Pray for my Conjugations!

Man I miss you guys!!

 

This week has been good! I am still learning lots! Despite what I said about Spanish coming easy to me it, is actually pretty hard. I am not good with formal English stuff and Spanish is really hard with all the conjugations. I can speak, but I just speak with infinitive verbs, so I don’t make any sense. I am trying though! It is hard not to get frustrated because everyone here has taken at least 2 years of Spanish so they already know how to conjugate everything and I am just starting. Every time I start get down though, I just read the notes that you guys sent me in my big book. It encourages me every time!

 

I set myself a goal to read the Book of Mormon in 16 days in Spanish. It is hard, I do not understand much, but I am trying! And I am also memorizing a scripture a day!!

 

 Man, I have never been so excited for general conference in my whole entire life!! I cannot wait to hear the prophets speak!!! Ha-ha! I also am really enjoying going to the temple in Spanish. Although I don’t know everything that they are saying, I am able to pick out a bunch of words and get the main idea. It helps me just focus on the feelings as opposed to the words which is really cool!!

 

 I have found 2 really good guys who I have become super good friends with!! It is really fun!! I really like hanging out with them so that’s sweet!!

 

Mom- can you send me some Canadian stamps to the mission home in Rosario so that I can mail you guys. I haven’t heard much about packages but one elder got a package here and had to pay like 200 bucks to receive it and it was just his retainer that he forgot. So, I am not really sure what is happening with that. And i just read that you put my white shoes in the garbage!! Hey!!!! (Just kidding! They were old!)

 

What are you going to do about your office, mom? Just make sure you keep making money so you can come visit me in Argentina!! I am excited for you guys to come down here and pick me up!

 

I opened my package with the balloons yesterday and it was nice to have all of your notes on it! I love you guys so much! Thanks for all your support!!

 

We went proselyting again this week to the same area as last week and I could understand way more!!! It was sweet!!We gave away 4 Books of Mormon, and 3 people seemed really interested, so that was super cool!! One lady said that she had prayed for something to happen in her life and then we stared talking to her. That was really awesome!! We talked to a bunch of drunken guys and that was funny.  It is kind of annoying because we proselyte from 12-4 and at 2 everyone goes inside. They all go to nap or whatever they do at 2 and nobody is out on the street. If you knock on their door they just get mad. So pretty much we just walk around for the remaining two hours to see if there is anyone on the street. It is hard during that time.

 

I am glad to know that I am missed!! Oh - I just read in your letter the part  about the seafood buffet at the Priddis golf club and I am super excited to go eat there with you when I get back! I am also really excited to show you guys around Argentina when you get here in 2 years.

 

It was super nice hear about your lives. I miss you and am enjoying reading all your letters! Pray for me to understand the conjugations better please!! I am going to send some pictures now. There are a whole bunch of new Latinos that came in today and a lot of them are going to Rosario which is sweet!! I only have like 12 days left here. I leave next Tuesday. Not this upcoming one, the next one (October 7^th)!

 

 

I love you guys!!

 

Elder carter<3

 

P.S. Sorry- the pics aren’t working so I will just send them the next week! Time is flying by and I miss you like crazy!!!

 

 

Little excerpt from Josh’s letter to Sophie in response to an experience she wrote him about:

 

“…I am sorry to hear that. But think of how Nephi failed three times to get the plates. He failed a lot. So, it is okay to not make it sometimes because that is what we need in order to have the most success. God shows us our weaknesses in order for us to become strong.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small Miracles

Thanks for your emails! I haven’t read all of them yet, but I am going to print them! Keep sending them too me!!

 

First of all, I forgot to mention that when you sent me the candy in the package the first week, after I ate most of it, I decided to share some with my roommates. Well, word got out that I had American candy. We had the whole dorm trying to bust into our room to get their hand on some American candy. We managed to hold them off long enough! So, I think you were everyone’s favorite person for about 10 minutes! Thanks mom you are awesome!

 

My Spanish is improving! I  can hold a basic conversation with someone, but sometimes I don’t catch all the words.  But I can sure see the progress! It is tough though,  I work hard in order to be able to understand it.  It doesn’t just come to me, which is how I imagined it. Teaching lessons in Spanish is good; I can teach the lesson perfectly! It’s just expressing myself in Spanish that  is hard.

 

Man, I am glad I brought my nice brown shoes because they look so good compared to all the hiking boots everyone else has J

 

I found a couple of really cool guys who I have become super good friends with! I really like them and we get along super well so I always hangout with them! I got your pen and the usb thing you sent me! Thanks mom. It is now my favorite pen!!

 

Here are some of the best spiritual moments I have had here at the MTC:

 

1.      We were having a testimony meeting in our district about the Atonement and what it means to us. It was really cool to hear all the missionaries in my district share their testimonies! I bore mine and that felt really good! But I was most touched by one of the missionaries, Elder Ostler, one of the elder’s I really get along with.  His mom passed away last March from cancer. He bore his testimony on how he was happy that the atonement could enable him to return to his family. I felt very privileged to be serving with him. He gave up so much already and still wanted to serve the Lord .I felt the  spirit very strongly!!

 

2. One night we were sharing our experiences with our setting apart blessing . It was very powerful to hear others talk about this.  I realized that everyone has had problems in their life and that they all left something behind. I shared about how I was sad to leave my really tight group of friends and talked about how it was hard to leave home because I am very good friends with my father and mother. As I was saying this I realized that none of these things have bothered me while I am here and this is truly the Lord’s work. He is blessing me with the ability to focus on what I need to do and not worry about what is going on at home!

 

Okay enough with the emotional stuff. WE WENT PROSILYTING ON SATURDAY! It was very scary!!! Well, first of all, we got on a bus and they gave us a map of our area. They didn’t talk about it or anything. They just dropped us off. One could easily go into the wrong area or get lost, so it was kind of scary! And they dropped us off in like the ghetto! People are living in shacks! And there were beer bottles and stray dogs everywhere.... but don’t worry mom, the Lord protects his missionaries.

 

Anyway, after we found out where we were, we started talking to people. It was so cool!! At one point we were walking down the street and I had a feeling that we should turn around and go down the other street. So, I told my companion and we did so. About 30 seconds after we had turned around we started talking to this guy. We ended up giving him a Book of Mormon and getting his number and he seemed super interested, so that was pretty sweet!!! I was very excited about that!  We taught 7 lessons and gave out 3 Books of Mormon and got like 10 referrals. That was pretty exciting, especially since my companion and I cannot speak very good Spanish. Sometimes we would talk to someone and I wouldn’t be able to understand a single word that they were saying!! Ha-ha!! Well I am learning! The lord truly does work miracles!! But man, there are about 100,000 stray dogs and it is scary!! I think they were all going to attack me. Luckily, none of them did! Woohoo!!

 

The other day I had a dream that when I returned home from my mission, I could not  remember anything that I had done.  I was so mad! The reason I couldn’t remember anything was because I hadn’t done anything worthwhile! I think it was pretty similar to dad’s dream at theMTC, which I thought was really cool. I WILL STRIVE TO MAKE MY MISSION WORTHWHILE!

 

 

No new pictures this week -sorry. I am over halfway done my time at the MTC which is crazy because the weeks go by so fast! The food is still really good! Physical activity time is good because I get to play basketball, except if it rains, because it is all outdoors.  I love and miss all of you! Keep me posted on your life.

 

Josh’s first written Spanish sentences:

 

Hola! Como esta? Mi mama y abuelita able mucho espanol en casa pero yo no escuchar. Yo nececita trabaje mas porque no intiende todas las cosas. Lo siento.

 

Love,

ELDER CARTER

 

 

Pictures from the MTC

Dani, this is the Hermana that reminds me of you

My companion, Elder Paul

My roomates

My Latin friend

My district

Just me:)

                                          

Our room - my bed as the one on the far left

My MTC President

My District Leader

Proud to be Canadian!!

Hey guys!

 

 

I opened your present this week! Thanks for the tie - it was really nice!! Last week the temple was really cool! We went through a session in Spanish on p-day! I enjoyed it but I was struggling to stay awake!  I like it here! You guys can write me as well! Like just send mail. I sent you a letter so hopefully you will receive it.

 

I really like my district! It is sweet!! I am enjoying the people in it and everything! Sometimes people get annoying but it’s okay, I am learning how to be patient with them!

 

This week the older group left the MTC for their missions. It is empty here now!! There are like 35 of us here! Crazy huh!! You really get to know everyone!! I liked some of the older group, so it was kind of sad to see them leave!! Oh well! Now WE are the older group! I will be leaving in less than 4 weeks!

 

One dinner this week we had blood sausages! It is where they take the blood of the cow, then mix it up until it is thick then add some seasoning! It tastes alright but it was a struggle to put it all down! I sure hope I don’t get fed that a lot during my mission! 

 

Spanish is tough. I am improving but it is pretty frustrating because I just want to be able to speak fluently! Oh well! It will come with time I think! But I am working hard!

 

This Saturday we are leaving the MTC to go proselyting! Crazy! I don’t even know how to speak Spanish yet!! I am a little worried but I know that I will be guided by the spirit when the time comes! 

 

Okay, something I forget to tell you is that  the first week I was here I got a hair cut! Some instructor came up to me and was telling me “pelo  pelo!!” So I just went and got my haircut! It turned out pretty good. I would have cut it the same way at home; it is just a little bit shorter!

 

So everyone always asks me to say things like “bag”, “flag”, and “dragon” because I say my “a’s different than them! So this week I put up my Canadian flag on my desk! I am sure proud to be Canadian!!

 

Here they have a bidet, which is a substitute for toilet paper! It really tickles your bottom! Water is going places that it should never go!!! Haha!  It was cool to try though, but I think I will stick with the good old fashion toilet paper!

 

Time is really flying here! I am starting to see that this whole mission is going to fly by! It seems like just yesterday I was emailing you!!

 

I like it here but the language is hard! Pray for me, especially for the language. I’m doing awesome! I am enjoying my mission lots! I miss you guys but the work is keeping me busy so its fine. I actually like it here a lot more than I was expecting. Sorry my letter isn’t very long! i was trying to spend more time sending pictures!!

Send lots of letters! I miss you guys and I  like hearing about your lives! I love you guys! The church is true! And I am doing what the Lord needs me to do! Pray for me and the language!

 

 

Love you guys!!! 

 

Love Elder Carter

This is the MTC

My first week as a missionary!

HEY!!!!

 

Man I miss you guys!!! You guys are awesome!! I was so excited to get all of your emails! So glad to hear everything is going well at home! Okay, to start I with,  am companion with Elder Paul. He is from California. He is really cool. He plays football and laughs like super hard! We get along pretty well. I was made senior companion which was cool! So I pretty much take the lead in the lessons and stuff. The spirit is so strong here it’s crazy!!  I love it!!! Okay usually how my day goes is: wake up 6:30, then breakfast at 7:00, then personal study at 8:00, then companions study 9:00. Then language study at 10 till lunch. Then more language study until 2. Then physical exercise at 2:30 then language at 4:00 then dinner at 6:00. Then gospel learning at 7 till like 9. Then 9 to 1030 is free. So it’s pretty packed!

 

Man mom I didn’t realize how hard Spanish was!! Like all the grammar stuff that you have to know is crazy! And I am bad at grammar anyway. It’s crazy because at home I could understand some of what you said but not everything. But here its different! I think the spirit it really helping me learn. All the north Americans have taken Spanish before so I pretty much fit right in so it’s all good!

 

I have 5 other roommates and I like them all! They are funny, so that’s good. We often stay up late talking.

 

So I got here on Thursday and then on Saturday my companion and I had to teach the first lesson in SPANISH!! Crazy!!!! It was so bad! I felt bad for the instructor slash investigator. But we have been improving. We are going out and actually tracting NEXT SATURDAY!! I’m so worried cause I can really not speak at all yet!!

 

When I got here, I put on the name tag they gave me and I thought this:

What a great honor and privilege it was to put the same name that many other great men have put on... (ie dad, grandpa, uncle spencer) I felt blessed and honored to be a part of our family. I also felt very honored to have Christ’s name on my chest. I have been thinking about that a lot this week!

 

All the missionaries here are friends! Everyone is super friendly and  always talking. There are three Canadians here and we are the best at basketball. We often play 3 on 5 and win! Haha who new!! All the new missionaries ask me what Canada is like. I decided that it would be funny if I told them that I have often hunted whales with harpoons! And they believed me!!! HAhah they want me to show them how to make harpoons this week!!! And they always ask what whale tastes like!!

 

The weather is around 10 degrees every day, so that is cool. Sometimes is rains. Here is it very relaxed. Nobody tells you what to do when. So if you don’t want to study you don’t have to. if you don’t want to go to bed you don’t have to. if you don’t want to pay attention you don’t have to. But everyone is obedient and studies and stuff when they are supposed to. So really if you wanna work hard you will get alot out of it if you don’t work hard it will come back and bite you in the bottom!

 

The food it super good here! The lunches are by far the best! The meat is amazing! However I have been trying to eat less cause I don’t want to get fat! I think I have lost a little bit of weight which I am happy about!! And yes the alfajores are amazing!!! They are so yummy! I can’t wait for dad and mom to come down here and see everything it is very pretty.

 

 

Mom and Dad- Miss you guys! Thanks for being amazing parents! I am having a super fun time! So don’t worry about me at all. I am enjoying every minute of it except for the 5 minutes after 630! Lol.

 

Love you guys

Elder CARTER :)