Hello From Temple Square!

Hey everyone,

I suppose some of you are still chuckling about this turn of events. If there was ever any doubt that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor...doubt no longer. He does. Hence, I am here in the last mission on earth I ever wanted to be in. ahahaha And I am here with a smile, a happy attitude and a prayer in my heart for a certain visa to Spain :-)>

Sorry about the no communication. So, I found out last Friday night that they did NOT, in fact, have my visa and that they were temporarily reassigning me to...yes...Temple Square. I would say kharma, but that's not real, so it must be Heavenly Father humbling me again...as usual, since I have lots of things to be humbled about.

So, yah, since last Saturday morning I have been here in SLC at Temple Square...not in Spain. It's been a wild ride. So different than I expected and so different from every other mission...They changed everything here a couple of years ago so that sisters can teach potential investigators and referred contacts until the local missionaries take over. So time is split between walking Temple Square and the 2 Visitor Centers trying to talk to everyone when most of them don't want to talk to you...and calling people...on the phone...yes, you have permission to laugh hysterically at this, knowing me and my phobia of phones. I'm faintly remembering some quote about "out of the frying pan and into the fire?" Yes, there's Heavenly Father and that sense of humor again. Ok ok, I can't actually blame Him because this is what I asked for. Back in March of this year--the night that I chose to serve a mission--in a prayer I told my Heavenly Father what I wanted, knowing that I would receive it because it is a righteous--albeit painful--desire. I told Him that if I was going to do this, if I was going to serve a mission, I didn't want the easy way out. I wasn't going to pray for Him to make it easy. I wanted what was going to make me grow the most, to become the person that only He knows that I have the potential to be. If I was going to do this, I was all-in; I wanted the kind of mission that would change me and my life forever. So far, He's kept up His end of the bargain to the "t," as He always does.

Where does that leave me? haha Well, this week has certainly been the unexpected. haha It is different, but I am learning so much, in ways that I wouldn't have chosen otherwise, but are the best for me. My trainer, Sister Clayton, is from San Diego and is great. She is very calm and caring and seems to be best friends with every sister missionary on the Square. She has a quiet sense of humor that takes me by surprise sometimes and always keeps me on my toes. She's been out 9 months tomorrow, I believe, and training/senior companion is all very new for her...and she got stuck with me. Poor soul. She'll get lots of blessings. Neither of us is super out-going when it comes to starting conversations with strangers, so we struggle and figure it out together! ahaha Heavenly Father always finds ways to bless those who do their best to serve Him...even if they are anything but good at it.

President and Sister Holmes are amazing--so funny AND fun. I've been rather spoiled here so far in lots of ways--I got to take an "explorer day" and experience Temple Square as a visitor this week. The re-edited Joseph Smith movie is even better than the original! We get to open and close it almost every day. I watched the whole thing during explorer day, but will have the first 5 and last 15min of this movie down in by next week. haha

For Halloween, well every holiday I'm told, Sister Holmes takes care of the sisters. The Square closed early and we got to eat pizza, candy, sing a few Halloween songs...and watch not one, but 2 movies!!!!!!!!!!!!...any guesses?...Despicable Me and The Best Two Years. It was amazing and helped so much with my first week here.

Yesterday, we got to attend the Bountiful Temple for a session. Wow. It was incredible. (And it was snowing!haha) Afterwards, the Temple President and his wife, the Callisters, had a private meeting with all the sisters and it was phenomenal. SO much food for thought my brain still has not been hungry.

Today is p-day, obviously, so we are heading to Walmart after this, so I can finally get some food. I've been living off grapes, apples, oatmeal squares and grape juice that I was able to have another Sister pick up for me whose first day was her p-day. haha They gave us $60 cash and I 'dunno' how long it's supposed to last, but we'll see what I can get. I can dip into my reserve funds, too, if needed. It is nice but weird to finally be cooking for myself again. Oh, there is a Sister here from Sweden, Sister Vennerholm, I believe, who knows Landon Lane! They met in Sweden before his mission. Everyone knows the Lane's! :-) And another Sister who knows Evan Moss and his new wife...I think she and her companion know Kelsey and Ari as well, but not 100% sure. There are sisters here from everywhere! Including Spain! But I can't really talk to any of the native spanish-speakers in spanish because it is a mission rule to only speak english unless giving a tour or calling an investigator who speaks that language, which also means there's no scheduled time for language study either. Depending on how long I am here, I am VERY nervous about losing the spanish I've learned. But I wake up 30 minutes early before running to read and study spanish every morning, so I hope it's enough. Heavenly Father will bless me for being obedient and trying, right? Right.

Unfortunately, 'dearelder' along with everyone else thought or thinks I am in Spain right now, so I haven't gotten any letters or dearelders this week. I assume I'll get them when I get to Spain--not sure. But here is the address here:

Sister Clarissa Dalton

UT SLC Temple Square Mission

50 N West Temple St BSVC

Salt Lake City, UT 84150

If you sent anything through 'dearelder' this week, I didn't get it so sorry, no shout outs. But I'd love some this week or letters or emails or whatever! haha Maybe 'dearelder' would come through here if you changed my mission from Barcelona to Temple Square? I dunno. Sorry :-/

Well, that's about it. I'll write some paper letters today, too. It has truly been the best and the worst week so far--so I must be in the right place, yah?ahaha That's what first weeks are for. Thanks for your prayers and support. I can feel them even when I can't read or see them. And who knows, maybe when I get back, I'll want to talk to everyone I meet all the time and talk on the phone 24-7...and maybe not ;-) heeheehee I love you all so much!!!!

Les quiero,

Hermana Dalton

P.S. 5 of us came here waiting for visas. Pres. Holmes named us "The Forgotten Five."ahahaha And we are the "weird" sisters who have nametags in different languages and no flag attached. :-) heehee So funny/awkward.