Year 2, Week 33

HEYYY MY FRIENDS!!

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: We can achieve anything we want to if we are DILIGENT AND FEARLESS.

My mission president shared with me the story of his daughter, who once wanted to go to a high-reputation school but had no money. With her grades in hand, she marched into the main offices of the school and asked for an audience with the president of the school. With a little verbal maneuvering, she was able to meet with him, and, staring straight into his eyes, told him the following: "look, I have no money, but I´ve heard that your school is the best school in the country, and I promise you that if you´ll give me a scholarship, I will have a 100% grade average and will be the best student you have ever had."

She was admitted to the school with a scholarship.

Be brave. Be fearless. Aim directly where you want to go and don´t ever waver.

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This week, we had the leadership council, in which elder Marquez and I set the missionaries loose with a relay race to show the importance of UNITY!! They loved it, and I discovered that the sister missionaries are way tougher than the elders.

We also had zone conference in Valladolid, which was fun as always. Lots of inspiration came to my mind about how to help my investigators resolve their doubts and come unto Christ by baptism.

WE HAD A BAPTISM!! (see photos).

My companion and I may or may not de-stress after long days by eating fresh-baked (fattening) bread.... ymmmmmm...

I´ve gotta keep things short, so that´ll be all, friends!!!

Love,
Elder Carson

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María is the favorite of all the Relief Society!! They love her!!!

Year 2, Week 32

The summer heat is real here!!! Iiiiiiiiiiii wanna soak up the suuuuuuuuuuunnnnn.....

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: Meeting your goals is all about STRONG and STEADY. About a year ago, the area presidency raised their expectation for mission performance to 100 baptisms per month. Since then, we fought and fought and fought to have more success preaching the Gospel. We worked together as a team and established Zone, District, and companionship goals to reach the vision of 100. Just this last month of May, WE DID IT!!! On May 29, 2018, the 100th convert was baptized in the mission, and I had the joy of witnessing it. I want to share with all of you my joy and enthusiasm that comes from hard, consistent, STRONG and STEADY work! I KNOW that God will help us acheive our righteous goals if we will but have faith and produce good works.

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VALLADOLID IS BEAUTIFUL! I love being here. There’s a tradition of Pork and Beans every Monday, which is delicious, and there are a ton of other fattening foods, too. I asked President why he was so kind and thoughtful as to send me here, and he responded, "I want you to ROLL home to Utah." HAHA!

REYNA AND WILBERTH WERE BAPTIZED! I’ve never met such intelligent kids in my whole mission! they did all their homework and memorized everything in preparation for their baptismal interviews. Their parents, though non-members, were very excited for their littluns.

Yesterday, Elder Marquez and I noticed some needs in Tizimín, and we travelled about an hour north to help them. THE LORD BLESSED US and we were able to witness the goodness and strength of the elders who serve there. In total, we placed 7 baptismal dates.

I’m SO HAPPY TO BE HERE!!! Everyone tells me I’m an oldy in the mission, but I feel as green as ever! I love to preach the Gospel. It’s a universal solution to the problems we face in life. I have seen lifes change as my investigators leave behind bad habits, sacrifice certain pleasures, and align their lifestyle with the will of the Lord. Sometimes they have doubts, but when they choose to move forward, they see MIRACLES!

That’s all folks! Have a great week for me!!

Love,

Elder Carson

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They had trouble looking at the camera, buuuut.... since when have my photos been very professional?? XD

When your mission president takes you to the Hotel Zone as a goodbye surprise for the departing missionaries....

A photoshop painting that I recently bought for the house in Valladolid.

Elder Marquez and I!!!! WE´RE SUPER BUDDIES!! XD

Beautiful Valladolid Center Square...

Year 2, Week 31

Oops.... Sorry for not sending the draft I wrote last week... HA. I’m definitely still alive!!

I DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME, SO WE’RE GONNA KEEP THINGS BRIEF.

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: Don’t compare yourself to others! After arriving here in Valladolid, I had a sit-down lets-start-this-transfer-well pep-talk with my new companion, Elder Marquez. Let me just say, if there’s anyone who knows how to give a good pep-talk, it’s this guy. He’s a former soccer fanatic and team captain, so it comes naturally to him. As we talked, he was receptive to the Spirit and offered me a piece of advice - that I don’t measure what I can do based on what others are doing. All this week, I’ve been putting it in practice, and I can testify that it has brought me peace, joy, and energy to work HARD.

We should all strive to recognize our divine nature. We are all children of God, and therefore we inherit His divine attributes. I invite you all to ponder your talents and weaknesses WITHOUT comparing yourselves to family and friends. If you will add this to your daily prayer and scripture study this week, you will discover something mind-blowing about your potential that you might not currently see. I would be interested to hear what it is that you discover!!! 

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This week, I said goodbye to my friend, Elder Vergara. He did a crazy-good job here in the mission field, and now it’s on to the next mission! President brought us out to the Hotel Zone (which is typically a restricted area) to take pictures by the beach, and he brought us out to eat at Sirloin Buffet. YUM!

VALLADOLID! What can I say. It’s an absolute beauty. I’ll make sure to share with you the pictures I’ve taken next week (sorry - I forgot my camera cord in the house). The people speak Maya and are SUPER humble. My companion Elder Marquez and I have gone to some villages in our area where the people live in stick houses and don’t speak Spanish. Hax tzút’c.

THE FOOD IS GONNA MAKE ME GORDITO, IT’S SO GOOD!!

That’s all for now, folks! I hope you all have a wonderful week! LOVE YOU!

Elder Carson

Year 2, Week 30

WHA???? is right!

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: Are we apathetic towards the Lord’s greatest spiritual blessings? In 3 Nephi 2, it saddens me to learn of a people who, after seeing and hearing of so many divine miracles and signs, chose to disbelieve in the coming of the lord Jesus Christ. To me, it doesn’t seem possible. Then I remember that it’s already happening.

How many times have you witnessed the sunrise without considering the immense light of Jesus Christ that makes it possible? (D&C 14:9) How many times have you considered the waters of the sea, filling the world with life, without acknowledging Him who is the source of life?

I am reminded of one of my favorite scriptures in Alma 30:44:

But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.

Behold the world around you and choose to believe. I have chosen to believe, and I am full of joy.

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I’M GETTING TRANSFERRED! While I’m sad to be leaving the mission offices, I’m very happy to be going to Valladolid, Yucatán! I’ve heard so much about the humble and loving people there who are ANXIOUS to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (quite possibly in mayan). I will be serving with Elder Marquez, who is a great friend of mine, and we will be sure to eat lots of chan pan.

This Monday, I’ll also be saying goodbye to my bestie, Elder Vergara! He’ll be headed back to Chile after finishing his two years with HONOR. I reminded him that these are only the FIRST two years of service, and that I expect him to be just as much of a missionary when he finds himself back home.

FUN FACT: Did you know the name of Chile actually has nothing to do with food? My companion told me that when the Europeans arrived, they thought the climate was a little "chilly", and from there on, the country’s name stuck.

This week, we were busy doing transfers! I did them all by myself! It was Elder Vergara’s way of giving me a final exam - afterwards, he revised it all (he’s great with logistics) and I got good grades. If anyone’s child gets lost in Guatemala because I put the wrong bus route on the transfer sheet... it was my companion’s fault. :D

THAT’S ALL FOLKS, THANKS FOR TUNING IN!! HAVE A SPIRICHAL WEEK!!!

Love,

Elder Carson

Year 2, Week 29

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: Speaking of relevant topics, let us take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice of a mother. I was reminded recently of the enormous effort that every mother puts forth as I...

(1) Saw this video-initiative: https://lds.org/media-library/video/2018-01-0020-just-a-mom?cid=HP_WE-9-5-2018_dOCS_fBLOG_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

(2) Witnessed the tired countenance of an investigator’s mom as she arrived from a long day of work (7am - 5pm), put on an apron, and began to work in her porch-front restaurant, meanwhile instructing her children to do their homework and help her with the business.

(3) Reflected on my personal experiences with my mom. Despite all the grief I gave her, she was consistent in teaching and disciplining me so that I could be who I am today.

My hope is that tomorrow, you can all make the day special for your mom. I am so excited to speak to my mom, and I hope that I can make it as special for her as it’s going to be for me!!! Make a card, go on a walk (or run), take her out to eat, go to a movie - something that she’ll love!!!

If you aren’t familiar with Mormon teachings about eternal families, take a minute to read the Family Proclamation (https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng&old=true) and decide now that you will do whatever it takes to be with your mom in heaven forever!

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This week was a great big adventure. We were passing by an Oxxo (basically a gas station without the gas) and we saw a lady struggling to push a giant cart, so we decided to help her out. As we pushed, we got to know her a little. Her name is Lucy, she’s homeless, and she suffers from a spinal column issue. It was hard to see her in pain as we walked, but at least she wasn’t pushing a ton of clothes and bedding.

We went to Isla Mujeres to help out the elders there. They have been trying hard to find investigators and face lots of difficulties. We were able to place a baptismal date and get a bunch of referrals from some less-active members!

We had Mother’s Day in Mexico! It was the 10th of May, and I recognized Sister Reynoso as my Mexican Mom XD She does a lot for us goofballs and always worries about us eating enough (even though the pozole and the frijol con puerco is making me gordo!!!)

We found a new investigator who we had contacted months before. Nothing happened with him at that point (he was always at work until late at night). After the contact, he went to his (member) girlfriend’s house and watched ALL of General Conference, blown away by the power of the talks!! Now he quit his job and is available to listen to the message. His baptismal date is for June 2, but he’ll have to go to church every week if he wants to achieve his goal!! His name is Joshua, and prayers would be greatly appreciated!!!

This is going to be Elder Vergara’s last week :(

I turned 19 months old.

That’s all for this week, friends!! HAVE A MIRACULOUS WEEK AND CALL YOUR MOM!!!

Love,

Elder Carson

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I continue being a terrible photographer. But I´m happy in paradise with my buddy. Burnt like toast.

Puerto Juarez - late afternoon.

Year 2, Week 28

Hello from the urban web that sits next to tropical paradise!!!

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: We had our Ward Missionary Activity this week (with a family-history "COCO" theme), and I learned that if you’re going to lead a group, you have to have a "group-mind". The idea that we had so carefully meditated was that we would put on the movie "COCO", have a lesson from the elders quorum about the FamilySearch program, and then have the Relief Society do a presentation of several traditional mexican dishes, together with their own family stories.

BUT:

1) The computer was having dificulties connecting to the projector.

2) The elders quorum was a no-show.

3) The (wonderful) sisters didn’t know that they had to present their histories.

SO:

1) We recruited an investigator (who happened to be a tech-expert) to help us fix the computer problem.

2) We searched out a timid sister who works in the Family History Center, gave her a 5-minute pep-talk, and committed her to give a short verbal presentation about the church’s geneology resources.

3) We utilized the stereo that one member family brought and the Spotify account of another brother in the ward to put on music from the movie while visitors and members ate the food and their children danced in the middle of the room.

I can tell you all that when you want to get a group activity done, you’ve got to take into account the many strengths and weaknesses of each person. You have to keep in mind the good experiences that others will have as you invite them to actively contribute. And, (very important), you’ve got to have a back-up plan! God is the perfect example of a "group-mind". In fact, His doctrine is that as we lose ourselves in the service of OTHERS, we will come to know ourselves better. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He is willing and happy to give us chances to contribute to the "glorious anthem of the Restoration" (Deiter F. Uchtdorf).

I invite each of you to consider how you can better apply the principle of "group-mind" as you seek to excel in school, in your homes, and in the building of the kingdom of God.

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We found a new investigator this week named Angel! And in an effort to minister, we helped him paint his house and set up his porch-front restuarant in less than two hours. I’m telling you, the mexican people have an INDUSTRIOUS culture!! I’ve learned a TON about entrepreneurship from them.

We had our leadership council! With leaders from the whole mission present, we discussed various ways we can be creative in our finding efforts.

Some former investigators of ours came to the ward activity! The father’s name is Oscar, and he and his family are from Venezuela. The guy is a giant compared to everyone here. And compared to me, to be honest....

Let me know what questions you guys have so that I can better tell you about the details of Mexico!!! I love it here and wish I could spend way more time serving the Lord in this capacity! I wish you all a great week! LOVE YOU!!

Elder Carson

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Hector from "COCO" - in skeleton and in living form XD

Year 2, Week 27

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this may be the first time I write you on a Friday....

Let’s begin.

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: I am blown away by the trust God grants to His chosen servants. He has given all of us power to ACT, and if we use that power well, He will grant us authority (priesthood) and power to act in HIS NAME. Consider the following examples:

In Moses 6, Enoc is told to declare repentance unto a wicked people. Humbling himself before the Lord and accepting his assignment, he is given power and authority: "all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you" (v. 34).

In Helaman 10 and 11, for having declared the word of God with "unwearyingness" (what vocab!), Nefi is given the same power:  "And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done. And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done. And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass" (10:8-10).

Finally, in the book of Alma, chapter 17: Ammon, a powerful missionary, is given such power that a band of robbers cannot kill him. The king he is serving asks him where this power comes from, and Ammon responds, "a portion of [the Holy] Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God."

Being an instrument in God’s hands isn’t about going limp like a puppet and letting Him take control. We are creatures of ACTION. We must receive authority by the laying on of hands, receive authority by aligning our will with His, and produce good works - only in this way will we approach Godhood.

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Lots of rain this week! Take a look at the photos:

... In a laundry bag

​... hailing a taxi.