May 27, 2015
It doesn't exactly look like Christmas because we don't have any snow but it certainly feels like winter!
I'm going to start with last Tuesday. Last Tuesday, we met with Angelica. Angelica is about 55 years old and is one of the sweetest and most faith-filled women I've ever met. She started meeting with the missionaries about a year ago with her boyfriend (they've been living together for almost 30 years and have 2 daughters together) but can't be married because the house they are renting can only be rented by people living under "single" status. Angelica had a meeting on Sunday to change her contract so that they can get married and move into a different house. She has a baptismal date set for June 20 and is so excited. We have been fasting and praying with her to have the patience and trust in the Lord's timing that things will work out in the way and in the time that they're supposed to. On Tuesday night, we also had a Family Home Evening in the church with our ward. Hermano Abarca taught the lesson on the Plan of Salvation and Hermana Gaitan and I and the elders (Elder Llacza and Elder Zazueta) planned the game "Te gusta tu vecino"
On Wednesday night we were able to go to mutual with one of our investigators named Aline. Aline is 11 years old and lives with her mom, aunt and uncle. We found her family while contacting and after 2 weeks of trying to contact them again, finally had a lesson with her aunt, Patricia. We didn't know that Aline lived there until the second lesson when her aunt invited her to listen with her. Patricia has a son who is a member of the church and served a mission in the US but Patricia is Evangelical. We taught the first lesson and invited Patricia to read The Book of Mormon, we then turned to Aline and invited her as well to read. She replied, "I've already read it." Surprised, we asked if he would then pray and ask Heavenly Father to know if it was true. She replied again, "I know it's true." We invited her to mutual the next day for New Beginnings (the welcome for the new girls turning 12 this year) and she received her Peronal Progress book to start working on that. Since then, she's been attending church with us, mutual on Wednesdays and Family Home Evening with the ward on Tuesdays every week. We're hoping to be able to teach her and her mom together more often. We're so excited and happy to know young Aline and help her during her youth to learn and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ in her life.
On Sunday we're going to finish this transfer! I can't believe it has come so fast! On Saturday we'll know if we're staying or leaving the area.
Tomorrow I'll be in La Extranjeria for about 5 hours receiving my visa and all my papers to legally live here on more than a tourist visa. Woohoo! :)
I wanted to share a little thought from the Liahona this month about waiting for assurances. Elder Scott said, "the packets of spiritual sunlight the Lord provides often come after the trial has been the greatest, as evidence of the compassion and love of an all-knowing Father. They point the way to greater happiness, more understanding, and strengthen our determination to accept and be obedient to His will." With our investigator, Angelica, we've been having to put this principle into practice. I know that these packets of sunlight will come and that we will have a stronger testimony through the tests and trials to come when we endure them well and have patience in the Lord's timing.
Have a great and blessed week everyone! Take care. Love, Hermana Walker
The Familia Opazo-Olivares! Two of the best people. They are always willing to help us and call when it's late to make sure we're in our apartment, safe and sound and give us lunch at leat 2 or 3 Sundays in the transfer. Hermana Opazo served her mission in Provo and is a professor here in Chile (but she never talks to me in English to help me with my Spanish :) and Hermano Opazo works at the AMM (basically the Deseret Book) near the temple. We had lunch with them on Sunday and they wanted to take a picture so that I could tell my parents I was being watched over. :) So this one's for you, mom and dad, from the Familia Opazo.
Hopefully you can see that it's a little chilly and the leaves are just about gone from the trees.
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