Highlights for the Week

Dear Family & Friends:

Sorry this email is a day late, but things are closed on Holidays in a small town!

So few highlights from this past week!

Last Monday we had zone p-day down in Cedar Rapids so we played sand volleyball for two hours and then went to the church and played volleyball for another two hours straight!  It was so much fun!  We then were able to spend the evening finding!

Tuesday is our service day and so we were back to the Community Center helping with the Meals on Wheels and calling BINGO!  We also helped at the Historical Center where we finished polishing all of the silver!  I didn't even make a big mess!  That evening we were able to have dinner with the Garvin's which are such an amazing couple in our ward, but who are moving to Utah in a couple of weeks :(  they have been directors of the Mexico Temple Visitor Center, and served another mission in Argentina, plus they are such amazing branch missionaries that they will be greatly missed!  After dinner we were able to have a lesson with AJ, who is one of our investigators.  He enjoys assignments and so each time we meet with him we leave him several passages of scripture to read with 3 questions that he is to answer by the time we meet with him next.  Which it is always exciting when we go over there and he shows us his assignment because we are better able to gauge how he is progressing and where his level of understanding is.  It is neat though because he is schizophrenic, but he has talked about some of the changes he has noticed within himself as he has learned more, and he enjoys coming to church, and has been praying a lot more!

Wednesday, we were able to meet with several of our recent converts in the area and to help strengthen them as they make the transition of being a member of the Church.  It is so neat to watch them as they grasp the gospel, and as they are excited about everything they learn.  Two of the recent converts that we were able to see on Wednesday are going on a temple trip to Nauvoo in June, and so V was so excited about getting the temple recommend so that she will be ready to go and participate that day!

Thursday was surreal, as I was getting ready in the morning I could remember one year ago that day getting ready, and riding in the car with my parents to be dropped off at the MTC.  What a wonderful year it has been!  Anyways, we had zone conference in Iowa City all day Thursday and so we rode down with the Templeton's and the Elders in our ward.  What a wonderful meeting it was.  Sister Jensen trained on the Power of Fasting, to help us as we prepare for a mission wide fast that will be coming up in the next week or so.  President trained on the importance of families and the doctrine of the role of a family!  The AP's focused their training on helping each of us remember the reasons we chose to serve a mission, and what we want to have become by the end of our mission.  We also received training on the Doctrine of Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End).  

Friday:  What a wonderful day Friday was!  First off it was May 23, 2014 and Mount Vernon's Zip Code is 52314!  Exciting things in this small town!  We began our day early at the elementary school track helping with the last day of running club, so Sister Stoffers handed out the medals at the end and I helped serve breakfast!  Plus we got sweet running club t-shirts that have a character from the movie Frozen, (I had no idea who it was, so it was one of those times that you realize that you have been out on your mission long enough that you are completely lost when people start talking about some things).  Anyways, after running club we were doing our studies when one of the members dropped off some music that she wanted Sister Stoffers and I to sing at her mom's funeral the next day.  And yes you read that right. .  Sing. . . . haha umm granted I have never sang before in my life really, and had no idea how to sing a part. Sister Stoffers and I practiced for 2 hours and then I just said, I can't ruin someone's funeral because I can't sing.  I won't be the one responsible for ruining a funeral.  So we started thinking and called the Cedar Rapids 1st ward Sisters to see if Sister Bingham could come to my rescue.  Granted it took a while to go through all the channels to get it approved for them to come up Friday night and sing Saturday, but they finally came to the rescue, and I didn't have to ruin a funeral!

Friday afternoon was when all the zip code day activities were taking place, and the Branch Boy Scout Troop had put together a seek and find photo scavenger hunt where they had to break the code, so we were able to help out with that activity and then had dinner with the Buttorf's!



Waiting for the scavenger hunt participants on Zip Code Day

Saturday morning we were able to go and help the Garvin's set up for their moving sale, and then Sisters Bingham and Stoffers practiced the song with the accompanist and then we attended the funeral.  The woman whose funeral it was only has one of her daughter's whose family are members, so it was a neat funeral service because they had branch members speak on the Plan of Salvation!  

Sunday was really neat and interesting.   I learned a lot from things that took place in the Branch and how you need to look for the teaching opportunities that are presented whether you are a parent, a leader, a missionary, who ever, but being able to take situations and handle them in the right way so that people can learn in an environment of love.  Also, AJ was at church so that was exciting!

Yesterday was a good day as well.  We started off by playing tennis with the Eskelsen's and the four MT. Vernon missionaries have improved a lot from the last time we tried playing tennis.  After wards we had brunch with the Eskelsen's and then headed to the church for a Memorial Day BBQ.  After the BBQ we went at played basketball, and then were able to contact a few potentials and we were finally able to set up an appointment with Jennifer!

Well, I love you lots and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Call

Hello!!

Hello from Mt. Vernon!  

Just an overview of my week.

Tuesday we had service at the community center where we called BINGO and helped with meals on wheels.  That afternoon we help at the historical society in Lisbon, IA, where we were polishing silver, which I am pretty sure it was my first time ever polishing silver and I was definitely a rookie!  I had the polish stuff all over both of my hands, as well as the table, and the dish I was working on.  But by the end I was getting a little bit better.  The Mayor of Lisbon was at the historical society while we were polishing the silver and she told us to never ask for silver, because it is a pain to take care of.  

Wednesday was great because I was reminded that I was in the country.  We were driving to try and find a member who lives out in the middle of nowhere and literally we drove on a road that told us to enter at our own risk.  These back roads reminded me of serving in Carthage where we would have to drive on gravel roads through corn fields, and we would just stop the car in the middle of the road to take a picture.  

Thursday was great because we had zone training meeting and so we headed down to Cedar Rapids for the meeting and President and Sister Jensen were there so we had wonderful trainings from them!  Sister Jensen talked about how as mission president & wife they have responsibility for helping each of the missionaries who come out on a mission with a testimony to return home converted to the gospel.  So her training was more focused on our own conversions, and as we become more and more converted to the gospel we are then able to touch so many more lives.  President has been focusing his trainings on chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel, which covers the Christlike attributes.  So his training for this month was on Virtue which and honesty.  President told of an experience he had when he was a Stake President and then Elder Eyring was visiting their stake.  President and Sister Jensen had picked up Elder Eyring from the airport and were heading to the stake center when they got to a stoplight that wasn't working, but all the cars in front of President were turning left on a red light, even though the light clearly wasn't working.  President said he remembers trying to decide what he was going to do, whether he was going to turn like all of the other cars, or if he would strictly obey the laws of the land.  When he got to the light he ended up turning right, to then do a u-turn and make it through the light.  To which Elder Eyring said "President, you chose wisely."  President said that he has reflected on this experience often and came to the conclusion that if he would run a red light with an apostle in the car, what else would he do.  President and Sister Jensen are such amazing examples to all of us and are so pure and Christlike!

Thursday evening we were able to have a lesson with our investigator AJ and we were able to go over prayer with him and how he can use prayer to help him overcome his addictions.  AJ has such a strong desire to learn and to be closer to his Savior that he asks for homework assignments that will help him in between our lessons!

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings we get to help with a running club for elementary and middle school age kids which is put on by some of the members in our branch!  And so Friday morning at running club the Eskelsen's (members who put on the running club) daughter invited Sister Stoffers and I to have lunch with her that day at the high school.  The Eskelsen's are wonderful because they want all of their friends to know the missionaries and to have exposure to us, and so we even helped out at their youngest daughter's birthday party on Saturday!  

Saturday was another wonderful day.  We began our day over at V's (recent convert)  where we were helping her husband with yard work.  As soon as we were done at V's, we rushed home to get ready for the baptism of April and Jethiah, who the Elders had been teaching!  April and Jethiah were so excited for baptism and the Spirit was so strong!  It was really neat, because on the baptismal programs they had a space for each person to write down their thoughts/feelings/testimony so that at the end of the baptismal service each person hands the program to the individuals who were baptized and they have all the thoughts/experiences of those who were in attendance!  

Sunday was also wonderful as we were able to attend church, have lunch with some members, and have a lesson with Chris.  We had asked Chris to read 1 Nephi 3 between our last appointment and Sunday, so when we showed up he had read chapters 3,4 and 5!  It was neat as we were going over the scriptures and how we are focusing on helping Christ to increase his faith, and realize a need for Faith in Jesus Christ!  

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

Love, Sister Call

P.S.  Mt. Vernon is good!  It is a small town, with small town mentality, so people are pretty relaxed and in no hurry to get anywhere.  Like the speed limit is 20 mph.  I don't think I have even seen a 20 mph sign before I arrived here.  

We are having Zip Code Day on Friday because Mt Vernon's zip code is 52314 and so it will be May 23, 2014. Anyways, that's about as exciting as it gets here!

New Area!!

Dear Family & Friends,

Last Monday Sister Brown and I got the phone call from the Assistant's saying that Sister Brown was staying and that I would be leaving Des Moines.  Transfers are always bittersweet, because you love the people and the area, but at the same time you are excited for the unknown.  Tuesday and Wednesday we ended up saying good byes to many people that I have grown to love in the Des Moines ward!  We were able to talk briefly with Gary on Tuesday, and he said that he would be at church, but I wasn't in Des Moines yesterday to know if he came or not.  

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to spend close to 6 months in Des Moines and for all the lessons I was able to learn, and the people I grew to love!

Along with saying goodbyes there came the challenge of trying to pack everything back into your suitcases, which is extremely difficult when you have to have clothes for all the extremes of weather and when you haven't moved for 6 months, but after the purchasing of some vacuum packing bags, getting rid of stuff not needed, and sending a few boxes home, the task was accomplished!  

Thursday morning was an early morning and of course I am just like the rest of the family where, on the days that you are to go somewhere, you can set the alarm for earlier than normal, but your body will still wake up long before your alarm goes off.  Anyways transfer meetings are always exciting to attend.  Every companionship that was getting a change arrives at the Stake Center in Iowa City, where you mingle and talk for a little while, and then everyone eventually sits down in the chapel as the mission presidency trains.  After the training President Jensen reads off the transfer assignments and that is when you find out who your companion will be and what area you will be serving in.  

I am now serving with Sister Stoffers in the Mt. Vernon Branch!  Which, it was really neat, because right before the meeting I was talking with Sister Stoffers who we were both trained by Sister Thompson, and then she was companions with Sister Lindgren who was my MTC companion. And I was companions with Sister Whipple, who was Sister Stoffers' MTC companion.  So during our conversation before the meeting we said that all that was left was that we (Sister Stoffers and I) needed to be companions. 

Mt. Vernon is a small town, very similar to the size of Carthage, IL, which is quite the change to Des Moines, but I love it!  Like on Friday, we went and helped one of the members, who lives out in the middle of corn fields (imagine that in Iowa), anyways we helped build an arbor, and then helped gather eggs. An experience that I never got in Des Moines!  

This is also my first time being in a branch, but the branch members are so wonderful and so down to Earth.  

Yesterday was really neat, because we met with Jacob, who is a high school student that was doing a project on religions and had happened to come across the mormon.org website and requested missionaries so that he could gather information for his project.  He doesn't have much of a religious background, but we were able to teach briefly about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it was really neat, because he was asking questions and the Spirit was working in him, but he also wasn't familiar with the feeling of the Spirit.  But it is really neat how the Holy Ghost works and how it does bear witness of all truth!

Yesterday was a wonderful Mother's day and I am so grateful for the influence that women have on each of us and the power that comes from their Christlike examples!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Call

Sister Call, Nan Ku, Cho Ku (English every Friday with them)

Elder and Sister Crapo!  

Sister Strayer helped us out so much in Des Moines!

 

Carrie

 

Andelin girls!

 

 

Andelin family!  Such an adorable family!  The girls would come and talk with me every week at church, and their oldest daughter is the one that drew a portrait of me!

 

 

Mary Ann:  she devoted so much time studying the gospel!

 

All of Sister Broome's companions that are still in the mission field!

L-R  Sisters Stoffers, Call, Templeton,  Elders Templeton, Lewis and Mattson

Building the arbor.