Week 70: dreams come true

Hello everyone,

My Christmas wishes have come true. We got transfer news on Saturday and Sister Shumway and I are staying together for another transfer.

That's correct, we will be together for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

YAAYY!!! 

I had a moment this week that reminded me of what Joseph Smith said about his first vision experience. His experience was so powerful and strong that he knew it, God knew it, and God knew that He knew it. Therefore, he could not deny it.

Personal study is really important to Sister Shumway. On my mission, if I'm being brutally honest, I haven't prioritized it that well. When we're busy and our members need something or friends need something or if we need more people to teach, my language study was the first thing to go, and then companionship study, and then personal. But, anyways, you don't need to hear all my excuses :)

Sister Shumway asked if we could make a goal to set a specific time every day when we would study and we'd never schedule anything during that time. Seems like a beautiful idea, right?

For some reason, I had a really bad attitude about it. I didn't like the thought of taking that, "selfish time" for ourselves each day when maybe this need would arise, or maybe something else would be more important.

But, I agreed. And on Wednesday I was studying. And I started thinking and feeling something. I was reading The Book of Mormon and overcome with a love for what I do as a missionary. I remembered why I chose to come to Czech Republic and why I've chosen to be here each day. And then the thought came to me so clearly, "you need a personal study every single day to remember your why." 

I have one more transfer as a missionary. There are 9 weeks left of wearing this tag. It's not a very fun topic to talk about sometimes for me but the truth is that I want to make every moment count. I want to keep pushing and giving everything I have but I can't do that unless I remember why I'm doing it every day. It doesn't matter how long I've been a missionary or how many things I've already learned, I need the daily nourishment and reminder of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I think we all need that. No matter how strong we may be.

I wasn't even looking for that experience but somehow it happened right when I needed it. What's beautiful is that Sister Shumway had been praying that same day that I'd have some kind of change of heart. And it happened. Of course it did, because Heavenly Father is amazing and aware of me and her and everybody.

Love you all dearly 

Sister Call 

Week 68: Joy!

 Hello friends and family ☀️

I want to tell you really quick a thought about joy. This week I felt a LOT of joy. Joy from the time I spent with other sister missionaries like Sister Zernzach and Sister Gilmour and Sister Utsch. Joy from a Zone conference that happened. Joy because the members here created a Halloween party and invited everyone they know. Joy because we met a girl named Karolína for the first time yesterday and she wants to be baptized but her parents don't agree. And then I felt joy in a lot of other things, too :)

So, my Mission President has been thinking about this a lot, a lot. There are a lot of missionaries in my mission and probably in the whole world who are looking for joy or struggling to feel it. And so we've been talking as a group about how to find that joy.

And the answer always comes back to Jesus Christ. I'm not even joking or just saying that because that's what everyone says. I've been studying about this and every reference of joy in the scriptures directly references Jesus Christ. It does. And all good things comes from God. Even those little things in our lives that also bring us joy are directly from Him. 

That is my little thought. I love you all. Everyone deserves joy. Maybe you can think this week about the difference between happiness and joy and let me know your thoughts sometime ☀️😊 

With all my love, Sister Call

My district cooking a yummy Ukrainian dish today :)

And we did service with Elder Woodland, Levyk and Sister Gilmour and they gave us a very big pumpkin :)

Sister Utsch and Sister B (SHE WAS MY COMP IN PRAGUE)

A very bad picture with Sister Z. We went and delivered notes to a family that was sick

And the amazing Morava Zone (that's our name :) )