October 23, 2015 -- "Please find attached a document containing details of a full-time mission call."

Please find attached a document containing details of a full-time mission call as well as instructions for the priesthood leader to help the missionary prepare for full-time missionary service.

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Missionary Department
50 E North Temple ST 3WW
Salt Lake City, UT 84150-5400


Sister Karina Jean Baxter
4007 Bridgeport Way W Ste D
University Place WA 98466-4330
United States


Dear Sister Baxter:

Visa Status

By now you are aware that your visa to Czech Republic has not yet been approved. While this is undoubtedly a disappointment, please know that we are doing everything possible to secure your visa. 

We will notify you immediately when it is received. We ask that you and your family members not do anything, such as call or e-mail the consulate, to try to secure your visa more quickly. Such actions may actually slow down the visa process already in place.

While you are waiting, your mission experience in the United States will prove to be a great blessing in your preparation to serve in Czech Republic. We encourage you to work hard, remain focused, and be involved in all aspects of missionary work. As you serve the people in the Washington Tacoma Mission, your testimony and ability to teach will increase, you will set the pattern of study and hard work for the rest of your mission, and you will come to love the people.

Both your initial mission assignment and your current mission assignment were made by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. If your visa is not granted by the time you are halfway through your mission your current mission assignment will generally become permanent.

May the Lord continue to bless you and your family as you dedicate yourself to preaching the gospel to those who are seeking and ready to accept your invitation to come unto Christ.

Sincerely,

Brent H. Nielson


Assistant Executive Director

October 22, 2015 -- "I just got reassigned"

I just got reassigned to the Washington Tacoma mission. Some of the Starsis are reassigned too. Starsi Hymas and Starsi Swink are going to Texas. Starsi Anderson is reassigned with me, and Starsi Merril is going to Ogden, Utah(so look for him:))

October 22, 2015 -- "The day has finally come"

Okay the day has finally come to leave the MTC! When I got here I expected to have 6 nice weeks here but then I realized to learn Czech you need 9 weeks..... 

So my flight plans . . .  I leave Monday at 8:30 am.  I would have preferred to leave here at 3 am ( I miss waking up early) but it's okay. Then I go to Dallas then London then PRAGUE!!!! YAY!!

As happy as I am to get out, I really cannot deny all of the great times I have had here! It has been such a wonderful experience, and I have gotten to be with the best of people--like the wonderful zone, branch presidency, the Starsis, and my wonderful companion.

I feel like I haven't talked about my companion enough, because I really do spend most time with the Starsis, but every moment that I get to spend with her I am so blessed! Jenalyn Thiriot is one of the cutest, outgoing, most spiritual humans ever! She really did make are whole zone cry when she talked on Sunday! I am going to miss her so much! We get crazier and weirder each day at the MTC! 

Fantastic Mr. Fox comes up a ton, that is pretty much what my humor has turned into. Also, for entertainment I have found out this snapping game where you throw like your snapping hands at someone and they catch.  It is like so fun!! (I probably didn't explain that very well)

I know way too much about the males species... I think I know more about men than I do about women.  Poor Starsis Hudson got surgery.. I'd rather not tell you why..

Also I have seen a ton of people that I know in the MTC. That is always the happiest. I've seen Brittany Hulme, Jaxon Fillmore, Andrea Keller, Azure Scott, Bronson Stollworthy (he also has a long MTC stay ahead). Also Dallin from Dixie :)  

 This week I have reflected of how far I have come. One specific thing I looked back on is, somehow I got a hold of some of my old flashcards.  (After awhile of writing and studying flashcards, I realized I don't really learn from them and have kind of changed the way I memorize words by writing them on a white board multiple times and erasing) anyways, I realized I knew almost every word in that set of flashcards. I am a very slow learner, but I know that Heavenly Father has quickened my pace. He is awake and aware of me. He knows I need help, and He has helped me learn Czech this whole time--every step, every word, every verb conjugation, every case, every hacek or charka. Through this process, I know that the enabling power of the atonement is real!

Pray and take care of the earth always:)

Sestra Baxter

October 15, 2015 -- "What I do each day in the MTC"

Ahoj to the best of people on Země, 

Thanks again for all your letters and packages!

Wow times flies I will be heading to Ceskíná in less than two weeks. That is insane and super happy and scary. Well this week has been a great I have been to reflect on a lot of how far I have come from first getting here at the MTC. 

We had an awesome devotional.  It talked a lot about how we as missionaries(or I know even me before the mission) are so important how we are teaching, how we are doing, how we are learning the language , and since we are so concentrated on us we forget about the miracle that can happen in front of our eyes which is, witnessing someones change of heart to God. I reflect back to one of my first lesson with my investigator Phillip I had a planned out lesson I wanted to talk on prophets it ended up going to the Holy Ghost. I had a coaching with my teacher after I expressed to him I thought I taught a bad lesson because it wasn't planned and didn't go where I wanted it to, so I didn't have the vocab I needed. I realized as we talked on that I was blind in that lesson Phillip who was a atheist expressed to me that he had felt something. I was blinded of the miracle that God spoke to Phillip who didn't even believe in God had felt God talking to him. That experience still brings me to tears thinking about it. My head can not wrap around that fact that people don't know that they have a loving God who is their Heavenly Father, a redeeming Savior, and that they can live with people they love forever. That is my only desire to teach people of the knowledge I know. which is that The Church of Jesus Christ is for everybody! WOW do I love being a Missionary!

Tak. Well I have decided to tell you what I do each day in the MTC because my mom is curious and maybe everyone else wonders what someone does in the MTC for 9 weeks. Wake up @ 6 go run on the track and do whatever other stuff need to make the MTC food stay off your body. Then at 6:30 get ready for day. At 7:15 is breakfast. I have a bagel usually or oatmeal then fruit and cottage cheese. Then we have study time in the mornings. 1 hour personal study, then 1 hour companionship study with my water bottle (One time my teacher made me talk to my water bottle because she said to the class, "Talk to your companion," and them she put my water bottle in front of me. 

The solo jokes are endless, and even when they're not a joke. I can't tell you how many dirty looks I have gotten from elders, sisters, and even the older couples. It make me so sad sometimes. I don't mean to look disobedient. I didn't choose to not have a companion. But ya, it's whatever because I'll have a companion in 2 weeks. :)), 

Then 1 hour language study. Then lunch, which usually consist of some kind of hamburger. They try to get really creative with the names like, "Hawaiian Burger", "Mexican Burger", or "Plain Ole' Buger" or salad. So I usually just get a salad. Then go back to class for 3 hours and learn from the cute Sestra Godfrey. After that we go to Volleyball outside,except the one time I lost a rock, paper, scissors battle to one of the Polish Elders (AKA the Vampires) and we had to go inside and play. Then dinner, which usually consists of deep fried things or salad so I usually get salad. After that I have class for I think another 4 hours with the beautiful Sestra Donaldson and the awesome Bratr Knapp. Then one hour of study. After that we go back to the Res Hall and have an hour then 10:30 lights out. Then repeat.......... pretty much everyday for 9 weeks. (Hayden you're my hero, you 12-weeker.)

Oh some other great things this week.  Ha ha, the Slovak elders made a bracket with all the Disney princesses. (I have no idea when they had time for that). But the last two that made it down to was Belle and Rapunzel. I personally have to go with Belle. Also, shout out to Hayden for sending me the lyrics to the Pokemon rap because I tested one of the Polish Elders, and he knew every Pokemon. It was great! I also may get a hair cut here, like maybe 5ish inches. My hair has just turned into this untameable animal and just wants to dread.(Jade don't be so mad at me.) Oh, the new elders and sisters are super awesome and are exposing me to a lot of East Coast, and down south things I never knew. (I still think I will always be a North West girl for life. PNW is the best).  

Everyone recycle and read your scriptures this week, and say your prayers!

Love you all!

Sestra Baxter

October 8, 2015 -- "Cesky is very hard, but very beautiful"

Ahoj Fam and Friends, 

Super insane to think another week here has passed by! TIME FLIES! So news yet again. So scratch the part about my new companion last week. I actually have sweet Sestra Thiriot as my companion (the blonde in my pictures).

This week has been eventful and wonderful!!! As it would be for any missionary the week of conference! YAY sooo happy! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did! There was no falling asleep for me this year! I hope we can all reflect on something that spoke to us while super, awesome, amazing, servants of Jesus Christ spoke to us! And if we didn't get the chance to watch or listen to it, then we can go back on one of the greatest sites ever(LDS.org)  and read some. I already have:) 

Okay so some main points that I got that I think can apply to everyone (these either could have been from General Conference, Women's Conference, when Vocal Point came for a devotional, or when Sister Burton(Relief Society president) came):

• What shall I do to be born of God?
• Is there more I can do?
• Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ working for you?
• What is holding be back from progressing?
• Be the person you want to marry.
• Am I really a daughter(son) of thee? Therefore what.
• Let your light so shine and be an example of the believers:) (my fav love that prophet)
• Write a scripture on your heart each week and ponderize it
• Ask everyday and night what I can do to serve people around me.
• Let your mom and dad know how much you love them(the letters are coming mom and dad I promise!)

We (Zone 51) lost some of our most cherished member at the MTC to the mission field!: like the Croatians, the 2 Slovenes, and our 12 week unfortunate Macedonians (who were supposed to get their Visa's 3 weeks ago but couldn't because the Siberian refugees). I guess that's not a bad place to lose them to. But on a happier note, you could say Christmas happened at the MTC because we got new missionaries in our Zone. We have like 8 new Croatians, 6 of which are girls (which is amazing because the last group of Croatians was 12 boys), also some new Bulgarians, and one new Slovenian sister (poor girl). It was seriously the best. They are all so cute and kind. 

On a language note "Cesky is very hard, but very beautiful" that is my favorite phase to say. Umm I'll get it sometime I think maybe at the end of my mish' but we'll see. Haha kidding. Kind of. I am just doing my very best and trying to help the rest of my class not do push-ups because we have vocab tests and if we get something wrong we all have to do push-ups haha of course that was Bratr Knapp's idea.

Thanks for all your sweet kind letters and notes and packages.

I am the luckiest human in the WORLD!

Love you all!

-Sestra  Baxter

October 1, 2015 -- "Week 5 in the Abbey"

Hello. Week 5 in the Abbey. 4 more to go.  :)

Well week 5 has been wonderful and exciting. So we have had 7 sisters in our zone 6 which were speaking Bulgarian and then me speaking Czech. That has now gone down to six because darling Sestra Bocangra had to run of and get married haha sounds crazy but she literally is getting married! She has been praying about it since she got here. That is so happy for her:) Although I don't think this a lot, I sometimes think maybe I should get married so I can climb the Provo mountains... But then I tell myself to be patient and don't try to leave and get married just because you want to go climbing. So with this sister leaving I have a new companion Sestra Williams what a sweet darling girl from Idaho! She is also going to the Bulgaria, Sophia mish super excited to get to know her more:)

 I realized I have never told you about the zone I am in we have some really FANASTIC people like the Turks, the Macedonia's, the Bulgarians, the Czech's(whhooo), the Polish, the Croatians, the Slovaks, the Slovenian's, They are all super different but super great it has been such a blessing to get to know them for this short time through them and there examples I am already seeing how Heavenly Father knows I am supposed to be here:)

So here at the MTC you also get to watch pretty much every church event that goes one in the Church( but womens conference you have to wait a week :p) So I had the wonderful opportunity to watch the funeral of the lovely Richard G. Scott I learned of how real prophets and apostles of the Savior of Jesus Christ are. I has been made known of what a great man Richard G. Scott was and will continue to be. I would suggest going to LDS.org and listening to the last song "Come Thou Fount" in Elder Scott's funeral video it was so powerful and really testified to be oh how eternal this life is it is so much more than where we are at now!

Also had another wonderful devotional and Elder Costa spoke(wouldn't even be surprised if he was one of the new apostles). In the devotional he talked about Paul one of the apostle of Jesus Christ and one of the best missionary's that ever lived!  He said Paul desired Salvation for everyone at that moment I thought of lots of people I knew and lots of people I didn't know I relized there is not one person that I could ever meet that I wouldn't want there Salvation for! I was humbled as I thought of the times before I got my call I really in my heart desired to go where mom, dad, brother, served their mission, and also the beautiful place I was born, Taiwan. When I opened my call I knew I would go where ever the Lord wanted me to go. I was so surprised opening my call because if I was to put a pin on a map of the last place I would have thought I would go it would of honestly somehow ended up on the Czech Republic in fact I remember saying to my mom "I think even Heavenly Father he knows that I am not supposed to go to Europe" I am guessing he was probably dieing of laughter at that point. But regardless of what I thought before, each and everyday I am seeing that I am supposed to be here and that the Czech people are the people I get the privilege to proclaim the gospel. Because I want Salvation for everyone I am so grateful that I could be going to the people I least expected. I have already gained a love for them as I study their difficult but beautiful language. 

Speaking of the speaking the language, it's coming. I can honestly say it is coming a lot slower than I would have hoped, but the gift of tongues is real. 

P.S. watch conferance this week and be spiritually uplifted.  I am so stoked to watch it here at the MTC! Thomas S. Monson is the coolest person on earth. And is going to have like way high ranks in heaven, so I recommend you all listen to that great guy! 

Oh and shoutout to the one and only Alana Baxter being featured across the nations in the General Women's Broadcast. Literally cried when I saw her angelic face and was pretty sure I heard her singing the loudest out of the choir. I also recommend everyone watching her and the rest of the meeting!  

Love you all

Sestra Baxter