Christmas Tamales

We went to visit Bishop Friday night because our last appointment fell through and we had about 20 minutes left. We walked straight into the Christmas tamale preparations. Tamales are the most beloved Hispanic Christmas tradition. They make HUNDREDS to eat with all their cousins and friends all night long Christmas Eve while they wait to open all their presents at midnight. (25th is more of a sleeping/recuperating day). So the Bishop's wife was churning this BIG bowl of corn flour and lard and water with her hands (like dough or pie crust) while her daughter literally wiped the sweat from her brow with a paper towel and the other daughter and Bishop stripped the meat from HOT freshly boiled chicken bones. 30 lbs. of chicken. 30 pounds. Well. I can't just stand around in a busy kitchen for long. SO my hair got pulled back and my sleeves rolled up and I started burning my fingers as I set to work on my own tray of steaming chicken legs and thighs and wings--throwing all the bones into another bowl and then squishing up the meat as much as possible. Hispanic women's fingers probably have no prints because they are all so used to flipping hot tortillas by hand, turning sizzling pupusas, and making tamales. I'm still working on giving up my fingerprints. But Karla leaned over and whispered that if I pulled the meat from the bones then let it sit for a minute in one corner of the tray while I separated some more bones, it cooled to the point where I could work with it painlessly. So we got to spend a good half hour helping the Bishop finish his Christmas tamales. They invited us over last night to partake of the fruits of our labors. They were good........but I don't know if I would go to those lengths to make them every year...... What sweet mission experiences I am having!

A little follow up: We had a lesson on Thursday with the man whose first question while eagerly reading the book of Mormon was about Moroni already being resurrected, and what we planned was a lesson on how he could recognize his own answer from the Spirit regarding the Book of Mormon. He listened really intently the whole time, and when we finished he said, "you know something? After our last lesson, I couldn't sleep for 3 nights. I stayed up all night studying the Bible, restless, trying to find an excuse or the fault in what you said, and I just couldn't. The answer you gave me is the best one I have ever received out of a life full of studying and out of all the pastors I have ever asked." His compliments always make me feel uncomfortable, because he attributes all the truth of the Spirit and God to us, and he has no idea what a MIRACLE it is that we are guided by the spirit, no matter how much we try to explain it to him, but in my head I was just like, "Welcome to the fulness of the gospel, Brotha!"  I can't wait for him to begin to love and trust the Book of Mormon and study it and learn infinite truths for the rest of his life. aaaaahhhhhh. It was a really sweet confirmation to me of the promise the Savior gave missionaries in D&C 100:5-6.

5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; ^aspeak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be ^bconfounded before men;

 6 For it shall be ^agiven you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

A really lucky girl! 12/8/2013

Very busy!  There are lots of families and investigators we working with.

We eat with and teach a less active family every Monday, and last Monday we finally just got straight to the point and asked them why they don't go to church (too tired after working Saturdays) and bore testimony with all our hearts of its importance. We just said, "We love you so much, and God has so much to give you! If you already realize how much he is blessing you, imagine how much more he can give you if you will just show him your faith and devotion in going to church!" It was cool because they took it as we gave it--with love. They didn't get defensive, they understood and felt the Spirit and our love for them. While we were greeting at the Sacrament doors yesterday, the two daughters who usually come approached the door. While initially my heart dropped a beat, I craned my head around thinking, "They could still be coming...." Right as the mom and son walked into view. 2 minutes later the dad walked in. I couldn't stop squeeling inside!  Best miracle of my mission thus far.

Not much time but I wanted to relate one more story so you know that I am still a really lucky girl.

Yesterday we went to visit some members and they had a fire going in their fireplace, but it was really smokey, and we began to wonder if the chimney was open. They had never really used it before, and what with my experience at the ranch and all I thought I might be of some practical help. So I started poking around, looking for a lever to pull to open the chimney but just couldn't find anything. They started asking me questions, pointing to other little knobs and stuff, and kind of treating me as the master on the subject, which gave me confidence, and then one of them said, "well, what's this pipe here with this little knob?" and I was like, "Huh I don't know...let's turn it." So I did. Turned out to be a gas fireplace and that was the gas knob. So the fire got REAL big before I hurried and turned it off, but then the wood was doused in gas, so it started filling up the whole house with thick black smoke and we had to rush to take the wood outside and open all the windows and turn on the fan and put it out before everything was covered in black. Only the bricks above the fireplace got dirty in the end, which we cleaned, but boy was I grateful that I hadn't burned down a members house because they hadn't come to church that day.

Carolyn roasts chestnuts.....I roast less actives. Sure grateful I am not a plane home right now because of a dumb mistake like that!

Love,
Hermana Carter

Feliz Navidad 12/17/2013

What an amazing week we have had. I can't believe it is almost Christmas time!

 

Well let me just sum up how fantastic my life was this week. We had a specialized training on our purpose and planning; having the faith to set goals, work as hard as you can to achieve them, and then ask the Lord for help with the details you just can't manage. The example is the Brother of Jared who came up with his own idea of how to light the barges, then went and made the rocks himself, then asked the Lord for the last detail of touching the rocks with his finger. The whole process was necessary not just to light the barges, but to develop the Brother of Jared's faith enough so that he would be ready to see the finger of the Lord. So this week I have been trying to apply what I learned. We planned as thoroughly as we could to achieve the goals we have for this week, and are working hard to get members to lessons, investigators to sacrament meeting, etc. But I have also changed the way I pray. I started identifying exactly what we need God to do--the necessary details that we have no control over--and asking Him specifically for those things, and He responds almost immediately.

For example: With the siblings we have been teaching, I prayed that He would arrange an opportunity for us to talk with their mom because she is NEVER around and she is the only thing holding them from baptism. She works all week, all day. I promised that if He would just give us the perfect opportunity, I would do all I could to follow the Spirit and use it. So on Saturday one of our appointments in that area fell through and we had the choice of where to go. We felt really impressed to go to this family and the thought came to my mind that this might be the only window that their mom would be home this week. When we walked into their house, there she was mopping the kitchen. Finishing up some cleaning right before going Christmas shopping for the rest of the day. The son asked if we were going to read the Book of Mormon together but I hesitantly said, "well...actually we were hoping to talk to ALL of you today", indicating towards the kitchen. He made a face like, "Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you!" And I started to feel a lot of butterflies in my stomach and was really unsure of how I could possibly accomplish this conversation with her. But the promise I had made came back to my mind, and I was able to recognize that God had done his part, and he would help me do mine, and I prayed for courage and the gift of non-awkwardness even though I am terrified, and I took a deep breath and I started trying to small talk about Christmas, work, etc. Finally, whispering another prayer, I said, "We're actually really glad you're here because we've been wanting to ask you some things. We have been teaching your kids, but we really don't know how you feel about it." Which launched her into the best discussion about how her kids have always been really spiritual and have sought this out really on their own, and even though she is strongly Catholic, she will support their decisions. The only problem is, she watched her brother get baptized immaturely and then fall away from the LDS church and she doesn't want them to do the same. If they want to be Mormon that is fine, but they have to be sure about it. She said only time would tell when they were ready (and she is thinking a couple of years, so now we are praying that her timetable can be sped up a little to the Lord's.) She then said the kids really look up to us and she sees it as a blessing. So the conversation ended really happily. We are friends now, we understand one another's hearts, and we have new direction for what to do with them. We gave the son "For the Strength of Youth" so that he can start to live those standards, continue praying and reading, and we even committed him to fast the first week of January so that his mom will see all of his desires and commitment and her heart will be softened. (keep in mind how hard fasting sounds to a 15 yr old boy). How grateful I was that we had developed enough faith to follow our promptings and then recognize the finger of the Lord providing a way for us.

Second Miracle was with a father of a family last night. It was our first lesson with him since he started reading the Book of Mormon 2 weeks ago. He already told us he had a bunch of doubts. As we sat down he started in on how the introduction says that Moroni is resurrected and he just can't believe that we say that other people have been resurrected besides Christ. Thankfully, we have learned not to try to answer people's deep doctrinal questions, rather to let the Spirit do that as they read with faith. So we backed up and said essentially, "The only question you have to decide for yourself is whether or not the Book of Mormon is true. God gave you the Bible and you have loved it and studied it. He knew it would bring you happiness. (Matthew 7:9-11) Now he has given you the Book of Mormon to add to your happiness. But you have to read it with prayer and with faith. Only God can reveal to you the truth of all things. But if the Book of Mormon is true, you have 600 more pages of new things to learn!" He nodded his head and said ok but then started in again on resurrection. We backed up again and shared Alma 32 on faith--how there is a moment when everyone has to decide to believe even when they don't know. Then afterwards they receive evidence that it is true. He said he feels like Mormon is secretive and hiding things, and he will have to read the whole book before he knows. We said, "Ok. We will study your question on the resurrection if you will study the Book of Mormon with prayer and faith." THEN I remembered that in Sunday school that day at the end of the lesson the teacher said, "Well, we just finished the manual and we have 2 weeks left so for the next two weeks we will just be studying and answering specific questions. What should we all study for next week?" And the woman next to me called out "The first resurrection!" So I said to the father, "And next week in Sunday School the lesson will be EXACTLY the answer to your question. And that is evidence to me that God loves you, because He already prepared the answer before you asked." Then we bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and promised him one day he will know of its truthfulness. He agreed to come and jokingly said, "If you can find me an answer in the Bible that others have resurrected besides Christ, THEN I will quit asking so many questions and just read." In my mind I was going to leave it there for tonight because I've learned that trying to answer his questions with logic just doesn't work. Only the Spirit and his own faith can convert him. But then the Spirit whispered to me, "Remember how Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are gods already? Look up Abraham. Just see if there is something there you can share with him tonight." So I went to the Guia para las escrituras and looked up Abraham. Nothing. So I went to resurrection. And there in Mateo 27:52-53 I saw "Muchas santos resucitaron despues de la resurreccion de Cristo." So I turned there. And it was like light was pouring into my mind and so much clarity and peace of spirit. I asked him to go there, which he did so eagerly, because he generally can't believe we can defend the truth using the Bible. I read it aloud, praying the whole time that I could read it with pure intent and not impede the spirit from touching him.

 

52 And the ^agraves were opened; and many ^bbodies of the ^csaints ^dwhich slept ^earose,

 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the ^aholy city, and appeared unto many.

 

After I finished vs. 53 he was silent. A minute passed with his eyes moving back and forth. He started to try to negate it by reading it back to me as though he was going to point out the error but then just kept reading and reading all the way to the end of the chapter because he couldn't find one. I just prayed and prayed that he would leave just enough room in his heart for a tiny belief. Oh how glorious it was to see the moment of shock in his eyes...the silence that thundered that perhaps there was something more, perhaps there is a fullness of truth. "Behold, this is my Beloved Son, Hear Him!" He said he is going to study up on it some more and will definitely be at Sunday school.

MISSIONARY WORK IS SO COOL. It is so cool that we are developing the capacity to hear the Spirit and the faith to follow Him, so that we can be instruments in the hands of God to help these people that we love SO MUCH come closer to conversion.

I feel I can truly say that I see the finger of the Lord touching the stones we have presented him and making His commandments to us here in Louetta West possible.

SURE LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Think of me every time Feliz Navidad comes on the radio. I am livin' it. OOOOoohhh yeay. 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Carter

Dec. 2nd, 67 degrees with a light breeze

 

I am loving the holiday season so far. Every time we visit any elderly ladies I just get taken straight to my favorite place in the world (grandma's house) because apparently she isn't the only one who likes dipping toast in hot chocolate! They each have their own variation but so far we have gotten gingerbread toast dipped in arroz con leche (warm rice in sweetened condensed milk with cinnamon), Mexican hot chocolate with little toaster strudels, and hot homemade fruit punch with butter toast. I feel right at home. It is strange how the longer I am out, the more I feel like this is normal life--how life has always been and how it will always be.

Our Thanksgiving was great. One of our less active families invited us over to eat Thanksgiving dinner about a month ago and we accepted with gusto because the way to soften hearts here I have learned is by eating and raving about their food. It was awesome to see a Hispanic woman who usually makes us rice, tortillas, beans, go to extreme lengths to cook our regular turkey, stuffing, rolls, potatoes. It was funny how exotic and different that food was for them--they look forward to Thanksgiving as a cultural experience. It was funny because as Hermana Hale and I were gobbling up the stuffing, which was good and hearty and definitely not from a box, we were like, "Wow! This is so good. How did you make it??" And she responded, "Oh, I just made the cornbread last night and crumbled it and then mixed it with the gizzards and liver this morning..." (swallow. followed by much slower eating.) It was a good day.  I was thinking to myself how grateful I am to have this opportunity to be away from my beloved ones, doing all my favorite things and pleasuring in my own comfort, in order to be learning about sacrifice and selflessly serving others. Let the holidays begin! 

Mom and family, thank you so much for fasting and praying for our investigators by name. I know that will help them progress so much, and bring the Spirit into their hearts to change them and help them understand the Gospel.

The Spanglish is getting really bad. I think in Spanish and English simultaneously now. Sometimes my sentences come out just really horrible--especially if we are teaching a family with english speaking teenagers and spanish parents. I am also losing the ability to translate clearly between them...I forget English equivalents. For example, Hermana Hale asked me what a "vidente" is the other day (seer/revelator) and the only response I could come up with was "......a vision-ater."

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