Tuesday, September 29, 2015

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