Week 23- Norcross, GA, Spanish Speaking

Dear Family,

Although you are in Hawaii right now, I would like to inform you that
I am in the greatest place ever. I love the mission so much.
This week we had zone conference and the whole focus was on developing
Christ like attributes, because who you are is just as important as
who you become.
https://www.lds.org/topics/becoming-like-god?lang=eng
I love the mission so much because I feel like it has been this
opportunity to just turn everything over to the Lord to allow Him to
change me for the better. It's not easy, but he's doing it. He takes
it all and is refining me.
The mission is a really great place to allow yourself to be changed
because no one really knows who you were before hand. So you can
completely re-invent yourself, and there is so much love that it makes
it a comfortable place to do so.
It isn't easy, and requires a lot of humility, but I am so grateful to
be able to say "'Twas I, but 'tis not I."
Don't get me wrong. I am no where near perfection, nor will I ever be.
And I still have A LOT to learn and I still make A LOT of mistakes.
Just this week I panicked and ended a phone message in the name of
Jesus Christ, because I didn't know what else to say! I think the
worst about this was that it happened, twice. Haha I then was fired
from making phone calls.... I have made plenty more mistakes than
this, but try to not focus on them.
Yesterday we, the missionaries as in me, Hermana Martinez, and the
three elders, had to sing in church. We sang "Más Cerca Dios a Ti". It
went well.
Our investigator who told us she wanted to be baptized the first
Sunday I was here, as finally decided to be baptized here. She has
wanted to wait until she goes home to Baranquilla, Columbia, because
she feels awkward now that her granddaughter is less active, but she's
decided to just get baptized the weekend before she goes home. So if
her granddaughter had a problem with it, it won't matter because she
will just be leaving the country the next week.  Haha it was hilarious
when she told us because her granddaughter is so nice, we figured
there must be something else going on. But really, she has just been
planning her own baptism this whole time. If anyone knows anyone
serving in Baranquilla Columbia, or it would be great if they could
email me so she's not lost when she goes back to Columbia...
We had a 5 year anniversary party for the branch on Saturday night. It
was great! There were some less actives and part member families that
came!
I love this work and am so grateful to be a part of it. I know that
Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He lives. I know that it is
because of His sacrifice, we can be made clean and we can be changed.
The atonement is real and it is powerful.
I love you all!!!
Love,
Hermana Wallis

Week 22- Norcross, GA- Spanish Speaking

Dear Family and Friends,

I honestly never really know where to begin because SO MUCH HAPPENS!
This week has had the whole shebang.One of the best feelings is coming home exhausted because you know you've
done your best and the Lord has helped you complete all He needed you
too.
We had a lot going on this week; on Saturday we combined with the
English Ward for a chili cook off. Hermana Martinez was soooooooo
excited. She said she had never had chili until her mission and she
loves it! The Ward members were great- there was a family from the
English Ward that even brought a Spanish family! We were able to talk
with them and invite them to church and set up teaching appointments
with them.

I have been good. We are working hard. We teach mainly elderly women.
We found this one lady from Guatemala, but she doesn't know how to
read. She said she'll have her grandchildren read to her... Which will
be sweet because it just means more investigators! We've also been
working a lot with less actives. We are trying to see at least 15 a
week! We've started emailing our branch president a weekly report of
all the less actives we work with. He really liked it.
I was thinking, so in Spanish one of our biggest conflicts is that not
everyone in branch council has email, so we can't email everyone our
weekly church attendance email. When we brought this up to president,
he said, "well, call them!" You could maybe have the missionaries text
you or write you a letter of who comes to church and what not if you
wanted. We have to report on investigators, less actives, non members/
visitors, and then we also list people's needs for the week, ( for
example: so and so is sick, so if someone could bring a meal, it would
be much appreciated!) I'm hoping the more we report on people, the
more enthusiastic the branch will be about helping the Lord's "Lost
Sheep!"

I love this work so much. I love being a missionary. I love having my
time completely devoted to helping the Lord's "Lost Sheep". In relief
society our lesson was on "Feed My Sheep". I love that lesson. I love
it because we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. Who loves
us so much, He gave us His son, Jesus Christ. And He gave us his
gospel, which is teachings and guidance for how we can be happy in
this life and return to live with Him. His son, Jesus Christ, came and

lived a perfect, sinless life for us, yet he suffered everything for
us. He felt every thing we have felt, do feel, and will feel. He did
this for each of Heavenly Father's children. He died for us. He knows
and loves each of us perfectly. He loves each of us more than we can
ever comprehend. That is why when we serve each other, when we help
those who he loves so dearly, he feels it as if we are serving him.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve him. I love it so much
and am so humbled by it every day.
I know this is His church and this is His gospel. I know that the Book
of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and combined with the
Bible, that is what gives us His complete gospel. It is a privilege to
be able to share it with others.
I love you all so much!!!
Love,
Hermana Wallis

Week 21- Norcross, GA, Spanish Speaking

Dear Family,
The sun has been shining in Georgia and it has been great. For the past 2 weeks before last, it was raining non- stop. I blame that for any melancholy I may have expressed in my previous 2 letters.
We have been working so hard. We can tell because we are exhausted. It was actually kind of funny this week because at Zone Meeting, they took all of our numbers and put up our averages on a big screen and then had each companionship talk about their numbers and what they had been doing in their area. (Accountability!) Naturally I was promising myself that we were going to work harder this transfer and yaddayada being too hard on myself because our numbers were actually great compared to everyone else's! They even gave us stars because our averages superseded the standard for the mission. No wonder our district leader, zone leaders, and president kept on telling us we are doing fine! Not that it's all about numbers, because it most certainly is not, it was just interesting to see our work measured and to see that we weren't doing that bad! Hermana Martinez and I laugh because we think that last transfer we were both under so much stress from adjusting that we had just worked super hard to cope. It can be frustrating at times because we have had  hard time helping people commit to baptism, but we are just doing our best to help people increase their faith in Christ and repent by keeping commitments. 

Last night we were able to do service for this one lady who we just let us into her home a few weeks ago. We taught her the restoration, and she agreed with everything until we got to Joseph Smith. She immediately started arguing "I've never heard of him before! He's not in my bible!" (You'd think we weren't here to teach new information) She then refused to read the Book of Mormon or pray to know if our message was true. So we left with a prayer and that was that. Last night we were trying to visit a potential who lived catty corner to her. When she saw us she immediately opened her door to let us in. Not wanting to waste the Lords time or accidentally get caught in a bible bash, we politely refused. She then tried to leave to go for a walk/ pretend to be busy. When our potential said she was too busy, we asked the lady if there was anything we could do for her. Typically no one can think of anything, but she had us change her curtains for her! It was neat because I'm hoping the more we serve her, or just the people in general, that we will be recognized as servants of God here to preach the truth! 

I am so grateful to be here and continuously humbled by this calling to just serve the Lord by serving His children. I loved Elder Ballard's testimony from his talk "The Atonement and the Value of One Soul": 

"I believe that if we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would realize how precious is one son or daughter of God. I believe our Heavenly Father’s everlasting purpose for His children is generally achieved by the small and simple things we do for one another. At the heart of the English word atonement is the word one. If all mankind understood this, there would never be anyone with whom we would not be concerned, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, or social or economic standing. We would strive to emulate the Savior and would never be unkind, indifferent, disrespectful, or insensitive to others. If we truly understood the Atonement and the eternal value of each soul, we would seek out the wayward boy and girl and every other wayward child of God. We would help them to know of the love Christ has for them. We would do all that we can to help prepare them to receive the saving ordinances of the gospel."

I am so grateful for this time that I have devote everything I have to helping others receive the atonement in their lives by "Coming unto Christ". I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that He lives. He knows and loves each of us. 

I love Him and am so humbled to serve Him. 

I love and miss you!!! 

Love, 

Hermana Wallis

P.S. My Ponderizing scripture this week is Romans 8:28 "and we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God to them who
are called according to His purpose." Hermana Martinez' is ether 12: 4
Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better
world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh
of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them
sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to
glorify God.
I LOVE YOU!!!
Madeleine

P.S.S. We went to the pet store today. (For Hermana Martinez. She LOVES
animals.) did you know you can have a pet rat. I found it disgusting.
There was also neon fish! And then  2 minnows died, and Hermana
Martinez saw one die.... It was very traumatic.... 
Last week we went to Costco with a member I also included a picture of
me in their car. Because  I just realized I don't have any recent
pictures of me....

Week 20- Norcross, GA, Spanish Speaking

Hello Family!
Didn't you just love conference?
I loved conference so much. It was great. We were able to watch the
Saturday Morning session at the home of some investigators! It was
great because the father has cancer, and receives his chemotherapy on
Friday, so on Sunday he is still in a lot of pain and hasn't been able
to come to church. We watched it in Spanish They loved conference! 
If conference was every
weekend, they would totally watch it! Bummer hat it's not, and that
you actually have to come to church to get baptized... But we are
hoping and praying that the talks touched their hearts and that they
will have the faith to at least come to sacrament meeting...
We watched the rest of conference at the church, in Spanish. So I
didn't really understand everything. (I can't wait to read them in
English) It was a very good time to really learn by the spirit. A few
things did stick out to me and they included, "clean your room", "be
humble enough to take and apply council", and any testimony of the
Savior and His atonement.
It was very humbling to see the three new apostles to be called. When
you are called to be an apostle, the time remaining in that calling is
indefinite! You are there until you die.
I have been so humbled by the calling to serve in
the Lord's work! It has brought me more blessings than I think I could
have ever imagined. My trainers are each the best friends I have
waited for my whole life. They are so kind and loving. They tell me
that they consider me like a sister to them and They write me each
week! I view them as blessings from the Lord! 
I am so humbled by the opportunity and trust the Lord has given me to
not only serve here in Norcorss, in Spanish! And to serve with Hermana
Martinez. I love her so much. 
This week we went with the relief society president and another sister
to visit a sister who tried to commit suicide 2 weeks ago. It was very
precious to be able to testify of our Savior Jesus Christ. He was
perfect. He loves perfectly. He is the son of God. Yet, He had to walk
alone. Even his own disciples, His best friends, rejected him. They
faltered in their faith throughout His ministry. Yet he continued to
love them and was always there for them. I can't imagine what a lonely
path it must have been that He walked. But I am so grateful that He
walked it, and that He did it for me. So that I could turn to Him, as
my best friend. The one who always understands and knows how to succor
to my needs. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve as a
missionary, where I can help others gain the same sweet relationship,
by helping them apply the atonement of Jesus Christ.
This past week I had a dream where I decided to go home for a minor
operation. I could have endured whatever it was for the rest of my
mission, but I had decided to take the excuse to terminate my mission.
I made plans with you to go back to backpacking Europe after the
operation. I said my goodbyes, left my departing words with my mission
president and came home, happy to see you and the rest of the family.
But as I sat in the waiting room, waiting to go into the operation, I
thought about my mission, and how much happiness it had brought my
life and all of the blessings the Lord had granted me. I started to
weep. I no longer cared about traveling on grand adventures through
Europe or Africa, I just wanted to go back to my mission. But I had
already decided to not do that, and it was no longer an option. I woke
up crying tears of gratitude for this opportunity and that I was still
here. I am so grateful to be a missionary. I love it so much. I am so,
so grateful for everything I have and am learning. I am so grateful
for this experience and for every blessing, big and small, that the
Lord has granted me because of it. I am so grateful that I made it out
here. It's crazy to thing that exactly 6 months ago, I was touring the
streets of Paris, and working to figure out how to get back home, so I
could come on my mission. I love it so much.
I still love and miss you, but I know this is where the Lord wants and
needs me. I am so humbled by the trust He has given me and the
opportunity to see how he strengthens my weakness' and makes up the
difference for the things I can't do on my own.
I love and miss you!!!
Hermana Wallis