Una semana BUENISIMO‏2/23/2011

Wow, this week was a
good week, and it was all started off great by seeing Francisca and Anita
baptized last Thursday! It was one of the most special baptisms I've been
privileged to participate in. We had a lot of support from the branch and there
was the Spirit ever-constant - stronger than I've just about ever felt it. So
far, it's been a highlight of my mission to teach these people and see them
progress so incredibly fast in the gospel. They have accepted everything so
readily, and have really been the most humble, child-like people I have ever taught.
It was amazing to see their faces throughout the whole baptism. Francisca was
just beaming, so full of the Spirit and they would keep looking over at us and
just smiling. They said they've never felt so happy in their entire life, and
found something they didn't even know they were searching for! They felt at
home, safe and secure. The baptisms were great, and it was cool that so many
people participated in everything. Elder Lindquist baptized Francisca, I
baptized Anita, and Hermano Vargas (who referrred them to us) was able to
confirm them both, since they were about to leave to California for a couple
weeks. The branch was way excited, and we couldn't have been happier.

We also had an
experience this week letting us know how much Mexicans really don't run on time
- it doesn't really matter to them. So we had a baptismal interview scheduled
for 6 on Friday for the Juarez family and a little after that, they told us
they were on their way. 3 HOURS LATER they came to the church and we
just cruised through them all. I had called a couple times, and they just kept
saying that everything was good and that they were close. What was going on
I'll never know... But one thing that was super cool is that the kids brought
their half-brother who we taught for the first time and he said he wanted to
get baptized too! The only problem is we have to get permission from his dad...
so it was definitely worth the wait, and the family should get baptized
tonight!! We're excited for that for sure. It's interesting how in Spanish work
they almost always want the missionaries to baptize them. Every single time we
tell them who all can do it, and we try to get them to think about the
fellowshipper or the branch president, but I guess they get attached to their
missionaries...

And with Eugenio, the
15-year old kid, he couldn't decide which one of us he wanted to baptize him,
so we actually rock-paper-scissored for it! Can't say I've ever done that
before - I did dominate though, so it looks like I'm going to baptize both of
the kids. We're so excited, because we haven't taught this family for that long
either, and they've also just been so ready and prepared. I feel like in so
many cases, we're saying stuff that they already know inside. Because it sounds
familiar they know that it's right and accept it without question (well not always).

But church this week
was rough, since everyone was in Mexico for the weekend. I didn't know
President's Day was such a big deal! There was hardly anyone at church this
week and we went from having 12 to 1.... So goes life though. We also didn't
have time to do gator round-up so I have a feeling this week will be a lot
better. I think once again, Mexicans like any excuse to party. Speaking of
that, we had a funny Spanish OYM the other day. This guy we were talking to
told us he was Catholic and that he really didn't want to hear what we had to
say. We asked about him, and his faith in Christ and the Bible, and he said he
had more faith in the beer that he was holding than he did in the Bible! I'm glad
to know that so many people are so diligent in their study and faith in the
Bible.

We did have a super
awesome first lesson the other night though! We've been trying to get into this
one house for a long time (the husband was always out or working), and we
finally found them both at home one night. They invited us into their itty
bitty "chiquito" apartament and we had a bomb first lesson.
They were way involved and when we extended the baptismal invitation they were
both nodding vigorously (surprised I remembered that word) and said yes without
the slightest hesitation. We had a kneeling prayer at the end of the lesson and
the wife Juana said one of the most sincere prayers I think I've ever heard. My
favorite part was when she said "Haznos creer en el Libro de Mormon"
- she really wants to know it's true, and to read and follow it. I can't wait
to see how things turn out with them!

Well that's most of
the excitement for the week - all else is going good and we're plugging along.
We're probably going to start doing a lot more tracting and finding new people,
dropping all that aren't progressing and keeping commitments. It's tough, but
it's got to be done. Love you all! Thank you!

~ Elder Carlson

Ocupado como nunca antes...2/16/2011

Wow this week has been an exciting one for sure! The most exciting thing that's going on is that there
are a lot of baptisms scheduled for the next couple weeks! We've been busy
scheduling baptismal interviews, reserving the font, getting baptismal clothes
figured out, and working out all of the logistics. Baptisms are a lot of work,
but they are so much better than Christmas!! It's been a little while since
I've had one, so it definitely made me realize how important they are and enjoy
the whole process that much more! Tomorrow Francisca Martinez and her daughter
Anita are getting baptized and what's super cool is that from the very first
time we met her to the day of her baptism is 2 weeks! I've never seen anyone
more prepared in my entire life. She literally accepted every single thing we
taught her without a problem, and her biggest concern? She's scared of going
all the way under the water. They are the best people ever! I was so lucky to
be part of the teaching process and part of presenting to them the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.

Next Monday, Omar Garibay is going to be baptized and we've been working with him for a while
because he's been struggling to quit smoking. He was doing awesome and had gone
a few days without smoking, but then fell back so he had to start all over
again. It's been awesome seeing him get more involved in the branch and have
friends as he goes to all of the activities. We had a sweet activity on
Saturday where we played volleyball and had carne azada - it was awesome
because investigators came and there was a definite feeling of love and
friendship there. Oh, and I did learn another thing - volleyball is definitely
not a Mexican sport - they are not the most coordinated people in the world and
it was entertaining to see them play. It was a lot of fun for sure though, and
some members brought friends. Lorena Ruiz, who was baptized in October, brought
some friends and I have a way good feeling about them. It's kind of
funny...they work together at Mary Kay, so we're going over today to get free
facials and teach them the first lesson! Can't say I've ever done that before
but hey, it's all for a good reason!

We've also had the opportunity to do some service lately which has been fun and keeping us busy.
Yesterday we painted all over inside a recent convert's house and then climbed
all over somebody else's roof and tarp/shelter thing outside to clean it up and
get rid of some stuff. I also got to destroy an easy chair that was
going to the dump - in the end I totally fit it into a trash can. It was fun
doing all this though, because we were still in our proselyting clothes and we
were pretty filthy by the end of it. There's definitely something cool and
satisfying about being all dirty in our missionary clothes.

Oh, and another highlight of the week was this Sunday! We've never, since I've been here, had
so many people at church! We had 12 people there, and most of them are getting
baptized here soon. We've had members with us literally all week long, and this
is what happens when members get involved and fellowship the investigators!
People feel more comfortable and have more of a reason to go to church. It was
awesome visiting Paul and Emma Cervantes this week, because we passed by with a
couple from the ward and they totally clicked. We had never passed by with a
sister from the branch and it made a big difference. They are able to relate
and help each other in ways that guys just can't do. And speaking of Paul, it
was funny - on Sunday we went by his house before church to remind him about it
(I don't remember if I've told you about "gator round-up" but that's
what it is - we visit all of our investigators before church to remind them
about it) and he wasn't answering the door. He's a way cool guy, but sometimes
you have to be a little forceful with him, and we weren't about to leave until
we talked to him. We knocked on different places all over his trailer until he
came out, and I guess we slept in. We just told him right there it was time to
go, let's roll and it was just a funny situation. It's a good thing we banged
all over the trailer or there is no way he would have gone to church!

I think that's basically most of what has happened this week. That and I found out that we are
just staying together here in Yuma for now. No visa waiters ended up coming to
the mission, so we're still just working away here alone. I'm incredibly
excited though, because there is never a dull moment and never a lack of people
to teach. I have learned something pretty cool about church though that's
important to remember - the way you prepare your investigators for church is
the way you prepare yourself for church. They have to understand the importance
and why it's so crucial.

Anyway, we're excited that the branch is picking things up and getting more involved in missionary
work! That's why we're starting to see some success! Goodness I love this
place, I love the people, I love everything about the mission.

Semana loca como siempre ‏ 2/09/2011

Well, I thought I knew the meaning of crazy and busy before but little did I know - We are far busier than we've ever been before, and teaching more people than ever. Instead of teaching 10-15 lessons a week, we're teaching at least 25! The members are starting to come out more and it's cool to see them get so excited about the investigators they're visiting. They get incredibly excited to see the people they visited come to church, and they're doing a great job of befriending them and making sure they feel welcome. The highlight of the week was our investigator that we taught for the first time last wednesday. Her name is Francisca, and she was a referral from a member in our branch that works with her. He told us she said she was interested and we should go visit her. So we did pass by with him, and then she wanted us to keep coming back. On Friday (we went on splits so I wasn't there) Elder Lindquist invited her to get baptized the 26th and she asked if she could do it any earlier!! So she's going to get baptized next Thursday, the 17th with her daughter. I honestly have never seen anyone progress so fast or taught anyone so incredibly prepared for everything. She already felt like it was right and what she needed, even though she didn't know much about it. Probably one of the coolest people I've met...

So that was exciting and we also had another random lesson where we found a bunch of new investigators! We were walking down the street and Elder Lindquist recognized some girl he had talked to before. She was with her boyfriend outside, so we didn't think she would let us in or give us any time. But she totally did and we taught her whole family, including her neighbor and her boyfriend. It was a sweet lesson and they were all excited about the prospect of going to church. It's always nice to teach people that really do have true interest and want to know if what we're teaching is true.

What we've been trying to deal with lately is being efficient with time, since there are so many people to see and there's not near enough time to visit them all. This week we're going to try to work for and arrange a whole lot of splits so we can get work done. We actually just had this big zone conference yesterday, where the mission president and everyone came down to train us and check everything (houses and cars being way clean). We talked a lot about raising our vision of what we can accomplish, and about improving the quality of our lessons. Before, during, and after we teach, we're supposed to be asking ourselves these questions - What evidence is there that.. 1) Their faith is increasing 2) they are repenting 3) they are preparing themselves to be baptized and 4) that the Holy Ghost is present. I think it would be a lot better to evaluate more, and to really think about it so we can improve, and that people really can come closer to Christ instead of just being taught principles without application.

Oh, and we also had a sweet lesson last night! The Juarez family that we're teaching is going to be baptized Feb 23rd! I'm not sure if the mom will yet, but the 2 kids for sure will. What was really sweet was the 16-year old's response to our question. We asked if he felt like us coming over had increased his faith. He really sincerely thought about it and said,"Yes". He said he has developed a relationship with his savior and his Father in Heaven that he had never had before, and that he wants to get baptized so that he will be able to baptize the rest of his family and his girlfriend! It's so cool to see the gospel really change lives and see the excitement for sharing the Gospel that these people develop as they understand it all. He wants to be the example for his family, and wants to keep them reading and praying and doing those things that they should. I felt really bad also, because he said he did come to church on Sunday but he came early and we weren't there yet - we were visiting other people and reminding them about church. He actually went with his brother, but they didn't see us so they left!! We felt really bad, but we're excited to see them all come this next week.

So random fact - as missionaries some of the things we probably dislike the most are... annoying tiny little chihuahuas, ice cream trucks that are incredibly loud and play the same songs over and over again, and people saying they will go to church or do things "Si dios quiere". We have to tell them yes, God does want it! He does want you in church! You just have to do it, because He's not going to force you to.

Anyway, life is great, and I love Yuma! Work is wild and we're doing everything we can for sure. I love my mission.

woops, that was 2/02/2011

Full view||Back to messagesColder in Yuma (meaning not really that cold)‏ 2/

Bueno!
Holy smokes, it's been getting a little more chilly here (meaning it was in the 80's and it's now in the 40's). Work is never-ending and we have SO many people to try and visit and teach all the time. It has been quite the exciting week though, and a whole lot has happened. Probably one of the biggest things was Sunday - I gave 2 talks in sacrament meetings and I found out about both of them Saturday night. Somebody in the 6th branch here (the snowbird branch - all elderly people) talked to us like 2 months ago about talking on the 5th Sunday, and we didn't think we'd be here. We called to check up and found out that we were giving the entire sacrament meeting!! We didn't have time to prepare so we just went there to their early meeting and just decided to do it. We do often have to give lessons and talks without preparing, so I guess it's a good thing we have practice. We opened up singing Brightly Beams a capella and then we just talked about missionary work in general, as well as here in Yuma. I was actually really surprised at how easy it was to talk for so long. I used scriptures and Preach My Gospel and the Ensign, and everything really just came to me. It was a sweet experience and everyone afterwards made us feel like celebrities. They told us how much they enjoyed it, and how good it was, and how they wanted to take us out to lunch... so we have some sweet meals planned in the future. They were all just so nice, and now everyone knows us!

Speaking of which, at the meeting, I found this lady - Jacqueline Allen Hyden - who apparently is related to Grandpa Carlson, and we went out to lunch with her yesterday. And random news - I'm pretty sure Elder Lindquist and I are related through a great great grandpa because she had this pedigree chart with her. Family history work is pretty sweet, and I want to do some in the future!

Everything is going good with missionary work! We're teaching a lot of families, and hopefully everything works out. Sadly, not too many were able to come this last week to church, but we are doing our best to teach and testify and go by the Spirit. Last night, this referral from a member, a family, all accepted a baptismal date for the 19th so we're going to work hard and do our best to make it happen! The kids are both sweet and going to church - the whole family should this week.

Oh, and it was wild - the other night we were eating dinner at a member's house and Jordi - a sweet member that helps us a lot, was over there. He was playing with a basketball hoop, and for some reason there was a drill bit sticking out of the pole. He went up for a dunk or something and when he came down it went through his arm! So we had to take care of him and he ended up going to Mexico to get stitches. It's all good now, but it was kind of exciting.

That and we are teaching this guy named Omar, who is quitting smoking and excited about baptism. It's my first real experience with the whole Word of Wisdom thing and it can be tough at times. He's doing great though, and we're helping him get good music and find good things to do to keep himself occupied. He also gave us some really cool regaeton music, like Spanish christian stuff, that we'll have to listen to after the mish...

We're also teaching this stud guy named Paul and his family, and we're excited for them. He has a drinking problem, but he's one of the nicest, most sincere guys I've ever met. He LOVES missionaries and always tells us how much he loves us being over there,and how he feels the Spirit so strong. We probably ate with him like 3 times last week and taught him a whole lot. I'm pretty sure he now knows just about every single member in our branch, because of all of the people we've brought over there. His wife, who was way Catholic, loved church and the relief society must do an awesome job of fellowshipping because she was all about it. The gospel is true!

So yeah, we've been teaching a whole lot, and had a record number of lessons last week (like 23 I think). We're staying busy, and trying to make the best use of our time possible! Thanks for all the support and I love hearing from everyone!!
Hasta luego!