Sister Alicia Carter: August 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

31 August 2015 Lemonade and BYU

What a wonderful time to be a missionary!

We have seen so much success here in San Jose at the Institute namely with the Lemonade Stand that we just had the other day! We decided we needed a new way to find people to teach, so we set up shop in front of the Institute handing out lemonade and a Book of Mormon!! Yeee success!!

We also invited EVERYONE this week to be baptized and surprise surprise! September 24th and October 1st are the days!! Two of our investigators accepted and will be baptized on that day!

One is actually from the middle east and because of church rules and regulations/ agreements IF we are able to baptize him, pictures are not allowed to be taken at the service and there should pretty much be no evidence of that person being baptized because it could put their life in danger. So you will never hear me mention his name outside of the mission.

It is interesting to see so many of the Lord's children prepared to hear this gospel. There are so many people who truly are wanderers in a strange land and though they may have grown up one way (Muslim for instance) many of them did not choose that walk of life and to be quite honest many don't even agree with the religion. They find themselves searching for the truth, and because God loves all of His children, he helps those honest truth seekers! Sister Hill and I have been led to 4 people of the Muslim faith. And because of that, we have been able to share with them, what we know, and what we hold to be true! What a blessing to see them light-up with this new pure knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.

The second investigator that we have being baptized on September 24th LITERALLY walked into the institute! It was Wednesday and the brand new missionaries JUST stepped off the plane and came to the institute to get some food, understand what was going on and to then go contacting with US around San Jose State for their first day! (All of the new missionaries do this!--I did too!)
After we went contacting with them, we returned to find out that a boy walked in to the institute who was wondering how he could get an endorsement to go to BYU because he was a non member. He heard that BYU had a wonderful engineering program and then decided to do some research on the University. He was given a Book of Mormon right before he left the institute and was invited to read it. An appointment was scheduled for the next day for us to meet him and help him out

The following day, we waited at the institute all day for him-- ALL DAY........for this mysterious boy who wanted to go to BYU and he NEVER showed.....
The next day, we were back at the institute weekly planning and the doorbell rang. We didn't answer it because unfortunately, there are a lot of creeps in San Jose and we didn't want to have to face any more homeless people. After hearing the doorbell for a good 3 minutes, I finally went downstairs to see, a bright eyed young boy. It was HIM. The light shown from his eyes.

After we greeted each other, we walked upstairs, he whipped out his Book o Mormon and we immediately got down to business and taught him Lesson 1 which is about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked about ways that God blesses us, Families, Prophets, about how we went through a stage of Apostasy, when the truth was not on the earth because people choose not to listen. We talked about the Restoration of the Lords church on the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. After we taught him, he flat out said at the he knew it was all true. he believed that Joseph Smith Translated the Book of Mormon into English. He believed in the Apostasy. And he could feel the spirit of the message telling him it was true! We asked him if he wanted to be baptized and he graciously said YES!

Both of these two people came to church yesterday in Washington Square but so did, TWO other investigators in our Family Ward Alum Rock!!!

I am looking forward to many more baptisms!

I LOVE you all,

The church is true!

I can feel your prayers and support,

Thank you SO much,

Sister Carter

24 August 2015 General Conference Recommendations, Sabbath Day

Hi!

Another transfer has come and gone. I'm still in San Jose of course! That was a quick 5 week transfer and this one coming up is going to be 7 weeks! That means MANY mighty miracles that Sister Hill and I will have the blessing of being a part of.

Last night was the outgoing fireside for the missionaries who are flying home on Wed. Tuesday is the transfer meeting where people get their new companions and Thursday we get to work!!

Some quotes from this week:

-Twas I, Tis not I!”

Are we really trying to change and be better and do better every single day?

You don’t need to be the same person you were yesterday if you don’t want to be.

I am thoroughly convinced, time is the way it is on this earth, because the Lord wants us to see that we can change every minute and second of the day! What a blessing!

General Conference April 2015

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/latter-day-saints-keep-on-trying?lang=eng

-Develop the capacity to see men not as they are, but as they may become!

-If we don't allow others to try we are just Latter-day Hypocrites.

And if we desire to change, we should expect but also ALLOW others to do the same.

-Is it [the gospel] still wonderful to you?

General Conference April 2015

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/is-it-still-wonderful-to-you?lang=eng

A sad experience from the Book of Mormon from a group of people who forgot...

3rd Nephi 2:1

"and the people began to forget thosesigns and wonders which they had heard, and began tobe less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their

hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieveall which they had

heard and seen—"

Don’t allow your heart to get hard as theirs did.

-"What would you have me do?"

-Are we willing to do whatever it takes to receive blessings from the Lord?

Be willing to ask that question every day on your knees.

How are each of you developing the love of Christ?

Just some things to think about.

I LOVE you all,

Let me know what you’re doing to keep the Sabbath day holy

-Sister Carter

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

August 17, 2015 Talofa

Hello!!!! If you're wondering Talofa is Samoan for hello.

August 3, 2015 Insights from Book of Mormon study

Here are some insights from my study....

From the Book of Mormon: Ether Chapter 2

Verses 21-25

The Brother of Jared is building barges (boats) and he is trying to do as the Lord is commanding him, but he needs some help...

21 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so,according as the Lord had commanded.

22 And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord,behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?

23 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.

24 For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?

Sometimes, we are asked to do really hard things, things we don't' really understand. Not only don't we understand why we should do them, but we don't even understand how! Sometimes we really need help. Often, and even unintentionally we depend on our own wisdom, on our own knowledge. But let me just say, there is NO amount of grit and even own personal will that will help us accomplish pretty much anything. It is ONLY through the power, grace and love of our Savior Jesus Christ that allows us to be absolutely successful in this life. True success stems from knowing where all goodness comes from; and ALL goodness comes from God.

When we do seek help from the Lord, which often requires "crying unto the Lord" as the Brother of Jared did, we sometimes don't' get the answer when or how we want. We sometimes don't even get the answer we expect.

Even after we have expounded all of our efforts, and have truly "done as He has commanded us" sometimes, the Lord, in HIS wisdom and mercy, lets us sit for a bit. He lets us think, he lets us decided, he lets us figure it out ourselves. Tough right?

We have to trust that despite our own (selfish) desires, we have an all loving, merciful, knowing God who has our best interest at heart. He loves us and because he loves us, we must trust Him.

Because "nevertheless, he truly will bring us out of the depths of our own seas."

Life is hard, but it is HE who has prepared a way. He will always prepare us and even more than that, He will always BE with us.

That I know.

I love the Lord so much. I am so grateful that He is has provided a way in His everlasting love. I don't know much, but I have felt my Saviors love and can't deny that.

-Sister Carter

July 27, 2015 Charity

Promise me you all will read this. . . promise me.

The Church is true!

July 27, 2015 Transfer

So I got transferred to........... SAN JOSE!!! I'm OFFICIALLY in San Jose!! San Jose Evergreen Zone....

I am covering the San Jose YSA!!! Woohoo for another YSA (Young Single Adult) branch for me!!! It's a cute little branch and I love it.

It's so incredibly different from Stanford here but I love being in this city.

We live right next to San Jose State University. Google it. You can see my apartment.

____________________________________

(Left to Right) Here is Sister Nelson. She and her husband are Institute Directors...or something.

Sister HILL!!! MY NEW COMPANION. She's from Utah!! My first one from there! haha

Yesi!! She got baptized on Saturday and I got to be there! And we took her to the temple!!! Man what a fun first 2 days for me!!

I LOVE HER so so so so so much. What a miracle and blessing she has been in my life already.

She was found 3 weeks ago and passed off to us because she is YSA age.

Here is all of us missionaries at Yesi's baptism! Elder Masima (dressed in white) baptized her. I served with him in Menlo Park/Palo Alto!

AND GUESS WHAT!!! The same day Yesi got baptized MY investigators in PALO ALTO got baptized the same exact day!!! I got to be there too!!

We drove to Palo Alto after Yesi's baptism with President and Sister Mella.

SO so fun seeing Sister Triana and being there with Lilly Ji and her sweet daughter for their special day.

That's Bishop Peery (far left) the Bishop in the PA 1 ward.

It was wonderful seeing everyone in Palo Alto, even though it was only 3 days. I missed them.

Life s good here in San Jose.

I'm loving my time in YSA's.

What a blessing to be a missionary.

I've already got some interesting stories from living in this crazy city.....

I love you ALL,

Sister Carter

July 27, 2015

Hi there!!!

I bet you are all wondering where I got transferred to eh?

Well first here is a picture of me saying bye to Sister Triana at Transfer Meeting on Tuesday. It was so hard.

And remember Sister Uelese?! My old companion from when I served in the Samoan Branch? I saw her too at Transfer meeting too and it was wonderful.

July 20, 2015 Lots of pictures

Sometimes I REALLY wish I was Poly!
I will miss this family SO much.
They are going through the temple together for the first time on Saturday!!!

Thalia and her mom Sister Tasca!!
Aren't they cute!!!!

I love you all!!!!!

Welp, see ya Palo Alto. IT'S BEEN SO STINKING FUN!!!!

I'm getting transfered on Tuesday, booo hoooo. This place is AMAZING, and I will miss it dearly, but I'm am grateful for the opportunity to find teach and baptize elsewhere.