Hello

Hello Family!

You only get 7 more emails from me. Is that funny or what? On that trunky note- Mom, how is the BYU work coming? Do I need to do anything else? Is the Net ID on byu.edu all figured out?

For the Net ID I emailed them and they said I have two accounts that need to be combined. So you know, I am telling them to give you permission to do that. The Net ID will be KPW22 password Kalpaige2 which is what you told me already.

List to do when I get home:

-get a hair trim

-find apartment

-find job

- get clothes from Alyssa's house (maybe she can bring some down when she comes down?) ((or did I leave my clothes at your house?)) I can't even remember.

This week was OK. The end with General Conference was great though! My favorite talks were from Sister Stephen and Elder Caussé. No Hanna did not come, she said she had no time to meet with us for the next little while. But Stanley, Melvin and a Russian man named Ram came for one session! That was cool. Stanley and Melvin are both African and they heard Elder Dube talk and loved him! His was a great talk :]

I have been a little unmotivated this past week, which Iknow is bad I lecture myself on that, but I've been in Cottbus for forever it seems. The same problems are here, I've tried it seems all my ideas out with no success, I want to change Cottbus and teach everyone, but I don't know if I have enough faith to do it and that makes me sad. I'm working on it, I really am. Transfer calls are this saturday. I don't want to stay becasue I am becoming complacent and comfortable which is bad and I'm sure someone can do a better job, but I don't want to leave. If I leave again, I'll feel that I didn't do my job here after 2 chances, and that I failed and starting over when I know I'll leave the next city in 6 weeks seems like a dumb idea. I'll do whatever President Kosak tells me to do becasue I know it's from God. I just need to go on His strength now becasue mine is almost gone.
Maybe that's what makes older missionaries wiser, they learned to lean on Him. Let's see if I've really learned that now or if I just think I did.

I have been meaning to tell you my new address. It is

Kirche Jesu Christi

Dresdener Strasse 88

03050 Cottbus

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I'm sorry for the downer letter, I'm not down or trunky I promise. Just trying to work hard and finish strong. I love you!

Liebe Grüße,
Sister Walker

Happy PDay

Hello Family!

It is now getting cold in Germany. But the changing of the colours of the leaves makes up for the horrible cold wind. This picture is of the field behind our Church building. It just looks like a postcard. 

I wanted to share to stories that happened this week.

1- Hanna.

On Wednesday Sister Piteck were on a wild goose chace trying to find Sandro. (he was an investigator my first time here who had a baptism date then disappeared) Our Ward Missio Leader saw him and we went looking. We didn't find him. While looking, we were doing a survey of people on the street and asked them Trey's questions. -If you could ask God a question right now, what would it be? and -if we were to give you a book that answered this question, would you read it? The first lady that said yes to taking our survey is named Hanna. Her question that she would ask God was "Should I go on a mission?" What?! We were not expecting that at all but went on. She said she already reads the Bible everyday looking for an answer but would rather it come through answer to prayer in her heart not from a book. Wow. We got to talking more and she is so cool! She has served 4 humanitarian missions and 1 teaching mission with the Baptist Church already and wants to go again. She is 26 years old and is in harge of the youth in her congregation. She was impressed that we also believed on and love God so much that we left our families for 18 months. She took a pamphlet of the restoration but nothing else and we didn't get her information but she invited us to a church activity that's in a few weeks. When we stopped talking to her we were amazed. She is awesome! We were a little sad we didn't get an appointmetn or anything but we both felt that what we did was good.

Then on Friday we planned to go by a less active family in a dorf (villiage) outside of Cottbus called Kolkwitz. We got lost becasue the bus didn't drive the entire route and kicked us off early. We had to walk through 2 woods and along some big roads to get there without the bus. At first we weren't going to go anymore, but try again a different day but we felt we should go on. So we did. We finally got to their house and they weren't home. Dang. I was writting them a note to leave in the mail box when someone said hello to Sister Piteck. I turned around and it was Hanna! She was taking her dog, Dusty, for a walk and saw us and came over. It turns out she lives on the same street as our less actives! She invited us in and we were able to talk more about the Book of Mormon and bear testimony of it and the Church. She had good questions and took a copy of the Book of Mormon! We also will be meeting with her more and she said she will try to come to the Relief Society conference on Saturday! (we see it later here) After an amazing time with her we had to walk back through the 2 woods, back across the big streets to get to a different bus stop to come back home. The whole time we were walking, we literally sang songs of Praises to God. We couldn't do anything else! We were so thankful that he had our paths cross that we could find Hanna again. Our God is wonderful! I felt so blessed to see this example of His being in control and knowing where His children are.

2- Michael

After getting home from talking with Hanna, we got a text from Michael saying that he'd come to church on Sunday! He is the one who was baptized last year when i was with Sister Neukomm and went inactive about a month after his baptism. We were so excited for him to come to Church!

But he didn't show up. During Sunday School hour we tried to text him and call him but he didn't answer calls and he sent us kind of a mean text back telling us to stop bothering him and to just let him sleep. So we left him alone for most of the day. in the evening, I sent a text appologizing for annoying him and explaining that we were just trying to help him do what he said he would do. He textd back (he doesn't like to talk on the phone becasue he has a bad stutter) and we were going back and forth for about an hour. Things were not very good. He kept getting mad and making excusses. But he always texted back so I would reply. He was telling me how he doesn't think God or Church are important and that he will not be a part of us anymore. I tried to go by the Spirit with what to say and to bear testimony often but it didn't help and it got to the point where Sister Piteck and I felt like we shouldn't respond anymore. I was so sad for him. I know he has had a witness it is true. He made covenants with God. He is lost and confused and won't let us help him. I was having a pretty hard time with it. When I was told I was coming back to Cottbus and prayed to know why, one reason I got in an answer was to help him. I felt like I did a bad job, then I felt bad that I was sad for myself at all when all the sad should be for Michael. Sister Piteck and I prayed together and ate some chocolate and read scriptures, our District Leader offered to go to Michael's city that night to try to help him then read some scriptures over the phone with us, and then he told President we were sad and President called to cheer me up. (Dad, you and him said the same things pretty much about worry and other people's agencey.)The funny thing is though, that even though I was so sad, I still wanted to sing Praises to God. So we did. We were crying but singing to Him. I know that He has Michael in His care just as much as He has Hanna. He loves Michael no matter what and is waiting for Him to come back. He is sad too but instead of having that stop Him, He goes on with His work and is ever caring.

I did not like this second experiance, but the feeling of always singing praises goes with my scripture Rejoice Evermore! I'm still working on that :]

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Pa, I'm glad you're doing a bit better! I'm praying for you. And Cole, happy birthday! Thanks for inviting me to your party :]

I love you all!

Liebe Grüße,

Sister Walker

Happy Pday!

Hello Family!

Question Catch Up time-

Dad's Questions-

Chi-yu and Ameen are currently not investigatiing anymore. Chi-Yu is in Tiwan till October and we are hoping he takls to his family about it. They are a little against Christianity and he feels the pull of traditions holding him back. But he comes to church and reads and meets with us when he is here. The ward loves him. Ameen is actually not allowed to be taught. The rules just got strickter for teaching Muslims because of the dangers with it. He is from Syria which is not very possitive right now in general. We still invite him to activities and are friendly to him but can't do much more than that. Semyon is not doing so well, he has cancer and is starting to lose his memory too. We saw him a little while ago and was so happy but we've found no more time to meet because he's sick always. Melvin is now being taught by the Elders and doing great from what we hear. He has not been to church for a while though so I havn't seen him. We have a new investigator named Stanley who we contacted on the street when the Elders were late and he's doing great! He wants to be baptized but would like his family to be there and right now that's not possible. We're working on it. We are also working hard to find new people. President Kosak promised the mission can have 150 baptisms more by the end of the year. We want 6 in Cottbus. :] We pray for that and work for that. We will get it with the Lord's help. The ward needs softer hearts though. That will come too.

Tausches are going well. We have them 4 times a transfer and change around which Sisters are which weeks. Last week I was up in Lankwitz again and saw some old members who were excited to see me. That was nice.

My back is doing fine. I feel like I'm falling apart though. When my back feels good, then my feet hurt real bad. (you know that bump by my baby toe? It's gotten so big and owwie from all the walking. Only one pair of my shoes fit it and it's getting too cold to wear those.) Or when they feel OK then my shoulder hurts. But naja. I figure wear and tear would happen from being out all day for 16 months.

Mom's Questions-

I'm feeling tired. I can't sleep very well so I don't have too much energy but I need it. But when I need it though, I do feel the strength from God. While in lessons or talking on the streets or on Tausch I'm not tired at all because He needs me to be awake. But come meal times, I fall aleep in the middle of my sandwitch. But it's good.

Teaching is going well. I love teaching. I want to be a teacher when I grow up. So when everything gets worked out with BYU you can even let them know that I decided: Major- German Teaching, Minor: English Teaching. Then no more changing my majors. I just need to finish school already.

and No, no one has signed up for my last Sunday yet.

"Are you Happy?" is a funny question. I'm a missionary for the Almighty God, how can I not be happy? Being able to bear testimony every day is great. Sometimes I get a little down from stress or worry. Like I've been in Cottbus in my 12th month here and I don't see much change from my first week and I feel like I havn't done what was expected of me. Or I see investigators progress and know they've had spiritual experiences and answers and then they say no. Somethings are just hard. I don't mean not to sound happy. I just can see how small and insignificant I am. But I know I'm working hard. Bishop Wilkinson wrote me a letter and said something I liked, something like "the cost of dispipline is better to pay than the price of regrets." When I know that I'm doing what I can do then I should be happy. There is also a little stress with knowing I'm coming home soon. 9 weeks left now. My grades are bad, I'm not excited to date again, I don't have a job, I've gained weight..... So I try not to think about it. It will all be OK, sometimes I lose that focus.

A scripture that has helped this past week was 1 Nephi 4:3 "wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up." This is Nephi talking to Laman and Lemuel. They saw an angel and were doubting that God could help them do seemingly impossible things. I havent seen an angel but I have felt the Holy Ghost testify. And The Holy Ghost is more powerful and convincing than an angel. How can I doubt that God knows what he is doing keeping me in Cottbus for so long? How can I doubt that He will help me work things out when I get home? How can I doubt that I will be able to get married and have a good life? I can't. So yes, I am happy!

I think that's all the questions.

This week was busy. I actually wasn't  in Cottbus all week except for last PDay. Tuesday and Wednesday I was in Lankwitz for Tausch, Thursday was Dresden for Zone Conference, Friday was Hoyerswerda for finding new people to teach, Saturday was Görlitz for a Family Fest, then Sunday was church. Fun week though. This week is in Cottbus though. It will be good. I'm glad we have Elders here now, that someone works in Cottbus :]

How is Pa doing? Why did he need surgery? I'm glad you are all safe and survived the busy week. Hope this next week is great! I love you!

Love,
Sister Walker

PS- Mom I like your MTC teaching idea, could you possibly look into that for me? Thanks.

Pday 10

Hello Family.

Do you realize I have 10 weeks left? I'm not getting trunky, don't worry, I just think that's a little funny. My last Sunday is already on the Eating Chart hanging in the Ward building. Dad, I have also thought about the coming home just for a visit thing. But President won't let me. So I will just offer to be a joint teach for the Elders in your Ward while I wait to go to BYU. But with the Marriage Liat idea, I'd be game. Maybe give me your top 3 boys and I'll pick from there. I Trust your judgement too. Arrainged Marriages have worked since Adam and Eve, they would totally still work today. My three requirements though are 1-Current Temple Recommend 2-loves his family and 3-has goals in life. Number 4 is he is taller than me when I wear heels. That is also good. Have fun making your list! :] hehe

This week was good. Stanley did come to church again! He is reading the Book of Mormon every day and loving it. Finding new investigators is not going so well at the moment but we keep trying and we'll find some. But it gives us more time to work with the Members which is the new mission focus. To watch the braod cast with members and help them do their missionary work. It's going well!

I hope oyu have a great week!

Love,

Sister Walker

PS- Mom, about the Jessi and Nadir, the Germans asking to come over, I emailed them (because they emailed me) saying that you may be out of town since it is the boys school holiday, that I would be at school so I couldn't translate, and that you were a little uncomfortable with them not being married. So I took care of it.

Pday again

Hello Family,

This letter will probably be short. I Have been trying to get onto the BYU website to see about registration and it did not work. Mom the information you gave me did not work. Can you try to go on and see if it works for you? I am just getting a little frustrated. Maybe I'll just wait till I get home and go up to Utah the Monday after Thanksgiving and sort it all out in Person. Why did President tell me to do it now? It's just stressing me out.

This week was alright not too much went on. Transfer calls came and I am staying in Cottbus, president said probably stay till November. But Sister Babbitt is transfered to Chemnitz. One of the CHemnitz STLs, Sister Piteck, is coming here. They just swapped.

Our Elders get to Cottbus on Tuesday (tomorrow) and we are moving appartments today. The SIsters get a nice and new appartment and the Elders get our gorgeous old appartment. It will be weird not being there, I've only been in that appartment for like 10 months.

Fun thing about Transfers, Sister McCandless is in my Tausch group now! I get to tausch with someone I trained! How fun! This last week I Tausched with the sister Sister Peine Trained and her trainee. (My grand daughter and great grand daughter in old missionary lingo) that was kind of fun!

Have a great week! Love you!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Love, 
Sister Walker

Hello Family!

Hi!

This week was pretty boring. I couldn't do too much because of my back. Lame. I was getting pretty restless becasue I couldn't do normal things like I wanted too. But I am also very grateful because the recovery went a lot faster than expected. I am walking like normal now and sleep in a bed not the floor and most of the pain is gone. My physical therapist was very surprized at how fast it went. She said from the first visit she would have recommended at least a month of therapy with 3-4 visits a week. But then at the 3rd visit she said I didn't need to come back! That everything was as far fixed as therapy could bring it. Yay for Priesthood blessings and prayers. I could feel prayers being said for me to get better. I'm assuming you said them, so thank you. They worked. I am trying to remember to be diligent but not go faster then I have strength (thanks for your email Dad! It wasn't too lectureing, it is what I needed to hear) and not hurt my back anymore. Taking it easy is not one of my strong points.

But one possitive about huring my back was we had enough down time to really plan for the American Night activity. This was in the plans before I came back to Cottbus but nothing had been done to prepare or plan till the week before the activity so there was a lot to do. This picture is of decoration the hallways as the Walk of Fame. Chi-yu and Ameen came and helped decorate becasue I couldn't lift anything or bend down. So they and Sister Babbitt moved all the chairs, tables and all that. I cut the stars and other decorations out and baked. Thanks for the recipies Mom, everyone loved them! The cinnonmon rolls were a hit. We had a good time. I gave a little presentation on Mormon influences in America, from New York to California each state they touched and left a mark on. On the Walk of Fame stars we wrote famous Mormon Americans. All 16 Prophets, some Book of Mormon people, and people like Steve Young, Philo Farnsworth (who is the ward mission leaders uncle! -the man who made the TV-), Stephanie Meyers, and Donny Osmond. Sister Babbitt Taught a line dance, Ward Mission Leader Bro Farnsworth broke some steriotypes, and he and his wife played a song on the fiddle together. He was the bow and she did the fingering, it was cool.

This week we had interviews with President Kosak and he told me to start thinking about going home. I need to stop pushing those thoughts away and need to embrace them. He told me to plan for school, plan for work, plan for dating, and plan to marry. I now think I will be awkward when I get home because the last two points almost gave me a heart attack when he said them. Dang it.

 But let's plan for the first one first. School. Pres Kosak gave me permission to sign up for classes and such. I don't remember my BYU ID number or ID name or pass word. Can I please have that information? Everything I need to sign into BYU.edu please? Thanks.

I hope you have a great week! Love you!

Love, Sister Walker

Owww....

Hello Family!

I am very old and feel like a Grandma. My 15 month mark was on Friday. In one and a half weeks I will be the oldest Sister in my mission (transfer wise) and especially this week, I feel it.

Last Monday was a fun day with big adventures. There is a fun park (not quite a theme park but more than a normal park) by Cottbus called Teichland- Erlebnis Park. There is a hedge maze, zip line, alpine slide, bungee trampoline, ice cream, a huge tower and lots more things. Last winter the Dittrichs took Sister Neukomm and me there but all was closed. I was telling Sister Babbitt about it and she wanted to go so we asked for directions and a member, Schwester Leuschner, offered to lead us there on our bikes. She is about 84 years old so we figured it would be no problem. We had lunch at her house then off we rode! She whipped our tails. She was so fast and so full of engery that this was the first Oma (grandma) experience of the week. But it was fun! We did the hedge maze (I won because the hedge isn't too high yet and could see the path. Sister Babbitt was getting help from the people on the tower) and rode the Alpine Slide and ate ice cream. Sister Babbitt did the bungee trampoline. She was doing really well till she tried to do a double back flip. Then she landed on her face. But she said it didn't really hurt. Then we rode back and had family night with our Ward Mission Leader and an investigator.

But other than that, this week was rather a slow week. Tuesday we had a funeral from a Sister in the ward. She was 92 years old and so nice. She loved the missionaries. Do you remember me telling oyu about an eating appointment where Sister Neukomm and I had to eat so much food we could hardly move? That was with this sister. Her husband is still here and misses her so much. The funeral was good but very different than funerals in America. Way too serious and sad. At my funeral no one is allowed to wear black. Then we had study time and a few appointments and at night we had choir practice. The ward is happy to have my soprano back. They said I'm not allowed to leave untill after the Christmas concerts, which are on December 8th and 15th. (the one on the 8th is most important, it's in Cottbus. The 15th is in the city of Forst)

So Mom, I guess you have to come with Dad and pick me up then. And I have been thinking about it. If it would work out, you coming to pick me up would be fun. I don't want to really put it off saying we'll come back later and then we never do. I want to so you, Mom and Dad, andeveryone else for that matter, Germany. So if it works out, would you like to spend Thanksgiving and the first week-ish of December in Germany? :]

Wednesday we had District Meeting and then an Ausstellung in Bautzen. You should google Bautzen, it's gorgeous. Sister Babbitt and I decided to write www.mormon.org in chalk there too. It was going well till the police came. Turns out that it's against the law in Bautzen. Oh well. No ticket, just told to stop. So we sang instead. One of the Elders is profi violist and brought his viola and we sisters would take turns singing with him while the other talked to people. It went well. Bautzen is a little far from Cottbus so the rest of the day was spent getting back home.

Thursday Sister Babbitt was sick with a fever so we stayed home. Until that evening when we had Tausch with Eisenhüttenstadt. For Tausch we have 4 companionships, 3 in Berlin- Dhalem, Lankwitz and Neu Kölln, and then Eisenhüttenstadt. This Tausch Sister Babbitt stayed in the other city and I came back to Cottbus with Sister Bronson. (who has a friend in the Rome mission. Trey, do you know a Sorella Preston? If yes, say hi to her from Sister Bronson please)

Friday, my 15 month mark, I hurt my back. I don't know what I did but I could hardly walk. Since we were on tausch I didn't want to stay inside so we went out but ALL of our 6 appointments fell out! Lame. Our 7th though was still there, with Brother Graf. Then we had to get on the train and Tausch back.

Saturday I really couldn't walk or move or anything. Elder Baumann in Görlitz is a retired back sergon so we called him and he told me to lay on the ground and take ibuprophane. Sister Kosak wanted me to go right to the hospital. But I stayed laying down, got a blessing (where I was hoping it would not say "doctors" in, but it did.) and then Sunday morning went to the hospital. Yup. Missionaries did not go to church because I was in the ER. Should have just gone on Saturday, oh well. Sister Dittirch came and got us and was like a worried mom in the waiting room. (she says to give you all her love and tell you not to worry, she is taking care of me.) I layed on a stretcher in the hallway of the ER (yes hallway) for over 4 hours before the doctor came. He didn't believe me that I wasn't pregnant even though I told him multiple times and Sister Dittrich did  too. We laughed at that. But I took the blood test (which took 2 hours to come back negative) anyways and had a CT  scan where they saw (after another 2 hours wait) a nerve sticking out of my spinal chord and said I had an infection there too. While laying in the hallway again waiting for the CT scan to come back I had to go to the bathroom (I have now been in the hospital for about 8 hours) but they wouldn't let me get up becuase they wanted to see what was wrong with me first. They wanted me to use a bed pan. But I was on my period (another sign that I am not prego that they did not believe) and the nurse didn't want to have to help with that from a bed pan in the middle of the hallway. I didn't want that either. So I convinced them to let me use the toilet where two nurses helped me. It was a little embarrassing. But we did it. Then the results came back. They wanted me to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation. I didn't want that. When I said so, the doctor said, OK well let me give you a shot and then you can go. When I saw the size of the needle I almost wanted to stay. It was an huge epidural needle. They just stuck it in and shot, not an epidural, just something to calm the muscles while using the biggest needel they could find. Then Sister Dittrich took me back to her house (Sister Babbitt too of course) and fed me. (She and Sister Babbitt had gone back for lunch, they weren't there the whole time which was good.) It was now almost 3pm and I had left my appartment around 7:30. I was hungry. The food was yummy. Then we came home and studied and slept and all that fun stuff. There were two investigators at church though which was great!

Then this morning, Monday, I had a physical therapy appointment. It hurt but the good kind and now I can slowly walk! Yes! On the mend! It will get there. Hopefully I won't be Oma for too long. I am taking it easy, don't worry. Not carrying anything, going slowly, resting lots. Lame. But it will be OK. Don't worry!

I'm glad to hear the boys are all Scuba certified! Can I be next? :] Have a wonderful week! I love you!

Love, 

Sister Walker. 

Giant Schnitzel we ate (half of) on Tausch! This is Sister Clark from Neu Kölln

a very dangerous playground. Germany definatly does not have the safe safety codes as america, I was wearing a helmet playing on this thing. ( took it off for the picture, then put it back on)