September 29, 2014

Hey family!!!! Glad that everything is going well! MOM CONGRATS ON PASSING YOUR TEST! I knew you'd pass it just fine. I said a prayer for you right when you started haha. I'm glad you get to keep on moving forward with your studies! KACEY CONGRATS ON YOUR LICENSE! I knew you'd be able to get it! How's the driving alone going this week? Which car are you driving? Jake, sorry about your race...but there are always others and you're going to be able to get better! Just remember it's about having fun, not about winning! TJ glad you had fun at the carnival! Dad, say hi to Katherine Hyer if you see her! I can't believe she's home now!!!!! And also... I don't know any of the people you're talking about... I think I've been away from home for a few years haha. 

PS... WE ALL LAUGHED at the picture when Brett was dressed in his lederhosen. The elders got a kick out of it haha

Well this week was another week of WORK. We're working hard and coming home tired everyday. We were lucky enough to have training with President Archibald this week and I learned a lot from our training meeting. We focused on how every area is really "Ripe and ready to harvest" President Monson has said that every area in every mission in the world is ready to harvest if we just keep working hard and searching for people. President then taught us how to be "champions"...not winners..."champions". He talked to us about how we need to do what we do...and do it well. He said that it's not about winning, but is about having a fire in your heart that gets you up in the morning to work hard. He then asked what we want our family names to represent...right now...and what we want our children to be like. What do you want your future family to represent? He talked about how the things we do right now in the mission, and the lessons we learn... really are more for our future lives than for the here and now. Our mission will determine our future and the type of families we're going to have. It made me think a lot...and it made me think about how grateful and proud I am to be a CARR. 

Well...we're probably going to drop Hermano Jose. He comes to church, reads, keeps some commitments, but he absolutely refuses to pray to God, ask if these things are true, and be baptized. He's a little prideful and wants to figure things out on his own...but the Gospel doesn't work that way. He refuses to ask the Lord on this one, so we can't help him very much. 

We're constantly searching for new people to teach. I know that we're so close to being super successful! We found a family of four yesterday that is really awesome. I  think they're going to progress. I felt comfortable with them the moment I entered their house. They laughed at my jokes and we all just felt really good...and then to teach the spirit was so strong and THE DAD said that there has to be a reason that we contacted him the other day, and that he believes the Book of Mormon is going to give him the answers he's seeking. That made me so happy.

I hope you guys got to watch the Women's Conference! I watched it in Spanish, but it was awesome! This time I understood haha

Well...enjoy General Conference for me. I still have to wait until October 11 to watch it....

I LOVE YOU AND HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK

Hermana Carr 

My district with President and Sister Archibald

Elders Almazan and Arnett with Hermana Gomez and me

September 22,2014

Hey family!

This week was a mix of a lot of different things. My companion got some hard news from home and we had a rough start to the week. A lot of our citas fell through and it was a little hard to get excited about finding new people. But we did it. We work really good together and we figures out how to help each other get excited about the work again and it worked. 

The sad news....Jose still feels too Catholic to accept to be baptized. Really, he doesn't feel like he got an answer to his prayers yet...so we don't have a baptism this Saturday...but he's progressing a lot and a light goes off in his head every time we teach new doctrine. He's recognizing that this is the true church and I know that he's going to get baptized this coming month. We're going to challenge him with a new date and help him out. He's a really great person. 

We had Stake Conference this week. It was AMAZING. Have you guys heard of Elder Calderon from Ecuador? Maybe not...but he's one of the funniest, most inspirational 70s that I've heard so far in my LIFE. We had an amazing Stake Conference, surprisingly it was the first in my mission. He gave a great talk about how fathers need to treat their wives and daughters better, and about how parents need to teach their children the principles of the Gospel through their EXAMPLES. He talked about how President Packer tells all of the general authorities that they need to see how they can treat their wives better and help them more. It is their primary responsibility to help their wives feel loved and appreciated. He said that we can ALWAYS do better. He also talked about how people's kids grow up and still go to tithing settlement because they went with their parents. He said that if we pay a full tithing always, we won't ever fall away from the church. I know that is true and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I've had to grow up in a household that keeps  the commandments of God and that I've been taught by your examples.

We found Leslie this week and her whole countenance has changed. Like I said she and her kids have been super sick the last couple of weeks and we haven't been able to help her progress, but we went to visit her yesterday and she bore testimony about how she feels so much better when she's around us and studying the things of the Gospel and she feels so much more at peace. She quickly accepted a new baptismal date and I'm sure that this time she's going to be baptized. 

We also found two families...TWO FAMILIES...that are MARRIED this week! They have a lot of potential to progress, and I'm super excited. I want to baptize families SO much. 

That was basically my week. PS...I love my district. Just thought I'd tell you that again. I finally feel like I'm in a group that cares about my success individually and our success as a district. I'm super excited to see the progress that we're going to have. 

I love you guys! I know this Gospel is true and that this work is the BEST thing I could be doing right now. I can't believe that this week I'm going to hit my year mark. Things are happening way too fast. 

Have an awesome week!

Hermana Carr 

Sept. 14, 2014

Querida Familia,

 

I'm so glad to hear that everyone is busy and happy this week! Sounds like you've had a lot going on, but it sounds like things are going super well. Jakers, I'm sad I didn't hear anything from you this week! Mom, I love hearing about your service miracle. We had the same thing happen last week when we laid grass around Lima. We finished everything super quick because everyone got right to work. I love how organized and dedicated the members of the church are. haha, nice to hear that all the old teachers still remember me! And I think it's great that Kacey loves Mr. Schultz. I was worried haha. MOM, when did you get called as RS teacher?! I didn't know that!! I wish you could have come and taught the same lesson in our ward this week, we also had it...but I'm pretty sure you would have done a great job for my investigators. Haha the super tall Asian is Elder Yeuong from Utah. He's awesome. He reminds me a lot of Jace McLaws. He's a baby, he's barely 19 haha. Thanks for sending my letter to Sidney!

Dad, I'm so glad you got to go down. Sarah emailed me this week. I don't think she got the email I sent her, but everything worked out anyway. It sounds like the family is taking things well. I'm glad you got to go support their family, they need to remember how much we love them, always. And I'm glad Karen's husband is a catch! Glad you got to see all of the old family friends. When are Billie and Jerry moving? And I'm glad you guys got to see Jon and Jolene as well! So awesome!

TJ, sounds like you had an awesome week! I hope all your wildest dreams come true this Christmas haha.

Kacey, dang girl. You looked SO cute, no wonder you won the costume contest! I loved the pictures!!! Glad you had such a fun experience and that you like Mr. Schultz. Keep on working hard and being happy. I know that Junior year is stressful, but it's also one of the most fun. I love you!

 

This week Hermana Gomez and I worked harder than ever. We're changing the face of both of our missions and trying to figure out how to best do the work of the Lord in HIS way. It's been a really neat experience to be able to repent and fix mistakes that I didn't even realize I was making. The Lord is fine tuning the both of us right now, and I'm pretty sure the results of our efforts will be apparent soon. He's definitely shaping me into the person that I need to be.

 

We've been working with a man names Jose. He's a 57yr old widower and he's VERY, VERY Catholic! But he's got a genuine love for learning and a NEED to know if this is the true church. He's searching with all sincerity. I would just ask that you pray for him to be able to receive a firm answer and be able to recognize it. He asks a lot of questions, and I love it. He reminds me a little bit of me sometimes haha, super analytical...always wanting to find out and understand MORE. When he gets baptized and has the gift of the Holy Ghost, he's going to understand so much better and he's going to be able to stick with his beliefs.

 

We've also been working with Leslie, but her fecha fell this week. We were super sad, but it was for things beyond our control and hers. She really has a ton of faith and is progressing, it's just that last week she was super sick and now this week her baby is super sick. 'We're going to do everything we can to help her get baptized.

 

There's a really young, MARRIED couple that we're working with right now named Jon and Liz. Jon is 20, and Liz is 22. And they're married...and they're Peruvian. One day you might understand how much of a MIRACLE that is. They have a really cute baby. They closed up their Hotel and came to churchon Sunday! I was so surprised and SO happy! They're friends of a recent convert here, and I think we're going to be able to help them with everything in the Gospel. I'm praying that they accept the Gospel and bring these blessings to their young family.

 

We're working hard. I'm still convinced that this area is really going to be turned around with the work we're doing here. I have a district of hard workers, a companion that works hard and has a fresh perspective on things, I'm really enjoying my time here. I feel more...complete...when I finish the day. Dang tired, but dang happy. Seriously. I feel so blessed at this time, and I know that if I'm patient, the Lord is going to bless us for our hard work and our efforts. There are lots of married families here, so there is a lot of potential for success.

 

Yesterday was a really trunky day for me...haha, not ttrrrunnkyyy..but it was a day that made me think. I realized that exactly a year ago, I gave my farewell talk...it feels like it was yesterday. Then I realized that exactly six years ago from the date, I got my patriarchal blessing. Mom and Dad, you guys remember that day as well as I do, right? I can't believe six years have flown by, the promises of my Padre Celestial have been constant, and I'm seeing how His hand is really guiding my life and shaping the person that I want to be. Time is running and I can't stop it. Six years have gone by since I got my blessing, a year has gone by since I said my goodbyes to a lot of people...and now there's only six months and ten days to complete the mission that I've been sent here to do. Time is not in my favor haha, but I'm disfruting in every moment (is disfruting a word? haha, it works in Spanish...) and I know that the Lord needs me here at this specific time.

 

I love you guys. I love this Gospel. I love Peru. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that His Atonement is central in everything that we do, everything that we teach. I know that God has a specific plan for each of His children. He knows us and He knows exactly what each of us need to grow in faith and understanding. He's taught me so much in these short years of my life. The last four years more than anything. I'm learning more and more about the Gospel, about who I am and need to become, and about my important role here in mortality. I'm grateful for the trust He puts in me and that He's blessed me with an eternal family, and with the chance to share the joy we have with all the world.

 

I love you and hope you have a wonderful week <3

Les espero una bonita semana!

Hermana Carr

September 7, 2014


Dear Family:

 Well this week was a good one. I don't have a lot of cool stories to tell. Just that I'm learning a lot from Hermana Gomez and I'm really graetful that she's my new companion. We have a lot of fun together, and she's like the tall, skinny, Argentinan version of me haha. We both love music...and she just has the same goals and expectations that I do... FINALLY, someone that's thinking like me haha. We both want to baptize, we both want to be successful, and we're both giving our all to everyone, every day to be able to achieve that goal. We've been together for two weeks and I already love her a ton. 

This week both Leslie and Jose had some crazy health problems that kept them from coming to church. They're still progressing and I have faith that they're going to be able to make it to their baptismal dates...but please just pray for them to be able to come to church these next two weeks and be confident about being baptized. 

We've been finding a lot of MARRIED families, which is a complete miracle here. We've been rejected TONS this week, but we've also miraculously taught a lot of different little families. It's made me really happy. We also both felt the need to knock on a random door near our home, and the people that live there ended up being a sealed family that have been inactive for three years and had recently moved to the area. They were really impacted by the fact that we knocked on their door and I believe that they're going to become active again and be a really strong family for our ward...because our ward needs it. 

That's basically it. I'm sorry I don't have anything crazy that happened this week that comes to mind. 

I just want to bear my testimony to you all that I know the Gospel is true. I know that families are eternal. I love the Kleinman family so much, and my heart is breaking for them at this time in their life...but I'm also so grateful to know that they're an eternal family, that they live the Gospel and are great examples to everyone around them, it's the same for the McBrides. Our Heavenly Father has a grand plan for His children. Thanks to the Gospel, we know and live that plan. Our family is eternal. There are many families that are eternal, and many that need to know about these things. That's the reason I'm here. I'm here to get families sealed in the temple. I'm here to bring that hope and joy to the people I meet in Peru. 

I love you all. My prayers go out to the McBride and Kleinman families. I love them. 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Carr 

Me and Hermana Gomez- in Los Olivos

My zone doing a grass planting service project

Sept. 1, 2014

Hey famiilllyyyy!!!!

Oh my gosh. Your pictures made me SOOOOO JEALOUS!!!! It looks like you had a blast at Ranier...we have to go when I get back :) Glad you had so much fun! Thanks for getting those letters passed out, and Kacey I'm so glad you got yours! Sorry it came a little bit late! 

I KNOW MOM, I can't believe the gap is closing in. My time in San Diego flew by so fast I can't believe that it's September. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRETT!!!! 

It was so hard to say goodbye to San Diego. The members there are so loving and I miss them a ton. I didn't want a goodbye party...which is a typical tradition in that ward, so I was running around all day long saying bye to my converts. It was hardest to say goodbye to L.and R. and their family. Little S. cried so hard. We were there for hours and I didn't want to leave. I feel like it's my time to progress again though. I miss Hermana Kim, I miss my converts and my bishop, but this is a new adventure and my new companion is fantastic as well. 

WELL... I had cambios. I'm now serving in Los Olivos, Barrio Los Proceres! haha I'm right next door to my old area...mas o menos. I'm in the neighboring zone... I saw Hermana Cusy and Aixa and Sasha yesterday on a bus, it was really awesome. My new companion is Hermana Gomez from Argentina. She has six months in the mission and she's super awesome. We have the same  goals, she's a hard worker and super spiritual. I have a feeling that we're going to have a lot of success here. Oh and guess what! I'm in the same ward as my Zone Leaders again, one of them is Elder Arnett (the one that ate my food like...a year ago in Caraz haha). We're going to have a lot of fun in this area! 

My area is huge. And we're whitewashing it again. The Lord always sends me to open and white wash... I think He knows I like to start things from scratch and do them my own way haha. But it's been super good. We've had a kind of crazy week, but Hermana Gomez and I have already had a lot of success and we've been working SUPER hard. I'm excited to tell you about some of the little miracles that we've seen in our first few days here in this area.

Like I said, our area is huge...like...bigger than Caraz huge...there's like a bagillion people here. But we're figuring things out. Something President told a long time ago was that we need to walk around our area the first week get there to see where we feel the Spirit. Well the Hermanas had just barely moved to a new apartment, and we felt the spirit in that sector more than any other. So we're focusing there first. It makes more sense because it's the closest to the Capilla and to our house.

We've been contacting everyone.We had some really cool experiences. The first miracle is that I decided to contact a lady that was with a little boy. It turns out that it was her grandson and she told us that her daughter was going through a really nasty divorce and was stuck with her three kids and was having a hard time. Just then her daughter showed up and we asked if we could visit her the next day. We did. The spirit was So strong the whole lesson, she accepted baptism, and she came to church with us on Sunday. She's awesome and we're going to meet her daughters and teach them too.

The other miracle was Jose. We met him contacting as well. My companion was super brave to talk to him, because he's way up there on the catholic line and he had a lot of quesitons. But we handled it really well and bore testimony and he expalined to us that he was looking for the truth and feels like something is missing from his church. We had an awesome lesson again and he had lots of questions, but he kept telling us that he feels something special, and when he came to church he was very impressed with how different it was. I am positive that he will progress as well. He's a widower that has a fifteen year old daughter, he's a really great dad. 

PRAY FOR BOTH OF THEM PLEASE. They have two fechas and I want them to make it to baptism, they're such great people that can benefit from the Gospel. 

I love you guys. Thanks for everything you do for me. I miss you and I'm so excited about our new area. I see a lot of potential here. Please pray  for my families and converts in Caraz and San Diego as well. I love them. I miss them. It's hard not being able to communicate with all of them. Carmen is emailing me, so that's super awesome. And I'm close so I'll be seeing the ones from San Diego randomly I think.

I love you! Have an amazing week! You guys are the best!!!!

Hermana Carr 

August 25, 2014


Wow. It sounds like you guys had a rough week. Aunt Mary and her family, especially her brother, are all in my prayers. You guys were so nice to offer up the house to them. I'm sorry the water heater broke. Sorry that Silverwood was super busy this year, but it sounds like you had fun anyway!!! Kacey, I'm glad you had a suupppperrr sweet sixteen, and it sounds like your date was super fun!....when are you going to get your license? 

HAPPPPYYY BIRRRTTTHHDDAAYYYY EEELLLDDDEERRR CARRRRR! First couple of weeks in the mission, and you're already celebrating your birthday. 

Another week of...well yeah...searching. But at least this week people accepted us! We've been changing up how we contact people and it's been a lot more effective. I love how innovative Hermana Kim and I get haha. 

We found a philosophy teacher this week. That was fun. We visited him three times and my head is still spinning haha. We knocked on his door and he invited us in...then he told us that his wife is LDS...but she lives in a different department right now (happens a lot for work and stuff) and he's alone with his 7 and 3 year old kids. Well...he was receptive...but he is way more focused on the historical things.... He questioned a lot...and I was grateful that I took Book of Mormon at BYU. I tried not to get too deep into the historical side of things and we kept bringing it back to the spiritual...but he was difficult. As a philosophist...he went in circles and circles...and told us we had logic...but he wouldn't commit to pray and find out if this is true...he doesn't even know if he believes in God. He isn't keeping his committments so we probably are only going to visit him one more time. it's been interesting to teach him though, because I've really felt the spirit help me to respond...and I've felt it so powerfully as I testified of the truth of the Restoration and the existence of God and Jesus Christ. When we talked about the historical things...he would answer back and answer back, but when I gave my testimony he just looked at me silently then said "tiene razón" ....aka..."that makes sense". It was an interesting experience. 

I'm going to brag a little bit about Carmen again. She's a rock. She was specially sought out and asked to be on the Lima LDS Institute council! Everyone knows "Carmencita" as a very special and very strong convert. She's been bringing tons of inactive YSA back to the church and to institute. In her two months as a member her gospel knowledge has grown as if she's been in the church all her life. She has plans to serve a mission and I know she's going to change a million lives like she's changed mine. 

This week we have transfers. I'll email you if I find out what's going to happen before I leave internet today. 

I just want you all to know how wonderful Hermana Kim has been as my companion. We hit our four month mark this week and I can't believe how fast the time has flown with her. I think I've learned the most from her than from any other companion thus far in my mission...most of it is because we learned together. Neither of us had a ton of experience, or really great examples early on in our missions (Hermana Cueva was FANTASTIC... I just didn't understand anything she tried to say to me for the first two transfers we had together haha)...but Hermana Kim and I determined from the beginning to be exactly obedient and develop our teaching skills...and it's worked. We've progressed a ton. She hasn't just been a companion to me, she's become one of my best friends and probably will be my best friend from the mission. Good thing she lives in Cancun, because I'm totally up for visiting her haha 

I love you all and hope you have an awesome week! 

Hermana Carrrrrrrrrr *roll your Rrrrrrsssss!* 

We were dumb and played waterballoon soccer. In the Winter!

August 18, 2014

Dear Family:

 HAAAAAPPPPPYYY SWEEETTTT 16 KAAACCEEEYYY!! Geez how are you so old?! I remember when it was MY SWEET 16 like it was yesterday and now I'm in a foreign country preaching the gospel haha. I love you baby girl. I hope you have an amazing day tomorrow. 

So this week. Once again. I don't have a lot to report. We're running through a rough patch...again. Nothing frustrates me more than when I think that I'm giving my all and the results just don't show up. I'll tell you straight up that our numbers were the worst I've had in my mission history. And I felt like I worked twice as hard. 

It was a week of rejection for us. On all sides. Our only investigator that MIGHT have progressed, dropped us. He pretty much fell off the face of the earth. The new people that had potential this week were really great, but then didn't come to church and weren't home when we had scheduled a lesson with them. We knocked a million doors, talked to all the people we could and we were either rejected right off the bat (some people more kindly than others) or when it came time to have our lesson with a contact...they weren't home...they didn't want to receive us...etc. It was the worst.

So we knocked. We talked. We walked a lot. We contacted. We studied. We prayed. We fasted.... and stilll....not seeing any results. We're going to keep on moving forward working towards our goals though. A few rough days aren't going to shake my faith and I'm POSITIVE that there is SOMEONE, A FAMILY, waiting to accept the Gospel THIS WEEK. 

On the bright side, Hermano R has progressed SO MUCH. Today he got the priesthood and you can literally see a light in his countenance. It's amazing. The S.F. family has grown so much in these months that we've been working with them, and R is an entirely new man. He was a good family man before the gospel came to his life, but now his family is happier than ever. That came from him himself. His testimony to us in our lesson yesterday was very powerful. He loves the Gospel in the short time that he's accepted it and he has noticed the influence it has had on his family for the better. It's funny to think about all those months ago when L. stopped us in the park and asked us to come visit her. She listened to the spirit after many years of inactivity. She didn't remember ANYTHING about the church or the Gospel...she just knew that she needed to talk to us and that we had something her family needed, and now they're on the road to the temple. They make all the rejection worth it. 

I love you guys. I'm sorry if I'm not the perfect example, or the most successful missionary. Sometimes I'm not sure how to measure success. But I just want you to know that I am giving my all. I KNOW that this is the Gospel of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that families can be forever through Him. I KNOW how happy my family is because of this Gospel. We've gone through so much together, and I owe it to you, Mom and Dad, for being good enough to teach me the importance of the Gospel and obedience. For being willing to prove to your children that the commandments bring blessings, and that our family has the potential to be together forever. The lessons I've learned in our most difficult circumstances, the memories that I have of priesthood blessings, the service you've both given to friends, family, and strangers.... the focus you've put on our family home evenings and our family time in general, has all taught me so much. I wish you realized how much I talk about you and use you as examples in my lessons. You're the most powerful influences I've had in my life. I love you, and I don't think I'm ever going to figure out how to thank you or repay you. 

Have a wonderful week and decide to do something good for someone else :) It's my last week with Hermana Kim and I'm super sad about it. She's been the best companion and I'm going to miss her a ton. Who knows what's going to happen in cambios. 

Les amo muchisimo,

Hermana Carr 

Herman Kin, Elder Acero and Me!

The Baptism of the S.F. family

GIANT bags of cereal!