Miracles

Holy wow. Much happened this week. I'll try my best to get it all in.

FIRST. We had a meeting in Tegus on Tuesday with President and the APs. That was great. They told us a little bit about how we should be teaching and also talked about a few new rules. It was all really small changes. President really stressed that we are representatives of Jesus Christ, and as that, we should look like it. He really just shaved all of us for not ironing every day and not shining our shoes. He especially made that out to us in the south. It's so dusty here, most of us don't even bother shining our shoes or really doing much for our appearance. 

After that, we stayed in Tegus for the night. We did divisions with the APs. I went with Elder Padilla and we worked in my first area. It was super cool to see a few members of my first ward and to actually be able to talk to them. haha I got to see my first ward mission leader who was super surprised to see how fat I've gotten and how well I speak. It was a great time working with Elder Padilla too. He's a super chill guy that really knows how to find people's problems in a loving way. We'll be going on divisions again with them sometime in March I think. 

On Thursday we had our District Meeting and Elder Geronimo, Forsyth, Rincon, Lozano, and I were able to teach little classes. They were about what president had told us in the meeting. I really think that we helped a lot. We talked a lot on how we can make the District Meeting more of a spiritual experience. I pretty much just gave my class on our purpose as missionaries and why we came out here in the first place. I honestly love teaching. It gets me pretty pumped to go out and work after. 

We also started divisions with Elder Lozano and Elder Salinas. That was super fun. I went out on Thursday with Elder Salinas. He's from Nicaragua and he's super super smart. He's a little too smart for these people. Well, he's a little too smart for me. Haha we were teaching and he used words that I didn't even hear in the capital. Elder Geronimo and I were trying to get him to understand that teaching should be really simple. He's struggling a little bit right now because not a lot of people understand what he's trying to say. But that's alright. When he gets called to the city, he is just going to echar fuego. On Friday I did divisions with Elder Lozano. This guy's just a riot. It was a lot of fun working with him. He really knows how to teach to understand the message. I love the way he teaches because he doesn't just teach the lesson in order. He helps them understand. Anyway, on Friday, Elder Lozano did the interviews of our two investigators and they passed. 

We had the baptisms set up for Saturday at 3. On Friday night we got Nathaly's mom's signature because she's only 15 and we were supposed to get Yoselin's, but her mom wasn't there. We made an appointment for 12 pm at Yoselin's house to get the signature...we show up and she wasn't there. She had just gone to the house of a member. So we ran to the member's house on the other side of the area. She wasn't there either!! Her job is selling clothes door to door, so the member told us that she had left ot go sell about 15 minutes before. We ran in the direction that she went but could not find her. We were looking and looking an nothing. By then, it was 2 pm and the baptism was in an hour. We had heard that the mom of Yoselin had given permission for her friend to sign the baptism record because the mom can't write, so we called president to ask him if that was fine and he told us straight up no. So, we were super bummed. Then, we received a call from president and all he said was "Pray for guidance Elders." and hung up. So we walked over to a corner and prayed. All of a sudden we felt the impression to walk to the other side of our area. As we were walking way out there, we found Yoselin eating at this small baleada stand. We asked her if her mom had a phone and she said yes. He called her mom, found out where she was, ran to go find her, and got the signature. An hour and a half later, Yoselin, Nathaly, Elder Geronimo and I were posing in white for a picture. I honestly consider this a miracle. I know that miracles happen today. I know that this is the true church, and I know that baptism is a commandment. I love this gospel so much.

I love you all for all the support you send my way. Thank you all.

Love, Elder Carter

Good night it's hot here.

Well, I've been here in Cholu for 6 days now and I have sweat so much. So the house is pretty big, but pretty 

dirty. I've been trying my best to clean it. So far we've only found one scorpion, which isn't too bad. We have 

AC, but we only can use it for about 30 minutes to chill the room out. The bathroom doesn't have a door, or 

lights. We hang up a sheet and do all out bathroom stuff in pitch black. I just hope that there won't be any

scorpions hanging out in there any time soon.

The area is great. It's really big. It's pretty poor down here though. The members always give us food, but 

usually it's just a plate with 5 tortillas and a hand full of beans. That's alright though, ]I need to lose some weight! 

We have a ton of investigators. We usually don't have time to contact because we're rushing to citas. 

This saturday we have 3 baptisms planned. One kid that 9 years old and two jovenes that are 14 and 15. They're

the best. I love going over to the 9 year old's house. That family is insane and they love the missionaries so 

much. They were inactive up until about 5 weeks ago when Elder Geronimo and his last companion started 

visiting them. Now they go to church every week and are all dressed up and everything.

The bishop is pretty...I don't really know how to describe him. He really wants to work with us, but never shows 

any emotion. When I met him, he just asked me how long I've been here and then said "Good. I don't want to 

work with new missionaries." Then started talking about some references he had for us. 

But hey! That's alright. Straight to the work. I'm in a ward right now. This sunday 130 people came. 

They say it gets up to 180 sometimes. The bishop wants to do everything, so he speaks every sunday and 

teaches both classes. He's a new bishop and I'm sure he's going to get burned out soon.

Today for PDay, we went to this place called La Peña in San Marcos de Colon. It was super nice because 

it was pretty cold. It's the top of this mountain. The only problem is that it was super windy. We tried to play 

football (Futbol americano) but it didn't go down too well. Every throw got taken by the wind. We've got some 

really great missionaries in the zone. There are 28 of us here. When I came on the mission, this zone was two. 

They took out the Zona Monjaras and put it together with Zona Porvenir, which is great honestly. 

The Monjaras missionaries are really cool.

Well, Thank you all for the letters and love you send. I'll check in next week with better news!!!

Love, Elder Carter

Porvenir

Hey Friends and Family!!!

How are you all doing? I really hope you're doing great. Wow. What a week we've had. So much has happened.

Well, for starters, I'm officially a resident of Honduras. I went on Tuesday to Migracion. That was interesting. I was getting interviews by this lady and she asked me my eye color and before I said anything, she said, "verde!" I just stared at her because no one has ever told me I had green eyes. I guess she thought I didn't understand because then she yelled, "Green!" I kind of laughed and just sai, "I think they're more blue." She looked again and said, "Oh, yes. it's because they change." So, that was a pretty funny experience. After that we got to go to Denny's! It was so nice to be able to eat a good ole American dish. 

So remember the Familia Tilguant? We found them a while ago and taught the parents and their three daughters? Anyway. We had talked to them 2 weeks ago and they told us they were just too busy to meet with us again. I was pretty bummed because the mom at first had recognized us as an answer to her prayers, but then sent us away. Anyway, on Saturday, my companion had a feeling that we should pass by their house, so we did. We just went in and chatted for a few minutes and invited them to church. They promised that they would get up and go! So the next day we were waiting at the church early and they showed up!!! Only the dad didn't make it. We showed them into the chapel and sat them up on the first row. Before they could sit down, the bishop got down from the stand and introduced himself to them, then called a couple members over to sit with them. After that, they were not alone for one second. I love this ward. After church, we talked to them and the 3 little girls told us that they had loved the classes and had made new friends. They also said that they were super excited to return next week!! We're going by their house tomorrow to talk to them about baptism and how they feel now that they've attended church.

Well, we have changes on Wednesday and they're sending me to the south. I am so excited. I've been wanting to go back to the south for a while. I'm going to Choluteca in the Zona Porvenir. My companion will be Elder Geronimo. The funny part though is that my companion, Elder Madero is staying here and Elder Marin will be his new companion. Does that name sound familiar? It should, because he was my trainer. I am really excited for Wednesday! I'll keep you guys updated with everything.

Love, Elder Carter

This week has been a really special one.

What a week!!

Hey everyone. I hope you guys are all doing great. This week has been a really special one.

On Tuesday we had a world wide broadcast from Salt Lake City. Elder Oaks, Nelson, Clayton, Bednar, and Anderson talked. It was really amazing. I especially loved the words from Elder Anderson. He talked a lot about Repentance. He told us to focus more on teaching about repentance. That's been something that I haven't really taught in depth. They also gave us a new theme. "Enseñar arrepentimiento y bautizar conversos" (Teach repentance and baptize converts.) He talked a little about the short times in the day where we should be continually asking for forgiveness because we all fall short. It will help us missionaries even more if we can apply that in out every day lives. It helped us a lot this week alone.

We also had Zone Conference on Friday. That was amazing. There were a few Elders and Hermanas that broke down the broadcast and taught a little more about the principles that we need to learn as missionaries to help our investigators progress to baptism. We also had a few changes in the mission. The biggest change is the changes meeting. We used to all meet in the stake center for a meeting to know where we are getting changed to, but Salt Lake City did away with that. Now we get a call that tells us who our new companion is and where we are going, meet in the parking lot in the same stake center, and leave to our new areas without wasting so much time. It's supposed to take about 30 minutes to finish, but we'll see what happens.

On Saturday we were able to go with a few members of the ward to the temple with our investigators. We had a family go. Famillia Bentacourt. They're new this week and are amazing. We had a bus ready to take us all there, but the father of the family insisted on taking his own car to the temple instead. A bunch of red flags were going off in my head, but I finally decided to tell him that it was okay. I had a feeling that he was going to blow us off and not show up, but he did!! And he took his wife and three kids. Once we all got there, we walked around the temple for about 5 minutes. Oh and by the way...It was FREEZING!!! IT was so cold there. We finally were allowed to enter the temple and go off into a waiting room to feel the spirit inside the temple. Our Ward Mission Leader, Freddy, invited us all to offer small prayers inside our hearts. Everyone bowed their heads and offered the small prayers. After about 10 minutes, we went back outside. Once we were outside, I heard Hermano Bentacourt talking to Freddy and was telling him about the spirit that he was feeling inside the temple. He then started asking a bunch of good questions. We then rounded everyone back up and had a small devotional. I was able to teach that. The theme was Families can be together forever. (Side note) Who doesn't want to think that families can be together forever. That's the most beautiful thought that I can have. The reality is is that's it's true. Each and every one of us has the opportunity to live with our families forever and ever. (Okay back to the letter) I read the lines of the hymn Families Can Be Together Forever and then bore my testimony of temples. The spirit was so strong. 

We left there and went to get some hot chocolate and donuts. The next day, Sunday....the dad had to work, so nobody showed up to church. BUT they had gone to the temple with us without having received a lesson yet. We just showed up to their house and invited them. I am really excited about the progress that this family is going to make. Thank you all for the love and support. I love you all so much.

Love, Elder Carter

Wow. What a week!

We've been able to do so much with our area!!

So on Tuesday, we went to visit the Family Tilguant. The mom is a member but the and and three daughters aren't. We've only been able to find this family one time and that was before the holidays. We finally found them and made a cita for Tuesday. Well, this all starts about 3 weeks ago. We were going door to door knocking when we knocked on their door. We knocked and the mom, Saiyra answered. She asked who sent us and we said no one. Just that we were getting to know the area and the people. Anyway. She told us that she was a member and that a few days before she had made the decision to return to church! She told her husband and he said it was okay. She then told us that she has 3 daughters that are of age for baptism!! So anyways. The daughters are sweethearts. On Tuesday we showed up and taught the dad for the first time about the Book of Mormon. He said he was really interested in reading it. Then we challenged him and the 3 daughters to baptism and they all said yes! We invited them to church and they said they would go. Well, they ended up sleeping in, but today we have a noche de hogar with  them in the house of another member! THey're super excited to go and get to know a little bit more. It's going to be so great.

We really haven't been able to find any new people this week. We have a few that are like half interested, but nothing to write about. We haven't even been able to find any of our other investigators. It's been a really rough week.

OH! I almost forgot. about 2 weeks ago, we got permiso to go to a part of our area called Las Brisas. This place has been a grey area between us and Comayaguela mision. We just decided to get permiso and go there because it is a huge place. We show up there two days ago and start getting to know a few people. We found out that there are 2 people that aren't baptized, but go to church every sunday! We also found out that there are a bunch of members that live there. Enough that the Stake wants to make it it's own rama. So, we have a ton of work to do there!!

Other news, we were chosen to give talks next week in sunday. They're only going to be 10 minutes long, but I am so glad they gave us a whole week's notice to prepare. That was a relief. Besides all that, it's been a pretty low key week.

I love you all so much. Thank you for all that you do for this gospel!!

Love, Elder Carter

Feliz Año Nuevo

Hey everyone!!! Feliz Año. Wow. 2016. We made it. I can't believe that my blackout year in the mission is already over. What a year. 

So, quick news. The baptism did not go through. In fact, we haven't even been able to find Eddie. in over a week. It's been pretty hard, but his brother keeps us a little updated on what he's doing. He started working, so he's been super busy. We still pass by his house every day, but nothing. I'll definitely keep you guys updated with him. 

I don't remember if I've mentioned anything about Nancy. Anyway, Nancy is a joven of 22 years. I was on divisions with a member called Noel. He's an rm. We contacted her house and she let us in super fast. She's super prepared, we are just waiting for her to receive an answer. She's super excited to visit the church. She has so many questions about the church because she's heard so may (bad) things about us! So we've been able to clear her doubts. It's pretty crazy how many things people make up about Mormons. It's kind of ridiculous...Anyway. We also have a trip to visit the temple. Nancy is going to go and also we have about 7 other investigators that are in.

This week has been absolutely crazy. It's been super difficult to even find people. I'd imagine that it's the same all over the world. Everyone is on vacation and even when they're home, they're more closed off that normal. But we just keep trying. We still have a few baptisms planned for the end of this month. That family with the three daughters finally got back home. We went to visit them and now we have a cita for tomorrow. I am super excited for this family. They are going to help this ward out so much!! And obviously this church is going to help their family so much. 

I really hope that you all are doing great. This time of year is so amazing. We have the special opportunity to set goals and think more about our future and what steps we are taking to make our lives better! I invite everyone to make a few goals. That is something that I've learned to do in the mission. Write goals!! Without goals, we honestly don't have a view of our future and where we want to get to. I love you all.

Love, Elder Carter

Happy New Year!

Dec 31 at 1:12 PM

Wow, it was great talking to the family this Christmas.  I can´t believe my last Christmas in Honduras has passed already. It was such a good time. I got to go to a member's house on Christmas day ans skype with the family. That was an adventure. The house was packed!! I'm sure some pictures on their end will make it on the blog. This letter is goingto be really short because we don't have to much time to write today. We have regular pday on monday though, so everyone can wait for a better letter then!!

We still have the green light for our baptism this Saturday. We just have to get the interview done tomorrow morning. I'm really excited for Eddie and the steps he's taking in his life.

Thank you all for the Christmas wishes. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and can have an amazing New Year's! I love you all.

Love, Elder Carter