Hi there!!!!
This week was awesome and loaded!!!! First off we had 16 lessons and 10 hours of service and MARY CAME TO CHURCH!!!! So first about Mary, we taught her this week about the Book of Mormon. She said when she was younger that she read the Book of Mormon but couldn't remember much about it. She thought that Joseph Smith wrote it but we cleared that up quickly! We read the intro with her and she said it totally made more sense. She then said "Alrighty, I'll read it!" We asked her if she could read the first chapter of 1st Nephi before our next lessons and she seemed worried that she wouldn't be able to get through much of it. So we told her to try her hardest. Oh in that lesson, she also brought up that she decided she was going to check out our church on Sunday. We had invited her to church a couple of weeks ago and was very uninterested. So she did a total switch-a-ru! We were not sure if she actually would come, but she did!!!! And 15 minutes early too!!!! When we sat down, all the members were coming up to meet her! It was so great! Especially because when I first came the members were a little cold and reserved. They didn't want anything to do with the missionaries. There has been a huge change in the Ward and now it's so much more loving and inviting for our investigators. Mary felt "royal" she said. Members are key in missionary work! Seriously! Anyways, Mary told us she had read 14 chapters of 1st Nephi and that she has really enjoyed it! WHAT!?!?! 14Chapters!!! We had seen her two days before and she had been crazy busy. She also opened up SO MUCH! She told us about some miscarriages she had and she was supposed to have twin daughters. She told us that we were like her daughters. It was so sweet! She also said that she has been thinking about becoming a lay minister, whatever that means, I do not know, but then she said that it no longer felt right. She said that before she goes through with anything she wants to have faith like Sister Burns and I have. She wants to be sure that she is doing the right thing! IT WAS TOO AMAZING!!! So that is Mary's status. Karen was sick this week so we didn't get to see her: Keep them in your prayers. Bob came to the visitor center this week. First off, we were shoveling Marys driveway of about 2 feet of snow. We hadn't had the time to get over to shovel until this week and man it did pile up! We were also worried about going over there because she is neighbors with Bob. So we called the elders and had them come shovel with us. Bob came out and started to shovel his driveway, so we had the Elders go over and help him. They then told him that if he still wanted to take the lessons, that they would do it because they normally teach the men. He wasn't too happy about it. So then this Sunday he came to the end of church, but we weren't there because we went to the Visitors' Center after Sacrament Meeting. He searched the church for us and then headed to the Visitors' Center. So then we had come up with a plan because he called to see if i was there, so we knew he was coming. Thankfully we have two ex-cops (senior couples) who were there. When he came, I explained to him that he had made us very uncomfortable. I told him we wouldn't be able to visit or teach him, but that if he wanted to have the lessons, the Elders would love to come. He said that would be fine and was actually pretty calm about it. For extra safety precautions, we won't go to Mary's neighborhood without the Elders. But otherwise, Bob knows that he can no longer have contact with us. Let's just pray that he listens. And I really need to go buy some pepper spray! Oooh... also, I find out today if I train!!!! AHHHH!!!! I am nervous. And I am pretty sure I am training! SO SCARY!!! That poor sister has to deal with me. Pray for her hahaha :) Lets see, the 10 hours of service really kicked my butt. I have been so tired, but then I feel so great when I know I am helping people. Plus, like I said, members are key, and we have been serving a couple members and almost all of them have referred us to someone or pointed to a house to try to stop at. The members are finally interested in helping because they aren't as scared about us meeting their friends. One Sister, Sister Houtz, walked us over to her neighbor's house and introduced us. He was so cool!!!! He has a family of four kids and they are looking for a church to attend. We invited him to Meet the Mormons, and the Houtz's are planning to come with him and his family. I mean, he is not investigator yet, but its always those foundational steps that prepares them for us :) The Ward is just more than awesome! The work is moving along! And I am just more than happy!!!! The Church is so true! With Mary coming to church and all, I tried looking at our church from her perspective. I mean, I can't see completely how she feels, but it was so good for me to realize what a big deal The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is! I am so blessed to be able to take the sacrament each week! I am so blessed to have this gospel in my life! I am so blessed with a testimony of my Heavenly Father who loves me! I am just SOOO BLESSED! And I am serving a mission because I want everyone to be able to have those blessings and the many more blessings that come with being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! THE CHURCH IS TRUE! I say that a lot but that is because its a fact. #sorrynotsorry (I'm still a crazy kid) Anyway, family I love and miss you so much!!!!!! Y'all are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxoxoxxoxoxoxo Love, Sister Call HI THERE!!!! I AM SO SHORT ON TIME AGAIN, I AM SO SORRY!!!! ALSO, THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGES Y'ALL ARE THE BEST!!! I literally have the best family! Y'all are too good to me! Seriously. EMILY WROTE ME A LETTER!!!!! AHHHH SO MUCH HAPPINESS!!!!!
Okay, really quick, my week was a little crazy! There has been so much snow it's insane. Last night we woke up to a foot of snow and it took forever to get the car cleaned off. But let me tell you, Ohio is WAY good at clearing off the roads. We left at 10 and all the roads, including little neighborhood roads, had been plowed. Its freezing here!!! It has been in the negatives in the morning so when we go to the church gym in the morning, we freeze and then it makes it easier to work out because we want to get warm and fast! So we've been shoveling a ton and have been visiting a bunch of less actives this week. We had 13 lessons and this next week we are going to work our butts of to get more. We had interviews with President this week and it was much needed. President really just has such a strong spirit with him all the time. At the beginning of our interview he prayed and my eyes just started to tear up because the spirit was so strong. President told me that I was doing good work and hinted for me to slow down a bit. Sometimes I push myself till I just about explode and he could see that. Overall though, our companionship is doing great now! Its like there was never even a problem. Halleluiah for interviews. Our investigators are doing great! We taught Karen about the plan of salvation and she loved it!!!! She is the funniest lady I have ever met! And then we taught Mary and her lesson could have been better. She likes a lot of the things we teach but then is still stubborn about some weird little things. She also is taking some course to learn how to pray from another church so she is super unfocused and just wants to read her prayers she wrote to us. Its frustrating but she says she wants to come to church sometime this month so that's good! This last Sunday was awesome! Literally one of the best fast Sundays ever. Normally I am super afraid for investigators to come on fast Sundays, because we have some interesting people in our ward who get up, but wow this last Sunday was so good! Plus one of the less actives, whom we love, Sister Lewis, and her non member husband were there and they loved it!!!! She also stayed for all church which was a first!!! Yay!!!! for miracles! I love y'all!!!! THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!! Heavenly Father just really cares about each and everyone one of us. And He loves us despite our mistakes and shortcomings! Love y'all SOOOOO MUCHHHHH and I miss y'all!!!! -Sister Katie Call |
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March 2016
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