I Am Batman!!!

Holla Familia!!
So I just realized last week didn't have a title... Awkward... Ha,ha. I usually write my letter and then add a title... but obviously I forgot last week! or I just couldn't think of one. eh. Either way.
So this week has been pretty cool!  We have been trying to find Less Actives for... Well forever. So I guess I should say: we continued our search for Less Actives this week. But this week I decided to be more obedient - I have been neglecting 2x2ing(knocking on the houses next to the house we planned on seeing) around houses cause it's been 'Freaking' cold. But We were promised blessings and miracles, so I was like alrighty let's do this thing. Thus I have an awesome cold/lung flu! YES!!! Anywho, we found two new Investigators this week due to that! It was awesome! Now we pray that they will be there for our follow up appointment! We also picked up two Former Investigators. So that was cool too! It's been a good week! Oh, The reason I named this one "I Am Batman!!" Is because that is totally what I sound like right now. It is pretty funny. Imagine in the Batman voice trying to tell someone that their 'family can be together forever.' Yes that did happen. I guess it is one way to get Sister Thomson to start talking more ha,ha.
So one of the Less Active ladies we try and see every week, we taught her the last half of the Plan of Salvation, and we asked her if she had any questions. She said the usual no. Then out of the blue she asked "Why is it important to go to church? Everyone keeps putting such an emphasis on it. Why is it Important? I know we meet people there and such, but.. yeah" it was so out of the blue that it kind of took us off guard. Yeah we meet people at church, but that isn't the point. The point is that it is the time to remember the Savior and to partake of the Sacrament. To cleanse and sanctify ourselves, It also helps keep the Sabbath day holy. It gives you that special time to think about Him. Now some question how can I do that with 1-6 kids running around me, or I don't even have kids and the kids around me are distracting me. Yes. Children can be distracting. But, if the Spirit is there, you will grow. Even if you don't hear the words. Church isn't just for you. It's for others as well. You teach and you help others learn and grow. YOU contribute to their spiritual growth. It is important for you to be there! It is interesting how we can lose sight of that. It is really easy to lose sight of it, because there are a million things we could be doing during that time. But we have to realize that God gave us this opportunity and chance to live on this earth, and we can't thank him by reading our scriptures, praying and keeping the commandments everyday, and going to church once a week!? When we put God first and put what he wants first then we will get what we want. If we want our business/school to move forward, do you think God doesn't know that? He want's to bless us, but we need to let him in, in order to receive his blessings.
This is a Little/ Large Clip from Elder Ballard's talk "Face the Future with Faith and Hope":

Seek First the Kingdom of God

You will have two choices. Will your motivation to build and acquire the blessings of the Lord be for personal gratification, for the recognition of men, and for power, influence, and self-aggrandizement? Or will your motivation be to glorify God, to work to help usher in the growth and expansion of His Church?

Those who seek riches to build up their own egos will find their treasure to be slippery and easily lost in unwise ways (see Helaman 13:31). The welfare of their souls will be in great jeopardy. Jacob, an obedient younger brother of Nephi, warned us:

“And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.
“… Do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.
“… Let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!” (Jacob 2:13, 14, 16).

Jacob then put our motivation to acquire wealth in the proper perspective with a promise:

“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:18–19).

The Lord is not telling us that we should not be prosperous or that prosperity is a sin. On the contrary, He has always blessed His obedient children. But He is telling us that we should seek prosperity only after we seek, find, and serve Him. Then, because our hearts are right, because we love Him first and foremost, we will choose to invest the riches we obtain in building His kingdom.

If you choose to seek riches for the sake of riches, you will fall short. You will never be satisfied. You will be empty, never finding true happiness and lasting joy.

The trial of your faith in the next few years will likely not be that you lack the material things of this world. Rather it will be in choosing what to do with the temporal blessings you receive.

Of today’s younger generation, President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) said:
“For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the second coming of the Lord. …
“… God has saved for the final inning some of His strongest … children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly.”3

President Thomas S. Monson said, “You are some of our Heavenly Father’s strongest children, and He has saved you to come to the earth ‘for such a time as this’ [Esther 4:14].”4

To be a vital part of the “marvelous work and a wonder” (2 Nephi 25:17) of these last days, you must submit your will to God, letting it be swallowed up in His will. As you “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men … feasting upon the word of Christ” (2 Nephi 31:20), searching diligently, praying always, and believing, then as the Lord promises, “all things shall work together for your good” (D&C 90:24).
Now, If what the Prophets say is important and always come to pass... Well then. Where are our priorities? Something to munch on.

 I had an opportunity to share my testimony with Sister Thomson this week about loving all people. There was a story that I listened to several months ago at a meeting. They showed a video with Elder Holland in it. He was talking to missionaries or a group of people. He was then relating the story of Peter. How after the Savior died, Peter looked at the other disciples and was like "well.... lets go fishing" They went back to what they knew how to do. They no longer had the Savior there to tell them what to do. Then one night They were out on the sea fishing and they had caught nothing. Then they heard a voice from the shore to cast their nets on the other side, and instantly their nets were filled. Peter left the boat immediately and headed for the shore because he knew it was the Savior. When he got there the Savior had Breakfast and everything all ready for them. He then talked with Peter. "Peter, Do you love me?" "Yes Lord, you know that I love thee" "Feed My Sheep." he asked Peter three times. I have thought about this several times since I watched it. For several months in fact! If I was sitting with the Savior and he asked if I loved him. Would I say yes?  How could I think even to say no? Would I recognize him? If I was to love the Savior, then I needed to leave my "nets" behind. I applied the story to missions. Because I asked Sister Thomson who she was, I also asked if she would share the Gospel with me if I was not a member. She then replied. " As a missionary or as myself?". The thought bothered me, and it always has. Since the beginning it has bothered me, before my mission, during my mission, and probably will continue after my mission. Being a missionary shouldn't be different than who you are. There should be no dividing line. Before I came on my mission I saw some missionaries who came home and they were essentially like Peter. Once they were off their mission they went back to their "nets" and it bothered me. I did not like the idea of putting on an 'act' of being a Missionary. You need to Become a missionary, and once you become one you can never go back. I imagine the Savior saying to Peter "If you love me then why did you go back to the nets? Go back to the old ways of not feeding my sheep? You did it for two years (or 18 months)! You learned so much! You grew! You loved me! but then when I was gone (the badge was taken off) you went back to what you did. You aren't sharing the Gospel with people. Why? Do You Love Me?"
A mission is not about being a good actor missionary. It's about becoming a missionary. The only way you can do that is through love. Loving the Savior. Loving the Savior enough to love those he has placed in your path to Love. It doesn't end here. Those who don't/ didn't serve missions you are held to the same responsibility. Being a missionary means loving the Savior. Loving him enough to share his Gospel. Yeah. Missionaries have two years or 18 months to learn about the Savior in such a way that will fortify them if they truly are diligent and faithful.
We have our entire life to learn about the Savior, and if we know the Savior we will know the Father. The Son only does the will of the Father.
I'm so proud and happy with my family. They are the best missionaries ever. They have told me little stories of missionary work that they have done. From the smallest things such as smiling at people, to inviting friends to their houses to learn about the gospel. Everything goes a long way. I have an awesome family, and it grows day by day.
I love you all, and I hope you all give the time to learn and grow closer to the Savior now. Build that foundation Now. Another quote from Dieter f. Uchtdorf, " The Best Time to Plant a Tree":
An old proverb says, "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now."      There is something wonderful and hopeful about the word 'now'. There is something empowering about the fact that if we choose to decide now, we can move forward at this very moment. Now is the best time to start becoming the person we eventually want to be-- not only 20 years from now but also for all eternity.

I Loves you All! and I hope you are having a wonderful day! make it a great one! EVERYDAY!!

Loves,
Sister Karen Call