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!

Thundering & Lightning!

Dear Family:

Wow you really have had a crazy week! I am so glad Grandma is doing well! I’ve been praying for her! I’m glad you’ve been able to help Mom. Give Grandma and Grandpa a big hug for me!

Dad, I’m sorry to hear about the arbitration. I know that you had put a lot of time, effort, and heart into it. I have to share something cool about our meeting with Elder Christofferson. He had opened up the meeting for a Question and Answer session and after a few questions one Elder piped up and asked Elder Christoffersen how we can utilize the power of the Atonement more in our lives (pretty profound question) and his reply was POWERFUL! He talked about how the Atonement is crucial for our ability to repent, and its necessary for perfecting our weaknesses, but what most of us fail to remember is that He will eventually bring justice to all where injustice has been done.

He testified of the ability to forgive and let go, trusting that Christ will keep His promise. For us though, we are responsible to turn over those feelings completely to Him. He’ll take care of the rest. I am so grateful for the power of forgiveness and the ability to move on. The power of the Atonement is REAL we just have to let it work within us. I wish you could have been there and listened to him Dad. It was amazing!

Well we said our good-byes to President Robbins this week. I sure am grateful for faithful priesthood leaders. (I am just terribly grateful for the priesthood!) Instead of doing interviews this transfer he chose to hold a meeting with our individual zones and gave us one last training. We’ve seriously been spoiled as a mission because President Robbins is an incredible teacher and I love the way he uses the scriptures! I’ll never read the Bible the same again! He taught us about the Book of Revelation and it was INCREIDBLE!

When Joseph Smith said the Book of Revelation was easy to understand and illustrated plain and precious truths… he was right! I never really believed it because Revelation was so difficult to understand. The moral of the story for me was that we just need to follow the prophet. He knows what he’s doing and he’ll guide us to safety… spiritually and physically.

Speaking of the Book of Revelation, doesn’t it talk a lot about thundering and lightnings? Ha ha… I know the weather isn’t usually the most exciting thing to hear about in these emails but I just have to tell you… We’ve had the coolest storms! They are amazing! I love to sit on our balcony at night and watch them! Do you remember the story of Zion’s Camp when the mob was coming for the Saints to kill them? Joseph reminded the brethren to have faith and God would provide a way to get around their persecutors and then that HUGE storm came and stopped the mob. I love how Joseph said, “God is in this storm.” It sounds so corny, but I think that sometimes in these HUGE storms we’re having. It even says so in the Book of Revelation.

I love being a missionary! I love the strength we are given from the Lord! Sometimes life is just hard! But it is guarantee a whole heck of a lot easier with the gospel(Don’t tell my English-major companion about that last sentence. okay?

I love you lots and lots and lots!

Sister Painter

I Shook An Apostle’s Hand!

Elder Christoffersen



Dear Family:

I have never had so much to say in so little time. So bear with me if this email is all over the place. This week has been one of the craziest, if not THE craziest, week of my mission. Honestly, it was probably the most difficult I’ve had to go through as well. It’s like the pattern of the First Vision: when Joseph Smith was about to have a huge spiritual experience Satan did everything in his power to stop him.

The same is true today in our lives. When we are about to have huge spiritual experiences that devil is going to do everything he can to try and stop up. So let me tell you if there was anything that could go wrong this week, it did. That is no exaggeration. I won’t get into all the nitty gritties because trust me… it was horrible. But I know now that the light of the Lord will ALWAYS dispel the darkness when the time is right.

I guess I will share this one story: It all started on Tuesday when our car got hit, and to make matters even worse when I got out to check on the cars and the drivers I soon the realized that the driver who hit us was as high on drugs as high heaven. It was terrible. (I’m telling you all of this expecting you not to get freaked out okay!)

We were fine, the cars were fine, but he definitely wasn’t fine. So we got him to pull over at the gas station and had to call the cops. While we were waiting for them to get there I was talking to him and he told me his name, etc. I was devastated when he told me he was 19 years old. Oh it made me so sad. Here we have missionaries preaching the gospel at 19, and this kid could have killed someone driving high. We had to watch him get arrested and that definitely left a black cloud on us for the day.

Here’s the cool part: the next day was Zone Conference. It was such a tender mercy! Not only was it Zone Conference, but it was our last conference with President and Sister Robbins and the last one of the Cincinnati Mission. It was a powerful, powerful experience! I’m going to have to send you all the notes sometime because it was amazing! (I just don’t have much time to tell about it.) Then President made the announcement that on Sunday Elder Christoffersen would be in town and wanted to hold a special meeting with the missionaries before he left! Ah! It was that moment that my companion and I realized why all hell was breaking loose in our area. But that was definitely a motivator to get through the week no matter how badly both of us wanted to give up… and we made it!

So yesterday! Ah! It was AMAZING! We got to sit and learn at the feet of one of the Lord’s living apostles. (And I got to shake his hand! It definitely was one of the most tender experiences of my life so far. After this crazy week all I wanted was to be able to feel the confirmation of the Spirit that this was indeed one of the Lord’s servants called to lead his restored church on the earth today. And guess what! It happened. I received a sweet reaffirming witness that this is the Lord’s church, that He has living prophets and apostles and that this is His work!

No matter how hard the devil works he can never imitates the peace that comes from the Spirit of the Lord. There is nothing better than that feeling. He left with an apostolic blessing on President and Sister Robbins. We were all in tears. And then he left a blessing on us. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so confident that the Lord loves us and is aware of our every need.

I am way out of time! Maybe I’ll get some notes to you later! Just know I love you! And I know the Lord loves you! He does. There is no doubt about it!

Lots and lots of love!

Sister Painter

Strengthen Our Fortifications. . .

June 7, 2010

Dear Family:

You must have been praying for no more tornados because it worked! Haha. We had some incredible lightning storms but no tornados. Phew.

On Wednesday night we were at the church for our scripture study class (which I might add was the best class EVER) when one of the members came in and mentioned that we were in for a big storm. We looked out the window and there it was rolling forward, these big black clouds. It was crazy. All the scouts, youth, parents, and scripture study participants ended up camping out at the church for a few hours because of the storm.

So I have to tell you about that scripture study class! It was sweet! The lesson was about Fortifying our Families as taught from the Book of Mormon. First we read in Alma 59 where there were no fortifications to protect the people and the unfortunate result, and then read in Alma 50 where Captain Moroni made extensive fortifications to protect the Nephites. So naturally what did we do? Built a fort! (I included the picture.) It was a great fort: heaps of earth, pictets of timber, tall towers..

We likened that to our families and the things we have to do to fortify our families: family prayer, scripture study, testimonies, prophets, faith, repentance, service, family history, temples, etc. It’s incredible what the Lord has provided for us! Our family isn’t going to be attacked by Lamanites (thank goodness), but its being attacked by Satan and his temptations. When we remove those things Satan has direct access to our family. One of the saddest things about my mission is seeing the results of families with no fortifications.

We see it practically every day. It is really, really, really sad. We have the best family we really do! We need to do everything we can to protect it. You’ll have to read those chapters for family home evening next week, or even tonight! :)

Can you believe my year mark is this week! Ah! I hadn’t really thought about it until I got a letter from Molly and she pointed out that my “farewell” was exactly a year ago that day. Eck. That is crazy! Six more happy months!

I just have to tell you how much I love being a missionary, even when its dang hard! The best part is watching others learn and grow and become truly converted. I think watching Judy has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life! We don’t do much, she does all the hard work, we’re just here to answer her questions. She has the fire of the Spirit with her! It’s amazing! She started the Book of Mormon and read all the way through Jacob in a matter of weeks. It was super tender to watch her struggle through the Isaiah chapters. We told her all of us struggle through 2 Nephi, seriously..

I can’t tell you how many times I started the Book of Mormon with the best of intentions and then hit 2 Nephi. I remember once, growing up, when I started the Book of Mormon at Jacob and then read through 1&2 Nephi last. Haha. I think that was the first time I read it all the way through. But she was so determined to read it. If only we, as long-time members, had that same determination.

That’s the commitment for the family this week: Will you keep reading the Book of Mormon with determination to get something out of it? There is power in that Book, there really is. I know that it will strengthen our fortifications against Satan, so it’s worth the effort!

I love you lots and lots and lots!

Sister Painter

Look What I Found In Ohio!

P.S. Look at what I found in OHIO! ha ha!


And I included a picture of the best district EVER!

Columbus Mission. . .Here I Come!

Dear Family:

Guess what! Sister Cahoon and I made it through the BIG transfer! So guess what else! I’m going to be in the Columbus Mission! Wahoo! Not that Charleston would have been bad, but they don’t have a temple so I’m a little bias. Columbus Temple here I come! We are super excited. That also means that we’ll be here in Wilmington the next 9 weeks. Sister Cahoon is especially grateful because she didn’t want to go to a new area for her last transfer. So that’s the good news, the really sad news is that half of our district got transferred to “the other side” so they’ll be in a whole different mission. We were so sad because this was the best district we had ever been in. Oh well… on to new adventures.

The other good news: No tornados this week. Phew.

Wilmington is doing excellent! We’ve been blessed to teach some of the neatest people! Seriously! Oh! I have to tell you the best part of our Memorial Day holiday. So the branch put on a Memorial Day Branch Picnic at the church with lots of food, games, etc. Well they just happened to have some sidewalk chalk there. When I saw it I remembered something someone told me, I think it was Tyler Cottrell, about how in Washington D.C. they would draw out the Plan of Salvation with sidewalk chalk while they were street contacting. So I thought this would be a great opportunity. I enlisted some help and we drew out the Plan of Salvation in the church parking lot. It was fabulous! The best part about it was when David, our 17 year old investigator, came over and I taught him the whole Plan of Salvation lesson! Ha ha.

Oh man! Brittany! Way to share the gospel! That is really neat that Chloe’s mom is letting the missionaries come over. Just keep being a good example to Chloe!

And tell Taylor congrats! He’ll love that mission! There was a sister missionary that returned home from that same mission while I was in West Chester. She would come out with us all of the time and gave us a lot of good ideas. They are having a ton of success out there! From the sounds of it their mission president is really great!

It sounds like all is well at home. I sure love you lots! Here’s a parting quote: (one of my favorites!)

"God loves us. He is watching us. He wants us to succeed. We will know someday that He has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us. If we only knew it, heavenly hosts are pulling for us-friends in heaven we cannot now remember, who yearn for our victory. This is our day to show what we can do-what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly, make for God. If we give our all, we will get His all from the greatest of all." Ezra Taft Benson

Thanks for all you do! Keep praying for no more tornados! :)

Sister Painter