Elder Coby Carter's Mission Blog: Mission Letter

Okay, so a lot has happened this week, so I'll try to sum it up the best that I can.

1: I have been EXTREMELY homesick as of late, because I keep thinking about random memories from home. I really can't describe how much I miss my days in High School or whatever. I've been struggling super hard with it. At one point, I even thought: "You know, if I wanted to, I could go get some money with my credit card, get on a Taxi, drive to the border, go to San Diego, get in another taxi, go to the airport, pay for a ticket, and fly back home."

I was so depressed for about a day or two because man! I really missed home! But then I read a scripture in Alma Chapter 29 Verse 6: "Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?" and also Verse 9: "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."

After reading that, I realized that I need to not worry about not having stuff. I should just be happy that I'm serving a mission! I should just be happy that the Lord has chosen me to represent him!

2: The water in Tijuana was turned off on Tuesday. Literally all of the city had no water. It was just turned off to conserve or something. We woke up in the morning and had nothing to shower with but water in 6 gallon milk jugs. So, Elder Ponce and I each took 3 and dumped them on us to shower. It was quite the experience.

3: I'm starting to understand a little more Spanish than before. I can pretty much communicate to anyone, I just have to ask them to talk a little slower or simpler. It's taking time, but I'm learning fast.

4: Elder Ponce and I finally had investigators progress! We have 2 investigators that cannot be baptized because they are married, and they need divorces, but they aren't getting them. Finally, these last few days, they got them through! We should be having them baptized in about a month! I'm so stoked!

Missionary work is hard. It's just hard. Not hard in the sense that you're working your body to exhaustion (although that's kinda what you do) but hard in the sense that doing it is just tough. It's a really tough thing to keep hopes up that your next investigator will keep commitments. It's tough to keep talking. It's tough to speak a language that I've never tried to speak before.

This is a small email, because I have a lot of people who are emailing me, and I tried answering them all.

I love everyone. Miss you guys so much, and I'll work hard. I promise.

Elder Carter