The Land of Morgantown!!

Holla Familia,

This has been a crazy few days. Transfers are always fun. As you may now know I am in the land of Morgantown. The University members here call it 'Sodom and Gomorrah'. It's a nice area, but it definitely is in the top 5 party schools in 'Merica. The people are very interesting. They range from really intelligent and bright and looking for greater and better things - to... not so intelligent people. But it has been a pretty interesting beginning.

So just an example of a really intelligent person that the sisters have been teaching for a while. Her name is Lauren, she is an interesting lady, but she is super brilliant. The reason I say she is interesting is because she does hula-hoop exercising. supposedly it is a big thing... I have never heard of it till this past weekend.. hmm... I must be really out of the loop. Anywho, she has been coming to church for quite a while now and we are working with her to get her baptized.  Another Sweet family, that are members, are the Weitzeil's, they aren't rich, and they aren't perfect, but they are so awesome on how they treat each other! Brother Weitzeil looks like a good looking Napoleon Dynamite. Just Sayin. Oh, and another thing about them. They are TALL. He is 6'7" and she is 6'2" and their kids are tall and they are only little kids. It's intense.

Another person that I met this week is Krystal. Now Krystal is a sweet child, but she only looks at what is going wrong in her life. She is almost 30, she's single, she doesn't have a job, or a car. She stays home and does crafts all day. When we were visiting her she complained pretty much the entire time on how the members of the ward are so judgmental and snooty. That they don't know hard times, they don't know what it is like to live on a budget, they don't know this or that or whatever. The thing that popped into my mind was the talk "And Nothing Shall Offend Them" by Elder Bednar. That if we are looking for ways that our life is falling apart, our life will fall apart more quickly. We will become cold and bitter toward the world and everything in it. Now of course things in life aren't perfect, and they probably never will be perfect, but we can do what we need to with what we have. There is no point in letting the past hold us back. We need to move forward in faith and patience. As Elder Holland said "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." It isn't about looking at what we don't have, or what is going hard it is about finding joy in what we have now.

On Saturday Morning we went and worked at the Ronald McDonald House with the local Girl scout troop. It was really funny t work with them. They are trying to work with 8 year old girls and trying to make breakfast for the people who live in the Ronald McDonald House. But working with little girls is... fun. Trying to help them make breakfast was even better. But the experience was priceless. We were able to talk to a few people who weren't members. So it was a really nice service project for us.

This Saturday and Sunday we had Stake Conference in Clarksburg. It was interesting to go back to Clarksburg and see everyone from the ward that I had just left come up to us either introducing themselves to my companion (because they didn't know that sister Curtis and I had been doubled out) or asking why I was back. It was really fun to see them all again. Stake Conference was really interesting. Saturday they talked about Seminary pretty much the entire time. How Seminary isn't just extra cheap armor to put on to fend off the battles of the world around us - that it is top of the line armor. Get it and Use it. They also made the emphasis of how: If you choose not to get anything out of Church or don't look forward to it, you will never grow. It takes Sacrifice, Diligence, and Energy to get the armor we are seeking for. And That as for Parents they need to be willing to do what they ask their children to do. AS families we need to learn to discuss and share what we know and Believe. If you want to change others you need to first change yourself.

It is true. If you want something to change your life, you need to be willing to change your life. It isn't going to happen magically because of a program that you have entered into, or by going to EFY, or to institute, or somewhere else. It all starts within our own hearts and grows from there. Sincere Desire, and Real Intent are the keys to success in everything we do in life. What are you willing to do to acquire with you desire?

I hope you are all having a great day, and are working hard toward worthy goals. I love you all and pray for you daily!

Loves,

Sister Karen Call

"One way you will be changed by … fervent prayer is, I promise you, that you will feel truly that you are a child of God. When you know that you are a child of God, you will also know that He expects much of you. Because you are His child, He will expect you to follow His teachings and the teachings of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. He will expect you to be generous and kind to others. He will be disappointed if you are proud and self-centered. He will bless you to have the desire to put the interests of others above your own."~Henry B. Eyring

Pic: My New Companion Sister Sullivan and I