Week 2 in the MTC

This week has been fantastic! I never knew how fast I could learn, but I know so much more and feel so much more prepared for actually getting to Texas. It's crazy to think I'm leaving Monday! We have to be at the travel office at 4:30am but we're not flying out until 8:45. Then we wait at the airport in Dallas for an hour I think until we fly from there to Lubbock. I'm getting used to being sleep deprived now, which will help, haha. We got up at 5:00 this morining to go to the temple this morning. It was awesome, as the temple always is, but we had to skip breakfast. It was definitely worth it though.

We had a devotional Tuesday and Elder Ballard talked to us! It was fantastic, of course, haha. He talked about standing up for what you believe in nomatter what and that if you kep focusing on the prophet and apostles, you won't be led astray. It is so weird being the "old" missionaries in our zone, but i know i have progressed so much in this last week alone. One of the new missionaries in our zone is Laurae (sorry if I spelled that wrong) Summers's grandson, Elder Kniffen. It was awesome because we recognized each other and he also knows Elder Arave in my district because they went to the same high school. The rest of the time I'm here will be kind of crazy because the new mission presidents are being trained here and all of the first presidency and apostles will be here all at the same time so they're shutting down the main building where we eat and stuff. We're also going to miss meeting our new mission pres. here because we would do that Monday night and we're leaving that morning.

I hope all is going well at home. Let me know how girls camp went and if anything exciting happens! Also let my friends know I would love a letter or email from them! I get all the mail for my district as DL, but I don't get any mail! haha! Always remember, "The Lord doesn't move the mountains in front of us, but He'll always help us climb them" (Sister Sheri Dew from Sundays devotional). As followers of Christ we don't get a fast-pass past our trials but no matter what trials we do have, He will always help us overcome them if we trust in Him and always do our best to become more like Him.

Love you all  - Elder Carlson

(Hopefully I'll be able to send pictures because Sister Evans took lots of pictures for me on our walk around the temple grounds Sunday, haha)