It's November!

Woah, this month has flown by! My birthday is in 12 days... so everybody had better be getting their letters in the mail. Just kidding.... but seriously. Halloween was whatever. Being a missionary, it's weird to have holidays because they aren't really holidays. I did attempt to dress festive for our ward party and on Halloween... that's about the best I could do. We also made a hipster pumpkin. There aren't many hipsters out here in Missouri.

Tim is baptized! Whoohoo! It is crazy to think that I met him a month ago and he has grown so much. He loves going to church and is just so ready and willing to serve and grow in the gospel. The atonement really changes people's hearts. I have seen it so much on my mission! I have seen it in my own life! I love it!

Tim and the Elders who baptized him

Ray is getting baptized on Saturday! We are so stoked. He is just such a perfect example of LIVING what so many profess to believe. Its been great to watch him progress and open up to us about his testimony. He is so heartfelt in his faith and seeks only to do the will of the Lord. He is going to be such an amazing member and really be an example to everyone in the ward.

So far we have about 6 different people we are very close to working with. Everyone is so BUSY. But we will drop by their house and they will be so excited to see us. So we know they are genuinely busy. Its really hard to set appointments though. So this next week I'm sure I'll have more to report on that.

We had exchanges this week so I went out for a day with Sister Atkin. It was SO fun! She is a really great missionary and I learned a lot. I have kind of struggled with door approaches because I feel so bad imposing on people. Its always kind of awkward, like hey... I'm at your door and yeah... This probably stems from the Call family tradition of screening phone calls and always running upstairs to see who's at the door before you answer it. Being on the other side is almost humorous. I've had people lock the door on us. Peek out the window and then not answer it, sit in their car to avoid talking to you. Do I look like a freak/crazy person?  It's funny though. Anyway... my whole view of door approaches changed after my exchange with Sister Atkin. I need to be asking more questions, and they can be as simple as "Have you heard of the Book of Mormon?" At the very least most people are intrigued and want to learn a little more about it. Most people are really interested in it. I am really excited to go out there and knock down some doors!

Birthdays are always a time of self reflection for me and about every other year, I have a minor quarter-life crisis. It happened while brushing my teeth this week. I was like "woah, I'm going to be 23!" I know it's not old, but it feels pretty old. I have thought a lot this week about what got me here...On a mission. To this point in my life. This past year I have done a lot of growing, and learning, and have been very humbled... The Lord has been with me every step of the way. It is so apparent looking back. Between teaching school, break-ups, vertigo, and sprained ankles, Heavenly Father gently (or not so gently) molded me and reminded me of who I really am, and how I can gain the greatest happiness. I was reminded that in order to be successful and happy in life, I NEED my Savior. I need to rely on the Lord. I need to give it ALL to Him. Once I did that, I was happy. I was happy despite being dizzy everyday, I was strong enough to do the things that I needed to do. Often He doesn't lift the burden, because we need that to grow, but He will make it bearable for us. That's what He did for me this year. So at that point, deciding to serve a mission was easy. I had enough faith in His plan for me. I choose that everyday. To have faith in His plan for me, and those that I am  teaching. I have faith that I will find those that are searching for more in their life. I am fulfilling my purpose and I am so happy. So there is my soapbox for the week. I just encourage everyone to look back at their life and see how the Lord has lead and guided them.... because He has. For every one of us. In the MTC, one of the speakers said "the Lord has a perfect plan for your day, how much of it are you going to follow?" He has a perfect plan for our life as well, it is up to us to decide how much of it we are going to follow. Will we allow Him to make us the person that He knows we can be?

I hope I didn't get too philosophical. The visitor center has been slowing down quite a bit, which allows for a great deal of reflection :) I love it though. Life is good. Being a missionary is the best!