Point Your Doors Towards The Temple

Well Family and Friends, another week has come and gone and what a wonderful crazy week it has been!

So first off I want to share a little news with you that may or may not affect me.  So last night we had an emergency mission conference thing where we all met in our zones and then called into President Jardine to hear him speak.  Of course all of us were thinking that Ipad's were finally coming to our mission (yeah we aren't lucky enough to have them yet...)  Anyway, so that is what we thought he was wanting to announce.  It turns out however that we were quite wrong.  He actually announced that effective July 1, or right around there,  the California Modesto Mission will be created.  That mission will be created from the South part of the Sacramento Mission and the North part of the Fresno Mission.  This means that there is a possibility that half way through my mission I could be reassigned to that new mission.  It was really cool to hear that announcement and learn that the two missions are so productive that there is a need for another mission.  We won't really know more until January about what changes will be made but I definitely anticipate learning more and seeing if I will stay in the Sacramento Mission or be called to labor in the Modesto Mission.  

This week we also got to go to the temple as part of the annual temple conference.  The Sacramento Temple is beautiful!  I loved being able to go and once more feel of the spirit that resides in the Lord's house. I'm so grateful for the temple. Every time I go to the temple I am reminded of the love that God has for each of us of His children and how He has created a plan that gives the opportunity for all of His children to return to live with Him and with our families.  I know that the covenants we make in the Lord's temples show us the path and give us the pattern we need to follow to become like Him. I love in the Book of Mormon where King Benjamin asks the people to turn our doors towards the temple and to hear His word.  I also love in 2 Nephi where it talks about the Lord giving us a light and a safe haven in this crazy world, i.e. the temple.  I know that as we turn the doors of our homes, our families, and our hearts towards the temple that we need not fear.  It is through the temples that we can find peace and direction in this world, we can become closer to the Lord, and we can bring our families together.  I know that the Lord wants us to go to the temple and that as we make it a priority in our lives we will see the blessings of it in our lives.

I am doing well though.  Me and my companion have kind of hit a wall with our investigators however we are trying to be patient and working to understand what the Lord would have us do to help them develop testimonies and gain a greater desire to follow our Savior Jesus Christ.

This is the last P-day I have until Christmas so Merry Christmas to everyone! Be safe!

I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

My District at the Annual Temple Conference

Sacramento Temple

A couple zones and my President 

2 Months! (December 8th)

Hola!

Well today is officially my two month mark.  I feel like the weeks have flown by and that I have been out here forever but at the same time two months is really not long at all.  This past week was really really busy.  We were just running around so much that I hardly remember what we did on what day.  

We have taught a lot of good lessons and felt the spirit a lot.  This week we really put a lot of our focus on the members in the ward.  We have really been trying to emphasize the importance of members being part of missionary work and have been inviting them to bring their friends and family to different activities and introduce them to us.  Missionary work just works so much better when the members are doing most of the finding.  It is really hard to get people to listen to what we have to say when we are knocking on their doors.  Most of them just aren't that receptive and view us as just trying to sell them something else.  The rest of this transfer we are going to work really hard to get the members excited about doing missionary work and we really hope that we will be able to see miracles in our area because of it.

So yesterday we got to watch the First Presidency Christmas devotional and it was wonderful! I hope that all of you were able to watch it. If you missed it you should definitely go to lds.org and watch it.  This last week I started reading Jesus the Christ and I have also been reading the Book of Mormon looking for attributes of Christ so the Savior has really been on my mind a lot.  While watching the devotional I felt the Spirit testifying so strongly of Him and His love for all of us.  I know that what the scriptures and prophets say of Him are true.  I know that He came to earth as a baby to the humblest of circumstances.  I know that He lived and showed us the way that we need to live.  I know that He suffered for each one of us and because of that knows each one of us individually.  I know that He died for us and also that He rose from the dead and lives again. I know that because He lives I can live again and so can each one of us.  I love my Savior so much.  When I think of all He has done for me I am just overwhelmed with the spirit of gratitude.  The more I learn of Him the more I want to be like Him and help others to know what I know.

I want to leave each of you with the challenge that Hermana Poulsen and I have been leaving to those we teach.  We have been challenging each of them to think of a gift that they can give to the Savior this season and this year.  A gift that is from the heart.  A gift of change and a gift of love.  My gift I want to give Him this year is my heart. I want to go where He would have me go and do what He would have me do and become what He would have me become.  I know that as I do this that I will be able to change and become the servant He would want me to be.  I also know that as each one of us think of something to give to Him that each one of us will be able to become closer to the Lord and feel His presence more fully in our lives.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

The Lord Prepares His Children

What a wonderful week this week has been!

Thanksgiving was good despite being away from family and friends.  My companion and I ate with some English members, relaxed a bit, and also played a lot of soccer.  The soccer was probably my favorite part of the day. It was nice to run around and just have some fun with the other missionaries in my zone.  

I know it has only been a couple of days since I last wrote but a lot has happened since Thursday.  Okay, well maybe only one big thing, but still it is an awesome thing.  So backtrack to about a week ago...Hermana Poulsen and I were out trying to get to know our new area.  We were going to visit a lady that the previous Elders had met and at the same time were going to try and visit some potentials in the same area.  As we were looking at the list one of the names caught our eye because he lived on the same street as her. Perfect right?  Anyway, so after talking to the lady we went over to this house looking for a guy by the name of Chilo.  We get to the house knock on the door and a guy answers.  We ask if he's Chilo to which he says no.  He tells us that his name is Erminio and that he has just moved there (and to that we assumed that Chilo had moved) so we proceed to tell him who we are and why we are there and ask him if he'd like to learn more.  He said he'd love to learn more and was so excited to get the Book of Mormon and have the chance to read more of God's words to His children.  We talk to him a bit more and then make a return appointment. For the second appointment we return and follow up and he has done everything we have asked him and more.  He didn't just read what we gave him but he studied it over and over again until he could understand it (what an example to each of us right?) So we give him more challenges to read and pray and then we return again on Friday.  At this point I have to admit I was a little worried, I kept thinking that this was too good to be true. I kept reminding myself though to have faith that it was real and that this guy really just has that strong of a spirit and desire.  

Anyway so we start our lesson and once again he has done everything we have asked and studied it and has questions and everything. One of the passages we had given him to study was on baptism and we basically didn't even need to ask him because he kept telling us that if the Lord was baptized then it was something that He needed to do.  We extended him the invitation though and his answer was yes!  Actually to be precise it was "porque no" or basically why wouldn't I be baptized.  I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  I am pretty sure that is the best answer you can receive from an investigator about baptism. We set a date with him for Jan. 10 and are so excited to work with him towards that date!

Also he attended church on Sunday and he literally was the cutest.  When we showed up at his house with the member who was going to drive him he was all spiffed up.  Even though he didn't have any of the church clothes that we wear you could tell that he wanted to give his best to the Lord.  His hair was slicked, he had a button up shirt with the best sweater thing he could find over it.  He also had his best jeans and shoes on.  It was amazing to see the change in him!  He also had his Book of Mormon and Restoration pamphlet.  He was ready to go.  

This experience this week has really shown me how there are people out there that the Lord has prepared to hear His gospel.  Erminios heart is so open and because of that He has been able to feel the spirit touch his heart and he has the desire to learn more and to do God's will.  It's an example to me of why this work is so important and why we as missionaries and as members should always be looking for opportunities to share the gospel.  We never know who the Lord may have prepared and if we don't open our mouths, those that are ready for the gospel may not hear it!  It taught me also that I need to have more faith in the Lord and also in His children.  Yes there are a lot of people out there that don't want to open up their hearts and hear His message but at the same time their are many out there who are searching for the truth.  Finding those people that are ready makes all of the rejections and let downs so worth it.  

I know that the Lord loves all of His children and I know that He wants them all to return to live with Him.  I also know that it is our responsibility to help this to happen.  I love being a missionary and I love the gospel and sharing it message of hope, love, and change.  I hope that this week we will all ask the Lord to open our spiritual eyes to those who may be ready to hear the gospel and then open our mouths when we see them!

Have a a wonderful week!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

Me and my companion Hermana Poulsen

Greatful For the Gospel

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Man, can I just say that two weeks without a p-day is a really long time!  I made it to Sacramento though! My flight was a little rough because I missed my connecting flight...yeah that was fun. Basically I ended up making quite the entrance because I was the last one to arrive so I missed all the training on the first day so everyone wanted to talk to me so I could get caught up on what I missed.  I also got to be picked up by President and Sister Jardine at the airport and got them all to myself for an hour (which is quite rare I hear).  They are the nicest people and I already feel like one of the reasons I am here in Sacramento is because of them.  They really view us all as an extension of their family.  I am so excited to work with them for the next year and a half.

So my first area here in Sacramento is the Manteca area.  It is about an hour and a half south of Sacramento.  I am already loving it here!  The people are so kind.  My companion/trainer is Hermana Poulsen.  She is from Montana and has been out in the field for almost 10 months.  She is awesome!  We have been really busy this last week because half of our area is new for us.  I like being busy though because it makes the days go by so fast!  

So I am actually grateful that I get to write to you all on Thanksgiving and express my gratitude to each of you and to my Savior.  Even though it is a little hard knowing that I won't get to be with my families this holiday season I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be out here doing the Lords work. There isn't anywhere else I would rather be. This week I have been thinking a lot about missionary work and how truly important it is.  I have been thinking a lot about those members of my family and friends who are not active in the church or who are not members.  Being out in the field has really made me realize the urgency of the work and how it is not just for full time missionaries. It is for all of us, every day, at all times. One night as I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep I was thinking about Heaven and about all of the people that will be there.  That lead me to think then about how sad it would be if any of my family or friends was missing. How sad would that be if I, or anyone of us got up there and had to explain to our grandparents, or the family members of our friends why there were people missing.  I know that people have there agency but at the same time I was thinking about all those people I know and how many of them might be inactive or may not have joined the church simply because no one has asked them to come back or because we haven't shared the message of the gospel with them. I listed to a talk by this lady this week (I don't know here name) but it was about missionary work.  She talked about members and missionaries and how they have different roles in missionary work.  As full time missionaries it is our job to teach people and help them to have a spiritual conversion.  As member missionaries it is our job to help them meet the missionaries (being sneaky is allowed, and encouraged).  Basically we need to open our mouths because if we don't how else are they going to hear about the wonderful message of Jesus Christ and his gospel.  The challenge I have for all of you this holiday season is to open your mouths.  Invite people to church, to activities, to your houses for FHE, dinner, whatever and then make sure the missionaries are there too!  The church also just came out with a video for Christmas called He is the Gift. It is wonderful and can be such a good tool for missionary work.  Share it! I know that if we open our mouths we will see miracles happen in the lives of our friends and families!

I am so grateful for my family and for this gospel and for the knowledge I have that through the ordinances and teachings of the gospel I can be with them forever.  I'm also grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for His Atonement.  I'm grateful that through the Atonement I can become a better person and that I can work towards becoming the person that God would have me be.  

I love you all so much and I'm grateful for all of the support each of you has given me throughout my life and as I've been on my mission. I am so blessed!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

The District with our teacher Hermano Cayetano

My MTC district on our last Sunday In Mexico

Allowing The Mission to Pass Through Me

Hola Everyone!

Well I am officially in my last week here at the CCM.  I'm feeling a mix of emotions right now.  I'm so excited to get out into the field and teach but at the same time I'm sad to be leaving all of the friends I've made here.  I hope that we will be able to stay in touch throughout and even after our missions.  

This week has been really good though.  Each day I can see the improvement I'm making in the language and in learning the Gospel.  It's amazing how the CCM can make you realize you don't know as much as you thought you did.  That's okay though because I am here to learn and grow!

Learning and growing is something I have been thinking a lot about here in the CCM, especially during this last week.  I have been thinking a lot about the Lord's plan for me and what He wants me to learn and become here in the CCM, on my mission, and really during my entire life.  Our leaders have talked a lot about how we can either pass through our mission and finish no better off than before we left, or we can allow our missions to pass through us and become someone we never imagined we could become.  I definitely want to let my mission pass through me.

I am so grateful I have been given the opportunity to serve a mission, and that serving was Heavenly Fathers plan for me.  Because of that and the words of my leaders, I have been thinking about how sad it would be if I went out on this mission just went through the motions and the returned home not accomplishing what it was I was sent out here to do and become.  I've also thought about how this applies to each one of us in our own lives and how sometimes we get caught up in life and just go through the motions while letting life just pass us by.  I definitely know there are times when I have been guilty of doing this.  Instead we should be looking at each day as an opportunity to learn and grow and move towards our full potential.  I often think about how that when I approach the end of my life and look back on all that I've done I want to be able to say that 1. I've made a real difference in the world 2. That I've accomplished all that I was supposed to in this life 3. That I've become the person Heavenly Father intended me to be.  I also want to be able to say all of those things when I reach the end of my mission.  I know that someday I am going to have to give an account to the Lord about my mission, life, and my works during both and I want to be able to stand confidently before Him and not have my mind filled with regrets and could haves, and should have done's about my life.  Thinking about this has really enhanced my desire to be diligent and work hard and strive to have the spirit with me so that I can be guided and directed as to what I should be doing, learning, and changing in my life.  I know that as I do these things the Lord will be with me and that I will be able to be the servant the Lord wants me to be.  I hope that at the end of my mission my friends and family will ask me about my mission and if I reached my goal of being the missionary that God intended me to be and that I can answer with a solid "Yes!" and then tell them why.  I also hope that each one of you will take a look at your own lives and see if the Lord is pleased with where you are at and where you are going.  I know that if we approach the lord with a humble heart and the desire to do His will he will be able to make our lives into something more than we ever thought possible.  We will be able to change ourselves, our families, and affect the lives of many people for good.  Then after our lives are over and we stand before the Lord and he asks us what we did with our lives here on earth we will be able to say with confidence "Lord, I did all that you sent me to the earth to do," and what a wonderful day that will be!

Anyway,  I love you all so much!  I hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

P.S. I got a wonderful compliment today as I was playing basketball with some of the Elders from my district and zone (Literally it was me, my companion watching, and 7 elders...) Anyway, we were playing 21 and I had the ball and shot it and one of them rebounded and shot (which zeroed all of my points) and one of the Elders in my district said "Come on, really, she's a girl that's not very nice" to which the other Elder responded "It doesn't matter if she's a girl or not, what matter is that she's good, and she obviously knows how to play basketball." Ha! That is honestly what I strive for whenever I am playing sports with guys.  Even though I am a girl and am obviously at a disadvantage because of it I like to think I can at least old my own, and obviously I can.  Anyway even though I don't think he meant it as a compliment it was to me!

The Gift of Patience

Greetings Everyone!

I can´t believe another week has come and gone and that it has been a month this week since I left Utah.  The time before my mission feels like it was a lifetime ago.  I am definitely keeping busy here, especially with only two week left in the CCM.  We had two Hermanas in our zone leave this week that we were all pretty close to and it was so sad to see them go.  It kind of hit us that we are the next ones in our zone to leave and that that time is going to come quickly.  I feel so blessed to be meeting such amazing people while here in Mexico.  I have a great companion, a great district, zone, and great teachers.  All of it is just making for a wonderful experience.  Don´t get me wrong, there are still times that are hard and frustrating, but they are easy to endure with all of the amazing people I´m surrounded by!

So this week in my personal study I have been studying the section on patience out of Preach my Gospel, and that has definitely helped me as far as the frustrating moments go.  With all of the changes, learning how to teach, and learning Spanish it is so easy to become impatient and feel like it is not possible to do everything I need to, especially when you are like me and are kind of a perfectionist.  Sometimes I want to yell "Why can´t I just get this?!"  As I have studied about patience though I have learned a lot about why it is so important for us to be patient. I learned that patience and faith are connected and that when we are patient with ourselves, with others, and with God it shows Him that we have faith in His plan for us and His ability to do all things.  As it says in the Book of Mormon, when we exercise our faith, our faith grows.  When our faith in God grows  it then in turn increases our ability to have patience.  Awesome, right?!

As I have tried harder to exercise patience I find I am much happier and able to focus on the work and learning the language much better.  I know that if we would all exercise more patience in our lives we would all be so much happier and that we would be able to recognize so many more of the blessings the Lord gives us!

Anyway so the highlight of my week this week was receiving the conference edition of the Ensign! It has been killing me that I have not been able to go back and read any of them since conference.  I am so excited though that now I can.  I love the prophets and I know that the words they speak are from God.  I have already started reading them and there is so much in their words for all of us.  I know that if we study and apply their words we will will 1. be prepared for things to come in the world and in our own lives 2. we will have the Spirit more in our lives 3. we will find direction and comfort 4. we will be happy.  I really hope that all of you will make it a priority to study their words a little bit each day.  I know that if you do you will have all of the above things and much more!

I hope everyone is doing well! I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

The Infamous Parrot Bird I love!

The Visitors Center

Elders Orr, Peay, & Babcock (left to right) 

The Sisters in My District

Hermana Bjerk & Lindsey left this week

Mexico City Temple

Missionary Work Brings Blessings

Hola Mi Familia y Mis Amigos,

I can't believe another week has come and gone. Time here in the CCM is so strange! I'm glad though it's email time again. I look forward to this all week and try to keep track throughout the week of what I want to say so that they are meaningful and not just full of random stuff. 

So my week wasn't all that different than last week as far as events go except for today.  Today was full of all sorts of great things! Okay, really only two but they were both especially good.  So the reason I am writing late is because this morning we got to go to the visitors center next to the temple (the temple is closed for renovations...boo!) Anyway, the spirit there though is so wonderful.  We watched a video about families and it was great! I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has given us families.  This life really wouldn't be anything without family. 

I also got to hear from Elder Don R. Clarke of the Presidency of the Seventy in our devotional this afternoon.  I am definitely being spoiled here at the CCM. (Side note: I also played the piano for the choir at the devotional...I was super nervous because the practice on Sunday was a bit of a struggle.  However I said a prayer and asked for help to not mess up in front of a general authority and although I already know this I got another confirmation that God answers our prayers! I didn't make any noticeable mistakes which made me so happy.) Anyway, his talk was mainly about the blessings we will receive as we faithfully fulfill our missionary purpose, which in not so many words is to bring others unto Christ. There are seven promises that he pulled from Doctrine and Covenants, the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon. They really are amazing promises and they are not just for full-time missionaries. They can apply to each one of us as we seek to bring others unto Christ.  Because they are so amazing I am going to give them to you but you are going to have to do some homework to find out what them are...For those of you that are up for the challenge the blessings are found in the following scriptures:

1-D&C 84:88

2-D&C 100:1-2

3-D&C 18:15-16, 15:16

4-Alma 7:7,11-12

5-D&C 31:5, 62:3

6-D&C 24:12

7-Matt 4:19

I really hope that each one of you will take the time to read through each of these promises and then come up with one thing you can do in your life to help bring someone unto Christ.  I hope that you will email me about any thoughts you have and also about any missionary experiences you may have as you put your thought into practice! I know that the Lord wants us all to be missionaries.  We are here on earth not only to get ourselves back to live with God but to also help as many people as we can to get there with us.  Also, like I talked about the Atonement last week, I'm sure there is someone in our lives that would benefit from the Atonement and coming to know our Savior.  I know that as we seek to do this and open our mouths and share our testimonies that we will be greatly blessed!  I really am so happy that for the next 18 months I will get the opportunity to do that everyday and gain the skills I need to be able to do it everyday after my mission as well.  The gospel is so amazing and so is missionary work!

On that note though I want to end with one funny thought that I had this week.  So before coming to Mexico I have always liked birds and I always thought that one day I could see myself retiring and watching birds for fun.  Let's just say that being in Mexico has confirmed that suspicion of mine!  There are so many different types of birds here and I can't get enough of it.  They even have these beautiful green birds, I'm going to call them parrots because I think I heard someone say that's what they are, flying around in flocks! Sometimes in class I just stare out the window and look at the cute little birds on the palm trees. I love them!! So basically I am going to be a crazy bird lady when I am older...ha!

Anyway I love you all and hope that you have all had a wonderful week!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

The Power of the Atonement

Hola mi familia,

I hope that everyone is doing well this week.  Sorry to hear about the cold that seems to be going around, even I seemed to have caught it and I'm not even there! 

So my week has been so good, minus the fact that I've been a little sick. That's life though and unfortunately it doesn't stop for you.  I am definitely feeling better now though than I was a couple of days ago.  My companion was sick first though, although she just kept saying it was allergies, by the time I realized it was a cold that she had it was too late for me to do anything about it. Sigh.  I'm just glad it's not anything worse though.

The most exciting thing about this week though was definitely having Elder Neil A. Anderson come speak to us on Saturday.  I have always loved hearing his talks in general conference because he is so sweet.  He is just as sweet in person, but even more so he has a sense of humor I didn't know he had.  It was really cool to get to see that side of him. He talked to us though about the Atonement and how important it is that we have a strong testimony of the Atonement because that is really what is central to our message!  As I listened I thought a lot about the role the Atonement has played in my life and how grateful I am for my Savior and his sacrifice for me and for each one of us.  He talked about how the the Atonement is a continual learning process and that the more we learn about the Atonement and experience it in our own lives the more we will become converted to the gospel and have that desire to share the message of Jesus Christ with those around us. 

I thought a lot about how the understanding of the Atonement I have gained in my own life is one of the main reasons I am serving a mission to day.  As I think about my own life I can definitely see the correlation between my understanding and use of the Atonement and my desire to serve God and His children.  Now I didn't think it would be in this capacity but I had definitely been asking for opportunities to serve and bless His children and he answered my prayer by telling me that if I really wanted to serve him and prepare myself for a lifetime of service then I needed to serve a mission.  The Atonement truly is amazing and so are God's prophets!

Even though at times it is difficult and I wish that I could sleep in my comfortable bed and see my family and friends,  I know that it is worth it.  It is worth it for my life and for the lives of those I will touch in Sacramento.  I know that this gospel is true and I am so happy for this time I have at the MTC to really prepare myself to go to Sacramento and teach.  I also really hope that each one of you will look and ask for those opportunities to serve those around you.  I know that if you do your lives will be blessed more than you can comprehend.

So the second best thing about my week is that our first investigator (no we do not teach real investigators, thank goodness) became my afternoon teacher this week. Wahoo! Our whole district loved him as our investigator and we are so excited to have Hermano Cayetano as our teacher.  It was definitely a tender mercy of the Lord after the week I'd been having.

Anyway I love you all and I hope that everything is going well. You are all in my prayers!

Happy Days!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

P.S. they have nutella to put on toast every night at dinner which is great if you want it with toast, however I have made it a tradition to have just a plain ole big spoonful of it for dessert each night (they usually serve dessert at lunch which is good, usually, but by dinnertime I am definitely needing something sweet and chocolaty and it just hits the spot!) 

First day in Mexico

 little did I know...

The roommates and I 

Hermana Priestly, Lewis and Badger

The companion and I- Hermana Badger

Of course Kyrie's water bottle is in plane sight :)

A little view of Mexico 

MTC Grounds 

The First Week In Review

Hola everyone,

Well I have almost made it through my first week here at the CCM (Spanish Version of the MTC) and I am doing well!  The campus here is beautiful and the people are so nice.  Sorry I don´t have any pictures of it though because I forgot my cord to connect my camera to the computer and they don´t have card readers. I´ll be sure to send all that I can though once I get into the field!

Anyway so I´ll give an overview of the week. So I arrived in Mexico with a whole bunch of Elders and a couple of Sisters and at the airport there were some people waiting for us.  We got all of our stuff and hopped on a bus headed to the CCM.  One thing I have to say is that I am so glad I don´t have to drive here! They drive like maniacs! It´s amazing to me that there isn´t an accident every ten seconds.  Anyway, so to get to the CCM you drive through this kind of dumpy part of town but then when you go through the gates it´s like you´re in a totally different place.  Everything is so green and perfectly manicured here.  I feel really blessed to get to be here for the next six weeks.  

Once we got here I found out who my companion was going to be and then we went through some orientation stuff and then we got to relax the rest of the day which was really nice because after that early flight I was exhausted!

So my companion is Hermana Badger and she is from Casper, Wyoming and she is going to be serving in the California Carlsbad Mission. She is really sweet and we get along well.  She did not have any Spanish before coming to the CCM so I have been able to help her a lot which has been good for both of us.

Thursday we just had more orientation stuff and then we met our teachers Hermano Tinoco and Hermano Martinez.  I like them both but they are complete opposites!  Hermano Tinoco is the more stern, get it done guy while Hermano Martinez is much more laid back and really funny.  They are good teachers though.

Friday we taught our first investigator...in Spanish...I was really nervous beforehand but once I got in there I was amazed at how well everything went.  We have taught him two more lessons since then and have committed him to baptism.  He is great and I wish that all of my real investigators could be as easy to teach and convert as him, however I know that will not be the case.  

Saturday was a lot like Friday, we just went to class and taught our investigator again.  I will admit Saturday was a little hard for me.  I was starting to miss people and was exhausted (I haven´t really been sleeping well) and then our schedule was really crazy the first couple of days with little semblance and I could feel it getting to me.  However, Sunday made it all better.  I felt like everything that was spoken during the meetings that day was said just for me.  I was able to feel the spirit testify to me over and over that I was in the right place and that things would get better, and they have.

Monday was basically the same as Saturday except that I was feeling much better.  And today is going well. I am definitely loving p-day!  Also tonight is devotional and we get to hear from Elder Neil L. Anderson which I am excited for! I will tell you more about that next week.

The food here is good for the most part. The only thing I have not liked is the Carrot Lasagna they had...not a good combination.  

I am enjoying my time though and trying to soak up everything I can while I am here!

I am so excited to get to be a missionary and to be able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and to bless many lives with it.  The church is true!

I love you and miss you all.

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

She Has Arrived!

Greetings from Mexico!

I made it to the MTC all in one piece.  The flight went smoothly and I am in the processes of going through orientation.  I am feeling quite hungry and exhausted right now but other than that I am great!  I am so excited to be here.  

So you should know that while I am at the mtc my p-day will be on Tuesdays, so that will be the next time you hear from me. Also, I learned today that they now have a kind of online store and letter system that you can use to send treats and letters with same day delivery if you so choose. The website is www.missionarypackagemx.com.  You can share it with any friends or family that might want to do something like that.  

Anyways, I love you guys so much! I cannot wait to get to work. 

Until Tuesday!

Love, 

Kyrie

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission

Hi,

My name is Kyrie and I have been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the California Sacramento Mission speaking Spanish. I report to the Mexico City Missionary Training Center (MTC) in 5 days. I am feeling excited and nervous but mostly I am feeling blessed.

This last four months since I received my call has felt like a whirlwind and I can't believe that next week I begin a journey that I know will impact my life forever.  I never would have believed that this is where the Lord would want me to be at this time in my life. However, I am grateful that he trusts me enough to share the message of the gospel and of Jesus Christ to his children in Sacramento.  I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I know that this is where Heavenly Father wants me to be and I am so grateful for His plan and for the peace that following His plan brings.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church on earth today and that it is through following the teachings found therein that we can experience true joy.  I can't wait to share this message to as many of God's children that will listen.

This blog will follow my experience as a missionary in Sacramento and hopefully my experiences after my mission as well.  I hope that this blog will be one that will lift up and bring hope to those that read it.

More to come!

-Kyrie