17 March 2014

Well helloooooo.

This week Hermana Morales and I received some very sad news... one of our investigators passed away.  Paola was a woman that we had been visiting for probably a month or so, but stopped visiting because she was interned in a rehab clinic. She was trying, for the fourth time in her life, to overcome her drug addiction.  After a few weeks interned, she passed away.  We could hardly believe it.  She was so young, poor thing. It`s in these moments that we are especially grateful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge that we have.

This week I was a little bit sick, so I spent a day and a half in the apartment.  Needless to say, when I left, I felt so liberated to leave those four walls.

Hermana Morales and I had our first divisions this week as hermana lider entrenadoras.  It was an adventure, working with a new sister.  As HLEs we have the responsability to help the sisters strengthen their area and give them counsel on what things they can improve.  I certainly feel humbled with having the responsibility to help the other sisters, but I feel like I`m learning a lot.  We`ll be having another division this week, and this time I`ll be working with a Northamerican, just the two of us.  This will be the first time in all my time in Argentina!  How weird.

In other news, this week our plans for our baptism fell through and the baptismal date for our dear investigator, Marco, got changed for two more weeks.  That means that we should be having three baptisms in the last weekend of March.  That should be an adventure.

I believe that`s all for this week!  Cuidense!  Les amo!

Hermana Walton

3 March 2014

Okay, this week will be short and precise.

I was called to be a sister training leader.  My companion and I were super surprised, because she only has 3 months in the mission, but we are super excited for this transfer more that we get to be together and to help other sisters out.

Also, we went to the temple this week!  We went with a couple of our investigators that will be getting baptized this month.  We spent most of the day Saturday walking through the lovely gardens.  It was such a great experience, but now we have a lot of work ahead of us.  I wanted to send pictures, but I couldn`t figure out how to this week, so maybe next week.

This week we will be doing divisions with two of the sisters that just ended their missions, but extended in order to help the new HLEs (hermana lider entrenadoras)... including my mother of the mission, Hermana Costa!  I`m so excited to be able to spend a couple of days with her before she heads back to Brazil.

Hope everyone is well!

Love,
Hermana Walton

24 February 2014

Okay, this week was the trio week.  What a crazy one it´s been!  We were working in two areas, and trying to do the same amount of work in each area as we usually do all week.... in half the time.  It was certainly an adventure, trying to find the balance between it all, but we still had a good amount of success.

We spent basically all of our time in Padua B in one area, called "barrio policial", which is full of apartments.  The family of Milagros (recent convert) lives there, and so they know everyone.  We were walking through the neighborhood one afternoon, when Martina (one of our investigators, Milagros´s little sister) saw us and came to talk to us. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by children... but seriously, there were probably 15 of them, talking to us, asking us to speak in English, asking if they could get baptized too, like Martina was going to be baptized, and just being funny children.  It was crazy.  But we´ve seen miracles because of Martina.

We started to teach a new family this week because of her.  Her friend, Magali, invited us to go to her house and meet her parents, so we followed along.  As we walked up the steps of the apartment complex, Magali went running up the stairs to talk to her mom, yelling "mamá, las monjitas están!" (mom, the nuns are here!)  But her mother very excitedly received us, so that was a plus!

In other news, this week Martina was going to get baptized.... she was going to get baptized three weeks ago, but was afraid of the water (she´s 8 years old), and so we postponed her baptism.  As it turns out, in these three weeks, she didn´t get over her fear and still hasn´t been baptized.  But it´s alright, because she made a promise that when she turns 10, she will be baptized.  Yes, I´ll be back in the States in that time, but that´s alright.  It´s just important that she feels good on her baptism day.

Included is a photo of another member of the family of Milagros, Marion, who is 4 years old.  Yes, that avocado is as big as her head.

17 February 2014

Dear family and friends,

What a week it`s been.  And man, do I have news for you.

I`m now in a trio.

Here in Padua, before we were 4 sisters serving in the ward... but one of them, Hermana Silva, who had 17 months in the mission, has been fighting with an illness for several weeks now.  It`s gotten to the point that she can barely walk, and the recuperation time will be 6 weeks.  Sooo... President sent her home on an airplane today.  And now we`re here, working with Hermana Ashby from Idaho!  She`s my first Northamerican companion in all of my time in Argentina! It`s a strange change and it was hard to see Hermana Silva go home after so much time of dedicated service, without any form of real "despedida", but she served well and she`s better off at home.

But the new challenge is leraning how to work in a much larger area, with another Sister.  It`s only for this week, though, because next week we have transfers, and President should be getting it all worked out again.

Other than that, this week was a lot of door knocking and walking... but that`s alright, because we are very hopeful for this new week. 

Hope everyone is well!

Love,
Hermana Walton

P.S.  Happy Valentine`s day!

9 February 2014

Okay, so now I have lots of things to say, because I didn`t write much last week... but more than anything, I want to send a lot of photos!... but just kidding, because my computer isn`t letting me send photos. 

This week was kind of a strange one, but it passed just fine.  We`ve been having a few challenges with our golden family, the Milagros`s mom and sister, but we`re hoping with a good amount of prayer and effort, all will go well.  The two of them have a lot of desires to learn more and to go to church, but life sometimes gets in the way of those righteous desires.

Sunday was a tough one.  We always are working hard on Sunday to be able to reach our goals for the week... this week we spent three days looking for our last two new investigators that we had as our goal.  On Sunday we still had to meet that goal, and everything seemed to be working against us.  we walked around, knocking doors for literally 6 hours, looking for SOMEONE that would open their door for us and let us in.  In about the fourth hour, my companion had a little accident. We were walking along and we came upon a ditch filled with still water, garbage, and mosquitos... and my companion didn`t make it across too well.  Her calf was half-way submerged in muck, so we had to also find a house to let us in to wash her off... luckily there was a member close.

Next week I`ll include more pictures!

Love you all!  Happy Valentine`s day!

Hermana Walton

3 February 2014

I was going to send pictures this week, but then we went to an internet that doesn`t let us send pictures, so sorry about that.  I don`t have much to say without the pictures, soooo.... hope you`re all well!

But I`m 20 now, fun fact.

Sincerely,
Hermana Walton

27 January 2014

Yes, today I complete 10 months as a missionary... how did I get so old?

This week was full of miracles and beautiful things.  First off, I´ll explain the picture.  Yes, that´s a really big Book of Mormon and Bible. My companion and I helped out with an Open House in Moreno this week.  It was very lovely.  Basically we gave a tour, explaining basic principles of the gospel.  It was great practice in "less words, more power".

I don´t know where to begin with the miracles we saw this week, but especially in Sunday, Hermana Morales and I just seemed to be where we needed to be just in the right time.  We had four new investigators that day, which was pretty good after a slow week of 4 new people in 5 days.  I really know that the Lord is directing us and putting us where we should be.

Anyways, I´m a little short on time, but so you all know, THIS WEEK IS MY BIRTHDAY!  So if you haven´t written me yet, you can feel bad now and begin your repentance process by sending me a lovely birthday card filled with fun stories about your life.  I would like that very much.

Love,
Hermana Walton

20 January 2014

And thus begins a new chapter in the mission of Hermana Walton.... I am now in PADUA!  With the lovely Chileana, Hermana Morales!  And I absolutely love it here.

It`s actually a funny story.... we had divisions from December 31 to January 1 and I came here to Padua to work as my companion stayed in Caseros to work with a sister training leader.  So I actually was already here a couple of weeks ago.  And I absolutely loved my little bit of time here.  I absolutely fell in love with Padua and it was one of the places that I really wanted to serve. But when we got to the transfers meeting, Hermana Morales and her old companion, Hermana Silva, were there and said that they didn`t have transfers... so when we were in the reunion and their area came up on the screen, it was a surprise to see that I would be taking the place of Hermana Silva!  But I am so happy to be here.

We had a baptism this week, for a 12-year-old girl named Milagros (which means miracles).  It was a lovely service with all of her cousins and siblings there.  It was a day to remember.  And that was just ONE of the miracles we saw this week!

We are teaching a woman right now that is SUPER great.  The sisters contacted her in the street on January 1st (after I had left the area...) but since then they hadn`t been able to see her much.  They left her with the Book of Mormon last week, and this week when we passed by, she was already reading in 2 Nephi!!!! She`s so hungry to know more.  She and her son, Ticiano, came to church this week.  Ticiano is 10 years old and absolutely LOVED primary... he didn`t want to sit with us during sacrament meeting because he wanted to be with his new friends!  We invited them to be baptized on February 2nd (which happens to be my birthday!), so we`ll see what happens.

Anyways, I`m happy and all is well.  I feel like I`m at home here in Padua with so many loving people.

I hope everyone is well and I`ll try to send pictures next week!

Love,
Hermana Walton