My Missionary Timeline

Where have I been?

5/29/13 – Reported to the Missionary MTC

In Provo Utah

 

6/10/13 – Arrived in Anchorage

Sisters Hatfield and Grayson

Serving in Anchorage YSA ward

 

7/22/13 – Staying in Anchorage YSA

Sister Hatfield transferred. Added

Sister Livingston

 

9/4/13 – Transferred to Sitka

Sister Hewitt

 

10/15/13 – Transferred to Juneau

Sister Whitby

 

11/26/13 -Transferred to Fairbanks YSA

Sister Harrison

 

1/7/14 – Staying in Fairbanks YSA

Sister Swenson

 

2/18/14 – Staying in Fairbanks but

Covering Fairbanks 2^nd and 5^th wards now

Sister Hewitt and Sister Platero

 

4/1/14 – Staying in Fairbanks

Sister Hewitt transferred

Sister Platero

 

5/12/14 – Transferred to Eagle River

Sister Torgeson

 

6/24/14 – Transferred to Anchorage

Sister Guerra

 

8/5/14 – Staying in Anchorage

Sister Hewitt…..again!

 

9/16/14 – Staying in Anchorage

Sister Morrison

 

10/29/14 – Transferred to Soldotna

Sister Farmer

 

12/10/14 – Flies home from Anchorage to Dallas  

Finally home to Texas

 

'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me!"

WEEEEEELL, this week has been the last week as a missionary. I don't even know what to say right now because I'll see you all so soon! 

I haven't been able to sleep. THIS IS SO WEIRD! I keep changing my emotions. The other day I was angry that I had to go home and I wanted to call president and beg him to let me extend. Yesterday I was emotional thinking I will never be a missionary in Alaska again. Last night I was giddy thinking about going home and seeing everyone. This morning when I woke up I nervous out of my mind thinking about how different it will be. I just don't know how to feel!

I am so grateful for my mission. I am so grateful for the experiences I have gained. I'm grateful for the testimony I discovered. I'm grateful for finding who I was. My life is forever changed. I will always always always love this place. :)

I love you all, see you soon. 

3 John 1:14

Love, Sister Hallmark

"The Final Hoorah"

This week was so awesome! Mike got baptized, and everything was absolutely perfect.

I was just filled with joy :) SO happy!!!!

Thanksgiving was a hoot! We ate until turkey was coming out of our ears! We are so blessed here, everyone was so willing to have us into their home and feed us. I just love the members, they really take good care of us! :)

We got to go to Anchorage this week for zone conference and it was seriously AWESOME. I loved zone conferences, they always rejuvenate me and give me the encouragement and spiritual fuel I need!

Well, this is weird. I am in the single digits for coming home. I don't know what to think or feel! This is my last week as a missionary WHAT IN THE WORLD!!!!!!! I am going to work as hard as I can this week and make every second count :)

Love you all!!!!!!

Love, Sister Hallmark

MIKES BAPTISM!!!!!!!! :)

We got to be the water girls at the Turkey Trot 5K run :)

We got to be the water girls at the Turkey Trot 5K run :)

Dropped my necklace pendant down the sink...so I had to undo the pipes and fish it out. NOT FUN!

MIKES BAPTISM!!!!!!!! :)

We got to be the water girls at the Turkey Trot 5K run :)

Dropped my necklace pendant down the sink...so I had to undo the pipes and fish it out. NOT FUN!

HALLMARKS!!

"Oink oink"

Okay so Mike is doing SO well, we are so excited. He is getting baptized in 4 days!!!!!!!!

I cannot wait. We are all going to cry. My eyeballs are going to be overflowing. I keep wanting to hug him every time I see him. I even asked my mission president permission to hug Mike. That was a big fat no! Hahaha

This week we got to go on exchanges with our awesome Sister Training Leaders :) I got to be back with Sister Morrison again, I love her so much! And we were back in Anchorage for the day. It was so FUN seeing everyone from my last area again. We just laughed and laughed all day. :) I'm so lucky to have served with so many incredible sisters; I have so many best friends!

Hey remember when we killed chickens? This week it was a pig. Yep...we're working our way through the farm. I was actually really excited to say I helped kill and gut a pig, buuuut I have to be honest. I freaked out. I thought I was brave enough but apparently I'm not. They shot it, cut the neck, and dragged it into the little shed and I couldn't watch anymore. I had to stand in the shed and stare out the little window and sing primary hymns to myself as everyone, my companion included, gutted and chopped the pig. It was so embarrassing, guys! I wanted to help! I was so scared to turn around! I guess working in a farm is not my calling in life. I'll accept it!

Well that's all for this week. :) The church is true! I love you all so much; see you all so so soon! :)

Love, Sister Hallmark

The elders dragging the massive pig into the shed!

"Don't be a chicken"

I'm being deprived of snow and I don't like it!

Something strange is happening, everyone in the lower 48 has been getting snow and cold weather! But it's still in the 30's and 40's here! This isn't what I signed up for, I'm in Alaska, I need a little snow!!!!!!!!!!

I BUTCHERED A CHICKEN! Like for real. I cut off the head with an ax. And then I skinned and gutted it. It was the most awful thing of my life, but I'm so proud! Hahaha And we were able to help this really sick woman get all 25 of her chickens killed and prepared. If I ever need to kill a chicken for survival, I know how to now. A good life skill, I suppose. :)

Okay guys this week has been producing miracles FOR REAL! 

#1 We got a call from our investigator Mike. We told us he's been praying about it and he wants to get baptized this month. It was SO out of nowhere! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! He said he found out one of us was leaving soon, and he wanted to do it while we were still together. THIS IS SUCH A BLESSING. We have been meeting with him this week and preparing him for the 28th :)

#2 We have been meeting with this incredible little lady named sister B. When we visited her my first day here, we talked about it and decided we needed to be meeting with her more frequently. So we talked to her and set up to see her twice a week. We something has bothered me every time we go over there. I have been really concerned, because her health is really poor and she seems to also be smoking. She never mentioned it, but we could always tell there was a package of cigarettes and it smelled it her house like smoke. We prayed and prayed and planned ways we could address it, but we were just so scared to bring it up every time we went over. We didn't want to offend her. Well, one morning this week we felt particularly strong that we just needed to get in there and ask her with bold love. So we got there and it took me a while, but I finally asked her about it. I got the courage and asked her about her health and if her smoking might be contributing. She got really quiet and then with tears in her eyes told us yes, it did. Then she went on to tell us that she had made the decisions that morning to stop smoking and that this was her last pack. We asked her what brought that on. She said because we've been visiting her so much, seeing us gives her a desire to be more like us. She wants to be happy and healthy like us. So she decided she knows that Heavenly Father will give her the strength. IT WAS INCREDIBLE! She said she was so happy that we were behind her and that we felt prompted to talk to her about it. :)

Happy things are happening! We are staying busy! We are working hard! The Lord is in the details! I love you all! See you soon :)

Love, Sister Hallmark

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE SISTER FULLERTON!!!!!!!!!!!

Just taking our Sunday lunch rest. :) Me, Sister Fullerton, Sister Farmer, Sister Gonzales.

And here I am using an ax to remove the head of a very alive chicken. It was terrifying. 

Just a dead chicken...

"Laughing at the bees"

Okay guys, I am seriously falling in love with this ward. There are so many adorable elderly people in Soldotna and I could just SQUEEZE them all! 

There is one little lady named Sister Fullerton and she is just too cute for her own good. Yesterday after church, she told us to come with her to her car because she had a sucker for each of us. We told her we would, but got caught up talking with our investigators and other people in the hall. About 10 minutes later, we began walking out to our car and we found her frantically searching for us to give us our little tootsie pops. She said "Oh THERE you are, I was worried you left!" Hahaha And then the other day she was telling us stories of her childhood. She recounted a story of when her friend got a "bee in her pantaloons" and she preceded to act out exactly what her friend did when the bee was stinging her. She stood up and started running in a wobble and whining loudly. WE DIED!!!! I wish I could have recorded it. 

We are working really hard. This week we had ALOT more lessons than they have had in a long time. There are so many people to see! We don't seem to have enough hours in the day. It is the greatest. Being busy is the best feeling as a  missionary! 

I love this gospel, I love my savior, I love this work!

Love you all!

Love, Sister Hallmark

 A cute little 95 year old lady asked us if we wanted to take her Christmas tree. Haha! Sister Farmer hauled out her tree and shoved it in the back of our jeep. We were so excited! We love Christmas :)

Little Moosey! Just outside our car window! I'm sorry if I am boring you all with my moose pictures.... BUT I'M IN ALASKA!