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