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