From Dad:
Ha ha. I suppose you won’t get much at sea level. And yes, I realize it’s summer there right now. But in Utah, snow is in the air. Not much on the ground yet, but in the mountains there is plenty. See below traffic camera shot of north salt lake. Be glad you are warm in a tropical paradise.
Big news this week was the Winter’s Dance. Ethan and Ana both went in the same group of 10 or so kids. Will send you some photos separately if mom hasn’t already. They made holiday trains at our house, and then came back after the dance for games. Ana did most of the organizing!
Also, some news this week about Ethan. He had the big idea to buy a fish tank (a large one) and put it up in his new room. He promised me it would not leak. Then guess what happened.
This is Ethan and ok… it wasn’t supposed to leak and it didn’t leak for 3 days then dad walks up to me and says hey it would really suck if 40 gallons of water ended up on the floor and I went to school and halfway through the schoolday mom texted me saying hey your filter is leaking and like 7 gallons of water had leaked out all over the carpet and now my room smells and it kind of sucks but the tank didn’t leak, just the filter
Back to dad. Well, there you go. At least we don’t have cockroaches here. Sorry that you are still dealing with ‘em.
Morgan—we love you and are proud of what you are doing. We are truly blessed because of your sacrifice. So, thank you. Also, we pray for you daily and know your sacrifice is also a blessing to the people in your mission. They need you! And they are lucky they got you!
More later.
Dad.
To Mom:
Ahhhh merry Christmas to me!!! I got your package and it was amazing!!!! I put up all the decor, and I can't wait to eat the peanut butter MnMs. Can you believe they dont have those here??? What a shame. I gave sister Ieremia some of the packages(I left a few for my next companion haha) and she was super super happy. Shes been wanting a calendar so that was a wish come true! You really are Santa Haha
A few thoughts I had last night
I miss you! I really miss when we'd sing all of she loves me because we knew all the lyrics, or when we watched a rated r movie in your bed because it "looked funny", or when I'd call you in college and you'd help sort out all my problems, or getting post cards from you every month, or when you'd get angry at me because I started Austenland without you (again) but I told you an hour ago I was starting it, or walking downstairs every night knowing you were sitting on the couch reading your scriptures. I miss you heaps Haha! I know I'm always writing about how much I love it here, and I do, but I also cannot wait to Skype yous in a few weeks!!
Thanks for always being an amazing example in my life!! Love and miss you mama!!!!
Sister keller
I'd like to ask yous for advice!
So as you know I'm coming up on my second transfer which means I'm almost done with training! Which means potentially I could be training next transfer! Also Sister Ieremia is leaving, so that means we need a new STL in our area.
If you haven't guessed already, I really want to train or be STL. I dont know why, but I've always wanted leadership positions and that hasn't changed since coming here. The thing is I know I'm not ready and also those who desire leadership callings will never get one. I'm struggling to change my mindset. I dont know how to not want a leadership calling.
I have been studying humility this past week hoping it would help. My problem is I know how to act and say things that are humble, but I dont know how to change my first thought to one that's humble. It may seem kind of silly but it's really bothering me. I just want to be whatever the Lord needs me to be, but I dont know how to change my mindset.
If either of yous have advice I would appreciate it greatly!
Much love
Sister Keller
Morgan—
What a great question. Believe it or not, I am glad to hear you have those aspirations. It’s better than not caring about how well you are doing as a missionary.
First, it’s pretty normal for an averagely ambitious person to have the feelings you do, i.e., to seek additional responsibility sooner rather than later. Those kind of assignments make you feel as if you are progressing in the mission and feel that you are serving the Lord fully. And they offer more opportunities to learn. As a missionary, I was called as a trainer after I’d been out 10 months and zone leader after I’d been out 14 months, and in each case I thought that was way too late because other missionaries from my group had gotten those assignments 2 months before me. It seems silly looking back, especially now that I have many decades of getting to know myself and having a better sense for how I tend to bring value. In fact, now, when I look back on my mission, the things that I treasure the most were not the leadership opportunities (in fact, I can hardly recall the talks I gave or the interviews I did, and I am quite confident no one else does). But I do absolutely remember and treasure the investigators I taught, the wards and branches I became close to, the companions I had and some of the individual missionary experiences where the Lord’s hand was made very clear. I was so touched when your mother and I went back to Argentina and found how many of the people still remembered me, some with deep caring and fondness.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that service to other missionaries is not an important part of missionary work. For some, that will be where they add the most value. But for me, anyway, it was not where I shined. I had the respect of the other missionaries all around our mission, even many I’d never met, because my reputation was strong as a hard worker and an effective missionary. Not because I was a leader. If I led, it was by example. My mission president once told others that “Elder Keller was working miracles in Catriel” (one of my areas). I trained several new missionaries during the course of my mission. There was one time when I was given the only greenie that came into our mission of 200 elders. But at the time I thought that didn’t mean anything unless I was given leadership positions. Silly, right? As I was nearing the end of my mission, one of the Assistants said I could pick whatever area I wanted to end my mission in, and the mission president would send me there. So I did! Kind of cool looking back on it.
I don’t think it’s true that people who seek office don’t get it. In my experience, whether they seek it or not is somewhat independent of whether they get it. Certainly, someone who is very political (i.e., curries favor relentlessly, throws other people under the bus, inflates their numbers) is unlikely to be trusted in the mission field, because people tend to see through that. But if someone who aspires to a position nonetheless has enough character not to let that desire get in the way of doing the right thing, I don’t think that’s a factor. Just be ready for the Lord to give you something different than what you thought you wanted, and if you have faith and trust him, you may find that he knows how to use you a bit better than you do.
But I wouldn’t beat yourself up just for aspiring to a particular calling. Acknowledge the desire, but then do the right thing anyway and don’t let the fact that you have the desire torment you. In other words, care about your companion, work your hardest for the people in your area, stay as close to the Lord as you can and pray for his spirit to guide you, and if you still really have these ambitions, that’s ok. You may or may not see them fulfilled, and either way it will be a test of character you will have to go through, and I’m confident you will sail through it.
In the end, I think you are doing great. Your letters show that you are finding the joy in what you are doing, and that only happens if you are caring for the work. I’m sure you have anxieties too—everybody does in one form or another, and I wish mom or I could be there to be a shoulder for you to lean on in tough times, but you have always found positive ways to deal with stress. Live in the moment like you’ve always done so well. Don’t let worries about the future or other people (even boys!) concern you right now. Missionary time is short and precious.
Love you,
Dad
So sorry I didn't write this week! It's been a little crazy 🙄😁😬😊. I believe Christmas dance was great, at least Ethan says it was great. He really had a great time. Anna said it was ok, things are never quite as she dreams them I'm afraid. She needs a movie fairy tale, which sadly never happens in real life...
We made trains for the dance day activity which was fun. Half of the kids were super late, like an hour and 15 min... What is up with that?? But Ethan and Ana's dates were there and one other couple and they all were nice and fun. I think they all had a good time making trains. I'll add a picture.
I'm glad sister Leremia like the little calendar! So funny, it was at the check out and was a last min thought. I saw that it went through 2020 and I thought it would be fun to put family b-day dates in it too you come home!! I guess it was really for your companion. So I mailed the tree package almost 3 weeks before the box so that you would get the decorations 😂😂. In grants mission they didn't take the boxes marked Christmas until the mission president and his wife visited each area the week of Christmas. So I was thinking you wouldn't get that box until Christmas, so funny. And I'm glad I wrapped stuff!!
So yesterday we received your box!!!! So so so fun!!! We finally opened it tonight after everyone left from making trains. Guess we could have opened it with everyone here since you sent fun stuff for everyone 💗💗. We are a little uncertain on the Shell rings. Do you string then on a necklace to wear it do you wear them on your finger?? Still super cool and I love them.
We had a lot of fun with the tingeys tonight making trains. We had all of my family here, well Mike was working in St George this weekend and Victor didn't come, but everyone else. Kyle helped Isabelle make a pretty cool airplane train!! The Tingeys family party is this coming Saturday so we'll do it all again 😉. Fun times.
I haven't watched hardly any tv since moving in here, so it was fun memories of you talking about watching movies with and without me 😂💗😂💗
So along the lines of callings... It is difficult sometimes not to think about callings you'd like to serve in. I think the bigger thing to think about is how will you act or behave when you receive a calling that isn't one you've been thinking about it expecting. Will you accept and serve with a grateful heart, willing to do your best? If your new comp is called to be a leader and teacher will you submit and support her with out holding a grudge or feeling sad for your self? Will you be humble and do the things she asks without thinking you could do it different or better?
Sometimes that is the trial. For me serving is something I enjoy so getting a calling is great and exciting, a new challenge. Not receiving the calling you want is a little more difficult. You need to find the same excitement and love for this other or lesser calling. I've been wanting to get called to family history so I could set aside some more time to work on it, in the back of my mind I kept thinking I'm going to be called to primary because I'm always called to primary first, they always have the most positions that need to be filled 😉. I know, because I've been primary president before 😁👍
So I'll bid my time. I like primary, I don't have a problem with it, but it's not a calling for personal growth. But I can't complain, I was blessed to teach seminary for two years!! Loved it, loved the kids, loved the personal growth, loved getting to know my savior.
So today Dad and I were called to teach the 9 year olds in primary 😊. It will be great, dad's never been in primary before, but it might be good for us to teach together. Something we haven't done.
I guess I'm rambling. There have been times in my life when I have prayed for a calling to help me make friends, or to help me grow, or to help my family or children, or to just be where the Lord needs me. And sometimes I've known very clearly a few weeks before where I'll be called and I've also been totally surprised before. But always what and where I need to be, sometimes I don't see it until late or after I've been released, but the Lord has always answered my prayers in those ways. With that said, those are never the times I've been called to be a primary teacher/nursery leader, but I think by being obedient and full filling the primary teacher callings I've been blessed when I've asked for help. And example is twice after we've moved I've had times where I was struggling to make friends and when I've asked in prayer for heavenly father to help me make friends or find a friend within a week I've been extended a calling and in those callings I've made some of my dearest friends. One being Diane Prestwich and the other Heather brown. Love them deadly, their friendships changed my life. Heavenly father does know us, sometimes we aren't asking for the right thing, sometimes it's not the right time, sometimes we are blessed to know before it happens. In all those cases we need to give gratitude for what we have and where we are to serve, God has a purpose, whether it's to prepare us, teach us or bless us I do believe if we accept and serve with love and gratitude the purpose will later be revealed. If we feel sorry or don't support those around us we may miss out on what God has prepared for us. Our minds wander, we are human, to think about areas we could serve in or would like to serve in, it's only harmful if we can't accept where we end up being called because we became set in one thought, idea, calling.
Don't be hard for having a desire to lead in goods church, but be grateful even if you aren't called to one of those positions (yet). Have faith that God will put you where he needs you now.
Love you tons. You are doing wonderful things serving a mission. You will receive leadership callings (you still have 15 months).
Love love love
Mom
