So I don't have a brain tumor...probably

Hey everybody! So this week has been a very interesting week for me.  I will start out by explaining the subject so that you can stop freaking out, if you are.  

This week I went to the emergency room. Yay.  So sometime the week before last I started getting this weird shooting pain/sensation through my head.  It only happened like once a day but it definitely was not normal.  It would leave though as quickly as it came so I was just making a note of it every time it happened.  Then on Friday it happened three times and then I was also feeling dizzy and nauseous so I called the mission nurse to see what I should do.  I was thinking, this is really weird but there is a chance it is a migraine I just didn't know for sure because I have never had one and also my head didn't actually really hurt.  Anyway so I called her and explained what was happening and she said that she would get me a doctors appointment forMonday.  About thirty min later though she calls back and says "So I was talking with the medical director and we decided it is best that you don't wait until Monday since it is happening in your head" and so I was sent to the emergency room.  Now up until that point I was trying to convince myself it was just something minor but then because the medical director thought it could be something serious my mind skipped over everything minor it could be to "I have a brain tumor".  

We proceeded to go to the hospital while also canceling all of our appointments for the evening.  My wonderful companion Hermana Porter and I were trying to laugh about it but at the same time trying to brace ourselves for the worst.  We make it to the hospital and I get checked in and then they call me up to ask me about my symptoms and take my vitals and of course it was a 25ish year old guy taking my vitals and at this point I am at that stage where I don't know how to interact with any men that aren't elders or short and hispanic. So I just sat there awkwardly.  Then he goes, "hmmm it looks like your blood pressure is a little high" to which I am thinking "hmmm well I might just have a brain tumor and I am kind of freaking out inside so of course my blood pressure is going to be high".  Really though I just said, "Oh".  Then I had to wait a little bit to be called again.  When I got called it was another 25ish year old guy who had been assigned to take a CT scan of my brain. I awkwardly followed him back to the scan and the whole time he is referring to me as ma'am which was weird because I am not old but like I said I am now an awkward sister missionary who doesn't even know how to make small talk to be polite so I just didn't say anything.  He took a picture of my brain though and then they sent me back to the waiting room until there was a room ready.

Finally my room was ready and they took me back, I had to change into one of those hospital dress things that are super awkward and then they put on a heart monitor and took some of my blood (I hate needles).  Finally the doctor came in and boy wasn't she a ray of sunshine...she told me though that she had looked at my scan and that it didn't appear that I had any tumors in my brain (sigh of relief) but that I probably just had a migraine (reassuring, but pretty much had that figured out except for the fact that I couldn't look at my brain to be sure).  My mission nurse wasn't as reassured as I was and my companion and I thought they might have at it right there in the emergency room...needless to say it was a pretty anticlimactic ending to my day.  Turns out though that I have probably had a migraine all week and still do because since I have no pain the pain medications that the doctor prescribed did nothing. Yay.  I am alive though and probably don't have a brain tumor although I never actually saw the picture of my brain to be sure.  I can't wait until I am a doctor and can analyze all of my own stuff.  I don't trust other people to do it right, especially when they seem like they are mad at the world. 

Other than that though my week was good.  I am just trying to get to know my new area and the ward.  My companion is awesome and I am so excited to be with her for the next 8 weeks.  

Update on the mission split: next week I will officially be part of the California Modesto Mission. Part of this also means that I just got my mission extended for an additional two weeks because of how their transfer schedule is (also the reason I will be with my current companion for 8 weeks instead of 6).  I am sad but also excited to be part of this new mission.  

Well I hope every one has a wonderful week! I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

Eight Months Gone!

Hey everyone!

Well today is my eight month mark of being in the mission, crazy!  I know I say this every month, but I say it because it is true, where is the time going??  I can't believe I am already to the point where I can count the months I have left on my hands! I am just plugging along though and trying to make the most of my time here. 

This week has been really great.  We had zone conference which is always wonderful but was made even better by the fact that we got iPad's at the end.  Whoo! We are in stage one right now which means we really only get to use the Gospel Library app and some other study tools but it has been a blessing for studying for investigators.  It is so amazing how many tools the Lord has given us in this day and age to learn about and share the gospel.

So this week I have been studying a lot about baptism as we are helping two of our investigators prepare themselves for their own baptisms.  I always love reading the scriptures in Mosiah 18 that talk about the covenant we make at baptism.  It is always such a good reminder to me about what it is I have promised I would do that I have promised with God that I am "willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light. Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death".  I have come to see in my own life and in the lives of others the blessings that come as we strive to keep this covenant.  As we live our everyday lives to help others and stand as witnesses of Christ our hearts are changed and we become more converted to the gospel and also more like our Savior Jesus Christ.  Those around us are also lifted and are able to better feel the impact of these covenants in their own lives  We experience the peace and joy that comes as we in return receive the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.  I am so grateful for these covenants and for the ability they give me to stay focused on a purpose and to become more than I would otherwise be. I hope that we can all always remember our own baptismal covenants and find ways to live them more fully in our lives. I know that as we do blessings will come!

I'm so grateful for the gospel and for the opportunity to share it every day! I hope you all have a wonderful week.  

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

iPad's have arrived! (With Hermana Sellers)

The weekly Spider Wed on the car

My Latino Grandma :)

Traditions (June 1st)

Hey everyone!

So this week has been very good.  We had a mission wide conference in anticipation of receiving Ipads (don't have them quite yet).  It was so good and I learned so much about topics that go so much further beyond a piece of technology.  I learned a lot more about how we really can apply gospel principles in every part of our lives.  What a blessing the Lord has given us in our days to have access to so many wonderful things.  Like with any powerful tool though comes the responsibility to learn to be an agent, acting to use that tool to further the work of the Lord and not an object that allows the tool to act upon us.  I think about before my mission and how much time I sometimes wasted on the internet because I felt like I had nothing better to do.  One thing I am learning though is that if I feel like there is nothing better to do then there probably is but I have to be willing to actively go and seek it out.  Before the conference we received a manual talking about the safeguards of technology.  I love this manuel, and although there may be some things that people may laugh and roll their eyes at, there really is so much that will be useful after my mission.  One of my favorite things that it talks about is that before we get on our mobile device (this can apply to computer, tablet, cell phone, etc...) we should first think of what our purpose is of getting on the device.  Once our purpose is established then we can get on and get to work with whatever it is that we planned to do.  It then says that if at any point when you are on the device, you can't remember what your purpose for being there is, then you should immediately stop, turn of the device and either reestablish your purpose or go do something else.  I think this is something that all of us could apply in this world filled with technology.  If we don't know why we are using technology then in reality it is using us to fill our time and minds and take us away from all of the good things in the world such as our families, friends, and service. I'm excited to be able to begin to apply and practice these principles on my mission and after as well.

Another thing I have been focusing a lot on this week is why I am doing the things I am doing here on the mission.  As I approach my half way mark on my mission I really want to be sure that I am doing all I can as a missionary to find and bring God's children to Jesus Christ.  I want to be able to say that I served my mission with purpose and that I did all that God intended me to do.  That being said I have been studying preach my gospel a lot and trying to evaluate what I am doing as a missionary and whether or not it falls under what the Lord expects of His missionaries as outlined in preach my gospel.  As I, and my companion have done this, we have started to realize that there are some things that we have been doing all our missions that really are more of a tradition amongst the missionaries than actually what it says in Preach my Gospel. We do them because that is what our trainer did, and what their trainer did, and so on. Even though many of these things aren't necessarily bad things, I have tried to ask myself if it is really what the Lord would have me do to be His missionary.  Somethings I have actually wondered about for a while but when brought to the attention of other missionaries were quickly dismissed by comments like, "Oh yes, well it's different in Spanish work" or something like that.  Is it really any different though?  I would assume to say that if it really was all that different then the Church would have come out with a Preach my Gospel especially for Spanish speaking missionaries. I have thought about this and how it applies to us in real life as well. How many things do we do in life that are traditions that really have no secure root?  Maybe they aren't bad things, but are they traditions that are helping us to grow and to become the person the Lord want's us to be?  Are these traditions a reason maybe we don't follow the words of the prophet or the scriptures with exactness?  To we sometimes say to ourselves "Well that is really nice and I'm sure it has application to someone else, but I have been doing things like this for years and it's been working for me so why change?" If we find ourselves saying things like that then it may be time to reevaluate why we are actually do it and what it is the Lord would have us do.  I know that this life is about continually growing and bettering ourselves and many times that is going to mean we are going to have to break out of our comfort zones and break traditions. At times this may be difficult but I know as we do it we are able to humble ourselves and receive the spiritual growth that comes as we follow the Savior. I am excited for the time I still have left on the mission to continue to work hard and do what I need to do to be a faithful servant of the Lord. I love this work and I love being a missionary!

Everything is going well with our investigators.  We had four of them at church this week which was awesome!  I love them all and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to work with each one of them on their path towards baptism.

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

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

Miracles In Stockton (May 25th)

Hey everyone!!

So this week has been really wonderful and busy.  Tuesday we had exchanges with the sister training leaders which was great.  I spent the day with Hermana Cuesta in Lodi.  She is awesome!  We also had interviews with President and Sister Jardine on Wednesday which was great.  I love being able to talk to them.  

So our investigator that is the one that wants to move to the English ward (I will call her C. to protect her identity) is doing great!  It is so amazing to see her desire to learn the gospel grow.  We had two wonderful lessons with her this week about prayer and about the Plan of Salvation.  When we met with her on Thursday she informed us that she is already in 2 Nephi and made the comment that she hadn't read as much as she would like to...If only all of our investigators would say that.  I love being able to see first hand how the gospel has the power to change people.  She talks about how much peace she feels as she reads the Book of Mormon and how much more she want's to learn.  As long as everything goes smoothly she will be baptized on June 13th which is right before transfers, yay!

This week was awesome though because we were able to see how when we follow the spirit miracles really do happen!  It all started during weekly planning last week.  As we were deciding how many people to put on date both Hermana Sellers and I felt prompted to plan for two people with a date.  By that weekend we had two people planned so we thought maybe we were done.  However for whatever reason I felt like there was someone we were missing.  Two days later one of the people we had on date called us and informed us that they wouldn't be meeting with us anymore because of pressures they were feeling from family members and not wanting to cause problems.  This took us back down to one.  We have  multiple investigators right now though so we though that it would possibly be on of them.  As the week progressed though we realized that none of our other investigators were ready to have a date though.  Saturday and Sunday we didn't have any set lessons so we spent both of those days just looking for people.  Saturday the Lord blessed us with the opportunity to find a less active family that had moved and had been lost for a couple of years, but still no one that was ready to accept a baptismal date.  On Sunday, we had some great lessons but still none of them were the ones that the Lord had inspired us to plan a date for.  Finally we were down to our last hour of the week (isn't that how it always works?) and we decided to go visit some potentials we had that were all on the same street.  As we pulled up to the first house there was this cute little family of a mom and her daughters all sitting outside.  We got out and went to talk to them.  The more we talked to them the more I knew that these were the people the Lord wanted us to find.  We taught them about the restoration and them invited them to be baptized if they came to know if these things were true.  They said yes and so we extended them a date ofAugust 1.  The mom's (I will call her C2) was that that was really soon.  She told us "I have been searching for the truth for 30+ years and you expect me to be able to receive an answer in that time?" One of the daughters though (I will call her M.) who had been listening attentively the entire time said yes and then asked us, "If God called a prophet to the earth in 1820, who is the prophet today?"  We finished by bearing our testimonies about how there is a living prophet today who's name is Thomas S. Monson and then set a date to come back this week.  I know that the Lord has been working with this family and I am so excited to be able to work with them and help them to find the truth for themselves.  

I know that when we follow the promptings of the Spirit and trust in the Lord that we will see miracles in our lives.  I love being able to be a missionary and to have the opportunity to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to help bring his children into the fold.  May we all seek to follow the spirit of the Lord as we work to help God's children.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

With Love,

Hermana Carpenter

p.s. IPad's come tomorrow! Oh and here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks! Enjoy :) And yes, those are ducklings, in their awkward teenage phase!

My companion drew me as a My Little Pony

Word of Wisdom (May 18th)

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been long. Really long.  However it has been filled with lot's of good appointments which is nice.  We have 4 investigators that are really great!  We have two investigators that are on date right now, but unfortunately they will both be attending the English ward.  We will keep teaching on of them because she is an older lady that prefers to have Sisters, and seeing as how we are the only sisters in Stockton we have been asked to teach her. The other is the daughter of a native Spanish speaker that just decided she wants to go to the English ward. Kind of a bummer for us but at least she is still going and is still progressing!

This week we also had two awesome lessons with our sweet older lady who I have named my Latino Grandma.  Anyway, she is so great because even though in the beginning she made it clear that she was Catholic, she has just absorbed everything we teach like a sponge.  This last week we taught her about the temple and about the spirit world and how families can be together forever.  The next time we came back it was like everything we had taught became a part of her.  We also had the opportunity to teach her about the Word of Wisdom.  As we talked about the reason God has given us a code of health and the blessings that come from it we were able to see her explain to us her ideas and her desires to have the blessings of this law in her life.  We set up a plan to help her overcome some of the struggles she has with the Word of Wisdom that she want's to change and we are so excited to see the changes that will come from living this.  I am so grateful for the Word of Wisdom and that God has revealed to us the dangers of using tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs, coffee, and tea.  Even though I may not fully understand physically why it is these five things he has chosen, I have a testimony that as we avoid these things that the Lord will bless us.  Many people think that we are being restricted but I have never once felt that way.  Every time I see someone trapped in the bonds of addiction that come with many of these things I give thanks that I have the freedom to chose to do the things I love without having anything to hold me back.  I know that God has given us this law to protect us and also like any commandment, as we follow God's counsel he gives us so many more blessings. 

I am so grateful to be working with these people.  I love them so much and all I want to do is to help them to experience the fullness of the blessings that come as we live the principles of the gospel.  I know it may not always be easy but I do know that every bit of sacrifice we have to make to live it is worth it!

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

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

God Has a Plan (May 11th)

Hey everybody, I know it has been so long since you have heard from me...I am really grateful for the opportunity I had to talk to each of you that were at Grandma's yesterday, especially in light of Grandpa's passing on Saturday. I am so grateful for all of you and all of your support.  I pray that the Comforter will be with you all during this time as each individual is searching for the peace they need and desire.  After talking with you I got the chance to take some time to think about Grandpa and the memories I have of him along with God's plan for him and each one of us.

Being one of the younger grandchildren means the my memories of grandpa without his memory loss are limited and the memories of him I have of him are different than what they may have been in his earlier years.  Some of the things I remember the most from when I was younger was how much he loved us as his grandchildren.  He was always so happy to see us and always expressed his love for us by giving us nosies before we would leave. I remember when my family lived with him that every Wednesday he would make pancakes and eggs for us which I always looked forward to.

As I got older much of that stopped because of his memory loss, however the memories I have of the time after that are still good and will always be precious to me.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to live with he and grandma the last two years before my mission and for the time I got to spend with them. 

Living with a man who had lost his mind definitely leads to some interesting moments.  One of my favorite things that always made me smile was that because he couldn't remember a lot of things he got to have a lot of "first times" over and over again.  Whenever I would make something for dinner he would usually exclaim "I have never had this before.  You're a good cookie!  Some man will be very lucky to have you."  or something along that line.  

Even though he couldn't remember a lot of the time I could always tell when he was in a phase where he could remember because of the little jokes he made.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to lose your memory but when he was himself he always had a good attitude about it.  During these moments he would say something that someone without a memory would say, with a very serious face, and then he would crack a wicked little grin and then walk away.  To me that was his way of saying, I know what is going on and I'm going to make the best of it.  I always admired that about him.

One of the things I admired the most though about him was how that even when he couldn't remember those things he was still able to manifest the things that mattered the most to him by the habits he had formed and the way he spent his day.  His routine was always simple but it was a shining example to me of what I need to always remember in my life.  First of all I know he was a man that loved the gospel.  Each day I would find him in his chair reading out of the scriptures or some other church related book.  Every night we would come together to have family prayer, and every week that he could he would hobble over with Grandma to Sacrament meeting.  Even in his old age I knew that God was first in his life.

Another thing I always would find him doing in his chair was reading from the newspaper.  Even after having been retired from the education system he was still able to show me how important it is to be educated and informed about the things going on in this world.  Grandpa was always reading and was an example to me that I should always be seeking to do the same and learn from the good books that are out there.

Health was another thing that mattered to Grandpa.  Almost everyday when the weather was good Grandpa would head out for his daily walk. As he left the house we would be attired in a jacket (even in the dead of summer), his sunglasses, a hat, his cassette player with headphones, and of course his walker. He would then proceed to complete his lap around the church, which might I add usually took him about an hour.  That didn't stop him though.  

Grandpa was also generous.  He would have given money to every single charity that sent something his way had we let him.  Anyone that came into his home was well taken care of and new exactly where to find all of the cereal and treats.

Through his actions I also know that he loved his wife.  After his meals he would always make sure to wash up his dishes (in unusual ways at times) so that Grandma wouldn't have to.  I also remember one time when Grandma was in the hospital he would ask every day where she was and when he would get to see her.  There was also one specific time when he got left behind and boy was he fit to be tied!  

He was also thoughtful and every time I left for the day he would ask me when I would be home so that he could make sure to leave the door unlocked and the porch light on for me if I got home late.  On a regular basis he would also ask me things like if I was "in the pink" or "in the green" that day which was his way of asking how I was doing.  

Those moments will always be precious to me and I am so grateful to be able to have those memories.

One thing I am also so grateful for during this time is my knowledge of the plan of Salvation.  I am so blessed to have the knowledge that this life is not the end. I know that if I continue to live faithfully that I will get the chance to be with him and the rest of my family forever.  This however I know would not be possible without my Savior Jesus Christ.  As Amulek states in Alma 34, without the atonement of Jesus Christ "all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which is expedient should be made." I can't imagine a life where death was the end. A life where we were doomed to come to earth and form these relationships of love only to have them ripped away from us without the hope of anything else.  Through the Atonement though there is hope.  A loving Heavenly Father prepared a way so that through faith and repentance we can be encircled "in the arms of safety"  we can on day "sit down in [God's] kingdom, to go no more out" and to one day "rest from all of [our] afflictions.  I know that those arms of safety are around Grandpa right now and I know that he is finally resting.  I also know that one day he will enter into God's Kingdom, no more to go out.  Even though I will miss him I find comfort and joy in this knowledge.  I find peace in knowing that if I do all that I can in this life to follow Jesus Christ that I will have claim to those same blessings and get to live with him and all of my other family members again.

I want you to know how much I love you and although I am sad I will be missing this time with the family I am grateful I can help bring this message to those who do not have this hope.  You are all in my thoughts and prayers this week.

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

Transfers!! (May 5th)

Hey everybody!!

So as I mentioned last week, transfers are here once again.  I found out last night that I will  be staying here in Stockton for another transfer!  I am really excited to be able to be here.  Things are finally picking up in our area and I know I would have been really sad to leave at this point.  I will be getting a new companion though.  I am so sad to see Hermana Ka'a'a leaving. This transfer has just been so awesome! It we have gotten along so well, have worked hard, and have been able to see the Lord's hand in the work.  My new companion will be Hermana Sellers. I am excited to be working with her and to see what new things this next transfer holds.

So this week has been really crazy but super awesome! Last week on Thursday, we came out of a dinner appointment and looked at our phone and we had four missed calls from someone that was in our phone but that we didn't know.  We called the Lady back right a way and come to find out I actually did know her.  She was an old investigator that Hermana Shawcroft and I had talked to once last transfer but had told us she was moving the next week to LA.  We asked her if she needed help moving but she said no and we never heard from her after that and we didn't go back because we had assumed she had moved. Well guess what, she didn't move!  Anyway, so when we called her she invited us to come eat but since we had already eaten we just went over to talk with her.  When we got there she basically told us that this last week there had been some things that had happened and that she new she needed to start investigating the church again and that she was ready....what!!! She then proceded to tell us that her 26 year old daughter had also been following the blog of some members and that she wanted to learn more about the church too.  On Sunday the mom, daughter, and the 16 year old son were at church and they have started reading the Book of Mormon and everything!  

They are so awesome and I am so grateful for the chance that I get to continue to work with them this next transfer and help them to receive personal confirmation that the Book of Mormon is true and to make that next step towards baptism.

The other investigator we have that is awesome is a lady we are teaching who is in her 70's.  She is the sweetest old lady.  She is basically the Latino version of Grandma Geertsen, but catholic, ha.  So we have been teaching her the last two weeks and it has been amazing to see how the spirit touches her.  One of the first things she mentioned when we met her is that she could see the peace and joy we have and that she wants that in her life.  She is so funny too, the first time we invited her to baptism we asked her that if she came to know if it is true if she would be baptized and she goes "No, I am catholic and I've already been baptized". Her daughter who was right there said yes she would and the mom goes "Really, not me." But then when we had the next lesson where we taught her about the Plan of Salvation, and agency, and Jesus Christ, we challenged her again she had changed her answer to a "Yes, if I find out it is true".  I know that the spirit has been preparing her and that through her desires and through reading the Book of Mormon and praying that she will receive her own answer that it is true.  I also cannot wait to continue to work with her!

There are so many other things that have been going on too and I wish I had more time to talk about them! Hopefully next week I can share some more about the members and their experiences with missionary work this week.

Before a go I just want to give a shout out to all of those mothers out there, especially mine!  I am so grateful to have had such a wonderful mother who has always done her best to teach me the simple truths of the gospel. I'm so grateful for her example and love.  One of my most prominent memories of her is how she always made it a priority to go to the temple.  I remember singing "I love to see the temple" every time we would drive past the Provo, Temple.  I know it is because of her that I have such a great love and appreciation for the temple.  I'm so grateful to for all of the other woman in my life that have been such wonderful examples to me and their motherly care.  I have a special prayer in my heart for all of those mothers out there, especially those who may be struggling.  I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day!

I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Carpenter

Ward Mission leader and his wife the Centenos

The Potters-an English family that works in our ward