Week 50: Contacted by Testigos

Hola hola hola!

This week has flown by, it's crazy how fast the time is going. On Tuesday morning we worked out in one of our pueblos, El Palmar, and then ate mediodía with a family who lives there.

On Wednesday we visited Josefa! She gave us food too, but it was just kind of lukewarm chicken, chips, and this funny crouton-ish toast bread from a bag. She also had us take pictures of various rooms in her piso to send to a friend of hers. She's so funny haha. On Wednesday night we went to the noche de hogar at Estefania's house with Thomas!

On Thursday morning we met with Eva, who disappeared for a few days last week but it turns out she had just lost her phone. We went over the restoration again, but more in-depth. She really liked it! We ate mediodía with the Mendez family, they always have the best food! In the evening we met with one new investigator we found last week named Margarita! We taught her the restoration and it went really well! And right after that... we taught another new investigator, also named Margarita! The restoration with Margarita 2 went well too. 

On Friday morning we had district meeting, then all went afterwards so that one elder in our district who's new to the mission could try kebab for the first time. On the way back from district meeting we got contacted by some Russian Jehova's Witnesses (they're called testigos in Spanish), that was a little awkward... they tried to give us one of their pamphlets so we were like, "okay cool, here's one of ours for you!" but it seems like that kind of scared them for some reason (I do not know why) and they quickly said they didn't need anything and took their pamphlet back and left haha.

On Saturday afternoon we taught Conchi, she's hilarious. We taught about learning and serving in the church--this really is a church where we're always teaching and learning from each other!

On Sunday we had church (claro). Eva didn't come at first, which we were sad about, BUT turns out she was just working. And get this: after she finished her tour, she walked all the way across town to come to the last 45 minutes of sacrament meeting! (our church is backwards and sacrament meeting is last). She's the best.

I've been studying the scriptures a lot lately and I just have to say that I LOVE THE SCRIPTURES! There is so much that we can learn from them. One thing that I've learned from being a missionary is how to study with a purpose--study trying to find a specific answer or understand a specific concept. I know that as we are really searching and trying to understand the scriptures, the Spirit will teach us new things every time we read them!

Love, Hermana Walker

Week 49:Transfers

Hola hola hola! 

This week was kind of a blur, transfers happened on Wednesday so a lot has changed! I'm still in Murcia but it's always different being with a new companion. My new comp is hermana May, she's from Wyoming and super funny. She's also very serious about cleaning. 

Anywho, Monday was good, we had a noche de hogar with Sharon and Luis but in the house of Araceli and her family so it was really fun. Sharon was so sweet and had brought a cake with "Gracias Hermana Philips" spelled out in it. Yes, Philips only had one L on the cake haha. 

Tuesday we had a district meeting even bigger than last week... There were FIFTEEN of us! That was crazy, we barely all fit in the room. We had to combine the districts since our district leader was in Málaga to pick up his trainee, plus we had a few random missionaries in the area who were staying in Murcia since their companions were also in Málaga. On Tuesday we also met with Conchi, and Eva, and Evelyn and her boys, and then went to the noche de hogar at Estefania's house! 

Wednesday were transfers, so basically I was at the train station all day with other missionaries waiting for our companions to show up! It was fun though. We got pizza for lunch. Hermana May came in the afternoon and then we went with a member, Paquita, to visit David and Fatiha (they're moving to a different pueblo). 

Thursday we started off the day with weekly planning, then went out and did some finding at night! Friday was a finding day too, we worked all morning and found no one, all afternoon too with no success until like the last hour of the night when we met six people who were all interested and gave us their number to call them! 

On Saturday morning Arellys (a girl in the ward) got baptized, the baptism was really sweet and she had invited some friends which was so good! In the afternoon we met with Conchi and then watched the broadcast of stake conference. 

Sunday we had stake conference again, they're building a big church building in Cartagena but until then they do stake conference via broadcast because there's not enough room for everyone to come to one building! Then we had correlation, ate with Mírian and her family, and went out finding again! We met a few more people who had interest which is good. 

Today I read in the Book of Mormon about the travels of the prophet Lehi and his family. Laman and Lemuel (2 of the sons in the family) were basically complaining the whole time, but I liked what one verse said. 

1 Nephi 2:12 "And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them." 

When hard times pass, we're prone to complain (at least I am) but if we could understand "the dealings of that God who created us," or what God's big-picture plan is for us, we would understand why we have to go through what we do. Everything that happens to us in life can be for our benefit, even though we don't see how in the moment! 

Love, Hermana Walker

Answer: Brother of Jared      This is the answer to last week’s question who was the Book of Mormon person who went 4 years without praying?

New question: did the Nephites have pillows? 

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Week 48: Eva got Baptized!!!

Hola hola hola!!

This week flew by. Actually, the whole transfer has flown by! On Monday some of the missionaries from our zone went bowling during pday, me and hermana Phillips had the second-best companionship score so basically we're professionals. Monday night the cita we were going to have failed us, so we ended up contacting for a loooong time. BUT, it was actually really good and we saw a lot of success and found a lot of people we got to talk to and a few people who gave us their phone number to have us call them.

 On Tuesday we had district meeting, except it was a big combined 12-person district meeting which was definitely different. Afterwards we went and got burritos at this burrito bar that a member had shown one of the elders. Mexican food really isn't popular in Spain, I had never seen a burrito restaurant. But it was like Chipotle and it was awesome. 

Wednesday was a good day, we contacted a lot in the morning and then went with Eva to eat mediodía with Araceli and Nery, two members in the ward. It was really good and we found out that Eva has already done her family history work 5 generations back! She's awesome! On Wednesday night we had the noche de hogar at Estefania's house, Thomas came with us again and that was really fun.

On Thursday morning we went to the library to make the programs for Eva's baptism, then in the evening there was a noche de hogar activity with the relief society that some less-active members came to so we went too. Those women are all crazy but very funny haha.

Friday was a crazy day, we had to go to the church early to start filling the font for Eva's baptism at 6. We did weekly planning at the church too while we waited for the font to fill. The baptism went really well, Nery was able to baptize Eva and we could all feel the spirit! It was really cool. Eva was nervous beforehand but felt really good afterwards. Then right after Eva's baptism, there was ANOTHER baptism at 8, and we got to stay for that one too. 

On Saturday morning we met with this less-active member named Carlos who got baptized a few years ago but then went back to his country and lost contact with the church. He came back to Spain a while ago and it was cool because he called us over on the street last week and asked to meet with us! He wants us to give him all the charlas again so he can remember everything, which was an answer to a prayer because now that Eva's baptized, we're probably not going to be teaching her as much as we used to be, so we were hoping to find someone else to teach. And Carlos is already a member but we are excited to be able to teach him all the lessons! On Saturday night we taught Conchi, we talked about baptism and the sacrament. The sacrament is really such a big blessing we have and I have definitely learned to appreciate it more since being in the mission.

Sunday morning we got transfer calls, Hermana Phillips is heading out which I'm sad about but we expected, and my new companion is going to be Hermana May. Church on Sunday was a little sad since Hermana Phillips had to say goodbye to everyone, but it was good and cool to see Eva get confirmed! Someone had made these rings for all the people in the relief society but they were really ugly so Hermana Phillips and I didn't want them, but they were really insistent that we take them so... yes. Then in the afternoon I Skyped with my family! I think I don't know how to carry a conversation without a companion next to me, so I didn't know what to say and they were half-asleep (sorry for making you call me at 7am family) but it was still fun haha.

Anywho, this morning hermana Phillips packed and we got burritos again because it was her last chance, and now we're just at the church emailing. Hey, random book of Mormon trivia question: who was the person who went four years without praying?

Love, Hermana Walker

PS other random non-book of Mormon question: how long does it take a pineapple to grow? Someone who will remain unnamed is convinced it takes 18 years but I'm just not buying it.

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