NOVEMBER 28TH, 2016- I BAKE, I MISTAKES...AND POTATOES

GOOD MORNING!!!

I love you all. How blessed we are to be so near to the Christmas season. 

Permit me for a moment to invite every single one of you to participate in the Light the World Christmas initiative of the church. Every single day on an advent calendar starting on December 1st to Christmas day, there is a suggestion and a commitment for an idea of service. You can commit each day to do what it asks. I invite all of you to go and read each one carefully and commit to what you'll do. Be a part of the service every day and light the world with your love and Christlike attributes!

Moving on, so I tried making some cookies... and they were terrible. Little did I know not only am I terrible at baking, I should probably use WAY more flour haha. I tried again and it worked out well. I don't feel terrible about my baking skills anymore ha.

Secondly, as a part of the baking fiasco, I had 3 (Yes 3) pans covered in melted burnt cookie mess. I scraped them off with a kitchen knife like the classic missionary would, and then happened to vigorously stab myself directly in the knuckle of my thumb with said kitchen knife. Honestly I am surprised at how little the cut was with how hard I stabbed myself. It felt more like I hit my hand with a hammer. Needless to say it was a strange experience, and while the cut was small, it was certainly pretty deep. Luckily it healed up and I'm doing fine.

Next on the list of my endless mistakes is the saddest of all news... I may or may not have gotten in a little accident. In the brand new car I've had for less than a month. Oops. And double oops. Luckily, again, the damage was minimal. I was parked next to the metal cart holding bay in the Walmart parking lot and pulled out of the spot but turned too far to the right and couldn't see the metal bar was longer than the parking spot, so I scraped the plastic on the bottom of the back right door off. Happily, no damage was done to the body of the car, and the plastic is easily replaceable. When I called in to report the incident, the car adviser told me that it was my companion's fault for not watching! WHAT?! I told him he was surely mistaken because I was the driver. Poor Elder Ng hasn't driven a day in his life, he doesn't know where to look. Anyway, everything is fine and the mission is covering the damages. I am just so glad no other car was involved, and I have been very very careful. May it be known forever that I have been in my first collision/accident/incident whatever. 3 1/2 years of driving, and I couldn't have had an accident at ANY other time. Nope. It HAD to be right when I was in the church's brand new vehicle. Just my luck, eh?

At the end of the day, I am glad no one was hurt, that the Lord's church is prepared for the foolishness of its young missionaries, and that Elder Ng and I can continue to serve with little to no changes in the future.

Next, I finally got an appointment to test out my eyes! Ironically it is the day after transfers, so if I get sent somewhere else, I will have to drive anywhere from an hour to eight hours out to another area, and then drive the same distance back THE VERY NEXT DAY to get my eyes checked here in Kitchener haha. I definitely would like to stay here again just for the sake of that whole situation haha. Regardless, we'll see where the Lord sends me, and I'll go there gladly.

So I've heard/seen about some snow happening in my marvelous mountain home. Darn you all! I miss the snow a lot. You've had a lot more that has stuck than we have. It's mostly wet here. Just wet. BUT! There is a bright side. This being some really ridiculously cool fog. My pictures can't even do justice to how thick and eerie it was. I felt like I was on the streets of London or something. Hopefully though, we will get some snow that will stay on the ground soon.

I had another dinner with a Spanish member on exchanges, which was fun, and we're still teaching people English. We have a Portuguese student and a Korean student now that I work with. Their English is at a higher level so the other Elder works with the beginning English speakers and I teach these students some harder concepts.

Next on the list is a happier sentiment. I might have mentioned in the past the wonderful elderly Zehr couple. We had dinner at their house a few times and I marvelled at their oil painting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Well this time we went back and talked about how great John Steinbeck was for the whole appointment. They told me of how they'd driven through California and listened to East of Eden on tape and how they loved it and we just talked and talked the whole appointment. Consequentially, they are some of my favorite members we have met with. They are also really strong in the gospel. They recently came out of inactivity after 40-some-odd years. They were just recently sealed to their children who are now in their 40's and 50's.

I also had the privilege to meet a man named Dave. What's cool about Dave is that I met him in a retirement home while I was teaching in the chapel of the building. He came in the back and started working on their window. We went and talked to him and he explained how he is a stained glass tradesman and I just think that is so cool. We shared a mormon.org card with him and went on our way but I think trades like that are just so fascinating. I love meeting new people like that.

Lastly, to close off this rather long-winded email, I recently found out that for some odd reason everyone in our ward and most of the people were teaching thought I was near 25 years old. After clearing up some confusion, I've got to say I feel like I just got back 6 years of my life!

Time is precious, use it well. Thank you all for loving and being kind to me. Don't forget your Savior and learn to rely on Him. I can testify that there are times in our lives, (which happen to be quite often) that we can do nothing but rely on Him. As we do so, the doors of heaven are opened, and our burdens are made light with the blessing power of God through His Son's atoning power.

Stay warm, enjoy your lovely homes this season, and don't forget about the ginger missionary up in the Great currently-not-so-White North!

Love

Elder Callor

November 21, 2016- MANY ARE COLD BUT FEW ARE FROZEN & POTATOES

Brethren and Sisters!

Let us join in praise and joy to thank our Lord for all we've been given! 

I didn't really get American Thanksgiving because everyone that celebrates it here just went to the states to celebrate, (as they should). But we did get to have a lot of fun on Thursday because it was like 22 degrees. That is SUPER warm.

AAAAAAAAAND then the next day it was below zero. It snowed and it just got crazy cold all of the sudden and I love it so very very much. I've got a big fuzzy coat and warm sweaters and thermals and I'm a happy little ginger eskimo.

Unfortunately the cold does affect our proselyting haha. When it snowed first, Elder Ng and I went to stop by some potential investigators, and everything was just silent. It was almost eerie. I felt like i was in a post apocalyptic world or something. There was no sound, there were no people, there was only snow. Luckily our smiling faces in the midst of freezing conditions (along with the Spirit) warmed the hearts of those we tracted into and they agreed to meet with us in this following week.

YAY FOR THE SPIRIT THAT FEELS LIKE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP! I'd say that's how we felt testifying on the doorstep that day. When we spoke to people at the door, we all felt like we were home for a minute. I humbly pray we can be given the opportunity to help them return home to their Heavenly Father.

Also, Elder Ng and I have been putting up flyers for our English class like madmen. We have probably been through a ream of paper all on our own haha. From all that work, we got three steady students at our daily dose English class! I am teaching it with Elder McDevitt, (he's from SLC) and we both haven't taught it before but we have lots of fire for the work! I wouldn't have believed I would be teaching English this much on my mission haha. We have one student from Afghanistan, and a couple from Armenia. It is a cool experience to teach with enthusiasm and the Spirit to help them feel more at home in this crazy frozen corner of the world. I also got to teach a lesson in Spanish with Elder McDevitt on exchanges earlier this week! Well. He taught in Spanish. I just said stuff in English and he translated haha. But still!

Finally, I just want to tell all who read this email that I have learned the meaning of sincerity in developing a testimony. I know that true testimony doesn't come unless you really NEED it. You can say you want to believe in the Book of Mormon, or God, or Christ, or whatever you'd like, all you want until you are blue in the face, but the Spirit of truth will not testify to you until you truly actually want to know in your heart. It won't happen until there is only two options left in your reasoning, 1) to follow the principle if it is true, or 2) to leave it forever because you don't know if it is true. I testify of these things from personal experience. Along with that, I can testify to all of you the God does love you. He is your Heavenly Father and he's been there since before your first breath, and will be until the ends of time. When you find yourself doubting if He is there, or if He hears you, He is likely closer to you than ever before, and the confounding power of the devil has kept that knowledge from you.

I love you all, and send you a great big spiritual hug from the great white north.

Love,

Elder Callor

November 14, 2016- beLEAF IT!!

Hello all!

This week on the 11th was Remembrance Day, so at 11:11 AM all of Canada stopped what they were doing to remember those who fought for freedom. It was pretty cool.

So there is this member in our ward who feeds us occasionally. He is a pretty great guy, he is nearly a professor in accounting, he served a mission in Japan, and overall he's pretty intelligent. Unfortunately though, his smarts don't always do him good because he gets confounded by the teachings of men and is therefore constantly scrutinizing the gospel and particularly the Book of Mormon. So he isn't "less active" but when he comes to church, he doesn't wear a tie out of some form of protest if that makes sense. He's a tough nut to crack. Anyway, when we visit him he gives us little "challenges" that have to do with the Book of Mormon, random, ridiculous, difficult, and usually irrelevant questions that he either wants to test us on, or is actually asking himself. And you know what the funny thing is? We answer all of his questions (eventually), and he still hasn't lost any of his doubt. As for myself, however, I have grown in my testimony of the Book of Mormon. My point here is that faith grow if you're trying to develop it with doubt in mind. In other words you can't make a flower grow by pouring bleach on it expecting it to die. We must look upward to grow in our faith. I am so truly grateful for the Book of Mormon and how it's truth has managed to stand above scrutiny all this time, and yet it has remained just behind the walls of fact, nestled in the realm of faith forever giving us all the opportunity to choose to believe, not be chosen to believe.

Okay so the U.S. has a new President. This matters because the exchange rate from U.S. dollars to Canadian currency just got much better! My point is that if you love me and you're sending Christmas things, good ol' American dollars would be optimal because basically you can give me a dollar, and when I get it I'll have almost a dollar and a half. HOW'S THAT FOR A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! haha.

Okay Sister Kirschke, a Mexican woman who married a German brother (both of which are in our ward but unable to come to church) told us a story when we visited her last and it touched me so I thought I'd share it with all of you. About 18 years ago she had a terrible disease, she was on the brink of death, and she was worried she would leave this world without completing her mission to return all her children to the gospel. She had tried for many years to bring them back into the fold but unfortunately children sometimes fall away, and so it goes. Well, she spent one night in the hospital just sobbing and praying, and she looked out at the moon and asked, "Lord, how many more moons will you give me before I die?" The Spirit comforted her and she knew in her heart she had more time ahead. Well she lived, of course, and this past month she recently changed her retirement home moving plans to go and stay with her son to help him with some emotional difficulties. Earlier this week, she was praying to Heavenly Father one evening asking for His help to save her son, and to comfort her with His love. She explained to us that right after that the moon lit up her whole room as bright as the day, and she felt a voice in her heart say, "I have given you many more moons, and you have more to come, fear not, for I am with you." She has such a strong testimony and I'm grateful the Lord comforts his dedicated servants.

Okay so I mentioned how Canada is pretty diverse in the past, and I had the thought that sometimes I wonder which language I'm speaking haha. I was called to speak English but I'm serving with a companion who speaks Mandarin and Cantonese, I've taught (and or am teaching) Arabic, Serbian, Guatemalan, and Sudanese people. The only English people I've actually worked with are already members haha. Anyway, just a funny thought.

So the leaves have ALL. COME. DOWN. if I could I would've sent pictures and a couple vidoes of the leaves but I can't because of the computer I'm on. Basically all you need to know is that we've been raking all week, I jumped in a huge pile of leaves that covered me head to foot, and Elder Ng stepped in a puddle while doing service so he got to sit on the swing while I raked a huge back yard by myself haha.

At the end of the day, Heavenly Father loves us all, and no matter how much time we have, let us be grateful for the moons he has given us all. I love you, and I wish you all the best.

Love,

Elder Callor

November 7th, 2016- WHAT A WEEK

Hello my wonderful family and friends. This is Elder Callor, (a very changed man these days) humbly wishing to bestow upon you some mythical stories of my various adventures traversing the Great White North. May your ears hear the wisdom in my words, your throats fill with laughter at my follies, and your hearts burn with the love I have for you.

I CARVED A PUMPKIN! In the pictures it doesn't look too impressive, but it actually is pretty cool because I carved the mouth almost all the way around the pumpkin so it looked like his head was floating on the top of his mouth. Plus his head would shake up and down and I would growl and make noises for him and it was good fun.

Some things Canada does that I've been impressed with...

CANADA REMEMBERS!Canada has Remembrance Day on November 11th. This is basically like Veterans day but depending on who you ask and where you are it can be a pretty big deal. They all wear these red poppy flowers over their left torso to symbolize remembering those who served or are serving by keeping it close to their hearts. I am happy to be a part of that as we got a free poppy in the mail to be a part of the Canadian tradition. I'm willing and proud to support anyone who lays down their life for the protection of freedom anywhere. I certainly won't forget those who served for the States, and I am forever indebted to them. May we all remember everyone around the whole world this month for those who were valorous enough to give their lives for something greater than themselves.

CANADIAN SOUP! Next, Canadians make excellent soups in the fall. (Yes Kristin, you have permission to flip out at me but you should be happy to know I'm still not a fan of soup, I am under the strong opinion that with soup, a meal it does not make) anyway, they make wonderful squash soups that have great thick consistency and have really good spices in them. We've had it for many of our meals the past two months.

I GOT A JACKELOPE!!!!! (most importantly) What a marvel of the modern world, the jackelope is. Or perhaps it is as ancient as the earth itself. What noble and majestic creatures they truly are. So we were helping out the YSA Elders near us move this guy they got a random call from. Basically he is mentally disabled so he didn't understand that all the intimidating government papers on his doors for 6 months meant he had no money and he was getting evicted. It was wonderful to brighten his day by having 8 Elders from a church he hadn't heard of show up at his house to help him move out by 8 o clock that night. Perhaps just as remarkable was the blessing we had of getting a lot of his old junk he didn't need/was going to be taken from him. Thus, I acquired the jackelope. In case you were wondering, and I know you were, his name is Henry. He is mounted proudly upon my wall, and every so often during my studies I glance at him and show reverence to his greatness.

I HAD A BIRTHDAY! I also got an incredible amount of birthday love and support. Thank you to all for your wonderful gifts! This has been one of the best birthdays I've had. The only thing missing was seeing my beloved family and friends, but don't worry, I felt all your love through your generous gifts and letters. Both my companions were so kind and supportive enough to throw me a mini birthday party at the church with some other Elders for our lunch hour and that was awesome. We made two different cakes, and then that night we went to a member's house for dinner and they threw me a mini birthday and we had cake there too. Basically I had SO. MUCH. CAKE. IN. MILK. I loved it hahaha. It was all my favorite cake too! I was very spoiled. 

Also, we got a new car for our area. We went and picked up on my birthday. It just happens to be a 2017 Toyota RAV4. Oh and it also happens to be cherry red. I GOT A BRAND NEW RED CAR FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!! I haven't gotten pictures with it yet, but you can definitely expect them next week. 

MORE BIRTHDAY! Lastly, when we got transfer calls last night, President and Sister Shields sang me a happy birthday song (which was very in tune, energetic, and overall well-done, I didn't know they were such great singers! haha).

Which brings me to our last item of business..... 

TRANSFERS

Dun dun dun!!!!

So I'm staying in Kitchener-Waterloo area with Elder Ng!!!! Elder Layton is leaving to train someone else and be a District Leader in Pickering. Elder Ng is my new District Leader which is going to be awesome. I am excited to work on this area more with all these awesome people I've met, and it's going to be a lot of work because I have to talk to almost everyone because Elder Ng is still trying to learn English, which means I am also going to be heavily involved in his District Leader responsibilities as well (responsibilities I am still more or less unfamiliar with). Wish me luck! 

THE END! Okay that's all I have. Thank you thank you again to every for your love and support. This was a long email this week so when I email you individually, it's going to have to be a bit short... sorry! Know I love you, and Heavenly Father loves you unimaginably. As your Thanksgiving and Christmas season approaches, do not forget what gratitude and respect we should have for our Beloved Savior, the Only Begotten Son, and perhaps above all, the Light of the World.

Love,
Elder Callor