Ciao Carissimo Famiglia,
Come staLei?
I am doing so well! I MADE IT! I've successfully been here for a week, and I'm NOT coming home! This week has been intense!!!!
So spiritual, a little difficult, but mostly working working working and learning learning learning! It's been so great.
I love my teacher, Fratello Jeter, but I told you that. He's so spiritually in-tune and he really cares about us. He called us out individually and he talked to me. He said, "thank you! thank you! thank you for coming on a mission. You're encouragin and you motivate everyone. [your testimony shows and I'm glad I get to see it]." That was a really special thing for me. I really do look up to him.
We had so many special meetings and conferences this past week. I had an interesting day on Sunday. We had 3...3!!!!!! meetings/conferences, not including Sacrament meeting. Every single time we started to prepare to do something spiritually edifiying, I felt satan's influence and I got frustrated and angry and I felt like I didn't want to be here anymore. As soon as I felt the Spirit, I knew what it was...He was trying to take those experiences away from me so that I would be a bad missionary or want to go home. I WON THOUGH! I'm still here.
AHH gosh....there is so much I want to share!
Ok, so my district is amazing! It's 2 copie of Sorelle and 2 copie of Anziani.
Anziano Valentine and Anziano Betchi (from Cameroon, but he's lived in Canada pretty much his whole life so he speaks French. He's also the one with 3 last names)
Anziano Petterborg and Anziano Baker
Sorella Baird and Sorella Gross
Sorella Strong and Sorella Carlock
It's an amazing and spiritual district. Their testimonies are amazing...SO STRONG, and so enriching. I love them. It's also been a learning experience because ...well, obviously different personalities...different views of how much talking should go on during the day...(like minimal, please!) But I love them all, and I can honestly say that. I may get frustrated, but I love them all.
Sorella Gross in particular. She is such a strong person. She has accomplished so much and she is only 19 yrs old. She's powerful, so smart, and you can feel of her love through her eyes and her smile. I want to be her friend forever. I love being around her and I am so glad I know her. Hopefully, we can be companions. (she's actually sitting next to me right now! he he)
Sorella Strong is so much fun. She's an amazing teacher. She knows so mucbh Italian...more than me, so I'm glad I'm her companion because we're on similar levels.
The tesimonies of the Anziani are wonderful. You can tell they've lived it, and loved it! I wish I could share everything that I've learned/I'm learning from them. Other than Anziano Betchi (age 22), I'm the oldest. Not that it's a big deal but it's kind of cool.
We have 2 or 3 converts in our district
Sorella Gross
Anziano Valentine
(MAYBE) Anziano Betchi.
Like I said, the testimonies are so strong.
I just remembered something that I wanted to share.....we had Chad Lewis (football player for BYU and Phily Eagles) come to speak to us on Sunday and he said something really powerful:
You are here because you have courage.
Powerful, right? I have no roome to be afraid or scared or angry, I have courage!
Today is P-Day so Sorella Strong, Sorella Baird, and I went to the temple. We completed a session and I was able to understand more about our purpose here and why our bodies are so important. It was reallty great. It felt weird not being together though.
I went to the consulate on Tuesday and I finished all the paperwork for my VISA so we wont have to worry about that.
Also, missionaries in the MTC DON'T call home from the MTC. I'm sorry I thought we would be able to. Happy Morther's Day!!! I love you, my Mommy, you're such a special lady!! The best mommy ever!
To Tanner:
Thank you for the photo album! I love it! It's perfect. You were my favorite companion, and you being with me really prepared me for this experience. Thank you for being my brother. I wrote you a letter, I hope you got it.
Keep moving forward. I hope me being here blesses you and gives you the strength to move forward. If I don't accomplish anything else, I hope my service blesses you. I love you. You are the best big brother ever. My testimony is what it is because you are who you are to me. Ubuntu baby!
To Eva:
Thanks for the photo of Georgie. I couldn't print it out in large form, but I love it. I showed it to the Sorelle and they all laughed. Be strong. I know that you might be frustrated with your weird friends, but make sure you are furthering yourself and not letting other people take you away from the relationship you are building with Christ. READ THE SCRIPTURES! PRAY, morning AND night! Don't forget
To Mommy:
Mommy, thank you so much for your letter. You are an inspired woman. I will definitely try the smoothie.
Thank you for sending me the quote from Neal A Maxwell and the talk from President Eyring. It was perfect.
Don't worry. My period of doubt and struggle was Saturday and Sunday, and it's way passed now. So far behind me, I doesn't even exist. I am here. I am set. I'm a missionary.
It really is everything I'd hoped for, but more intense...in a good way. We are in a fortress of truth-sharing and strengthening. This isn't about me...but that makes me really how much my soul is worth to Him.
I'd like to share my testimony about being a missionary: a representative of the Lord.
As I have mentioned before, on the name tags there is the name of Christ, and we are blessed with the opportunity to wear it over our hearts. But also, as well as the Lord's name being there, so is me.
"Abide in me and I in you. Except you abide in me and I in you, you can do nothing." I have covenanted to give myself to Christ. He is my Friend, my companion, my example, and my guide.
Names are such a special thing to us, and I get to wear mine and My Saviour's directly over my heart. How special is that?
Io so che Gesu Cristo e il Signore mi ama. Gesu e il mio Salvatore e Lei Salvatore. Mediante la sua espiazione, noi possiamo tornare a Lui e Padre Celeste. Io so che il vangelo nell Libro di Mormon e l'unica via a Cristo. Suo vangelo e vero! Io so questo con tutto mi cuore.
(sorry, the grammar isn't perfect)
I love you all. You are an inspiration to me and you motivate me to return with honor. Don't worry about me, but don't give up on me either. I like hearing how you are, even though I am so busy. Please write me. It reminds me that we are forever connected. In the gospel and for eternity.
I haven't taken my bracelet off. Have you?!
(if you do post this on the blog, feel free to correct my grammatical errors. I'm trying to type quickly so that I can fit everything in)
I will write letters if i remember anything that I left out.
I am a missionary, and I have the opportunity to teach an investigator (right now, like while i'm in the MTC, i'm teaching some: Patrizia, in italiano) of the truth. I teach of the truth because I know it, I live it, I love it.
You are all amazing. Thank you for letting me know I haven't been forgotten.
I don't think about you all the time, but I always ...and will always love you. I'll send pictures in a little. I love you all.
Tanney, I miss you too, but we are connected. I know you said you aren't, but don't get sad or discouraged. The Lord "is my light, He is my joy and my song. By day and by night, He leads, He leads me along!"
Eva, you are so strong. Let your light of Christ shine to those who do not know of the fullness of the truth. "The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!" Be that ever-burning fire!
Mommy, ....you....you incredible woman, you. I miss you and I love you so much. BE HAPPY!!!!!! "There is sunshine in my soul today. more glorious and bright where the peaceful happy moments roll for Jesus is my light. There is sunshine, BLESSED sunshine! where the peaceful happy moments roll. when Jesus shows His smiling face, there is SUNSHINE IN MY SOUL"!!!!!!
Tell Grandma I love her and I am thinking of her.
Tell Aunt Cynthia that she is special, loved, thought of, and missed.
AHH! I don't want to end this letter but I have to.
I love you.
Put your shoulder to the wheel ( i guess Hymns are my new thing)
Don't give up
Don't lose faith
Don't lose hope
Live with honor, serve with honor, return with honor!
I love you. You are in my heart, forever etched into my soul, we are sealed!!! forever and ever!
I love you, I love you, I love you, I do!
I love you, I love you, I love you, its true!
I love you, I love you, it's you I adore!
And every new day, I love you some more ~
Arriverderci la mia famiglia carissima!
Faithfully!
Sorella Carlock
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