Week 20: Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

 Hola hola hola!

For district meeting this week, our district leader asked us to read a talk called "Return and Receive" by Elder Ballard from last April. It was REALLY good and I hope you go look it up and read it! It talks about goals and plans and it's just really really good.

This week a few of our investigators just dropped off the face of the earth. That happens sometimes. But we're going to figure out what happened to them, don't worry!

One investigator who HAD dropped off the face of the earth but who decided to reappear this week was Andrea! She's the one who we taught lesson 1, then she went on a trip, then she was living in a different city while her new piso was being renovated... Well, her piso is still being renovated, but she and her family are living in it now, which means she's back in Torremolinos! It had been a really long time, so we kind of did a lesson 1 (the restoration) overview. One problem: we invited her to read the Book of Mormon (she said she read a little before her trip), but the Book of Mormon we gave her is packed in a box and she doesn't know which one! She didn't want to take ANOTHER Book of Mormon ("Really it's fine, we have so many!") but she's going to go looking for hers. Hoping she finds it, and hopefully we'll get to meet with her again this coming week!

We also taught this cute couple who moved here from... Romania, I think? Not sure. All I know is that their first language is not English and it's not Spanish. But they are so cute, and we found some things (pamphlets, Book of Mormon) in their language. So we're going to visit them again this week and try to use the things we found and give them the Book of Mormon to read.

Speaking of the Book of Mormon, I finished reading the Book of Mormon and just started it again! I'm trying to finish it by the end of the year. The Book of Mormon is so awesome and every time I read it, my testimony of it grows! One thing I noticed from general conference was that several people mentioned President Monson's challenge to read the Book of Mormon every day. I would also challenge you to do that! The Book of Mormon is AWESOME.

We also visited Yovanna and her husband (Gonzalo) this week! They gave us this kind of Spanish giant-muffin-cake sort of thing. I took a bite and it was reallyyy hard to bite through, and kind of had a weird texture on the outside edge. But I made it through the bite and swallowed it.. then realized that I had just taken a nice big bite of the paper wrapper (picture a giant cupcake wrapper). So... that was awkward. Aside from the paper, the cake thing was really good! Spanish Christmas treats do not disappoint. 

Keeping with the paper theme, I taught Hermana Encarnación how to trace your hand and make it into a turkey. She's so funny. I NORMALLY understand what she's saying to me, but sometimes I just kind of match her facial expression and pretend I know what she said. Except she started catching on, so now when I do that she just kind of laughs. "No entendiste?" (You didn't understand?). "Nope!" Then she says it again, and I normally get it the second time. It's super weird waking up in the morning and immediately speaking Spanish. Kind of messes with your head haha. Also, as predicted, we have been eating REALLY well this week. She's the cook and I'm the dish-washer. It's a good system. She uses all sorts of fancy stuff, like lentils and tomatoes and basil (I REALLY don't cook haha).

Today we have our tri-zone conference with Elder Bennesar, an area seventy from France! He and his wife also came to our ward for church yesterday, which was cool. They were really nice! I had to give a talk in sacrament meeting, which I really was not excited for. Then I found out this area seventy was going to be there! Even more nervous. Luckily they don't speak Spanish haha. Elder Bennesar gave a really good testimony and I'm excited for tri-zone this afternoon!

Random note: I knew chestnuts are roasted over an open fire, because of that one Christmas song. But I've never actually had a roasted chestnut. I've actually never even seen ANY chestnut, I'm pretty sure. But in the past couple weeks, there are so many stands that have been set up on random street corners that have little fires and pots and sell chestnuts that are roasted right there in front of you! Haven't tried any yet, but Hermana Encarnación says they're good so we'll have to get some soon.

So I've been reading in 1st Nephi this week, and I've learned so much. In 1st Nephi 13:16, part of the verse stuck out to me. "(they) did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them." The power of the Lord can be with us, but we need to humble ourselves and recognize that we CAN'T do it on our own. As missionaries, we can't teach a lesson just using the knowledge we have--we need the Holy Ghost to be there. That's the same for any calling in the church. You can't do a good enough job or touch the hearts of the people you're serving or change the lives you're supposed to change if you're trying to do it on your own. But when we humble ourselves and recognize that we need the Lord's help, His power will be with us, and THEN we can do what we need to do.

Have a great week!

Love, Hermana Walker

This one type of tree decided to get flowers and it makes no sense to me because it's definitely almost November, pero bueno.

At the halloween activity (combined with all 4 Málaga wards)... Hermana Encarnación stuck spaghetti noodles in her hair and we decided it made her look like the statue of liberty
Also at the halloween activity, look who I ran into!

Paseo del pan triste: literally translates to "walk of the sad bread". Why this is the name of a street, I have no idea. What made the bread so sad?