Video link

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Pictures Lauren & companion Hermana Costas, with Hermana Llerena

July 22, 2013

Hello!

I'm freezing. I can't feel my toes.  It's weird to think that everyone in the states right now are enjoying a lovely summer, but my time will come.  For now, I get to drink hot cocoa and wear a billion layers.

Lucky for nearly all of my district in the MTC, they arrived this week in Argentina!  I can't wait to see them all again!

This week was great.  Seriously, Hermana Costa and I are on cloud 9.  The last few weeks were sort of hard for us because we had a lot of rejection and not a lot of success, but we changed our approach this week.  We focused more on working with the members and building our relationship with them, and miraculously, our time is used much more efficiently!  We had nine new people that we taught last week, including a lovely little family of four.  We are so excited to teach them again this week and we have a lot more set appointments this week.  That's GREAT news, because that means we will spend more time in warm houses and not in the freezing streets! Woo!

Okay, I don't have much more time this week, but I love you all!  Write me!  DearElder me!

Hermana Walton

Video From Lauren

Hi everyone!  

Just wanted to let you know that Lauren had an opportunity to make a video while visiting with a member family.  It was posted to my facebook account and I shared it to Lauren's.

If you want to see it, just check out her FB page.  Lauren Jane Walton

I will update her letter shortly.

Lisa Walton

July 15, 2013

Hello!

First of all, mom, I got your Dear Elder!  Woo!  That means, SEND ME DEAR ELDERS.  EVERYONE.  That's the first letter I've received since I arrived here, and now that we know that I can for sure receive them, I expect a flood. 

Anyways.... this week was super short.  I don't really know why it went by so quickly, but it feels like we just had P-day yesterday and here we are again.  

Hermana Costa and I didn't have as much success this week as we maybe wanted, but that's okay.  We are working hard and are going to work even harder this week.  We're trying to find new people to teach, but it's funny how people don't really like to let strangers into their houses.  We've learned this week, again, how absolutely essential it is that we have the help and support of the members in our ward to assist in the work.  I hope everyone is doing all they can to help the missionaries out, because it really does make a difference.

In other news, I think I have officially become accustomed to Argentina.  Okay, maybe not.  But I have eaten milanesa (basically chicken-fried chicken or steak), empanadas, and alfajores for pretty much every meal all week.  I really actually enjoy Argentine food, which is good because that's all they eat here.  

This pictures this week are of a pile of alfajores that we have received from members.  They really love alfajores here, which is a type of cookie that usually has dulce de leche in the center.  The other picture is of milanesa.

Hope you're all well! 

Address

Iglesia S.U.D.
Hermana Lauren Jane Walton (Make sure its my full name)
Misión Argentina Buenos Aires Oeste
C.C. 92
1702 Ciudadela
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Just an FYI from her Mom ~ You can send her mail via DearElder.com ~ it is free and you can see when it will be going out to her.  

July 8, 2013

Hello!

First of all, shout out to the lovely Emma Simpson for receiving her mission call to the Washington Vancouver mission!  I want to cry, I am so excited that one of my favorite people gets to finally experience the glories of the great Northwest for herself!  Love you, Sister Simpson!  You can do anything good!  Better than anyone!  ;)

This week, to be perfectly honest, was a bit of a rough one.  Hermana Costa and I didnt see the success we were hoping for and we had several cancelled appointments and plenty of slammed doors.  But despite that, we had some really great experiences as well.

The first was that we got to participate in a Capilla Abierta (open house of the church) in a neighboring area. Basically we held tours of the church and taught mini lessons about our beliefs.  It was really incredible to be able to just teach and share our beliefs with others.  It was very simple, but wonderful.  We got to meet a lot of really great people as well.

The second was today.  We had a specialized training for the new missionaries and their trainers today.  Although it took a bit part of our P day, it was well worth it.  I was able to finally have a personal interview with President Carter and talk to him a bit and get to know him.  He is great.  On top of that, he talked to us as a group and addressed many of the concerns that many of us newer missionaries were having, as well as how we can be more effective in the work.  Hermana Costa and I walked away feeling much more excited and ready to work hard this week.  We were able to recognize several of our weaknesses and are dedicated to becoming better.

I realized that I never sent my new address, so here it is!  Of course I would love to hear from everyone!

Iglesia S.U.D.
Hermana Lauren Jane Walton (Make sure its my full name)
Misión Argentina Buenos Aires Oeste
C.C. 92
1702 Ciudadela
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Love you all!

July 1, 2013

There is a lot of street art here.  This is some that my companion and I pass by regularly.

July 1, 2013

Sorry this is a week late!  It would not send last week, so my sincerest apologies... but you will have a new letter this week, too!

Hola, todo!

This was my first complete week here in Argentina and it has, of course, been interesting. 

My mission president has very high standards of performance for the missionaries here.  We have lots of requirements for numbers of lessons and contacts and everything here, which is definitely very different from how my mission president in Louisiana operated.  That has been a bit of an adjustment for me, but I am learning quickly. 

There a lot of old people here.  I dont know if its an average amount or not, but Hermana Costa and I seem to visit and talk to a lot of them.  Several times a day we end up having conversations with little old men on street corners that have a very wide, very interesting range of personalities.  Most of them like to talk a LOT.  Its interesting because I can either understand a ton of what they say because they speak slowly, or I cant understand a word of it because they have really thick accents.  Either way, it makes for a very interesting experience.  Almost invariably they tell us their entire life story.

We have been talking to basically everyone this week because we really arent teaching too many people who are progressing and learning and willing to listen.  We have a lot of work to do with those that are and desire to learn more.  Before someone can be baptized, they have to be willing to abide by the commandments, including those regarding the law of chastity.  Thats quite a problem here... almost everyone that we teach is juntada... living with someone unmarried.  My companion and I decided we are just going to have one giant fiesta for all of the people we are working with and get them all married at once.  That will work... right? 

I hope that everyone got to listen to the broadcast from the first presidency last week.  It was excellent, all about missionary work and how the missionaries need the members.  It is very true.  The work goes much smoother when missionaries have the support of a strong ward and members who are willing and able to help them in their efforts.  I hope you are all anxiously engaged to help the missionaries in your respective areas.  I can guarantee that they need it.