Christmas and Strange Obsessions

So I still hate bugs. Sister Sheldon is such a doll as to killing them for me. I love her lots partially for this reason. I've also come across this strange obsession with larger dogs...it's weird. I just want to pet them and play with them and hug them all the time. It's still a really strange obsession.

So this past week. Hmmm....where to begin!! I guess I'll just start with Tuesday night.

Tuesday was P-day. It was also Christmas Eve!! Sister Sheldon and I treated ourselves to opening a present early. We got our super soft socks!! Can I just say that Sister Sheldon has this strange obsession with socks?? She LOVES colorful socks. A LOT! No joke. So that was a great first for both of us! :) 

Sister Sheldon w/ her Super Soft Socks!!

 Merry Christmas Sister Carling!!

Just before Preparation day was over, we went into town and bought the few things we needed. We then headed over to the Barnstead's, a less active couple. They LOVE the missionaries. Made all 6 of us Christmas presents and goodie bags. So the gift was a box. In this box, they had a paper bag. On the paper bag they had a scripture and in the bag they had an item connected to the scripture on the outside. It was so fun to guess what was in each bag and then to open it and see if they were right...it was pretty creative!! Later that night, back at the Turner's, I made green salsa. Sister Sheldon and I think that I made about a half gallon. Over the past week, I ate about 3/4 of that wonderful salsa! I'm pretty sure that's what got me through Christmas. That was my coping method, my little piece of Arizona...and it was pretty yummy. ALSO!! Erika got out of her detox that day!! It was a happy day!!

 Sister Sheldon and Sister Carling

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!! Sister Sheldon and I are SUCH little kids. Right when we woke up, we went upstairs and opened our presents. Sister Sheldon got a lot of colorful socks. Did I mention she had an obsession with socks?? Haha! It was so great! She gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon without the standard verse form. I love that thing so much!! I also got a copy of the Miracle of Forgiveness from Ryan. Extended family, thank you for all the cards!! I loved them!! Family, thank you for the WONDERFUL package!! Sister Sheldon and I really loved our stockings. Ben, how you manage to poke at me from TWO STATES AWAY I'm not sure. THANKS for wrapping my Christmas present in DUCT TAPE. I did get to opening it in like 5 minutes though...need I mention WITHOUT sharp objects. I have been wearing the tights like every day the past week. You hit the nail on the head, Mom. And for anybody questioning it, it's not about the nail. Later that morning we went to the O'Hara family home. We stayed there for a few hours and then headed home around 3. At 4 we got to the Turners and the Elders were here Skyping/calling home. I got to meet Elder Terry's family. Elder Terry is from East Mesa. He goes home in February. I waited patiently (HA!!) for him to get off the computer. I then was able to Skype my family!! I love them so much!! After Dad had suggested, twice, that we follow mission rules, I got off a crying mess. I hit the end button because nobody else would and it was only getting worse. Sister Sheldon AND Sister Turner were so great to have given me a hug after that traumatic experience. I did eat more salsa that day. Later that night we watched Ephriam's Rescue and I cut Sister Sheldon's hair. I thinned it out. Marin, she may be competing for that thickness contest. There was a HUGE pile on the floor.

Sister Sheldon's pile of hair!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! I didn't forget it....I woke up and freaked out a little bit because I forgot to tell you to have a great one the day before. Thursday was an interesting day. Thursdays are the days that we do our weekly planning. that encompasses about 4 hours more out of our regular day.  Then, after planning, we went to see Johnny. He is so great! SO great! We talked with him about patriarchal blessings.

He is so ready and so excited to be baptized. After we went to Columbus to dinner with Jeremy and the elders. Jeremy is the Elder's recent convert. He's been such a little missionary lately. But dinner was... kinda different. Like it felt a little weird and here is why. So the Elders were there, which was great and normal, and that was the whole reason we were going to dinner. It was because Elder Whitney goes home on Wednesday, but they were in their street clothes and not wearing name tags...other than the one on Elder Terry's coat. But we were in church clothes with our name tags. So if you didn't see the name tags it kind of looked like we over dressed for an awkward third wheel date. Jeremy paid for all of us which was super nice, but made it more like a date because he just turned 27 so not a ton older than us. We had lots of fun talking and ate some good food. Oh, as a side note, at the beginning of the non-date with the Elders and Jeremy, Jeremy gave us Christmas gifts. He gave us Texas key chain that is super cute!!!  Anyway after dinner we met with Patrick, another recent convert,and taught him about the 3 Nephites. Somehow it came up and because it came up, he wanted to learn about that. So that is what we told him about.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIN!! I celebrated your birthday from afar too!! It was great. So, Friday we had district meeting/final district meal since we aren't getting together today. We got there a little early (10:15) with a ton of food. A bunch of junk food plus the steak the elder's were going to teach us how to really make, and by elders, I mean Elder Whitney. Elder Terry's really good at eating it. Note that everything we brought had been given us by members so we decided to use it to feed our district. ALSO note we have the farthest to travel. So the meeting was supposed to start at 10:30. The Spanish Sisters who live 2 minutes away got there at 10:35 and the Elders got there at 11:15. Don't ask me why it worked out that way, but that's how it went down.
 
 We started with a song and a prayer and Sister Sheldon did a white handbook spotlight.  We then talked about all our investigators.  Next we all went around and told each other one thing we had gotten for Christmas.
 

THEN we opened our Christmas gifts from each other. The elders went out to their car to get theirs. Here is Sister Sheldon's dramatized version of the story:

"When they came back in they made us sit in our chairs, eyes closed, and our right hands out. Then they put something in our hand that we had to hold very tightly to. I wasn't like worried or anything. [We were only terrified] When they said we could open our eyes we found that each of us had a goldfish. A living little goldfish. Mine is named Fred :) Apparently they are decoration not pets. Uh huh. So they didn't think this through very well because they also didn't get us any fish food or anything to put the fish in. But I love my fish! It is awesome and still alive. (We bought them some food) Anyway then the Sisters gave us their gifts. We each got a pop gun. It is so fun. I love to shoot mine. Its also orange :) Then we gave them our gifts. The Spanish Sisters got stuff from Bath and Body Works. They liked them. Then Elder Terry got a Nerf gun which he immediately got out to shoot Elder Whitney with. Elder Whitney saw it and was like "Epic!" then like a split second later "I hate you guys! He is going to shoot me everyday till I leave" We just laughed. Elder Whitney got Anastasia, Pride and Prejudice, and Tangled stickers. Yes these are actually things that he really likes. In fact he loves all those moves and was super thrilled. It was fun."

Fish for Christmas??

I love my district. It'll be sad to see the Elders leave but they've served well. Later on Friday, we managed to get yelled at by an old lady, practically eaten by a little dog and bought our fish food. The Elder's didn't think through that. Talk about a crazy day.  Saturday consisted of driving with Sister Turner to Eagle Lake (40 miles away) to visit a couple of members. We then headed back to Columbus (where we left our car). We visited Robbin Burton and went on a walk with her. We helped walk her dog (because she is getting fat) and talked about the questions she has come across the past week. Robbin has been active for about 9 months now after 25 years of inactivity. She is a convert to the church. She appreciates that we stop by to answer her questions she stumbles upon as she truly studies the Book of Mormon. That night we went to visit Sarah Cox, one of the Turner's 2 daughters, who lives just outside of Columbus. I got to cut Sarah's and her daughter's hair. This is one form of service that I absolutely love!! Sarah is inactive and her husband is not a member. Josh, one of the Turner's 5 sons, who is also inactive was there. It was great to be able to get to know all of them better!!

Sunday. OH!! Sunday was our last day as a district! We had lunch with the Elder's and the Turners where we said our final goodbye's to Elder Whitney. He is being transferred home this week. Late that afternoon, we went out to Belville. We got to visit with Michele. I love her so much!! She and her family have been so sick the past week. It was great to see her so well. She's done a lot of praying to be able to get better. We also visited a new family, the Huber's, who moved into the ward recently. They are so awesome!! That night we made an "adjusting-to-civilian-life" letter for Elder Whitney. It will be mailed directly to his home in Kaysville, Utah. Sunday was also transfer call day. That's a scary day. Our phone was being dumb and got no call or text from our zone leaders. I COULDN'T SHUT OFF MY BRAIN FOR AN HOUR!!! Nothing is changing though. Sister Sheldon and I are staying put, there is no need to worry.

Left to right:  Elder Terry, Sister Deloya, Sister Fletcher, 

Sister Sheldon, Sister Carling & Elder Whitney

Last time together as district before transfers

 
Today has been a relaxing day. Sister Sheldon and I have spent the day here at the farm (the Turner's home). The Professor, Brother Turner, has helped us to serve them today. We helped watch a pipe to make sure it didn't explode while he turned the water back on. It's always an adventure out here in God's country.

Over and out ya'll!! Have a blessed day!! 

--Sister Carling

T'was the Week Before Christmas...

Talk about a crazy week!! First, let me say that Christmas is my favorite time of year. The Spirit of Christmas has been so amazingly strong this year. Christmas all goes back to Christ's Atonement. He did something truly amazing for each of us so that we may return to live with God and Christ again. THAT is why His birth is so important.

So last Monday after P-Day was over, we went into Sealy and visited the Lambros family. I was able to cut Sister Lambros Hair and we had dinner with her, her 2 son's and her mom and step-dad. We shared the Christmas story and I feel like we were able to touch her mother's heart. (Her mom lives in Casa Grande. Sis. Lambros will be there and in Southern AZ this week!)

Tuesday. OH MY. This day we baked cookies. We baked 337 cookies/Rice Krispies and frosted 126 sugar cookies. We did this in 5.5 hours. THAT was a crazy day. We did this at our branch president's home for some families in the branch that just need some love and support. we then found out that Sister Dhener was able to get into a Rehab/Detox Clinic! This was a blessing for her! She really wanted this and she knows that God is looking out for her. Erika is so ready to receive His word. She's taking the steps on the road to happiness. She will get out today and we cannot wait to see her!! We got to talk with her last night. She's just scared that Satan will overpower her. She has a lot of faith and we know she can do it. God is there helping her every step of the way. She was able to share 2 chapters of the Book of Mormon with another patient. She's so awesome!!

Wednesday we were on exchanges!! I was in charge for a day!! That was crazy and kinda overwhelming. Sister Ririe and I visited a bunch of families in the Sealy area before heading to Brookshire to visit the O'Hara Family. They are such a cool family!! they have 9 kids: 7 boys and 2 girls. Their daughter Kieran, who is the #5 child, looks up to me. She's such a little helper. It was great getting to play with her. We taught the kid's the Christmas story to help entertain them as Sister O'Hara finished fixing dinner. We left just before to go and re-exchange companions.

Thursday we had weekly planning. After we planned the next week we went over to the Pora and Downy home for Dinner where we had the BEST meatloaf ever. They've been so good about keeping things gluten-free for me. It's a blessing. The branch, since it is so spread out, helps us out by buying us groceries that we need. It's amazing how thoughtful they are when even some of them have so little. It humbles me and makes me so grateful for all that I receive. After dinner at the Pora's, we went over to the library to set up a family history class that we do every other Thursday. We haven't had an amazing turn out lately because of the holidays, but we will still be workin on it. (I fixed Grandma Haws' line on my tree!! It's been correct the past almost week!!! Exciting!!)

Friday!! My Package day!! I was so excited when I got home to see that here! :) Thanks family! I cant wait to open what was inside tomorrow! Friday after studies I was able to cut the Moore kid's hair! The Moore's are a gluten-free family. Gracie, 6, got a a-line bob that was SUPER cute, and Danny, their 17 month baby got his first hair cut!! He looks like a little boy now! :) Completely adorable. On Sunday, Gracie gave me some decorated GF (gluten-free) cookies and drew me a thank you note. So tender!! That night we played volleyball with the Spanish Branch. It was way fun! After, we practiced with the elders for our musical number we were performing on Sunday. Talk about talent. Elder Whitney plays the piano AMAZINGLY!! I just am in awe. and Sister Sheldon plays the flute. The piece was so beautiful.

Saturday we went out to Weimer where we got to visit Johnny! This was our last lesson with him before he met with President for his baptismal interview! Johnny is so ready!! We left there confident in him and the fact that he just knows. That is the power of God working in him. After that we went to a ballet recital for an inactive family's children. We are meeting with them this Saturday to cut hair and have dinner. After that was all said and done, we went to visit Robbin who is preparing to enter the temple. She is such an amazing woman. Her story is pretty crazy. She found the church when she was 20-ish and living in Germany with her ex-husband. She fell away soon after and started coming back to church earlier this year. She is 56. I am so grateful to have met and know her. She doesn't just want to read the gospel, she wants to study it, and by study I mean sit down and drink deeply from the scriptures meaning. She is amazing.

On Sunday, we had early meetings and practice for the musical number we would be performing. The musical number we did was a collaboration of Angels We Have Heard on High/Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. It was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed singing it. After church we came home to eat dinner at the Turners with the Dhennet family. After dinner we went to a fireside in Katy put on by the missionaries. We helped set up and Johnny came to have his interview with President Pingree. From what we could tell of it, it went quite well!! The 'Christmas in Katy' fireside was amazing. It focused all on Christ, His birth, and His Atonement. Phenomenal! 

Monday we had our Christmas Mission Conference! This is why I am emailing out on a Tuesday instead. We left the house at 6:30 to be able to get there on time. It was wonderful to meet 1/2 our mission and to be able to get to know a few of them better. We also performed in the musical portion of the conference. We did a rendition of Hark! the Herald Angels Sing. This was such a spiritual experience for me. As I walked up I knew I was not warmed up enough. Through a quick prayer, I was able to feel as if an angel was singing with me. The Lord was able to bless me so much and I really appreciate the talent He has given so freely to me. Talk about a beautiful experience to know and feel that you were singing with an angel!! I am SO blessed. We also visited a few members in the evening. 

It was wonderful to be able to get to know so many more people and to be able to share with them the truthfulness of this gospel! I love Christmas time and being able to share my testimony of the Christ who came down to earth to die for each of us. As you come to understand His atonement, then you cannot help but share the gospel with all those you meet. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have come to learn the past 2 days. This was the theme yesterday at our meeting. I have become so very passionate about the Atonement and the more I study about it, the more I realize that I don't understand how infinite His grace and mercy extends.

Remember this as you celebrate Christmas tomorrow. Remember the Reason for the season. 

Remember Christ.

--Sister Carling

County Hoppin', Dirty Trucks, and Deer Heads

The reason for this title...hmmm....we did a lot of county line crossin'. While doing this we also saw a lot of dirty truck. These truck were pretty dirty because it is huntin' season. Huntin season brings dear heads. They were gross lookin. NASTY!!! okay...we shall now proceed.

MONDAY: We got to go into Katy to go shopping for Christmas! Sister Turner took us. It was so great to get to know her more. She is an amazing lady. DAD: She knows where siguene is!!! (i'm not sure that is how it is spelled...but that's my guess)

TUESDAY: We went to Katy that day and had specialized training with President Pingree. He is such an amazing person! The more I get to know him, the more I come to love my mission president. It's so sad that he will be leaving us in July. BUT change brings blessings, so I will appreciate him while he is here. After training, we went to Brookshire to visit the O'Hara family. I GOT TO CUT HAIR!! :) I will be cutting a few more family's hair in the next couple of weeks. I love it so much! After the O'Hara's we went to the Dhener family home in Pattison. She is trying to check herself into a re-hab clinic so she can do a detox. Erika and her family have come to church the past 2 weeks. She wants to change her life!! It's amazing!! We also went to the Relief Society activity up in Bellville. It was great to get to know more of the sisters here.

WEDNESDAY: We went to Columbus and Eagle Lake this day. It was great to be able to share the 13 articles of faith to one of the recent convert's (age 10) friend. I really got to learn and explain things simply. it was a miracle in and of itself. it made me think and look deeply.

THURSDAY: We planned out this week!! planing is pretty crazy when you have like 10 towns you want to go to and only 7 days in a week AND 450 miles a week. so it takes skill to get them all layed out right and proper. after that we went to Columbus with what time we had and had dinner at the Pora and Downy home. Patrick Downy, the Pora's son-in-law, is a recent convert. He decided to teach us instead. He taught us about Samson. It was so unique to see his simple testimony grow. The trade off was that we made dinner for him!! We made Spicy Mustard Chicken with rice...lemme say that I got a little bit home sick.

FRIDAY: I learned how to do rose clippings!! Sister Turner taught us! She knows a lot. We then taught it to another sister in our ward who is a less active. It was a joy to do that! We also visited an older lady. She gave me a had and scarf!! It is so cute!! it WILL keep me warm. :) Later on we went to Sister Lambros' house. She is a strugling sister who has 2 kids living at home. The we invited the youngest, Zanner (short for Alexander), to come to ward volley ball and he came!! it was so great! i hope we are making steps to help him, a 13 year old, come back to church.

SATURDAY: We went to Bellville this day. We taught Michele!! She has such a strong testimony and she doesn't even know it! it's been amazing to see her grow and realize what she already knows. That night was the combined spanish/english branch christmas party. it was great to be able to see all the members all happy together!

SUNDAY: OH BOY!! talk about crazy! we had to leave the house at 8 to be to the church for PEC Meeting. We also spoke in church! It was such a great experience. I felt like I had alot of power given to me through the Lord. It was so amazing!! We taught the 9-10 year old Sunday school class. That was such a sweet experience! We taught the Christmas story. After church, we taught Johnny. He has a testimony that Thomas S Monson is a prophet!! THIS IS A BIG DEAL!! He is ready to meet with President Pingree next week for his baptismal interview. Other than that, he is set and ready to be baptized!! Later that night we went into Katy to the Catholic/LDS Concert. I realized how much I really miss people. I MISS BEING AROUND PEOPLE!!! The concert was amazing though!! It was so beautiful and unique how 2 congregations got together to celebrate thier Lord. Needless to say, we didn't get home untill late though.

Thanks to all for your love and support!! Thanks Emmary, Anna, & Prices for the cards!! Thanks Peterson's for your card too!! I really appreciate you all!! Turn outside of yourself this season. you will see amazing things begin to unfold. God IS a God of Miracles.

Merry Christmas!

--Sister Carling

I hate the city...AKA I hate traffic!

Friends and Family,
 

By the title of my email I'm guessing you're curious as to what happened this week.  I will tell you. You'll just have to wait.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!! The Spirit of Christmas is my absolute favorite. Can you tell how excited I am about Christmas?? I mean it's only like...16 days away...nobody's counting or anything. And Christmas devotional will be on Monday the 23rd, bumping my Preparation day to Christmas Eve!! It excites me so much. I just love Christmas. There's my happy ditty.

Our Christmas Countdown!

SO. Sister Dhener is not a member. She has many Word of Wisdom problems. But you know what? She is so ready to receive and accept the gospel. She is ready to change her life for forever. I've come to realize how amazing the lord is and how hard He works to bring people together to change their life. Everyone out here has problems and could be looked at as projects that are too big to handle. With God, nothing is too big. We, Sister Sheldon and I have been listening to the Miracle of Forgiveness. With the Lord's help nothing is impossible to overcome. I didn't say it'd be easy to overcome, in fact I say it will be very hard. And that is when we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I love the power of this. With it all things are possible.

On Friday, we were able to have the opportunity to attend the temple in Houston. In order to get to the 12 o'clock session in time, we left at 8:30 to get to the temple with leeway for traffic. we got there an hour early and were able to do initiatory. Talk about amazing. And the endowment session, phenomenal. I learned so much this last time I went to the temple. The spirit was so strong and vibrant and was able to open my eyes to so much symbolism. We took pictures and after that we headed out to the mission office where we get more supplies. We left there at about 3:45 and on our way home, hit Houston traffic. I HATE TRAFFIC AND I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!! you have no idea. It took us like 2 hours more than normal to get home. Talk about crazy.

Houston Temple, December 6th

 

Sister Sheldon and I at the Houston Temple

Michele is awesome. SHE PRAYED THIS WEEK!!!! It was SO exciting to be able to hear that from her. She asks the perfect questions, just like Joseph Smith did. We went into a lot of detail on his experience than normal because that is what she needed. She's questioned a lot of different religions. It is so helpful that Grant, her husband, is a member. He is so supportive of her and is able to help her to understand better. She is taking amazing steps to coming closer to Christ and will be ready to be baptized very soon.

Sister Sheldon and I get to speak in church next week!! She hates speaking, loves teaching, but hates speaking. I am somewhat the opposite. I can't wait to speak. I am planning on adapting my farewell talk to fit the needs of the members out here. It is going to be EPIC!! and speaking of epic...WE are also singing in a musical number in church AND in a missionary Christmas devotional. Sister Sheldon plays the flute and we pulled Elder Whitney into playing the piano. It is a rendition of "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". It sounds so amazing.

Today, we are going into Katy. THAT is why this email is so short. We are going to do some Christmas shopping and we are going to get some things we need for our every day life at a bigger store! (I have come to learn that this is one of the many downsides of small towns, that is, small stores.)

Much love and I hope you are enjoying this time of year as much as I am.

Merry Christmas!!

Sister Carling

 Spanish Sister Missionaries

Stormy Weather...With a Chance of Snow

Family and Friends,

Many of you are wondering what my companion is like. Let me just say that Sister Sheldon is now one of my best friends. Although our interests are polar opposites, we think on the same brain wave (we read each other's thoughts!) and we have so much in common! She is from Logandale Nevada and is about my height (half an inch taller). She was going to BYU for mechanical engineering and has been out on her mission for 6 months. Since day 1 we were instant friends. Many times she forgets that I am still a newbie and I get thrown into some situations that I really don't know what to do in....I give her a look and she remember and proceeds to take over. She's such a help and so amazing!

Sister Sheldon and I after our run this morning

Our branch, the Sealy 1st branch, keeps us going about 90 mph. As sisters are high in demand, we have lots of places to be but only 1 day a week to to dedicate to that place...and more than often multiple places. We also have Elder's in our branch too...but the are requested more often by more people. We cope with chocolate (both), singing (me), and cooking (Sis. Sheldon). In our spare time, we tend to tease the Elders. They are both on either the last transfer or 2nd to last transfer and need us to remind them of their purpose more often than not. I love the times we get to bond as a district (Spanish sisters included) and become more unified as a district whether it's playing basketball or our weekly district mtng.

Our branch goes out to Wiemer (in the Katy Stake).
I'm pointing at about where we live.

Our weeks are always busy. It takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes at minimum to get to anywhere. I am now settling into the groove of everything and I am learning to love it here!  I'm pretty positive that after I'm done with in field training I will be taking over the area (so plan on me being here till about May, but be flexible for change whenever). There are days that you feel like you get a lot done and others where you feel like you don't accomplish much, but we are beating some of our goals, this is the encouragement at the end of the week. This past week was power packed. We focus on inactive and part member families in the branch. We have about 80 members who come regularly to church and around 250 on our membership records.

Monday, my first p-day, as a district, we watched Ephraim's Rescue. I loved it!! Later that night, we went to the Wendt's family home. This is Michele's in-laws and they are inactive members. When we got there Michele Grant and their kids were there. We checked up on her and she said she had read part of Romans 8. This excited us so much! We then, after Michele and Grant left we talked to Grant's parents and challenged them to start coming back to church and to be an example to Michele. We are still working with them.

Other days blurred by and then Thanksgiving came! We drove into Sealy to the Grays. We love them so very much! Sister Gray got me gluten-free Bisquick and that was such a great blessing. Brother and Sister Gray then drove us out to Wiemer where we went to Brother Keller's. Brother Keller is in his 50's and from Utah. He served a mission back in the day and has a special place for the missionaries. We had about 11 people (including the Elder's and their recent convert) there. One of our investigators who lives out there came with his girlfriend (who is a member). He is in his 60's and has in past years served time in jail. It is awesome to see his change he is making. He first heard about the church in prison and studied with it for 8 years there. While there, we ate a feast!! We had the generic spread with Turkey and Ham, but with a few additions: brisket and venison. Bro. Keller makes THE BEST brisket. I didn't even have the turkey or ham. The deer was okay. It tasted like a firmer beef. but hey! I can say that it was pretty great. After that was all done, we went back to Sealy. We departed the Gray's and went out to Brookshire. We visited 2 families there and at 8 we made our way home.

Friday we had zone conference and stayed in Brookshire and surrounding areas for the day. Saturday we had a child's baptism in Sealy. That was a wonderful experience! Later that afternoon we headed up to Belville where Michele and Grant live. Michele wasn't home but Grant really wanted us to come back in an hour. We visited a couple other places and came back to the Wendts. Michele had to go to the grocery store and said she'd be back in 5 minutes. I promise you that she is a woman of her word. it took her 5 minutes at most. We then proceeded to ask here how things were going. She hadn't read more and she hasn't prayed yet. We then placed our 2nd Book of Mormon of the day and set a goal of her praying by Saturday December 7th. We will call and check up a few times this week. She is so ready to run. All she needs to do is stand to do it.

Yesterday, we had a 2nd Thanksgiving feast! After church, we came to the Turners, where we live, and helped them with the gathering of missionaries and their kids for dinner. Sister Sheldon and I were very full. We got to decorate the tree up stairs with their grand kids. We also got our little tree and nativity set. It's so cute and little! Christmas is coming and I am so excited to be able to share the good news of the gospel during this wonderful season. Tis' the reason for the season, right?!? Speaking of the season, Brother Kenneth Turner, who is an incredible artist AND the ward mission leader, informed us that by the end of the week we will be back to cold and rainy. EVEN A CHANCE OF SNOW. I freaked out a little...that is why it is the title of this email. I'm enjoying the beautiful weather while we have it today and tomorrow...but hey!! Maybe i'll give it 10 minutes and it'll be different.

Our Christmas tree and Nativity set!! 

Thank ya'll for all of the love and support. I truly feel it each and every day. I would like to bear my solemn testimony of the truth of this gospel. It is truly amazing. I find great joy in it each and every day that I am out here.

Remember to look at others with the same eye of God. See them as they can become, see them in white.

--Sister Carling

New Ulm, Texas with the Turner's

This is an email that was sent to Sister Carling's mom from the Sister whose home they are staying in.  It gives a bit more info than what Sister Carling shared in her email. 

Helen,

We are delighted to have the Sisters here. We also had a senior couple here for 6 months, earlier this year. We added on to our home and built a room for my parents a few years ago. It is one large room with a kitchen area and bathroom and a separate entrance. The Sisters also have access to anything they need in my kitchen.  My husband's studio is above their room. Ken is Branch Mission leader, we have lived here almost 25 years so we know the area and the people. We have 7 children, our youngest is 27, 10 grandchildren and a bunch of chickens.

The Sisters have a lot of support in the Branch, the members love them. It is about 1800 square miles and includes all or part of 3 counties. If you look at a map of Texas we are west of Houston, the Branch boundaries are from Brookshire on the east to Schulenberg on the west, it takes in Sheridan, Wallis and Fulshear on the south, on the north, Bellville, Industry and New Ulm on the north, it also includes Sealy, Eagle Lake and Columbus. It is a challenge for the Sisters to to not go over on their miles but they are learning to manage them well. Sister Sheldon is a great trainer and they said they have a lot in common and they are really having fun together. They are working very hard, there is a lot of work to do here both with investigators and less actives.  They are are teaching a family history class in Columbus. They stay really busy following the mission schedule and working with the people here.They come in and visit with us often in the evenings after they finish planning.

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving, we will do our best to help them to not be too homesick. They are going to help us decorate for Christmas this weekend while the grandchildren are here.

Sister Carling says to tell you she loves you and misses you and that she is doing better, but she seems fine. If you have any other questions let me know.

Nell

In the Middle of No Where -- Next to Nothing

Here I am ya'll! I'm in Texas!!

We arrived last Wednesday afternoon where our Mission President and his wife and his assistants greeted all of us off the airplane. We did have 2 other missionaries who flew in on different flights. One from Mexico MTC and one who was waiting on his visa to come to the US from France. 13 in all! There are now even numbers of Elders and Sisters in the mission. Almost all the wards have a set of Elders and a set of Sisters (my tiny branch being one of them).

So the title of this might make you curious...well...I litterally am in the middle of no where...next to nothing. My companion, Sister Sheldon, has been out 6 months since I arrived in the field. 3 of those months have consisted in living in the tiny little branch of Sealy. The Sealy branch streches from the outskirts of Katy, TX to the other small town of Weimer, TX. it takes about 1.5 hours to get from one side of my area to the other. I live somewhere in the north east part of that area in a place called New Ulm. In the TINY town of New Ulm, we have no place to buy groceries (Dad...we have a full blown post office!! but they don't have an elementary school...). Every day we travel to a different town to visit investigators or to visit members or less-active members of the church. This can make things a little difficult when planning to travel.we try to hit a town a day. It can kinda be confusing. This makes planning so KEY in everything we do.

The past few days have been pretty windy...they've also been pretty wet. That combination makes things pretty miserable...okay REALLY MISERABLE. Other than the weather everything's been pretty great!

Saturday we made visits in a town called Belleville. While there, we made visits. There were plenty of visits that ended out being us standing on a porch for a few minutes. COLD!! and by the end of the day I was tired. We both decided to visit this one part member family. Michele (who is not a member) answered the door and let us in. Her husband and 2 little boys wern't there and she had been taking a break and started a movie. As we got to talking with her, she opened up to how she had started to feel about God and His role in her life. She believed in God. No doubt about it but she had lost most her faith through her son's battle with cancer. He is now 5 years old and still has a year of chimo left. She lost a lot of her faith. She was tested and tried and doubted alot of her beliefs. We continued to talk to her about this and asked her to pray. She got very misty eyed and told us she was scared. She was scared what God would do. We assured her that all would be well. he would be there for her to help her as long as she let Him help her. We challenged her to pray and to read Romans 8. She said she would. We will check up on her sometime next week.

Well...I don't have much time left. I love ya'll.

Yes...I am picking up this accent. No doubt about that one.

Thanksgiving is all taken care of. We have about 5 families who would like us to come over, but because of distance...we will probably be able to make it to 3. We will be pretty full by the end of the day. Pray that we can make it through the day!!

Much love,

--Sister Carling

PS -- Due to the amount of mail going through the mission office (and the fact that it's 90 miles away), they have asked us to please send mail to our living areas. For all those who would like to write me, please write me at this new address (it will chage as transfers come an go)

Sister NaTosha Carling

741 Walnut St

New Ulm, TX 78950

 

Arrived in Houston

Arrival at the Houston Airport

Tosha with President and Sister Pingree

New arrivals with Mission President & his wife

Tosha with new companion Sis. Sheldon

The only picture that worked...

Our Zone at the MTC

Farewell Snow-capped Mountains!

Family, Friends, anyone else reading this email,

This week has comprised of utter immersion in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It really is like drinking from a fire hose. This gospel is amazing, it is beautiful, it is true. I have witnessed so many miracles and partaken of so much revelation. God TRULY wants us to be happy.

As most of you know, I depart the MTC tomorrow . As I sit and reflect, I realize how much I really didn't know 2 weeks ago. 2 weeks ago, I was a girl getting ready to go on a mission. 2 weeks ago, I got on a plane all puffy-eyed to fly up to Utah. 2 weeks ago, I changed my life.

As I have been at the MTC, I've experienced change. This change didn't happen over-night...in fact, this change is still happening to me. I have witnessed miracles in others, but more importantly in myself.

I always viewed missionaries as those dorky people going door to door...yes, we may be that but a missionary's whole purpose in going on a mission is to bring them closer to Christ. IT'S NOT ABOUT ME. A missionary's purpose is to build faith in others through Jesus Christ and HIS atonement. A missionary's purpose is to bring others to repentance, then baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and finally, enduring to the end where we may receive eternal life. Our main goal in this life is baptism. God want's us to make covenants and promises to Him so that He will be able to bless us. He promises us Eternal life, being redeemed of God, and He will pour His Spirit upon us.

Christ looks at us with love. He does everything for us...NOT for His own good and gain. Even if there was only one person who had to live...He still would have given His life for us. He does everything out of love and because of this love, He suffered the pains in the garden of Gethsemane and he suffered on Calvary JUST FOR US!! So that through Him, we might live! Christ, your elder brother, sacrificed His life...for you!

The least I could do is to give up 1.7% of my life (that is...if I live to 80). we must all learn to be kind, be patient, be loving, be accepting, be charitable. Work as hard as you possibly can to follow his example and become like Him. 

Sister Mary Ellen Edmunds spoke to us on Sunday. She said a few things that I really liked. here they are:

• Your mission has not been served...it's yours.
• Everything should be based on love--Jesus did not boast..
• You don't do something if you don't think about it first.
• Don't let things that don't matter BUG YOU!
• All I can do is the best I could do.
• when you do the best you can do, heaven comes to help you the rest of the way.
• Loose your life to God and find eternal life.
• Be of good cheer...it is not a suggestion, it is a commandment!
• If you want to be happy, then be happy!! Mormon 9:14
• Wickedness never was happiness....righteousness never was misery. Alma 41:10
• John 13:35 -- including love for those who don't treat you very well.
• If your motive is love, it is hard for others to just turn away.
• it's not what you say....it's how you feel. 
• Thank Him for the blessings you're not aware of.

This woman is such an amazing and happy woman. I aspire to become like her. (and yes mom...i did get a hug from her.)

Mission's are forever. I need to remember this whenever things get hard or I lack confidence. I must have no regrets. Elder Holland, in a previously recorded talk, said this as Christ, and then as our response:

"Come to the edge."

"No, we'll fall."

"Come to the edge!"

"No! we'll fall!"

"COME TO THE EDGE!!"

So, we came to the edge...

He pushed us and we flew.

This is one of those times where I am learning to fly. As I fly, I am taking in the beauty all around me. This gospel is a beautiful thing. I know it, I live it, I love it.

I love you all.

--Sister Carling

The MTC, TRC, and Other Mormon Words

Dear Family and Friends,

So people tell you and tell you how amazing the MTC is...You don't really know or have any idea how truly amazing it is UNTIL you experience it. I mean it is pretty fantastic.

We have 8 sisters and 3 brothers flying out to Houston on the 20th...Lexi's birthday!! :) Houston is going to receive 11 new missionaries!! :)

The first three days of the MTC are crazy. They will be the most exhausting days of your life (at least that's how it feels). we got here and we met the MTC president and his wife and then immediately after that we went to class. after we went to class we ate and went straight back to class. this happened pretty much every day last week. My body was NOT happy with me on Sunday, but after a trip to the bathroom, I've felt great ever since! We also have gym time. That has helped me to feel better too!!

My companion, Sister Holly Fullmer, is probably the best first companion. (I'll send you pictures when I figure out how to use these pretty restrictive computers). She is from Genola, UT, about 20-30 minutes south of Provo. She has some CURLY hair. We're both wondering what will happen when we get to Texas. MIGHT get a little crazy.

We taught our first investigator on Saturday. He ended out not being "home" and we had to go "tracting". (our teacher was out of town running a ragnar.) TALK ABOUT CRAZY. it was kinda scary to plan this whole lesson and have him not be there. but for a first time teaching...it went pretty well. we can always do better but it was great.

Sunday's and Tuesday's are way awesome here. We had sister Cheryl Espain, 2nd counselor in the primary pres, come and speak to us in relief society. we were on like the 3rd row in the very center. she talked about having faith in Jesus Christ: obey Him, trust Him, and want to change to be like Him.

Our branch president, Pres Wenn, was described to us as a spiritual giant. he was also said to be 5'0". the first time I saw him...i almost laughed out loud. He is seriously one of the most in tune men i know. He told us on Sunday that "The mission isn't for you...it's for those we serve and teach. it's for our Father in Heaven, it's for our families, it's for those we haven't met, it's for those we will teach, it's for our future families. The mission isn't for you. You will be a RM longer than you are a Missionary."

That night we had Brother Richard Heaton, the MTC admin. direct., talk about the Law of Chastity (LoC). it was so amazing. in these devo's, speakers are allowed to speak freely on however they feel to get the point across.  he talked about how we should teach about the sacredness of the LoC...not just to teach the LoC. We also got a definition of the word sacred: a piece of heaven untarnished by the world. It's such a beautiful thing. I also saw Sister Mattie Ray. THAT was way awesome!! :)

Monday we taught "Frank". He is a devout Catholic who is in his 50's. (Monday was such a blur. i have no idea what happened or if anything significant happened that day) OH we also had TRC, there is so many details about these investigators that I can't even tell you how amazing this is. We've taught at least 2 times a day this week. we are teaching Whitney. She has had quite the past. Yesterday we FINALLY got her to pray. IT.WAS.AMAZING. I wish I had time to tell you. Here are the bigger details of this week.

On Tuesday I learned that if you don't laugh...you cry...and I've cried a lot the past week or so. whether it's the spirit of the emotional tank running over. We also had a devotional that night. ELDER L TOM PERRY CAME AND SPOKE TO US!! When he walked into the room, you knew it. i was in the missionary choir and it was amazing to be able to sing to him. We sang "Redeemer of Israel" . He talked to us about companions. It's applicable to both missionaries and relationships everywhere. One thing he mentioned is to be close you your companion. to love them. Love them so you don't get sick. This is both spiritually and physically.

Today is p-day. earlier this week the girls decided that "Sleep is for the weak!!" You have no idea how hard it is to be strong!! haha. It takes a lot of strength to stay awake. We have got laundry done and in a couple hours we will go to the temple!! I am so excited for that. :) Later tonight, before class, we will go and teach our TRC investigator again. I am so excited to be able to teach her. She is so ready for the gospel.

Well that about wraps up my week. I wish I had time to divulge all of the amazing and special experiences i have had. I love you all SO MUCH!! Thank you for the letters and continual support.

Talk to all ya'll in Texas!! :)

--Sister Carling

PS - I'm not quite sure how the photos work...it's being difficult.

PPS - I wish I could do something about the elder and sister who didn't get anything the past week....not really even an email. Sister Talea Sievert is going to Houston with us on the 20th. She's from Tucson and knows my cousin, Sister Mattie Ray. Elder Phillip Woodland is going to Tallahassee Fl on the 19th. He's from Cali and I feel like I really misjudged him the first few days. We are all in Unit 185. I didn't know if there was anything ya'll could do in the next couple of days. It would be great if they could receive some support just as I have. I love you. I just know that my companion and I get the most letters out of anyone and they are so supportive and loving. It's kinda heart breaking thinking about how these other brothers and sisters don't get the same. If you could dearelder.com them that would be amazing.

Meeting friends at the MTC!

Tosha w/ companion, Sister Fullmer.  Brennan Brown and 
his companion, Elder Stoetzling.  Tosha and Brennan grew up across the 
street from each other during elementary school!!  

They entered the MTC on the same day just a few minutes apart.

Tosha's first "snail mail" letter dated 11/7/13

Family!
I love you all so much!  It has been busy, busy busy!! I feel like I have been awake for like 2 days today, but I also have been able to learn so much!  Before I came to the MTC I got to visit Josh and briefly visit Ryan.  I was so happy I got to see him, even if it was only for a couple of minutes.

I got to the MTC a bit early (12:25ish) where I got my tag, books & dropped of my bags.  We then went straight to the classroom where we met our instructors.  I also me my companion, Sister Fullmer.  All Four of the sisters in my District (and 3/4 of the elders) are going to the Houston Mission!  It is so exciting!!  Sister Fullmer is from Genola, UT only 20 minutes south of the MTC.  She is AMAZING!!  I love her so much.  She is the 2nd oldest of 8.  7 girls & 1 boy (the youngest).  She is from a small ranching community so she is a country girl.  Did I mention that she has amazingly curly hair?  Well, she does and it is totally opposite from me.  We get along so well and she will definitely be a great friend after I get home.  I feel like I've know her for years.

The MTC has been great.  I have learned so much and I've only been here for a day & a half.  We teach our first investigator "Frank" on Saturday.  We will be teaching him about the restoration.  We will stat teaching our Main investigator "Jim" on Tuesday and every day until Saturday.  He is so ready to hear about the Plan of Salvation.  He is so family oriented.

Well, I love you all!! Thank you for the support!

Love,
Sister Carling

Tosha's first email home

Mom,

I love you too. life has been pretty crazy here and p-day isn't till next Thursday. BUT I was allowed to write home to tell them all was well.  

 

We got our travel plans and our flight is on Nov 20th at 9:40AM. We meet to leave for the airport at around 4:30ish AM. Talk about crazy. THAT will be a long day.

Every day here feels like 3 and it's been a short while that I've been here. I love you and can't wait to hear from you. 

Well I need to go to lunch!! God is amazing, life is crazy!!

Much love,

Sister Carling

PS-they get mail right after lunch.

 

Arriving at the MTC!!

Arriving at the MTC.  Excited and ready to begin the new adventure!!

Time with the Fabers before the MTC

Eating at Cafe Rio before heading to the MTC!!

Heather, Justin, Gabe, Josh, Tosha and Hyrum

Time with the BYU Faber boys before the MTC

 

 Joshua Faber w/ Tosha--Gabe the photo bomb

 Ryan Faber w/ Tosha

Before going to the MTC she was also able to visit with the older Faber boys who are attending BYU.