Invite Others to Come Unto Him

Hello family!!!

I am so sorry that this email is three days late. Our Preparation Day got changed this week because Elder Marcus Nash, from the Quorum of the 70, came to our mission and had a big Conference that we all went to. It was SO spiritually enlightening! I was exactly what I needed to get all jazzed up and ready to go again. We talked a lot, with him, about what our name tag means to us, and about what the Savior would do if He was serving in ther New York Rochester mission. You know what I found out? He would do exactly what we do every single day! He would "invite others to come (unto Him) by helping the receive the restored gospel through faith (in Him) and His Atonement, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end"! I don't know what that hit me with such incredible force but it did. We get to do exactly what He did and what He would do if He were still here. Kinda special. It was such a great meeting. Sister Chatterton and I got to sing "The Olive Tree" for everyone, which was really neat (although I just about threw up all over the pulpit). That has been one of my favorite songs of my mission.

We've had some miracles this week!! We still don't get to be in our areas all that often, but the time that we have been in our areas have been pretty spectacular! We have found some new investigators to teach! A couple of them actually, the funny part about them is that they are all kids! We have two new 9 year olds that we are starting to teach and a 8 year old and his family that we are working with. Most of these families are in the ward but have been inactive for a little while. This is my favorite type of work to do... family work. So we get the opportunity to work with all of these neat kids and their families, and try to get them back active in our Heavenly Father's Kingdom again. I love it! It makes me appreciate all of the knowledge I have about My Twinn Dolls, iCarly, and Pokemon. Who knew that would someday create a bond between me and my mission investigator's someday :)

Last night we went over to the home of a less- active lady that we have been working with for a really long time. She has such a desire to get to the Temple someday but she has some addiction problems that keep setting her back. We didn't even feel all that prompted to go over there but when we got there we knew that we had made good timing. She had had a few too many beers and took a tumble onto the ground, breaking her pinky and (we think) fracturing her wrist. The poor thing, when we got there, was hesterical. Just sat there are cried and prayed and cried and begged Heavenly Father to help her. So we knelt down with her on the ground and said a prayer with her. Wow. I don't think I've ever felt the Savior's Atonement in a more tangible way then I did last night. His Atonement really truly works! I know it, and the best part about it is that He offers it to all that will come to Him. Instead of last night being "rock bottom" for this woman, it turned into a "changing point". So we took all of the substance we could out of her apartment, and left her to make her amends with her Father in Heaven. I am so grateful that because of the perfect One who came to the earth, there is no soul that ever has to be lost. It was pretty incredible.

I love you all! Thank you for all the prayers and updates about everything that is going on. I really miss all of you still, so much. But am excited to see you again soon (today is my 14 month mark!).

Love always, Sister Carter

P.S. I never got that night guard in the mail, must have gotten lost :(