The Walker Missionaries: Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad!

I am soooo excited to talk to you next Sunday! It is still going to be at 6pm our time and 9am your time right??? Can´t wait.

So I am being deported out of the country and going home for Christmas....can you pick me up at the airport on Wednesday?? Just kidding!!! But I am being deported back to Madrid. Yes just until my fingerprints and paperwork are done. Supposedly Zaragoza is the hardest place in Spain to get residency. So just to get an appointment with them back in October was for Feb 7th. But now so I don´t get deported has to be this week in Madrid. Kind of exciting because we get to go with the Senior couple here whole are like our grandparents that take care of us and we´ll get a temple session in. Always on the road it´s fun! We also had our mission Christmas party in lleida. 2 hours east from here. They showed a video of the year, which there were pictures they got that I don´t know how they got mom! haha. We had a white elephant gift exchange, in which of course me with my sense of humored gift, was the hit of the party. President and Hermana Hinckley told stories and traditions of the Hinckley family the whole pizza dinner, which is a tradition of Grandma Hinckley, pizza dinner on Christmas with an ornament to hang on the tree. Lot´s of laughing and fun, spiritual thoughts, they´re great!!!

We did a lot of contacting this week. Lot´s and lot´s and lot´s because we were fired from so many lessons. My companion has a hard time contacting because I think she just either talks herself out of it, is shy, or maybe just a little trunky since she´s at the same point as Cameron in the mission. She goes home in March. But as long as I´m daring her and giving her motivation she does it. We did over 50 contacts at least a day. Just left and right. Found a lot of families that will be great to teach. It wore me out though. I just crashed today and am a little sick with a sore throat from talking so much. Oh great news, Juan Pablo my first convert wants to serve a mission!!!! Ah I thought, this is why we do what we do, so we´ve been meeting with him a lot and taking him on visits a lot to prepare him. His dad in new york city is going to hopefully help pay for it!!!! So exciting to really see him change these past couple of months. We also had a branch combined activity. It was interesting and we´ll just leave it at that....haha. But I played the piano at it for the primary. We both sang in the choir, then everyone was begging me to dance. I told them no that they´d just have to come to the states to watch me haha. I was not going to get up there as a missionary spin around with my leg above my head in a missionary skirt and attire haha. But Hermana Church got right up and tap danced, it was cute.

I wanted to take the rest of the time to acknowledge my 3 brothers Ryan, Craig, and Cameron. Yep yep time for a little sissy talk from your big sister! I want to start by taking the time to say how much I love each of you dearly and am so proud and honored to be your sister. Thank you for always staying worthy of the Priesthood and sticking up for the right. I appreciate your desires as well to serve the Lord.

Let´s start with Cameron. Elder Walker hang in there! You got it. I know exactly what you´re going through because it´s exactly what my companion is going through right now. Whatever you do, hang in there! Stay positive and look for ways to continue to loose yourself in the work. A good friend used to always tell me, anytime you get homesick, it just means you´re not working hard enough. Now I know you´re a hard worker. Just continue to stay in the mind set so once you pass the goal line, you can feel on top of the world and say yes I served with all of my mind, might, heart, and strength! Go the extra mile now, that is when you build character. Rely on the Lord.

Craigy Baby! I love you, you´re so cute with all of your comments you send me. I miss you and Cameron at BYU with me! You make me laugh. Some advice as you enter the MTC little Elder Walker is that you focus on reading your language BOM, all of it in the MTC. As a representative of Jesus Christ at this time, I am here to promise you as you do so the language will come faster then anyone in your district. A lot of my Bolivian friends here say to tell you good luck and a lot of other things that I don´t have time to write. Good luck Elder!

Ryan, my baby brother. Remember when Craig and Cameron would pick on you all the time and I would be there to defend you? I love you never forget that. Here I am now to say defend your grades and continue to commit yourself to prepare for your mission. My MTC president gave a lot of good advice for good grades. 1 - sit on the second row off to the right and sit in the same place ever time 2 - Participate in class discussions 3 - take notes and summarize daily and weekly. 4 - arrange a good schedule etc etc 5 - study early 6 - hand in ALL papers ahead of time. 7 - study for tests from the summaries 8 - PRAY! and never miss class!!!

Love you all, Happy Holidays!

Hermana Walker

--

Hermana Caminadora, Spain Barcelona Mission