Monday, January 30, 2017

Pontevedra

This week I was in Pontevedra, the sketchiest area that exists for Hermanas!! Woo hoo :) It was fun! The good news is that we didn't get robbed :) But a funny moment was in the district meeting when the zone leaders were like, "Elders, they found 2 suit coats with nametags in the shopping center in Catan, who got robbed?"  A funny moment :)  

But anyway.  So I was with Hermana Ochoa from Cordoba, Argentina and Hermana Santos from Brasil!!  And we had a blast!  We worked more than anything with a family of investigators who the kids had a baptismal date on Sunday! We visited them every day to teach them all the lessons and they feel like my little kids! Daniela has 13 years and Dylan has 9 and they are so cute and were so, so excited to get baptized that when we were walking with them and their Mom and the less actives who live next door to them, whose son got baptized too, they were practically running to the chappel :) Love them! 

Also, their little siblings Aaron and Maía are adorable :) Love those little babies. :) Every time we showed up at their door the kids all ran up to us and then ran to get their Books of Mormon and pamphlets to read with us :) Soo cute :) 

We had a ton of success this week in Pontevedra and were able to find 11 new investigators! One was a super Catholic lady, we found a family where 20 people live in one house, and it is craziness, and they are super political. We met the niece and her family of a member and the next door neighbors of the flia pintos ( the less actives whose son got baptized - these same less actives fed us asado on sunday so gotta love that right? ) We had a ton of fun and worked hard. Also the members in Pontevedra are the best. They just got the Hermanas like 6 months ago for the first time forever in the Stake (cuz it is sketchy) and so they love us to death :) 

Honestly I loved my week in Pontevedra! I was able to help the hermanitas understand how to help out their investigators more efficiently.
Also in the  news we had a worldwide training broadcast from the Lago Salado and sounds like we are gonna have some changes in the schedule, we will see what happens there! 

Next week I am gonna be with the lovely Hna Hernandez otra vez (aka my BEST FRIEND ) :) wooo hoo so excited :) 

I love the mission people :) I hope it is obvious :) Hey so go read the Book of Momron cuz that book changes the lives of everyone who reads it looking for answers and willing to act on them. I have seen it in my life and the lives of so many people here it is incredible. Until next week :) 
--
Hermana Walker

Pontevedra Photos










We went to Mcdonalds lets go :) 


I asked Abby what the brown stuff was in the cup.  She said it was a McBlizzard Oreo.





flia pintos





flia vallejos


My buddy Aaron


With our little ones :) 











with hna gonzalez 


with hna escalante 




woo hoo baptisms :) 




with the pres of rs




Monday, January 23, 2017

Banfield 4 - A Week Among Friends

So this week was a blast.

I spent the week in Banfield 4, just a few streets away from my old area and I spent it with two good friends! Hermana Gonzalez, who I trained and is a sweetheart and the crazy Hermana Escalante, who has the same time in the mission as me and is a ball of fun! 

We had a super fun week even though it was SUPER hot!! We basically died in the heat. I am pretty sure we bought a homemade otter pop they sell here every day, my favorite flavor is grape :) Also we bought ice cream some days! :) It was fun but really really hot! Luckily their pench has air conditioning!
 
So we spent the week looking for new investigators and helping their investigator Damian get baptized on Saturday! It was a super sweet baptism. He was super excited and super prepared and the Elders had 2 baptisms too so eveyone was happy :) 

We also got news that someday soon we will be wearing pants. We are all kinda bummed cuz the heat is already killing us in skirts, and our shirts don't combine with pants :( but oh well! They aren't here yet so we will see if it really comes to pass ;) 

We worked really hard all week and saw a few milagros along the way.  But it was a super fun (HOT) week and this next week will be interesting!!! I am going to a sketchy area!!! Let's Go!!! Pray for me please :)

-- 
Hermana Walker

Banfield 4

Bautismo y Confirmacion de Damian!!!!




















Monday, January 16, 2017

Alejandro Korn Photos

My week in Alejandro Korn
super CAMPO!! or farmland?? I dont know what the word for campo is in english :)


With the Hnas Villavicencio y Moreta and with the Elders of Ale Korn.








I ate Ramen noodles and it brought back some good memories people.

Alejandro Korn

So this week I was in Alejandro Korn with Hermana Villavicencio and Hermana Moreta. Hna Villavicencio is from Chile and has about oh.... 3 weeks left in the mission. And Hna Moreta is from Ecuador, but lives in Spain and has about 2 months in the mission so that was fun :) I learned a lot from both of them. They had been having a few problems between them and with the ward, so we worked super hard all week to gain the bishop's confidence and get the two of them working together!  And at the end of the week we all felt like we had success :) 

It was super fun to work in an area that is country. Lots of bikes. The first two days I didn't have a bike so I rode on the back of one of the hermanas bikes, but with unpaved roads, that was super uncomfortable and so yeah, the elders were kind enough to find us a members bike that I could use!  

But, I will never forget my first day in Korn when half an hour after I arrived we had a lesson super far away and we got on the bikes to go and I was on the back and then one of the worst storms I have seen started and we were all just caught surprised in the rain and it hurt, this rain, and on bikes and we got to the investigators house and he lent us coats and towels and we taught by the candle light! :) 

I love living in Argentina cuz it is like living 30 years back in time :) 
Another moment from this week is when we were teaching an investigator who wants to get baptized but has to get married first (story of basically every investigator in this mission I swear) but she was telling us she was gonna get married in the Catholic Church and we were all super confused trying to understand what was going on when suddenly it dawned on me that she just wanted the movie scene. She wants to walk down the aisle and have the dress and not just sign a paper with a judge and bueno we explained that we can have a ceremony in the chappel and etc.. but it was a weird moment for me cuz it dawned on me that at some point in time, my childhood dream (and I think the dream of every little girl) of a wedding like that changed. For me there could be nothing more beautiful than being sealed forever in a Temple of the Lord. The rest is just fluffy stuff. So that was a moment. 

We taught a ward FHE night and had the elders crying cuz we shared the story of the wimmicks and you are special and their moms read it to them as kids and so they cried... oh and we cut out dots and starts before the activity to demonstrate before reading the  story. 

Wow, I apologize, this email and my English is a wreck :) 
But yeah :) anyway it was a good week :)

Oh also I had interviews with the Presidente and he basically told me that I will probably spend the large majority, if I don't finish my mission as a traveler so that's fun and also that hopefullly soon I will have a comp!! :) We will see what happens :) 

Also this week we worked a lot with the Book of Mormon and it was amazing to see the power that book has. We set a goal to give a certain number of Books of Mormon and as we offered them to basically everyone it was neat to see even people that were atheist accept the book excited to read it. And as we as missionaries testify, the spirit is never stronger than when we testify about the power of the Book of Mormon in our lives. We know it has helped us in our hard times. I know the Book of Mormon is what has sustained me in my moments in Gethsemane, and even though I may not be passing through the trials of many of the people I meet, I KNOW that the Libro de Mormón has the power to console, comfort, strengthen, correct and sustain through the trials. For those reading this email who may be passing through trials, read the book. I Promise it has the power to help. 
--
Hermana Walker

Monday, January 9, 2017

Super Good Week Photos







cleaning the pila bautismal




























Super Good Week

 
So this week was a super good one :) Like SUPER good :)

So I spent this week in Ciudad Evita with the Hermanas Davis and Rascon :) Hermana Davis arrived with me here in Argentina so we are good friends and Hna Rascon is from Mexico so bascially from where I live and is super sweet and the two work super super hard and are super excited for the work, even though their entire area is out of town on vacation. I am not exaggerating, everyone just tells us to come back in March cuz they are going to the beach they work hard and are having a good time :)

We had fun looking for new people to teach using the Book of Mormon, the mission has a goal to use more the Book of Mormon to find people to teach :) So we worked super hard to give away as many books as we could and it was cool to see the power of the Book of Mormon.  

So far I am liking this whole traveler assignment, except for the air mattress. But I am getting used to it. The first two days I woke up with a rock hard back but by the third day I was used to it!! So wooo
hooo :) who know how much time I'll be on an air mattress but it's all good :)

The Hnas had a baptism this week of a son of members with autism who wants to pass the sacrament. So even though he is purer than pure he is being baptized so he can receive the priesthood and serve. He is so sweet and it was a privilege to meet him this week. We also had lots of fun cooling off while cleaning the baptismal font for his baptism, the closest we get to going swimming in the mission :)

The highlight of the week was definitely getting to go to THE TEMPLE :) for the leadership counsel.  President took all the leaders to the temple to do a session and for anyone who knows me, you already know that the temple is my favorite place on earth. It was amazing to be able to enter and feel the love of my Heavenly Father and the peace and spirit there. I alway am able to remember the eternal perspective a little more when I go to the temple and it makes the problems of right now not seem so hard to face.

I love this gospel and I love my mission :) And hey, I invite all of you to go read the Book of Mormon RIGHT NOW :) even just 2 verses. The book has power. It has changed my life and daily I get to see the lives of people change because of that little blue book :)


I am looking forward to the next week and the miracles we will see in wherever and with whoever I may be :)
--
Hermana Walker

Thursday, January 5, 2017

The ABCs of my week photos

Foto de la zona!


My week with 2 Brazilians


One last party before I left Monday in Banfield 2 


New Years

Hna Menezes


We found a fruit tree and picked some fruit :) we washed it with filtered water before eating it Mom :)















My new bed :P