Sister Kellee Jo Walker's Tucson Mission Adventures, July 28, 2013

Thanks Everyone for being so patient while I entered all your emails, and got Sister Kellee's blog updated!

We miss her lots, but love that she is serving her Heavenly Father!

Please take a moment of your time when you can and Send her a note, she wants to hear from you all. 

 Sister Kellee Jo Walker

Arizona Tucson Mission

939 Chapala Drive

Tucson, AZ  85704-4516

PLEASE send this blog link on to your family members and friends, she wants to share it with everyone!

Prayers and more Prayers will help her reach her Goals and keep her safe!

Love, 

Joe, Becky,  SIster Kellee and Keaton

Sister Kellee is Working HARD!!! July 15, 2013

"We had over 60 lessons over the past 2 weeks which is INCREDIBLE.  We have been go go go and there's the pic of me passed out during personal study!! Haha, it's hard work, but very rewarding.  I hope you are proud!"

"It's sooo hot here, like you have no idea.  Don't ask me how I know this but, the toilet water is even hot.  Not warm, HOT!  I take back wanting to live here.  Utah is fine enough.  It's nuts.  Hot weather + wind + rain + thunder + lightning = wet ,sticky and exhausted Kellee!"
(Notice, even though she says it's HOT, she is still bundled up in her minky blanket!  I knew there was a reason I sent a big warm blanket with her!)

I really am loving it so much here. It rains a lot around 7 pm and monsoons everywhere. The roads get flooded and all the cars just have to stop until it's safe to drive again!! The humidity is almost unbearable but thankfully this season only lasts 2 more months and THANKFULLY we have a car. (It's funny how in one sentence she does Not want to live there, but in the next sentence she Loves it!)

     The thunder and lightning is awfully scary.  I wish you could see the sunsets, they are sooo beautiful here."  (I thought that maybe she was showing us pic of a fire!)

Exchanges with Sister M for a day.

"We are working our tails off.  I sincerely feel like the Lord will be here before we know it.  What are you guys doing to be prepared?  I am reading the Book of Mormon again, and think it would be cool if we all read it together!  I only have about 15 min a day to read though:("

"This week has been nuts. I have a cold and have been a little under the weather but I just keep pushing myself because I don't even have a desire to rest. I want to serve with 100% obedience. I'm doing a lot better today so don't you worry!! Just say a prayer that my nose will stop running. hahaha"

"This is going to sound crazy but we have taught over 90 lessons over the past 3 weeks. I don't know if you understand how INCREDIBLE that is, but it truly is a blessing. People are lucky to teach 15 lessons a month and we've taught 90 and it's not even the end of the month!! We are seeing miracles everyday and I am learning so much!! I hope I come back with a better understanding of this gospel and a greater appreciation for my savior.
The people I meet are amazing. They have a lot ahead of them but I have such a love for them all."

"We met this guy named H. who is a raging alcoholic with 3 kids who all have different mothers. He is currently married to a woman who is in jail,  but he has such a desire to come unto Christ. He wants so badly to change his life and to give his children the life they deserve. My companions and I were all writing down his telephone number and he said, "Dang, 3 pretty ladies writing down my phone number all at once!! I am looking for a new wife!!" HAHA I could not stop laughing. We also met this sweet beautiful 19 year old named Wendy. She has a 1 year old son and her boyfriend lives in Mexico because he doesn't have citizen-ship here. My heart aches for her. She is lonely, confused about her love life and wants so badly to find somewhere to belong. She came to church with us yesterday and she just cried. She has found that place to belong and she is ready to be baptized. We just need to teach her about the Law of Chastity because she is afraid that if she stops doing those things with her boyfriend, then he will leave her. So we are praying for her and hoping her boyfriend will understand and respect her decision. I wish I could just talk to you on the phone and tell you all about these amazing people I meet. Hahah "

"The worst feeling in the world I have decided, is when a person you have been teaching decides to stop taking the lessons.. It breaks my heart into a million pieces. Sweet S. dropped us today and I felt like someone punched me in the gut. Satan works on these people to the point where they find a reason to stop seeing us. And all we can do is bear our testimonies and hope they will change their mind later. This work is really tough but the miracles we see over and over again outweigh the hard times."

"Keaton, I heard you went to the cabin!! That's so weird because this whole week I had a huge desire to go to the cabin, haha.   When I get home, we can take a trip up there and just hang out together!  Also, I wish you were here to squish all the nasty bugs. There are SO MANY BUGS. It's gross."

"Dad, your birthday is coming up!! I sent you some stuff in a package so keep your eyes out for it!! I hope you do something really fun for your birthday. And make sure you eat some chocolate cake for me!! I have been craving chocolate cake so bad."

                              "I love you all so very much and I miss you just the same.
The Lords work is progressing and I am so privileged to see it progressing every hour.  The work out here is booming, and a lot of the reason is from the members in the ward.  Be sure to encourage the ward at home to find people for the missionaries to teach.   This Church is true and there is no doubt in my mind about it. God has given me all that I have and I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve him in return. Be safe and remember my love for you all grows each and every day. God be with you til we meet again."

Love always,
Sister Kellee Jo Walker

  

Sister Kellee's First week in Tucson! June 24, 2013

Her Cute Sister Companions! In the middle is Sis D, from Draper (Yeah! close) and she is their 12 week Trainer. Sis O is the other newbee from New York:) (I think there will be a road trip after her mission to visit!  What a great excuse for our family to go to the Hill Comorah pageant!)   They look like REAL siblings!

Her Mission President Brother and Sister Killpack, from Delta, Utah.  How cool is that! When she gets home, she can just drive down to visit them!!!!

The whole crew that arrived on June 24th.  18 Sisters and 10 Elders.  The biggest group this President ever had arrive on one day!  GOOOO Sisters!!! (and Elders:) They all arrived on one small plane.

Just some thoughts from her letters...
"As a District, we have a goal of teaching 20 lessons a week and in my companionship, we taught 30!!  How incredible is that !  We teach lessons to people we meet on the street, less active and Members.  We mostly just listen to the spirit when we teach and it is incredible how much I've learned.  I'm getting more brave at confronting people and not getting my feelings hurt when they slam the door in my face.  HA and I'm really just having a blast.  The temperature was 122.  The members told us that the temperature broke a record!!  
We are teaching an Indian (he's from India!) named Ali.  He got sent to the United States when he found out he had cancer and the day we knocked on his door, he had just received the news that he had beaten cancer!!  He told us there was a reason God kept him on the earth and he knows it was because he needed to hear our message!  He has a hard time speaking English but he can feel the spirit and I think that's enough.  We ordered him an Arabic Book of Mormon and we're just taking the lessons slow so he can understand.  He was a Vet back in his home and he had a pet LION!!! Ali holds a special place in my heart because I was the one who knocked on his door!!
Also, Elder Donaldson was in my YSA ward back home and he went to my high school and he is in my ZONE!! That means we get to have dinner together every night and go to the same church   It's funny when people find out that we already know each other. 
 We are assigned to the more poor side of the city.  The houses here are sooo sad Mom.  These people are kinda miserable and not very willing to hear what we have to say.  It's sad to see the poor conditions they live in.  When you said that it would be like a third world country in some areas, I didn't expect it to literally be like that.  But it just makes me SO grateful for what I have."

Then on Monday, July 1st, Joe had to call Kellee's Mission President with some very, very sad news.  It's even hard for me to write this now... and its been a few weeks.  This is why there have been no posts for a bit.  
On Sunday, June 31st, our very good family friend of 24 years died in his sleep.  Taylor Wright, the Son of Paul and Lisa and the Brother of Morgan, our very bestest buds, went home to his Heavenly Father.  
It was hard not to be with our Kellee when she received this news.  I needed to be there to hold her... but needed to trust in my Heavenly Father that he would be able to comfort her through others.  I'm soooo glad that they are in a tri-companionship, it took the strenghth of all three Sister's to help Kellee through this sad event.  After a Priesthood Blessing for her comfort, they all three knew they needed to get back to work harder and harder. 
 Kellee said, "Mom, my heart is VERY heavy, I cried and cried and cried.  I don't know why I cried so much.  I think perhaps because I can't be there for Morgan, (our best family friends for over 28 years).  She has gone through SO much and now I can't even be there to give her my love.  That absolutely breaks me to pieces.  Give my love to them please.  PLEASE.  I've been praying all day for their family and the District here is praying as well, so hopefully they will be able to feel of our love."

What a strong little Sister Walker that is so Faithfully and Obediently willing to serve her Heavenly Father.  
We LOVE you Taylor, and will be on our best behavior so we can be with you again:)

Kellee's" 11" Whole Days in the Missionary Training Center!!!!

Kellee seemed to  LOVE her whirlwind stay at the MTC. 

 Her statement was, "Things here are crazy!!! My schedule is go go go go all day, non stop!  I sleep a good 8 hours, but I'm still wasted by the end of the night.  I got a top bunk and it's pretty awesome, except making the bed is really difficult.  (Hummm, notice the words, 'making the bed'- which NEVER happened at home!)  We had a MOUSE in our room.  Our room is in the newer dorms, but somehow we got a mouse in our room!  He was a cure little fellow that just snuck under the door, he probably wanted food.  Because you know what happens when you give a mouse a COOKIE....HA!! (probably one of Aunt Mary Ann's cookies!)

This is her 'take' on the MTC food,

 "You'll be so proud of me!  I have been eating pretty much ALL the food they serve.  They give you a lot of options, so I can always find something to eat!:)  They also have BYU ice cream every Wed and Sunday.  I LOVE IT.  And every type of cereal you could imagine.  They also let you have coke for breakfast (no caffeine though)."  

Well, I'm sooo glad that the MTC is letting my Daughter choose what she wants to eat.  It sounds like a very(?) well rounded and nutritional diet.... ice cream, cold cereal, and coke for breakfast..Yeah:(.  That is probably why she told me later that she had gained 10...yes, 10 pounds in the MTC!  I thought I was a good cook, but not as good as coke and ice cream for breakfast!!

She enjoyed the "Spirit" she was able to feel at the MTC, 

 "Mommy, i really think you'd love it here, The spirit is so constant!  I've almost forgotten what it feels like to not have that constant feeling, it's completely amazing.....   I won't lie, it is really different. I'm not going to say hard, because its only hard if you're not willing to try.  I've learned to really rely on Gods support.  He has been with me these past few days and I know he's the reason I'm still here.  You have to have 100% faith that you can do it.  I really LOVE it here Mom!  I'm a little unorganized, but I'm happy Mom.  Christ is here. I'm blessed to have his presence with me constantly!!!  And thank you for your Prayers, I feel them daily and that's what keeps me going.  I remind myself that this is the way the Lord wants us to learn, then accept it and soak everything in.  Don't dwell on the rules, on the time, on the people at home.  Like Bishop said, Just BE OBEDIENT.  Its cool to see how Obedience has already blessed my life this far......Now the days are FLYING and I'm just really excited to get out in the field and meet all those people who have been prepared by God for me!!"

We love Kellee Dearly, she has brightened our home, even when she has been away!

I hope your group LOVED the JDAWGS package!  It was fun trying to get it to the MTC still warm! And the Cookie package from the Dolinar's, and all the other Daily packages.  It kept me busy, and healed my heart to serve you!

Aside from a few Camera problems, and needing to send some of her LARGER items home to make luggage weight, a torn-brand new purse/bag, double ticketing of her flight at the airport, her lost luggage that didn't make it with her to Tucson, AZ, (yes, Delta can get luggage all around the world, but apparently not to Tucson!!)  She made it to Tucson!! on June 24, 2013:)