I'm Happy Here!

May 18, 2015

 

Hey guys! How is it going?  Sounds like you guys have been having fun with baseball and movies and everything!!  And hey Sophie,  your braces look good!! 

 

This week has been good! We had my first zone meeting on Tuesday and I think it went really well! We were able to talk about the stuff that president wanted us to talk about and there were some really good comments made from some of the other elders and sisters in the zone! I learned so much from them and realized I have a lot to work on! The zone is great!!

 

This week we were contacted by a returned missionary from Utah. He served here 2 years ago and had returned to visit the people he taught. He wanted to come out with us for a day and do visits with us. It was pretty cool to work with him! He speaks super well and we really enjoyed the surprise visit. He was fun to be with.

 

Safety is a major concern in our zone. It is a pretty dangerous area, especially at night. So, as missionaries in this zone, we are being very careful and smart about the streets we walk on and who we talk to after dark.

 

One of the highlights this week has been teaching! We  are teaching a couple with a 1 one year old girl that has down syndrome-  and man, she is the cutest little girl that I have ever seen! Haha! She is awesome! And man, the couple are awesome people!!!! They are going to get married to be baptized!! Yesterday was the dedication of the temple here in Cordoba,  but they weren’t able to go, and they said they were sad because they wanted to go to church this Sunday!!  I love see them receive what we teach and then actually follow through and do things to gain a testimony!  

 

We are also teaching a man named G and he is super awesome too! He is separated from his wife and has 2 girls. He is fully engaged in the teaching and readily accepts everything. He is super attentive during our visits and it is the coolest experience to teach him!! He has a baptismal date set for June 13^th. I am pretty excited!! We have some more we are teaching but these are the ones that are super prepared and super awesome!!

 

Another highlight this week was the dedication of the Cordoba temple yesterday. I loved being able to watch and to be part of it. Elder Uchdorf did the dedication in English and his words were translated into Spanish. It was awesome to be able to understand both languages!!!   

 

I love you guys! Thanks for everything!

 

Elder Carter

Inside our church building

Loved working with Elder Salinas!!!

Sitting beside my new companion, Elder Bleuth

"Las Delicias"

May 11, 2015

 

Hey guys! How’s it going? It was super fun to talk to you guys yesterday! It was really nice to see your faces, too!

 

I am doing awesome! It is getting pretty cold here but it’s good! The new ward is awesome! We have one Hermana that does our laundry and I swear my shirts are whiter that when I bought them! She is super awesome! We have lunch and dinner most days with members, which is super sweet!

 

We have a good ward mission leader and some good support from the ward! I am really looking forward to helping this ward out and baptizing more people! There is a ton of potential here in “Las Delicias!!”

 

I feel like this week has been crazy! On Thursday we went to “consejo” (council) with all the other zone leaders in the mission and president talked to us about things he wants us to help the missionaries in our zone with.  It was super super awesome and inspiring and I came out of that meeting wanting to baptize the world! Ha-ha!  Tomorrow we are going to have our zone meeting and I am really looking forward to it! It will be fun!! 

 

After the meeting with the president, we had to go check all of the pensions in the zone to make sure that they are safe because of what happened in Chile (a sister’s apartment was broken into and the sisters were assaulted).  So we did that, and as a result have been traveling a lot! But I really like it and have had zero time for anything other than missionary work, which I am super happy about!!

 

We bought a toilet seat for the hole in the bathroom  and man it is heavenly! Now I can enjoy my time in the bathroom once again! 

 

We are really trying to work with he members in order to receive references and invite people! I have found on my mission, that is the most successful way of meeting new people and doing missionary work.  So we have started doing that and I think it is working! We have a ton of potential people who can get taught and baptized! I am really looking forward to working in this area! 

 

Sorry this letter is short – you heard it all yesterday. So, I will talk to you next week! Good luck with all of your stuff! I still haven’t bought a camera cord! They don’t seem to have any down here! I will buy new shoes next week! Good luck!

 

Love you,

Elder Carter

Saying good-bye to the awesome members in San Lorenzo

Meet my new companion, Elder Bleuth, and my new kitchen

This is our fancy shower

Great friends from San Lorenzo

Can we keep him, please????

Our pension!

Good bye, San Lorenzo!

May 5, 2015

 

This week was exciting but crazy! On Saturday afternoon, at around 2:00 pm, we got a call from the Asistentes (AP) telling me I was getting transferred to the south part of Rosario, to an area called Delicias. I will be serving as a lider de zona (zone leader)! I was so surprised! I did not expect to get transferred because when we train, we usually do it for 12 weeks. I was sad and excited! I remember when I first arrived at San Lorenzo from Venado Tuerto. I was not sure I liked it. But I have grown to love it soo much! I love the place, but I love the people even more!!!!! And I will miss Elder Salinas. I think he is a little nervous about getting around. San Lorenzo is so big! But he is a good missionary and will do awesome! The members will treat him well!

 

 

The San Lorenzo branch is pretty flipping awesome!!!!! I couldn’t believe it, but they had a little going away party for me. It was so sweet!!!! They made” tortas fritas,” (kind of like scones)” tortas dulce,” and “mate.” They even made a video for me with everyone in the branch saying good bye and sharing their testimonies!!!!! They are so awesome! I was super touched. I knew how much I loved them, but I had no idea how much they loved me. Cristina and her daughters organized the whole thing. It was super sad and hard to say good bye! These people are so special to me!!!!

 

I wanted to give them something back so bad! So, now I am short on ties because ties and stickers are all I have and I gave practically all of them away. So, I would appreciate a few more of these items from home J. Mom, these people are truly amazing! There is something so special about them. I have learned so much from them! My testimony has grown just by their examples of service and willingness to do anything to help us out. I did not like saying good bye, but I felt satisfied in knowing that I had worked hard and given this area my very best. I witnessed miracles and saw people’s lives change. I am so happy about that. Heavenly Father needs me somewhere else now and I am excited for my new assignment!

 

So, I have been called to be a zone leader!!! I am super excited but also a little bit nervous!! My new comp is Elder Bluth! He is from somewhere in Utah – my 3^rd companion from Utah! He has been out for 9 months. I am a little nervous because I think that my Spanish is still a little shaky and I know I am super young in the mission(only 8 months) to be a zone leader. I don’t know if I even know that much that can help others! But, obviously the Lord thinks I have something that can help others, so I will do my best and not disappoint Him!! I am really looking forward to this new challenge!

 

 

Our apartment would be a pretty sweet  apartment,  but the toilet doesn’t have a seat, so you have to squat instead of sit, and we  have to climb up on top of the roof every time we want to use hot water.  The shower doesn’t have a head, so it just comes out like hose. Other than those minor details, the pension is pretty good!! We just have to fix a couple of things!

 

The area seems pretty good! It is a little dangerous, but we will be fine! I am looking forward to getting to know the ward and people here! All the zone leaders have regular meetings with president, which I am really looking forward to! I love him and think it is sweet to be working closer with president!

 

And yes mom, chances are that I will probably stay in the Rosario mission when it splits in July. I am pretty excited about this because from what I hear, it is safer than Santa Fe and we have President Zanni!!  

 

It’s been a great and crazy week! I am excited to talk to you guys on Sunday afternoon!! Thanks for al your support!

 

I love you!

Elder Carter

 

 

Enjoying my last Sunday in San Lorenzo

The awesome video the branch made for me! Can you believe it?

Working Hard!!!

April 27, 2015

Hey guys! How’s it going!!

Everything is going well here in San Lorenzo! The weather is getting a little colder which is really nice! Now I can finally sleep with a blanket on instead of a super loud fan!! Ha-ha!! I really appreciate this weather!!  So that is nice! However, getting out of a nice warm bed is a little harder!  Just kidding – its way nicer to work!!

There is not too much new news this week. I delivered the presents mom sent for some of our new members. Lisandro loved the drawing book!! He also loves fishing so the book on learning to draw fishes was a super big hit! As a matter of fact, we went over to visit with him this week and he was  too distracted with his drawing to pay attention. Haha!! Christina and her daughters really liked the bracelets too!! We are going into Serodino in a couple of hours to have Family Home Evening with them. It should be good!!

We are working really hard! One of my goals on my mission is to work super hard finding and teaching and to prepare someone weekly for baptism, so that there are people joining the church every week!! I know it is hard but I’m eager and excited about missionary work!! Maybe I can do this, even if it is just for one transfer.  Elder Salinas and I are working hard to accomplish this goal. His Spanish is coming along great!! The members make all the difference. It is more likely that someone will be baptized when the members are involved. Sometimes that requires lots of coordination, but it’s worth it!!

We had a sweet experience this week. One night this week, we went to visit the home of a new member who has been struggling. We started sharing a message with him and he started to cry as he shared some of his challenges with the word of wisdom. We gave him a blessing of comfort and when we were done, he said that he felt prompted to really put into action the power of the atonement in his life. It was so exciting to see him want to change and feel hope and comfort!! 

I have never given a single blessing in English but I have had the sweet experience of doing it in Spanish many times. I don’t think I would know how to do it in English. Funny!!

We are very blessed to be fed by the members of our branch every week! They are so good to us. This week we did not have an appointment for Thursday so we ordered pizza and  a bunch of empanadas We had a feast!! But I think we will be tight for money the rest of this week. Oh well, we sure enjoyed it!!!

I am happy and working hard!! I am giving Heavenly Father the best I can! Next week is transfers, which means that I won’t write until Tuesday. Thanks for everything!!!

I love you!

Elder Carter

Catching a ride with some cool members of the branch

Dinner and Family Home Evening at Cristina's house

Just love these people!!!!!

Miracles

April 20, 2015

This week was pretty sweet! We had a baptism!!! Her name is Maria Ester. I had the privilege of baptizing her. It was awesome!!!  It was such a nice experience!! Her story is pretty cool. One day, Elder Johnson and I were going through our area book and came across her name. We asked members in our branch if they knew much about her and decided to find her and teach her. Well, it turns out that by the time we found her, she had already read the Book of Mormon and had a testimony of it!! The only reason she had not been baptized was because she had an ulcer in her foot and could not get it wet. Then she kind of lost contact with the missionaries and by the time we found her, her foot had healed and she wanted to be baptized. We were more than happy to help her!!

 

I know it was not merely coincidence that her name popped out to us when we opened the area book or that her ulcer had healed just as found her. I know the Lord’s hand was in all of it and that he had prepared her for us to find. It  is so cool to be a part of this miracle!! There was really good attendance at the service which was great! It made her feel supported!!

 

We played Capture the Flag with our zone last Monday. That was a fun P-Day! Later that day, we went to visit Beatriz, the lady who was baptized last week. I noticed that no one took pictures of her on this special day, so I printed one off and gave it to her. I can’t even begin to describe the happiness that showed on her face when I gave it to her!!!! She told me she did not have enough money for a camera, so this picture meant so much to her. She will always be able to remember this special day!! She is so awesome!! It was all a really touching experience for me.

 

Training is great!  Elder Salinas is a hard worker and is doing really good with the language. He does a great job teaching!  And is talking lots more!

 

Right now we are teaching a part member family. The husband went on a mission 10 years ago and the wife  is not a member. Their names showed up in our area book as members and being that they live pretty close to our pension and we had never seen them at church, Elder Johnson and I made it a point to stop by every night on our way home. We must have stopped by at least 30 times with no answer.  Then one day, with Elder Salinas, we decided to stop by at an earlier time and this time someone opened! We were told the couple we were looking for had moved to another part of San Lorenzo. They even gave us the new address. We took it and headed over to their new place. Well, we found them, and started talking with them. We taught them and now she is ready for baptism and he is ready to come back to church!!! It was a miracle that we even found them!! I know Heavenly Father blesses us when we work hard and are obedient. We never gave up on finding this family and now we are helping them be eternal!  The Lord truly does work miracles!!!

 

I love you guys!!

Elder Carter

 

 

 

Maria's special day

This kid loved Elder Johnson so much he wanted to say goodbye to him with the American flag

The awesome Vera family

No proselyting in here!!

Loving San Lorenzo!!

April 13, 2015

 

Hey guys!! I got your package and man; you guys did a good job!! I ate a little bit of the treats in it and it tasted like home!!! It was so sweet!! 

 

We had a great week!! There were 74 members at church today and 4 investigators!!! We are working with the members a lot and they are awesome!! They help us so much!! Working with members is definitely the best way to do missionary work!! The people in this branch are so awesome and I love them so much!! I want to do all I can to help them. I care for them so much and don’t like to think about the possibility of leaving them (although I know someday I will).  

 

Sophie asked me in her letter what my favorite part of the day was. At the beginning I used to think it was when we came in at night or when we came in for study time but now, it is when we are out there teaching a lesson to someone who wants to listen. I find myself liking the work, more than liking the breaks! It is awesome because then I can focus more and do what I am here to do!!!   I like working lots better than not working!! 

 

This week I have been studying from the book of Mosiah. I read something I really liked! I believe it is in Mosiah 2:20 where it talks about the fact that if we served God for our entire lives, we would still be unworthy servants. I thought about that for a while because most of us spend a lot of time thinking about what is best for us and doing things that we like to do. This scripture put this time in my life into perspective, as all I’m doing is serving the Lord. And I thought what a privilege it is! My mission is not something I should be waiting to finish but something I need to be willing and happy to do. I already feel that way, but this scripture just made me think about it more lately!

 

On Wednesday we were invited to eat with some members of our branch. They are a poor family with very little. I was humbled by their willingness to help us out by giving us what they could. I was such a pleasure to sit and eat with them!! The sister who invited us is also the seminary teacher. They don’t own a car or motorcycle and live pretty far away from the chapel. She takes a taxi every morning at 5:30 am to go teach seminary!! She is such a good example to me! I am sure her family sacrifices a lot of things, including even fun activities, in order to free up money so she can pay for a taxi every morning. What faith!!!

 

Yesterday was our zone meeting and it went super well! I learned a lot and it was fun to see all of the other missionaries again! One of the things discussed was the fact that we need to be missionaries at ALL times, not just when we are in our areas. I was thinking about that on the bus ride back to our apartment, and it just so happened that there was a woman sitting beside me who I felt impressed to talk to. I must admit that even after that conference, I had a little bit of a fight with myself as to whether I really should talk to her or not. It is still hard sometimes. I built up my courage and started a conversation with her about regular everyday things. Then she asked me some questions that allowed me to share our beliefs with her and we are going back to teach her and her family on Wednesday!!!!!That was our little miracle this week. I just needed to get over my fear of rejection and it turned out so good. I am so happy I followed the promptings of the spirit that day.  

 

We are going to Rosario today to play some sports with the zone, which should be fun! 

 

Cristina and her two daughters were fasting on Sunday for the first time and were very excited asking everyone else who was fasting and what they were fasting for! Ha-ha it was pretty funny actually! They were just so excited to be part of something! It was awesome!! I love them!!

 

 

I love you guys!!

Tengan un bien semana!

Les quiero!! 

Elder Carter

Meet the wonderful Beatrice!!

GOD IS REAL!!!!!

April 6, 2015

 

Hey guys!! What’s up??

 

Thank you for letting me know about Uncle Spencer’s crash. Wow – what a miracle!! Was anyone else hurt? Anyone from the oncoming traffic? It is just crazy!! And the funny thing is that I have been praying for Uncle Spencer more than I ordinarily do. I did not know why at the time, but now I know and Heavenly Father has heard our prayers. GOD IS REAL!!!! I am very glad Uncle Spencer is okay and hope he continues to recover from his bruises. What a great example Uncle Spencer is to us!! Grandpa’s letter, where he wrote down his impressions and thoughts on Uncle Spencer’s accident gave me more strength to work harder and help more people!!

 

It’s been a good week!!  We have been mostly focused on trying to find new investigators because right now we have been lacking a little bit! We have been sharing the” Pascua” (Easter) video put out by the church with many people. It is super good!! It has been well received because unlike Christmas, Argentinians like to talk about Christ at this time of year. It has been a good opportunity!

 

We have also been praying to find new people to teach and Heavenly Father is answering our prayers.  We were visiting an inactive family and guess what? They have a girl who hasn’t been baptized who is 11 yrs old! We taught her the first lesson and now she has a baptismal date! Everyone is excited!! We also found a less active member whom we have been looking for for forever!! And his wife is not a member. We taught her and she also set a baptismal date! It’s pretty sweet!! The Lord really does prepare people for us to teach and leads us to them if we work hard and are obedient!!  

 

Friday was a good day.  We went into Rosario for interviews with the mission president and then a zone meeting. My interview went really well. President Zanni is a super awesome guy!!! He took some time to share with me ways in which I can improve my teaching. It was really sweet!! Our zone meeting was focused on goals and how to reach them. After our meeting was done, some food was ordered for us but it turned out to be very little in quantity. We just had 2 empanadas per person. Some more food was ordered right away but by the time that was delivered, mostly everyone had left. The only ones remaining were the zone leaders, another companionship, and Elder Salinas and myself. We had a feast!!! We pigged out!!! There was a ton of empanadas and I certainly got my fair share of food!!!! It was all so good!!

 

Conference was great!! There were some really good talks! My favorite was the one on Sunday where Elder Brent H Nielson talked about his sister who had fallen away from the church. I liked it because as a missionary, it reminded me that even though I may not see results, I may still be making a difference. We were able to watch conference in English which was sweet! But I did sneak out and watched the speakers who spoke in Spanish with all the Spanish people because I don’t like the translating voice.  Can you send me the General Conference Ensign in English when it comes out? And maybe a usb with new church music too?

 

Thanks for your support!

 

I love you guys!

Elder Carter