Yesterday I saw the baptism of Juan Bautista. In english
that is John the Baptist. Carazy. Also, the baptism started 1 hour later than
it was scheduled to but that is COMPLETELY NORMAL in the Hispanic wards. Also,
during that one hour the people in charge managed to forget to fill
the font and then forget to turn it off and flooded the primary room. :) But
Hispanics have the best way of just all crowding together and fixing the
problems that their happy, carefree, loving ways create. We only forgot about the
font because we were all eating enchiladas in the other room.
80 enchiladas.
I LOVE MY MISSION!
Time has never gone faster in my life. This transfer is
absolutely flying by. I wish that someone would have told me that once I get on
my mission, time is going to keep on passing! Tomorrow is my 5 month mark. That
is a significant chunk out of the best 18 months of my life. I just don't even
know what to think about it all. Everything is a blur except for two things:
1: I love Heavenly Father so much. I am so grateful for this
18 months He is giving me. It is such a gift to be able to center my heart and
mind on Him so that for the rest of my life I will know how to find true joy;
through serving Him.
2. I have such an amazing, beautiful, wonderful, righteous
family. Being out here and seeing so many
broken homes, confused people, and especially inactive families used to scare
me. But looking at that picture of Nate surrounded by priesthood holders
holding Van just made me realize that my kids don't have a CHANCE of straying
from the strait and narrow path because of the magnificent love and examples of
about 80 people that are all holding as tightly as they can to the iron rod (in
both Carter and Foote family).
I love my area a lot. I have gotten to the point where my
heart quivers a bit to think of leaving some of these people, which seems
imminent--in the next 2 transfers. I love them so much. Members, Investigators,
Less Actives. And I am fairly certain that they have NO IDEA how much they mean
to me and I will just be another missionary in their long lives, but that is
okay because boy do we get joy from each other now.
I am also learning the importance of loving the one first,
like Jesus did, rather than trying to run around and preach to the masses. I am
learning that my companion is my first investigator and that I need to make
sure her heart is happy and peaceful and that she has opportunities to feel
like a successful missionary before I worry about how many lessons we actually
taught in a day. It is hard for me to slow down sometimes, but the commandment
to love God and then my neighbor as myself are first.
Love,
Hermana carter
