Malia Walker was looking forward to starting missionary life on Sunday, April 6, 2025. But before she was officially set-apart, she reached out to family and friends one last time. I was so happy when I got a text from her, as we had become fast friends last fall when she volunteered to help me with a Church Public Relations event. (She’s a great girl and gives me faith in the young people in the Church today.)

She was getting set apart on Sunday, so I wasn’t surprised when she texted me on the Wednesday before to see if she could come and say “goodbye.” It was a surprise, however, when I texted her back and asked if she wanted to attend the Clay County Commissioners’ meeting with me the next day. I was accompanying one of our stake leaders, as our clergy has the privilege of giving the invocation once a month at the start of the meeting.

“Why did I text her that?” I remembered thinking. “She knows I’m a bit quirky, but is she going to want to come to this?” I thought. I had a busy week and knew I didn’t have a lot of free time, and I thought it might be fun for her to see local government in action. Besides, Malia had befriended one of the commissioners, Jay Johnson and his wife Nicole. This would give her a chance to say goodbye to Jay.

All was going according to plan, but as I was racing over to the county courthouse that evening, I got the call that our stake leader was running late, and would not be able to say the invocation. After about 15 seconds of panicking, I thought, “Well, I wonder if Malia would be willing to give the invocation? She is after all days away from being a ‘leader’ in our church as a missionary, a representative of Jesus Christ.” But would she do it? There was no time to find anyone else…Malia had to step up to the call.

As I walked into the courthouse, I gave Malia a nervous smile, and squeezed her arm. She knew I was up to something, when I declared, “So, I need a tiny favor.”

As the go-getter I had come to know over the last few months, it took very little convincing to get Malia to agree to say the prayer. Unfortunately, it took a little bit more convincing the county clerk that Malia was capable. But, as I explained Malia was about to be a full-time missionary, and that in our Church children learn to say prayers in public at the ripe age of 3, the county clerk reluctantly agreed. 

Malia did a wonderful job, blessing the commissioners, the community and asking the spirit to accompany them as they made difficult decisions. I was relieved. Malia was relieved. The clerk was relieved.

Now my asking Malia to tag along to the commissioners meeting didn’t feel so silly. Maybe it was even divinely-inspired. 

“I was surprised when Sister Garcia asked me to come to the Clay County Commissioners’ meeting with her, but I went with it,”Malia Walker (now Sister Walker) said. “It was really cool being able to be that example, and jump in to help when it was needed. It was a little nerve-racking, but it was a good experience with being bold and doing my part in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.