Monday, April 18, 2016

April 18, 2016 - Another One In Good Ole Arapiraca

                                                          Marcos Getting Baptized!!
                                                      With Courtney and Sister Estela


Sister Estela and I are staying together here in Arapiraca wooohooo!! Maybe this transfer will finally be a semi--normal one.... 

We had an AMAZING week, even though it was crazy when I was traveling to different cities to go on splits with other sisters. I also may or may not have gotten lost in Maceio for a few short hours because I got on the wrong bus. But as usual the Lord provides a way to help you out! 

But we had a great week because first of all, a friend of Wendel, our recent convert, has been coming to church and seminary for a few weeks and we´ve been teaching him. And he got baptized on Saturday!! It was so great. He’s 16 and a wonderful kid, very responsible and really dedicated to God. I asked him in one of our lessons why he wanted to be baptized, and he said ´´I want to be part of the kingdom of God here on earth´´. That was a pretty good answer for me! I’m really grateful for lessons like those that remind me why I came out here, to find people like him and clear up all of the blank spots that he had his whole life. 

We also are teaching an amazing 14 yr old girl named Laiza (i promise we´re not just teaching kids and baptizing them against their will). She reminds me a lot of Julia in how she is just friendly and inclusive. But she is sooo smart holy cow, she asked us when we taught the restoration who the 12 apostles were that Joseph Smith called when he reorganized the church... I was like yeah ill have to get back to you on that one... 

It’s also funny when you find out why your area got switched to sisters instead of elders when all the members talk about all the rule breaking they did... haha. They’ll say ´´how come you guys don’t hang out at our house?? Elder so and so were here every day for 3 hours!!´´ Or the women sometimes say ´´sister if you need to, you can use my phone to talk to your friends and family on facebook, the elders always needed to when they came here´´. So that goes to show you that the phrase ´´no one will ever find out´´ is sadly untrue! And I will be chatting with those elders soon enough...

But really I’m doing really good here, some of the fun elders will be transferred from my zone this transfer but I’m sure we´ll make it fun either way. I was studying this week about the talk that Syd sent me, and it talks about how we need to have faith and hope for good things to come. That when the scriptures talk about how we need to ´´be not afraid´´ or ´´be still´´, and how it is only someone who truly has passed through all of the darkness and sickness and pain and trouble that we feel that knows the right counsel to give us-to be hopeful! So that is my message for the week, that if we have the gospel, we always have reasons to be hopeful. And it is not despite but exactly because of our trials that we come to understand the grandness of the life of the savior and the power he promises for each one of us if we are willing to reach out our hand. How great is this gospel! I love being a missionary and I love you guys! Thank you for your wonderful examples and support! 


Sister Walker

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