Hello from your fav
Sis Missionary,
my time here is almost
done can you believe it?! I only have one more full week here and on august
18th i fly out to maceio way early in the morning! I can´t believe they
think we´re ready to go out into the real mission field hahahah. surprise! this
week zipped on by with our hugely busy schedule. we had a mission conference on
sunday for fast sunday, and we were told that in the field we should
be only teaching 15-20 minute lessons, and that we should only be teaching
people that are ready for baptism, because there are just so so many people
wanting to hear our message and not enough missionaries. they said brasil has
the highest baptismal rate in the world (no pressure). I cant believe the
amazing faith all the members have here, especially the missionaries. ive met
kids from argentina, peru, bolivia, chile, ecuador, nicaragua, and brasil that
are the first members in their family and they decided to serve a mission. some
kids were disowned from their families when they joined the church, and some
dont even have a house to go back to anymore when they go home, but they know
that the lord needs them to serve a mission so theyre here. i am already
realizing how easy we have it in the states and how spoiled we are
sometimes, and im sure itll only get worse from here. a woman that spoke
also talked about being patient with gods timing of things, she said ´´we cant
expect to all get married as soon as we´d like´´, and i was thinking ´´as long
as im married before i hit 49 i´ll be doin good´´. guess im unique in more ways
than one over here.
Also its weird here
cuhs we´re starting to get lots of american missionaries, so we´re almost half
and half natives and from the states which apparently has never happened here before.
and its funny because theres a huuuge difference with the kids that come from
the provo mtc to here than the ones that have just been here the whole time.
their language skills are seriously lacking. not even just that, but i think we
have a huge added bonus of just having the experience of speaking with natives
and the confidence to say something to them and then get corrected and try and
again, that the provo kids just dont have. AND also, me and sis kinn were
talking with some brasilian sisters here and then she told me that we were
nicer and a lot more open than most of the other americans here #SCORE that is
probably the nicest compliment you could ever give me. makin a better rep for
murica one person at a time.
but really i´ve just
been learning this week how its the fundamentals of the gospel that will help
people grow their testimony and know that these things are true. they
need to feel the spirit, study the book of mormon dilligently,
and pray with real intent to know for themselves, and thats pretty much a
done deal. (speaking from 5 weeks of fake investigator experience). and i
realized that i hadnt really learned the amazing power of the book of mormon
until probably two years ago. so much knowledge and power and insight into gods
plan for you and gods love for you is just waiting in that book if you pray and
ask for the direction to find it.
at a devo this week we
talked about pioneers, and how we can look to them as an example not because
they were so much better than us, but because they were ordinary people who did
extraordinary things because they had the lord on their side, and i really
liked that. it can relate to all of us no matter what our situation. also what
was cool too, was that the song ´´all is well´´ was sung on the trek, when all
was definitely not well. but they looked outside of their circumstances to the
eternal benefits of their sacrifices, which is what i have to do right now. but
the Lord is helping me so much dont worry!
oh and one of my fake
investigators is getting baptized tomorrow yay! weird to think
im so happy when shes literally already my teacher here at the ctm but still. i
seriously cannot wait to have real people to teach and meet and learn from!
last thing, my
brazilian roommates told me that one night i was sleep talking in portuguese.
so you tell me how the language is comin along.
i love you guys so so
much, thanks for all your nice notes even if im bad at responding to them. stay
classy,
sis walker
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