Christmas Mission Conference in Maceio
What a
WEEK where can i even begin that will make sense.
Okay so first of all, i
got a call during a lesson on Wednesday night that was the assistants
telling me that i needed to be in Maceio (a 5 hour bus ride to a different
state) the next day at noon because i was called to be a new sister
training leader. obviously i thought it was some sort of sick joke because how
on earth can that be possible?? but yeah apparently it is. so tomorrow will
be my first real transfer, im getting transfered to Istancia which is basically
neighbors with Itabainana, is only about an hour away and is in the same
zone... I’m never gonna escape zona lagarto haha.
Sister Davis and Marques
will continue here in itabaiana and I’m gonna be companions with sister helm
who is the golden missionary American from a little town close to boise Idaho. She
has about 1 year and 2 months on the mish and is basically my idol in all
things forever because she is so good at Portuguese and such a good missionary
and funny and crazy and I’m suuper stoked to get to work with her. Everyone
here in the mission calls me the mini Sister Helm too because of our
personalities and our sass and even our voices, which i don’t think is entirely
true but they say it anyways. I’m really really humbled to be able to serve the
other sisters, and I’m already kinda freaked out but now I am feeling more
confident after a lot of prayer. I’m just going to trust in the lord, because
like it says in 1 Nephi 17:50-52, if God can do great miracles, why can’t he
make me a sister training leader with only 5 months on the mish and a very
basic Portuguese vocab? We will find out how it goes this week!
This week too was Christmas
conference in Maceio!! It was sooo cool and amazing and wonderful. we had a
talent show where we did a trio of You’ll be in My Heart in English and Portuguese
and i even sang parts as a SOLO, the mission is changing me i tell you. But it
was so amazing to get to be with all the missionaries in such a feeling of
unity and love and hope and renewed motivation to work and help the people in
our areas. it was the first time i really felt fulfilled and excited for Christmas
other than reasons like moms jams cookies and new PJs and not having to brush
your teeth all day (maybe that’s just me and Spencer...). But i just felt this
really big gratitude for my savior. He really is the lord of lords, king of
kings, the prince of peace, who was born into the most humble of circumstances
to be our savior. I’m learning, especially here in Itabaiana, that some of the
best people are born into the humblest of circumstances.
it’s funny the difference
that a little bit of money or social status make for the people here. the few
families that have a car or doors instead of curtains in every room, sometimes
treat the sisters interchangeable, which is understandable, but so exact
opposite how the other people in the branch treat us. For lunches, I would much
rather go to the house of someone who maybe has less food or the meat is
questionable or there’s flies swarming you when you eat, rather than the people
who have fancy glasses, because the generosity and love and genuine affection
the people show for you is just amazing. I would rather spend my time with them
any day over the rich people here.
But also i got your guys
package!! ahhhh it was so great to get the letters and pictures of you guys! It
was really like Christmas i opened my gifts and read the notes over and over.
it was funny because i really felt like dad because i felt like after the
letters and pictures and notes from ward members that i was so happy and
content and didn’t even need to open any of the presents. Who knew sometimes
dad is right about a thing or two? Shreked.
it’s also really nice to
get to appreciate the little miracles as a missionary in a branch. it’s funny
because it doesn’t impress me anymore when a brother in the ward gets up and
gives a 20 minute talk on the atonement and uses 4 scriptures memorized and 5
quotes from Joseph Fielding Smith. But what impresses me is when a teenage girl
who was baptized 5 months ago gets up and gives a short testimony how she knows
the atonement is real, that god forgives our sins, that Christ loves us, and
the church is true because she saw how it changed the life of her family. Being
learned, or having lots of knowledge, isn’t what god looks at. he looks at the
desires of our hearts and i am lucky to be able to do the same here.
Sister Marques and Sister
Davis are a little sad that I’ll be leaving Itabainana, (more happy
that they’ll have more fridge space i think, personally but still) but they’ll
continue to be great missionaries and take care of the branch here. Today
we celebrated by buying yakisoba for lunch which is the most cultured place
around here that just opened up. i also have yet to pack up my stuff so that’ll
be sups fun... it’ll be sad to leave the place where i feel like i grew up. This
is the place i arrived and didn’t understand a single word the people were
saying, but still they hugged me and accepted me and taught me how to have
faith in the lord. and now i have to leave em! But i know there’s other people
waiting for me too.
i think i wrote about my
entire life in this email holy cow ill save some stuff for our Christmas call
wahhoooo!! but i love you guys so much! thanks for thinking of me and praying
for me and being a great family i get to have
forrevvverr-forevvverr-forevverr.
Sister Walker
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