Here in Santiago the temperature is changing, it’s starting to get pretty cold in the morning while at the same time, it’s still hot in the afternoon. Winter is coming in the Southern Hemisphere. There was a lot of fog this morning, and I couldn't see more than 20 yards. As the climate changes, we keep working. Last week went by fast and was full of success. We confirmed Ivonne and Emiliano in sacrament meeting and are now getting ready to baptize the sister of Ivonne, Veronica. The gift of the Holy Ghost is so special, and it reminds me of the talk by Elder Bednar about actually receiving the Spirit in our lives. The significant phrase that was said on Sunday, "Receive the Holy Ghost,” is something that we have to do every day of our lives. That’s what keeps missionaries safe, and inspires and converts people to the Gospel.
Even though you can’t really tell because these are just words on a computer screen, I’m more than a little excited to listen to General Conference this week!!! We’re planing on setting up a room to watch conference in Creole (the native language of the Haitians) so that they can enjoy more the messages of the Prophets. It’s incredible to see the missionary work with the Haitians because they are so humble. Something about being a foreigner makes people more humble and open, and we spend a lot of time teaching them.
At church we had to teach a class in French because a lot don't speak Spanish. Elder Bradley can speaks good French, and so I would say something in Spanish, he would translate it into French and then a Haitian would translate it into Creole. Only in the true church of God does that happen. The message goes beyond language, cultural and other barriers. Like I’ve said before I feel the the Celestial Kingdom is going to be a lot more diverse with many more different cultures and traditions than we sometimes realize in the U.S.
To finish up, I also learned the another family that I taught in my last area with Elder Moreira, the missionary that I trained from Brazil, got baptized yesterday. I love the mission! Love this work and hope to stay strong for the next 3 months!!
Elder Walker
PS My companions say thanks for the Easter gifts. Here is a picture of us wearing our Easter ties on Easter Sunday. Love you!
