Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays Family and Friends:


Sisters Call and Broome

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas Season as much as I have!  What a miraculous event the birth of our Savior was!  And how everything we have is because of our Savior. 

top: Hermana Phelps, Hermana Stroud, Sister Broome

Bottom: Sister Call, Sister Delau, Sister Jensen

Last Monday we went over to Elder and Hermana Peterson's apartment with some of the other missionaries for some Christmas games and a white elephant gift exchange.  That evening Sister Broome and I were able to serve dinner at the YMCA.





Hermana Stroud and Sister Call with the bus passes.



 

Tuesday was great!  We were on exchanges and so Sister Broome went with Hermana Phelps and Sister Delau,  and Hermana Stroud came with me.  We had talked with the elders and they had agreed to allow Hermana Stroud and I to borrow the car for part of the day, but since Hermana Stroud has never rode the bus, we decided to use the bus for the day.  And as always you are able to meet more people on the bus which makes each ride exciting.  We were in a hurry for most of the day and so we would catch our bus and then speed walk where we were going.  Poor Hermana Stroud was freezing, but she never complained.  In fact it wasn't until that evening that she said that when we had stopped for a bathroom break that her legs were red from the cold.  We had a great lesson with Carrie and Hermana Stroud is wonderful at asking questions and tailoring the lesson to the person.  Well when we were almost finished at Carrie's, Hermana Stroud asked what Carrie's favorite Christmas song was. And so we (well more like Hermana Stroud)  sang "O Holy Night"  to Carrie and I would sing a few of the lines that I knew.  Now I will be the first person to admit that I am not a singer, but Hermana Stroud is, and at the end of the song Carrie says to Hermana Stroud "you have a beautiful voice"   she then turns and says to me "you have a pretty voice."  hahaha. . . Anyways we had dinner with some members and visited two other members and then met up with the other 3 sisters and went caroling for a short amount of time. 

Now for Christmas day we were allowed to sleep in until 8:00 a.m.  which sounds so great any other day besides for Christmas.  Because I don't think I have ever slept in on Christmas morning.  So sure enough this Christmas was no different.  I woke up during the night and thought for sure my watch was broken because it said it was only 2:30 a.m., but the clock in the kitchen confirmed that time.  So I went back to bed.  After waking up several times afterwards, I laid in bed until Sister Broome sat up at 6:30.  I was so excited that I jumped out of bed and she asked if I was ready to open presents.  Ummm. . .  I was feeling a little charitable and said that I would go ahead and shower so that she could sleep for another 15 minutes and then we could open gifts.  haha oh I'm still a little kid on Christmas morning!  People were so kind to us and so it was a lot of fun opening up gifts and reflecting on the loved ones we have.  The Hermanas came over around 9:00 to end our exchanges and then the ward mission leader's wife came and picked up Sister Broome and I, because they were having the missionaries over to their home for a Christmas brunch!  

 

Christmas Brunch with the Des Moines ward missionaries
AP  Elder Anderson, Sister Call, Sister Broome, DL Elder Bowers, Elder Swenson, AP Elder Saunders.

Afterwards we went to the Olsen's home where we called/skyped home! And oh how wonderful it was to talk to the family!  I am so blessed to have such an amazing family, but am so grateful for this opportunity to share what makes my family so happy (the gospel)  with those I come in contact with here in Iowa.  We had Christmas dinner with the Salt Family and their tradition is to have Thai food for Christmas dinner which was really good, but something I have never had on Christmas day.  That evening we went over to the Mission home and saw President and Sister Jensen, the office couples, and some of the other missionaries in the surrounding areas.  They had 17 Miracles playing downstairs so we were able to watch the ending of it! 

with President and Sister Jensen

Thursday was another good day.  We went and had a lesson with Dawn.  Anyways we then had a day after Christmas lunch with some members and this was basically another Thanksgiving dinner but it was so delicious!  After the lunch we had our last District Meeting before transfers which take place January 2nd. 


Des Moines District minus the AP's

Elders Dutson, Bowers, Swenson, Bowden, Sisters Call and Broome

bottom row: Elder Smith and Elder Smith

I have never rode the bus so many different places and routes as we did on Friday.  So it was fun, and it was like in the 45 degrees both Friday and Saturday so it was a wonderful day as we were able to have a lesson with Alice as well as some less actives. 

Okay so I about had a panic attack when I arrived to church yesterday.  I looked up at where they have the hymn numbers in the chapel and the closing hymn was not one that I was told, nor was it one that I knew how to play, since I was asked to play the organ for the closing song and postlude music.  Now you have to understand that I have never played the organ for church, nor do I really know how to play the organ.  So panic mode took place and I went up to the organist who was playing the rest of the songs for the meeting, but then I looked into the program and realized that the song numbers hadn't been changed from the ward that met right before us.  Also, the Christmas program we were supposed to have for last week, they were doing this week so I needed to play Silent Night!  Tender Mercy because I am more comfortable playing that song.  Well President and Sister Jensen attended our sacrament meeting, so all together we had 15 missionaries in our ward yesterday.  I had Sister Bachelder (organist)  leave everything set up for the organ so all I had to do was play it like a piano.  Heavenly help was there, because I don't think I messed up while playing.  But what worries me is that as I was playing the postlude music Bishop said to me "Oh Sister Call you are in trouble. You should have never let us know that you could play the organ."  Anyways Sunday was good, we helped with Singing time in Primary.  Got the car from the Elders, visited a few potentials, contacted  a referral, and had a lesson with a less active. 

Transfer calls are today and so far we have not heard anything, but Sister Broome has a feeling that she might be leaving so we will see what happens. 

Anyways, I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

 
Love, Sister Call

sketchy elevator

Merry Christmas!!!

Dear Family and Friends:

 

Monday night we had Sister Tobias and Sister England come and spend the night at our apartment.  Since our apartment and the Hermana's apartments are the closest ones to the mission home we end up being the hotel a couple of times a transfer for different events.  Sister Tobias was going on the departing temple trip on Tuesday so that is why they were able to come.  Anyways  it was cute, so Monday evening I was talking with Sister Tobias and we realized that in mission terms she is my "aunt"  because she was trained by the same person that "mama t" (aka Sister Thompson) was trained by! 

 

Hermana Houtz and I

Hermana Houtz and Hermana Harkness who came out with my group, and have been waiting on their visas to head to Argentina finally got their visas and headed out on Wednesday, so it was a crazy week.  Also, Hermana Stroud was sick and so on Tuesday I went and stayed with Hermana Stroud for the day, while Sister Broome and Sister England worked our area and Hermana Phelps and Hermana Houtz did what they needed to in their area.  So cool little fact that I found out Tuesday, Hermana Houtz's family owns/runs the Dairy Keen restaurant in Heber City, UT!  

 

This week Sister Broome and I were able to visit a lot of less actives which was very rewarding because several of them opened up and discussed how they didn't feel like anyone was listening to them, but after several of the ones we visited we both felt very strongly that they were the ones that had needed us that day! 

 

Friday there was an ice storm so the sidewalks and roads were extremely slick and it made it a little bit more difficult to walk.  Sister Broome has fallen a couple of times and luckily she hasn't gotten hurt, but we have been able to get some good laughs out of it. 

  

"snow storm"  that cancelled church

I play  the piano every week in District meeting and I led the music at the last Zone Conference.  Get this.  So this week Brother Edwards called and asked if I could play the organ for the closing hymn at church on Sunday since he would be gone and all the other organ players are involved in Primary and can't play the closing hymn and postlude music.  So being a missionary you can't say no.  So Thursday after district meeting I went and tried practicing on the organ at the stake center.  I opened it up and looked at it and thought to myself "ya I don't have a clue what I am doing or what I am supposed to do.  That one 30 minute lesson four years ago hasn't stuck with me."  haha so I tried to figure it out, but then decided that I would just ask one of the organ players Saturday at the baptism to briefly show me what I am supposed to do.  Luckily Sister Bachelder came to the baptism and showed me what I needed to do to make it through the song. 

Our Christmas tree in our apartment

Sunday was crazy.  We found out that all cars in the mission were grounded, so we called a member for a ride to church,   Well it turns out that church was cancelled in most of the wards and branches across the mission on Sunday.  Snow Day from church???    Oh well I haven't had many, if any snow days in my life, let alone a snow day from church.  Funny thing is that the church that is right next to my apartment still had church and their parking lot was full.  umm. . . . so I was able to read quite a bit of the Book of Mormon, before we went out.

 

Last night we went over to a member's home for dinner and they had an Irish wolfhound dog, and so I was playing with her and it made me miss Lucky, and realize how much I miss playing with a dog.  Anyways we are doing well and we have to laugh,  because it seems like the times that we have the car the weather is really good.  Like the other day it was 45 degrees here.  But of course Sunday it snowed 4-6 inches and now it is 1 degree with a low of -10 degrees today.  So I just have to laugh.

 

Well I can't wait to talk with all of you in two days!  I hope you have a wonderful day!

Anyways I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and that you know I love you all very much!

 

Love, Sister Call

A Good Week

We survived another week without the car and using public transportation and without fail interesting experiences come along.  

the coveted bus pass

Tuesday was a pretty good day, but it sure was cold!  Anyways we started out helping one of the Less Actives paint her living room,  afterwards we were able to go and do service at the YMCA.  We then headed over to Oakridge where we had some great lessons with Alice, Odell, and Dorothy!  With Alice we focused on Faith in Jesus Christ and the spirit was so strong, and she accepted the baptismal invite!

 

Wednesday we were able to meet with Carrie and she didn't remember a whole lot from church, but she did like it and wanted to go back. She ended up coming again yesterday! So that was exciting. 

 

As we were riding the bus on Wednesday we were at one stop and this lady got on pushing a stroller with a teddy bear in it.  It totally made my day! 

 

Wednesday evening we went and had a lesson with one of the African families, and then they fed us dinner, which was my first time eating real African food.  As we were eating dinner, we were helping them with their English and they would tell us the words in their language, so there was a lot of laughter as we were both trying to speak the other's language.  But good thing is laughter and smiles are universal among languages. 

 

Thursday was amazing!  We had zone conference here in Des Moines that went from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.  The first half of zone conference was trainings from the A.P.'s and President and Sister Jensen.  President focused his on Jesus Christ and Sister Jensen's was on the gifts that the Savior has given us such as repentance, eternal life, being an example, etc.  We then had lunch, and then the afternoon session started.  Each district presented their musical number or skit and it was so fun to see different personalities of missionaries come out during the skits! As well as just to sit back and relax.  After the skits were over we then watched "Ephraim's Rescue."   AMAZING! 

Our district moments before going on stage.

Saturday morning was our ward Christmas party and the missionaries in the ward had been asked to do a musical number for it.  haha.  Anyways there were so many people at the party!  Tons of less actives and some non members it was fantastic!  So after the ward party we decided to celebrate at a frozen yogurt place since we survived the musical number. 



Des Moines ward missionaries

L-R Elders Bowers, Swenson, Sister Call, Sister Broome, AP Elder Saunders, AP Elder Anderson

Okay,  Saturday night was a little creepy.  We had a media referral that we were going to at 7:00 pm  and so we were walking over there from the bus stop.  And I have felt very safe here in Des Moines, except for when we were walking that night.  We passed one guy that tried to pick me up and was yelling different things, as well as a car full of guys about a block later that were yelling things from their car.  Basically I was saying a prayer the entire time that Heavenly Father would protect us.  We did arrive at the referrals home and she ended up being a member from Liberia, but hasn't been to church since she moved to Des Moines about a year ago.  She is going to come next Sunday, but she was talking about how she had been an African Pioneer for her family and how all of her kids are members in Africa, and how she is going to come back!

 

Yesterday was wonderful!  It the Christmas program for Sacrament meeting and for Relief Society, and the stake put on their Christmas performance!

I can't believe how fast time is going by, but what a wonderful time of year to reflect on the gifts that the Savior has given us, the gifts that we can give to Him, and the spirit that comes with Christmas!

 

I love you all!

Sister Call

Season's Greetings from Des Moines Iowa!

 Dear Family & Friends:

 

The weather is still cold and this week we were sharing Christmas messages with some of those we were visiting, but it hasn't really felt like Christmas time until yesterday when it finally snowed! 

 

On Tuesday, Hermana Houtz spent the day with Sister Broome and I because her companions went to Mission Leadership Council in Iowa City.  It was a lot of fun to be in a trio for a day.  We were able to go to the Hermana's service, which is at one of the libraries and you go and visit with people that are trying to learn English.  So I was able to talk to Quoh from Vietnam for the hour we were there!  After the Hermanas service we were able to go to the YMCA and perform service there as well.  The appointments that Sister Broome and I had all fell through, so we went and visited people that the Hermanas work with.  So it was interesting because Sister Broome and I would sit there as Hermana Houtz taught in Spanish. 

 

The Bishop and Relief Society President have had us focus on finding and visiting with the large list of less actives in the ward, and so a lot of our time is spent trying to locate and make contact with people that the ward hasn't been able to contact.  Which I have enjoyed because we have been able to meet some wonderful people as well as relieve some of the work load from the ward council members. 

 

Anyways highlights from this week

 

Carrie:  a less active that we have been working with.  She hasn't been to church since she was 9 years old, but she loves us coming and has said that she is ready to come to church whenever we can help her get a ride.  So this week when we were visiting with her, Sister Broome and I promised that we would do everything in our power to make sure she had a ride to church.  Then when we were at Coordination meeting we told our Ward Mission Leader of this promise and so he volunteered to pick her up.  Due to health problems she was in a wheelchair, and so they assigned one of the young men to push her to and from the classes.  She looked so happy at church and she participated in each of the classes!  One of the members mentioned to us that as she said hello to Carrie that Carrie has a special spirit around her that lets you know that Heavenly Father loves her! 

 

Thursday we had Zone Training meeting which are always wonderful.  One of the trainings was on being yourself as a missionary.  Use the strengths, talents, and more importantly your personality in your missionary work.  Which was a great reminder, because when you aren't yourself then missionary work is rough.  At Zone Training they also mentioned that Sister Jensen (President's wife)  said that the mission as a whole has been pretty stressed out and so for Zone Conferences this week each district is to come up with a skit from the Book of Mormon or a Christmas song.  haha well it has been a lot of fun trying to come up with a skit, and we are finalizing all our plans today for the rest of P-day, so we will see if it will work out.  But we are trying to do the book of Nephi in 7 minutes.

 

We were able to watch the 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional last night!  I loved it!  Especially Elder Nelson's talk about the Prince of Peace and how the true, unfailing source of peace comes from our Savior! 

 

Another "highlight" from the week came yesterday as we handed over the keys to the car to the Elders and we got the "coveted" bus passes!  haha another week full of adventures on the bus is on it's way! 

 

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

 

Sister Call

Lots to be Thankful For

Dear Family & Friends:

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and had time to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for!  For the past week or so I have started a gratitude journal and so every night before I go to bed I write down all the things that I can think from that day that I am thankful for, and now several pages are filled and I haven't even began to scratch the surface.   We truly are so blessed, but sometimes we take too many things for granted. 

 

Sister Broome, Santa, Sister Call

This week was pretty good!  Last Monday after emailing and shopping we went and met up with several other sister missionaries at the mall and so we got our picture taken with Santa and just enjoyed spending time with each other.  After our p-day was over Sister Broome and I caught the bus down to the YMCA where we volunteer at.  We were able to serve food for the dinner, and it was fun because Sister Broome now knows most of the people that come and eat! 

 

Well this week we didn't have the car and so we had to figure out the city bus system.  Something that I am not familiar with at all.  Anyways each night during our nightly planning session we would plan out what routes and transfer locations and what not that we would need to take for the following day. .  .  umm . . . you could tell how tired we were the night before, solely based off how our routes turned out that day.  Needless to say we caught some wrong buses and sometimes ended up walking further distances than originally planned.  But hey one of these weeks we might get the bus system down.  In some ways I loved riding the bus this week.  Yes, it is a pain to not have a car, but oh you can meet so many interesting people on the bus, and something that was really neat, was that each time that we discovered we were on a "wrong" bus, we ended up talking with people that the Lord had placed in our path.  So in some ways there is no such thing as a "wrong" bus.  Anyways, Wednesday evening we went to catch the bus home, and we didn't have the schedule  for the bus route that we were going to be taking, so we sat down to try to figure out where we were, and then a bus showed up.  So without thinking we got all excited and jumped on the bus.  Shortly after the bus started moving we discovered we were going outbound instead of inbound. . . making our trip significantly longer than planned.  Well shortly down the road a couple got on the bus and sat in the row behind me.  Peggy (the woman sitting behind me)  commented on the head band I was wearing.  So we started talking.  And we talked.  And we talked.  We talked for at least 30 minutes and then as she and her husband were getting off they said "thank you for the inspiration and hope you gave us today."  Once again, proof that it is almost impossible to be on the "wrong" bus. 

 

Another neat experience that happened because we didn't have the car this week.  We had been at Oakridge (where most of the African refugees live), and it was getting to be time for us to head home. So we called a sister in the ward to come and pick us up.  So Sister Broome and I were waiting for her to come, and it was cold outside.  So we were trying to stay warm.  Like I would jump up and down for a little bit.  Finally we decided to say a prayer for Sister Strayer to be able to find where we were at in a timely manner.  Not even kidding within 30 seconds of finishing the prayer she pulled up, and she mentioned how she had been driving all around the complex trying to find us. 

 

Do you ever stop and ponder how powerful prayer really is?  Or even the power of the Priesthood?  or scriptures? or Prophets and Apostles? Or the Atonement? or anything and everything that Heavenly Father has blessed us with to help us through our journey here in mortality?  If you haven't  take a moment now to ponder how much your Father in Heaven loves you.

 

 Thanksgiving was an interesting day.  I'm not going to lie, Thanksgiving feels really weird away from home and not being able to help cook all the food for it.  But the day was really great!  We had dinner with the Anderson's.  It was Brother and Sister Anderson, their son Aaron who has Down Syndrome, the elders in our ward, Sister Broome and I.  So just the seven of us, which is quite different from the Thanksgivings at home with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Dinner was really good though and between dinner and time for pie we played Pictionary, Andersons vs. Missionaries.  Umm, there is something about being married for 35 years that gave the Anderson's a slight advantage over us.  haha  The Anderson's started and they made it half way around the board before they missed a turn.  But we had a lot of fun. 

 

Another highlight from the week was on Friday.  We went to visit Hawa and Alleyia (Sister Broome's) recent converts.  And Hawa was going on the recent convert temple baptism trip the following morning.  And she was so excited.  Little Alleyia is the cutest little 8 year old and she was so sad that she wasn't able to go to the temple on Saturday.  Anyways as we were finishing our message with them, their next door neighbor, Odell, came over and made the comment that one day she would join our church.  So we taught Odell on Saturday and she is now a new investigator! 

 

Since we were at Odell's on Saturday we dropped by to see how Hawa enjoyed the temple trip.  The spirit was so strong in her home!  She literally glowed and beamed as she talked about the temple experience.  She talked about how beautiful and peaceful it was, and how she cannot wait to go back.

 

 

Anyways, these are just a few of the highlights from this week!

 

I love you all!

Sister Call

 

New Area

Dear Family:

 

I was reviewing the week and I still can't believe that all of it has happened just this past week! 

 

Sister Pierce & Sister Call

On Monday we had dinner with the Lowder's and then that evening we received transfer calls from A.P. Elder Saunders. Transfers are crazy and I try to come up with every possible combination for transfers, but somehow they always come up with one that I never thought of.  So once again that happened.  Elder Saunders told us that we would both be leaving Dubuque and that it would all make sense at transfer meeting, but since we were both leaving that we would need to write up information about the area and the people we were working with, so that the new companionship would know what was going on.  Needless to say this came as a shock to quite a few people and the members of our district would not believe that we were telling them the truth when we said that we both were being transferred.

  

Well needless to say I didn't sleep for the next three nights as my mind was racing.  The next couple of days were bitter sweet.  On Tuesday Sister Pierce and I volunteered at Hills and Dales for our final time and I can honestly say that I am going to miss that place.  I loved the clients and we were the only regular volunteers so they became really attached to us, so it was hard to say goodbye.  Tuesday afternoon we went to the library and typed up all the information about our area.  I felt like I was going on the TV show "Wife Swap"  where the wife leaves a manual about her family.  Anyways we had dinner at the Rasmussen's and then went over to the Saitos home, because the Marshallese in our ward were throwing a going away party for Elder Tekanene, Sister Pierce, and I.  I am so thankful for the time that I was able to spend working with the people of the Marshall Islands.  They are so generous and kind that they treat you like family!  They all sang "God Be With You Til We Meet Again." 

my Dubuque district

Elder Tekanene (district leader for past 6 months)

 

The Zirkers

Tuesday night we ended up calling our zone leaders and they approved a sleep over with the 1st ward sisters at our apartment.  Since the other sisters didn't have the car this week and Sister Farnsworth had a doctor's appointment Wednesday morning.  It was a lot of fun and a good way to end our time up in Dubuque.  Anyways on Wednesday we had district lunch at Olive Garden, and then that evening we said some goodbyes.  It was hard to say goodbye to some of the members and people that we worked with.  We went to the Zirker's and then had dinner at the Beytien's which will always be my home in Dubuque!  I am going to miss them so much and how much they helped us out.  They were so sweet and gave Sister Pierce and I  each a Dubuque, Iowa t-shirt, and a quilt. Then Brother Beytien showed us a couple magic tricks because we were leaving, and still I don't understand magic at all, but it was fun.  We then dropped by and said goodbye to Thora and she was so sweet and said that she was about to cry. 

 

Brother Beytien, Sister Beytien, Sister (Grandma) Beatse, Sister Call

Well I had planned on getting up around 6:00 Thursday morning, but after being wide awake for most of the night I got up shortly after 5:00 and started to get ready for the day.  Well the big news from transfers is that I am now serving in the Des Moines Ward with Sister Broome who is from Dalton, Georgia and has been a member of the church for about 2 years and has been on her mission for 1 year.  Anyways, I am so excited to be serving in Des Moines!  I am serving in the same ward as the AP's, our District Leader, and the office missionaries (the Gardner's and the Simmons).  I am now in the highest baptizing ward in America so it should be good!  We got back to Des Moines and then went out to the car so and it was completely iced over, because there had been an ice storm.  We didn't have an ice scraper, but luckily the Hermanas live in the same complex that we do and so we were able to borrow their scraper until we could get our own scraper.  We had dinner with the Cluff's and then went and visited a less active sister. That is sort of Sister Broome and I's  responsibility is finding, teaching, and nurturing the less active sisters.  Because we have over 600 people in our ward directory and quite a few are less active. 

Sisters Broome, Call, Jensen & ?

 

Friday marked 6 months of being a missionary!  Oh so in our area there are the refugees from Africa, so Friday evening we were visiting some of the refugees and as we were walking between the buildings, some guy said "you are so white, you are brighter than the snow."  haha granted this man was drunk, but yes he was able to point out the obvious that I do stick out like a sore thumb, but I already love the African people.  They are so kind to us and they always give you a hug! 

 

View out of our window the first morning in Des Moines!

Saturday was way busy we contacted 2 referrals that we had received.  Visited several less actives,  found 2 new investigators, had district lunch and district meeting, taught a recent convert, and attended stake conference.  The theme for stake conference was missionary work.  So President and Sister Jensen spoke and for the intermediate hymn they had all 63 full time missionaries serving in the Des Moines stake come and sing.  Sister Whipple was there and literally my heart jumped as I saw her walking up to the stand!  OH it was so good to see her! 

 

Yesterday was also full of miracles.  We had stake conference and then that afternoon/evening  Vania (a convert of about 7 years) came out with us and she has absolutely no fear whatsoever about sharing the gospel and talking with others!  She is a riot.  So we were doing some less active finding and trying by some former investigators.  Well one of the formers lives in a locked complex, so we buzzed in and no one answered, but a man came into the entry way so Vania first starts talking to him and he said that he was a member.  Which caught us off guard, so we clarified that he was  a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and sure enough he was and the Bishop had visited him not long ago, and he is actually having Thanksgiving with the Bishop.  Anyways we were able to go and teach him and the Spirit was so strong!  And Vania is going to pick him up for church! 

 

Well a lot has happened this week and I am excited for the Holidays even though I don't know the members here, but I hope you all enjoy Thanksgiving!

 

Love you,

Sister Call

First Snow

A few highlights from the week.

We had the first snow storm last Monday, but the rest of the week wasn't as cold.  Although we did get a lot of rain, and some lightning and thunder.  Whenever it is cold and windy as Sister Pierce and I are outside we tell ourselves that we are enjoying a cool ocean breeze from the Marshal Islands. 

We had Zone Training Meeting in Clinton on Wednesday, which was wonderful.  Our training was on the three most important things to HELP others with that will strengthen their relationship with their Father in Heaven.  These three things are prayer, reading from the Book of Mormon, and church attendance.  Three things seem so simple, but make the biggest difference!  It made me think about President Hyde and how he said when he was Bishop whenever individuals would come to meet with him he would always ask if they were reading the Book of Mormon, saying their prayers, and attending church meetings.  The Zone Leaders also emphasized HELPING others keep their commitments rather than just hoping for them to keep them.  

Another part of the training was introducing the Book of Mormon to others, and how when we explain a favorite food or movie we get all excited and describe it in a way that by the time we are done the other person is wanting to try whatever it is that you were describing.  And how we need to do the same thing with the Book of Mormon.  Because in all reality it is the greatest thing that we have to share.  

Another highlight was on Friday we went and dropped by Thora's which we haven't seen her in a while.  She was just getting ready to sleep for a couple of hours before she had to work the graveyard shift.  Her sister (who is a member) was out of town and so Thora was watching her niece and nephew and would be giving them a ride to church on Sunday.  She said that she would stay for church, but she worked the graveyard shift Saturday night as well and so she didn't end up coming to church :(

Yesterday after dinner at the Beytien's we were sharing a message about the Plan of Salvation and were using President Uchtdorf's analogy of a journey from his talk in the March 2013 General Young Women's Broadcast.  It was wonderful, because we had some of the YSA members there.  One who joined the church about a year ago, a less active member, and a non-member.  So when we were talking about the Plan of Salvation, Kelsey (the recent convert) mentioned how she used to think that she knew what it meant to be happy until she joined the church and found out what happiness really is. :)

Well transfer calls are today and we haven't heard yet what will happen, but by tonight we will know!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Call

Stormy Week

This week has been interesting.  One thing that I did not realize before I came on a mission was just how hard being a missionary is.  

Anyways on Tuesday it was cold and rainy, but I received the package from Mom that contained my winter coat so it arrived just in time.  It didn't  rain very hard, but it was like a mist the entire day and by the time Sister Pierce and I came back to the apartment we were drenched and our coats weighed quite a bit more from all the moisture.  Most of our plans on Tuesday ended up falling through, but we were able to visit with one of the less active families that we work with.  

Wednesday was cold and windy, but it ended up being an alright day. We volunteered at Hills and Dales, and then went to the Mississippi River Museum to look into volunteer opportunities there.  We were supposed to have an appointment with Thora but that was cancelled.  (Kind of the story of this week.)  Afterwards we went finding and then had dinner at the Rasmussen's.  After dinner we dropped by another less active in our ward.

Thursday we did not have district meeting so we ended up walking, and walking, and walking, and knocking, and knocking, and knocking.  We did have our weekly appointment with the Zirker's so that was wonderful.

Friday we drove down to Clinton, Iowa for interviews with President and Sister Jensen!   When we got there our sister training leaders gave us each a coloring book and some crayons because they said they enjoy coloring as a stress reliever.  Anyways, I was the first person from our district to be interviewed and so President and I walked into the room and President asked if I was happy, and I just started to cry.  And I cried for a long time.  Everything that I had been bottling up and how I was feeling came out.  One of my downfalls is that I am so hard on myself and want to be strong and so I finally reached my breaking point and it happened to be with President and Sister Jensen.  It felt so good to finally be able to discuss exactly how I was feeling and the stresses that I am dealing with.  

Anyways, Saturday was a pretty good day.  We started out by having breakfast and mission coordination meeting at Brother Han's house.  Afterwards we had an appointment with James and Aline.  It was by far the best lesson we have had with them.  They are great and still solid for Aline's baptism.  We went over Alma 36 with them which is when Alma the Younger is telling about his conversion story to his son Helaman.  The spirit was so strong during the lesson and as we talked about the power of the Atonement and how much God loves each of His children and wants them to feel the peace and joy that comes from using the Atonement.  

Sunday morning we woke up and had a text from Bishop saying that one of the speakers was sick and asked if I would be willing to share a few thoughts and my testimony.  I didn't have much time to prepare since we had ward council and 8 and church starts at 9.  Aline and James were at church, as well as one of our less actives!  

Yesterday we got our first official snow where the ground was white.  We went shopping with the Sisters and then went and played basketball at the church with our district.  It was so cold last night as we went out, but we survived so no worries!

Anyways I hope you all have a wonderful week!
 
Love Sister Call

 

Time Keeps Going By...

Friday night I was writing in my journal and started by writing the date, which gave me a little bit of a panic attack.  Why?  Well I realized that not only was October already gone, but the year 2013 is almost over as well.  Time keeps going by faster and faster.  My panic attack didn't last too long, because I was able to reflect on all the things that have happened in 2013 and how much has changed since the beginning of the year.  The biggest change that I have noticed is the strength of my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My testimony has been tried and tested during this year like no other time in my life before, but as a result it has been strengthened to a point that it has never been before.  How wonderful it is to have the restored gospel in our lives and to have the ability to share it with others!

 

Tuesday was a pretty good day.  We went over to James and Aline's and taught the Plan of Salvation.  They were taught all of the lessons by the Thomas', and are planning on getting married the first week of December, so Aline's baptism is set for the 21st.  So Sister Pierce and I are reviewing the lessons and/or reading from the Book of Mormon with them.  They always have great questions and are good about keeping their commitments.  Although they did not make it to church yesterday, they did make it to the Marshallese fireside last night held at the church.  

 

After our lesson with James and Aline, we went and volunteered at Hills and Dales.  This week we are going to the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium to see if we can start doing service there!  Anyways after service we went home and had lunch and then were going to finish our 12 weeks but felt like we should go tracting along a street.  So we headed to this street and the first 3 or 4 houses we knocked on, nobody was home.  Which makes you wonder if you are using your time effectively or not.  Well the next house we knocked on a lady answered the door and she was holding her dog back and mentioned that she was in the middle of fixing dinner, which for most other people is reason enough for them to tell us that it isn't a good time.  Well she invited us in and so we were able to visit with her for a little bit.  She mentioned that she feels like she knows us from somewhere she just doesn't know where.  She also went on to say how she has questions that no one has been able to answer and the biggest question she had was why did her daughter get into drugs even though she did everything to be a good parent.  (and really from the sounds of it she was an amazing parent).  We were able to talk to her about the Book of Mormon and how in the very first book there is Lehi who has two sons that are rebellious, and so she was excited to start reading.  It was neat as well, because she mentioned near the end that our story (the restoration) isn't weird, like most people make it sound.  Anyways it was a little miracle to come across Linda and we are excited to stop by again!  

 

Tuesday evening we had dinner with a family that just moved to our ward.  They have four sons under the age of 11.  I had to laugh because some of the things they did reminded me of our family.  Anyways we had dinner and had just started sharing the message, when their youngest son starts throwing up.  Well that sort of put a stop to our lesson and was a first time for me.  

 

Wednesday was super foggy and misty.  It added to the Halloween theme!  Not a whole lot went on on Wednesday and we had to be with members or in our apartments by 6:00 p.m. So we went to the ward trunk or treat party for a little bit and then went back to our apartment by 7:30 and went to bed by 8:30.  It was glorious!  Also, I got a package from Marci which she is so great, but she ran out of time so in her letter she stops mid sentence and then writes (I ran out of time, I'll finish the letter next week).  Hahaha Yes this is my best friend and I love her to pieces, basically she keeps me sane all of the time, including when we are states away from each other and have limited communication.  

 

Thursday!  Halloween!  Basically Thursday was a good day.  We had District lunch and meeting and then we went and got the keys to our new apartment.  Then we went over to the Zirker's and then Sister Lowder picked us up from the Zirkers.  We spent the evening with the Lowders.  We had dinner, then went and walked around as their daughter Mauri went trick or treating.  (umm we went down like one street and I'm sure she got more candy than I got in all of the years of trick or treating). Anyways it was a cold night so we were happy when her bag was full and we went back to their house to decorate sugar cookies.  

 

Friday we spent most of the day moving from Sister Cheung's house to the apartment, but guess what?  We ended up with some of Elder and Sister Thomas' furniture so it's like we are in their apartment!  I love it.  That evening we went to the Eastvedt's for dinner and then went to the church for a baptism.  Saturday we had mission coordination meeting at 8:00a.m.  so Brother Han brought breakfast, so I think we have found a new time for coordination meeting, but we are going to have it at his house and have breakfast each time!  We then had lunch at Sister Ogelesby's home.  She is the only member in her family and has been a member for about a year and a half, but is so amazing!  She was showing us all the family history she has done.  Basically I hope that I can find someone that was as prepared for the gospel as she was!  After lunch we went to the Zirker's and helped cut their flowers and get their yard ready for winter!  We were also able to visit with Thora.  She is now getting every other Sunday off from work so 2 weeks from now, she should be able to come to church.  We were also able to set an appointment for Wednesday with her.  

 

Yesterday was wonderful!  Church was really great and the spirit was strong.  We didn't have anyone show up that was supposed to, so that was  a let down, but other than that church was great! So Sunday evening we were having dinner at the Beytien's and so Sister Beytien asked if we had everything that we needed for the apartment, which we said yes.  Then she asked if we were warm enough or needed blankets.  Sister Pierce and I looked at each other and then said we were good, but Sister Beytien is one that you can't lie to so she continued to look at us, so then we said that we were going to buy blankets Monday.  She then got mad at us because she and Grandma Beatse are amazing quilters and have tons of quilts.  So to make a long story short, Sister Pierce and I left with 4 quilts in our arms.  

It snowed briefly for one morning, but it hasn't snowed since, and that wasn't enough to even dust anything.  This past week wasn't too bad, but the cold is coming.  I bought 2 pairs of sweater tights, and have looked for dressier boots, for the not snowy days, but haven't found any that I really like yet.  So I haven't really bought anything.

 

Well I hope you all had a wonderful week!

Love you,

Sister Call

Happy Halloween from the Lowders!

Editors Note:  This email came to our family last night.  It made our Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Lowders!

Our Family has had the pleasure of hosting your missionaries this evening. They had to be at home or with members so we took them Trick-or-treating and to a Neighborhood party with us and introduced them to all of our friends. We have had them over for dinner as well. We have really loved having your daughters in our home. They are truly a blessing to our ward and a tribute to good parents.

 

Glendon J. Lowder

"Be my Own Best Friend"

Another week has come and gone and now October is almost gone.  

 

Last Tuesday marked 5 months of being a missionary! Once again I asked myself where the time has gone.  We had exchanges with Sister Hill and Sister Murphy on Tuesday, and so unlike last time they came, this time we did not have very many appointments, so we spent most of the day finding (aka tracting).  OH its fun to find, fun to find, all the time.    

Sisters Hill, Murphy, Pierce, Call

I was with Sister Hill for this exchange and her trainer was trained by Sister Thompson.  So we had a lot of fun together.  We were able to drop by a less active sister in our ward and she talked, and talked, and talked, and at the end we were able to say a prayer, and then she opened up.  She said that she doesn't understand women's roles in the church, and so we just listened for a little bit, and then she ended up continuing and saying that she doesn't even know if there is a God.  It was great, because as we were able to listen to her she did open up and now we know more of where she is at. That evening Sister Hill and I had dinner with the Lowders, which is the family that we will be spending Halloween, and Christmas Eve with.  

We ended exchanges Wednesday morning and each time the sister exchanges end, the training leaders leave a note for each of us.  And in the note that Sister Murphy wrote to me she mentioned to "be my own best friend."  Which I thought was exactly what I needed to hear, because I think too many times we are so hard on our selves, when in reality we should be one person that we can count on for building ourselves up.  After we ended exchanges, Sister Pierce and I went to Hills and Dales for our service. It was probably the best day so far that I have had while volunteering there. Normally we work with one of the clients and we are their volunteer, but on Wednesday I think over half of the clients were all super talkative to me, even the ones that struggle being able to verbally communicate. Also, one of the girls colored a Halloween picture and gave it to me.  I love being able to work with individuals with disabilities, and am so grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation.  Where I know that these are precious souls in the sight of God.  Wednesday evening is when they have mutual and they had a game night where each of the youth brought a non member friend so there were over 20 nonmembers at mutual.  We played and mingled with some of them for part of the night, but also Thora ended up coming to the church that evening with her sister, so we spent some of our time visiting with her.  

Thursday was a busy day.  We had district lunch and district meeting, and our zone leaders were up. Then we went over to visit Sister Jodon, and her divorce was finalized so now she is Sister Toles. She is way excited for this new beginning, which is great because we were able to re extend the goal for temple baptisms in January.  She has been reading from the Book of Mormon, so we picked up where she was and read 2 Nephi 9 with her which is such a great chapter about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  After visiting with Sister Toles, we went over to the Zirkers for a lesson and dinner.  The Zirkers are such an amazing example of living a Christ centered life.  Yesterday we were talking with the Lowder's about the Zirkers and Brother Lowder said that the Zirker's are like a modern day Captain Moroni,  where we could substitute Moroni's name for the Zirkers and the verse about the very powers of hell would be shaken, the verse would still have the same meaning.  

Immediately after the Zirker's we went and changed cars around, so that we had the 1st wards car because we were to drive to Moline, Illinois and spend the night with Sister Pratt and Sister Garrett, and then travel to the new trainer's meeting in Iowa City the following morning.  I love road trips and meetings on a mission, so throw in a sleepover and it is even better.  The member that they live with reminds me of Mama Joy (who we lived with in Carthage).  Anyways on Friday we woke up and went to the meeting.  President and Sister Jensen, as well as the Assistants trained on how we can better unify our companionships and be the missionaries God has designed us to be.  They also mentioned that this coming transfer there are no sisters coming in! But there are 22 Elders that will be coming.  

We received a media referral this past week, so on our drive home from Iowa City we called her and she said that she would be out of town this weekend, but that we could come by either Monday, or Tuesday.  Shortly after we got off of the phone with her, she called back and said that she had just one quick question.  Which immediately I got worried, but then she said that her sister was being baptized into a latter-day saint church on Saturday and she was wondering if the men and women sit together in the church.  Big sigh of relief that that was the question she had, also Sister Pierce and I got way excited that she was going to attend her sister's baptism.  

 
Anyways the weekend was great.  On Sunday we were asked by several individuals if we had been able to make contact with one of the less actives. Sister Whipple and I had tried, but we hadn't been able to, so yesterday after dinner.  Sister Pierce and I decided that we would try by her apartment. We knocked and no one answered, but then one of her neighbors who was outside her door, said that she just pulled up and would be coming.  Sure enough the less active we were trying to find came in and we were able to talk with her.  She has been way busy and had a lot of difficulties take place recently and she just needed someone to listen. The spirit was so strong and it was one of those moments where you love being a missionary and you smile and all of the things that led you to her home that evening.  

Everyone here is an Iowa Hawkeyes fan.  Basically if you are a Buckeye fan you are an outcast.  haha and I haven't heard a whole lot about wrestling.  This past week really wasn't too cold (of course it was the week we had the car, and this coming week is supposed to be stormy and we won't have the car)  just my luck.  Anyways I ask myself where the time has gone all of the time.  I look at the calendar and wonder what happened.  Anyways for Halloween we have to be either in our apartment or with a member after 6:00 on the 30th and the 31st.  So the ward is having a trunk or treat on the 30th so we are going to be handing out the candy at the Beytien's trunk, and then for Halloween we are going to be with the Lowder's and have dinner, go trick or treating with  a group from their neighborhood, and then go back to their house and watch videos from lds.org and have popcorn. Basically I love the members here and hope and pray to be able to spend through this coming transfer here as well.

Well I hope you are all doing well and that you have a fun Halloween!

 
Love you all,

Sister Call