La Calera: A Little Culture Shock

Elder Ulgade (trainer) and Elder Walker

To Greg:

Walmart

Thank you so much Dad.  I don´t have hardly any time to write, but I love you and miss you more than I ever thought I could.  I had no idea this place was so different from the U.S.  I am currently in La Calera and my comp is great.  I´ve been a little discouraged because I lack patience, but I know that all will be well with God´s help. Sorry it´s so short, but I don´t have more time.  Pritty Limon is still around a big haha! I´ll attach some pictures. I´m definitely experiencing some culture shock and I miss you guys so much. When we went to the only Walmart in Cordoba today I almost started crying because it was the first thing that had any resemblence to the things I know and love.  I´ll write more next week. Thank you so much for your example to me and the rest of the family.  I hope you and Mom are keeping the compromiso I gave you to read the Book of Mormon every day for at least 15 minutes with a prayer sandwich haha.  Gracias por todo

Elder Walker

To Mary Anne:

Hi mom:) I miss you guys so much. This place is crazy haha.  I had no idea the Unites States were so nice.  There´s definitely culture shock.  The first few days were very hard, but it´s starting to get better.  We can´t seem to hit our goals, but we get closer every day.  I have an everlasting headache because I am always trying to understand everything, and we walk so far every day.  probably half of our teaching time during the day is spent walking to appointments or the homes of less active members.  If we had bikes it would be easier, but oh well haha.  My comp´s name is Elder Ugalde.  He is from Costa Rica and converted to the church a year before he began is mission a year ago.  He is a super cool guy and he knows a little bit of English, so he helps me out a lot.  Right now I´m trying to be patient.  I´m not sure how to cultivate the faith that will allow us to change the world, and that is what I want to do. The only investigator we´ve found so far who is really really interested is a woman named Gloria.  We walked past her and the image from an anime I saw of a little girl carrying a hurt boy on her shoulders came into my mind (which is the same image I received in the MTC when I felt God´s love more than ever before in a sacrament meeting) and I felt that I should say something but I didn´t.  About 50 meters past her, I decided to say something to my comp Elder Ugalde and he told me to run back for her. I did and now she is our best investigator. Turns out she has some kind of minor mental problem, so I feel a little weird counting it a baptism and such, but I suppose she is a daughter of God just the same.   I´m running out of time so I can´t write much more until next Tuesday around the same time.  Please share this with Dad as well in case I can´t write a long one for him.  I´m so glad your job is going well and that you were able to spend some time with Jenny...

I know that what I´m doing is the right thing, no matter how hard it is.  I hope you and Dad are completing the challenge I gave to you to read the Book of Mormon every day for at least 15 minutes with the prayer sandwich haha. I love you mom. Thank you for helping me become the person I am today.