Just livin' life as a Sitkan!

Hello friends and family! 

I've survived another week without getting eaten by a bear. :)

I hope you're all relieved! I know I am. I've never been so paranoid in my life walking down the street!

And while we're talking about bears...I FED ONE THIS WEEK! Through a very strong metal gate. Its breath was on my hand. Yeah...SCARY. But awesome.

Serving a mission is seriously the coolest thing ever.

So this week was pretty good. Sister Hewitt and I still love each other. :) And I still just love the people here so much! My heart could explode! We met with Toby again last Wednesday and gave him a Book of Mormon. Then he came to church yesterday and we asked him how his reading has been going. He said he is almost done with 2 Nephi!!!! Can you believe it?! In only four days! He wants to be baptized, he told us. He just needs us to give him a date! We are meeting with him sometime this week to give him a date to be baptized. So excited!

Our other investigator Kristina is slooowly warming up. She will take a little longer, but is so willing to discuss the gospel with us. She has alot of the same beliefs and seems very intrigued by our church. :) She is reading the book of Mormon slowly and we can definitely feel the spirit so strong in our lessons. She is just the sweetest lady in the world, too. Last week when we were doing emails, she left us some warm banana bread on our car with a little note that said "thanks for the fellowship!" SO sweet! We both died.

The weather has actually been reeeeally nice. It's been in the 60's all week...sunny most days. Today is a bit rainy and chilly, but even that isn't too bad. Nothing I haven't endured in Texas. :) I mean, can't complain...I live on a lush island, the beauty that surrounds me every day in breath taking. The rain is the least of my worries.

I want to share a really sweet experience we had recently. Last Wednesday Sister Hewitt and I had a really long day just packed full of seeing so many people. We were DRAINED by the end of the night. Well we got out of our last lesson and it was 8:30 at night...we were both just so ready to go home but we knew if we wanted to be obedient, we needed to stay out until 9. We had this lady we had written in our planner to see at 8:30, but we didn't think she would be home. The missionaries had been trying to knock on her door for months and were never able to make contact because her schedule is so busy. And if she was home, we doubted she would want to see two missionaries sitting on her front porch at 8:30 pm after a long day of work. We sat in her drive way for a few minutes trying to decide if we even wanted to go knock. Finally we just decided we better just go try so that we could say that we did it. Well. We knocked on her door...and she was home. She was so excited to see us. She invited us in and told us about her life. Her husband passed away a few years ago and she works every day from 6 am to sometimes as late as 10 pm. She is completely alone... It brought tears to my eyes. We were able to share a little uplifting message about the love of God. She was so appreciative. She gave us the biggest hug when we left and thanked us. I felt the love of God stronger than ever. I realized that Sister Brown, who is completely alone in her life, who works so hard to receive so little, who is not able to even come to church because she has to support herself, is loved SO deeply and known SO well by a watchful Father in Heaven. He loves her with an infinite love.

No one is really alone in this life. We are all looked at with such incredible love by a our Father. We are CHILDREN of a king. Just think about how much worth we have. We are worthy of so much, we have SO much divine potential but Satan convinces us otherwise. We can't let Satan win. We are fighting a battle we agreed to fight before we even came here. Don't give in. We. are. worthy.

I love you all so much. I pray for you all every night!!! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Hallmark

Beautiful Sunset!

Found this cute little bridge outside someone’s house...

Cute little Sitka...love it.

Did you know....

That there are more bears in Sitka than there are HUMANS?

Fact.

Yeah I saw bears this week, no big deal. Okay...it's a big deal. I've only been waiting my whole life.

Sitka is the most amazing place in the entire universe. I'm not kidding. Like...I am SO blown away that I live here. It's incredible.

My companion is the GREATEST person ever. I love her so much I can't even believe it. We laugh ALL the time. She has this incredible drive to be a good missionary and she is so focused. And she's such an incredible teacher. I will learn SOOO much this transfer. I am so happy I can't even handle it. Life is so good!

We picked up TWO new investigators this week! What a blessing! I have seen so many tender mercies in my life in just this last week. One investigator we found by actually knocking on a less actives door...I guess there's just this giant house with a bunch of different rooms and when we knocked, he answered another door. We asked for the person we were looking for and he said it looked like she wasn't home. We told him thanks and then told him who we were. He said he recognized that we were missionaries and had been to our church several times in Juneau. He then asked if he could come to ours here. We were like UUUMMM YEAH! We had a lesson with him after church and he is just solid. Ahhh so excited. He has such a desire to be a good person and to change his life.

The other new investigator is a mother of two kids who is pregnant...she is a referral from a ward memeber. We initially went to go do service for her but she started asking so many questions about the church. We were able to give her a Book or Mormon and she said she would read it. We are meeting with her again this week...I can't wait to see how she progresses.

There are people being prepared right here in Sitka! I love how the Lord works. We are recieving so many blessings.

I love being a missionary with all my heart. This is the best decision I could have ever made. People are waiting to hear the message we have to share.

I love you all a ton! Thanks for all you do!!! Have a great week. :)

Love, Sister Hallmark

                                          Got to sit in the pilots throne on the plane ride here to Sitka!

I'm here!!!   

Oh hello Mr. Bear...

The most beautiful sunset I've ever seen!

Doing service at the Raptor Center! They take in injured eagles, owls, and other kinds of birds.

WHAT THE HECK!!

Transfer calls came...I'M GOING TO SITKA!!!!!!

 

Oh my goodness I made my mission president repeat it like 5 times. I actually LAUGHED when he told me because I thought it was a joke.

 

They're sending me to an ISLAND!!! I am so excited I can't even type right now. I can't believe that's where I'm going.

 

And my companion will be Sister Hewitt who I looooove with my whole heart and am so incredibly excited to be serving with her.

 

So...you should know this is a big deal. They don't send sisters out to islands a lot. They don't send MISSIONARIES out to islands a lot for that matter. I can't believe I'm being trusted to go there.

 

I don't feel worthy!!! I seriously love the people so much already. I can't wait to me them all. Ahhhh!!!

 

Although I'm super excited to go...this week has been pretty sad because I've had to say goodbye to everyone in my area. :( I'll miss them all so much!!!

 

Well I have to run I don't have much time today...love you all!!!

 

Sister Hallmark

Saying goodbye to some of my favorite people!!! Margret and Vili :)

LUCY I'M HOOOOMMMMEEEEE

Well, not really home, but...kind of. I'm back in Anchorage! We had a ton of fun on short little road trip to Fairbanks. It was so great. We spent a whole week there. We got to go on some exchanges with the sisters out there and of course got to go on our third trek! It doesn't get easier...although something told me it would. Haha this location we had the trek at was HARD. I mean...the hills are ALIVE in the sound of Fairbanks. My legs had an unquenchable BURN as we hiked up and down with our cart. Luckily, the elders took most of the cart pushing. That was nice. :) Also, minor detail...I sprained my ankle. BUT I'M FINE. :) The elders were so concerned, they kept asking me if I wanted to ride in the cart, but there was no way I was about to let them push me up and down those hills. Hahaha I walked the rest of the way and still survived. I just have a little brace thingy on the ankle...it's healing nicely. :)

 

Well we weren't able to meet with a ton of people this week because we were out of town, but yesterday we were able to have a lesson with a girl named Annie, a sister of a recent convert. It was our first lesson with her and she was SO receptive to everything we had to say. The spirit was seriously so strong I could barely breathe. I knew the spirit was speaking to her to because...SHE COMMITED TO BAPTISM! Ahhhh! How exciting! She is so amazing. I can't wait to see her progress. :) I know I say this every week but I just love being a missionary. It's so rewarding. I come closer to my Savior every day.

 

Sooo transfers are next week and I am STRESSIN out. I don't know what on earth to expect. I want to stay so bad, I love the people here! But I know wherever I get called will be inspired of the Lord. I just need to relaaaaax. Someone tell me to relax.

 

I hope all is well (and not too hot) in Texas! Or wherever those of you are that are reading this. :)

I love this work with all my heart! Have a blessed week everyone!

 

Love, Sister Hallmark

 

 

Fffffreezing at the trek!

 

 Oh you know...just picking blueberries on our way to zion. ;)

Our drive to fairbanks was BEAUTIFUL!

HELLO TEXAS

It's been a nuts week.... we had trek #2 which was AWESOME, I was able to go to the temple with my zone which was such an amazing experience, and I MET AND SANG FOR ELDER BEDNAR OMG.

I don't have alot of time to write, I'm actually emailing Sunday night because we leave tomorrow morning for Fairbanks and will be traveling all day.

I just want everyone to know this week has been probably the most incredible week of my life! I love my mission! Life is great!

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Forward, Pressing Forward

This week has been....interesting. We are no longer with Sister Livingston, she unfortunately had to go home to take care of some things. She left last Monday, it was so sad to say goodbye. The week has been kind of difficult readjusting to just the two of us again. Then SUDDENLY yesterday morning President Beesley asked us to come to the mission home to talk to him. When we arrived, he asked to talk to us separately. Sister Grayson went first, I assume he was only being fair because she's the oldest. I patiently waited in the front room. When she came out of his office and down the stairs, I anxiously looked at her face. She smiled at me. But I know my companion and it was NOT happy smile. It was a "brace yourself...It's gonna get ugly" kind of smile. When I entered the office terrified, he looked at me warmly and said,

"Well....we haven't done anything crazy with you sisters in about a week or so, how about we put you in another trio?"

ANOTHER TRIO?! Three trio's in two transfers has got to be a record. Our ward must think we're crazy, bringing new sisters in every week.

I think President is trying to kill us.

It's okay though, I'll grin and bear it. We're now with Sister Morey. We really love her, she's great. She has been out for over a year so she's got lots of experience. It will be a good rest of the transfer...I'm sure of it. :)


Okay, next item of business! The trek! We had the first one last and and It was SO incredible. I really could feel the spirit. It was the most beautiful, breath taking place I've ever seen. It was called Jim Creek. I was just in awe the whole time. I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures!! But it's okay, this week we are going again with our own zone and it will be at the same location! I'll take lots of pictures!  It's so fun that we get to to to Jim creek twice and then to Fairbanks!! Benefits of "being with the band" hahaha...


Well we have lots of people we are meeting with the for first time this week...it will be great! I love teaching! Being a missionary is awesome!!

I've got to run, love you all so soooo much! Have a fantastic week!

Sister Hallmark 

We were trying to find a less active and we randomly stumbled onto this amazing view of the beach!

YOU get off my lawn!

Hello everyone! Everything in Alaska is great. We had some super exciting tracting experiences...hahaha. I don't know if it's just the people in Alaska, if it's just peoples reaction the Mormon missionaries, but NO ONE likes to answer their door. Instead they open a window or step out on the upper porch to yell at us....It's quite entertaining. You just knock and wait to get yelled at from any direction, it keeps us on our toes for sure. :) We've learned to laugh at rejections. When someone says something like "Get off my lawn!" we say have a nice day, of course. But when we're down the street and they can no longer hear us, we yell "YOU get off my lawn"....it makes tracting a way funnier experience. :)   So this week has been pretty okay. We met with lots of less actives. We haven't been able to get a hold of any of our investigators. :( But we've been working on searching for those who have fallen away from the church. In a YSA...there are lots. We are starting to see slowly but surely, people are coming back. It's so exciting! There have been lots of small miracles this week.   Something we've been working on a lot lately is the program for the zone conference trek. I am soooo excited. We've been having practices every day and  it's just been amazing. I am really connecting with the character I'm playing, her name is Eliza Snow, an actual ancestor of mine. The script has been written out so beautifully. It really helps me to identify with the pioneers and the struggles they faced. This weekend is our first performance for the conference in Wasilla, then the following weekend id Anchorage, THEN we get to take a fun little 7 hour road trip to Fairbanks and do it there. I'm SOOO excited. I can't wait to actually perform it.   Also, last Monday we hiked the MOST HUGE mountain I've ever seen in my life. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was large. And it was way hard to hike. The elders like SPRINTED up the mountain...we were like "K meet you at the top in a couple hours..." It was SUCH a beautiful hike though! Like...holy cow. I can't believe I live here. Getting to the top was so amazing.   I am so incredibly blessed to live here and to be a missionary. I just love this work. I love this gospel. I have such a profound love for the pioneers and everything they endured so that we can have this restored gospel in our lives today. Their hard work and sacrifices were not in vain. I just love them SO crazy much. This church is so true. I know it with every fiber in my being. I KNOW that the lord lives and loves us so much we can't even comprehend it.   I love you all! Have a fantastic week! Sister Hallmark    Flat top! Hiked that!   Made it to the top! Cool Book of Mormon shot. :) Just another practice with the traveling trek group. I love them all!