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!

The Plan of Happiness

Hello,

I am in Cottonwood Heights.  I live with the Bagley family, and they are super nice.  You can send mail to their house (ask my mom for the address). I am in the Butler Stake working with the 1st, the 8th and the 12th wards.  I am in all English speaking wards and teach all in English. I am still with Sister Guerra, so I can speak a little Spanish with her.  We have no investigators right now, and will probably mostly be working with less actives.  There are so many here.  We saw the movie Ephraim's Rescue with the mission on Wednesday; it was super good.  When the guy dances at the end I cried.  I am glad his feet were saved. 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Speaking of anniversaries, after the parade on Wednesday we went to Nordstrom, and it is the Anniversary Sale.  There were the cutest boots ever there.  My two favorite pairs of shoes were the tall boots (brown) with the laces at the foot like a regular shoe but then were tall and the light blue patent leather oxford Cole Haans which are to die for!  But you would all be so proud, I didn't buy anything! I don't have any money or really need anything, haha, but it was fun just to be in Nordstorm for a while. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were a blur.  Sunday was church all day.  And now it is today.  

Today I'm kind of having a meltdown.  Sometimes you just hold it together for so long that it just all comes out at once.  It's just hard to understand sometimes. I almost forgot, happy birthday tomorrow, Dad!  A few missionaries went to Argentina today.  That is hard; hope is hard.  Sorry to be down on your birthday. On the bright side, the people in Cottonwood are great.  I am excited to work with them.  But no one knows how to do missionary work like the Spanish wards.  I will miss them.  

I am trying to keep an eternal perspective.  When it comes to missionary work, perspective is everything.  It helps give everything focus even when it doesn't seem like talking to the drunk man is worth it.  Knocking on door after door is discouraging.  Every time I teach a new person about the restored gospel and its ability to bless families I think of the same memory.

I was 9 years-old and wanted nothing more in the world than a little sister.  One night for family home evening, I walked out to the backyard with my brothers to a GIANT chalk drawing of the plan of salvation.  My parents began teaching about the plan of happiness with the premortal spirit world.  We all stood in the giant circle that represented the preexistence, and they talked a little about how we had lived there as the spirit children of God before we came to earth and how we had chosen to come to earth to gain a body, to learn and gain experience, and to choose for ourselves to follow the Father and how because we would make mistakes a Savior would come who would show us the way and make it possible to repent from our mistakes.  After talking about the premortal spirit world my dad jumped into the circle labeled "earth," or mortality.  My Mom shortly followed him.  They talked about their lives on earth and their preparation to be sealed in the temple.

Then it was time for them to have their own family.  They prayed and waited 9 months and Camron left us with a dramatic jump and moved to earth to join Mom and Dad.  It went the same for me, and then Marc and Nic jumped together to earth.  My Mom then said that she was going to have another baby.  I was so happy.  I knew it was my sister.  The one I had prayed for my whole life!

That wasn't the best part, though.  We continued going through the rest of the Plan of Happiness with further explanation about each part.  At the end we got to judgment.  Mom and Dad went first.  They talked a little about each kingdom and told us their goal to go to the celestial kingdom and both of them went and stood in the sun.  Then, on at a time they asked us where we wanted to go, and one by one we walked to join them in the sun.  In the end we were all there standing in the chalk sun on our back patio.  We made a goal as a family to be there together.  I still can remember that spirit.  I knew that I could not be happy in any other place.  Nothing can beat he feeling of standing all together in our representation of the Celestial Kingdom.  

That experience and feeling is what I think of with every investigator or less active member.  I picture them and their family standing in a chalk sun, and I remember that feeling and want it so bad for them!  It helps every part of missionary work seem worth it.  

Knowledge of the Plan of Salvation or Happiness gives meaning and purpose to all of life.  It answers the important "whys" and "hows".  And it helps me to understand how salvation can come only in and through the name of Christ.

So Dad, that story was for you. Thanks for everything you have taught me.  Hope you have a great anniversary and birthday!

xoxo,

Hermana Chloe

ps.  I am worried I am never going to learn Spanish:( 

pss.  I can't believe Whitney had a baby, and I didn't even know she was pregnant.  Family you are all in TROUBLE!  I need to know these things!!!!!  She is beautiful, but finding out like this kind of hit me like a truck.  What is her name?

I cried saying goodbye to Edgar, Laura and Camilla. 

 I was sad to be leaving Hermana Nielsen again and Elder Ricks, who also served in our ward :(

Transferred Again

Hello,

SO since this is a new mission we have transfers this week, and on Tuesday instead of Wednesday.  Meaning we got our information this morning.  And....I am being transferred.  I have no idea where, but I just know that I need to pack and get ready to leave.  I am super sad.  We have been working so hard in this area.  This Saturday we have two baptisms and a wedding :(  I'll tell you more about my peeps in this area later, but for now I am going to complain.  I don't want to leave here! I was only here for 5 weeks.

In other news I would like to bring up something I figured out yesterday.  Did you all know that they guy from the Other Side of Heaven is Augie from Covert Affairs?  So in that movie we have Augie and Anne Hathaway.  Best couple ever.  Too bad we can't watch it, but it was playing on BYU TV yesterday when we went over to dinner.  And since we are talking about the Covert Affairs and the CIA, I am pretty sure that our Stake President is in the CIA.  He is super legit: from Turkey, speaks about 7 languages, and goes missing for months at a time with no cell access and says that it was because he was doing paperwork for the Department of Justice.  Lies.  He can't tell us what he does, so our hypothesis is that he is so legit, he can't tell us.  And he is super young.  So cool!  He works so well with the missionaries.  Really makes missionary work a priority.  I heard him tell the story of his conversion in a ward conference once.  He said that he joined the church because of the tissue box.  His first Sunday was a stake conference.  At the time he didn't speak any English.  He said that the whole conference he didn't understand a word they said, but every speaker used the tissue box at one point because they were crying from the spirit.  He said this affected him so much, because in all the churches he had ever been to the speakers all had water at the pulpit for if their throat got dry.  But at the Mormon church instead of water everyone needed a tissue.  That is what motivated him to learn more! And now he’s like a 30 year old Stake President.

As for the area.  We went to the marriage office on Wednesday to get Laura and Edgar’s marriage license.  They are getting married this Saturday.  Then she is going to get baptized.  He has work on Sunday so won't be able to get baptized for a little, but he really wants to too.  They have a little girl named Camilla, and she is the cutest thing ever! And a little boy on the way in September.  They are going to be the most legit couple!  We also have a ten year old boy that should be getting baptized this Saturday and a lady named Della.

We have a senior couple in our mission where all he does is work with every mission in the whole valley to get people married.  We call him Elder Guapo.  When we realized that Laura and Edgar needed to be married, we invited Guapo to an appointment, he read the Proclamation to the Family with them, filled out the application, and then went to the marriage office with them the next day.  He is such an awesome resource.  Since he started doing this 13 years ago, he has helped over 900 couples get married or something.  

Yesterday was awesome! We had 6 people at church!!!!  It was such a milagro.  The Elders who work in our ward also had people there so there was 10 investigators in one ward. Sooo awesome!! And we had an amazing dinner.  Except these people feed me so much here, I am getting fat.  Okay not actually fat, but 30 min of exercise every morning is not enough to fight off what I have to eat everyday.  Esta bien.

I am going to leave you all a commitment.  This Sunday I want everyone to really respect the Sabbath.  I was thinking about this for you all this week.  Every time we teach about this commandment, we promise people blessings.  Like if someone will take off work to come to church, they will be blessed.  I feel bad not telling you the same thing.  So Marc and Nic that may mean no video games, but it is worth it.  You will all be blessed more than you can imagine! 

This week I had an interesting experience.  I started crying because I missed you all so much.  Sister Guerra and I went to teach a lesson to a lady whose children were watching a movie in a connecting room.  Guess what they were watching. Air Bud, the first one!  I didn't watch, but just hearing it was enough for me to know the whole thing.  We got there at the point where the kid makes the game winning shot.  The music was so happy and triumphant that I started getting teary eyed.  Then while we were teaching the movie ended.  At the end when Buddy has to choose between the kid and the clown, and then goes up and tears the news paper the clown is holding and then runs back to his friend.  As I listened to that, I had tears.  I'm not sure who I was missing.  Our cute dogs, or watching that movie with my brothers at the cabin, but I was sad.  Then I sucked it up and got to work, but I thought I would let you all know about that moment.

That is really all for the week.  I have been reading in Mosiah this week, and studying Hope in the Christlike Attributes chapter of Preach My Gospel.  It has been great.  On Friday someone paid for our district’s lunch at Chipolte! I have to pack up all of my stuff today.  And about that, can Camron come pick up some of my stuff at the office tomorrow after transfers?  Because I will probably be leaving some stuff there.  

xoxo,

Hermana Chloe

ps.  I never thought I would say this but it is weird to hear/say my first name.  I am officially a missionary.

pss.  If I never go to Argentina, next year when Marc and Nic go through the temple they can go to Salt Lake, and I can be there! 

psss.  I hope that I go to the visitor’s center tomorrow.

pssss.  Don't worry if you all sent letters, the address on the blog is to the mission office so I will still get them in my new area.

psssss. I don't think I am going to be in a quad anymore!!!!!! Praise His name! 

Last thing.  This is actually not p-day again today, because we have the 24th as our p-day.  We are going street contacting at the parade in Salt Lake and then watching a movie as a mission at night.  So if anyone is around the parade, you might see me! 

With Laura and Edgar at the marriage office :)

 Laura and Edgar's daughter Camilla.

What Up Friends?

Hi all,

I had a good week.  Everything is great! Tuesday I went on exchanges, and it was fun!  I'm loving and hating the heat at the same time.  Sometimes I just close my eyes in the 100+ degree weather and let the sun rays go into my skin.  I always feel at home.  I pretend I am sitting on the boat, and am going to jump in the water in 5 minutes when the heat gets too much to handle.  

Wednesday we had zone conference, and it was awesome!! President and Sister Eberhardt are  so nice.  He is the most humble happy guy around.  She was on the Young Women’s general board, and she is my kind of lady.  She dresses so cute and stylish and age/mission appropriate. We talked about where the real success of a missionary comes from.    It was really great to hear.  Also with our new mission we have a new Spanish area in Park City with a family history visitors center!  I think it would be fun to serve there. I also really like the Eberhardts because they don't know me as a visa waiter.  Everyone is new to them, and they are just trying hard to get to know everyone.  This is nice for now since I have been feeling really down about being a visa waiter for half my mission. After thinking about that a lot, it was nice to be able to spend time with other missionaries, the APs, and the Eberhardts at Zone Conference.

I have one more thing to add to my list of what not to say to visa waiters. This is one I have heard about 10 times lately and it makes me crazy, "As soon as you really learn to love the people and the area, you'll leave right away". Like I don't already love the people and the area! I hate that one. That one stinks. I know that I am where the Lord wants me to be, and I hope that I can do what the Lord wants me to do while I am still in Utah.  I really do love it here, but the waiting and lack of any communication regarding the status of my visa is very stressful. I just had a mini freakout. Did you read Sister Carter’s blog about the the new policy for visa waiters?! I just read it and it kind of takes my breath away. I guess after 6 months (waiting for a visa), the mission president in the temporary mission can request a permanent change. (6 months for me is in less than 4 weeks.) The paperwork has to go back to the Apostles for a determination. I hope I can still go to Argentina, but sometimes hope is hard.

My companion is Sister Guerra.  She is from Georgia, but her mom is from Honduras and her dad El Salvador.  She lived in El Salvador for 6 years and then moved to California until she was sixteen.  She didn't learn English until she moved then to Georgia at 16 so she doesn't speak English very well, and I don’t speak Spanish very well.  So communication is sometimes a problem, but we are figuring it out.  She went to Savannah State for Marine Biology.  She is 23. We are getting to be a good team.

Thanks mom and Camron for taking care of the pictures! I am glad all of the pictures are fine! Relief!! I don’t know why I was obsessing about that. Even on a mission I am still a little crazy:)

We stayed busy this whole week.  Finally getting used to the area which means, yes, it is time for transfers.  Transfers are in one week.  We have no idea what is going to happen with the new president doing transfers and everything.  I think he will really change things up.  With parts of two missions being combined to form our new mission here, he hinted that things could really change in an effort to unify the new mission. 

Two of our people fell off date yesterday for not coming to church, but hopefully they will just be pushed back a week.  We are working hard, and seeing miracles.  

Kaleb and Braize’s talks sounded awesome.  Wish I could have heard them.  

Tell Marcus to write me.  

Love you all,

Hermana Chloe

PS. Today we are going bowling today and that should be fun.  We have a hook up at the bowling ally.

We got a car!!! His name is Wally.  We are sitting in him here with the ice cream of the day.

This door might look familiar to Dianna Smith :)

No one is answering the door . . . SO we decided to take pictures.  Hermana Guerra and I.

More pictures of the beautiful mural.