It's Christmas evening and we have had a great week.  We only worked four days in the library and those were half days.  However, they were productive for me.  Through the help of one of the consultants on the international floor we were able to find the Christening record for one of my greatgrndfather and the marriage record for his parents.  As a result of this effort I have been able to find some of my great grandfather's siblings, so all in all the search has been very successful.

At last Lorene and I have agreed that it is time for us to go home at the end of Februrary which is our original release day.  We will be heading to Cedar City for a few weeks for about three weeks and then heading to Arizona.  Lorene can hardly wait to get back to Arizona and get to develop and/or redevelop relationships with our grandkids there.  Also, after having a very White Christmas Lorene is anxious to have some sunsunshine.  Me, I am going to miss the snow.

We had some changes to our mission last Sunday.  The Church leaders over us called a meeting for all of the missionaries in our mission--both full-time and Church Service Missionaries. They changed the name of the mission and the way our Church branches are organized.  We are now in the Utah Salt Lake City Headquarters Mission, and in the City Creek Branch.  Formerly, our branch, the Salt Lake 2nd Branch, was part of the Salt Lake Stake.  The other branch was the 3rd Branch, in the Ensign Stake. We had Branch Presidents who were non-missionaries, called to serve for a period of time.  Their counselors were full-time missionaries assigned to each branch.  We were assigned to one of the Branches according to when we arrived in the mission: those arriving in even months went to the 2nd Branch, and those in odd months, to the 3rd.  Now, both branches are being dissolved, the Branch Presidents released and new Branches have been formed.  The two branches are the City Creek Branch and the Ensign Peak Branch and we're assigned according to our mission assignments.  We are no longer part of a Stake, the Branch Presidents are the counselors in the mission presidency, and the mission president is our Ecclesiastical leader.  Our Church records will be returned to our home wards, and all tithing and other donations will be paid through them.  The young Elders were formerly all in the 2nd Branch, but now there will be some in each branch.  Another thing that will be part of these changes is that we will have oppotunities to do service in the inner-city wards of Salt Lake City.  We don't know yet how that's going to work; we'll find out later.

It's exciting, but kind of sad, too because our mision ends soon, so we'll only be part of this for a few weeks.  But, as Steve said, we feel it's time for us to go home.

We love you all and hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

Elder Steve and Sister Lorene Walker

Steve: Another week has rushed by and with it some ups and downs.  On the up side the Family History Department invited all the Missionaries in our Mission as well as  the Department Staff to a Christmas Devotional and luncheon,  The meeting which was fantastic and the food was good, too.  Three members of the Quorum of 70's and their wives were the speakers and they related some of their favorite family Christmas memories, and they also selected their favorite Christmas song that we sang at the conclusion of their talks.  We don't often hear from the wives of the General Authorities so this was a pleasant change.  We are going to miss these types of events when we leave our Mission which build us up and help motivate us to do and be better.

On the down side, Lorene spent a couple days of being sick and not workingfor a day and a half.  I hate to see how run down she gets as I know she was promised that she would enjoy good health and able to not have sleep problems.  Compared to so many others, she does enjoy good health and her body gets adequate sleep most of the time.  I think that she has done remarkedly well as she has dealt with a series of setbacks, and each time as she recovers from one or another setback she is anxious to get back to work and serve in the Family History Library.  The next couple of weeks we will be working a modified work schedule because of early closure of the library during the Christmas season. This will be good to help Lorene recharge her physical batteries.

I have come to realize over the last serveral months how much family history work means to Lorene.  While I continue to add names to my tree, I see how committed she is to correcting her tree and making sure that the right people are connected to the right families.  This past week Lorene has dug  and dug to find records for an ancector and looked high and low for missing records.  After many long hours, she found some of the records and was able to add sources that confirm her feelings about certain individuals.  As I do my own research and talk with other Missionaries, the importance of adding sources is confirmed time and time again. When sources are not included, it is very difficult to put families together that have any meaning other than a name and a place. Another frustrating aspect of the families of  Family Tree is the number of incomplete families.  Time and time again I find one or two children that are attached to a family when the records clearly show additional children which are not attached to their family.

Yesterday was bittersweet as I spoke with one of our Young Elders who is completing his Mission this week.  Elder Yowell is one of the older Young Elders (27) and has no firm plans as to what he is going to do when he goes home.  Watching him serve in the Library, it is easy to see that he has been successful during his time here in the Mission.  However, he lacks self confidence and is stymied and fearful of the future.  Apparently he also lacks support from his family, which contributes to his lack of self-esteem. I suggested that he counsel with our Mission President before he leaves this week, but that he should set out a plan for the future that the President can discuss with him.  I hope I can keep in contact with Elder Yowell after he leaves the Mission.

I am ready to move aside and let Lorene edit and add her own story for the week.  Next Sunday is Christmas and it will be a happy, sad time.  Happy because it will be Christmas and sad that it is our last Christmas as full time Missionaries and our last time with so many good friends.

Lorene: It's nice to read the good things my loving husband says about me.  I would not be able to serve this mission if it weren't for him and his support.  He does so much for me!    

As Steve said, the Christmas devotional and luncheon this week were a special treat.  I was unable to go on the day we were assigned, so I went the next day.  (The missionaries are divided into two groups so that our duties are not left with no one to do them.)  We had different Seventies come and speak--and no wives :( , but it was still very nice.  They had us do something special which they called "ornamenting the tree."  They had a Family History Christmas Tree that each of us contributed to.  We were to make an ornament (the outline of which was provided for us) on which we were to paste a picture and/or story about one of our ancestors.  It was fun to find pictures and stories about our ancestors for this project.

I'm looking forward to going home and being reunited with family.  However, I am really going to miss the many wonderful people we've met and worked with here.  Another thing I'm going to miss is the choirs, the branch and our mission choir -- the Elijah Choir.  It' been a special treat to sing with such talented people, especially at this time of year. 

Love and miss you all!
Steve and Lorene aka Elder and Sister Walker

Steve: Another week has come racing by, and it is Sunday once again.  I almost feel like I really am in a race and I don't like what's at the finish line - the end of a full time Mission.  One of the best parts of being on this Mission is the fact that I feel like I have purpose in my life.  Retirement can leave you empty if you don't find something useful and meaningful to do.  Although I expect that I can find things to do and friendships to renew when we finish, I fear that my days will just be busy days without meaning. Although it would be nice to go on another full time Mission, deep down I think it would be better if we do a Service Mission so that we have the flexibility to continue to spend time near our family in both Utah and Arizona.  Serving is serving whether its full time or part time so long at is for the right reason.  There are so many opportunities, it may be hard to decide what to do without feeling like we have to do all of them.

This past week has been pretty much the same as the last few weeks.  The library is rather slow and it seems that most guests that come into the library know what they are doing and don't need much help. However, we have been busy attending classes on Irish and Scottish research as well as mentoring two new Missionaries.  In addition, we still have been working on our own research and tree cleaning.  I have learned that I can make myself about busy as I want to be without too much effort in finding things to do.  There is so much information on line now that can help put families together that it can almost be overwhelming at times.

I have discovered the truth in the adage that those that don't learn history from the past are forced to repeat it.  A few weeks ago my flash drive crashed and I lost a lot information that I had put on it. Through the expertise of others I was able to recover most of what I had lost.  However, not being too bright, I didn't use that experience to remind me the importance of backing up my files.  This week it happened again with the same flash drive and again someone else had to come to my rescue. However, I don't think all that was lost was able to be recovered this time.😞  I went out yesterday and bought a portable hard drive so that I can backup my files.  Now I need to learn how to use it so that I don't have to go through this type of anxiety again.

Lorene:  I feel that I have grown so much on this mission. I started out feeling so happy, then went through a rough period when I wondered why I'm here and whether or not I had the fortitude to continue.  Through fasting and much pondering and prayer, I have received the strength to not only continue, but do so happily.  The Lord has truly blessed me with comfort and peace, and I have grown closer to my Heavenly Father, the Savior, and the Holy Spirit.

I am looking forward with anticipation to going home.  I miss my grandchildren terribly and I'm looking forward to some much needed rest and "down time."  However, I also am sad to leave the many wonderful friends we've made and experiences we've had while here.  I'm so grateful for the prompting to come on this mission and for the help and guidance of the Lord.  I love this Gospel and am amazed at the blessings I've received because of it. I am so glad to be a part of this wonderful work!

Love you all!
Steve and Lorene aka Elder and Sister Walker

Steve:This past week has been very interesting.  The first half went by very slowly and then when we hit the second half that raced through at lightning speed.  I think the speedy portion was because we were busier.  We also had a small snow storm that brought some colder days, but overall it was a great week.

We worked Friday night, and we had expected to be a very slow evening based on the previous nights during the week.  However, we were busy most of the night.  Lorene had some very positive experiences helping some guests.  One guest was a non-member; however, they were able to find some records that she was able to take home, and based on Lorene's suggestion she will probably seek out a Family History Center near her home in Denver.  I helped a guest with the cataloge and sent her on to the International Floor to try and find records of her Great-Grandmother who was a prisoner in the Dachua Concentration Camp during World War II.  Our other Missionaires were also very busy during the evening too, and we all came away feeling like it was a successful evening.

On Saturday we went to the Mount Timpanogos Temple to do work for my great-great grandparents.  It was nice to have that opportunity.  We met our sister-in-law, Cheryl, there and it was nice to visit with her over lunch afterwards.  We have now visited all the Temples within our Mission Temple Zone.  While they may not look the same on the outside, each has the same special feeling on the inside.  While some may think we spend too much on these buildings, because of their importance to us and our desire to please the One whose Gospel it is, I don't believe that they are too lavish.

The highlight of the week for also came towards the end of the week.  I think all of us had at least one teacher who was our favorite.  For some, the teacher could be while we were in elementery school, for some it was a middle or high school teacher, and for others it could have been a college instructor.  For me it was Doris Samuelsen at Eugene Field Elementery School in Pasadena, California. Mrs. Samuelsen was an older teacher, but one who was so very kind and loving.  I kind of felt during my time in her classroom that I was someone who she truly cared about.  She was one of those teachers who cared about you not only in the classroom, but also outside the classroom.  On Fridays after school, I would wait on the curb waiting for my father to pick me up and take me to my real home after a week in my foster home.  If I was still waiting on the curb when she left for the evening, Mrs. Samuelsen would pull up on the curb next to where I was waiting and ask if I was alright.  On more than one occassion, she would drive me to my foster home to wait for my father.

As I have said, Mrs. Samuelsen was the most favorite teacher of all the teachers I have had through the years.  In fact, as my thoughts have turned to herover the years I have warmed by them.  This week was very special in this regard, for a felt a nudge to try to reach out to her family and share my thoughts about her. The computer and the internet can be such a positive tool at times.  Not knowing whether she had any survivors, I searched for any any children and ulimatley found a son on line that worked for the University of California system at one time, but I could not find any contact information for him.  Being saddened by this search I did some more searching on line and found another son and there was some contact information.  Ultimately, I was able to make contact with Scott via email and then we were also able to talk on the phone.  It was a joy to be able to share my memories with Scott and tell him how much his mother meant to me.  Because eternal families are so important to me and to each of us,  I got enough courage to ask Scott if I could extend those same blessings to his parents.  Being prompted to ask to do this and Scott being touched by my feelings for his mom and my desire to bring them these blessings, I received approval from him, so now Lorene and I will have the opportunity to do the Temple Work for his parents. 

Lorene:  This has been a special week for me also as I have come to understand some things that have been troubling me over the last few months. It's been hard for me to understand why I have had so many health issues and trouble sleeping.  I didn't expect to miraculously be healed while on this mission, but I thought that I would be better than I have been.  As I've struggled with the "why" of this, I've realized a couple of things: (1) If this mission had be "easy" for me, I wouldn't have grown as much a I have spiritually, and (2) I've learned how to trust in the Lord and His will and His timing.  I've also learned how to more fully depend on Him for strength.  I'm still trying to accept His will and align mine to His, but I'm feeling much more at peace.  I know that He loves us and that things happen, or don't happen, for reasons that we sometimes don't understand, but will be for our good in the long-run as long as we strive to keep His commandments.

I know He lives, and I have a testimony of this great work and am glad to be a small part of it.
We love you all and hope you are doing well.