say the least....

So last night during our extra hour of study time because my comp is in training and we had a ton of videos of the district to watch we had a pity party with the ice cream a member gave us and my secret stash of microwaveable popcorn and then we just watched our movies and afterwards were talking about it and we are super obedient and are working super hard! We taught 7 lessons with members present and 8 others and had 6 new investigators and we basically worked our tails of all week and so we basically decided that we just gotta keep doing what we are doing and find some awesome new investigators... because they exist.... we just have to find them! 

We do have a few shining rays of hope this week, we should have a baptism in the next week so that will be awesome! My lovely conversa Graciela gave me a great little gift of lotion and a foto of us Sunday and she wants me to be at their wedding ... :) little miracles happen every day in the mission the hard part is recognizing them! :) 

We are still working with Ricardo too... but he is really struggling with the whole cigarillos thing.... I am kinda running out of ideas of how to help him... but he came to church Sunday and basically everyone thought he was just a miembro menos activo because he looks like a member but nope he is our beautiful little investigator! 

While our spirits were low in spirits this week our bellies where very full. Monday on pday for our actividad de distrio we went to this awesome buffet place in Monte Grande and ate to our hearts content... for those who know me well.... I can eat people! I think I surprised the Elderes :) I ate sushi people and other delicious things like calamari I haven't had for months and basically I was so happy I wanted to cry... :) there were cheeses and tacos and olives and so many things that the members just don't feed us and I just about died and went to heaven! 

The mission is great and super hard but all the better because it is hard you know? If it was easy it wouldn´t be hard! and there is a proposito in all things! Love you all and for those of you worrrying like my mom, I am almost positive I do NOT have rabies! :) Love you! Ciao! 

Monday, August 1, 2016

It's Raining and Dark!

So being an Arizona Girl I love the rain, claro right? So naturally when it starts to rain and it puts me in a great mood it weirds out my comp a bit but what you gonna do! :) also rain boots right... super awesome things! :) 

So last week basically it rained all week but luckily we had a ton of appointments with investigators and were always inside during the rain! Also we are cute girls right so everyone makes us a mug of hot chocolate and takes our wet socks and washes them and warms them up and we leave all toasty and warm it is great! 

Also we have a few investigators progressing which is AWESOME! First off Carmen, love that lady, she knows it is true but is almost leader of her Christian church and she doesn’t know how she is gonna change it. We taught a lesson to her and her daughter Caren too and it was awesome as we were explaining the Restoration the daughter got all distressed and at the end we asked what was wrong and she just looked up and told us… I've wasted so much time why didn’t I know this sooner?? And basically we were just like... it wasn't wasted time the Lord was preparing you and then we felt prompted to share about sealings and forever families and basically they just told us that was the most beautiful thing they had ever heard and it was awesome. Then Carmen came to church Sunday and received a blessing of health from the Elders after the meeting and started to cry and was asking us how in the world is she going to change?? She totally knows it people and I am so happy for her but we have to strengthen her faith now! She also told us that she is gonna start praying with her arms folded and not up in the air because even though it is weird for her she feels more reverant and feels more the spirit and basically she is awesome ;) I am happy people can you tell?? I never want to leave Ezeiza :) 

Except we did have the little problem this week with the power... the electricity went out for like 2 whole days! Shout out to the Warren familiy and the awesome little lamps they sent me with that totally saved the day cuz the pench is super dark ya know? :) But it is back now and with it the space heaters so yay! :) We aren't dying! :) 

So basically the mission is the best and I am learning a ton and can't believe how fast the time is going! I love Argentina and my comp and life is wonderful people! Also the Book of Mormon is a powerful book and no matter what our question or doubt the answer is there! Testifico de esto. Los quiero gracias por todo! Ciao!! 
--
Abby 

I made corndogs and they were super delicious :)


intercambios with hna patino