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 

This stuff is true!!!

June 20, 2016

Hey guys!!

This week went by well! We worked hard..and didn't see to many fruits hahaha-but its alright! 

My birthday went well! We tried to order empanadas but everything was closed so we just ordered them the next day! They were still just as good! I bought a bunch of alfajores which were really good! Mostly just relaxing. We had a dinner with an hermana which was pretty good as well! 

We have an investigator that is very friendly, his name is Funes! Well, Funes and his family invited us over to have an asado or in other words, an argentine bbq. He invited us over for Sunday at 2pm. We arrived and he greeted us very happily..a little too much! Hahaha - it didn't take too long to realize that he was drunk! Nonetheless, he was pretty pumped to see us. He said he thought that we were not going to come. He would not stop talking about how great it was that we came. When we got there he had the asado ready for us to eat! It was fun! Hahaha -when we finally got him to turn the music down so that we could hear him, it was a lot better! As the time went on he just got drunker and drunker. He lives with his family as well, so we ate with all of them. The meat was really good! He had cooked it well, which was really nice! Hahahah the worst part of the whole thing was that he had made us a salad...but not a normal salad. Just by the looks of it you can tell that it is not something that you will want to eat. I asked him what it was and excitedly he told me that it was a pig skin salad. It consisted of boiled pig skin, onions and some condiments. He said he LOVED it. I knew that I was not going to like it! Hahaha - he served me a huge portion in the form of a sandwhich with bread. Man, it took alot to muster that thing down! But I did it!! Hahaha!! He asked if I wanted more and I said it was really good but I was going to save room for the meat! He kept persisting, so I used the good old argentine cop out "me hace mal" or "it makes me not feel good." Everyone has stomach problems here from all the oil and fat they eat that its normal and everyone understands. It worked very wel! So I didn't have to eat anymore.  Elder Larsen had to eat another big portion of it though because before he could say no there was already a big portion on his plate. It was a good experience!

On Saturday, the Hermanas had a baptism! It was an older gentleman, who is about 85 years old. Really awesome guy, with a huge heart and always a big smile on his face. Well, this older gentleman has had some previous problems with his heart along with a couple of other things. This meant that the water needed to be warm, or else it would cause his body to react in a wierd way. Anyways, we left the keys to fill up the baptismal font to the Hermanas. When we got there at 3:30 pm, the font was a quarter full and they were trying to fill it up with buckets. I guess that the water had been cut off - which happens pretty often here. So there was no water in the church. What they were doing was filling it up with water from the outside hose. That was not going to work because the water needed to be warm. Jose, the man being baptized, decided that he was going to wait a week in order to do the baptism. To make a long story short, after a couple of tears shed by the hermanas we ended up having the baptism in another chapel along with a baptism that another ward has having. After all was said and done the looking of happiness and gratefulness that Jose's face showed was pretty amazing!!! It made everything worth it. Everything that had happened, all the moving around we had to do,didn't matter anymore! It was a pretty cool feeling! 

Something that I have really been thinking about a lot lately is the parable of the rich young man. I think its in Matthew 17 or 19 I'm not too sure. What happens is that this young man asks Jesus what is required to have eternal life. Jesus responds that he should keep all the commandments, and names a few. The young man responded that he already was keeping all the commandments since he was born. Jesus then told him to sell all his things and give them to the poor, and the rich young man went away sad becuase of all the things that he had. I was thinking a lot about that this week. Someone can keep all the commanments and look like they are doing everything that they can from the outside, but on the indside their heart is not in the right place. On the mission, a missionary can keep all of the rules and be exactly obedient, but if his heart is not in it, if he is not doing it for the right reasons, than it doesn't matter. If they do it just to receive glory from others, or make it look like they are something they are not. But those who are truly converted will be converted in their hearts as well. Its something that I have been thinking a lot right now. Am I doing everything just to be obedient or is my heart in the right place as well?

I don't know if you remeber Angelina from Belgrano, the golden investigator that we found?Yeah,  I got news that she doesn't want anything to do with the church anymore. I am 100% sure that someone told her a bunch of stuff about the church and being in a vulnerable state with her circumstances, she gave in. I called her to see what's wrong and she is a completely different person. It's too bad because she was one of the most prepared people that I have met! She had a great testimony but Satan had to get his foot in the way. I hope one day in this life she will decide to be baptized. The amount of opposition that investigators receive before they get baptized strengthens my testimony. It is clear that Satan also knows that if they do it they will become happy and be doing the right thing. It's amazing the things that Satan will pull off in order for them too not be baptized. Every single person that I have been able to help get baptized has had some type of trial before their baptism. I have also had a lot that were going to get baptized but the trial got the better of them and decided to not get baptized. It's sad but it's another testiomny to me that THIS STUFF IS TRUE!!

Love you guys!

Elder Carter 

A great birthday!!

June 13, 2016

Hey guys!!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!! I don't feel any different in age than I did when I left! The time has gone by so quickly, it's crazy! When I first came out on my mission, I thought that when I turned 20, I would be pretty old! Hahaha!!!  The day has arrived and I don't feel any older in life nor on the mission, even though I know that my time here is going to come to an end very quickly! 

I am not sure if you guys remember me talking about a guy named Ezequiel that we were teaching in Villa Ramallo. He is an investigator that we found while trying to look for someone else. While we were looking a young man, Ezequiel  answered the door. He was covered in tattoos of skulls and naked women. He had tons of piercings and hair down to his shoulders. We started talking to him and we set up a day to come by. That day came around and we were running late, so we got to his house late. He was there waiting for us with mate cosido and some bread (typical food when you have guests over here). The lesson went great and he came to church a bunch of times. He read up until the end of 2 nephi and was loving it!! The only problem was that he was living with his girlfriend who is from Buenos Aires. He had come to church a bunch of times and wanted to get married. It was great that he wanted to get married but he didn't have any documents, so they weren't able to go and get the papers required to get married, since you need to have specific identification. He decided to go down to Buenos Aires for a couple of weeks to try and get his documents in order and also to work. That was about 2 weeks before I left Villa Ramallo. He never came back before I left, so I had no idea what happened to him. I wasn't even able to say goodbye. BUT, the other day I got a call  from the missionaries who are over there in Villa Ramallo telling me that Ezequiel was going to get baptized!! I was really excited!! He had also asked if I could do the baptism. Unfortunately, I will not be able to go. But that's alright! I am really excited that he is finally going to get baptized! It's too bad that I never got a picture with him or anything!! That was some pretty exciting news for me this week!! Even though I cannot be there, I am happy that he has accepted the gospel!

When I had first gotten here to Pergamino, Elder Larsen and I asked Heavenly Father if it were possible to baptize every month here in the area. We receieved a positive answer. I was excited and not too worried because we had about 3 or 4 people who were going to church who were not members. I though it was going to be pretty easy. Once we got working to try committ one of these people to get baptized in June things started to get a little bit complicated. We knew that Heavenly Father was going to prepare someone for us, but we were not sure who. We were not sure if it was someone that we already knew or if it was someone that we had to find. In order to get baptized here, the investigator must assist church 3 times before their baptism. We either had to find someone in the first two week or baptize someone that was already going to church. We had been working very hard. We were talking to everyone we saw, planning as best as we could, studying really hard, along with a bunch of other things. I am sure we made lots of errors but we were really trying. The first week had passed and nothing looked very promising. This last week we have been working very hard. We had appointments with all the posible people that could get baptized. We planned and studied and fasted for them BUT in every lesson they said no to baptism. There was some problem or they didn't feel ready and a bunch of other things. So we studied to solve their doubts... and that didn't work either. After realizing that none of our investigators that we had were going to get baptized in June, we started looking very hard for new ones. Saturday morning came along and we still didn't have anyone. If we wanted someone new to come to church we had to find them that week in order for them to get baptized. I really felt like I was giving it everything that I had. Well on Saturday morning we saw a miracle!! A couple of elders from another side of Pergamino called to inform us that they had an investigator over there that they were teaching who had just recently moved to our ward boundaries. This investigator had already gone to church a number of times, she already had a testimony of the church, and had all the lessons!! She was ready to be baptized!! So on Sunday morning we did everything that we could to get them to church! After a battle we were finally able to get them to come!! I think she will be the baptism in the month of June! It was really cool to see that when we did everything that we could, God gave us what He had promised us, but first we had to really give it everything that we had! I really hope she will get baptized this month! Keep her in your prayers!! Her name is Sandra!

Today for my birthday we went to the store an bought a loaf of bread, jam, peanut butter and some milk! We ate some very yummy peanut buttter and jam sandwiches!! It had been a very long time since I have had that! Haha - I think tomorrow we are going to order something to eat, since today lots of the restaurants are closed!! It has been a good birthday!!

One thing that I have really noticed and learned on my mission is that the missionaries cannot do this work alone. There are four steps to helping someone become a member of the church. Finding, Teaching, Baptizing and Making friendships hermanar). Missionaries are there to Teach and Baptize. The members are there to FIND and to make friendships! We cannot work without the members and the members cannot work without us!!   I have been realizing how big of a change converts have to go through and without a friend, its very hard for them to do. They are changing their whole culture and their way of life! It's a big change! Also, nothing happens in missionary work until we find people to teach. I feel that maybe missionaries are doing to much finding, because they don't have people to teach. Its something that I really want to change  after the mission. I did not do a very go job at all at home and I feel bad about it. I will do better!!

Something cool that I have learned from the scriptures lately is in the new testament. I have been studying it a lot lately and I really like it! I was reading the other day in Matthew 11. At the end of the chapter we read about "yoke."I had not idea what the heck it was talking about. So after I had looked up a few things up, I learned that a yoke is an intrument used by animals when carrying big loads. The idea is that it helps carry the wieght. With the aid of the yoke, the weight goes from being unbearable, to bearable. Jesus invites us to come to him and he will give us his yoke. Then it later explains that his yoke, or the way he helps lighten our load is though the commandments! If we want help, we will recieve it though the blessings that the commandments promise us!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!!

Love you Guys! 

Elder Carter  

Brrrr - it's cold!!!!!!!

June 6, 2016

Hey guys! Hows it going?

This week went by quickly! I like it down here in Pergamino, but man it's cold!! The humidity just kills ya! It is so windy down here and mixed with the humidity, it makes the air feel so very cold!!! Luckily, our pension has a nice heater so when we get back at night it's nice and warm. Its been the first heater that I have had on my mission! And it's so nice because because this winter has definitely been colder than last year! I don't know if it is just because of where we are or if its because it's just a colder year, but its fine! 

The other day we had to go to Rosario bright and early! We woke up at 4am because we had to be there at 8 and its like 2 and a half hour ride! It was freezing cold on the way to the bus terminal. When we got onto the bus at the bus terminal, I was so excited to have a nice warm ride to Rosario. Well, with my luck the heaters didn't work! Haha!!! So, for the whole 2 hour ride, I was freezing my butt off!! Haha - I couldn't wait until we got to Rosario. On top of that, I had to go to the bathroom the whole time, so all in all it was not a very pleasant ride to Rosario. It took me a little while to get all warmed up when we arrived. I found an Hermana in the ward that is going to make me a knitted scarf, so I am pretty excited about that!!

This week, I was thinking a lot about miracles and what is required of us in order to see and witness miracles. I have always prayed and asked and waited for miracles but I have been asking myself lately am I really doing my part to witness a miracle? In the Book of Mormon, it talks about a God that works many miracles, a God that breaks Alma and Almulek out of prison, a God that delivers the plates to Nephi, a God that helps thousand of people get baptized. A God of miracles. It also says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is always a God of miracles and if he stops performing miracles He will stop being God. If we are not seeing miracles, it is becuase of the lack of our faith. I know the Book of Mormon is true, but I haven't been acting like I believe in a God of miracles. If I say I know the Book of Mormon is true, I need to believe in a living God, a God that works miracles. I have seen miracles in the mission field, but  have lacked faith. I was really thinking about that a lot this week-that when I read the Book of Mormon, if I really do believe it, than I need to believe in the living God that wrote it though mans hands. It was cool for me to think about and really changed my perspective on how I read and study the scriptures! 

The ward here is good! Better than i was expecting! Its not like Belgrano or anything, but I am looking forward to working with them! There were about 40 people at church yesterday! A lot different than 140, but they seem like good people!! The Elders qoruom President is a 19 year old and the people who attend are the Elders the bishop's counsellors and the stake patriarch. We share the ward with two hermanas. I really like it!! We don't have too many lunches set up, but Elder Larsen knows how to cook pretty well so that's really nice!

One thing that I am really trying to work on is showing my emtions better. I am happy and excited but sometimes I am not very good at showing it. I'm not very good at showing my love towards others. So I am really trying to focus on this and really trying to show my love towards the members and the investigators here! Do you have any ideas how i can do that a little bit better_?

  Thats about it for this week! It went by very quickly! 

Love,

Elder Carter

Pergamino!!

May 31, 2016

Hey guys!

Well this week has been good! 

I got transferred this week! I got transfered to a city called Pergamino which is about 2 hours from Rosario! I am super excited! My new companion is from Heber, Utah. He is my 5th companion from Utah! His name is Elder Larsen and he is about 11 month in the mission! He seems  like a cool guy! I was however, sad to say goodbye to Elder Curtis. We had a lot of fun together and were able to work very well together! I will also miss Rosario and Belgrano but i am really excited to come here and apply everything that I was able to learn! I haven't really gotten to know the area yet, but from what I have seen so far looks pretty cool. Its been pretty rainy here BUT we went to the store and GUESS WHAT?! There is PEANUT BUTTER!! Hahaha - I bought myself a big jar and I have been eating it by the spoon fulls! Pretty great! The apartment is nice. It's big , but the bathroom is kind of small and gross, but in Argentina is doesn't get much better than that! Going to the bathroom and showering at the same time makes for an interesting bathroom.

So, I said goodbye to a couple of people in Belgrano. Since I wasn't there for a super long time I didn't build a ton of great relationships with everyone, but I was able to build a few! Angelina, the golden investigator that we found was pretty bummed when I told her that I was leaving! We have almost taught her everything and she is going to get baptized on the 18th of june! So, if you remember she doesn't have a job, she is trying to study nursing and is raising a 6 year old son alone. She does not have very much. Anyways, on Sunday when I went to go say goodbye to her she had made us cookies, pizza, bought chips, coke, crackers, and hot dogs. I know for a fact that she did not have the money just floating around. It was really good food but the sacrifice and thought meant even more to me. To be a single mother without a job and be scraping the bottom of the jar everyday for money would not be easy, but it did not matter to her. She so lovingly sacrificed to show love and gratitude to someone she had recently met. I was so humbled and touched and definitely taught. She made me feel so good! I am sad I will not be there for her baptism but am excited to see pictures. It will be super awesome!!!   It's great when you can find someone like that who really loves and needs the gospel!!

Today I was reading in Matthew 8:21-22 and I really got thinking about it. It talks about a disciple of Christ who had lost his father and he was going to bury him. He asked Jesus if he could be excused to go and do this. Jesus responded and told him that he needed to leave his father and follow him. So the man did it. I was studying and thinking more about that. The callings, assignments and revelations that we recieve from God are really inspired. He knows what is going on in our lives and he expects us to do all we can to fulfill our callings. Bruce R Mcconkie also said that we must remeber to follow Christ at all times not matter what the circumstances are. It made me think of what I am doing and if I really am consecrated in the work! It helped me realize how important following Christ and doing whet he needs and wants is important!

Other than that, nothing too big has happend! It will be a good week! I am looking forward to getting to know the members and start looking for people to baptize!

Love you guys!

Elder Carter

Even more miracles!

May 23, 2016

Hey guys!!

Sounds like life is crazy busy in Calgary with all that is going on - tournaments, grad, and vacations!! Hahaha- but don't forget to find opportunities to share the gospel!!! haha jk 

The weather here has been getting a lot colder! The humidity really kills ya! The cold gets right to your bones!! Haha - and it doesn't help being outside all the time! But the members always have some nice warm drinks waiting for us when we enter their house!  It's fall here, so there are tons of leaves on the ground, and I am excited that I don't have to rake them!!! Haha! Winter is coming quickly though!! It gets dark really early and the sun doesn't come up until really late! It's a lot harder to get out of bed on time now! 

The golden investigator that we have is progressing really well! On Sunday, she didn't get to church at 9 am so we waited a little bit and then went with a member to go look for her. We knocked on the door and found her sleeping! We woke her up and told her that we had a car ready for her to come to church! She said she would change and be right there, but then her 7 year old kid didn't want to get out of bed so she didn't come. I was pretty bummed and was praying that she would feel bad and that the spirit would testify to her that she should have gone to church! We went back in the afternoon and she sure felt bad! She apologized like 100 times and said she was feeling bummed all day becuse she missed her opportunity! It's alright, the next week she will come for sure! After we had done everything we could to help her God blessed her that she would want to come the next sunday!!

Another miracle happen this week that I thought was pretty sweet! So lately,  we have been talking a lot with the members about their role in the work. We have been trying to help them have the incentive to invite people because it is waaay more succesful! So anyways, there is this one inactive family whose home we have stopped by at least 10 times! They always are very cold and say they don't have time and show very little interest! They are sealed in the temple and have 2 kids that aren't members. So I had kind of lost hope. If they don't want us working with them, we need to respect that. Anyways, one day we got a call from a member saying that this family needed a blessing and the members had called and arranged it for us! So we were able to enter the home, they were very freindly and even came to church with the member! The member was able to do in 15 minutes what we had been trying to do for weeks!! Haha - we had gone so many times to that house! It was a pretty great miracle to see that after we had done everything we could p, God blessed us!!

The other cool thing that happened with that family is that their 11 year old daughter wanted to come to church but was insecure about coming because she knew everyone was going to be wearing skirts.The member family also have an 11 year girl. So the member's 11 year girl decided she would not wear a skirt and instead wore pants so that her friend would not feel left out! That was pretty cool!!! It really taught me how to put Mosiah 18 in action!! What a great example!!! 

It's been a good week! We working hard and eating some good food!

I love you guys!

Elder Carter