First Companion from South America

Hello!

This week was crazy with all that changes that happend in the mission. The mission literally got flipped upside down. Almost every missionary in the whole mission got changed. I got a new companion, but stayed in my area.  I had a great time with Elder Ewell. He has been one of my best comps, and a real friend. I can't wait until after the mission to hang out. More than that we really got the work done, and we both helped each other out.

So I got a new comp, and right now I'm training a Latino!!!! (Technically he's not my first latino companion, but Elder Molina was born and raised in California. So he is latino, but also from the U.S.) Elder Ruiz is my first companion not from the United States after 14 months in the mission! Finally! He's from Salta Argentina, which is a city in nothern Argentina. He is an amazing missionery and has an incredibly strong testimony. I'm basically not even training him because he is so prepared. The conversion story of his family is amazing. His mom is a member and got baptized when she was 13 and is Dad isn't a member. I'm so grateful to be with Elder Ruiz and know that were going to have a great time together. After more than a year of gringos I'm ready for a comp from South America. It's a little different having a comp that speaks better Spanish than me.

This week we also brought Juan and Patricia to church along with Juan Pablo. Please keep praying for them all because there going to get baptized, and they need to live the commandments. I love these people so much, and I want to see them in the water making sacred covents with God. It amazing how much the investigators can teach the missinoaries when the missionaries are supposed to teach the invetigators. For example, Juan Pablo knows so much about the Bible, and when he has had questions sometimes I haven't had the anwsers. So I have studied, studied, and studied some more. I read the whole New Testament in a few weeks to try to answer his questions and understand his point of view. Then, Juan y Particia Arenas have taught me about love. They really have such a strong light of Christ within them. Juan dresses up as Santa every year for the little kids in the block. He goes around giving away presents in a car. I love talking to Patricia because she's just so excited to talk with us.

This week has gone by really quick, and it has been a great one. With a lot more resposiblitly it has been a pretty big transfer, one that I need to get used to. Love you all so much.

Elder Walker

Aftershocks and Fiestas

Hi all, 

So sorry for not sending pictures for like the last month. I lost my little pen drive to send pictures, so I'm going to have to buy another one to send some pictures. I've been taking a lot with Elder Ewell. 

This last week was amazing. We had a fat earthquake, las fiestas patrias (the independence day of Chile that is more like a week celebration, not a day), and some great missonary experiences. 

To be honest there have been a few more earthquakes, aftershocks, that have been pretty big, but I guess thats what you get for living on a huge fault. The biggest one was a 8.4, and it destroyed a lot of things north from us and on the coast because of the Tsunami that they had. I feel that much more Chilean having experienced an earthquake. 

The independece day celebration that they have is crazy. On the 19 of September they celebrate and show their Chilean pride. It's such a fun experience to feel and be apart of another culture. They had traditional food and dances with a whole bunch of games. It's hard to explain everything, but let's just say that they make a lot of meat...like a lot. I think I broke the Word of Wisdom for eating so much meat.

The missionary work was pretty rough to be honest during that time, but haha we enjoyed it a ton. 

Elder Ewell and I have had some sucess and really seen a change in our sector these last few weeks. Juan and Patricia are progressing great and are set for the 10 of October to get baptized, and I just want you guys to keep praying and putting there names in the temple so that they can make the date. Juan went to church for the first time last week and he's doing great looking for his anwser about the Book of Mormon. Last week President wrote me something that really struck me. In response to one of my questions, he told me that the investigators have to feel something to have the desire go to church. They're not just going to appear from nowhere or show up because we invite them. I love President so much, and know that he's called from God. 

This will be my last day with Elder Ewell tomorrow. He's going to leave the sector after only one transfer here, and I'm going to receive a new missionary to train. I'm super excited.

Lots of love, 

Elder Walker

PS. One more random, cool thing a bank just got robbed across from where we're at right now.

Terremoto!

Hi,

So yesterday night, I don't know if you guys saw, there was a huge earthquake in Chile. On the Rictor Scale they're saying that it was an 8.2. Elder Ewell and I were walking in the street when all of the sudden a man walked out of his house and said, "We're having an earthquake," so we stopped and started looking around. It was one of the craziest feelings of my life. The ground just started to move like waves and people started screaming in their houses. It was super long as well and lasted about 2 minutes. Luckily, Chile is prepared for earthquakes and a 8.2 didnt really affect anything. The only scary part was the Tsunami warning afterward because all the missionaries on the coast were evacuated. Right now everything's fine and President told us to write our families to tell them that we're all right. Pretty crazy stuff! Love you lots talk to you guys on Tuesday.

Elder Walker

PS Go look a video if you can. It was actually pretty cool.

Prayers are Working!

Hi all,

Please keep praying!!

Anyways,  just want to say that we have the best investigatores. Here is a little bit about them.

So first of all Juan Pablo, who is a body builder and is just a huge guy. He lives with a less active family. He's a baller and super spiritual, like more than I am and I'm a missionary  He speaks great English, and he and my comp just turn in to little girls after the lessons talking about famous body builder. It's pretty funny to watch, and for sure no accident that Elder Ewell, a body builder was transferred her just in time to teach him. He's going to get baptized, and I love him and know that he's going to get baptized despite some personal struggles. He has to be one of the most generous people I know and likes to buy us food. I love that big guy so much.

After that there're Juan and Patricia, and they are the best investigators ever! They have a son in law that is a returned missionary, so when we met them (from contacting) they already knew everything.  They have a goal to go to the temple already and want to be there for when their daughter Catarina gets sealed to her husband. It's an interseting situation because she isn't baptized either, and it seems like she's just waiting for her family to get baptised so that they can all to it together. They went to church last week so the prayers are working!!

I'm out of time, but everything's great. We have changes this week so well see what happens.  I feel like I'm going to stay, but we shall see. 

Love you,

Elder Walker

One Year Lunch

Hey,

So sorry a lot of people wrote me today, and it took most of my time to write back. This week was awesome.

The biggest event was probably going to eat lunch with presidente. Everyone here in my mission after a year gets to go eat lunch with president. (One year in the mission field). It was an awesome time to just relex for like 2 hours and be with the same people from my MTC group. We talked about a lot of things, but to be honest it was incedible to see how fast time has gone by. 

Anyways nobody went to church, but it's okay we still have a lot of faith. I realy believe that this week they're going to go to church. Out best investigators are the Arenas family. They're so great and are going to get baptised in October I think. We are super excited for them. Thanks so much for all the letters and support. Love you guys, 

Elder Walker

Trusting God

Hey,

Send me more pictures of you and dad, Mom. I haven't seen that old guy in forever. haha. You send pictures of everyone but you and Dad. Likewise I know I need to send you some pics, but I forgot my camera. Sorry.

Anyways, this week has been super great! I love the mission and the people. We have two main families that we're working with: the Familia Arenas and the Familia Monriquez. The first is a familiy of 6 the parents Juan and Patricia then their two kids Catharine and Patricio and the spouses Gonzalo and Maria. They're all super great and Gonzalo, as I've mentioned before, is a returned missionary who went to Argentina. They are honestly so prepared, and it's just amazing to see the way God prepares people for us. We're mainly focusing on Juan and Patricia right now so that they get baptized in Sptember. They're so ready because they want to get sealed in the temple already. Then, the Familia Monriquez is a famliy of 4 and they're so amazing and went to a ward activity the other day. All 5 of them in total want to get baptized the bigest challenge we're facing is the attendance to church. It's been super dificlut for them to got to church with work and soccer. 

One thing I've learned is we just have to put our faith in God like the Nephite soldiers in Alma 58 when they were without supplies and troops and super dissapointed in the government. At that time they turned to God and prayed for strength. I feel a little like that because we've done so much and worked so hard and the people are so great, but they haven't gone to church. Elder Ewell and I are putting our trust in God, trying to give a pure testimony, and offering direct invitations. We need help this week for them. Anyways, we're doing really, and well thanks so much for everything. 

Ya, and thanks Mom for the reminder to brush and floss more. Haha!

Love you all,

Elder Walker