August 11, 2014

Hey family!

 Glad you got to catch up with some old family friends, and I'm happy to hear about everyone coming and going! AHHHH I'm SO happy for Heather! Tell her congrats and that I love her next time you see her.  Thanks for the clothes mom, I LOVE THEM. I LOOVVEEEED the letter from Sydney too, I was DYING laughing. Glad Kacey is working hard, and mom I'm glad you're going to have a break from school. So glad Vanessa made it home safe. 

Well this week, once again, was a week of going through the motions...searching for new people to teach and trying to make the most of the time Hermana Kim and I have left together. Tuesday we had a training meeting with President Archibald. It was really good. I learned a lot about the importance of the Godhead and the commandments. I always thought about the 10 commandments being separate from tithing, the word of wisdom, all of the otheres that there are...but really it's not that way. Everything is included in the 10 commandments, just like everything begins with the commandment to love God above all else and to love your neighbor. Don't murder....don't murder yourself little by little either, or don't participate in harmful substances...BAM word of wisdom. Don't rob...well duh, DON'T ROB GOD either, TITHING and OFFERINGS. It was so cool to see how President picked apart each commandment and helped us to understand how to explain them to people and help them to live them. It's always so interesting to me because the ten commandments say DONT WORSHIP IDOLS and the biggest problem here are the SANTOS... the saints and virgins that people worship more than the Lord himself. There are hundreds of them and each one has a story with little significance...yet they pray to these dolls in the street. It's sad. 

Well, we have one potential investigator, our new neighbor! She's a single mom named Doris. Her son is the cutest. She's a really sweet lady and we taught her lesson 1 and the 10 commandments like President asked us to, and she accepted a date, so we'll see what happens. 

This week, I felt the Lord helping me know what to say...more than anything to the menos activos we've been working with. Inspired questions are THE KEY to figuring out why people don't go to church. While we didn't have any investigators come to church this week, I was happy to see that the menos activos we visited all showed up. 

Well... I don't have a lot to write about this week haha, sorry. But I hope you know I love you and I love this work. The Lord really knows and prepares His children. I'm sad that Hermana Kim and I are running out of time together. I'm pretty sure both of us will be training this next transfer because in the next three months we're going to be receiving about 80 new missionaries, and I think about half are sisters. Crazy. 

I love you guys. I know that the Gospel is true. I know that this is the work of the Lord and that He is preparing His children to receive the gospel and to be happy NOW. The Plan of Salvation is a wonderful thing. I love teaching it because there is so much hope in the fact that our families are eternal. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MICHELLE NELSON. 

AND THANK YOU TO DEBBIE ROGERS AND GRANDPA & GRANDMA PETERSEN for the birthday packages! I love you so much and I appreciate your thinking of me!

Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Hermana Carr 

August 4, 2014

Hey family,

Thanks for all of the birthday messages! We've had a crrraazzyyy week. And a beautiful one as well. I´m so glad to hear that everyone is okay despite the crazy storms that have been going on.  Give Vanessa a HUGE hug for me and tell her I love her! Sounds like the kids had fun despite the storm, and TJ. I´ll keep the Wetzels in my prayers! Dad, the KFC just serves regular chicken ahah, but they don´t have beans or biscuits...just chicken...potatoes....yeah basically Peru. 

Well. This week was insane. It was really stressful, but also really rewarding. 

We moved into a dump of an apartment...but whatever haha. Our neighbor is a single mom and I´m convinced we´re going to baptize her. 

First of all... I don´t know HOW all of the members remembered that my birthday was the 31st (it´s always one of the first questions they asked when we first got here, they asked when our birthdays were and that was back in May). But just about everyone surprised me and spoiled me rotten. It was kind of stressful because really I didn´t want anybody to know it was my birthday haha. But we went to my pensionista´s house and she had decorated, the kids came and gave me a huge hug, and she made my favorite peruvian food. It was really cute. She even bought a cake and we sang happy birthday in English haha. Then we went and helped an investigator sew Chuckie dolls (she´s a seamstress and some lady asked her to make 50 chuckie dolls...crreeeeppyy). Her name is Lily, she´s a new investigator, and she has a lot of potential to progress in the Gospel. After that we went to visit Hermana Elvira, a menos activa. Then we went to visit Cusy and her girls and they told us how much they loved us and that we´ve really changed their lives.It´s been amazing to see their progress. After that we were walking in the street and two girls ran up to me yelling ¨HERMANA CARR, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Did you already go to Franco´s house for your party?¨ Whattt? Party? ohhhh noooo...... we had an appointment with Franco and Janeth, two recent converts. We showed up and they had a surprise party for me! The members came, there was cake, the whole house was decorated. I couldn´t beeeliieevvee Janeth!!! It was super cute and I was very surprised....not a big fan of the attention though. Then we had to RUN because we thought that Rafael would have his interview that night (FINALLY)...so we showed up to his house and he still wasnt home, but Liz ALSO remembered my birthday (I feel like Hermana Kim had a hand in this, though she still won´t admit to it). So we had a cake....AGAIN.... and they sang to me...AGAIN. It was super cute and the kids were all excited...needless to say, I think that was the most celebrated birthday I´ve ever had haha, we celebrated like three times. It was really sweet. I feel weird now that I´m 21! 

All of the stress came from the fact that the whole week we couldn´t catch Rafael at home. The poor guy had double shifts at work, because this week was also Peruvian Independence Day, so he had a lot of other shipments to get around Peru. He didn´t even make it home for three straight days. Time was NOT on our side and I was worried that he wasn´t going to have his baptismal interview, and with all that time gone he wouldn´t get baptized. I was so worried. Oh me...of little faith. 

We prayed...hard. Every moment. We showed up at his house every day this week hoping that he would  get home early. He would call us and tell us he was coming early, then later at night when we were  waiting at his house he would say that he had HOURS still before coming home. Time was running out. Saturday was our last chance. We had moved his baptism to Sunday in the morning, because it´s his only day off. We prayed that he would get home early from work. I was beyond stressed out. Really because I love this family so much and I just want them to be sealed next year. I just worried that Rafael´s time away would make him doubt or something.... but Saturday as I was reading my scriptures and read something in D&C 123 17 that really helped me out. This scripture made me remember that we were being diligent, doing everything we could to have this baptism...and that the things I can´t control, I CAN´T CONTROL. So we just needed to trust in the Lord and trust that He would work things out for this family. And He did. Rafael got home early on Saturday and we were able to teach him, he was able to have his interview.

Sunday, bright and early at 7am, Rafael and his son Sebastian got baptized. It was a small meeting, but the spirit was so strong. The focus wasn´t only on their baptism, it was on their goal to be sealed in the temple next year as a family. That has been the motivation for Rafael from the beginning. It was great too because Liz has some cousins that are really strong members of the church that came to support, and one of them was my supervisor in the MTC!!! Crazy right?! He pulled Hna Kim and I aside and told us that he would be helping with rentention and would help Liz and Rafael get to the temple next year. He´s really cool. I felt really good about everything. Rafael and Sebastian both had reallly great blessings when they were confirmed, and Rafael´s two little girls had child´s blessings to be registered in the church. It was a beautiful day. 

With all the stress of the mission, sometimes we forget who´s really in charge. I´m just grateful for the Lord´s hand in my life. I feel His help every day. When things get tough I just remember that He´s been through all of this before, and that according to my diligence and effort, He´s going to help me be successful in His most important mission.

Oh, I also got selected to sing in a small choir for Elder Anderson when he comes this month! I´m stoked! We´re a group of 20 missionaries and we´re going to sing a special musical number in the meeting. Yay for being able to sit up close to the Apostle haha. 

I love you all, don´t forget it!

Hermana Carr 

July 27, 2014

Wow, it sounds like you guys had a crazy week! I'm sooooo sorry about all the trees that fell down and that you guys had to live without power for a week! I guess it puts the whole pioneer thing in perspective, doesn't it? I'm glad that everyone is safe! 

Sounds like the trek was a blast. Dad I love the picture of the horse ears looking out over the company. It's really cool. It sounds like the trek was a success and a ton of fun. Kacey, I'm glad you had a good group!!! So glad things went well! Give Uncle Tyler a hug for me if he's still there! 

We had a good week. To be honest... It flew by so fast that I don't really know what to write you guys today haha. More than anything I just want to write about Hermano R. and S. We were so worried all week because he went on his work trip and we weren't able to meet with him until the following Sunday. But he came to church and was super happy and was even telling people that he's getting baptized on Saturday. In Priesthood they talked about Elder Hale's talk "If you love me, keep my commandments". It was perfect. That night we went to visit him and L.. We were able to teach him about the word of wisdom. We were a little nervous about it, because as a truck driver, he really faces everything. His companions smoke to pass the time, drink to celebrate the end of a trip, and drink coffee to stay awake during long trips. He participates with them, more to be a part of the group than anything. So we explained the Word of Wisdom to him and focused on the blessings that come from the companionship of the Holy Ghost. We talked to him about not giving into peer pressure and the things that really matter. Hermana Kim's dad is a cargo boat mechanic, so on his long boat trips he obviously faces all of these same things. R.  was talking about how his co-workers make fun of him when he doesn't participate, and Hermana Kim was able to tell him about her dad's experience, and how really her dad's family is the only one that doesn't have problems, and how often the spirit has helped her dad in these situations. It was a really cool lesson and Rafael accepted to live the Word of Wisdom, because his family and the gospel is more important than what his coworkers think. He really wants to get his family to the temple. 

Well last week I turned 10 in the mission and this time I turn 21 in real life haha. It's crazy how fast time is flying by. Sometimes I can't believe that this is MY life. Who thought I'd be somewhere where they even serve rice with your hamburger...and where the people have birthday parties for catholic saints. My life is so weird haha. But I love it. I'm so grateful for the things I've learned in year 20. I can't believe most of it was spent in Peru. It's been a long road, but the most rewarding one. How else could I say that I speak two languages (three if you count "Spokanese"...the language I speak when Hermana Kim doesn't understand my English haha). How else could I have seen so many miracles, been so greatly humbled, been able to have friends from a dozen different countries, and more than anything, how else would I have grown this close to my Savior? I think it takes a mission...or something equally difficult and dedicated, to teach us how small we really are in the world...and how at the same time our Savior knows us perfectly. I've never been so humbled, but I've also never felt so confident in my life. I'm so grateful for the miracles the Lord is working in me. I'm so grateful that I've had the opportunity to be an instrument in His hands. There is nothing more satisfying, no feeling more beautiful than being present in a baptism where you've helped someone find and become converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I never thought that this would be part of God's plan for me, but I'm so grateful that it is. I love the people of Peru. I love my family. I love the Gospel...and that's why I'm here. That love grows more every day. Thanks for letting me serve and for supporting me along the way. I sure love you guys. 

I hope you have an awesome week and that you don't have any more torrential storms! BE SAFE and remember I love you tons!!! 

PRAY FOR R.L AND S. SEGURA!!!! <3 

Les amo,

<3 Hermana Carr

July 21, 2014

Hey family! Sounds like you guys had a great week. It's so crazy that Jonathan and Garrett are home now too! Seriously I feel like everyone just barely left! Tell them both hi for me and congrats, I'm sure they both served so well! Tell Mrs. Albin I'm so sorry about Molly :( I know how much they loved that dog!!! KACEY, JAKE, TJ---- stop fighting and make good use of your time. Turn off the video games and go play outside. You better learn to love each other NOW, because you're going to miss each other when you're older. Dad, thanks for the tip on Grace, I'll study that tomorrow. Glad the boys had fun at the ranch and I hope that the trek is a complete success! Hug Tyler for me! Mom keep working hard with school!!!! You're such a trooper, I still don't know how you do it. 

I JUST GOT MY PACKAGE :) I haven't opened it yet, but THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I love you guys a ton.

Hermana Flor just sent me a birthday present too. I just got it with your package. She knitted me a peruvian style winter hat, super cute. And she sent me measuring tape because she wants to sew me traditional Caraz clothes to wear home. I can't believe her. She's the most adorable lady. Keep the Castillo family in your prayers, they deserve all the blessings in the world.

This was a beautiful week. The Lord's reminding me that He loves me, He trusts me, and that this is HIS work, not mine.

President Archibald sent an email challenging us to reconsider our mission goals, write them down, and START achieving them. I'm obedient, but like everyone, there are little things that I needed to work on. As I've focused on serving the Lord because I LOVE HIM, I'm seeing miraculous results. I was reading a talk by Elder Holland a few days ago from the 2012 October Conference. It's about Christ when He met with the Apostles after his ressurection "Peter, Do you love me?" "Feed my sheep and save my lambs". It struck right at my heart. Do I really love the Lord? Am I really serving Him with my WHOLE being? It changed my perspective completely. I've been working like crazy.

Hermano S., the single dad that we started teaching last week...IS PROGRESSING! He has a date for August 16, so keep him in your prayers. We're working with him, he has a lot of questions but he has the desire to KNOW and that's a great thing. 

PLEASE PRAY FOR RAFAEL SEGURA AND HIS FAMILY. 

Last night was probably one of the most special moments of my mission. For time, I'm going to copy and edit what I wrote to President (we got to internet late this morning). We were finally able to have our lesson with Hermano R. (the one who's wife is recently reactivated and who has a 10yr old that wants to get baptized). We had the idea to have the bishop meet with R. and his wife together, just to get to know him and help him see the plans and goals that his wife is setting as a member of the church. We were blessed to teach him twice this week, which almost never happens. He came home while we were teaching his wife about the importance of the temple, and so we turned the focus on him. Then last night we were able to meet with him. His wife always talks about how he loves movies, and we've been trying to figure out how to help him understand the importance of receiving an answer and the Restoration. We decided to share the short Joseph Smith video with him. The spirit was so strong. He asked a question about the sacerdocio, and Hermana Kim bore powerful testimony to him that the power of God has been restored and that HE can be the priesthood holder in his home. I bore testimony too, and we talked about how the priesthood is a blessing for all the children of God AND their families. It was amazing. Then we did what you told us to. We explained to him that we want him to be baptized on the 2nd of August. We talked for a few moments then I told him that his wife was going to pray, and explained to her to express her hopes for her family and the gospel, and for her husband to be baptized. Then S. to pray that his dad can get an answer and that they can get baptized together on the second. Then R. to ask God if he loves him, if the church is true, and if he should get baptized with S.on the second. It was beautiful. L. began crying before she even finished opening her prayer. We were all crying, down to R.. S. said "Estoy seguro que voy a bautizarme con mi papa esta 2 de agosto". Then R. prayed and told us that he would do it. Please keep praying for him that he'll be firm in his answer. We do everything we can to help him in his progression, but it's so hard to contact him and find him at home with his job. The great thing is this following weekend he has vacation for the holiday, so we're going to have a "teaching marathon" and visit every day that he's home. PRAY PRAY PRAY FOR LA FAMILIA SEGURA FLORES :)  

I know that the Lord wants to seal Rafael and his family for time and all eternity. I feel such an inner peace this week as I know that I really am giving my all to this work. I'm trying each day to become better and to do a little more. Please pray for Rafael. I've never wanted anything more than to see this family get sealed in the temple, and that's going to start with Rafael's baptism. Pray that he can get baptized on the 2nd of August.

I KNOW that the Priesthood has been restored to the earth. I know that God is our LOVING Heavenly Father, Christ is His loving Son, and they both want all of the families in the world to have the blessings of the priesthood IN THEIR HOMES. For those that don't have priesthood holders in their homes...Dad....Brett...Jake...any other priesthood holder that might be reading this...that's where YOU come in. You have a gift and responsibility to bless your OWN family and the people around you. This is something that you can't keep to yourself. You need to bless the lives of those in the ward that don't have the blessing of having the priesthood in their own homes. Be good home teachers. That's all I'm asking. 

This is God's work. This is the work of SALVATION. Not just the work of baptizing, bringing new members to the church, learning Spanish and Peruvian culture... THIS IS ALL ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TO CHRIST, SEALING FAMILIES FOR ETERNITY, AND BRINGING TO PASS THE IMMORTALITY AND ETERNAL LIFE OF MAN. THIS IS THE WORK OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. We are the most important thing to Him in all the universe. 

I love you all. Thank you for your sacrifices, prayers, and support on my behalf. Dad. Thanks for being a worthy priesthood holder in our home. Mom, thanks for supporting the priesthood and for raising two (and almost three) worthy priesthood holders. Brett and Jake, hold your priesthood worthily, and bless the lives of those around you.

I love you guys so much. 

Hermana Carr 

July 14, 2014

Hola Familia <3

So this was another one of those weeks haha. I'm working hard, I'm trying to get better every day... I think the Lord is just trying my patience and my faith. 

This week was a little crazy/scary for our district. My zone leader ended up getting gall bladder surgery out of nowhere. He's healing up now, but keep him in your prayers! 

So this week, we haven't really had any success finding new people that are at the point of progression. BUT I've still seen how the Lord is using us as missionaries to bring the light of the Gospel to those that really need it.

First of all...C. I know I talk about her ALL the time, but seriously she's amazing. I feel so humbled and blessed that the Lord allowed me to be the means of bringing the gospel to her because she's changing lives. She decided that she wants to do Personal Progress even though she's an adult haha. She's going to help a beehive get her medallion and they're going to do it together. She's also helping reactivate some YSA that are inactive in our area, and is constantly visiting and serving people in the ward. She has three weeks as a member and she's already changing the face of the work in Barrio San Diego. She's a complete rock with a solid testimony and nobody ever believes that she's a recent convert. She absorbs and applies information so quickly, it's like she's been a member all of her life. She's a blessing in my life... She reminds me a lot of how mom describes Kelsie... a ray of sunshine for everyone she meets. 

I've also learned about the importance and inspiration of nightly planning. We've decided to search for old investigators that the other missionaries had in the last three or four years. We felt inspired to search in Manzana Q one day at 7:00. We didn't really know why. Well we went and randomly ran into Hermana G. a new convert of the elders that recently moved into our area. She's a single mom of two kids and the sweetest woman that you could ever meet. She asked us if we could come in and visit her...we had showed up as she was entering the house...well the room that she's renting. She had us sit down for a moment and left the room to heat up water for some hot chocolate. She brought back dinner for her kids and a little plate of rice and yuca for each of us. Then she sat down and her eyes watered up as she told us she prayed that we would come visit her and that the same day she had lost her job. It was obvious that she was in serious need. I felt sick to my stomach as I had a plate of rice when it should have been her kid's breakfast the next morning. The thing is, when they give you food out of nowhere, you have to accept it. We shared some scriptures with her and helped her to calm down. She kept saying everything would be alright...but there were little things that she said that made us realize she really was near the bottom of the barrel. I felt the spirit testify to me that we needed to be there at that exact moment, because nobody else knew about her situation. We  called the bishop the next morning, and went to buy some breakfast for her family. Things are getting taken care of now and I just feel so blessed to know how much the gospel really blesses people and how as members of the church we are called to bear each other's burdens and help each other move forward.

Last night we were able to teach a single father who's wife had abandoned him and his son. We taught him in the chapel. The first thing he said when he came in was "Wow, it's so peaceful here" He immediately felt the spirit and had lots of good questions. He accepted to be baptized, so we're praying that he will progress.  

It wasn't that successful of a week, but I'm looking forward to a better one. I know the Lord is with me and is teaching me more everyday. I'm learning a ton and I'm becoming more converted to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I love you guys and hope you have a wonderful week!

BONUS: We had a Sacrament meeting adventure with a little puppy that came into the meeting. I was playing the piano and when she got sick of wandering around she came and fell asleep on my feet haha. Well she felt like she had to follow us to all our classes. I kicked her out of the chapel...but somehow she snuck back in and got locked on the grounds until we came back for our lesson with a new investigator. We named her Manty (mantequilla)...and she followed us all around up until we came to internet this morning hahaa.  

<3 Hermana Carr 

Some members of our ward

Taking "Manty" Out of church

July 7,2014


Querida Familia (incluye Elder Carr),

Well, this week was a little bit of a rough one. I don't have a ton to report haha.

  It's FREEZING here. I'm so bummed because someone stole the outer layer of my winter coat when I was leaving Caraz, but I still have the inner layer and I found a super cheap fleece coat that keeps me pretty warm with the under armour the Youngs gave me (THANK THEM A TON FOR ME). And yeah, people are still going crazy over Mundial (the world cup) haha. Sounds like you guys had a fun week! Glad you got to go on your horse trip. Sounds like the trek will be a blast...even if it's going to be hot haha. Take lots of pictures for me!

 On Monday we went to Ancon, a beach in another zone in our mission. We got special permission to go and it was a blast. We got to play in an old abandoned ship, take pictures on the beach....look at dead seagulls...yum...and play soccer. It was really fun. 

This was one of those "I can do hard things" weeks we sometimes have on this mission. Brett, you're going to see pretty soon how it can be. There are some weeks where you just have days...and days... of searching, and nobody seems to want to accept your message. There are hours and hours of walking in unpaved dusty streets, in the freezing cold, trying to contact people that don't give you the time of day. There are days when you talk and talk and you think you're making sense...but almost everyone looks at you blankly and turns to your companion to ask "what did she just say?". Sometimes it seems like you're wasting your time and you would serve better in some other calling. But that really isn't true. 

I've been reading a lot in Our Search for Happiness, The Book of Mormon, DyC and the Pearl of Great Price this week. I love the scriptures. I love the words of modern prophets and apostles. Something that I've learned this week is that the Lord KNOWS us, He SEES how hard we are working, even if the blessings haven't come yet. Sometimes we have to be obedient just to show the Lord that we trust Him. We aren't obedient because we expect the Lord to bless us in the same moment, we're obedient because the Lord loves us and we want to show Him that we love Him too. I just finished the Book of Mormon again and I'm starting over. I was reading in 1 Nefi 2 about how Lehi left EVERYTHING, just because the Lord told him to. He didn't give a second thought about the possessions he had, he knew that the Lord had commanded him to leave Jerusalem, and he trusted that the Lord would eventually fulfill his promise about a chosen land that would bless his family. It's the same for us...sometimes we SACRIFICE and WORK and GO without question, hoping that the Lord will bless us, but we do it because He has already so richly blessed our lives. We do it because obedience is how we show Him our love. I was also reading in Moses 1 about how right after Moses saw the Lord, Satan came and tempted him right before he became a profeta. Similar to how Satan tempted and attacked Joseph Smith right before he had the First Vision. Satan is always trying to bring us down, make us think that we are something less than a child of God. He doesn't want us to fulfill our divine potential, he doesn't want us to fulfill the mission that the Lord has for us. God does. God sees our potential and knows we can do hard things, He has a plan for us and will fulfill all of His promises if we but ACTIVELY ENDURE.

On the bright side, C is progressing a ton. She's receiving a calling this week and volunteered to be a Visiting Teacher for someone that didn't have one. She's awesome. She's also started coming with us to teach our lessons because she's finished her classes at the university. She's a bright spot in our lives. 

To close I want to share a video with you guys that I'm sure you've already seen, but I haven't until this past week, and I've only seen it in Spanish. It's so profound and I feel the spirit every time we share it with our recent converts. 

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/because-of-him?lang=spa

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/because-of-him?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/because-of-him?lang=deu  German for Brett haha

I know that Christ is our Savior. Our Heavenly Father loved us enough to send His Son. Because of Him we have the chance to become better each day. Because of Him we can reach our divine potential. Because of Him we can REPENT, we can BE BAPTIZED, we can be MADE CLEAN, and we can RETURN TO THE PRESENCE OF OUR LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER. Through Him, my family is eternal and everyone has that opportunity. I'm so grateful for my Savior. I know that He lives. I know that He loves us. I know that this is HIS work. 

I love you all and hope you have a beautiful week! 

Les amo

Hermana Carr 

C's  Baptism

Funky Boat at the beach

Ancon

Happy Birthday cake sparkler- to celebrate 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day!

June 29, 2014

Sounds like you guys had an awesome week! It seems like the Utah trip was a complete success and that you had a blast! TJ, I'm glad that your foot is feeling better! Cool story about the sister that converted to the church! Thanks for sharing! Kacey, I'm glad that you survived girls camp haha. Jake, I'm glad you had so much fun with your cousins. Daddy, glad that Cassie is working out at work! Is Kacey working there now too? 

Sorry, I'm writing kind of fast. We got to internet late and everyone is leaving early because we have Pday Afuera (outside) and we're going to the beach....in winter haha It'll be fun. 

This was a crazy week. There were so many ups and downs that I don't even know what to say really haha, but I'll do the best I can to make sense. 

So Tuesday we had training with President Archibald. I learned a lot from him and he answered a lot of the questions that I had about some of the problems we're facing in our area. He and Sister Archibald had a training meeting with Elder Oaks, so it was really awesome to learn what he taught them. Let me just say one thing: TITHING IS IMPORTANT. One of the key things that we believe in is the Law of Sacrifice. President and his wife shared a story about when they were young, newly married with two kids, and dirt poor...and how they chose to pay tithing.... sound familiar? They had a lot of miracles happen during that Christmas time. It brought tears to my eyes as I thought of mom and dad and their story about when we were living in Kansas. I always share that story with our investigators and EVERY TIME, I feel the spirit. Thanks Mom and Dad for being such amazing examples to me. You are examples of people that are OBEDIENT because we need to be OBEDIENT, Satan can't tempt us when we have the determination to obey a certain commandment no matter what. 

Wednesday was halfway day. I've reached the top of the mountain and it's all downhill from here. It was actually really interesting, because that day was a cumulation of ALL of my mission experiences in one day. The good, the bad, the spiritual, the ugly haha. I'll write a little bit about it. In the morning we set out trying to find some lost addresses in the ward. We showed up at one of the houses and there were two ladies talking outside. We went to ask and then one of them asked us if we were Mormons. I saw the way she was looking at me...and noticed she had her Bible in her hands. Oh...here we go. I smiled at her and told her we were missionaries of La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias. She started asking some weird questions....like who's Moroni, and random stuff. I smiled at her and asked if she had talked to missionaries before, because she seemed to have a little bit of insight "Oh noooo, I've never talked to missionaries" and here comes the bible-bashing-don't-get-a-word-in psycho lady. She started railing on us...well more on me...attacking the gringa... about how the Book of Mormon is of the devil and  blah blah blah blah....I tried once to testify, she didn't give me the chance to open my mouth....so I just stood there... I should have been angry...she was saying a lot of things that went against what I believe...but as I stood there...the image of Jesus Christ standing before the Sanhedrian came to mind... I don't know why but it just made me think...be quiet, and be calm. I realized that even if I say something to her, she's just going to take it and twist it. So we politely let her ramble on...she mentioned that she was actually mentally unstable but now she's been healed.... and then I politely wished her blessings and we left. Poor Hermana Kim...she's never experienced things like that before, so she didn't even know what to do. I'm starting to be very grateful that I started out in Caraz, because I pretty much dealt with all experiences there.

 After that we had some other random experiences... we contacted a lady that's 23, married, has a baby, and is looking for a church to go to....WHAAAA?! That never happens. We'll see how things go with her. We went to visit Carmen and had an amazing experience with her. She's facing a lot of opposition, mostly from her now ex boyfriend about the church, but she's strong and she's got a testimony that's rock solid. Then at night we went to visit our other fecha, E. We were at L's house and the kids were running around being crazy. We were supposed to prepare E for her interview, but I could tell something was bothering her. We invited her to come with us to the chapel and we taught her there. She had searched the internet and found some anti-Mormon stuff, typical. She was in doubt about a lot of things. We prayed and then had a really strong lesson about how there is opposition in all things and that the Lord is the only one that really knows everything. We read Moroni 7 about good things being of Christ. We bore testimony to E. and the Spirit was super strong. We got down on our knees and she prayed. She told us that she knew it was true and that she would get baptized.... well....Thursday she had her interview, then Friday and Saturday we couldn't find her...we called her and she finally answered saying that she was too busy to come to her baptism this week. Awesome...Sunday we went to visit with her again...but I don't know...we'll have to see.

Thursday night Hermana Archibald accompanied us after our interviews. It was awesome, we got a lot of insights from her and C. shared her testimony in English with Hermana Archibald, it was awesome! 

Saturday was a beautiful day. C. got baptized. She looked so beautiful and a ton of her friends came to support her. The Spirit was so strong from the get go. She's such a special person. We had prepared a special musical number for her. The EFY version of I am a Child of God...we translated it in Spanish. As soon as we started singing, the spirit filled the room. Within the first few lines, C. started crying, she was sitting right in front of me...I choked up too, but we managed to sing the whole song. Before it ended C. ran up and hugged us and wouldn't let go. She whispered that she loved us, and thank you for everything...that we had changed her life. The three of us just stood there crying in front of everyone... I was so overwhelmed with love for her. It was an amazing experience. Everyone in that room felt the Spirit the entire time. I'm so proud of C.. She has truly changed her life and given up everything to be a member of the Church and to live the Gospel. She's converted, rooted in the Gospel and I feel so blessed to have been a part of her conversion process.

Well, I'm running out of time but I just want you guys to know that I love you all! Sorry to everyone that wrote me this week, I only had time to write my family and my mission president, but I'll get back to you next week! 

Have an awesome week <3 HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!

Hermana Carr