Grateful!!

August 15, 2016

Well this is it. Two years coming to an end. To put into words these two years is too much to ask. I cannot describe how grateful I am for them. My mission has meant the world to me. I have done my best. And because of that, God has given me what I needed and not necessarily what I wanted in order to help me progress. It was tough, sad, lonely, tiring, never ending, BUT dispite all those feelings the feelings of happiness, excitement, joy, and peace make it worth 100 times over. Looking back I remember the good times way more than I  remember the bad times. 

To sum up what I have learnt or been able to accomplish is that I have gotten to know my saviour Jesus Christ. Before my mission I knew of him and had felt a little bit of His presence, but NOW I know He is my Saviour, my Reedemer, my older brother, my King, and my example. He helps me when I can't do it anymore, He comforts me when I need comfort, He knows how to help me because He has felt it all before. He has gone through it, he knows what it is like and WILL never leave us alone. I have felt His presence, felt His comfort and have come to know Him a lot better. I still have a long way to go, but for that I am very grateful. I have better understood what he has done for me and all of Gods children. The atonement is real, and avaliable for all. 

The Lord's work, missionary work, has been something that has become part of me and hope that will forever be a part of me. He dedicated his life to it and some of the very small things that he asks of us in return for his infinite sacrifice is to help our brothers and sisters.

I have learned the importance of the family and what it means to God. Families are meant to be eternal. He loves us and wants  us to be happy. He is our loving Father.

Love you

Elder Carter

Lessons from a convert

August 1, 2016

Hey guys!! Man, I really love reading your emails! Thanks!!

Last p day we went to a place that sells waffles! I was pretty excited since I have not eaten waffles in a really long time! We had planned it out a couple days before,even!! When we got there, it looked pretty good! I ordered a milkshake and a waffle with ice cream on it. The milkshake got there pretty fast. But when I started to drink it, it tasted like I was drinking banana flavoured water!! I had been soooo excited just anticipating it, and it was pretty gross! I still had a little bit of hope for the the waffle that was coming, though. When they brought it around it looked pretty good, but turned out to be disappointing too! Lesson learned - not every new and anticipated experience will turn out as great as we hoped. 

This week we went to rosario pretty early in the morning for a meeting! It was pretty good! I got to see Elder Aubrey and Elder Curtis which was aweome!! I have become really good friends with them! I will be sad to say goodbye to them but after the mission we will hang out!! 

We have been working really hard this week to find new people to teach and do everything in order help more people get baptized! Its hard and long but awesome at the same time!!  

This week I was talking to a convert of 3 months at church! He is a pretty awesome guy who is super excited about the church! His attitude was contagious and made me so excited as well!! Anyways, after chatting for a little bit, he was telling me his conversion story. The part that was the most interesting to me was that he said that he got to know the church through the missionaries that knocked on his door. On his first Sunday at church, he felt excited but pretty nervous about not knowing anyone. He was so surprised when he realized he actually knew 3 people at church! He was happy because he did not feel so alone, but disappointed because these people had never invited him or even said anything about the church. Missionaries had to come from the other side of the world in order to help him get to know the gospel when his friends right next door ALREADY HAD IT. And did not even say anything! I was thinking about that and how I do not want that to happen! We have the knowledge needed to go back to live with God! How selfish is it not to share it with others!?

I love you guys!

Elder Carter

Feeling grateful!

July 25, 2016

Man time is really flying by here!! Each week passes by faster and faster!! I am enjoying every minute of it while I can!!

This week, while we were looking for inactive members on a list that we have, we found a family made up of a mom and her three kids. When we knocked on the door, we found the three kids who are 16,18 and 23, but we did not find the mother. After talking with them for a little bit we learned that the mother does not live there! She lives in a another part of pergamino with her boyfriend. This mother has completley abandonded her three children because her boyfriend doesn't like her kids. Now all there of them are working and have dropped out of school in order to support themselves. They are living alone. They don't see their mother very much since she rarely goes to visit. As I was talking with this family, I just had a feeling of everlasting gratitude for the family that I have at home. I felt grateful for the privilege I have had to grow up in a household that loves me (most of the time)hahahaha. I felt really bad for these three kids that were just on their own. The mother chose her boyfriend over her own children! The family unit is completely destroyed here in Argentina. I am very so grateful for the family that I have waiting for me at home and all they have done for me! I am so blessed!

This week I also met an active older sister of the church. She lives alone and is one of the most happiest and friendliest people I have met! Anyways, we set up a day to visit her and when we got there she had bought us toooonnnns of groceries to take home. Pop, cheese, eggs, crackers, mate cosido, meat just everything! She does not have very much money and I was very grateful for all that she had sacraficed for us! Maybe its a blessing because you guys fed the missionaries over there on your part!!

I am trying to eat healthy so that I don't come home looking fat but man, its hard! I am trying to eat healthy but also at the same time  trying to enjoy the last little bit of argentine food!! Hahaha - its a hard! The bread kills me!! I guess that's  just part of missionary life!!

Hey could you guys give some references to the missionaries over there so that I can receive references over here?

Thanks!!

I love you guys!

Elder Carter

Sooooo cold!!!

July 18, 2016

Hey guys!!

It's been pretty cold these days!! Right now, I am writing in a computer place and it is freeeezzing so my hands are a little bit frozen!! But afterwards we are going to go make some pizzas so that'll be good!!

This week we have been getting to know the area a little bit better! Its pretty sweet! I really like the area! It's got a little bit of everything, which is cool! The members are really good as well! We are really working hard to try and find people to baptize in August!! So that will be good!! Elder Silva is pretty cool! It's different living with someone who doesnt speak english, but I like it!! Yeah, Elder Sliva is prettty fluent in spanish, but sometimes it still sounds like he is speaking Portuguese!! Maybe I can learn a couple of words from hiim! We have not been getting lost so much lately, which is great! I feel like the spirit is guiding us and lighting our mind so that we know where everything is!

This week, we met a inactive member who is starting to reactivate or come back to church! His daughter just got baptized and he is really embracing himself in the gospel. The other week he set the goal to read the book of mormon in two weeks and he did it! And he actually understood all of it!! We had a really good discussion about it and it sounded like he just loved it! For me it was really cool to see how excited and happy he was about what he had accomplished! It made me more excited to read and apply everything that I learn! It's great!!  

One other thing that I have been thinking about is that often  we say we would be happy IF. IF only we had this. Or IF only I didn't have to deal with this, or IF only I didn't have this calling, or IF only I had more money, or IF I wasn't sick. And I was thinking about that a lot lately and the fact that whatever we think is going to make us happy is what we. Want more of. But, if we didn't have challenges or things going wrong from time to time, we couldn't appreciate growth which brings happiness. we always somehow want more and dont want something that is going to dictate our happiness. We have to learn to be happy, even when we don't have what we want!

My hands are freezing!

I love ya!

Elder Carter

My last area!

July 12, 2016

Hey guys!!

Well,  first of all I just want to let you know that my letters for the next 6 weeks aren't going to be as good (detailed) as the letters I  have sent the last six weeks! Elder Larsen had a device where we typed bits and pieces of our letters through the week and it stored all the information until we got to the computers where we just plugged it in and it spat all that we had typed out. SO I,  have been doing that for the last six weeks and that's why my letters have been so much better! LOL! So, don't expect too much from me now!!

The biggest thing that happened this week is that I got transfered and so did Elder Larsen!! They took us both out. Elder Larsen went to Rosario and I am still here in Pergamino but in a different area and with a different companion! His name is Elder SIlva and he is from Brasil!! Hahaha - my last transfer in the mission and I finally get a comp who does not speak english! Pretty funny! But he seems cool! I really like him and the Brazilians always are very good missionaries so we will do awesome! He doesn't know the area, nor do I so it will be interesting! I am looking forward to it!

I was sad to say goodbye to Elder Larsen! He is a really good guy and learned a lot from him! I was sad to say goodbye to Centro as well, since I felt like we finally were starting to gain the confidence of the members and see the fruits of our labour! It was a very interesting group of people, but I am very grateful I had to chance to get to know them!! I will miss them!

We were working with a kid that is 9 years old! It was really cool to see his progression and on the 30th of july he will be baptized!! His inactive mom came back to church and is getting along just great with all of the Hermanas so that awesome! It was a miracle that we found him and I am excited to go back to see his baptism!!!

Nothing else is new this week! We are lost lots and trying to get to know the members and the investigators that they had! The good thing though, is that the pension is really nice! It's in an apartment building and it's pretty modern! I realy like it! One of the best ones that I have lived in!!

I love you guys!

Elder Carter

Reflections

July 4, 2016

Hey guys!!

This week I was a little sick, so we had to take it easy. I was not feeling good, but now I am feeling a lot better! Being sick is never fun!

I have been getting to know the members a little bit better! It's funny because lots of times we have a perspective about someone and then when we actually meet they are actually a lot different! I realize there are lots of good things that sometimes I actually don't see! We have been trying to work with the members more! We are trying to help them understand the doctrine of Christ! When someone starts to understand and apply the doctrine of Christ, they are being his disiples! I am learning a lot as well.

One parable in the bible that I like a lot is the parable of the ten virgens. There are 10 women waiting to go into a wedding. In order to go in they needed to have their lamps lit. The lamps needed oil to work. Five of these virgins brought with them extra oil so that they would be able to get into the wedding. The other 5 were foolish and did not bring extra oil. Well, when the party started the 5 virgins who had oil were allowed in, however those who had not brought oil were buying oil and arrived late. Then the 5 vrigins tried to get into the party but were stopped at the door and the lord said you know me not. I was thinking alot about this lately. Because of the lack of preparation by 5 of the virgins, the Lord said they did not know him. If we truly are trying to know and do as the Saviour would, we will be prepared. If we take his words to be something that we push off to the side or try and do later, the day will arrive and we will have no oil in our lamps. We will be stuck outside because of our actions. Everything we do - going to church, reading the scriptures, sharing the gospel, praying, etc., we are adding little drops of oil to our lamps preparing for when the hour arrives. I don't want to be caught empty having to buy more oil. I want to be prepared now. 

We have lots to do this week so it will go by really quickly! There is nothing really new in the work this week, just the normal stuff.

The love that God has for us is beyond our comprehension. He sent his only begotten son to save us. He died and suffered for each and every one of us. Through him and none other can we receive salvation. He has the power to heal us and to enable us. Through Him,  weak things can become strong, can be fixed and healed. If anything, during my time on the mission I have grown closer to my saviour Jesus Christ. I love Him and am very grateful for what he did for me. 

Elder Carter  

Cold, sick, and inspired!

June 28, 2016

Hey guys!! How it going?

Yesterday was probably the coldest day I have had in Argentina so far. I had 5 layers of clothes on and I still felt cold!! It doesn't matter if I have tons and tons of clothes on, the cold still manages to get to me. It didn't help that it was raining and windy - lol! However I am very grateful that we have a heater in our pension because there are many that do not have a heater!

These last couple of weeks we have been working really hard trying to find people to teach, but we haven't had a ton of luck. The other day we were tracting a little bit, hoping to find more people to teach. We knocked one door and a inactive family opened the door. We started talking and set up an appointment for another day. The day came around for our appointment the woman we talked to directed us to another house that was behind hers. I guess the inactive women didn't really want to talk with us, but her daughter did, who was also an inactive member. This daughter has a son that is about 9 years old and is dying to get baptized! It was pretty cool! The mother was talking about what arrangements she would have to make for his baptism. The food, the clothes and the timing! I was pretty excited!!It was a blessing that we received for really giving everything that we had! We have met with him a couple of times since and it has been really good!

We went to Rosario this week for splits. It was cool to be back in Belgrano for a little bit! There are some really good people there. Anyways, the divisions went really well until we decided to order a pizza. We decided to order a blue cheese pizza. I actually really like blue cheese pizzas and have had many on my mission. So between the 3 of us (one of the other elders didn't want to eat) we split a nice big blue cheese pizza. It was done on the parrilla, or in other words on the grill which makes it even better. The three of us enjoyed the pizza right before we went to bed. I woke up to the sound of Elder Larsen throwing up in the bathroom. I went back to sleep and then I woke up again to the sound of Elder Larsen throwing up in bathroom again. That happened about 4 times during the night. I was feeling pretty bad for him, and hoping that it was not going to hit me since we eat all of the same things. The morning came around and Elder Larsen stayed in with Elder Curtis. I went out and worked with the other Elder still feeling great. We came back and made some really yummy tacos with french fries and everything! They were really good. About 2 hours after we ate the tacos it hit me! I was feeling pretty sick and the thought of having to travel 3 hours back to Pergamino was killing me. Nonetheless, I sucked it up, grabbed some toliet paper and we were off. The first little bit of the bus ride went well, but it came to a point that I could just not handle it anymore. Most of the buses are like 2 leved grey hound buses so they are pretty big, big enough to have a bathroom in them. If you can picture a bathroom on an airplane, its about half of that, giving us just the BARE minimum space.I was worried that my knees were going to bump open the door to the cabin! Hahaha-I was lucky it didn't happen, but along with it being very small is was not very well maintained. It was one of the worst bathrooms that I have ever had to use! Man, was I excited when we got back to Pergamino to the pension! It was probably the longest bus ride of my whole entire life! I am glad its over. Don't worry Bita, I came home and took your pills. They made me better.

Jose, the man who was baptized last week, walked to church yesterday. Jose is an 86 year old man who has had many medical problems. One of his knees has been operated on many times and does not work very well. This makes walking for him very hard and slow. He lives about 10 blocks from the church. Yesterday in the rain, in the cold, in the wind he walked to church. It took him about 40 minutes to do it, but he did it. ANYONE in our area could walk to church in under 40 minutes even if they lived at the furthest point away. Those who want to do their best for God will, and those who want to make up excuses will as well. Pretty amazing example for me! 

Our friend that gave us the pig skin salad came to church which was pretty awesome!! 

Thats about it for the week! Share the gospel! 

Love you guys!

Elder Carter