New Investigators-January 17, 2011

Dear Family,

Yay! I can't believe Mom went on splits with the missionaries!! That is so brave! I'm so proud of you! That is not an easy thing to do! Remember the Sunday before I left and the Sister missionaries wanted me to go with them on splits and I was so scared? Ha! I remember being so relieved when that didn't work out, although I was going to be the MISSIONARY, in that situation, three days later. So funny... I'm so glad that you had that experience with Sister Morgan. I can't even tell you how nice it is when members help us with missionary work. Miracles happen!! They really do! One time, when we were first teaching S., we would ask this man in our ward, named Dan Wilson, if he would go pick up S. for church every Sunday. Well if you remember S. he had a really hard time coming to church for months. Every time Bro. Wilson would go to his house S. wouldn't be there. Yet faithfully, every Sunday Bro. Wilson would go. Once we were talking to Bro. Wilson on the phone, apologizing for S. not being there again, and Bro. Wilson's response was "When I was 19 instead of going on a mission I decided to play football. I've never regretted anything more in my life. But ever since, I made a promise to God. When ever the missionaries need me I'll be there. I don't care if I go to S.'s house 100 times and he still isn't there, I'll be back to pick him up the next Sunday." Sister Stone and I were so overwhelmed with appreciation we just sat there and cried after we got off the phone with him (Yes we ARE emotional Sister missionaries :)). There are just some things that we can't do as missionaries that members can. I've got another example from this week...

We had a referral for a man by the name of M. that lives in inner-Rochester, who we went to visit this week. We met him at his work in this ghetto little storage unit which might have been a little sketchy but there were office people walking around in and out. M. is awesome! Right when we started talking to him he told us about how he's always believed in something more than the Bible and how it doesn't make sense that Jesus Christ would only visit the people that He was surrounded by. Yay!! M. heard about the church because a member came in to install M.'s security system and the member opened his mouth and started telling M. about what we believe. M. was so intrigued that he got onto mormon.org and referred himself. He's so great! We have now started calling him "Elders Quorum President Man" ("Bishop Man" will always still be L.'s nickname). Its kinda long but it works :)

I also went on companion exchanges this week! My first time ever. We don't do exchanges as much as the Elders do. I was taken out of Henrietta for a day, and went to.... drum roll please.... Palmyra! Thats right. Just hangin in the place where the prophet lived, no big deal :). The work is very different in Palmyra. I was companions with one of the Site trainers (they're like the "Assistants to the President"- just in female form :)), Sister Egan, and she's super cool. The work is slow there, mostly because they've tracted every single street in Palmyra at least twice over. Plus you get all the hard questions out there, because everyone knows about Mormons. So you either get people who just try to ignore missionaries, or those who want to fight them. So I learned how to deal with that kind of work. It was a great experience and made me appreciate Henrietta a little bit more... although we find out about transfers next Sunday! Crazy!

Although the weather has now turned frigid (it was negative 10 last night), the work here is going wonderfully! We found five new investigators this week. I've decided that if we provide the work, and the Lord helps us with the faith, then miracles come about. I love being a missionary and getting this part of His vineyard to work in. I know that Heavenly Father is ever mindful of us and any effort that we make on our part to come closer to Him. I know I'm His servant, and most importantly His daughter. The work is true, I know it. Have an amazing week! I am now going to go face an Elder in a "garbage plate" eating contest at Nick Tahoe's (Kinda like "cleaning the sink" at Angie's just with a large pile of greasy nasty bugers, fries, and chili). Wish me luck! I'm making my own version of Man vs. Food :) I love you all!

Love always, Sister Carter