Loving and Lucky to be in Cottonwood

Hello,

First off, I have been trying so hard, but I was having a really bad week. Apparently, I must have looked awful because every elder was asking if I needed a blessing.  Finally, on Tuesday I decided I wanted a blessing, but I was too awkward to ask, so I just said a prayer that our zone leaders would ask.  It took the kids two days but finally they did. Hahaha.  Elder Smith is one of our zone leaders and our only advocate from the Salt Lake Mission in this Salt Lake South Mission territory.  He is also a future patriarch. He said a lot of things that really comforted me. I guess we sometimes have trials because it helps us to turn to the Lord for help. It was a legit blessing!

Mom, you asked why Hispanics are so good at missionary work.  I will try and dissect it for you.  First, most of them are converts.  They are able to think back to their lives without the gospel, and they want others to have it.  Second, the Hispanics I have met also don't only associate with LDS people.  They have so many friends, and if you are their friends they want to share the best part of their lives with you, the gospel.  Third, someone getting offended doesn't even cross their mind. And in turn the one getting invited understands how important the gospel is to their friend, so they don’t get offended that someone shares it with them. I was really sad to leave the Granite Park Ward, and so maybe I was a little hard on my new area at first. But I have really grown to love the Cottonwood Area, and I feel so lucky to be in this area.  Everyone is really trying hard to make missionary work a big part of their lives!

Thanks for the back to school pictures.  Marc and Nic and Anna look so cute! Tell the boys they did a good job on picking out shoes without me. I can't believe that school has begun! I missed the whole summer, haha.  Let Anna know that I will be there next year.  Tell her that she is beautiful and skinny and her hair looks beautiful!

We are off to go hike, but it's going to be an exciting week.  Hike today, exchanges on Wednesday, and zone conference mission tour on Friday.

Love you all!!  I'm excited for KK, and everyone else!!! Thanks for the letters Sister Morgan, and Goodfellow. 

Have a great week! 

xoxo,

Sister Chloe

This picture is what I looked like getting ready for the hike today, hahaha.  Of course I curled my hair!

Change is Coming

Dear family and friends,

First off, Happy Birthday, Mom! Change is coming for you this week, Mom, but not for me, haha. Still no visa.  Anna starts her last day of elementary school and Marcus and Nicholas start their last day of high school, so big changes. How are you feeling about that? We had changes in our ward, too. That is awesome about the new Bishop and such.  I think that Bishop Dunn has a good ring to it, and Roger and Bro. Lyon will be awesome. 

This week was slow because Sister Guerra was sick from Tuesday until Friday.  She just had to rest a lot, but it's all good now.  I just don't have much new to report.  I got a lot of studying this week. 

This stake is getting super excited about missionary work.  Everything in the entire stake is about Missionary work.  We have such great leadership as our support.  Everything changes when everyone stops feeling like their duties are the most important and just focuses on missionary work. Everything else falls into place.  This area has really helped me see what kind of member I want to be when I get home.  There are two or three awesome missionary families in every ward, and my goal is to be one of them someday.  

This is a very exciting time for missionary work.  It is amazing to hear all the excitement, and then look down and see the name tag.  I get to be a missionary full time.  I love the work!  We see miracles everyday.  I am blessed to have met all these people.  I am growing more than I could have ever thought.  

Good luck everyone with the changes this week.  School will be great like it always is.  I can't believe that Roger finally got fired from being a seminary teacher! Seeing has how many students he has had go on missions now though he had a pretty good run, haha.  
Thanks for the letter on Saturday mom! 

xoxo,

Sister Walker

P.S. Mom, I really hope you had a great birthday. This time next year we will be together.  Which is weird to say, but true! Thanks so much for all the support you give me out here.  It makes such a difference to have a support system like I do out here.  I am so blessed!

Look what the Zone leaders did to our car :)

Sister Guerra and I

Cottonwood Heights

Tomorrow is My Birthday!

Family and friends,

Well, actually just my six month birthday, but it is still exciting.  One year from now I will be coming home!  Which seems so weird and fast.  When I look forward I still feel like my mission is 18 months, but 6 of those are gone.  I have to accomplish everything else in the next 12 months, and I just don't know if that is enough time.  I am serving in English.  In Utah.  My Spanish is almost nonexistent anymore.  And I have no idea what the future looks like for me.  I am hoping that many questions get answered in the next 12 months.  Can I actually learn Spanish? Where am I actually supposed to be?  So, ya, since I have been gone for six months now, it is a  good time for everyone to remember me with a letter:)  Six months of my mission gone. Crazy! But I get to continue serving and learning for the next year, I am so lucky!

This was a good week.  On Wednesday we went on exchanges with the sister training leaders.  Sister Pacheco came to Cottonwood with me, and Sister Guerra went to Sugar House.  After dinner with some of my favorite members (the Crowleys), Brother Crowley asked us to wash our hands because he wanted to show us something.  He went down stairs came up with a box, opened it and pulled out an original copy of the Book Of Mormon!!!  Dad you would have thought it was so cool I got to touch it! And thumb through the pages.  And it is even cooler than that.  The book belonged to Oliver Cowdery’s wife! She has written her name on the front page.  And she has marked up the book and everything.  In the back there are some blank pages where she has written notes.  She has one headline with a bunch of scriptures under it to support it, that says "Exclamations Against Polygamy."  I almost died laughing when I read that!  

Then, we did some teaching and stuff for the rest of the week.  Everyone is doing really great. Reading, praying, and coming to church and such. The people of Cottonwood are coming closer to Christ! 

On Saturday Sister Guerra and I went back to South Salt Lake for Laura and Edgars wedding!!! It was so awesome.  It was just them, the guy in our mission who married them, and the missionaries.  So fun! And even better I was one of the witnesses!!!!! SO my name will forever be on their marriage certificate.  Historical things are happening people!  Seriously, it was amazing to be a witness, and to be at the wedding.  Laura is waiting to get baptized in two weeks so that she and Edgar can get baptized together.  They are amazing.  And I'll be home when they get sealed! After they got married, Laura just cried and cried.  She knew it was right and that God was happy and proud of her! After we went to IHOP for breakfast.  Edgar works there part-time.  He kept telling all of the workers, "This is my WIFE!" Everyone was so cute! 

Then it was Sunday, and now it's Monday! So that is it! The members here are great, we are changing the way this stake does missionary work for the better.  It is an exciting time.  Hastening the work becomes more real for everyone when two sets of missionaries are put in a tiny stake in Cottonwood Utah.  It is now more than just the prophet saying numbers, doubling the missionary force is literal! 

I am loving the work.  The amount of instability in my life is almost enough to take my breath away some times, but the next day comes.  And I somehow always find something to look forward to every day.  I love and miss you all.  Mom, Dad, Camron, Marc, Nic, and Anna I pray specifically for each of you as well as many others.  The best thing about serving in English this transfer, is that praying in English again has helped me to make my prayers so specific.  I know that our Father is there.  He is waiting for us to ask him for our help.  He will always do what is best for us.  I like how you said it, mom, "These trials are holy!"  The kind that help you learn and grow! 

xoxo,
Sister Chloe! 

Camilla! I just love this little girl :)

Laura ! Look how happy she is. 

The whole gang after the wedding :)

I am a witness!

We live with this cute fool!

Blessed and Happy

Family and Friends,

I am enjoying serving in Cottonwood Heights, but still missing serving with the Spanish wards and with the Latino people.  I’m just saying, they really know how to do missionary work, and we could learn a lot from them.

Thanks for getting my hair appointment, Mom.  It will be awesome to have it done for the first time in 6 months! Random question, how is Anne Hathaway’s hair looking these days after Les Mis and cutting it off?  Will you please send a picture of how it’s growing out?  Just curious :-)

Okay, back to missionary stuff.  Yesterday in Relief Society we were talking about death.  Apparently that was the lesson.  The teacher had us pull out our scriptures to read.  This old lady raised her had to read and before she did she said, "Oh, I have this one highlighted as a funeral scripture."  She proceeded to tell us that she has been to so many funerals that she has started marking all the scriptures that are used a lot for funerals in a certain color.  That is an awesome old lady.

We have been working a lot with less actives still.  Everyone is doing great. We had four at church yesterday.  It is so hard to stay busy every hour of the day.  We just don't have enough work yet, but we are trying so hard! Hopefully, going to the temple this morning will keep us motivated to keep moving forward.

The Secretary from our mission presidency called me this week and after hearing that I know nothing about the status of my visa, he decided to call Norma over at the Church Travel Office.  She was like, “Oh, the East mission.  We know Sister Nielsen and Sister Walker need to get out of there, and we are doing everything we can!  We have hired a lawyer, and he is working and trying to get them down there any way he can.” I'm not too optimistic that I’ll leave this month, but considering that a week from tomorrow is 6 months, I thought people might like an update.

You can send me mail to my address.  Thanks for the package Mom and Dad!  I love your present Dad:) Maybe someday I will get to use your stuff mom...but I may have already eaten some of the gluten free bars, and they were delicious! 

I love you all.  Missionary work is hard, but I am blessed and happy. Have an awesome week.  Sorry so little time today--got to run to my hair appointment :-) Good luck with soccer, Marc and Nick.  Have fun at dance, Anna.  Suerte with finals, Camron.  And I am praying for you dad!

xoxo,

Sister Walker

ps. I haven't gotten my "Sister Walker" tag yet, but I will for sure take a picture when I do.

pss. Went to the Salt Lake Temple today.  It was great as always! We are so blessed here in the East where we can attend the temple.

Brunch with a family in one of our wards after a missionary meeting :)

My Castle!