Happy Preparation Day!
Hello or should I say happy miracle week! So many tender mercies. I love the Lord and am SO grateful to be a part of this work.
On Saturday, we got to participate in SVEW which is Silicon Valley Education Week. It took place at the Computer History museum in Mountain View. We were invited just in case some members decided to bring non-member friends! We had a booth and everything. This event was actually just for all of the mid-singles in the Bay area. So you know how we cover 4 wards, two family wards: Palo Alto I and II, but we also cover 2 YSA's (Young Single Adult Wards): Standford I and Stanford II for the mid-singles 41+ years old. . . Anywho, it was for that mid-singles group that Steve Young from our PAI ward spoke as well as Clayton Christiansen!
Yesterday in Ward Council, I learned something pretty cool. As we were discussing the needs of our ward members etc and our WONDERFUL bishop mentioned the 4 pillars of faith. We also met the previous president of the Washington D.C. South Mission. He was there. A lot of my friends from BYU-I served in the D.C. mission. So, it was pretty great to meet him. Plus, that's where I'm from!
1. Perfecting the Saints.
2. Hastening the work of Salvation
3. Redeeming the Dead
4. Serving our fellow men
Well, from this he said that the Church has developed websites that correspond to these purposes.
1. LDS.org (for perfecting the Saints)
lds.org
2. Mormon.org (for sharing the gospel with others)
mormon.org
3. Familysearch.org (for redeeming the dead)
familysearch.org
4. HelpingHands.org which is now called Justserve.org (for serving our neighbors)
https://www.justserve.org/
Now to my point. How cool is that? 1. That the pillars and websites coordinate but also 2. How cool is it to know that I am a part of the pilot program for Justserve.org in the San Jose mission? Oh, and don't forget that this is in the Silicon Valley. Tech people are everywhere so the church has been reaching out to people here to help with this JustServe website!!! Pretty cool, at least to me!`
I love this work! The church is true.
Sister Carter
P.S. Mitt Romney is coming to Standford on Tuesday. We plan on finding him.
Editor's note: If you would like to listen to an audio recording or read some of the talks from 2015 General Conference that Alicia talks about in this post, go to this link:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2015/04?lang=eng
Hi!
Happy Preparation Day! I love General Conference! I love it SO much. As I watch, I am grateful for my knowledge of a living prophet on the earth today! This is a testimony which has been in me, but has grown since attending BYU-Idaho but every more since serving a mission. I am a missionary for the Lord, called by a Prophet of God. Whoa! What a blessing, what a thrill. I had hands laid upon my head and was literally set apart from the rest of the world to proclaim to the rest of the world that He lives! And that we can all return to Him! After all we can do of course! His grace is truly sufficient.
I too am called to declare glad tidings of great joy to the world, to tell them that through faith, repentance, being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, they can enjoy not only this life, but the life to come! How great is my purpose.
"Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and a way of life in all times and in all places".
There is a prophet on the earth! I know this to be true. I find though I am like Thomas---asking to feel the prints in Christ's hands in order to believe. Seeing helps. I've had the blessing on this mission to see three apostles of the Lord in person, as well as shake hands with other General Authorities.
You think they're powerful over the T.V.? Just wait till you meet one. The Lord's spirit radiates so powerfully out of these humble God-serving men (and women). I am grateful for their examples and alll those who lead the church in their roles: Primary teachers, greeters, Bishops, ward clerks, family history coordinators! We are all pieces of the grand puzzle that makes up the Gospel.
I had some favorites from General Conference:
(My ultimate favorites *)
Henry B. Eyring on fasting: "A simple commandment with a marvelous promise."
L. Whitney Clayton: "See the light in the distance and keep going."
Wilford W. Anderson: "I can teach you to dance but you have to hear the music."
*Dale G. Renlund: "I was I; tis not I."
*José A. Teixeira: "We will still have pain. . . It gives us a deeper understanding."
*Gerald Cause: "So many wonders we look but we don't see. We hear but we don't listen." "Never tire of discovering or rediscovering."
*Dieter F. Uctdorf: "Salvation does not equal obedience." "Obey out of love for Him."
Well, I really loved all of conference. Every talk was from God and each is perfect for missionaries too!
We are truly being proved to see if we will do what we are commanded in our first estate. . .
I can promise peace in this life and eternal joy in the next by heading the council from our living Prophet and his apostles.
Sister Carter
"While they who reject this glad message, shall never such happiness know."
Happy P-day
I LOVE the scriptures!!!! Last night, literally so about 8 hours ago, I was having well. . . a moment. You know those moments where you just kinda freak out and get overwhelmed? Well, that happens regularly on missions. But, last night I came out of my melt down so enlightened.
For privacy reasons, I will not be too explicit or even use names but we, my companion and I had the blessing of teaching lesson 2 which is the plan of salvation to one of our miracle investigators. She is a miracle for numerous reasons and we are just grateful to be her guides helping her.
My companion and I were pretty nervous about this lesson. The first lesson is typically really easy and flows pretty consistently. But for some reason lesson 2 is sometimes awkward. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE it. I really do, and I have gained an even stronger testimony of my purpose here on this earth but what I know is what I know. And, I know it because I have prayed and I have asked. I have searched and thus my testimony has been strengthened. If I am teaching someone new who has not done that I have to somehow help them understand that by doing so: searching, pondering, praying etc is the only way that they too will know.
In the case of this new investigator, as well as 99.9% of all of our other brilliant Stanford student investigators, they ahve no trouble with the doctrine. Crazy, right? They get it. It totally makes sense to them logically. Well that's great and all but not when you're a missionary. Not when you want them to FEEL something---not ony know it but FEEL it. That's where the testimony comes in.
Last night/this morning, I was caught up in the lesson that we taught. I came out partially sad because I didn't do my part enough. Our investigators need to be taught by the spirit so they can learn by the spirit. They need to FEEL the truthfulness of the doctrine because acutally who is the teacher? Not me. It is the spirit. That is the converting power. So, I prayed hard to know how I can have the spirit more with me, to help me find, teach, and baptize. I got my answer in three different ways.
So, I opened to Alma 29: But here is the disclosure. I received some pretty intense inspiriation last night and this morning. I won't share all of it but will share that of what I hope will be of help to others who hope to have the spirit more with them in whatever capacity for whatever reason. Again in my case, it is to help people FEEL the truthfulness of this gospel.
Back to Alma 29 (feel free to look these up).
Vs. 1: "The wish of mine heart that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!"
(that is indeed my greatest desire.)
Vs. 2
"2 Yea,
I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder,
repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth."
That is my purpose
" 3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me. "
Whoah! this is where it got serious. I was being so ungrateful. Not only was I being selfish and pretty prideful but I was not being grateful.
Vs. 4
"4 I
ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for
I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire,
whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth
unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable,
according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto
destruction."
I was caught up in my own wants.
I was forgetting the blessing that it was in the first place to be in that home teaching that miracle investigator who will not because of me be baptized but because of what/how she felt through the Holy Ghost.
The Lord knows my desires but I need to remember that everyone has a time table.
I have seen much success on this mission, not by what I have done but what I have been blessed to be a part of.
Vs. 13-15
" 13 Yea,
and that same God did establish his church among them; yea, and that
same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this
people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full.
14 But
I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because
of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of Nephi.
15 Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward!"
I love being a missionary.
I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ.
I love being able to talk to them and I love even more when they talk to me through the scriptures.
The church is true!!
Love, Sister Carter
