Helping Others

This week was a really good one! My comp and I were able to settle into our new apartment and it turned out nice :) On Wednesday I had a Leadership Meeting, so all the Capacitadoras (Sister Training Leaders) and the Zone Leaders went and had a reunion with Presidente Calquin. More than anything we brainstormed ideas for how we are going to use the new Christmas campaign of the Church this year in our proselyting efforts! I am super excited! President ordered so many pass along cards that we are really gonna have to up our game to pass them all out, and I am excited! It really got me animated to help others!! We tried to think super creatively and it was super fun! It reminded me of a story in the biblia I studied about Gideon! He had to fight a huge army with few people and how did he do it?? Creatively! With lights and trumpets! :) We are excited to think outside of the box and really mark our presence here in Buenos Aires ;)  

We also had our interviews with President this week and it was a good opportunity to share with him how I see the mission and what it is that I see that we need to change!  He is a really good guy and really wants to help us as missionaries. He sees the potential in us that sometimes we don't see and that is inspiring! :) 

 Our area is definitely one of the hardest in the mission but we find joy in every day. We had one day where we ended up with more Libros (Books) de Mormon in our backpacks than when we went out cuz some investigators dropped us but we had pastries for dinner so ya know :) balance :) 

 

Also our favorite Menos Activa (less active) gave us lunch! 92 year old Lujarda! She told us she woke up in the morning and didn't know what to cook so she said a prayer and Heavenly Father gave her the idea for something rica! (delicious) It was delicious! She is so cute and we have hope that really soon she will come to church !! :) 

We are super pumped to ponernos pilas (use our batteries)  this week and find a ton of new people to teach and would love the help of some prayers!! Thanks for all the support ! 

-- 

Abby

The Week We Died Photos

You could say this companionship has unity, we didn't plan this :) 

The New Pench

HNA SALAZAR USING AN OLD WIVES TALE TO COOL OFF 

INTERCAMBIOS WITH HNA MCBRIDE

THE WEIRDEST FOWER I HAVE EVER SEEN WITH HNA OCHOA

The Week We Died

So this week has been a really, really, really long one to say the least. So Tuesday after District Meeting I had my first intercambio as capacitadora with Hermana Salazar. She just arrived in the mission field a week before and she is 26 and from Chubut Argentina. We had a really good intercambio. She was struggling a bit cuz her comp is kinda shy and so she didn't feel like she was talking to as many people as she wanted to, so we had an animo pep talk and then we left in the morning and street contacted a ton and it went amazingly well with her! We met a bunch of people with lots of interest (not a single one lives in my area, but hey the Lord works in weird ways right?) and one of them even gave us a big bottle of grapefruit soda, which is really common here and delicious, and it went super well. But it also kinda wore me out, I had to help her and run my area and it was super hot which really drains you so I was ready for a break, right..... BUT NOPE :) 

Next stop, Aldo Bonzi, an hour and a half bus ride away for my intercambio with Hna McBride.

It went well too, we met a bunch of people, set an appointment to go back with a testigo de Jehova and had lunch and all good up to this point right? :) She is pretty new and the mission and still really struggles with Spanish so I helped her out with some study tips and pronunciation practice and then we had something they call a tormenta blanca here (basically white storm) So what happens in these things is a ton of missionaries (mostly elderes in white shirts thus the white) all go to one ward for a few hours to work their tails off to help out a struggling area. So with Hna McBride we went then to Ciudad Evita 2 to have a tormenta blanca there and we did divisions and I went with Hna. Ochoa and we worked our tails off and ran around like crazy people to contact more people! 

To say the least by the end of the day I was wiped and ready for a bus ride home to my comp who is basically my best friend ever, but the other capacitadora showed up and was like no we are gonna camp in their pench today cuz we didn't pay and now my pench doesn't have light or water and I just wanted to go home to my comp but we all 4 slept the night in Aldo Bonzi and then got up early to go back home to Banfield 2 and my comp.... so by now I am really tired and ready for a break right? But wait there is more :) We show up at my apt. and the other capacitadoras comp is super sick in my bed with a fever and my comp looks drained too and well they leave all sick and she tells me all that went down while we were apart and basically just a lot of drama with other hermanas and lots of health problems and that the elders told us to pack our bags we will be moving out of the kitchen soon and.. exhaustion to a new level :)

Then we had a nice day of rest, we went and had a lesson with the Bishop and one of our investigators who read the internet looking for reasons NOT to believe in the Book of Mormon so we just tried our hardest not to fight with him and just bore our testimonies. But he really was just looking to fight with us not to change so that was hard. But we just kept going with our day :) It had rained SUPER hard in the morning so we left all bundled up against the rain right, but then by 3 there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was SUPER hot so to cool off we filled our rain boots with water and walked around with little swamps in our feet and it was quite pleasant :) haha #whatyougonnado 

Sunday in the morning was great too. We got to church in the morning and it just felt like coming home. We walked in and it was Mother's Day here (I LOVE YOU MOM :)) so there were flowers for the women and we had made little cards for all our ¨moms¨ in the ward and we knew everyone and we just felt super good :)  I think the Lord knew we needed that little break after everything and before everything that he was about to send our way! So after church we headed back to our kitchen home and packed all our bags to move, the elders came to bring our stuff and we went to the new apt. dropped off our stuff and the Elders were like we gotta go so we let them and went to a ward meeting and then we came back to unpack and settle in right.... and so many problems, no hot water, no water filter to drink, the fridge doesn't work and we have food, and just a ton of things and at the end of a hard week it was a bit too much for us.

So naturally we were ready for a break pday..... hahaha no. So we left in the morning to go shopping for food and a broom and a few other necessities like toilet paper we hadn't had and we got back and found that the lock we had closed, the key was COMPLETELY STRIPPED. So we kinda lost it there in the hallway crying cuz we couldn't get into the pench to put our milk in the fridge that didn't work..... we went to the place that rents to us, went to the bank to get money, called a locksmith, called our district leader who helped us out a ton (felt bad because for our fault they cancelled the district activity of bowling) and basically I am here now writing this letter very very tired emotionally and physically. BUT HEY It is all okay because the Lord already knows.

Today in the morning in my peronal study on the floor cuz #nodesk I was reading Our Search for Happiness by Elder Ballard and there is a part that was talking about missionaries and exhorted people if they want to know if the church is true to follow the missionaries for a few hours. Because we are literally supported by the hand of the Lord. I know I couldn't take so much rejection and hardship and responsibility and I just couldn't be a missionary unless I KNEW without a shadow of a doubt that this is the true church and that I am on the Lord´s Errand. I KNOW IT. I know it and it gives me the strength to push onward. I know the Lord supports me, knew what I read this morning I needed to read to remind me that I KNOW this is true. I know that nothing in life will ever bless me as much as the gospel. I love the Lord and while being the Lord's servant isn't easy I love it. 

From the other side of the world,

Hermana Walker

October 10 Photos

LOOK!!! RICARDO went to the temple!!! AHHH :) I love and miss that man :)

With my 2 hijas!! Hma Gonzalez is gonna be training a newbie which makes me a grandma wooohoo! :;) 

Pastries in the train station :) 

Check out the garden outside our apartment!! Spring is here :) and also how about that the real rose in the jardin who is my comp no? :) 

PRIMAVERA!!!

Tacos a la Pobre Misionera 

cooking! 

almost cafe rio? 

October 10

So this week was a pretty good one as far as weeks go! I learned how dang powerful the Book of Mormon is and how to cook beans and that my comp is my favorite person on earth (but we already knew that right?) 

So let´s start with the Book of Mormon, so yesterday we went and tried to get an appointment with Maximiliano and we ended up just talking outside and he was just throwing all these questions and Bible verses at us and so finally I just pulled out the Book of Mormon and was like, okay so look, you have a LOT of questions. But this Book has ALL the answers so you have to read it and then ask God if it is true and he kinda ignored me and was like yeah but nowhere in the Bible does it say the sacrament is symbolically the body of Christ, it is literal.... and I just opened up to good old Moroni and the sacrament prayer and read it and BAM! answer! and his doubts and beliefs about infant baptism Moroni 8! It is all there in the Book of Mormon. We weren't fighting but just testifying of what we know. I KNOW the Book of Mormon is true, so while I may not know the docrtinal answer to everything, I have that. And I could testify to Maxi that, I know the Book of Mormon is true and he can know too, and it was super cool cuz after that he was just left a little stunned and said he would read some more so that was cool.

Also we made tacos!! Without meat but hey #notime and #nomoney :) gotta love the mission :) but it was super yummy! We had a party with all 4 of us in the pench all this week :) wooo hoo:)

Also we got to do service for a recent convert in her garden that was a mess and that was super fun! Because SPRING IS HERE ;) and there are so many pretty flowers here :) I have to restrain myself from taking pictures of EVERYTHING :) 

Also good news our health has been pretty good! NO more trips to the hospital for us! Although I did wake up one day with a sore throught and had a super low voice for 3 days and my comp kept calling me Elder Walker, isn't she funny!  

What else did we do this week?  We had to go start my comps visa paperwork.... and..... we basically just worked really hard trying to find a new investigador and found one WOOHOO!! He believes his little Evangelica church is the true church but we challenged him to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and while he is skeptical he said he would do it so yeah! 

Oh, also Florencia, our investigador is buenisimo!!! Holy cow we gave her a Book of Mormon and explained what it was and how she can know for herself if it is from God and then in her prayer she was thanking God for us and for the Book that was important for her and ahhhh!! so tender! Love being a missionary :) its the best :)

I love you all! Abrazos y besos 

Hna Walker

Hey There Is A Prophet Photos

Tacos a la Argentina, some members tried to make my comp tacos and then gave us ham and boiled egg and cucumber and tomatoes and lettuce to put in it and mayonaise, it is the thought that counts, right? :) we were happy :) 

The District and the Zone :) 

Our conference snack bags, all the elders were suddenly our friends, who would have thought?? ,)

 

Saying goodbye to Hna Edgar who went home today and is headed to UVU!! 

Hey There is A Prophet!!! :)

Okay wow, so lots to say this week so that is fun! So first off today is the first day of a new transfer which means changes but luckily Hna Hernandez and I are staying together wooohoooo!!!!! ARIZONA AND MEXICO FOR THE WIN!!!! But there is a little twist! I get to be a capacitadora! (Sister Training Leader) so basically I am in charge of 2 zones worth of hermanas and get to go on lots of intercambios these next weeks! That will be interesting!! 

So we saw lots of miracles this week, the first one was last Monday when we had to buy lots of food for the week and it was the end of the month and we had NO money and I am seriously not kidding we were scared to death we weren't gonna have enough but we had a miracle in the vegetable shop and only spent half of what we planned and even bought extra things and it was a beautiful miracle and we honestly don't know how that happened! 

Then we had a pday of hermanas with the zone because there is nothing to do here on pdays and made tacos :) without meat and using empanada shells as tortillas but hey, almost. 

HAHA, so this is great, so we get to the pench Tuesday in the night and my comps nose starts bleeding right? And I was like, oh no big deal, and my comp super chill told me I think we are gonna go to the hospital and I just laughed right... okay so 20 minutes later when her nose was spewing blood like a faucet and I was getting scared we called Hna Calquin (the Mission President's wife) to see what she should do and she is like, oh hnas that is normal just relax, and then my comp started throwing up blood and I majorly started loosing my cool and started yelling in the phone, she is throwing up blood, she is throwing up blood and Hna Calquin freaked out and was like call a taxi and go to the hospital and I by that point was already running downstairs to where live some members with a car to take us to the hospital. 

So we went to the hospital, they put something up her nose to stop it and told us 2 days of rest and NO sun they don't know what is wrong but welcome to the Argentina health care system! ;) ..... so we died of boredom in the pench (apartment) for 2 days. We watched the Restoration video in english, spanish, portuges... I washed clothes for like 5 hours (I am not exaggerating people) cuz i had let it pile up and needed to wash all my winter stuff and so yeah.... super fun stuff! 

When we FINALLY got to leave the pension and get back to work we found an awesome investigator Friday, she works in a super cheta shop of prada suits, one day some elders went in there to buy .... who knows what and they talked to her and she was super interested! And so we went to visit her cuz she is in our area and we were talking with her and we asked; do you believe there are prophets today like in the bible times, and she was like yeah,  but I don't think many people know where they are, and we were like ¨well we do and you aren't gonna bleieve it but just this weekend they are gonna talk to the world in a semiannual conference!¨ and then her eyes got super big and she quickly asked ¨TODAY?¨ and we said no, tomorrow and she just kinda jumped in surprise and was like, Ï knew I talked to the those boys for something, I need more Christ in my life and thought maybe you guys had a message but now I am gonna hear directly from the prophet and we were like, ¨YEAH!!!  Isn't that just the coolest thing ever¨ haha we were happy giddy :) because for real there is a prophet on the earth and he talked to us this weekend and not everyone knows that and we get to share it :)

This experience made my favorite conference talk the first one by Elder Uchtdorf, about how marvelous is the restored gospel. We have Gods full plan, new scriptures, continuing revelation, prophets and so many other amazing blessings and there are people in the world that don't know about it! A moment especially cool was getting to hear President Monson speak, as he spoke I just got the strongest feeling come over me that he truly is the prophet of God on the earth today. Hearing him bear testimony of the Savior (in english which was fabulous) was powerful. 

And how cool is it that I have the opportunity to share my testimony of the Savior and of these things with the people here in Buenos Aires :) I love my life :)