Nov. 3, 2014

Hey familyy!

 Sounds like you had a fun Halloween. It's something that's just barely starting around here in Peru...most people say it's of the devil... We had fun last Pday though! We made pumpkin pie from scratch, with a bogus recipe haha. We were kind of just making things up as we went along. But it turned out really delicious. It was fun. We ate pumpkin pie, played the mummy wrap game, and carved pumpkins as a zone. I'm finally able to send pictures today, so get ready haha

Well this week was another week haha. We had a few miracles though and it was an eye opening week for me. 

President Archibald has been stressing on FINDING new investigators. After all there isn't any teaching until we find someone to teach. So we've been asked to come up with some creative ways to find people and introduce the gospel to them. So on Wednesday, literally all of our citas fell through and we decided THAT'S ENOUGH. So we went to the chapel, borrowed a small table, made some signs, bought some candy and went out to a busy street and started contacting people. We had a giant sign that said "who are the Mormons?" and some people started coming up to us. It was fun. We contacted a lot of people. Most live in the Elder's area, but it was still a good activity and it helped us get excited about finding other ways to contact people. 

One of our other finding ways is to teach Family Home Evening to people with little kids. We teach something super small, we teach the "if you have a frowny face" song and play don't eat pete. We found a family yesterday that just LOVED it. It was super cool. I contacted the dad with his daughters on Halloween night, and we went on Sunday to teach them. We gained their trust super fast and they were all laughing and singing and playing the game. It was super awesome. THEY invited us to come back tonight to teach them the Restoration. I'm hoping that they're a turning point for us! 

I hope you all realize just how important the Atonement is. I've been thinking about how that really is the focus of the entire Gospel. Everything we have is thanks to Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us. I know that our Savior loves every one of us. He has gone through everything we have gone through, and He sees us for our potential. Sometimes I feel like I'm failing and can't get to the point that He wants me to reach. Nevertheless, I feel the strength and comfort that He gives me on a daily basis to let me know that I AM enough, that HE LOVES ME, and that He's making me more than I could ever be on my own. I'm grateful for parents that have always taught me to trust in the Lord and obey His commandments. Thank you for helping me develop a relationship with my Savior.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week. I can't believe that yesterday marked an entire year in el campo misional. A year ago I met President Archibald and got shipped off to Caraz with Hermana Cueva. The time has flown by. I love you all!

<3 Hermana Carr 

Oct 27, 2014

Hey fammmillyy!!! 

Mom, it sounds like you're having some amazing experiences in the nursing program! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! Haha Kelsie is such a ray of ssuunnsshhine. I'm glad her talk went so well! love yyouu!

TJ, I'm so excited you're playing volleyball! Sounds like a blast! I miss the Fall :( We don't really have fall here. It's getting warm and it's almost summer here. Love you dude!

Dad, I'm so sad you missed Kelsie's talk :( But I'm glad you got to listen to her report, and her mission president is awesome...his talk hit EVERYTHING I needed to hear at this point in my mission. Love you! 

Querido poco chancho...I hope you realize that name doesn't make any sense haha. sorry BYU is getting beat up in everything :( Are you wrestling AND playing basketball this year? Way to go with your grades!  Love you! 

Kacita, I hope all your tests go well this week! I'm so proud of you and everything you're doing in APUSH. I hope you do well on everything! I think it's cool you have a friend from Germany now too, you can connect a lot with Brett that way! Love you girl, and BE SAFE ON THE ROADDDSSS!!! 

Well we had a.....week. haha. Okay...Monday thru Saturday was just the worst...but Sunday came and we saw a lot of miracles. Hermana Gomez and I figured out that we spent about 35 hours in the street this week...walking, talking...but not teaching. It  was horrible. It was hot and we were tired and nothing happened. But we kept getting up each morning with the hope that we'd find somebody soon. We always spent so much time in the street...but we also always ended up finding someone to teach at the end of the day.

Then Sunday came...okay first off, Sunday was the ward primary program. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. It was even more disorganized than ours are hahaha, but I felt the spirit as the little kids bore their testimonies, and was amazed by how adult-ish some of them sounded as they gave their talks. It was super cute. 

In the afternoon we had two citas fall through, but we managed finding other people to teach, so that was good! Then we met a girl name Milagros that seriously is so much like Carmen! She was really receptive to what we taught and accepted a baptismal date! She's twenty and looks like someone I know from BYU haha. The spirit was so strong as we taught her. She doesn't participate in any religion right now, but she wants to make those changes in her life. Then at the end of the day we found a familiy of four that are really awesome and live really close to the chapel. We had a lesson with them at 9 so we were only able to teach them a short message about the family: proclamation and bear our testimonies of the Gospel...but they were super excited about what we were teaching and invited us to come back, they are so prepared.

I just keep praying that we're going to figure out the way to start baptizing in this area. It worries me a little bit because we're already halfway through the cambio and we haven't had a ton of progress here....but whatever happens will happen and I'm just going to keep moving forward with a smile on my face sharing the Gospel with anybody that's ready to listen. I'm determined to find families to baptize and I feel like I'm doing my part to make it happen. The Lord has humbled me in so many ways in this area, and I'm grateful for the lessons I'm learning about myself. 

I love you all. I'm so grateful for this Gospel and I'm grateful for the chance that I have to share it with the people of Peru. My testimony grows stronger every day as I learn to rely on the Atonement of my Savior. I know that this is His church. I know that this is HIS work. I know that I'm in HIS hands and that He is going to continue helping me to find success.

I love you and hope you have a Happy Halloween and wonderful week! We're going to attempt to make pumpkin pie and carve pumpkins today...so it should be a fun PDAY :) 

Hermana Carr   

Oct. 19, 2014


Dear Family:

I can't believe Kelsie's home....didn't I just drop her off at the MTC the other day? Man... a year and a half flies by in an instant. I'm glad that she's happy and home. haha thanks for giving her my picture, Mom! I'm glad that school's going well for you! I loved Grandpa's experience, and I'm glad that they were finally able to go to Hawaii! Awww, do you know how often I think about Greenbluff this time of year? This is my fourth fall that I haven't been able to go... I was just talking to Hermana Gomez about how this is my favorite time of the year October-December.... there's always such a special spirit in our house during that time and I've missed it so much... I miss our fall memories! Awww TJ, I hope he sang with a smile haha. We have our ward primary program this Sunday! My pensionist is the 1st Counselor, and she's a recent convert of 2 years, so she's freaking out about it haha. Thank you for sharing your comment about the Savior, Mom, I have an experience this week that I'm going to share with you guys all about that. Love you! 

Kacey, don't worrryyy! Everything's going to be fine. Just keep working hard. I'm proud of you with your APUSH essay! That's seriously awesome! I'm glad you had fun going to the movies with dad! Love you!  

TJ, sounds like you had an epic week! I'm glad you had fun playing. Did your teacher go on a trip to Africa? I miss you too! Love you! 

Goooooddd Morrnnninnng Jakers. Glad you had such an awesome week! 2nd on the all time list! That's seriously awesome! Sounds like things are going well for you! Love you!

Daddy, everything's going great here :) Still looking for some progressing investigators...but I'm happy and working hard. I'm glad you got to see Kelsie and that you're taking her riding, I'm sure it will be super fun! Uhhhh, I don't think I knew Sarah was pregnant!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS SARRRRAAHHHH!!!!!! Ahhh, they're going to have such a cute baby! Love you! 

 

Well...this was another week of SEARCHING... but we're working hard and staying happy. I think the Lord is just testing my faith, diligence...and patience. I can promise you though, that once again I'm learning a lot about the ENABLING power of the Atonement and growing very close to my Heavenly Father through this area. Each area is so different, and you have to learn to work in a totally different way than you had in your old area... but I'm adapting and I have an amazing companion that keeps my spirits up and helps remind me that we're doing our part in bettering our ward and searching for people that need the Gospel.

Two experiences I'd like to share this week...

First... normally as missionaries we work with something that's called UNKNOWN ADDRESSES...or something like that in English... and we have to search for less active members that are in a database of old information. Well our ward still doesn't know how to work with that list, and still hasn't given it to us...so we've started working with our ward directory. We've been randomly selecting names to use to talk to their neighbors and then go to their homes and ask for references....but I can promise you that the Spirit has really been helping in this...because almost every one of the families we select from the directory end up either being less active, or they don't live there anymore. The Lord's helping us kill two birds with one stone haha. 

Second, to hit on Mom's comment, this week we had a really inspirational moment. It was the end of the day and we were just about frustrated because it was 8:30 and we had only had 1 cita the entire day. We were searching for someone to teach...and thought that we'd just head to the house of the menos activos we've been working with. Well... then my companion had the impression that we needed to go knock on a random door a few blocks away... somehow I knew which house she wanted to knock on. We went and knocked and I was so surprised when I saw who answered the door... it was the first woman that I contacted when we arrived in this area. When we met her the first time in a store, she was super disinterested and didn't want anything to do with us. I tried many times to ask her for her information and invite her to learn about the Gospel, but she didn't accept...so that was that and we left. Well now..two months later...she's standing in front of me as I'm at her doorstep. I smiled at her and she explained that she remembered us perfectly....Ohhhh boyyy.... and reminded us that she is C.A.T.O.L.I.C.A. Oookkkk...well we start talking and then out of nowhere she starts sharing with us that her husband passed away two years ago and that through that experience she knows that God exists. She started crying as she told us how much she misses her husband. She said she never shares anything with the neighbors, but that she suddenly felt so comfortable with us. I was able to testify to her of the power of the Atonement, and share the Book of Mormon with her as I explained that it helped me a lot when someone close to me passed away. I explained to her that my situation was nowhere near what she was experiencing, but that I understood at least in part, and that I knew the Gospel of Christ could heal her. There was a strong spirit as the three of us stood there and tears filled my eyes. I gave her a huge hug and she held on tight. All of this was in the doorstep of a stranger's house...someone who I inicially was afraid to talk to because of a previous experience, but someone that really needs the Gospel. We're going to visit her this week and I know that this Gospel is exactly what she needs to bring hope into her life. It was a beautiful reminder to me that the Lord is near and knows His children, and that He often works through us to bring them to the Gospel.

I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so happy to know that His Church is on the Earth today. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that through Him all things can be made right, He can give us strength when we have none left to give, He can help us find happiness when we feel like giving up. I know that this Gospel can change lives, I know that families are forever through the blessings that come through the ordinances of the Priesthood. I'm so grateful for my friends and family that have served and completed missions, reminding me that my efforts aren't wasted and this is exactly what I need to be doing with my life at this time.

I love you all! I'm so glad Hermana Barnes is home and well :) I hope that you all have a wonderful week. You're constantly in my prayers <3

Hermana Carr