January 13th

Well, it was really hard but I made it through the winter here. That week of 40 degrees was awful. It's nice to be back in the 60s.

 It is amazing to me the people I have met who have come to mean so much to me. Not because of who we are but because we are brought together by the gospel and bonded by the Spirit.

We have a baptismal date for one of our investigators who has been attending church for YEARS, just can't legalize her marriage until her husband goes to Mexico to legalize his first divorce. He is going in February so she can be baptized in march! Yay!

Something really funny happened with another investigator. We went over. He hadn't read. AGAIN. But he had a bunch of deep questions that he wanted us to answer. So our attempt to read with him turned into a super deep discussion of the Plan of Salvation. We were trying to show him the truths in the Book of Mormon, but he still has a hard time flat-out accepting it. He even said, "I know the Spirit can't teach me your doctrine until I study it. I just had a lot of work this week..." An hour later after a lot of really awesome spiritual moments, he said, "When I get to heaven I am going to take a pen and paper and I am going to ask God a whole lot of questions." My mind lit up and my mouth opened and out came, "Well when you get there He is going to say, "I gave you all the answers in the Book of Mormon, but you didn't read it!"" He laughed and laughed and laughed. I love that man. But holy cow. Can you just read already?

hahaha one more thing. My companion is still getting used to door approaches and she likes to stand behind me and let me do it. At one door I finally decided she needed to just get "on the horse" so to speak and do it, so I made her go ring the bell, while I stood in the narrow sidewalk between the hedge and bush so that she would be in front of me. Bad idea. She panicked and I got plowed by a scared Tongan. It was really funny.

Have a great week!
Hermana Carter

Your body is a Temple

 

So this last week was pretty nuts. Monday Hermana Hale and I went to the doctor to see if he could figure out what was wrong with her. He ordered a bunch of tests for Tuesday (transfer day) so we had to be at the hospital at 6 am to get her in to a bunch of horrible tests, while slumped over in the waiting room chairs and tried not to think about everything we had to get done that day. She ended up getting her gallbladder taken out.  When she woke up from her anesthesia, oh man. She started talking in sleepy Spanish to all the doctors and I got to translate for her. It went like this. She overheard one doctor telling the other that he was going to go to a bar that night (it being new year's eve and all).

Hna Hale pointed her finger at him really firmly and said: NO TOMAS!
Me: She says you shouldn't drink.
Hna Hale: Su cuerpo es un templo!
Me: your body is a temple.
Doctor: haha tell her to respect her elders.
Hna Hale: Respecta a Dios!
Me: she says you need to respect God.
Hna Hale: Tu Necesitas una libro de mormon en su vida. Necesitas la palabra de sabiduria
Me: You need a Book of mormon in your life. And more wisdom. (she quickly corrected me that it was the WORD of wisdom which I wasn't really feeling was the right time to try to explain as the chuckling nurse was wheeling her out of the room.)

As we walked out the doctor asked his nurses, "What did she say?"

"She said your body is a temple"
"Hahaa oh yeah and I am gathering worshippers!"

That was only a fraction of the best morning ever. Then as soon as she was fully awake, we met up with her new companion in the parking lot and I went on a 2 day exchange with hermana Parry, the other sister who works in the Louetta ward, as we were both awaiting the two new spanish speakers from the MTC on Thursday. I am still trying to catch up on sleep.

I wasn't really feeling nervous or anything about having a brand new companion until I was sitting in the training meeting and then I felt like I was strapped into The Rocket and wondering how I got there. But man as soon as I saw Hermana Tu'ikolovatu I knew she was going to be mine all mine. She is the coolest. After lessons with some of our dearest less actives and investigators she just comes out crying because she loves them so much and so mad that she is crying haha. I wish I still had the energy to feel that much! hahah. I still got enough in me to keep going. And I'll go till I'm dead!

Sure love you all! too much!

Hermana Carter

Happy New Year!

Closing Christmas skype remarks:

Dad: Now these next few days you might be a little sad after talking to us, but just keep going! it will go away and you will be calling again soon.

Rosie: well thanks....but I really don't think I'll be sad! Sorry......

Weeelllllllll...........this week I kept having all these weird spells of gloominess and homesickness try to settle over me, and I was wondering, "where in the world is this coming from?" and then I remembered my wise father, who is never wrong. But I have been really quite thrilled to realize that I really do have control over my own self. We are free to choose happiness or misery! Spells of gloominess just don't last when I just shrug them off, sing along to "The Lord Is My Shepherd", make my companion laugh, deliberately smile and think about how short is this time on a full-time mission. Sometimes I feel like I am still a baby just discovering the physical world and what it is like to have a body as I discover my own agency and control over my spirit and my own emotions. We were not created to be acted upon or influenced by the shadows of Satan. And I love that.

Hermana Hale is getting transferred tomorrow!  It might be a little crazy of a day. Waiting to find out who your new companion is always takes forever too. My whole life is about to change drastically. But boy am I grateful to be staying in Louetta West with these wonderful people. This morning Hermana Hale was lying sick in bed and she said, "I've been thinking. Yesterday at Sacrament Meeting I was so sick. And I thought about everything I have sacrificed--my family, my boyfriend, my health--everything! And for what? And then I saw everyone that was there at church, and you know, it is worth it, because I have learned to love more like Christ."

And that is really how I feel. There is nothing that I would trade for this experience to learn to love God more than anything else, love others more than myself, sacrifice, obey, consecrate, and depend on the Lord with all my heart and soul. These are the best and worst of times. Like Alma says, our pain at times can be pretty poignant, but nothing is as exquisite as our joy just at seeing some of these our brethren come a little closer to Christ. (Alma 29:10)

10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.