28 September 2015

WOW. This has probably been one of the most exciting times in my mission. I keep saying it can't get any better than this, and man, does the Lord show me!!

It started with the Bishops Storehouse. The Bishops storehouse distributes food to the needy. There are many in different locations. The one in San Jose just moved locations allowing it to now look like a legit grocery store!! Equipped with pictures of the Savior! I wish all grocery stores had pictures of the Savior :)

We took Ryota there because our last lesson with him before he was baptized on Thursday was about Tithing and Fasting.

Tithing is when we give a tenth of our annual income back to Heavenly Father; because we know all of our wealth, success and ultimately anything good comes from Him, all He asks is for us to help build the kingdom and give back. The money we give in our tithing helps to build temples, send missionaries on missions (thank you), make books of Mormon and muchhhh more. It's a blessing to be able to contribute.

Fasting is when we don't eat for two consecutive meals and we pay a fast offering, which means we give the money we would have used for that meal to a fast offering. That money is then used for welfare. In this case, this Bishops storehouse was build 100 percent on fast offerings! What a blessing. We thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to take Ryota there to help him understanding what he would be helping with as he starts to pay his tithing and fast offerings. 


 

 John Henry (on the far right) a wonderful fellowshipper who even helped with some of my investigators is Palo Alto in the Stanford YSA!!

Then the day came!! Sister Hill and I got to speak about Baptism and the Holy  Ghost....Don't worry, I only cried a little.....

 


 He even asked Elder Leishman to baptize him!!!!!
 

Hooray!!

What a blessing to be apart of Ryota's baptism. He was prepared!

He was set apart and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday! He was also interviewed to receive the Priesthood after church.

The Lord has big things for Ryota.

I am really excited for General Conference and am certainly excited to see who our three new Apostles will be. What an interesting thing to see three Apostles pass away on your mission.

I am grateful to be a member of the true church on the earth and to be lead by leaders who receive revelation from God. I am grateful for the organization and Priesthood authority which makes all of this possible.

This is the Lords work and church and I am grateful to be apart of it!

Love you all!

Sister Carter

September 14, 2015 Baptisms, Feeling the Spirit, Youth

 Here are more pictures from the temple last week with Ryota who is still on track to be baptized on the 24th!!! Yeeee. We also have a date for our Middle Eastern investigator for October 1st! He came to church again yesterday! wooo hoooo.

It's so stinking fun to see and be with people as they feel the spirit of the Lord in their lives more abundantly. Many of them don't understand why they are starting to do things, (going to church, praying etc.) or in many cases why they stop doing things (using bad language, smoking etc.) but they know it makes them feel good. And it's not a temporary satisfaction, but it's something that makes their spirits shout for joy! It's a beautiful thing to see the light of Christ truly manifested out of Gods children.

Yesterday, Sister Hill and I spoke at the Alum Rock ward, our Family Ward, about Missionary Work. It's always a blessing to speak to wards and congregations. 

We also were asked to be the speakers at the Bishops Youth Fireside, again, talking about missionary work, and helping the youth become comfortable sharing the gospel.
Majority of the youth in this stake are less active. It's sad to see so little youth in he wards here but Sister Hill and I are determined to see that change. 

I am a true advocate of helping the youth and want them all to be with us on Sundays! As well as for mutual actives and other inspired actives the leaders put on. I have a serious testimony of the youth programs in the church. I also have a serious testimony of inspired leaders and members who truly do lift, encourage bless and strengthen the youth. I was helps tremendously throughout my time in the Arlington Ward and I am TRULY grateful for all who supported and loved me.

We are also doing our best to work with part member families in the Alum Rock Ward. There are 90 part member families. That’s a lot......

Last night we got to watch the CES fireside with Ryota! It was a blast to have many of the branch members with us, all crowded around the TV. It's so fun to see Ryota with us. He is truly going to be a beacon at BYU!

I love you all!
Sister Carter

7 September 2015

 
 
Today is P day! But we were blessed with an opportunity to go to the temple this morning with none other thannnnn our new investigator Ryota who is going to be baptized on the 24th of this month!!!! 

Remember that guy that walked into the institute to get an endorsement for BYU? Well this is him, and he. is.WONDERFUL. God is preparing His children to hear the truth and we are blessed to help this one. Ryota is precious and he is destined to do great things. He practically teaches US  the lessons! It's so interesting to see how much the Lord prepares us, so long as we listen. 

We watched the Restoration movie at the visitors center and walked around the beautiful grounds. 

What a wonderful way to spend Labor day! 

Ryota heard about BYU and the engineering program so he decided to do some research on the university. He is from Japan and was raised with a Buddhist background but his family is "flexible" (in his own words). He has 3 sisters and parents all in Japan and he is just a solid investigator who now understands his purpose here on this earth more now because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

What a miracle! In his own words, after we asked him why it's important to repent, he said it's the way we show our gratitude to our Savior Jesus Christ! He also said he KNOWS Jesus Christ set the perfect example and that Heavenly Father must love us, because he sent the perfect model, his son, to help us. He has felt the Holy Ghost and is grateful to receive the gift so that he can be with him forever! 

I am SO excited to see where Ryota ends up in these next couple of years. He is already and will continue to do great things! Especially with the Savior on His side. 

The Church is True!

-Sister Carter

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

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