Dear Family,
Man, I hate sending these sad emails. It was a really crazy experience Sunday because Sister Stoker and I were talking about our skype conversations with our families on Mother's Day and she made the point, "That was the last time we are going to talk to our families until we get home!" .... Then I called you that night :). Very ironic. When President called me Sunday night to tell me that he was coming over to talk to me about something he could hear the panic in my voice and he told me, "Don't worry. You're Mom is okay but something else happened." I think I knew then that it was Grandpa. It was almost as if his spirit was sitting there with me trying to tell me that it was okay. Its weird to me to think that he is actually gone. I try not think about it too much because I can feel my stomach tighten up and my eyes start to burn. I know that he's in a better place, and for that I am so grateful, but I'm selfish and I already miss him. I cried when Mom wrote in her email about that stuffed dog that has sat on my bed my
entire life. I actually kinda forgot why I loved that dog so much. Its kinda embarrassing that a 22 year-old girl would still have a stuffed animal she sleeps with but I love that dog because it was a gift from a kind loving Grandfather who always put his pride and love in his family. I'm so grateful to carry the Carter name, I can feel him now more than ever and I know that he's going to be that angel that will be there for me throughout the rest of my mission, and my life. Some moments are harder than ever but its comforting to know that I will see him again... we all will. He will always be our Father and Grandfather, in the words of Elder Scott "It doesn't matter what side of the veil you're on".
Its probably been the most stressful, crazy, sleepless last couple days that could have ever happened. With pageant starting up the sites are crazy, transfers came, we're trying to get new areas up and running, we had a holiday, we have to leave our area for the next two weeks. Tomorrow we are leaving to go live in Palmyra until the pageant is over. Since we live a hour away from the sites and some days we aren't going to be done working until 10 pm they need us closer to the sites. So we're going to be living in a home with 11 other sisters... Party time! We just got out schedule that we will be working at the Hill Cumorah Visitor Center the first week of pageant and the second week we are going to be working at the Joseph Smith Farm. I'm really excited about both of those! As a request from the Missionary Department in Salt Lake we're not going to be give tours this year because at pageant. We're going to be at stations talking with people and answering questions. I think a lot of people will be sad because we're not having tours but I'm excited to see how this new system is going to work. We get to go to the pageant at least once and if we bring an investigator, recent convert, or less-active member then we can go again. It has been so exciting watching the cast practice all of their dance moves on the Hill Cumorah. They have been up there working hard every day for the last week. I have missed going to plays on my mission so this is going to be SO EXCITING! I can't help but feel so happy and excited every day when we wake up to blue skies, sun, and pageant in the air. Because of all the craziness we might not be able to email next week, but we're going to try our hardest to find a spare moment to get on and let you know how things are going.
So I got my little "baby" today!! Not going lie, I was SO nervous. To the point where I wanted to throw up, and I don't even know why because it wasn't MY first day in the mission (I guess it just brought back and lot of memories). So my Greenie's name is Sister Chatterton. She's not a foreigner! Which is a huge suprise because I was so convinced I was getting one of the foreigners! She is from Logan Utah, so already a great connection. She went to Sky View, so she remembers Lindsay, and she's already caught me up on the great things that are happening at home. Sister Stoker got her greenie too... Her name is Sister Meister, and she if from Australia. Its going to be interesting to all be living in the same home together, working in the same home but Sister Stoker and I are not going to be companions anymore. We're both nervous but now that they're here it is just exciting. Sister Chatterton has a ton of enthusiasm and is so excited to get working. She has so much greenie fire and faith that I can feel it rubbing off on me (I'm making her believe that Webster is the "Promised Land" of the Mission :)). I'm excited to get to lean on the Lord more, and hopefully He can continue to teach me how to help her in becoming a great missionary.
I hope you all had a great Fourth of July yesterday. I thought about all of you, especially Kreigh, I was missing all of the homemade fireworks he creates. You'll never guess where we got to go!? President gave us permission to go to a baseball game! So I felt like I was right back at home, cheering on some team I didn't know and just enjoying the atmosphere of it all. I loved it, it made me think of all of you. So family... I love you all. My prayers are with you now more than ever. I'd love to hear about the funeral, so I can feel like I was somewhat apart of it. And to my favorite little brother in all the world: Go knock the MTC dead. You were born to do what you have been called to do. I'm so proud of you.
I love you all!
Love always, Sister Carter
