HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY BABY BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!

Don´t worry I didn´t forget, just was waiting until preparation day so i could tell ya.  Glad to hear it went well, I thought about ya all day and even had you written all over my planner.  Can´t wait to see you dance in the samba number.  I still remember all the different birthdays we threw for you growing up, trains to dinosaurs to racecar valvoline, etc..good times!

Craig...wow what living conditions!!!!  Makes me feel humble because of blessed we truly are with housing here in Spain.  Wow...I´m sure your just as happy in a cute little shake like that right?

Right now my companion and I feel like we are living on the movie "The Best 2 Years!"  Why?  Because our apartment has every one of the characters from that movie and the events that are taking place are quite equivalent to that movie.  We live with the cute new girl from Mexico trying to learn English and still adapt to mission life.  She where headphones to to even hear herself talk English, sounds like she is talking to herself a lot.  Then there´s her companion that isn´t obedient at all, doesn´t work para nada and sleeps all day saying she is "sick."  The only time we have seen her out of bed is to eat..she washes her dish then goes back to sleep...haha...oh ya and she´s up today to do email and because it´s preparation day haha interesting how she´s magically better today.  She´s unique.  Then of course you have crazy Hermana Stephenson and I who come acting crazy each night to let out all of our energy.  too much behaving ourselves all day makes us go crazy at night.  We´re running around, playing jokes on everyone, wrestling, ya you know if you´ve seen the movie....need I say anymore?  But we work and we work hard!!!  Anyway we get a call that President is showing up tonight and that the disobedient missionary doesn´t know....DRAMA.....more details to come...we will let you know.

there´s always Huelgas (strikes) with the terrible economy here and they happen to land on Mondays, being Preparation day (our play day.)  Poopy!  Everything is closed and the metro only come likes every half hour if even that.  Nov. 14th is a European strike throughout all of Europe meaning that even the airport will be closed...ALL transportation....this causes a problem being transfers and sending our missionaries home on a plane to the US that day.  It will be interesting!  The work is getting harder in Spain the more I´ve been here.  We would baptize more if it weren´t for the terrible marriage policies here and the stinky work schedules.  Everyone who accepts the gospel works on Sundays and everyone that wants to get married to keep the law of chastity can´t until they get papers or their acceptance for marriage goes through....takes about a year here....making it impossible to baptize like South America here....reeeaaallly frustrating as a missionary.  Anyway that´s my only complaints.  Other than that life is great as a missionary!  Just the crazy Spanish crisis!  People ask us for money all the time....kind of obnoxious.

I love this church.  The organization of it is perfect.  The only problem with it is we as people are not perfect, we cannot be as mortals.  People forget that, nobody is perfect, that´s why the Atonement of Jesus Christ is so important to life so that we can repent, forgive and be healed.  Let the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ take an effect in your life.  miss and love you all dearly!

hermana walker :)

WRITING ADDRESS: 

Hermana Walker
c/Rambla de Badal
28-30, 8´3´, Esc. A
Barcelona Spain 08014

well.....

Dear Family, 
 
Feliz Cumpleaños Cameron for the 19th. Tenga un buen dia. 
 
I´m going to make this letter short because nothing really happened 
this week that was interesting. It was a pretty normal week, learning, 
tracting, teaching, etc. and now, i´m tired. zzzz. That´s probably why 
I can´t think. 
 
      I guess I just want to say how great the mission is. It´s like 
Elder Holland said in one of his talks in the MTC, I love my mission, 
it was everything for me. It shaped my life, what I was going to be 
and who I was going to become. I feel the same way. I´ve learned so 
much by study and experience that I can´t write it all in this hour of 
internet. But it´s not only about me and what I become, but about 
others also. All the people I´ve talked to, taught, helped, baptized, 
etc. They´re the reason for my mission. Because if I could just bring 
one person to the knowledge of this gospel, O how great my joy would. 
Now imagine if I could bring more than one. I´ve experienced this joy 
and I would like it to continue. For example, remember Gabriel Velez 
my first convert, well he´s helping all the missionaries in Potosi and 
talking with all of his family, friends, Everyone about the gospel. 
Just yesterday, he came to Bella Vista to visit me and companion us in 
our teachings. His life has changed tremendous because of this gospel. 
And that is just one simple example.  If I counted up all the people I 
have talked to, it would have to be in the thousands, all the lessons 
I´ve taught, over 700. But behind all of these numbers, there are real 
people who are just starting to hear the gospel and changed their 
life. I know it´s very few people in the big scheme of things, but 
like M. Russel Ballard said, we all got to do our part in this gospel 
just like the honey bees in their hive. 
      When I read about and reflect on the great mercy that God has 
shown me in my life and the rest of the children of men, my desires to 
the share the gospel increase. When I just take time to think about 
the love He had for us, that he sent his only begotton son in the 
flesh to die for us so that we could have the chance to be saved, I 
long for the opportunites to share it. And when I pause to ponder the 
powerful mysteries and the mysterious power of the Almighty and 
Eternal God and his time to listen personally to the silent prayers 
every person, I know that man is nothing. 
      Why then do we pause to help others in need? Why do we let 
others to anger us? Why do we put aside the eternal things so that we 
could have more time for things that will die with us? When will we 
ever learn to humble ourselves enough to do the things of God? And 
why, oh please answer me why, do we ever go back ``fishing´´ or return 
to our natural man after the change in our hearts? 
 
 
I can not wait for the day in which we can all rest from our labors in 
the peaceful Kingdom of God. 
 
-Elder Walker

CRAZY WEEK!!!!!!!!.....

Dear Parents,

I am so happy to hear of the finalized plans for Spain.  I´m excited!  I think that sounds perfect for each time we will spend in each place.  Lot´s more to do in Barcelona anyway.  Mom-you ask what to wear.  Winter clothes for sure!  It gets quite cold here in December.  I would bring long sleeves and some short sleeves underneath a nice warm winter coat.  I have an extra coat you can wear here if you are worried about weight.  Pants, gloves, scarf, ear warmers, and umbrela, that should be good.  tennis´.  All the parents of missionaries that I have met and talked to when they come through always have a spain cell phone while they are here.  I would for sure barrow the Boohers phone.  Great idea!

Dear Family in general,

As for my week, woo, it´s been a pretty rough week, not gonna lie.  It was stressful!  my companion and I got stuck planning the ward mission talent show and baptism (different days) alone. And on top of that were having problems with our baptism candidate.  No one was helping with anything, the ward mission leader, the elders, the sisters, no body!!!!  And the ward mission talent show wasn´t even our idea, it was the ward mission leader who complains that we never have any activities.  So we find out the day before that nobody is prepared!  We call an emergency meeting and I find myself taking the charge because nothing gets done or the right way if I don´t.  My companion just sits there while I assign everyone what they are doing.  I did it with a smile, but was a little flustered.  It ended off being a kickin talent show!!!!  Lot´s of people showed!  it was packed and all went golden except for the missionaries act...because we never practiced. It was bad and we laughed afterwards how bad and not funny our skit ended up being haha.  I think American humor is completely different than Latin humor because we were the only ones laughing.  Our act was what not to do and what to do in different situations as a missionary.  For example in contacting, lessons, street, metro,etc....ya it was bad!  haha no one thought we were funny!  We are still laughing about it a week later.  Anyway, the next day we had Brenda (our baptism candadite´s) interview.  She shows up late but no big deal, the district leader starts.  20 minutes into it her dad (who naturally is shy) comes storming in and asks to sit in the interview.  We told him that they were almost done and it was something personal.  He got really firm with us and says "no she is my daughter...yata yata.  Well we say okay one moment please.  The dad later comes out and sits quietly across from us...hmmm everything must be okay?  Brenda finishes the interview and her and the district leader are teary eyed.  What now!??  The poor inexperienced district leader tells us that he felt like the dad was about to punch him and kept interupting him...he had to ask the dad to leave the room.  Brenda says if her parents don´t show up to the baptism she is not going down in the water...she wants their support.  Later we go over there and start a fast with her.  Well, the next day more drama happened.  The newly non-experienced had not filled out any records or paperwork in which include getting the parents signuture and permission for her to be baptized.  Long story short the mom was very short with me over the phone and Brenda did not show up all weekend to any activities, and ofcourse didn´t show for her baptism.  I WAS DEVASTATED!!!!  This was the first time I have had this kind of problem and had someone just not show or say anything.  I felt bad and responsible like where did we go wrong?  The spirit taught me a lot of lessons this week about a lot of different things.  It stinks because now we have to start over with her and gain the parents trust again since Brenda didn´t communicate to us that her parents said No that a month was too quick to be baptized.  We were confused and wish she had communicated better.  Now we look like the bad guys.  Stinks, but I know that ever member of this family of 4 has felt the spirit and know this is right, all it is is time now.  Lot´s of time to gain their trust again.  Then ofcourse I gave a candy to a kid and he started choking during the middle of our lesson....the mom jumped up and gave him the heimlich maneuver and the kid wouldn´t stop throwing up everywhere after that...all the way down the hall to the bathroom... CRAZY WEEK!!!!!  Kinda felt down, but were off with the Elders right now to do something fun! 

My hair keeps falling out from the hard calcium water here....I might just come home bald....welp love you all!!!  Keep being amazing and doin what you do!!!!  I know that the Lord truly is in the details of our lives and that Brenda and her family will get baptized someday it will just take some time now.  All on the Lord´s time table not ours.  I invite all of you who are struggling getting along with someone to give them 4 compliments a day and see it work wonders for your relationship with anyone.  Hermana Pace has given us that challenge and it works!  So try it....4 compliments a day!

CONGRATS KATIE PALMER FOR ALMOST MAKING IT INTO THE OLYMPICS!!!!!!!!!!  1.5 seconds off....soooo close can´t believe it!

PS--....my companion knows Curis Penfold really well....we just found that connection the other day after being together a whole transfer....

Welp LOVE LOVE LOVE
Hermana Walker

General Conference

What a great week! 
 
We started the week going to the temple as a mission and finished it 
with a branch fast and general conference, what could be better?! 
 
My few comentaries on Conference (I might comment on them later), 
 
About the whole 18,19 year old thing..... I thought that was already 
in action. At least for Bolivia, that revelation for men to leave at 
18 came back in May or so, which I emailed you guys then. Appently 
this is for the whole world and before it was select countries no mas. 
-I felt like some themes were of course the family, but also, Do! 
Become! I talked way earlier in my emails about trying to know things, 
not believe. But I learned this week that knowing is only for a 
testimony and is not enough. We have to apply and become something, or 
be converted. 
-M. Russel Ballard - it was for mom, the whole honey thing. I liked it. 
-Thomas S. Monson - He nailed it! I love him and his inspired words. 
People can change! Imagine the people you meet in baptismal clothes or 
their potential to be a member of this church. 
-Russell M. Nelson - I brought an investigator to the saturday 
sessions and she usually has loads of questions everytime we teach. I 
told her to bring those questions to general conference where they can 
be answered. And then what did Elder Nelson say, ``Ask the 
missionaries, they can help´´ Well thanks. Now we´re just playing ping 
pong with my investigator avoiding the questions Elder. 
-Jeffery R. Holland - Cameron and Marissa should know that he´s 
already used this talk. Yes, I do love this, but he almost used the 
same exact words as when he talked to the missionaries in the MTC. I 
have a CD of that talk because it was one of my favorites, ``Feed my 
sheep´´. Powerful. 
 
Well I hope that the spirit can expound my words that I´m about to 
write so that they can influence, inspire, and lead to action someone 
who is reading this email despite my difficulties and imperfections in 
writing. As October begins, the clouds have prepared for battle in the 
dark and brooding silence. The bruised and sullen storm clouds have 
had the light of day obscured. Looming low and ominous, in twilight 
premature, thunderheads and rumbling in a distant overture. In a flash 
of lightning and a pouring of water, the clouds cry out for silence in 
a shattered world. All at once, in just a sudden, the clouds are 
parted. Light streams down in bright unbroken beams. Follow men´s eyes 
as they look to the sky, the shifting shafts of shining weave the 
fabric of their dreams. 
My area here in Bolivia is like the weather here right now. For the 
longest time, their hasn´t been much success.  The members have been 
with out hope and the numbers are slowly dwindling. But just then, 
when all seemed lost, the heavens spread their wings and sent down 
celestial help for our area. My companion and I have had a steady high 
number of investigators attending church and they will all get 
baptized! The members have seen our fruits from our work and are also 
willing to help us. One investigator told us this week after last 
week´s church meeting that it has always been something she was 
looking for. She is super catholic and doesn´t know what is happening 
to her. God does. He moves his work in mysterious ways. Even though he 
nor us can obligate people to do or think differently, his ways, which 
are always better, will always be accomplished. Are we going to help? 
 
-Elder Walker 

YEAH!

A package and a couple letters came, but they´re sitting in the zone 
leaders room. I´m going to pick them up today and will email you next 
week to see what package it is.  

¡¡¡FELIZ conferencia general!!! :)

Dear family,

I write with a heavy and happy heart this morning.  So much emotion I can´t take it.  How happy and proud am I to be a representative for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints!  What a grande opportunity it is to stand tall for our Lord and Savior today in a world with such changing values.  We are all spiritually fed and uplifted from this weeks conference with the shocking news of sending out boys at age 18, IF PREPARED and girls at age 19.  I think dad hit the spot with the girls...more elders will be giving more blessing hahhaha, but then again I haven´t received or asked for one or felt the need my whole mission.  What a blessing this will be for the work!  So many more are needed!!!!  Definitely an inspired call. 

mom says.....Marissa-Stay focused, work hard, enjoy the moment.  Isn’t it awesome to be doing the Lord’s work?  Only two fast Sundays left darling, put it in fifth gear!  Finish strong.  11 weeks and we will see you.  So much to accomplish before then.  You will NEVER pass that way again in this capacity.  LOVE ALL!  Stay positive and always find the silver lining.  I LOVE YOU!......thanks mom it´s so weird to hear that but it´s true I must work harder and give it all I got to end the race strong. 

As dad was touched by elder hollands talk, so was I.  The thought came to mind, "Daughter, do you love me?"  Am I willing to give my net to follow him.  I hope I can answer in the last day and today, "yea Lord I do!"  I love the Lord.  I love conference, I love this gospel.  I am a mormon and I LOVE it!!!!  Have any questions about anything ASK THE MISSIONARIES...we can help you.  I bet mom was loving the honeybee talk. and cameron...actually i did watch the priesthood session...we went with an investigator....AMAZING and best ever!!!!  I loved it!!!!  And I also finally got to watch women´s conference.  Ryan...you have time...relax...and just prepare now.  Do all you can to prepare and go from there.

As for my week, crazy and fun as usual.  haha.  It was a miracle was when all of us Hermana´s got trapped in the elevator on the way home from singing with the angels.  We had 3 extra hermanas staying with us.  We all piled into the elevator at home not thinking of the weight limit as we chatted.  It didn´t even get to the first floor before it stopped and went back down.  Some hermana´s were freaking out, others were on the phone, some were calm without expression, and my companion was dying of laughter while I was taking video and pictures of it all.  Well we had no bars on the phone to call 911 or112(whatever number it is here) so we rang the call button afraid of waking everyone up.  No one came.  After 20 minutes of waiting we all thought a prayer would be appropriate.  We all looked at Hermana Dalton and asked with her faith to say a prayer since she opened the door to the baptism font last week with just a little faith and prayer.  Right when she got done praying someone came to help us out.  We then offered another prayer of gratitude. How grateful I am to have a stronger testimony of prayer this past month.  MIRACLE.  We were let out 5 minutes after that and all the Spaniards were like, "¿pero cuantos sois?" ....oops learned our lesson.

I love my companion, love everything about her.  My favorite thing is her patience and how much she listens to people with empathy.  She is a great girl!  I love the work, I love my area, my family, life is good and just going to keep getting better.  Brenda is being baptized this week!  Thanks Cameron for the advice you gave us on Brenda!  We actually had one of the best talks with the mom alone the other night.  The spirit was stronger than ever!!!!  The Lord was just talking through me answering her questions and doubts about her daughters being baptized.  Cam just told me to just listen her out, so we did a lot of listening and then just testified.  his voice kept coming to my head, just listen just listen, and I I listened the spirit told me what she needed to hear.  As I testified to the mother about temples and families are forever, both the mother and I got choked up.  It was a beautiful moment and huge turning point to her conversion.  By the end of the conversation her heart had been softened....MIRACLE. Brenda will now be baptized this weekend.  The Lord is in every detail of our lives.  He loves us, he wants us to just be happy.  Let him touch your life.

Hope you have a fantastic week!  Love you all....BIG BESOS!!!!!

Hermana Walker

PS  I think I need to sign up for classes soon.  Will someone check for me?  thanks. Maybe I can just ask President if I can go on one of these preparation days and sign up....

--

Hermana Caminadora, Spain Barcelona Mission

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

 

hellloooooo......

I love you family!!!!!

Soooo I took the personality test for all of you cause that´s the thing to do right now in the mission hahaha....what color of personality are you???  it´s so funny....anyway.  Dad-yellow red, Mom-all of the above, Cam-white, Craig-blue yellow, me-all of the above but more yellow red, ryan-red yellow and white, emily-blue.  look it up if you don´t know what each of the colors mean.

This week has been great!!!!   We had a really neat district meeting this week.  Kinda of touching.  I put together sharing time and had everyone bring stuff from home.  We really bonded over it and now it´s transfers.  Our district leader gave a fantastic lesson and discussion about prayer.....the spirit was really strong and love for one another great!

We are finally in our new apt. that is beautiful with a beautiful porchy thingy with whicker chairs!!!  My companion and i got the master bedroom....great way to end a mission!!!  Everything is beautiful!!!!!   Finally i feel like I´m living in Europe!!!

We have set 2 fechas for baptism. Brenda 17 and Kelli 10.  They are so cute, they asked me the other day where to buy modest skirts because all they have are short skirts...i was so proud of them for that that i decided i´m going to just give them 2 of my skirts.  I can´t wear them ever again anyway....sick of em´.  Kelli then told us the other day that her parents will let Brenda be baptized but not her...not until she´s older.  Understandable, but i was devistated!!!  Any ideas how to convince the parents??  The mom is reading the Book of Mormon, but the dad no.  The mom knows the BOM is true and is from God, but won´t let us teach her.  Says she´s Catholic...we´ll get her soon.  Rai we are trying to work on him and getting him moved out of his girlfriends house.

What else?  Busy week....transfers today and my dear Hermana Reeder my old comp and friend from back home goes home....so sad.  Tonight is singing with the angels.  She will be giving the update of our mission at the Hinckley´s this Friday for the mission Reunion....wish i could be there.  Lot´s of exciting things going on in the lives of returned EL FARO missionaries.  Here in EL FARO we had one of the best zone conferences EVER!!!!!  The spirit is always soooooo strong!!!!!   The Paces are amazzing and had us over to their house this week....just my comp.  and i to chat and upload the new blog.  We´re helping hma.  Pace with the new blog....if you wanna check it out...spainbarcelonamission.blogspot.com

In 2 weeks we are having a mission fireside and it is a noche de talentos.  My dance class will be performing.  Kind of exciting.  All the teenage girls that come are pumped!!!!  I feel like a proud mother to see them dance.  They have also brought friend after friend....lots of success right now with the dance class.  Everybody wants and has asked me to dance for the show....i told them no that i have to be the one to help run the show....besides wouldn´t be appropriate as a missionary hhaha.  People said they have tried youtubing me hahaha.

Well folks...the gospel is true...i´ve seen it change lives.  I know my savior lives and loves each and everyone of us.  I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his Son.  I know the Book of Mormon is the evidence of what we teach as missionaries.  I know many things but can not teach it to others until they choose to take that step for themselves.  I cannot force what I know on others and that is why each day we look and search for those who are ready to act...not just listen.  I testify to what Craig said...God is an unchanging God.  He would cease to be God if miracles stopped.  I love you all!!!!!  Glad to see you´re all happy.  I wish Emily and Ryan liked writing us, but maybe they will understand someday.  Missionaries NEED to hear from family.  Love you all, continue to do what you love!  I pray for each of you every night.

con amor,

Hermana Walker

Now is the time to seize the day

Well a big hello from Bolivia to my peeps out there, 
Que tal, Que tal! Como esta! ¡Que dice America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
 
So I walked in our internet place this morning only to find out that 
everyone was sitting with somebody new. Why didn´t anyone tell me that 
transfers had happened!?!? Apparently they were last week and my 
companion and I are together for another month and a half. That´s the 
bad part about not having a cell phone nor a regular phone in our 
house that works (freaking elders in the offices). We´re in the middle 
of nowhere,,,,...,.,.,. hellooo...,.,. 
 
 
This week we had some pretty cool experiences in my area. For example, 
last monday after p-day, it was dark out about 8:00. We went to a 
family/investigators who we usually teach. We were teaching about the 
Plan of Salvation. They had questions about the devil/Satan. Even 
though I really don´t like talking about him, I explained the reality 
of him, etc. But I finished saying that we have power over them 
because we have a body. Then directly after I finished my sentence, 
phooom. The power went off in the house and it was pitch dark. That 
was a little scary and the wrong time to say that. I asked if that 
usually happens. We kinda laughed afterwards because nothing really 
happened, the whole part of town went out too. It was just crazy. 
The week ended great with our church meetings. We had 8 investigators 
come and the church was the fullest I´ve seen it since arriving here. 
And a part from that, it was the best and most spiritual meeting that 
I´ve been to in a while. The whole branch felt like a family. Our 
investigators had a great  experience and everything. As we walked on 
of our investigators and her family home, we asked her how she felt 
about our church. She told us that it has been something that she´s 
been looking for. I know she knows it´s true and that she felt 
something because I definitely could as well. 
 
Even though this area hasn´t seen a baptism (like 3 in the past year) 
in a long time and those that were baptized are now inactive, I know 
that the miracles are only starting to begin in this area. Have 
miracles ceased? Or have we just lost faith? Has God stopped talking 
to man? Could he be an unchangeable being? I say unto you, NAAAAY! For 
God is an unchangeable being; he is the same yesterday, today, and 
forever. If it were not so, He would cease to be God. I know that he 
is a God of miracles and if these things have ceased, it is because of 
unbelief. Only by faith are miracles wrought. Sometimes, areas like 
mine haven´t seen much happen in a while. But certain missionaries can 
come along and see with an eye of faith how an area like this can 
improve. They have the assurance of the things to come and put their 
trust in God. Then they get to work. And after the trial of their 
faith, they can see the evidence of the miracles that God has put 
forth. 
Fight the good fight, don´t give up the faith 
 
-Elder Walker