I love, love, love family history!

Dear Family:

Ah! You met the Robbins! Aren’t they amazing! I’ll tell you what… every time he gave some kind of instruction or training from the scriptures it blew my mind! He knows the gospel and he knows how to teach… and I love them both! I am so glad you got to meet them.

So we have had a fabulous week! First off, I have to talk about the temple of course. It has had a lasting impact on me, my companion, and Judy! Oh it is so cute! Judy told us this week that she is planning on driving the hour and a half up there again sometime next week just so she can sit and think. I love, love, love her! AND…

I love, love, love family history! Ha ha. A bit random I know, but seriously it’s amazing! I think everyone we are teaching has caught the family history bug! Jennifer, a recent convert (and one of the most amazing people in the world!), started it and now our whole gospel principles class can’t wait to share what they’ve found during the week with the rest of the class. Ha ha. The Spirit of Elijah is powerful! Sister Glaser has been so helpful and the new family search is sweet! We have been so blessed with technology I can hardly believe it. I have to admit when we are at the family history center we all sound like a bunch of squealing 13 year old girls. Ha ha. We just keep finding all of these miracles. It’s a blast! Mom, I’m super excited to come work on Grandpa’s line with you. I have to encourage anyone reading this to start finding your family! It is incredible addictive, I think it’s because when we feel the Spirit we can’t ever get enough of it.

So yeah, temples and family history. Just do it.

Oh I have to tell you about Mary! Mary Greene is our only other progressing investigator right now, but she has the best little family! Her 8 year old son accept the invitation to be baptized last winter so he got baptized and is just waiting for the rest of his family to follow. Mary is like the big sister I never had. Ha ha. I love her lots! Jim is a truck driver so we don’t see him very often, but he did make it to church yesterday! Wahoo! Mary said he was ready to go before she was (miracle)! We just have to work on wedding plans with the two of them.

I think the best thing about a mission is watching the change that comes into individual’s lives when they choose to follow the Savior. It is a tender experience to be able to witness that. And not just in individual lives, but in families too.

I sure love our family! We’ve been so blessed with each other and the gospel! Thanks for everything you do! Thanks for all the pictures Dad. It looked like Scout Camp was fun. Brandon is SO tall! Ah! I’m pretty sure I’ll never win another wrestling match ever again. Ha ha.

I love you!

Sister Painter

P.S. Tell Grandma Zoma thanks for the treat money. We had pizza delivered for our scripture study class! They all say thanks too! :)

P.P.S. The pictures are of 1) Sister Cahoon and I when we were lost in "the middle of nowhere." ha ha
2) Judy and I in the church garden
3) Mary, Sister Cahoon, and Jimmy (8yr old)




This is Sister Robbin's at their homecoming yesterday. Tom, Brandon, Brittany and I all went to Kearns to hear their report. It was a wonderful meeting and we enjoyed getting to meet them and hear how wonderful Sister Painter is doing.

…and I love the Temple!

Dear Family:

Can I just tell you, if coveting wasn’t against the commandments I would totally covet Hermana Blackham being able to have lessons at the Santiago Chile Temple so regularly! ha ha.

We had to make a day of it with Shawn and Judy on Saturday. (Thankfully, our mission president gave us permission to go way out of our area to take them.) It was amazing! They didn’t know you could go if you weren’t a member and they were really excited when we told them they could walk the grounds and even go inside and sit in the waiting room. They were counting down the days until our mission merged with Columbus so we could go with them. It was so tender!

So finally on Saturday we made it! We had a lesson outside the temple, and then went inside to look for a minute. And who should be waiting in the waiting room but one of the counselors in the temple presidency! It was perfect! He got to know them and talked with them for a few minutes about what they thought and how they felt. I am so grateful Heavenly Father knows what He’s doing.

Judy is just so in tune with the Spirit! I love that about her. She explained perfectly how the temple feels when she said your mind is clearer and you feel so peaceful. We had a good conversation about how Satan has no influence within those walls so that is why our minds feel clearer and our hearts feel so much peace. I just love her and Shawn…

…and I love the temple!

Going twice this week is just what I needed to fill my soul! ha ha. Seriously! I have to tell you our other temple miracle. So I know I confused you, we went to do a temple session on Thursday not Monday. I just wasn’t sure if I could email on Monday because we had to change our p-day to Thursday.

Anyway, our little temple miracle: We were driving up to the temple with the Walls family. Bobbi was going to do a session with us while Dale watched the kids outside. Well, we were supposed to leave at 9am, 9:30 at the latest. So we got to their house a little before 9:00, waiting for Dale to get back from H&R Block because of a “tax emergency” that came up. 9:30 came and went so Bobbi called them and found out he hadn’t left yet and he was still on hold with the IRS. She hung up, told us the story, and quickly gathered the family and us in the living room. We knelt down and asked Heavenly Father to help us get to the temple on time so we could do a session. During her prayer I felt so much peace. No worries, we’d be fine.

After we prayed, no joke, 12 minutes later Dale walked in. That means literally he had to have talked to the IRS right when we prayed, got in the car and drive home with NO traffic (which never happens because Wilmington is being overrun with construction). It was our temple miracle. We pulled up to the temple at 10:55 for our 11:00 initiatory session (another miracle that we chose to do initiatory first and not an endowment session).

I love the gospel! Satan will do all he can to thwart righteousness, but in the end God is always more powerful. He’ll provide a way, even deal with the IRS for you. ha ha

Being in the temple after so long was a very powerful experience. It felt incredible! One of the cool things was how real these principles and doctrines have become for me. I’ve always known they were true, but they aren’t just teachings any more they are reality. I love that feeling. I decided going to the temple is like going on a hike (work with me here).

It makes me think of one of the hikes I took in Costa Rica- on the way to the submit you get very few limited glimpses of your altitude. They are just too many trees, you can’t see through them. But finally you climb to the submit, emerging from the trees and you are able to see the beautiful vistas and the climb you made. It’s just like the temple, in life we get those few glimpses of perspective through all the trees, but in the temple we can see beyond all the trees in a perfect, limitless perspective. Sure, you need an experienced guide to point out the things you are looking at – but even without it you can appreciate the beauty of the breathtaking view. Ah! I love the temple.

I’m sorry, any of our investigators could tell you that when I get excited I talk a lot. Ha ha. I do that in my emails all of the time. Thanks for being patient with me.

To answer your questions Mom, the changes with the new mission aren’t too bad. President and Sister Jensen are wonderful! They have really been a blessing to my companion and I. Sister Cahoon has been pretty stressed about going home, but gratefully we’ve seen so many tender mercies along the way.

OH! Heather and Jared are engaged! Wahoo! I am so excited for them! Marriages and babies, marriages and babies. I thought that life at home was supposed to stop while I was out here. Ha ha. Guess not. Will you let Russ know that I expect pictures pronto when that baby is born! Otherwise I might have to disown him as my cousin.

Sorry I talk so much! Ha ha. I love you lots and lots and lots. And I love this work lots and lots and lots!

Thank you for all you do!

Sister Painter

I live in one of the prettiest places in the country!

July 12, 2010

Dear Family:

I live in one of the prettiest places in the country! Get this… last night we were driving through the beautiful fields and trees right after the sun had set. It’s always beautiful, but last night they were sparkling with thousands of fireflies! It was like a fairytale! Glitter everywhere! ha ha. It was amazing! We HAVE to come back next summer for our family vacation so you can see it! I think the west side of the country got jipped. We should import some fireflies. :)

I was hoping I would get an email about a new addition to the family this week. I guess I have to wait until next week. I’m just not that patient! I’m glad you had fun at the reunion. I’ve forgotten what its like without sky-high humidity. I’m seriously looking forward to the dry dessert air. It’s been hot and muggy here. Of course, I wouldn’t trade it in for all the riches of the world. I love being a missionary!

We had a really good week… stressful… but good. Actually, the Church of Christ marquee across the street says it all, “God promises a safe landing, but He never said it would be a smooth ride.” ha ha. It’s true. That is one thing I really enjoy about Ohio, all the church marquees. The Baptist usually have the best ones like “Stop, drop and roll doesn’t work in Hell,” or “No Parking, Violators will be Baptized.” Ha ha. They are usually good conversation pieces. In all honesty, I was shocked when I came here because there are so many churches! There are hundreds of them and they come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from little one-room brick buildings to huge elaborate church complexes.

Seriously! I have a better understanding now of Joseph Smith’s predicament finding the right church. The upside to so many churches is that most people here are good God-fearing people, the downside is they all are happy with their churches. But the truly incredible part is that God still prepares people to receive the fullness of the gospel… no matter what church they go to.

I really love being a missionary. It brings so much joy… and so much growth. I’ve been out over a year but still have to step out of my comfort zone on a regular basis. You know that quote: Who God calls, He qualifies. That has been ringing in my head the last few weeks. He qualifies us by making us grow and reach for it… and that can be a painful process. Smooth landing, rough ride. Smooth landing, rough ride. ha ha.

All of our investigators are doing great. We just got permission to drive up to the temple with Shawn and Judy on Saturday! Wahoo! Crazy. I haven’t been to the temple in a year but I get to go twice in one week! This is going to be a great week! I’m definitely looking forward to it. So we are doing a session on Thursday and driving up again on Saturday. I love the temple! Please, please, please don’t take it for granted. Our family has been extra blessed because it’s only a two minute drive from our house! Mom, Dad, will you find time to go this week? Actually anyone reading this email, will YOU find time to go this week? We definitely need the power of the temple in our family and in our lives. And I know that power is REAL!

So… lots of rambling. Sorry… I just get talking and get excited. I love you! I hope you have a good week and a good trip to the temple! Ha ha…

Happy Birthday Mom! You are the best! And I mean that! Thanks for the package!

Sister Painter

Columbus Ohio Temple. . .

"At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift, and we can 'see' things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known."

Boyd K. Packer

Carlee is off on a trip to the Columbus Ohio Temple for the first time today. She is so excited and could hardly wait for this trip. I am sure she will have a wonderful day and have a wonderuful experience she will never forget.

She told us last week because of the time it took to go to Columbus, she would not be sending a letter this week. So as a charge from Sister Painter, she wants everyone that can to attend the Temple this week to make an effort to go.






Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."

D&C 88:119

Happy 6th of July. . .

Dear Family:

Happy 6th of July! Ha ha. It didn’t occur to us that the library would be closed yesterday. Oh well. Thanks for being patient. And thanks for all of the pictures Dad! It looked like you had a good holiday! We did too! Although we didn’t get to see any fireworks, we heard lots of them. :)

We met President Jensen and the assistants this week. He is very nice and it sounds like they are doing lots of really great things in the mission, so I’m excited. Plus, WE GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE! I am super, super excited for that! But I think I told you that already. :)

We had a pretty hectic week, but it was so good! I have to tell you the highlight! We were visiting Judy and somehow the conversation turned to marriage. She opened up and told us that her hope and dream is that, even though it will be awhile down the road, that she and Shawn will be baptized and that they will be able to be sealed in the temple. It was so tender! I love her dearly and admire her patience. Shawn is doing really well, but he is still hung up on a few things. I know with Judy’s quiet faith miracles will happen! They really want to drive up to the temple and walk around the grounds. I think that would really help Shawn to be able to feel the Spirit there. We’ve been so blessed to have temples so readily available to us. I know the summer is crazy but will you find some time to attend a session after the reunion this week? It will help with all the craziness.
Okay, lots of items of business to cover really quick…

First, new mission office address.

Don’t send anything else to the Ferguson Dr. address.

The Columbus Ohio Mission Office address is:

19 Clairdan Dr. Powell, OH 43065.

You can also use their P.O. Box too:

P.O. Box 939 Powell, OH 43065.

Also, they are on a different schedule so the next transfer date is on August 5 and will be every six weeks after that. They have transfers on Thursday so it doesn’t interfere with preparation day anymore. No more Tuesday emails unless it’s a holiday. Yay!

Speaking of emails, I’m not sure yet if I will be able to email next week because WE’RE GOING TO THE TEMPLE! Wahoo! But when we do that we switch our preparation day to the day we’re going. The distance it is from here it will probably take the whole time. In all honestly, we’re still trying to figure out a whole new set of rules, so I’m not sure yet. But if that’s all the case I won’t be able to send an email next week. Don’t panic. :)
Oh and before I forget, I asked Bro. and Sis. McCleod about their truck. They bought in St. George about three years ago. They laughed when I told them they bought it from my family. Small world. Was there anything else you wanted me to ask them?

It’s been a crazy week. Lots of adjusting. But I’m grateful because the Spirit really does increase our capacities. Heavenly Father can truly make more of ourselves than we can. I love having that guiding influence in my life. Sorry for the scatter-brained email.

I love you all lots and lots! Until next week…

Sister Painter

P.S. The pictures are of Miley and Hunter Walls and me. They have become substitute little sisters while I'm here. ha ha. It helps because they look just like Brittany!