July 20, 2015, Poor, Baptismal Dates, and Another Fall (not me this time)!

Haha alright well, basically, we are poor...that´s what i put in the subject line, and then I said that I didn´t know what else to say haha but yeah. We basically have no money. We have a tiny bit of money....and it has to last us for like two more weeks or something like that. But we can make it! We have faith! We just need to be careful how we use it :) but yeah, that is basically the only "exciting" thing that is happening right now....

Well, actually there is something else that is actually pretty exciting :) We have two people with baptismal dates! Their names are Armando (who is the husband of a lady who just got baptized like 6 months ago named Julia) and Areli (who is the wife a less active member) :) They both have dates for the 15th of August :) We are also planning on having a noche blanca (white night) on this day as a district so we are hoping to have a ton of baptisms for this night :) 

Armando is super great and he is really ready and all but he feels like he isn´t ready because he knows that this is an important decision and he doesn´t want to sin after he has made this covenant with God. We are trying to explain the atonment really well so that he can understand that Christ came to make us perfect through repentance in His name, and that He doesn´t expect us to be perfect before choosing to follow Him, it is little by little, and with His help. But yeah, we are working with him on that so that he feels ready and prepared and excited for this day :) Areli needs to get married and we made plans with them and got them all excited and all that :) But they didn´t come to church this week... :( Armando came :) and also another one of our investigators came who wants to be baptized :) and he showed us by action that it is true because he came all by himself to church on sunday :) We are going to visit him this week and put a date with him as well :) Oh yeah, his name in Heber :)

Oh dang... I forgot to tell you guys...my comp totally fell the other day...we were in the bus and it was night time and almost time to be in the house (i know, these are always the circumstances for the brutal falls right?) ;) haha but yeah so we got off the bus and started running down our street to make it to our house on time and our road is actually like a dirt road with rocks and everything..I know, pretty nice right? So, basically, her ankle started hurting her and I heard that her steps didn´t sound even or normal so i turned around right in time to see her falling forward....then she hit the ground and everything was covered in dust! Her shoes her clothes, her bag...she scrapped/scraped (i sadly don´t remember how to spell the word that I want but yáll know what I want to say haha) up her knee and cut open a part of her shin...I felt horrible...this is third major incident that has happened with me being present... (my own fall, in which I was obviously present ;), the fall of my daughter, and now hna. juncá). Haha, I can´t believe it.... the only good thing is that she fell at the beginning of the transfer and not at the end, close to when she goes home. Her mom would not be very happy.... So yeah, that was pretty awesome. ;) The good thing is is that she is tough :) and I didnt put alcohol on her like my mom did to me ;) 

Oh yeah, something small...but a kid (a member) gave me a figurine of peppa pig :) haha, it´s on my study desk :) 

That is basically I got this week :) I don´t have more pics this week, but I sent you all a ton the week before so I figure that will be sufficient for now :)  hope all is well at home and that you are enjoying your summer :) it´s really hot here in tehuacan...not compared to a lot of other places, but it´s the hottest area i have been to in my mission...

I just want to share a little bit of my testimony with you guys to end. I know that this is the true and everlasting church of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it was translated by the power of God through a willing and worthy servant, Joseph Smith. I know that it contains the fullness of the gospel and all the answers to any question we will ever have. I know that every event that is written in that book truly happened and that it was written and later translated for US in these latter days to help us become stronger disciples of Christ who are truly converted so that we can withstand all the whirlwinds and temptations that come our way. I know that President Thomas S Monson is a true and living prophet that guides us in these days and that he speaks with the Savior to direct the work of God here on earth. I know this gospel is true, pure and perfect and I am striving each day to truly live it. I hope that you all have a great week and that you keep doing the small and simple things that will lead you in the paths of righteousness until you reach eternal life. I love you all!

Love always,

Hermana Walker

            

July 13, 2015 Transfers

Um so...basically...remember when I told you that transfers were coming up again and how we were all sure that Sister Lopez was gonna leave? Well...she did! But so did I...again! So I don´t really know what is happening but I had been in Metepec for one transfer and Valsequillo for one transfer and then I came here so we will see what happens this next time since I detect no pattern haha :) But yeah, right now I am in Tehuacán :) (Te-wha.kan) it is really pretty here and I like it a lot :) I am with Hermana Juncá. She is from panamá :) I think she is actually going to finish her mission this transfer...yep, I am going to be the assasin of two missionaries soon haha ;) But yeah, right now we are both new here in the area so we are opening the area (like what my daughter and I did in Metepec) and little by little we are getting to know the members and the investigators and the area. We met three investigators this week that were new for us and with two of them we talked about baptism and we are going to put dates with them this week so that they can work towards their baptism :) This area is super cool and it has a lot of potential :) we are really excited to be here and to work with the members and all that here in the area :) 

Oh yeah, so in my last area, on monday, Sister Lopez and I went around to a few families to tell them goodbye and stuff and...grandma, brace yourself, I totally held a boa and took pictures with her! They are attached here :) Apparently she had just eaten like a little while ago...she was pretty heavy haha. (she eats a whole rabbit like every month...) But yeah I have pictures with a snake :) Pretty awesome right? ;) 

Today we went with two Sister missionaries and a member in our ward (who is super cute and helps us so much) on a little hike thing :) but it wasn´t really hiking because it was pretty plain, like flat, and it was easy. But it was really pretty because we went to see some little caves and a little creek that passes through the "valley" part :) I will attach some pictures that I took :) They look pretty cool, not gonna lie :) But yeah it was fun :) But we woke up earlier today haha so that we could be ready to leave by 6. We woke up at like 5:50 haha and got all ready but then the member didn´t even show up until like 6:40 haha so we were a little sad because we totally could have slept for the normal time haha. But it was worth it and I am actually not even tired right now so that is a good sign right?

But yeah I will send lots of pics this week so you can all see what is happening around here :) 

How was your 4th of July? How was dad´s birthday? I never had the chance to ask about those things haha...sorry...I am a horrible daughter....but don´t worry dad, I am still working on the letter that I am going to send you so...it will get there...late...but it will get there... I love you dad! :) 

Alright well, I don´t really have any really cool experiences to share this week...but I am really excited to see what we can accomplish in this transfer :) I know that this is the only true church here on the earth and that by following the true, restored teaching of the Savior we will come to know and understand better the way of celestial living and the plan that Heavenly Father has for us. I know that we can only be saved through the Savior and Redeemer of the world and that He is the way, the truth and the light. He is my eternal friend and I know that He will never leave me to walk alone. I know that we have the truth and that God lives and loves us. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it was translated in these latter days to help us as latter-day saints, to improve our mortal lives and progress to become celestial and eternal beings. I love this gospel and am so grateful for it in my life. I hope that you all are able to see a miracle this week and that you can grow and progress spiritually with each day that passes. Have a fantastic week! I love you all! You´re all amazing!! Thanks for the love and support :) 

Love always,

Hermana Walker  

           

Holding a boa (just after swallowing a whole rabbit - he sure was heavy)!

Don't try this at home!;)

Hike in Tehuacan w/Hermana Sanchez

The Member Who Took Us On The Hike

Me w/My Comp (Hermana Junca) and 2 Other Sister Missionaries

July 6, 2015 Miracles

I am so sorry...have no time this week. we have transfers tomorrow and my comp and I are both leaving which was totally unexpected haha so that was just crazy, I still can´t believe it. sorry about my spelling and all that. I have like literally two minutes haha but I am just going to copy and paste what I wrote to my mission pres. Sorry. next week will hopefully be a lot better, I love you all! have a great week!

This week was pretty great because we had a few miracles this week, even if they were kind of small. First we were able to find four new investigators this week, which was the most that we have had this whole transfer....but we were looking hard and thinking constantly in what we could do to find new investigators. But one of the miracles that happened this week is that we were looking for a referral that we had received over internet and we found a street that had the same name and all that and we were walking in the rain looking for a house number and then I just happened to look up at a house and I recognized that the number on the house was the one that we were looking for so I pointed to it and said to my companion "es esa no?" and she said "bueno" and so we just went up and knocked on the door. And they opened it and totally let us in because it was raining hard and we were soaked. So yeah, we talked with them for a little bit and then we ended up having a lesson with them and everything. It was really great and we felt the Spirit and we found two new investigators :) (that happened last monday). We also put a baptismal date with Salvador...even though it is a little far away...but he accepted the date and he also told us that he finally was thinking of a date to get married to his girlfriend. So yeah that was really good and we had a really spiritual lesson with them :) (sorry this letter is so lame and like all scatter-brained. I don´t have a lot of time today haha) But yeah the biggest miracle that happened to us this week happened yesterday. We were walking back from the house of the memeber who fed us yesterday and we keptwalking straight a little longer than normal (because we normally go up a certain street to get back to the house but this time we kept going straight and we ended up walking up a different street) But in this street there was a young man standing in the shade of a tree by the sidewalk and when we walked passed us he asked us what we teach and if we teach about the Bible. We told him that we are missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that we share a message centered in Christ. And it was totally crazy because we didn´t feel weird or gross or anything like that (like how we feel sometimes when men talk to us) but we could see in his eyes and his demeanor that he is genuine and innocent. But we contacted him and we put an appointment for later on that night and we gave him a pamphlet (sp?) to read (the restoration) and we came back at eight o clock at night with a sister from the ward and he told us that he read the WHOLE pamphlet!! He just needed to read the last page that talks about prayer. But he read it all! There are people that investigate the church and they have a full week to read it and the do nothing. He had like four hours and he finished it all. We had a beautiful lesson with him where we talked about the priesthood and the apostasy and the first vision and everything that comes in L1 and we explained it clearly and with the Spirit. We all felt the Spirit and the young man didn´t have any questions about what we had taught him. My companion and I had also both felt impressed to invite him to be baptized and we put a date with him as well and he accepted it!!! It was a miracle! We are so happy that we had the chance to find him in our path and to teach him about these things. He is like a golden investigator! We are going to update the area book really well so that they can go with all the new investigators that we have and with the ones that have dates set and that are progressing.

I am so grateful for the chance that I had to be here in this area even though it was just for a little bit but I am grateful for all the things that I learned and all the miracles that I saw. It really was a blessing for me. And I am grateful that we could help save one soul while we were here together; that Max could make these sacred covenants with the Lord and that he could learn more about the restored gospel that we have here on the earth. I know that it is true and that we aren´t living a myth or a fairytale or something that sounds too good to be true. I know without a doubt that it is the full and complete truth and I am so happy to have it in my life.

Love,

Hermana Walker