Letters from Morgan and Mom and Dad

Hello Beautiful Sister Keller,

I just returned home from my trip with Angie and Jayna (and Angie's Parents) to Nicaragua.  It was hot and sunny with a breeze while we were there and I just loved it.  I sent you my google pics album Nicaragua January 2019 if you want to look through the pictures.  I can't believe the community center they have built for the these little villages around La Calle Real.  There are bathrooms, a kitchen, a shower and classrooms and rooms they can rent out for people to come provide services like nails or dental work.  They had a dentist coming out and doing work, but she took some money and ran last year.  Bummer.

It reminded me tons of the trip that we took together :)  Lots of great memories with you.

So on the way to Nicaragua I read this detective novel.  At one point they find a hunting blind that they climb up into to get an idea of where the killer may have killed from.  Just another view point.  But the woman helping the cops ponders on that on and off in the book.  She tries to change her perspective so that she isn't blind to those around her.  I  thought it was interesting some of her thoughts.  It reminded me of the parable to remove the beam from thy own eye before trying to remove the sliver from someone else.  So I've tried to focus my prayers more on not helping others see clearly or their eyes open to their problems, but for me to be able to see, both spiritually and physically.  That can also hopefully help soften my heart again and again and again.  It's so super sensitive these days, just turns to stone in a second.  hahaha

Well I love you dearly

Love you mom



Guys!!

I am in Nawton Hamilton, and I love it!!!!!!!!!! The area is amazing. We have 5 progressing investigators, and a pretty big finding pool. I'm in an actual ward now??? It's weird as. We walk everywhere and the temperature has been perfect so far.

My companion is the best! She is crazy, and when i say crazy not two minutes goes by that she doesn't say something rude or sarcastic. But she has more love in her heart for this gospel than anyone I've ever met. But she also takes videos of scaring the crap out of me. But she's also a super amazing missionary! hahaha it's only been 4 days and I can tell it's gonna be a good transfer.

The ironic thing about it is now that I"m in the OTC i see my trainer every day hahahahah. RIP. It's all goods though Fonua is helping me to become friends with her and forgive the past :)

I tried to use a bit of my Spanish because we are allowed to change the language settings on our online teaching portals, and when I had to answer the phone in Spanish I freaked haha. i think I'm going to stick with English for a week...Hopefully someday I'll feel comfortable using Spanish.

How is the family? I will try to look through all the pictures from Nicaragua! I'm glad to hear that Ana and Ethan behaved themselves while mom was gone. That's hilarious that Ethan has a girlfriend but never hangs out with her. I thought I taught him better than to be a gamer... sigh. Glad Ana is staying out of trouble for the most part, hopefully she makes some good friends this year!

How are the Tingeys doing?

I'm honestly doing very very well! I'm a little sleep deprived because Fonua and I stay up talking every night, but the work is good and I'm having fun. Next week we'll have to push ourselves a lot harder, but I think I'll be able to manage.

Thank you for all your support!!!
Much love,
Sister Keller

Nawton Boii Letter from Sister Keller

Sup bruh?

So, I am finally in my second area!! I got transferred to Nawton Hamiton, which is pretty much the ghetto side of Hamilton haha. I love it heaps! I've already been able to meet with most of the people we are working with, and everyone has a strong spirit and desire to learn. We've only run into one crazy person so far, and he didn't even spit at us so that was a plus. Overall, Nawton is the best.  Since I"m in Hamilton and about 20 minutes away from president, everyone here is super staunch, especially the sisters. Not that I was dodgey before, but it's really easy to get called out for the littlest things. It is a nice change from bush town Opotiki :)

Another super cool thing about serving in Hamilton is that I have the unique opportunity to be a part of the OTC! The online training centre is a place where we get to chat with and teach people from all around the world! We answer phones, chats, Book of Mormon requests, Bible the requests, pretty much everything you can think of online.  You know how when you go onto LDS.org and it says "Chat with missionaries"? Well, that's me! I'm the missionary! hahah It's way cool, especially since NZ is on the other side of the world, so we're awake when everyone else is asleep. It's way nice!

My companion is named Sister Fonua and she is CRAZY. I love her so much. She is full blood Tongan, but was raised in the poorer part of Salt Lake Utah, or as she likes to call it, the "Sugahood" (Sugarhouse). She sasses anyone and everyone, and uses hood slang constantly. I'm starting to catch onto some of it, which should be interesting... She is probably my favourite person I've met on the mission not gonna lie. When we work, we work hard. But she's also a psychopath who teases and sasses everyone and is the funnest person ever. She's an egg

For my spiritual thought this week, I'd like to share from 1 Nephi 16:2. My favourite part of this verse is where it says: "the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center." I've found a lot of times in my life when I'm sad or upset, it's because I'm doing something that I know I shouldn't. Usually it's just a little thing, but as soon as I change it, my whole attitude changes. This week I want to work on taking criticism better and allowing myself to grow spiritually stronger :)

Sorry this is so scattered and forgive any poor grammar used, I blame it on Fonua and her hoodrat vocabulary. Thank yous for everything! Have a sweet as week!
Much love,
Sister Keller

Day 3 in Nicaragua

Today we did a little shopping and picked up some more school uniforms.  A lot were donated, but we needed some more girls skirts.  Then we headed out to the community center to put them all together with a back pack and we went out to deliver them.  There is a young woman in Utah who started to make bracelets, called Glory Belle, and $2.00 from each bracelet goes towards school uniforms.  Glory is now 16 and it was with the money she has raised that uniforms we donated and the rest of the skirts were purchased.  Its amazing what we can do when we see a need that can be filled.  What a great thing for her to come up with and keep it going to help these kids that would otherwise not be able to attend school just because they don't have a uniform.  So some of the girls we were able to give them a bracelet along with their school clothes and back pack.

We also were able to go make some clay pots at one of the families homes.  These are hand made pots from the volcanic soil.  They are thrown on a wheel.  They mix the soil or clay with water and then form it over a mold they have previously made depending on the size of pot they want to make.  They pat it down and add water as they continue to pat and stretch they clay further down the molds to they size they want.  They let them sit and dry a bit and then they can take them off and add embellishments, finish off the tops of the pots and add color.  They will then let them dry completely and those with a homemade kiln will fire them to harden them.  We were then told that people from the city will come and buy them and take them and sell them in the city.  If they had the means to get them into the city themselves they would make a lot more money.  They sell their pots for next to nothing.