First week in Irondequoit January 31, 2011

Dear Family,

Well hello! Another email, another week passed by. Time is really starting to fly by now. January is almost over! I can't even believe it! I'm so excited that this week is Baby A's blessing. You'll have to tell me some of the things that are said so I can still feel like I'm apart of his life! I show everyone around me pictures of him, I'm such a proud Aunt (although everyone out here thinks his name is a little strange :))! I'm so glad Kyle can come down for it to. A big family reunion!

So Irondequoit.... what to say? W.O.W. Thats a good way to start off. Its crazy here! I have such a love for this place already though. Heavenly Father has sure blessed me with an excitement to be here and a vision of what could happen to this area if we continue to work hard. So it is just as ghetto as they say :) Maybe not as many black people as I mentioned last time but they have their own culture here, for sure. We went over to a recent convert's home the other day and her 2 1/2 year old son breakdanced for us! Like real legit break dancing! Pulling out the jerk and the soldier boy, while throwing in some random gang signs in the middle of the dancing. Weirdest thing I ever saw. Tracting is also very different. People aren't as nice here as they were in Henrietta, they don't care to make conversation with you, and they've all already "experienced Jesus" in their lives. People yell at us a lot as they're driving passed. We live with two other Sisters, who are serving in the Webster area, so we share a car with them which means that we walk... A LOT. Lots of walking and street contacting, which I never had to really do in Henrietta. Its really funny because my old area is honestly only like 10 minutes away, I'm still even in the same stake, but it feels like I'm in a whole new world. It is so great though. I really like my new companion, Sister Gines. She is from Logan and she remembers Lindsay from Sky View. We have a lot in common, and yes, family, I have brought the crazy side out in her already. Not sure if that is a good thing :) Missionary work is to be enjoyed though, not just endured.

I had my first day in the new ward yesterday. Its a little smaller than my old ward and it is really hard because the members aren't really into missionary work. They are all sweet people but they never invite us over for dinners, or come on team-ups, or help drive us places. There are the few who really want to help but a lot of them have excuses about why they can't. So we're going to change that! All four of us sisters, that live together, have made new goals to change this ward around. Use the social skills we have to get them to love us and want to help us, then when they help us and experience the joys of missionary work their hearts will change. So its a big project but we're going to keep working on it, one person at a time.

So miracles are continuing to happen. I had a moment this week of realization that I, little me, who makes tons of mistakes and has so many weaknesses, was called to this area to represent the Lord and do what He would do. I was just overwhelmed with the magnitude of that calling. A couple days ago, as we were reading the scriptures with a recent convert, we were reading the story of when Nephi was asked to build a ship and no one believed he could do it. I was struck with what Nephi said at the end of chapter 17, he said, "If God had commanded me to do all things, I could do them." Nephi really believed and lived that. It just made me realize, again, that if God gives a commandment, we are able to accomplish that. Its a simple principle but if we only really truly believed and lived that....think about what our lives could be like. We would be magnificent.

I love this work, I love this new area I'm apart of. I love my companion and this opportunity I have to every day dive into the scriptures and pray with all my heart, might, mind, and soul. These are the best days of my life.

I love all of you so much and think of you often. Thank you for all the prayers and thoughts on my behalf, know that I am doing the same for you. I love you! Have an amazing week!

Love always, Sister Carter