Toys for Tots

Training!

So we got transfer calls last Saturday and I'm staying in the same ward, but I'm moving up to the area in the north half of it (taking over the sister's area). Apparently there are 10 sisters leaving the mission and only one coming in this transfer so a lot of sister areas are being taken over by elders. I also got the crazy news that I'm training! His name is Elder Evans, but that's all I know about him. I don't feel 100% ready for this, but if the Lord calls me to do something, He'll make sure I can do it.

This week has been pretty productive. We met with our investigator T, who we haven't seen for about a week. We had an awesome lesson with her and she was super excited to come to church, but she didn't come. We think it was her boyfriend, who's a less active member, that's holding her back. Really the hardest part of missionary work is getting people to do the stuff we invite them to do. In church this week we talked about idleness and how we need to watch out to fill our lives with the best things in life and not waste our precious time in life with things that aren't the best, even if they're good. I think that's really what missionary work is, is helping others realize what's best for them and helping them make that step from doing good or better things to doing the best things. It's hard to just help others understand that.

We've also had some other good lessons with investigators this week, but they haven't really been progressing like T. One guy we meet with is reading the book of mormon, though, and is loving it! He's a Spanish tutor at Tech, so us and the Spanish elders are meeting with him. He's already read the first six chapters at least 3 or 4 times (he rereads it all each time he reads because he has a hard time remembering what he's read). The only problems with him is he isn't willing to come to church and he isn't sure if God even exists. As he reads, though, he'll come to know God is there and Jesus Christ is our Savior. The bom is a powerful book. 

Also, yes I did hear about the guy who crashed into the temple. Mostly from non-members. We don't know too much, but he might have been raised in the church and they say when he hit it he was going 94 mph and died before they even got him out of the car. The damage to the temple wall is minimal. There's apparently only a crack or two. I love you all and remember not to drive your car into any temples. The temple will always win.

-Elder Carlson

Community Nativity Exhibit

Not a ton happened this week. We got to help out with this nativity exhibit the stake has been putting on. I'm not sure if I told you about it. for about 5 years now this stake has put on a "community nativity exhibit" where members donate nativities for the weekend that are set up and people can walk around and look at. There are also a ton of musical groups and stuff that are performing as you walk around, too. It's really neat because the entire community of Lubbock contributes. There are choirs from other churches and schools and they have a concert type thing there every night. Yesterday, instead of the concert, they showed the Christmas Devotional and we got to see that. All the missionaries took different shifts and so Geverts and I got to help Thursday and Friday. Thursday we hosted (pretty much just walked around and answered questions for people) and Friday we pretty much were put as guards for the temple, haha. The nativity was in the stake center and the temple is right behind it and so I guess they had a problem with people thinking it was in the temple. so that wasn't as fun because we didn't get to see the cool nativities, but it was nice just to be able to relax next to the temple.

One cool thing that happened this week was on Saturday. We were pretty bummed because all our appointments for that day cancelled and we just found out that some of our pretty solid (we thought) investigators were now going to a baptist church. We went back to our apartment to grab something and when we were leaving (to go contacting or something) we saw this guy in our apartment courtyard-type-place looking pretty depressed. We sat down and started talking with him and found out that he had just been in a fight with his wife and had been struggling with some addictions for a while. We talked to him for a while and toward the end of our conversation he was able to talk to his wife and get back on less-bad terms with her and we gave him a BoM and he wanted us to come over and talk with him more another day. It's really neat how the Lord will always put us in the right place if we're just trying to do our best. He'll make sure what needs to happen will happen. As long as we're doing good of our own free will, God will put good opportunities in our path.

Love,

- Elder Carlson

Small miracles

It's been a pretty good week. We've been trying some different approaches lately and they've worked out pretty well. For a while we've been going around to visit less actives and trying to help the ward figure out who's moved and who still lives in this ward. While doing this this week we came in contact with this one family who moved here about three months ago and haven't gotten in contact with any missionaries or members here. It was really neat because about a week before we met them one of the missionaries who baptized them saw them and was wondering if they had seen any missionaries around. Then we showed up, haha. It's amazing the small miracles we're able to be a part of.

Thanksgiving morning - helping put together Christmas boxes for the Salvation Army

Thanksgiving was really good. We went to a member's house and ate with them and two other member families. They all have a bunch of little kids that were running around everywhere so it was almost like being home for Thanksgiving, haha. We also made some little flier type things I drew up wishing people a "Happy Turkey Day" and went around handing those out to investigators, potentials, etc. We even went to a nursing home and handed some out there. 

Friday we started "the initiative" by handing out those 'He is the Gift' cards when we morning find people. People are a lot more open when we start talking to them about Christmas rather than about prophets or something. It's also been a nice change when we just invite people out to the big nativity event we're having here. It's apparently a really big thing they've been doing in this stake for a couple years now and we get to help out with it a couple times. It'll be pretty fun. 

It's been really nice to be able to just focus on Jesus Christ this season and to help others do that, too. So many people focus on the negative things happening in the world but don't do anything to change those things, even in their own lives. Change is hard and that's why I think so many people are so afraid to talk to us; because we invite people to change. Don't be afraid to change. Even if you're comfortable where you are, you can always be so much happier. One man we're teaching told us, "Why would you do all that work to get to the Celestial Kingdom when the other two are so nice?" We need to shoot for the top and strive to reach our FULL potential. Never settle for less. Even though it may be hard, you'll never regret it.

-Elder Carlson

From Mescalero to Lubbock.

Brian was sad to be leaving Mescalero so soon, but looks like he's being well cared for in Lubbock.  This pic was at a member's home right after he got there.

So sad news this week... I'm not in Mescalero anymore. We got a call from Pres. Heap Friday morning and he gave us the news that I was leaving the next day after G's baptism. So Saturday right after the baptism I left with Pres and Sis Heap to Lubbock. It was pretty convenient that they were coming up for G's baptism in the first place and it was awesome because Pres Heap got to baptize G! I am so glad I got to serve in Mescalero and especially meet G. That branch really needs solid priesthood leaders and I know G is just what it needs to grow and eventually become a ward.

So the reason I got moved is quite the story and the Lord definitely had a hand in it. A while ago (I'm not sure exactly when), our land-lady in Mescalero called the mission office and complained that there were three of us in the apartment. They tried everything to get her to allow it, but she wouldn't allow it for some reason. Then that night, the Brethren emailed Pres Heap and let him know they were sending Elder Stuart, who was waiting for his visa, to Taiwan this Tuesday. This is weird because they usually wait until transfers, but they felt impressed to send him now.

Oh, yeah, and my new companion is Elder Geverts. He's from California (I'm pretty sure) and is a convert to the church. He's also the only member in his family currently. He's pretty sweet and is the district leader. I'm excited to serve with him. Also, we got snow yesterday!!! Which was awesome, but unfortunately I left my beanie in Mescalero, haha.

I am really sad that I had to leave Mescalero. It was by far my favorite area so far. I trust the Lord knows what He's doing even though I would never choose Lubbock over Mescalero in a million years. I just hope He'll let me know why He needs me here more than there pretty soon. No matter what you should do what the Lord calls you to do. It may seem hard and like you'd be happier if you didn't follow what He commands, but it'll all work out in the end.

love,

- Elder Carlson

Loving Mescalero already!!

I was just going to start out by trying to say how much I love Mescalero already, but I don't think I can find words, haha. It is gorgeous out here, especially after being in dry, barren West Texas. It's kind of chilly up here already so I'm getting some more sweaters today when we go shopping. I hope we get snow soon. Getting out here kind of sucked because it's clear on the edge of the mission, but it was worth the long day of driving. Our apartment is really small and I had to sleep on the floor the first night because we were waiting to get a bunk-bed so we can all fit, haha. It feels kind of like we're camping because we're up in the mountains and living in a little cabin.


It's been such a drastic change from Midland. We have so many people we're teaching, it's crazy! There's about 160 people in the branch here, but only 15-30 people come each week. So we have a lot of less active work to do. Missionary work here is pretty different than what I've experienced before so far. We can't knock or ride bikes (I had to just leave my bike in Roswell with the zone leaders) and people are a lot more open to the BoM because it's about their ancestors. It's strange having a car, too and we can't live on the reservation so we have to drive a ways to get onto it.

We have one investigator who's super solid and he's getting baptized this Saturday!! He was an ordained minister of a Judo-Christian church and so he knows a lot about religion and it's so cool to see things just click when we explain it to him. We're still working with his wife and had one of the most amazing lessons I've had on my mission so far with her last night. It was great because we were scared for a while that if he got baptized he'd get kicked out and then he'd have to leave the res because he's not Apache. But now she sees that she needs to be baptized too!

My companions are great. Elder Murray is from Murray, Utah (awesome, huh? haha) and Elder Darby is from California. They are both great missionaries. Darby is the DL and is super in tune with the spirit and is great at finding new investigators. Murray is still in training, but is already a great teacher.

Elders Darby, Carlson and Murray

 I'm so happy I get to be here serving the Lord and bringing His gospel to the Lamanites. I hope y'all are doing great too and are happy and serving others. I love and miss you.

 
- Elder Carlson

Transferred to Mescalero!

So I have a lot to tell you this week. First of all, we finally got a new investigator! She was actually an investigator in the past, but she's insanely busy and the missionaries lost contact with her. She's really cool and has investigated a ton of churches in the past and has developed a lot of similar beliefs as us from that.

Unfortunately, we got transfer calls this weekend and we're getting white-washed out of this area. I'm really excited, but I hope the new elders don't lose track of her. I'm sure they'll do great, though. I'm going to Mescalero, New Mexico. It's an Indian reservation and I'll be in a trio with elders Darby and Murray(who's being trained). Apparently they've been having a lot of success, so I'm really excited to go there, but I'm kind of sad to be leaving. I feel like I just got to know this area and the people here.

We had a "mission trip" this last Thursday where Elder Pino of the Quorum of the Seventy came and talked to us. It was really neat. He talked a lot about working with members because that's really the best way to do missionary work. Street contacting and tracting are not very effective. Elder and sister Pino were awesome, but they don't speak very good English, so they had to have some missionaries translate for them, which wasn't too great sometimes, haha. It was still really great.

Also, I had a great time at the temple Saturday! It was so great to feel that spirit in the temple again. There were a lot of missionaries there. I guess everyone was just trying to cram in a temple trip before the transfer's over. We were in the same session as some other missionaries here in Midland and even ran into some sisters that were in my last district. I also ran into the ward mission leader in Seminole (he works in the temple) and a ton of exciting things are happening in Seminole. The kids in that part-member family are getting baptized soon and a couple inactive families we were trying to work with when I was there are finally active!!

I think that's about it, but it's been a pretty eventful week. I'll end by saying I love the temple! I know it is the house of the Lord and we are so lucky to be able to have a temple in our mission. I think we take temples for granted a lot of time in Utah because there's so many so close. I hope you all go as much as you can and partake of those tremendous blessings that come from the temple! I can't express my gratitude for temples enough! I love y'all and hope all is well.

- Elder Carlson