Get Family Pictures Every year Dumb Old Dad

Facebook Missionary

Yes yes i know... you all think i'm being disobedient by going on Facebook... but i'm not. We got our smartphones on Wednesday!!! It's been super weird because we had to get on Facebook and go through all our posts and pictures to make sure it's all missionary appropriate. Its weird seeing all the people that i haven't seen for 2 years... a lot has changed!

Along with facebook, we have a new planner app that we have had to do a lot of logistical work with. we have had to go through our paper area books and planners and add all the information about investigators, potentials, and formers that we can. It's a lot of work, but i think we are getting  close to finishing. The new app makes everything so easy and accessible. It wouuld have been sweet to have for the last 23 months... but hey better late than never!

I also had my departing interview on Wednesday. It was awesome. President helped me see how much i have grown over the short time that i have been here. He also helped me see what i should continue to do to grow when i get home. He helped me set some goals and look at my plans to see what i can change. He also really wants me to get married soon... he and my mom should start an elder carter marriage support group or something.

I still haven't decided if i'm going to even email next week. We will see. I probs will. but who knows!

I love everything!

Elder Carter

The Smart Phones Awaken

This will be the last email that you ever see from me... From a desktop computer. Next week will be Smart phone MANIA. Wowzers

I have no idea what is going to happen. Literally everything we have learned so far is going to be changed. Elder Bendar said so. I'm going to have to start learning how to Facebook and stuff. what a weird turn of events. The mission i started with is completely different now.

We are also doing interviews and zone training on Wednesday. So they will be teaching us how to use smartphones and stuff.

This week has been pretty rough honestly. I got sick Thursday night, so i was out basically all Friday and Saturday. So that was interesting. I'm about 85% better now though!

We did meet this guy named Sun on Tuesday. He is a sweet Vietnamese guy that i guess has met with missionaries for a long time in the past. He was pretty upset because missionaries in the past stopped coming without telling him why. But i guess he has been reading the Book of Mormon every day and wants to be baptized. He has some addiction issues that we will be working on but other than that, he is awesome.

Love you!

Elder Carter

Merry New Year!!!

Wow. Another Year gone by just like that.

Life is so good. This week has been such a party. Christmas was a good time. Then we had p-day on tuesday.

Wednesday we went on exchanges. We had a good time. Walked around... taught some people. And we ate at this place called 1000 degree pizza. Its like subway but pizza, and they cook it at 1000 degrees. 

On saturday I was able to go and see the endowment and sealing of one of the families that I taught in a previous area. It was so amazing. That in an experience that i will never forget. Everything we do as missionaries is about helping families be sealed together, and that was the Living Example of what I have been serving for. I am so grateful that I was able to see that.

Yesterday it was so cold that they canceled church. It was -20. With wind it was probably -35ish. So we were not allowed to go outside for very long. We went to a members house in our ward and had a new years celebration. We played some games, and ate some food. It was a good time.

Today it is -15 outside. With the wind its probably -25 ish. #globalwarming. 

I hope my parents are ready for some real cold. Because yeah.

I love everyone ever

ELder Carter

Sioux-icide (suicide) City Squad

Holy Moley what a crazy week its been. Sioux City is like the complete opposite of my last area. Its been a blast so far.

So here in our zone, we have 6 out of 16 missionaries that are going home this transfer. Its like all of my mission buddies that are here in the zone. That's why we are the Sioux-icide City squad... because we are all dying.

My mom will be proud because i remembered my camera!

Idk if its a sioux city thing or what but it seems like tons of people have like mannequins and statues and stuff like that. i took a picture of one of the more extreme examples.

Sioux City is the dream though, day one we knocked on this door and a guy opened and was like hey i'm actually a member, I was baptized when i was younger and then my branch got closed... i have two kids that aren't members and I want you to teach them. So we taught them and then they came to church.

Today we are working on a skit that we are doing for zone conference on thursday. we are lip syncing and dancing to the song "mary did you know" by pentatonix. It should be super fun, and ill get to use my jive choreography skillz that i don't really have.

And Elder Horne and I are going to sing a duet for zone conf too.

So our mission president announced that our mission will be getting smart phones. 23 months and we finally made it. I will get to use it for like 2 weeks. 

I made a new friend at the mini golf course.

It's the final countdown

Another week is gone. Now I am in my final transfer. Its crazy how fast things have gone.

So this week is tranfers. And I Am getting transferred again! I'm going to Sioux City Iowa! I'm super duper excited. I know the missionary that will be my companion and we will have a Great time. At the beginning of my mission, my dream was to serve in Sioux city. And I didn't think I would get the chance... but I made It! The promised land.

I'm sad I'm leaving Omaha, I've been here for a good 10 months now... but i'm excited to experience something new. It's still a large city, so i'm sure there will be plenty of things to do. It will be quite opposite of my area now though... we have only rich people and big houses here. Sioux City is not even close to that.

I have started this thing called My Plan... Which is like the MTC for returning home. It's super weird because it just talks about things that I haven't thought about in years haha. Next week it will talk about dating and temple marriage. Interesting topics.

I honestly have no idea what to write anymore. It seems like I do the same thing every week, and its really not that interesting. The next couple weeks will be good because we have a lot going on, but as for now that's pretty much all I got.

Love you all!
Elder Carter

December Already?!

Hi :)

I hope you are as confused as i am about how its already December. I feel like it was just January at the start of the year.

As you (hopefully) know, The church is doing the Light the World Campaign again this year. Service!!! 25 ways in 25 days. Its a good time. Definitely find was to serve those around you!

We went to the Gingerbread Festival this last wednesday! Man i did not know that people could build such constructions out of gingerbread. Someone legit build the pyramids out of gingerbread and chocolate bars. There is a good 100 different houses down there as well. People are much better artists than i am.

The temple trip last week was incredible as well. I have noticeably felt a difference in my own spiritual power just from that one trip. 

It was super packed though. There was a good 40 missionaries in the session.

Last week we had another MLC meeting. It was so good. President Gardner talked with us about Real Intent. I think that so often its super easy to get into a rut/ go through the motions, when it comes to the gospel. Having Real Intent can solve all of the problems, and it really is not a hard thing. It is consciously making the choice to do something and to mean it. But it makes all the difference. 

This week is actually our like one normal week for the rest of my mission.... Next transfer is going to be crazy. Christmas Zone Conference, Christmas, new years, just so much stuff going on. It'll be fun i'm sure.

Love you all!

Elder Carter