Peter Whitmer Farm
Plan of Salvation cake
Dearest Family,
WHAT A WEEK! WHEW! I could just sleep for an entire day and still wake up tired. Sorry you haven't gotten an email until now, it has been crazy (hence part of the: "WHAT A WEEK!" statement). We're probably going to be switching our Preparation Day back to Mondays now, so that means I won't get to email you this next week because of Memorial Day. So I guess its better that this email came a little bit later. I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing well. I'm happy Mom got a GPS for her birthday! Jill and Lola can be friends when they get home. I don't know how I would survive in New York without Lola... (and you all laughed at me when I wanted one for Christmas!) Dad, you should tell you friend Bro. Hill to tell President Christianson to let me come! He probably would. I don't know where I'll be working at during that time in June. We switch shifts every single day. Today we're working at the Book of Mormon Publication Site, Tuesday we're at the Hill Cumorah, Wednesday we're at the Joseph Smith Farm, etc... It changes every week. Its like a work schedule we get every three weeks. It always changes.
So.... where to begin. Well, to start off I feel like this week has been where I have hit my "Mid-Life (Mission) Crisis". We all go through it at some point. I was giving a family a tour at the Joseph Smith Farm the other day and when I told them that I was done in Decemeber the Mother replied, "Oh, are you getting sad?" I haven't had that response before. Most of the time people just nod their heads and say, "Oh you've still got a little while." I didn't even know how to react to that question! I didn't know I had hit the point to be sad yet! There is so much that I still need to do and accomplish! I know I still have a little over six months left but I feel like time is starting to slip away. As a result of this crisis of mine, though, I've been able to have a lot of tender expereinces this week seeing the progression that I have made and feeling my heart change in a way that I've never felt it change before.
Here are some highlights from the week:
- Went on companion exchanges with the Site Trainers. I was able to spend a day serving in Palmyra again which was a lot of fun. I was able to learn a lot from the sister that I was serving with, Sister Maughan. It is always nice to reaffirm that you know what you are doing, sometimes when it is just you and your companion you only ever learn from each other so you hope you're doing it right. We had a miracle lesson with a family who has pigs that sleep in their beds.... Yes, I said that correctly. They have GIANT pigs who just wander around their house and then sleep snuggled up in the blankets with them at night. So... weird.... We were able to set a baptismal date with them. It was an amazing lesson, one of the most spirit-filled ones of my mission.
- We finally moved!!! It has been CRAZY! Packing, cleaning, moving, unpacking.... ah. It feels like the Semester is over. Sister Stoker and I are so tired. It is such a beautiful new apartment though! It is HUGE, no black mold, a dishwasher, patio. even a walk in closet! We got the works! I already love it. I'm excited for the new opportunites that moving brings in as well.
- Because we moved this week we were a little homeless for the night so where did we go? President's! We got to sleep over at President's house one night this week and that was such a BLAST! We got to stay up late, sitting around the kitchen table, eating cereal, talking about all this deep doctrine. It was awesome! Being him with a couple hours will blast the spirit right through your nose! We got to learn so many cool things from him and Sister Christianson, it was awesome. Staying up till 12 never felt so good.... :)
- We had a specialized training this week about internet proselyting. I guess Salt Lake has asked us to go full-force with finding and teaching over the internet. So that means trying to find more creative ways to teach online. Tracting is going to be a thing of the past someday. That means I will probably be starting a new blog soon. We can keep my old one and family and friends can still read it but they want a more professional one for investigators and the people that we teach. So hopefully, your non-technology savvy daughter/sister can figure out what the heck she's doing on the computer. Hopefully Kyle gets to take part in this in Japan.
- Investigator update: We're teaching two new people now:
Tanya- has been being taught by some sisters in the next area over. She is awesome. Just moved into our ward, she has a baptismal date for THIS SATURDAY! Its going to be kinda crazy to try and pull that one off with the ward not knowing her and all but we have to have faith that it will all work out.
Mark- So this is a referral from none other than.... President. He ran into Mark at Radio Shack and they got talking about religion. Turns out that he has met with missionaries before but he doesn't really understand the "three heavens things". So President found out where he lived and he's in our area.... No pressure at all! So we went over and met him yesterday. He's awesome. He seems really excited to learn more and so we're excited to teach him!
So.... that is only a little of what this week has been like but I have loved it. I have learned so much and everything just seems to be falling together. We have transfer calls tomorrow. I hope that I am staying in Irondequoit with Sister Stoker. We both think I probably will but you never know. Hopefully I'll be able to get on some time this week and update you on everything that is going on. Well, I love you all! I think and pray for you every day! Enjoy the sun out there.
Love always, Sister Carter
