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